Bonding with Aunt Nanci

My sister Nanci took the train out from Michigan last week and spent four days bonding with her new niece. As you can see below, they really hit off :).

Thanks, Cousins Evan & Kelsey, for lending your mommy out for a few days!

Happy Girl!

No truly "new" news to report, but I couldn't resist posting these shots of our happy girl. We are loving every one of these wonderful smiles...
Below is Linnea giving her form of a "kiss." It consists of a wrinkled nose, a wide-open mouth, and sometimes a snort for emphasis.
And below is Mommy returning the favor... and someone else watching in the background who doesn't find Linnea quite as captivating as the rest of us. The look on her canine face says it all. Poor Maya.

The Three Month Miracle

Everybody told us that things would improve at three months but at the time, it was utterly unbelievable - that it could be true AND that we could survive that long.  But Linnea was three months old on Wednesday (May 27th) and it's amazing.  This is a whole new ballgame!

Here she is performing one of her new tricks - standing unassisted (by a human, that is - the couch is rather integral to the process, obviously).
And here she is expressing her utter joy and delight at the ultimate gift we can give her - turning on the living room ceiling fan.  She's the fan's biggest fan.
Last but not least in this veritable showcase of Linnea-stunts (and yes, BTW, we do realize she looks like a boy in this outfit :)), the amazing feat of not only GRASPING an object, but purposefully bringing it to her mouth so that she can attempt to devour it like she does her fist/fingers/thumb on a regular basis.

And do you want to know the most exciting part about this post?  I am typing it while Linnea naps... in her CRIB!  It is, indeed, a miracle.

Nana & Papa Visit

Nana & Papa came from NY for a week this month to help out (yes - again :)).  It was a wonderful blessing and we all enjoyed it - especially Linnea.  Above she is spending some quality time with Papa, watching the leaves blow in the wind.  Captivating stuff.
She's a newly converted fan of her bouncy seat these days.  We are ecstatic that she has taken to some sort of non-human holding device.  May the trend continue!
This is the cutest hat ever that one of Mommy's co-workers from North Park found at the Sweden Shop.  Doesn't really pertain to the topic, but just had to post it.  Too funny!
Thanks for a great week, Nana & Papa!  We miss you already!

Mother's Day 2008

Linnea decided to get all dressed up in honor of her mommy's first Mother's Day as a mommy.  She got to celebrate not only with me, but also her Gramma and her Nana (as well as Grampa, Aunt Aimee, Uncle Brett, Papa, and her dad).

Another "first" of the day was Linnea's first outing to a restaurant.  We ventured to Egg Harbor for brunch (nice and loud, plus extremely fast service) and she did quite well.  Spent most of the time as pictured above - it's a miracle she didn't come home with maple syrup on her head.

She smiles!

Well, despite all the trials and tribulations of colic/acid reflux/whatever it is that troubles her much of the time, our little girl is thriving and growing - and even smiling! We have good days and we have bad days, and smiles like these make the bad days infinitely more bearable.
Last but not least, a photo of Linnea doing what she has basically been doing most all week long - napping on Nana. A huge THANK YOU to our wonderful families who have swooped in to support us through these last loooong weeks - Gramma & Grampa, Nana, Aunt Aimee, Aunt Nanci/Uncle Andrew/Cousins Kelsey & Evan have all come to lend a hand, as well as friends and church family members, and we are more grateful than we can ever express.

A Rough Few Weeks

Apologies once again for the long lag between posts... this time, the excuse is actually legitimate.  For those of you who haven't heard, we've had a rough last few weeks here.  Shortly after our last post, Linnea was diagnosed with colic.  Shortly thereafter, as the symptoms seemed to be increasing and pointing to more than just standard colic, we began treatment for acid reflux.  At this point, we are honestly not sure what the issue is (could be either or both).  All we know is that our little girl has been miserable these last few weeks and it has been painful for all of us.  

We go back to the pediatrician on Tuesday the 8th for a re-check to see if the acid reflux medicine is working or not.  Please pray with us that it is/does so that Linnea can have some relief - and we all could get some rest!

Apologies also for the lack of a photo with this one.  Things haven't exactly been "picture perfect" as of late, but we hope to get back into the picture-taking business soon.  Please stay tuned!