Baby's First Christmas

Well, it happened and I can't say that I didn't know it was coming.  Christmas with a three month old!! 

Christmas Eve was spent with both sets of grandparents and it was so special to spend quality time with them before the busy weekend ahead.  The night started with a beautiful (and quite entertaining) church service, and despite the loud bass and microphones, Av slept through most of it!  Then we headed back to our house where we enjoyed a delicious gourmet dinner prepared by Jeff.  It was amazing and I'm proud to say that Jeff didn't follow any recipes...he just knew what he wanted to make and went for it.  He's a modest guy, so I'll be the one to say that he is a great chef!!

Christmas was a day filled with family, more great food and SO MANY gifts for Avery.  She is one lucky baby and has the best grandparents, aunts and uncles in the world!!  Avery was such an angel and really seemed to enjoy all that was going on.  I need to get better at taking pictures and with the smart phone I am determined to get next weekend that will be a lot easier.  Anyways, here is one Christmas picture of Avery.  There are more on other people's cameras, which I may add later...

We spent today over at GramCin and Grandpa's house and enjoyed a fabulous pasta dinner with Great Aunt Marilyn, Great Uncle Fred and cousins Ryan and Jenna.  Despite the Chargers loss (booooo!!!), it was the perfect way to cap off Avery's first Christmas weekend!

Funny picture time...

What's for breakfast?!

And a bonus picture, because it's Christmas and Christmas is about giving...

Yes.  I am that cute.

Milestones, Baby. Milestones!

As those of you with children know, babies change and grow so much during the first few months.  I am amazed every day at the things Avery does that show me she's learning and entering new stages of development.

I am an emotional person and find it hard to curb my excitement when my daughter reaches new milestones.  Yes, I did cry the first time she socially smiled and yes, I did frighten the crap out of her when I yelled with joy and clapped my hands when she first starting batting at toys.  And, yes, I immediately called Jeff and my mom the first time Avery was awake in a stroller while I was shopping and not screaming bloody murder.   (I consider crying less a HUGE milestone!)

Milestone #1 - Smiling!

Milestone #2 - Batting at Toys

Milestone #3 - Not Crying When in Stroller

(Okay, so I don't have a picture of Avery in a stroller not crying and well, this one was just too funny not to include in the post.  If you can't laugh at your own kid, who can?!)

Speaking of laughing, I have decided to add a funny picture of Avery at the end of each post.  This girl has so many facial expressions and I have been lucky enough to catch quite a few on camera.  So, to start the tradition...

It's nice to know my daughter is a bad-ass.  

And this picture can serve as evidence that those "Bodyguard for Mommy" classes are paying off.

Baby's First Thanksgiving!

Jeff, Av and I spent the holiday at GramCin and Grandpa's place with a house full of relatives.  From the paparazzi shots for our holiday card to the visit with the Orthmeyers to catching up with family and the delicious dinner, the day was just as perfect as we hoped. I do, however, want to send a shout out to those wonderful people who helped settle Av down when she realized she was a wee bit overtired and overstimulated.

Here are a few pictures from the day:

And, seeing that Avery is the first baby (Grandchild, Niece, Second Cousin and Great Niece included) for both families, she is very loved and well, everyone just can't get enough... I got a little bit on video, because it was just too funny not to share...

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday with those you love and that you took time to be thankful for all that you have.

Back to the Blog!

I am making an early New Year's resolution to get better with blogging.  Since so many friends and family are on facebook I got lazy and started leaning heavily on that site missing the true meaning of this blog, which is to share moments and stories on a more intimate level with those I love.  I have to offer most of the credit for this realization to my good friends, Megan Cotugno and Amanda Goad.  Megan has been blogging about her adorable little boy for over 18 months now (she recently found out she's pregnant with son #2, so her blog is going to get even more exciting to follow!) and Amanda started a blog a few weeks ago to share her journey throughout babyhood and beyond as she is pregnant with her first child!

With all this talk about New Years and babies it gets me thinking about how fast this year has gone... well, what it really gets me thinking about is how fast this year has gone since Avery's arrival!  Thanksgiving was just a few days ago and in just a few frenzy-filled weeks of shopping and parties it will be Christmas and my baby will be 3 months old!! 

Speaking of time flying, here's a picture of Avery last week when she turned a whopping 2 months old!

Avery is here!

Our baby girl arrived Friday, September 24th at 4:40 p.m. via c-section.  She was 7lbs., 6oz and 19.75 inches long.  She is as healthy as can be and has a Simpson appetite (she lost less than 1% of her body weight in the hospital and within five days of her birth she was a hearty 7lbs., 9 oz.). 

She has already brought us so much joy and is loved tremendously by our family and friends.  Words cannot explain the love that Jeff and I feel each time we look at her.  Being parents is the best thing in the world!  (We're slowly adjusting to our new sleep schedule; it's not easy, but we're managing.)  =)

Here are a few pictures of our beautiful Avery...

Boy or Girl?!

Click on the link below for the answer!

Boy or Girl?

Dad's 2 Cents

Hello All,

I wanted to chime in on the Blogging too. We're doing really well with the Pregnancy! Stephanie is handling everything like a champ so far. She's eating well and more, which is good for her but isn't good for old Jeff... I don't have an excuse to gain weight.  :) She's going to bed at about 8:30 to 9:00 which is good because you need rest when you're making babies. She's showing now too which is a real trip, it's wild to think that we have made another little person that's growing in there... very cool.

Steph is about 18 weeks along now... So, next up on the big events calendar is the appointment where we find out the sex of the baby. That's a big one! It goes without saying that we are really excited and anxious for that news. After that, it's time to get down to business, we can pick a room color, start the decorating and getting the house ready.

OK, that's about it for a late April update.... stay tuned, in a few weeks we'll post little boy or little girl?!?!

Jeff Simpson

We're All Smiles!!

Our little bundle of joy (a.k.a.: Pickle Head, Pumpkin Butt, Bambino, Mini-Perm) will be here in late September and we are SO EXCITED!

Since we have a lot of family and friends afar, we thought a blog would be the perfect way to keep everyone up-to-date and in touch with our family as we travel through this new chapter in our lives.

We will post a few blogs between now and when Baby Simpson arrives, so be sure to check back in a few months!

Love,
Stephanie and Jeff

P.S. Today was our 12-week ultrasound appointment and we got to see our little baby moving! Maybe moving is an understatement...the baby was twisting and flexing so much (all completely normal per our midwife) we walked away with yet another nickname...Firecracker (which might turn into Tiny Dancer if it's a girl)!