Our first trip to the ER :-(

T's birthday was a pretty eventful day... after getting Reese to belly laugh I decided to make dinner for T and I.  On the menu was baked haddock, peas, and cous cous.I put R in her swing to take a cap nap around 6:30pm.   I preheated the oven for 10 mins, then cooked the fish for 20 mins in the oven, while preparing the other sides.  T and I had sat down and were eating dinner when all of a sudden our fire alarm went off and the notification was saying 'CARBON MONOXIDE...EVACUATE'. It was so scary! I immediately grabbed R out of her swing and ran upstairs while T called the fire dept, and within a few minutes the fire department had arrived.  After a few readings they told me to take the baby out of the house immediately.  Thankfully I had a friend that lives in the same community that our townhouse is in, so I took Reese over there while T stayed back to answer questions from the firemen, and wait for National Grid to arrive to do their own readings.

Let me back up for a minute.  This past weekend we had T's parents here to babysit and when they went to use the stove/oven while we were gone they smelled gas and got nervous, turning it off. T ended up putting in a maintenance request in on Sunday and then the maintenance crew came here on Monday to check things out.  Sure enough, after a quick inspection, they said that there was an issue with our ignitor, and so they would be placing an order for a brand new stove which would arrive within 9 days.  I was told that I continue to use the stove, but to just keep an eye on it.  Well, the night that the fire alarm went off, it didn't even smell bad.  Yikes!

Getting back to my story... okay, so I went to my girlfriend's house and was waiting to hear from T as to what the next steps would be.  T called and said that after the readings, the fire chief suggested we take Reese to get checked out at the ER.  Better safe than sorry.  My heart dropped after hearing that news, ugh.  Off to the ER we went and T met us there about a half hour after.  Reese was taken in right away.  They checked her temperature, blood pressure, and did a test to check her blood oxidation level which measured the oxygen level in her blood.  Everything checked out just fine- thank God! We did have to give Reese oxygen just as a precaution. She was such a trooper- out way past her bedtime and being poked and prodded by strangers.  Such a good little baby.

Here is a picture of our little patient:

Reese's Belly Laugh

Reese's first (real) belly laugh happened on T's 31st birthday on 11/28/11.  I had sat Reese in her boppy propped up on the bed while I was getting ready after my shower.  I flipped my head over to get some of the water out and when I whipped it back, Reese let out the biggest laugh ever.  I was dying! I just couldn't believe that she was laughing so hard! So please excuse this video from shaking all over the place, but I was whipping my hair back and forth to keep her laughing. Best sound ever!

Letters to Reese- Four Months

Reese,

You turned 4 months old on Friday, November 18th, 2011! We cannot believe how fast time is FLYING by and we want a pause button, now! This month has been tons of fun.  You are such a smiley, happy, baby! Everyone compliments you on what a happy baby you are.

We've made the transition to 100% formula after Mommy's struggle with supply.  You were supposed to keep nursing in the morning and night (followed by a bottle), but as soon as we tried that my supply totally dried up. :-( Now that we're on all formula, there is a lot less stress on Mommy, and you're doing great! And you're thriving and gaining weight! You are an awesome sleeper and Daddy and I thank God every day for this.  You've gotten into quite a routine. You sleep for 9 hours consecutively each night and then go back to sleep for another 1.5-2 hours. You've established this routine yourself, and I just go with it! You seem to do 'eat, play, sleep' throughout the day, and typically sleep every 90 mins- 2 hours.  For example- if you wake for the day at 7am (which you usually do), you'll be ready for your nap by 830-9am. Your naps are typically around 45 minutes, but the past week or so you've taken a long 1.5-2.5 hour nap at that first nap of the day. I would love it if you got into a habit of taking 2 long naps per day, and I think that's the way we're headed. 

You take 5oz bottles 6 times per day (although your last bottle of the day we give you 6 oz.) so you're drinking 31oz total per day.  

In your 3 month post I mentioned that we transitioned you to your crib. Well that deserves an explanation.  You did sleep in your crib, but we put the moses part of your bassinet in the crib. But when you'd wake up at around 4ish in the morning, we'd bring that moses part of your bassinet back into our room.  It was quite the adjustment for Mommy and Daddy and I don't think we were ready for you to grow out of the newborn stage to be out of our room completely.  Then, you got sick with your first cold, and Daddy went to Washington D.C. on business, so there was no way I was going to put you in your nursery sick when we were home all alone.  So back in your bassinet in our room you went, and stayed.  For about 2 more weeks.  In that time we decided to see how you'd do without your swaddle at night, and you did great!! Not one bad night, no crying, nothing.  You were ready.  Once we got that down, we decided it was time for you to really go into your crib- no moses basket, no swaddle, etc.  You did awesome! We were SO proud of you.  Nana says you are an angel sent from heaven, and we'd have to agree.

You did develop some sort of stranger anxiety this month, and cry if anyone other than mommy, daddy, or Nana holds you for more than a few minutes.  You are very dramatic with this pouty lip and big crocodile tears.  It makes mommy very sad! :-(

This month you've had some more firsts, these include: 

- Getting baptised on October 23rd.  

- You gave Mommy your first laugh on October 24th, although you haven't done it since.  You've been close though! 

- You caught your first cold on October 27th.  

- The first snowfall of the year and your first happened on October 29th! This is the night that we stopped swaddling you, too. 

- You celebrated your first Halloween! 

- You started consistently rolling from back to belly on November 2nd.  

- You also had your first night away from Mommy and Daddy because Auntie Jamie and Uncle Frank got married on November 5th.  Nana watched you at our house and said you were perfect! You really love that Nana of yours!

Daddy and I love you more and more each day and are so lucky to be your parents!

Love, 

Mommy

Reese's Four Month Stats:

Weight: 14lbs even (60th percentile)

Height: 24.5 inches (60th percentile)

Clothing: We've just moved you to 3-6 months sleepers, although 3-6 month clothes can still be a little big depending on what it is.  All of your white onesies are still 0-3 and aren't tight at all.

Diapers: Size One. Although they only go to 14lbs and that's what you're at.  They are getting tight, but we have a large box we're trying to finish.  We'll be switching you to size 2 soon.

Favorite Toys: Sophie the giraffe, Oball, Lamaze Flutterbug, interlocking rings, and your new bouncy seat from your cousins.  Your lamb seat was awesome when you were an infant, but it was getting very boring.

Favorite Past time: Rolling over, bath time, getting your diaper changed and getting dressed (love that you love this still!), staring contests with mommy, watching mommy brush her teeth- you think it's so funny!, walking around with daddy, going for walks in your stroller, being in you're bjorn carrier, and being out and about.  You are so much fun in the Mommy and Me class at Barre N9ne. 

Communication: Smiles, and coos. You just started squealing/yelling.  You are getting SO interactive.  You'll kick your little legs when you get excited and it's the cutest thing ever.

Cries: When hungry, tired, or needs a diaper change.  You've also started to develop a bit of stranger anxiety.  You don't like "strangers" to hold you, and really are only content with mommy, daddy, nana, and nonna holding you.

Bedtime

Food: 5oz bottles every 3 hours throughout the day, although your bedtime bubba is 6oz. Dr. Dufrense gave us the go ahead for solids- she wants us to start with rice cereal, although I think we're going to hold off until at least 5 months.

*Little disclaimer here: Mommy and Daddy always look so unkept in these pictures- but it's the weekend, we've worked out, cleaned the house, etc.  We'll have to start taking these after we shower and look better, ha!

Must Haves- Month Three

If you remember this post, I shared with you our "must haves" for month one, now that we're at almost 4 months, I'd figure I should do an updated list.

We're still loving many things from that first list- our stroller the Uppababy Vista, boppy, sleep sheep, lamb seat and swing, but I have some additions to the list!

-JJ Cole Bundle Me in Sassy (hot pink). I cannot express my love for this item enough.  This is absolutely perfect for living in Massachusetts' fall/winter season. I don't have to worry about Reese being cold.  I just put on her little fleece Northface jacket, and zip this around her and voila! Warmth! Forget having to buy a thick heavy coat or snowsuit with this thing.  When it's raining I just flip it all the way up over her head (don't worry I make sure she can breathe!). A lot of my friends have the other style bundle me with fleece on the outside, although I love this much more.  The outside is waterproof and wipeable. You'd think that the hot pink would be a give away that Reese is a girl (if she doesn't have a bow on), but you'd be surprised how many old people tell me how cute HE is when she's bundled in this. HELLO! Why would I put a boy in a hot pink anything?!

-Baby Bjorn carrier I really wanted to love the Moby or sling style baby carriers, but I just didn't.  Reese screamed in the Moby and in the Petunia Pickle Bottom sling, so the bjorn is what we use.  It's been great so far.  When Reese was just 4 weeks old I started back at the fitness studio I go to for a Mommy and Me class, and she did wonderfully in the bjorn.  I learned that when she was really little she loved to keep her arms in (not through the holes) and be against my chest.  Just recently I flipped her to face forward and she loves it! This thing also comes in handy when I'm trying to get things done around the house.

-Boon drying rack- This rack is literally a life saver.  It was AWESOME when I was pumping and had 43947298 pump parts to clean a million times a day.  The other traditional drying racks are made specifically for bottles, so the little pump accessories wouldn't fit (I returned our Dr. Brown's one the second we put it together...).  This has also proven to be awesome for plain ol' bottles.  I usually wash about 6 bottles at a time and it holds all parts (bottle, nipple, ring, nipple holder, and top) just fine.  This can also go in the dishwasher, is inexpensive, and looks fun! What's better than that?

-Avent bottles- I originally had registered for Dr. Brown's glass bottles after numerous recommendations from other moms, and doing research.  I had always heard that Avent bottles leak constantly.  Then, my cousin who has twins used these bottles with no complaints.  I decided to pick up a 2 pack of these bottles at Target one day when I saw them in the clearance section (4 oz. size).  As you know I exclusively breastfed Reese, and at 4 weeks we introduced the bottle, so I grabbed an Avent, not the Dr. Brown, and Reese did wonderfully.  And, best of all- NO LEAKS! She's never been a gassy baby, suffered from reflux, or had any issues that would require a different bottle.  That being said, I ended up exchanging all of the Dr. Brown's for Avents. I could not justify washing all of the parts on the Dr. Brown's (6 parts total) for no reason. If I can give anyone advice about bottles, I would say 2 things.  1- Don't buy a value pack of bottles, buy a single bottle or 2 pack to try out with your babe first.  If they don't like it, you can try something else.  And 2- don't even bother buying any 4oz. bottles.  Reese is already drinking 5oz. at a time, and has been since 3 months, so the 4oz. bottles have already been retired.

-Dr Brown bottle brush- Not much to say about this other than I love the feature that it can stand alone.  We keep the suction cup base on our sink, which keeps it away from the other sponges, therefore only touching bottles. We are still on our first one, at almost 4 months so I would say the quality is great! Plus, they're inexpensive!

-Formula dispenser- Excellent to have in the diaper bag, and to use in the middle of the night for feedings.  Pre-measure it all out, and don't worry about it!

-Carter's fleece zip up sleepers- Warm, snugly, and perfect for fall/winter.  We LOVE zipper pj's and don't know why they still make sleepers with snaps! Zippers are what you want for late night/early morning quick diaper changes.

-Dr. Brown binkies- These are the only ones that Reese will take.  We just got lucky as these were the ones that were on our registry.  She used the one from the hospital for the first few weeks, and then I introduced this.  It was much easier for her to keep in her tiny mouth.

-Infantino Play Mat- We were lucky enough to get this as a hand me down from my cousin.  Reese has spent hours on this mat, and she still has fun using it.  This is where she learned how to roll from back to belly.  The animals are fun, and the print isn't too baby!

-Fisher Price Tubby- I love everything about this tub from the sling to the size, color, but most of all ease of use.  It's very multifunctional and I would highly recommend it!

-Aden and Anais Burpy Bibs- How do we still only have 1 of these? Santa is bringing many of these for Reeseybear if I have anything to say about it.  Sure, they're pricey, but they are TOTALLY worth it! First of all not only is the fabric super soft and absorbent (you'd be surprised how many bibs get soaked through in minutes), but they double as a bib and burp cloth.  They are easy peasy to get on and off (one snap), and cover the baby from under the neck to over the shoulders and upper back.  Perfect for keeping your little one dry. Plus, I mean how cute are all of the prints from Aden and Anais?

And finally...Reese's Nursery! (better late than never, right?!)

I truly love this room and put a lot of thought into every detail.  If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know that I was planning to go in a totally different direction, and then changed my mind when I was about 6 months pregnant!  This room is a pretty good size, but the cathedral ceilings make it feel a lot larger than it is.  The nursery gets great afternoon light that shines in through the two huge windows.  Without further ado, here is Reese Leighton's nursery! 

A view from the doorway:

If you were to enter the room and look left this is what you'd see...

Her decal above her crib doesn't photograph well- it's actually hot pink with 'reese leighton' written in script font in white with a little green birdie sitting on her name. I had ordered what I thought was a much lighter pink, but it turns out it's hot pink.  Not sure if we'll keep this, or change it.  I've seen some other great ideas for using her name above her crib on Pinterest, so maybe I'll get creative.  If I make any changes, I'll be sure to report back!

T and I hung these paper lanterns when I was in labor! Nothing like waiting until the last minute!

This is by far my favorite thing in the entire nursery, my grandfather's rocking chair.  My Grandad and I were super close, and he passed away last August, so he'll never get to meet Reese. :-( This makes me terribly sad, but knowing that a piece of him is in her room, almost makes up for it.  When we got this rocker, it was stained a dark brown. T spent many hours sanding and stripping, and then painting this chair white to match Reese's other furniture.

We had this bookcase from our last house but it was in storage, it's a little bit more of an off-white, but looks great anyway! On top of the bookcase we have lots of little items that are special to us. If you look closely in the frame box, you'll see Reese's birth announcement, her baptism invite, and even the invite from my baby shower.  I plan to update this frame box with current pictures.

On the top shelf you'll see Reese's baby book, memory box, piggy bank, and Mr. Lamb- my lovey that I had growing up.  We put the tutu Reese wore for her newborn shoot on Mr. Lamb to make him a little more girly! ;-)

The second shelf down holds a lot of Reese's books, a personalized snow globe that Reese received from her Baptism, and a cute butterfly sign.

The last shelf has two white baskets that hold stuffed animals and small toys.

Close-ups of items on top of bookcase:

Photo of Reese during her newborn photo shoot in her Nambe sterling silver frame

Miraposa string of pearls dish, spoon, and baby cup that matches our set!

Personalized print with Reese's birth stats that I had made on Etsy:

Frames with pictures from Newborn and Maternity photo shoots. I'd love to paint these frames pink and use sage green grosgrain ribbon to hang them from instead of this antique white.

Top of dresser details:

Gorgeous jewelry box from Reese's Godmother (T's sister)

Basket of books next to the rocking chair

A view of Reese's closet!

And her is little Miss Reese enjoying her crib! (Don't worry we took off her bumpers before letting her actually sleep in there!)

Paint: Pale Daffodil by Behr
Crib and Dresser: Bonavita Peyton Collection
Mirror: Land of Nod, Fresh Scallops
Bedding: Pottery Barn Kids- Lily crib set, quilt, and toddler pillow (had it monogrammed locally).
Changing Pad Cover: Pottery Barn Kids- chamois changing table pad cover, pink
Rocking Chair: hand-me-down
Rocking chair pads: Carousel Designs, solid pink rocking chair pad
Nightstand: we already owned this- it was actually beige, so we spray painted it white.
Lamp on nightstand: again, something we already had and just re purposed.
Curtains: Pottery Barn Kids, Dot Blackout Panel, 84" Pink
Curtain Rods and Finales: Pottery Barn Kids, Ornament Hardware, Medium and Small, Pink
Knobs on Dresser: Pottery Barn Kids- Pink crystal ornament knobs
Rug: Pottery Barn Kids- floral border rug, 5x8, yellow
Lanterns: Pottery Barn Kids, small pink lily lantern, medium green lily lantern, medium white paper lantern
Diaper Caddy- Pottery Barn Kids, Sabrina Diaper Caddy, white
Diaper Caddy Liner- Pottery Barn Kids, Diaper Caddy Liner, Pink Gingham
Lamp: Land of Nod, Early Bird Lamp in white
Print: Etsy, Seller: Almost Sunday Ink
Decal: Etsy, Seller: Sew Cute and More
Baskets on bookshelf and next to rocking chair: Michael's Crafts
Nightlight: Pottery Barn Kids, Grace Smocked Nightlight, pink


I hope you enjoyed the tour! If you have any questions, please leave them in the comment section below!

Progression...

My baby girl is growing up way too quickly! How on earth is she turning 4 months later this week?! Somebody freeze time! Quick!

Betcha Didn't Know...

I totally stole this from Meredith at Viva La Buena Vida, but I was bored and figured what the heck!

Guilty Pleasure?
Facebook, Shopping, and getting pampered (mani/pedi, massages, etc).

Recent Splurge?
Hmmm....maybe the Tory Burch suede black wedges that T bought for me to wear to Reese's Christening? I didn't need to buy a new dress since I wore a dress that I had bought last year for an event for my dad's company. T got himself a new Hugo Boss shirt and tie from Nordstroms for the event, so it was only fair! ;-)

In bulk, I buy?
Diapers, paper towels, toilet paper, napkins, and bottled water.  We currently do not have a membership to BJ's or Costco's, but when we did I'd buy that stuff there.  Now it's just Target. And just a fun fact- everyone told me that I'd get a million diapers at our baby shower, and not to purchase any in advance (I'm a planner so that was tough for me and I think I even cheated buying a few packs). Well guess what? We didn't get a single diaper at our shower! Ha! We got tons of amazing gifts that I am extremely thankful for, it's just funny that we didn't get even one pack of diaps. I've been trying to buy ahead now!

My go-to flower?
I love, love, love peonies, however they are very expensive.  I'd say my second favorite is hydrangea.

Comfort Food? 

Nothing beats a big bowl of pasta with sauce and meatballs in my opinion!

For breakfast?

Lately it's been lots of whole wheat english muffins with peanut butter.  I also eat lots of oatmeal and kashi cereal. Oh, and coffee, always coffee. Looking forward to Christmas because my mom bought T and I a Keurig coffee maker! How awesome is that?!

For dinner?
I make quite the variety of dishes because I get bored easily. I will say that now that Reese is here, I do a lot more cooking in the crock pot.  I try and make at least one meal per week in the crock pot, and then it will usally make enough for leftover the next day. Win, win!

Love/hate relationship with? 

Working out.  I've been going to Barre N9ne 4-5 times per week for the past month, and I LOVE it, but I'm always so damn sore afterwards!

Can't stop watching? 

The Real Housewives.  It's ridiculous!

Dreaming about? 

More babies! ;-) Just kidding.  Dreaming about us buying our forever house in the next year or two.

Every girl should have?

A perfect pair of jeans, a little black dress, nice pumps, and a classic styled functional handbag.

My style in five words? 

Classic, simple, put-together, elegant, and preppy-chic (the last two came from T- I got stuck after 3, lol)

I love wearing? 

For the fall I would say dark sknny jeans, and my TB flats or cognac tall leather boots and a simple top-usually black, brown, or taupe.

Dream Job? 
What I'm doing now- being a stay at home mommy to the world's best little baby!

100th Post and What I'm Thankful For

I cannot believe that this is my 100th post! I started this blog almost exactly a year ago when T and I found out we were expecting.  So much has changed in the past year and I can't imagine it any other way.  I figured that I'd take a moment to share what I'm thankful for with Thanksgiving being so close (12 days away!!).

First and foremost, I am thankful for my family of 3.  I never knew that I could be so happy, or love so much.  My heart literally almost bursts all day long.  I'm just so in love with being a mommy, and Reese is the best baby ever.  I'm thankful that she's so calm, so well mannered, and such a good sleeper.  I'm thankful that she's basically made her own schedule (eat, play, sleep), and that I know her signs of being tired, hungry, bored, etc.  We're totally into a groove now, and I can anticipate her needs.  She makes T and I want more babies! If all of our babes could be as awesome as Reese, we'd have 10! Ha! Just kidding, but maybe 3...but watch the next baby be much harder!

I'm so thankful for being able to stay home with Reese.  My hubby works very, very hard to provide for our family, and for that I am forever grateful.  I know that not everyone has this luxury, and even those that could stay home, don't all choose to do so.  Being a stay at home mom is certainly not for everyone, but it is definitely for me.  With Reese home with me she gets my undivided attention and gets loved on all day! Reese keeps me busy, and on top of that keeping up with household chores, errands, preparing dinner each night, etc. fill my days for sure.  I can tell you that I'm never bored! Each day I think about how awful it would be for us if I had to drop her off at daycare each morning.  It breaks my heart just thinking about it.  I'm not sure how people do it, but I guess you do what you have to do and you don't know how strong you are until you don't have an option. So, again, I am extremely thankful for my hubby giving me this opportunity.

T is not only a great hubby, but he is an amazing daddy.  He loves Reese to the moon and back.  He is such a amazing help, and he just gushes over Reese.  He's totally become 'that guy' that quickly whips out his cell phone to show the latest pictures of Reese to anyone that will look.  The two of them have an amazing bond.  Reese knows her daddy, and the second he comes home or she hears him talking, she'll crank her neck all around to see him. It melts my heart.

What are you thankful for?

My Sister-In-Law Got Married!

My beautiful sister in law, T's sister, Jamie, got married this past weekend.  Both T and I were in the wedding and felt very blessed to be part of Jamie and Frank's day.  Jamie looked absolutely stunning! Here are a few pics..

And here is a link to a slideshow from their photographer (and my friend!), Kerry:

http://klgproductions.blogspot.com/2011/11/jamie-and-frank-1152011.html

Trick or Treat

Happy Halloween from the cutest little pumpkin around!!

We spent Halloween Trick-O-Treating with friends of ours and their adorable little lion son who is 5 months older than Reese. So fun!