Julianna meets Uncle Rodney and Aunt Donna
Today my brother and sister-in-law drove to Raleigh to meet the newest member of the family. I couldn't resist putting my brother to work so he fed and burped baby Julianna. Good practice for him for the future! We were so excited to get to spend some time with them and hope they'll come back again soon! Oh, and we hope you enjoyed the Mexican restaurant recommendation -- we were so jealous!!
#1 Fan
Go Yankees!
Julianna sports her Yankees gear - complete with ruffles and knee socks! One of my friends, Corisa Ford, bought Julianna her very first Yankees outfit -- it's never too young to start pulling for the best! Corisa and I have future plans to take her to a game in Yankee Stadium -- will be so much fun!
Happy Girl
Today I caught Julianna's smile on camera for the first time. Each day we place Julianna in her crib on her tummy for about 20 - 30 minutes. She loves this tummy time. Each day she gets a little stronger and has started grasping for some of the small rattles we have laying nearby. Her favorite so far is 'Henry the Hedgehog', pictured below. Just had to share with everyone her sweet smiling face!
Cake Celebration
Today Grandma Callicutt and I baked a "Birthday Cake" to celebrate the arrival of Julianna. We baked my famous "Mile-high Lemon Layer Cake." The cake baking was supposed to be my early labor project; something to keep me busy during early contractions but since I was induced instead the cake had to wait until we got back home and were settled in with Julianna. The cake looks and tastes fantastic!
Julianna meets Boppy
Today we put Julianna in her boppy pillow for the first time. The pillow allows her some independence to "sit" on her on while helping to strengthen her neck muscles. She was pretty happy and content in the pillow we added her wrist finders so that she would have something else to focus on. She is still a little young to find them but we had fun watching her try.
Here are some pics from the boppy with Grandma Callicutt:
First Bath
Today we gave Julianna her very first bath at home. We anticipated that she might be fussy or even mad at the prospects of being stripped down and wet but quite the opposite was true. She lay in the bath sling just above the water and loved mommy sponging her down with our Lavender Burts Bees for babies wash. It was a pleasant surprise for papa and I and we are looking forward to the next one. Until her umbilical cord falls off we have to use the sling and sponge her as we need to keep it a dry as possible. Below are a few pictures of Julianna in her bath towel after bathing was over.
Julianna meets Nana
Today Eric's mom, Lynne, came over to our house to meet her new granddaughter. Lynne brought lunch for us and we had a very nice visit. Julianna stayed awake for most of the visit and was able to show off some of her super cute looks. We can't wait to spend the day together again soon.
Julianna meets ‘The Bostons’
Throughout my pregnancy I've wondered how well or not well our Boston Terriers would react to a baby in the house. Today we picked them up from boarding and brought them home to meet the latest addition. How did it go? Beautifully! The Bostons just needed to smell and kiss her and all was good. They don't react to her cries, coos, or other noises. It's as if she has been here all along. Just a relief for us -- as I was dreading potential bad doggy behavior due to change in the household. Frannie was the first to greet her with total curiosity while Lulu seemed oblivious for the first few hours (fits with their personalities perfectly). We know that in a few short months she'll become their new best friend as she drops food, dribbles milk and other things that the Bostons will be more than happy to help with!
Here are some pics of The Bostons, some with Julianna, after they met.
Julianna’s First Car Ride
Today we were finally discharged from the hospital with a clean bill of health for mom and baby. For Eric and I it was so exciting because it meant getting to take our little girl home and begin our new life together with a little one. For Julianna the prospects of being fastened into a car seat and placed in a very bright car for a 40 minute ride home seemed a bit too daunting. When we first placed her in the car she was not a happy camper. Not at all. I had purchased a sweet sun hat for her to help keep the sunshine levels lower but she was so upset that I could barely get the hat to stay on her head. As we proceeded towards home I reminded Eric of the Big Head Todd and the Monsters CD "Riviera" that I had been playing in the car for the last several months. I had listened to it so many times that I just knew Julianna would also recognize it and know she was "ok" too. So Eric started the CD with our most favorite song of all "Julianna" and within just a few seconds our little girl was calm, cool and entertained.
When I was pregnant I constantly talked to her and hoped she was listening and could hear. It's so cool to finally see that theory put to the test as she turned from very unhappy Julianna to chilled out baby in a just a few seconds.
Here are some pics from our car ride home.
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- Very Unhappy Camper
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- Just Chillin’ to some Tunes
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- Sleeping to Some Familiar Tunes
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- Sleepy Time
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- Who Could Resist This Face?