Memorial Day Weekend

Alaina met some more of her relatives this past weekend. Nate's family came into Rockford for Memorial Day weekend. Alaina met Grandma and Grandpa Bruck, Aunt Sarah and Uncle Kevin, cousins Brianna and Alysa, and Great-Grandma Jackie. We had a full house! On Sunday morning we all went out to breakfast with my parents and brother. We went to the Stockholm Inn for sweedish pancakes! This was Alaina's first time in public. She slept the entire time we were at the restaurant, but we were still excited about her first outing. It was great spending the long weekend with our extended family. Hope you all had a great Memorial Day weekend!

Grandma Bruck, Kalli & Alaina, Grandma Polemikos, Great-Grandma Jackie

Uncle Kevin, Brianna, Aunt Sarah and Alaina, Alysa

Baby Alaina in her car seat on the way to Stockholm Inn

A really cute picture of Alaina and her daddy

One Week Old!

Alaina is one week old today! The past week has been very busy. Alaina is adjusting to the world. She definitely has her days and nights mixed up! She is calm and sleeping for most of the day, but at night she is very active. We are trying to get her on a sleeping/eating schdule but it will take some time. Nate and I try to keep her awake as much as possible during the day, but it is very difficult. Below are some pictures of her 'playing'. As you can see, Alaina tends to fall asleep during play time. :)

We had Alaina's first pediatrician visit this morning. The doctor said that she is a healthy girl. She gained weight and is now 6 lbs, 11oz. Although Nate and I are tired, we are enjoying every minute of being parents. Alaina is a great baby girl and we are looking forward to watching her change and grow.

Introducing Alaina Katheryn!

Alaina Katheryn Bruck was born on Monday, May 11th at 9:13PM. I was a little bummed that I was not a mother on Mother's Day (the day before) but my contractions started that evening, so that has to count for something. Nate and I arrived at the hospital around 12:30PM. Things were going well for the first few hours, but then my labor slowed down and I had to have a c-section delivery. Recovery from the c-section has been a little rough, but I am getting stronger each day. Any pain and discomfort is overshadowed by how happy we are to finally have our baby girl! Alaina is absolutely beautiful. She weighs 6 pounds, 6 ounces and is 20 inches long. She is a healthy and happy baby girl. Below are a few pictures from our stay in the hospital.

Alaina's first feeding... she's so little!

Her first home, the hospital bassinet

Yiayia and Papou or Grandma and Grandpa Polemikos... not sure what Alaina will prefer to call them.

Uncle John

All ready to go home! Alaina is waiting for the nurse to check the car seat and give us the ok to go home.

Alaina, We're Ready!

It's hard to believe that I'm down to the final days of being pregnant. The past nine months have gone by so fast. I can only imagine how fast time will fly once little Lainy is here! Nate and I have been very busy lately organizing the baby's room, putting together baby furniture, and watching our 'exciting' labor and delivery video. Last week was my last week of work- thank God! Chasing preschoolers is hard work when nine months pregnant. My official due date is this Saturday, May 9th. Although I'm hoping to deliver sooner than later, it will be nice having a few days at home to relax and prepare for Baby. I finally have time to take pictures of the nursery and update our blog, which has been neglected for much too long. Nate and I put up the wallpaper border in the nursery this past weekend. We also put together the Pack N Play and baby swing. It's amazing how much stuff we have for such a tiny little person that's not even born yet. I have washed all of Alaina's 0-3 month clothes. She has more clothes than Nate and I combined, what a lucky girl! We are ready for Alaina's birthday and can't wait to meet her!

Alaina's First Shower

Today was Alaina's first baby shower. My friends Jenny and Melissa (above) hosted a nice shower for me at Melissa's parents house. About 20 friends and family members came for the shower. All the guest were asked to wear pink. Jenny and Melissa had the house decorated in a cute alphabet theme to go along with the nursery theme. The tables were decorated with alphabet blocks and mini foam letters. The girls prepared a nice lunch and made cupcakes for dessert. Some of the guests also brought Greek pasteries!

Nate's parents and sister came to Rockford this weekend for the shower. It was nice spending time with them. Below is a picture of the two grandmas-to-be at the shower.

Hope, Becki, Jenny Tetzloff, Kalli, Melissa, Jenny Pearce...

friends from high school

My godmother came from Indiana for the shower. Her mother and daughter came along too!Checking out the gifts and the diaper cake (thanks Melissa!)

Opening gifts... so many cute things!
Thanks to everyone who made it to the shower. Alaina got so many nice gifts which are all very much appreciated. Alaina is a very lucky girl!

Valentine's...

Valentine's Day is such a silly holiday. I have never liked it. Nate and I have never done anything spectacular to 'celebrate' and this year was no exception. I stopped by Hallmark after work on Friday to get Nate a card and was so disgusted by all the ones I read. Do people really buy these cards? I ended up leaving Hallmark without buying anything. Nothing I saw was worth the half hour wait in line to pay. Sorry, Nate. Instead, I decided I would show Nate my love and appreciation by making a nice dinner and dessert for Valentine's. I made almond crusted chicken cutlets, artichoke rice with olives, and cherry cobbler for dessert. Anyone who knows me well will understand what a big deal this was for me. I'm not much of a cook. After dinner, we just hung out at home and snuggled on the couch with Zoe. Zoe got a mini stuffed animal for Valentine's Day. Below is a picture of her playing with it before she tore out all the stuffing.

Too Cute!

Alaina is quickly accumulating many new things to fill her bedroom. The shelving unit for her dresser arrived last week. After securing the shelves to the dresser, we starting filling it with some of the baby gifts we've received. The letters that spell Alaina's name will soon be hung above her crib. The drawers of the dresser already have clothes in them! I hear that you are suppose to wash baby clothes before they wear them. I probably have enough to do a full load of baby clothes, but I'm a little nervious to take the tags off everything. There is a chance that the baby is a boy, the doctor was not 100% sure that it is a girl. If I take the tags off everything, I'm not sure if they could be returned. If the baby is in fact a boy, he may have to get used to wearing pink!

Speaking of girly clothes, this adorable outfit was a gift from my godmother. This may be an option for Alaina's first photo shoot... how cute!

Megan and Cole sent Alaina a really cute baby bouncer. The hanging animals are very tempting for Zoe. She frequently tries to jump up and chew on them. Before the baby comes, we will have to have a serious talk with her about which toys are hers and which ones belong to Lainy. Thanks for the cute bouncer, Megan and Cole.