First Christmas as 3!

7:31 PM
We made it home, safe and sound from our week long trip to Mississippi for Christmas!  :)  It can be so hard living far away, but it makes it super fun going home to see everyone.  Juliet's first Christmas was very sweet and probably more enjoyable for Joey and me than for her; seeing as she is only 2 months old.  However, we made a big deal out of it anyway.  I'm so not ready for the holidays to be over.  We began our holidays by taking my Mom to see the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC.  Juliet came too and she was an absolute dream.  She got to sit in Santa's lap for the first time and tell him that she had been a very good girl this year!
Here are a few of my favorite shots from the trip.




We also had our Christmas with Joey's family before we left so Juliet got to spend some fun time with her Pappy Joe, Aunts, Uncles, & cousins.  


Getting together also gave Joey's cousin & me a chance to get some adorable pictures of our sweet girls together. 


Don't you just love this one?  It was definitely an accident that I caught this moment... I was simply snapping pictures constantly and this is the reward result.  I should enter it into a "caption this photo" or use it to create some type of meme.  :)

And of coarse, we went to Mississippi for Christmas as well. We opened presents on Christmas Eve Eve night, because we are basically still children and can't ever seem to wait until Christmas morning.  My favorite thing that Juliet received for Christmas was the Mammas and Pappas Stargaze Playmat that my mother bought for her.  She spends 20-30 minutes playing with it each time.  It offers her the opportunity to interact by playing music and lighting up when she kicks.  Most activity gyms only provide baby with far away objects to look at, over-stimulating colors, and none stop annoying music, but this one has relaxing music, muted colors, and toys she can actually interact with using her feet.   


She also received the usual first year gifts, her stocking and stocking mantle hook along with baby's first Christmas ornaments.  It was a week full of lifelong memories and special moments with family... just what Christmas should be.



 It was a blast to celebrate the holiday and share our sweet Juliet with all of her family.  I'm still staring at my decorated Christmas tree and have no will power to take it down... maybe I'll get around to it next year.  I hope you all had a magical and Merry Christmas and I wish you a Happy New Year as well!


Sincerely, 

The Lishias

*Month 2*

7:53 PM

Juliet's 2nd month started the day after Christmas.  We were still at my mom's preparing to head back to Charlotte!  We had a wonderful Christmas with family; you can read that post here.  After we returned back home to Charlotte, Juliet had her 2 month check-up on the 29th.  This was the visit I had dreaded for, well, 2 months.  She was to get her first round of vaccinations.  I'm so thankful that we live in a country where these vaccinations are available, but I still hated to see her prodded with needles.  She is a very content and happy baby, so before her shots she had done nothing but smile and coo at her doctor and nurses.  It was terrible to see her go from extremely happy to completely devastated.

Here she is on her puppy pad... ready for her check-up.  HA!  


 Juliet weighed in at 11 lbs 9 oz and measured 24 inches.  I know it sounds cliche, but it really is amazing just how fast babies grow.  She can hold her head up independently now, which makes holding her feel completely different.  We no longer have to support her neck and head constantly.  She has also begun to take a bottle more easily, which is a huge relief.  I did not know what we were going to do, but thankfully she has gotten use to the idea and doesn't mind it so much now.  
My mom arrived at our house on New Year's Day!  She is going to be keeping Juliet while I'm away at work.

She is smiling and cooing more at us (and at her new BFF, the ceiling fan).  So far she has taken two road trips, one to Gran's and one to Asheville to tour Biltmore.  She didn't learn much... she slept through the entire tour.  Not sure where we will go next.  Maybe Charleston for a weekend trip once it gets warmer!  :)  Every Carolina girl has to visit Charleston now and again.

Her reflux has gotten much better.  We are now down to .6 ml once a day, if that!  We have discovered that she loves Winnie the Pooh.  She woke up one morning at 5:30 and wasn't interested in going back to sleep, and since I had to take a shower and get ready for work, I took a chance and played it for her on the iPad.  She coos during the intro song and when it goes off she starts grunting and whining.  Also, she still loves Amos Lee.  She always stops crying when she hears his voice.  Her  favorite lullabies are Jesus Loves Me, Stay Awake from Mary Poppins, Down in the Valley, Red River Valley, & her Daddy sings to her That's Amore in his best Dean Martin voice... she doesn't seem to mind.  Her new favorite toy is her purple glow seahorse that plays music.  It works wonders in the car.  It gets her mind off being in her carseat.

That pretty much covers it.  I hurry home each day to see her and snuggle with her on these cold winter nights.  However, I'm loving being back at work with my colleagues and students.  It really is food for my soul.  It's made me a harder worker actually because I definitely do not want to take anything home.  I manage my time better so that I can get everything done and head home as soon as possible to my sweet girl.  Being a mommy really does change you... for the better.







8 Days 'til Christmas!

2:34 PM
Everyone else is out shopping... which is probably what I need to be doing, but we're inside staying warm.   She literally napped ALL DAY so I took advantage of the moment and "staged" a couple of pictures with our Christmas decor.
We're happy to acknowledge the fact that last night she slept through the night for the first time.  She has always been a good sleeper right from the start and we are so thankful!  For the past week she had been sleeping from 9:00 - 4:30, but last night she slept from 10:00 - 6:45!  For the rest of the day she only woke up to eat.  She's the best present we could ever ask for!

I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe holiday!  8 more days!


Sincerely, 

The Lishias


Universal Baby Registry Sites

9:19 PM

Along with a few items from my registry, I'm also going to share with you the best way to simplify registering for baby!  When I found out that I was pregnant I began doing research by reading reviews, blogs, and talking to other mom friends.  During all my searching I stumbled upon 2 sites where you can compile every item that you want to add to your registry.  Having a registry on these types sites will eliminate you from having multiple registries at multiple retailers.  The first site is actually Amazon, which is what I used.  I created a registry through Amazon, but I also added the Amazon "wish list" button to my browser which allows you to add any item from any website to your Amazon baby registry or wish list.  The other site is one that I just recently found post-pregnancy, and it's called Baby List.  Baby List is also universal; you can add any product from any online store.  It's kind of like Pinterest but for a baby registry.  You chose.  They are both pretty awesome!

Here are a few items from my registry!



Tommee Tippee Bibs  /  Ubbi Diaper Pail  /  Latch bottles  /  Crane Drop Humidifier

Sincerely, 

The Lishias