Multi-Tasking

This is Sofie doing what babies do best :) spitting up, wiggling and yes, if you listen carefully at the end, there's a surprise!

New Stages

Sofie has officially learned how to smile! We're soooo happy about this! You can imagine that changing a diaper at 3 am is suddenly enjoyable when she whips out one of these grins! The next three pictures are just a few of her various ways of warming our hearts :)

Andrea's sister Shayla came down from Logan for Conference and brought her sweet baby Sierra. She's 6 months old and Sofie has a lot of catching up to do, but we're hoping they will be good friends in the near future! They are both binky babies and while I was taking a picture Sierra reached over, snatched Sofie's binky and stuck it in her mouth before the picture was even done saving!

These two beautiful babies are polar opposites! Sierra is a chubby, bald, bright beam of sunshine with her golden hair, while Sofie is petite and dark with her long locks and mysterious, beautiful seriousness. Won't they be so much fun growing up together!

Essence Jade Bendoski-Garber

I may have gotten the last name totally wrong, but my friend Lisa Garber had her baby on Tuesday September 30th (one month after Sofie)!! Lisa named her sweet baby Essence Jade. Essence came 5 1/2 weeks early but is just as healthy as can be! She weighed 6 lbs 3 oz and is 19 inches tall. She would have been so big if she was full term!! Lisa is so lucky to be healthy as well (and not pregnant anymore!) It's so much fun to share this whole experience with Lisa! We both have brand new sweet babies! Now we're waiting for Jessica (Teng) Behling to join the bandwagon...hers is due in December! So much fun!

Rewind -One month ago

I thought that it would be fun to put this picture up now that I've already forgotten what it was like to be pregnant! This picture was taken the day that Sofie was born! For weeks I had been bothering Derek to take a picture because I hadn't taken any pictures since 7 months and I knew that she would be coming soon. So I finally got him to take this picture and just 3 hours later my water broke!! Just in the nick of time!! So this is me completely full term. :) Just enough room in that belly for little Sofie! Things I don't miss about being pregnant:

-vomiting for 9 months (I was plagued with this until she came, literally, in fact, the picture above was taken about half an hour after one of those episodes!)

-intense stomach pain that the Doctor's called "abnormal"

-involuntary grunting when standing up, bending over, or moving in general

-people looking at me funny

-no appetite

-insatiable desire to lay down flat on my back or belly

-swollen ankles and feet

-swollen nose

-peeing every 20 minutes

-night time, enough said

-tight pants

-Sofie's skull grinding on my pelvis

-pelvic exams

-not being able to wear my wedding ring

-wondering how many more stretch marks would appear

-fatigue fatigue fatigue

-watching other people enjoy food

-nightmares

-watching the scale go up and up

-hiccups

-sneezing

-nasal congestion

-burping

-achy knuckles (weird, I know, but it's true)

-not being able to brush my teeth unless I wanted to puke

-dreaming about food

-hip pain and tingly arms during bedtime

-too tired to hold a blowdryer and thus hideous hair

-rapid heart rate

-feeling panic attacks

-out of breath

-not being able to sing because of the previous reason

-braxton-hicks and cramps

-tight gluts

-headaches

-hearing "You don't even look pregnant!" (that equates as "you just look fat")

-feeling crappy 24/7

-saltine crackers

-sensitive gums

-faster growing body hair and no energy to get rid of it

-that nagging feeling of , "what if I'm not really pregnant, what if I'm just dying?"

-dry heaving, and the subsequent burst blood vessels around my eyes

-other things that would definitely be considered Too Much Info, I'll spare you

But when all is said and done, look how sweet my Sofie is!

Spa Treatment @ 4 weeks

Our incredibly spoiled little Sofie Lynne A nice warm bath...
And an appointment with Derek Blatter Outcall Massage, LMT
Ahhhhh...thanks Dad

Open Eyes

Here are our favorite pics of the day! Sofie is beginning to be more alert during the day finally, so Derek got some great close ups with her eyes open. The color is still a dark grey with a hint of brown.

3 weeks

Oh so sweet!

*20 days* Our little Sofie already growing up!

On Monday, Sofie had her two week check-up. Her Jaundice seems to be under control, and she's beginning to grow...slowly. She's back up to her birth weight, plus 2 oz, giving us a grand total of 7 lbs and 7 oz! She spent the last week screaming all night long, making mommy and daddy totally insane. She has reflux, which may be causing the nighttime fuss. :( Fortunately, she's given us a break for a few days and only wakes up to eat, which is every 3 hours. However, she doesn't fall asleep until about midnight, and she's wide awake by about 6:00. That gives mommy a total of 4 hours of sleep. Then of course, Sofie sleeps all day. We're still working on switching that schedule. Of course, being Andrea's baby, she's stuck on Beijing time. :) Sofie always knows exactly where her binky is! Check out that grip!
Wouldn't she be adorable with a pixie cut! :) Love those sideburns! Tummy Time: Dr.'s orders. She's got great neck muscles!
But of course, snug as a bug for the rest of the day.
Won't even wake up for her photo shoot!

Baby's first bath!

Sofie spent most of the time screaming, but actually enjoyed being on her belly in the water.

Mmmm, tasty soap mom!

Look at all those helping hands! Thank goodness for Grandma!

Sofie at Home

Now our sweet baby Sofie is three days, going on four and is adjusting well to life at home.

Poor Baby Sofie didn't take to her cradle right away! She ended up in her carseat.
Puffy mom and sweet baby. Mom remembers those stiff kickin' legs from the inside!
After a good meal and a burp...sleepy time. (note the praying mantis arms) Our own little X-Files experiment! Sofie may seem perfect, but we haven't been able to keep her liver working properly just yet, so to cure her Jaundice she gets to sleep on this fun bed!
Daddy and our little "Bili" (referring to her bilirubin levels)
She's just as happy as can be on her "Bilibed"