Alaina's Video Debut

I was messing around with the camera this morning and realized that it has a video option. I took a few short videos of Alaina and want to see if I can post them. Hopefully, this will work. The video is nothing special, just a few seconds of Alaina happily bouncing away in her bouncer. She is very active! When she is awake, her legs are constantly kicking and her arms moving. As you can see in the video, it is hard to keep a blanket on her because she always kicks it off!

Happy Father's Day!

Today was a very busy day. First we had Alaina's 40 day blessing at church. This is a short service with just the baby's family. The service is done to officially dedicate the baby to the church. Alaina slept the entire time! It was also an exciting day because it is Nate's first Father's Day! Of course I had to get some cute pictures of Alaina and her daddy on this special day. We celebrated Father's Day by going out to breakfast with my parents and brother. Later on, we all got together again at our house for a Father's Day cookout. Hope everyone had a happy Father's Day!

Our family photo right after Alaina's 40 day blessing

A very proud Daddy and his daughter

Alaina lounging on her boppy after a long day

Our Two Girls...

Alaina was bright-eyed and happy for a long time this morning! She is beginning to stay awake for longer periods of time during the day and sleeping more at night (yeah!). I laid her down on our bed while I was getting dressed this morning. Alaina likes to look up at the fan in our bedroom. She loves to stare at lights and fans in any room! Zoe decided to jump up on the bed and join her. I quickly grabbed my camera and I'm glad I did because the picture above is just too cute! Zoe and Alaina are quickly becoming best friends.

The outfit Alaina is wearing above is the one she wore when she first came home from the hospital. It was so big on her when she first wore it. Now it's getting too small. I think this is the last time she will wear it. It's amazing how fast babies grow! In only 5 weeks she has outgrown her newborn size clothing!

Doctor Visit

Alaina had her 4 week doctor's appointment this morning. She now weighs 8 lbs and 4 oz... she is a great eater and her weight gain is right on target! Alaina also grew 2 inches. She is 22.5 inches long, which puts her in the 95th percentile for length. Looks like she might take after her daddy and be a tall girl. Alaina received her second hepatits shot today. She held her breath, turned bright red, and let out a huge scream! Poor girl, it was hard to watch. As soon as we got home, she enjoyed a bottle and a nice long nap. Now she is wide awake and happy. She seems to have forgotten about the rough morning.

When we got home from our doctor visit I found Zoe asleep in Lainy's boppy and pink blanket. I had to smile. I knew it was only a matter of time before Zoe would get jealous of Alaina's things. Zoe has wanted to nap on that boppy for weeks!

Alaina's Friends

Alaina has heard me talk about our friends and relatives for nine months and now she finally gets to meet them! She met several friends this week who came to visit. This afternoon Alaina and I went to Dennis EC Center where I used to work. She met all of my teacher friends and coworkers. Everyone enjoyed meeting her for the first time. Alaina is lucky to have so many great friends!

My good friend Eric came from Des Moines to meet Alaina.

Jenny stopped by to see Alaina this week. She has magic calming powers!

My friend Hope came from Chicago.

Miss Carmita loves to snuggle baby Alaina. Carmita is my family support specialist from work.

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.