Amelia's Arrival and First Month

As many of you may already know, or can imagine, blogging with a newborn in the house is quite a feat. Oh yes, I had lofty plans to update everyone week-by-week using my blog to post pics here and there. Ha! I'm lucky if I can get my teeth brushed daily. One of the biggest things I have discovered about becoming a mother is that you simply forget yourself (this is actually nice for a change). All of a sudden you couldn't care less about what you look like, when your favorite TV show is on, what your neighbors are up to, or anything else. It's all about your sweet little one. Case in point (beware this might be a little too much info), I discovered the other day that I was in dire need of clipping my toenails (It was painful to wear my shoes) and this small task nearly took me three days to cross off my to-do list. But I'm sure I will get much better at juggling everything and fitting in my own needs with a little more practice. Truthfully, I feel like I'm doing pretty well at it so far. I have managed to stay on top of the laundry, decorate for Christmas and get a tree put up, and get out once in a while for a breath of fresh air. Amongst regular feedings and my own meals, I feel like this is a great success! :)  Cornell and I are truly having the best time of our lives with Amelia. For those who don't already know... she arrived (stubbornly) on her due date Friday, Nov. 6 at 8:24 a.m. via C-section. She weighed 7 lbs. 11 oz. and was 20 inches long. She is the sweetest baby. We sometimes pinch ourselves that she is finally here and things are going as well as they are. She is sleeping so well... most recently for 4 hrs at a time 2x during the night. Mommy is grateful because she loves her sleep too. Amelia loves "tummy time" with daddy, watching sports with her daddy (she has already been to her first Jazz basketball game vs. the Lakers), and bath time. She just lights up when she recognizes our voices and faces. We have even seen her genuinely smiling a few times when she gets really excited. She has found her hands and last night I caught her sucking her thumb like mad before I could feed her. It melted my heart. My favorite thing is when she holds onto my finger and squeezes tight. Amelia likes to be held and falls asleep easily as I carry her around the room doing things with one hand. She also loves to dress up (mommy likes to think so) and she looks so adorable with all her dark hair and big, bright eyes. We are looking forward to dressing her up for Christmas and her blessing day. Here are some of my favorite photos of her. For more birthday/hospital pictures you can visit my Facebook page, Add me as a Friend, and then you can view my photo album of Amelia. I simply can't upload them all here. Later, I will post some of the professional photos we had taken of her as a 7-day-old newborn. They are priceless! Let me know if you have any special posting requests and I'll do my best to make it happen on my next post. Until then, I will be trying to keep my toenails more neatly trimmed...

Amelia is born!

Our first family photo

Going home from the hospital

Amelia's ride home

4 days old

With Grandma Saunders

First bath at home

 Visits from Saunders cousins

Sleeping with mommy... wow, mommy looks zonked!

Trying out her big girl bath tub after her cord fell off.

Chatting it up with daddy - this really captures how she is when she's not sleeping.

Falling asleep in her diaper changer.

Look who has daddy's thumbs!

Going to church all dressed up.

Swinging time!

Falling asleep during tummy time...

First Jazz game (with cotton in her ears) and I think she's booing the Lakers.

Going to visit Grandma Brown