Neal's Precious Grandparents

Last weekend Neal's sweet Meme and Papa came to Northwest Arkansas to visit. This was such a special visit for Neal. They had never been to NWA before. Neal deep cleaned the house and cars in preparation for the visit and so wanted everything to be just perfect.

On Friday night we cooked dinner for them and hung out at the house. Everyone had fun just hanging out with Reese. Saturday we rented a car that everyone could fit into and we took them on a tour of the area. We drove by the UofA and showed them Neal's name in the sidewalk (mine was too far of a walk). We stopped for a lunch break at Panera, took them to see Walmart headquarters (I know so exciting) and stopped by a couple of other places. Saturday evening we ate at Monte Ne Chicken, which is always good.

The visit was so much fun for everyone. Who knows if they will get up here again but I am so glad that we were able to do it and that we got some great photos:

Her new found voice

So this video is really long but Reese has discovered that she has a voice to use and boy is she using it often the last few days. She is SO cute!

Sorry that the blog no longer has a cute background. For some reason my background was deleted and I cannot figure out how to add another one. If anyone has suggestions let me know.

Back to work

Going back to work has been easier than I thought it would be. While it is very sad to miss all that I will I am kind of glad to be back to a routine. Reese did contract a rash the second day of daycare, which was nerve racking, but things could be a lot worse. She seems to be fine with day care and her teachers really seem to love her. I get to go see her at lunch every day and spend about 40 minutes with her and feed her. I think this makes it a lot more tolerable. I love her so much and miss her every moment but for now I know we are doing what is best for our family. I love my job but hate that I have to spend so much time away from Reese. Maybe in the future I will find something that requires less hours but for now this is where we are at.

Cutest Smiler Ever!

While I was in the restroom at a restaurant the other day Neal took the time to video Reese smiling. Keep in mind this video was taken on his phone so the quality is not the best but it is still the most precious thing. I love her!

The dreadded shots

Reese is 11 weeks old this week. She had her 2 month check up on Monday. She was so happy the entire visit until it came time for her shots. Once the first shot went in she dropped her pacifier out of her mouth, turned red and began screaming at the top her lungs. She was completely inconsolable and it was so sad. This photo is after I have been trying to comfort her for 5 minutes or so. Neal ended up taking her to the car and sitting in the back with her while I scheduled the next round of shots. She cried herself to sleep after a few moments of being in the car with him. I am not looking forward to having to do this again in the future but next time I am going to nurse her as soon as the shots are administered. After she woke up she seemed to be just fine and didn't have the normal bad effects like soreness, fussiness and fever so I am thankful for that.

She weighed in at 12 pounds and six ounces which is the 75th percentile on the growth charts. She is 24.5" tall which is the 97th percentile and she was the 90th percentile for head circumference (Neal said the big head is thanks to him). She is growing perfectly!

My assignment for the next 6 weeks is to eliminate one of the two night feedings. She has done this for me the past three nights which is a blessing. Last night she slept for 8 hours straight and went 9 hours and 50 minutes between feedings!!! I won't count on this happening again but it was really nice.

I love this baby so much and am so happy for a good report. Thinking about going back to work in just over a week is not an easy thought. I am hoping it goes well!

Home

I got to go home to Houston for an entire week last week! It has been a long time since I've been able to go home for that long and just relax. I had a great time with my family and I'm so happy that everyone got to meet Reese.

Reese took her 1st flight on the way to Houston. Neal flew down with us but he only stayed for the weekend so we flew back alone. She was perfectly behaved for both flights. Coming back I was especially nervous for two reasons...one she had been fussy all evening and two the flight was completely full and I was alone. She was so fussy when we got to the airport that the airline graciously allowed my Mom through security to help me out until we got on the flight. She cried all the way until we stepped on to the plane and was then perfectly content for the entire flight. She didn't sleep except for the last 5 minutes but was so good and happy. I was SO relieved.

While in Houston I got to do all of the things that I really wanted to. I got to hang out with the whole family and they got to meet Reese, Reese and I got to spend a lot of quality time with my Mom, I did some shopping and found some clothes that will fit me and my new and unimproved size, I got to hang out with Carrie one afternoon and had a very fun time with her, I got to eat the chocolate cake that I saw on the show "The best thing I ever ate" (it was $16!, I couldn't believe it), my Mom and I got our nails done, we went to Costco and I got to eat at all of my must haves. It was a great trip!

A week from tomorrow my Mom will be here and the rest of the family will be here for the following weekend for our annual 4th of July festivities. I am really looking forward to it and I will post some photos soon after. Happy Summer!

Sisters

My Sisters finally got to meet Reese! They have both been to NW Arkansas in the last week to visit and we all had a great time.

Chelsea came in to town two Saturdays ago and stayed with us through last Friday. We had a great time with her and she was such a help. She even took Reese in the morning a couple of the mornings and let me sleep, which any Mom knows that is a blessing. We made a picnic lunch one day and took it out to Lake Fayetteville, we went on many walks, we went to a lake in Springdale and Neal fished while Chelsea, Reese and I walked, we did a little shopping and lots of hanging out around the house. It is so good to have Chelsea back in the country and Reese loved spending time with her Aunt Chelsea.

Last Thursday Carrie, Alex and Jacob came in to spend the weekend and we also had a great time with them. It was fun to have them around for a few days and Carrie definitely has a great touch when trying to get Reese to sleep. She helped rock her to sleep multiple times and it was nice to have extra people around that were eager to hold her...I was actually able to get some other things done. I was able to get out of the house with Carrie and Chelsea and do a little shopping. They got a pool for the back yard for Jacob to swim in that we all enjoyed and we went out for some Monte Ne Chicken, which is always good. We took Jacob out to fish but he got his lure stuck on something within minutes and the line broke so that was short lived. It just turned into a long walk, which was also fun.

The past week or so have been really enjoyable. Reese has turned into a really content baby. We even took her to Tulsa yesterday to shop and she was so good. I am feeling better about the flight that we will be taking with her in a couple of weeks. She also slept from 8:30 to 8 last night with only one feeding in the middle and she went back to sleep after the feeding in about 15 minutes. I cannot count on this to happen again (it is not her normal at all) but I am so grateful for it. It at least gives me hope for the future!