MJ's First Trip

Over the weekend, Jared, MJ and I traveled up North to visit Jared's family. We had a great time hanging out and MJ got to meet most of her aunts, uncles and cousins. Thanks to Jared's parents for letting us stay with them and for organizing everything!
MJ was great traveling and slept most of the way up and back. We just had to stop once each way for a quick feeding. She's just the most perfect little baby.

On Saturday, we took MJ for her first trip to the zoo. She slept most of the time and didn't see many of the animals, but the rest of us had fun. It was just great to actually get out and do something!
We came back early so that we could be home for Memorial Day. After a short trip to visit my dad's grave, we went down to Grandma & Grandpa Rummler's for a delicious barbecue.

Real quick, here's also an update on MJ's development. She is now about 9 lbs and 22 inches long. She's becoming a long and thin baby. She is fascinated by ceiling fans and will spend a good twenty minutes or more just staring at them. She is starting to smile a lot more and make gurgling and cooing sounds. It's so much fun to play with her and actually get a reaction! I've yet to capture a smile on the camera. I never seem to have it close by... I'll post one soon, though.

Mother's Day

I got the privilege of celebrating my first Mother's Day on the same day as my 24th birthday.
We didn't really do anything spectacular, but it was still fun to hang out with my family. Jared tried to make it a special day by cleaning the house, making me brinner (breakfast for dinner) and by giving me lots of gifts. I can't wait until MJ can sit up so we can use the baby carrier he got and go hiking. MJ tried to make my day special too by exhibiting some explosive poo that leaked everywhere out of her diaper.
I've been a Mom for 25 whole days now and I'm only really starting to feel like I can handle it. Being a Mom takes a lot more patience and time than I ever thought it would. I adore my little girl, but it's easy to become frustrated when she wakes up six times in one night. But, for all the messes, the inconsolable crying, constant worrying and sleepless nights, it all seems worth it when she smiles.
I am eternally grateful for my own parents. I am only beginning to understand how much they have loved me.

MJ's Birth

MJ Conlin was born on Wednesday, April 15th at 7:27 pm. She weighed 7 lbs and measured 19 inches long.
I started feeling regular contractions, about 16 minutes apart, on Tuesday, April 14th around 4 pm. We were admitted to the hospital around 10 am on Wednesday. I was having contractions every 4 minutes and was 3 cm dilated. Things were progressing slowly until I was given an epidural around 4 pm. Thank God for epidurals! And, after pushing for nearly two hours, MJ was born.
We were able to bring her home the next night. We were concerned about how our dog, Loki, would react to the baby, but she's been excellent. Our biggest problem is that Loki wants to lick the baby constantly.After only a few days at home, MJ had to be re-admitted to the hospital for jaundice. She had to stay under the billirubin lights constantly. The only time I was allowed to hold her was for feedings. It was terrible. MJ stayed in the hospital for two days, coming home on Jared's birthday- April 21.
Since then, MJ has been perfectly healthy and happy.
She's an excellent baby. She already sleeps mostly through the night (yeah!). She loves taking baths, eating, and going for rides in the car. She's almost four weeks old now and she's growing fast, weighing about 8 1/2 lbs and measuring 22 inches long.