On the Go

Baby Sage and I ventured out into town today to make some Mary Kay deliveries. It's our first outing since she was born. It felt so good to finally feel strong enough to get out and get back into business. We met Grammy (my mom) for lunch at Jarrott's Pharmacy where Sage met Ms. Katherine (Branch), and the Jarrotts, Ms. Dixie and Mr. George, for the first time. (As well as several other people that passed by the counter!) Then we took her Daddy lunch at work and met Mr. Charlie too. She slept most of the time, but was still tuckered out after running the roads with Mommy today!

4 Weeks Old

Sage is 4 weeks old! She's now no longer considered a "Newborn" and is now a "Baby". She's changing so much everyday. She's holding her head up with very little bobbing and is really eating and sleeping well. Dustin and I are able to identify what's she's trying to communicate much more efficiently now and each sound is distinct and has a meaning. She's outgrown a few of her newborn size clothes and is moving into the size smalls and 0 months that were way too big at birth. We're slowly learning her little routine with night-time and mornings being the most predictable. Late afternoons and evenings keep us guessing, but that's what's fun! She's almost a month old already. Every one of the past 28 days has been incredible and I've been so blessed to spend them with Baby Sage!

I wonder...

Sage is really starting to take in her surroundings. She is now focusing on moving objects like ceiling fans and, most recently, the mobile and lights on her swing. She loves to watch the mobile go round and listen to the music. She coos and talks to the stuffed animals and just enjoys some time and space to herself.

MeeMaw and PeePaw

Sage's MeeMaw and PeePaw came for a visit this weekend. She's growing so fast, we wanted them to catch the last moments of her as a tiny baby. She's getting so big! (She really likes PeePaw in his hat!)

Big Girl Bubble Bath

Sage loves bath time and it's so much more fun with bubbles! Now that her umbilical cord has fallen off, she's able to splash in the tub full of water. She's a wiggle worm and slides all over the place, so it's an interesting experience! Either way, she loves to kick her legs in the warm water. We have a blast bathing her!

Daddy's Little Girl

Baby Sage loves her Daddy! Every day after work, Dustin comes home to a house full of girls! (Even Molly, the bird, is a girl!) Sage loves to spend time with him and I'm thinking he's pretty partial to her too!

Happy Baby!

Sage is a happy baby! Our power was finally turned back on after the hurricane and we're home at last and having a blast! We've had 3 colic-free days (Hooray!!!) and she really only fusses when she has a tummy bubble. (Those hurt!) These are pictures of her just waking up from a nap. She just bats her eyes open and starts cooing and talking. I walk over to her and start talking to her and she just smiles. She's so much fun!

Sage and Her Pacifier

Sage is hilarious with her pacifier. She really doesn't suck on it often and usually spits it out after a few minutes. I only use it when she goes for her thumb. What's so funny is how she sounds! It's EXACTLY like the sound Maggie Simpson makes when sucking on her pacifier. I even call her "Maggie" when she has it in her mouth. She's so funny!

Bath-Time Fun

Sage LOVES her baths! We're still at my parent's house, so Sage got a bath in Grammy's kitchen sink last night. She shivers, but coos and talks while we scrub her up and dry her off. Isn't she cute in her little froggy towel? She's so much fun!

Three Weeks Old

See how big my baby girl is getting?!?! She's Three Weeks Old today! Our tiny newborn isn't so tiny anymore. She's finally big enough to fit into the Newborn size sleepers that swallowed her at birth. Everything else is still huge on our little girl, but not for long!

She's growing and changing so much. She has recently discovered she can "talk" to the bears that hang from the canopy over her bassinet and has conversations with them before and after her naps. She smiles and coos and turns her head towards voices, especially when she's looking for her Daddy!

This has been an interesting week as we've dealt with some colic and been displaced from our home due to power outages from Hurricane Ike. We believe the colic is due to over-stimulation and a lactose intolerance/milk allergy and have been proactive in preventing both with very positive results so far. These things will be much easier to counter-act once we return home and get back into a routine. We have been so grateful to stay at my parent's house with a washing machine and hot showers, not to mention the air conditioning!

There hasn't been a moment in these last three weeks that I have absolutely cherished. I love being Mom to Baby Sage and can't imagine feeling more blessed!

Two Weeks Old

I didn't get a formal picture of Sage at 2 weeks because of the hurricane, so I'm updating with some fun pictures.

In the Play Yard at Grammy's House - Riding out Hurricane Ike. She coos and "talks" to herself while playing with her hands.

This is Sage after a bath. We try to warm her up quickly! She lost her umbilical cord stump this week!

This is Sage with her Aunt Jen-Jen. (Just before she spit-up on her, totally grossing my sister out!)

This is Sage holding her head up and looking at her Daddy. She began doing this just after she turned a week old.

We can't believe how fast our little girl is growing and changing every day!

Meeting the Doctor

Baby Sage was born on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend, so my Obstetrician, Dr. Thompson didn't get to meet her when she arrived. (Dr. Silver, the on-call OB, delivered her and was wonderful!) At my 2 week check-up this past Tuesday, Dr. Thompson and his nurse, Fran, got to meet the little girl they've watched develop for the first time. The check-up went great. I've lost 13 lbs, placing me at 3 lbs under the weight I was before I got pregnant. This has been a great weight-loss program in my opinion. You gain a baby in the process! The doctor said everything looks good and I was released to drive, take short walks and swim if I wanted. I still am under a lot of restrictions due to the C-Section, but will hopefully be able to return to normal activities(like push a baby stroller and sweep the floor) at my 6-week check up. The doctor said I will be as good as new in 6 months!

The week before our doula, Jackie, came by for a postpartum visit and I was able to get a picture of them together. (I was unable to take all these pics right after she was born due to the chaos of emergency surgery!) She wrote a beautiful letter to Baby Sage telling her version of the birth story. Some day, Sage will read from a third party what it was like to welcome her into the world. We are so glad she's here!

Sage's 2nd Hurricane - Ike

Well, we brought Baby Sage home from the hospital in the windy rain just as Hurricane Gustav passed us just to the East. The Friday before her 2 week birthday, (September 12th) we packed up our little girl and headed down the road to my parent's house to ride out Hurricane Ike. My sister was gracious enough to give us her bedroom (and bathroom, and sunroom) so we could set up baby-camp with our 2 dogs and our bird and await the storm. Friday night the wind picked up, the rain came down, and the hurricane made landfall. We lost power before midnight and were so grateful to hear my parent's generator kick in and have lights and hot water.

We awoke Saturday morning to witness tall, beautiful trees bend in half touching the ground like limp spaghetti noodles. Limbs cracked and snapped flying past the house. Fans on the front and back porch were demolished in the wind gusts and we watched the water in my parents pool literally blow right out onto the sidewalk. My parent's Ice House (where Dustin and I had our wedding reception) lost it's roof and one of my dad's tractor barns was completely blown away. Late that afternoon the wind died down and Dustin was able to venture out into the greyness to go to our home to see how it weathered the storm.

With only minor damage to the exterior of the house, we were so pleased to see it standing! We lost several trees and Dustin's tool cabinet he got for his birthday was demolished and all over the yard. A week later we still do not have power and water, but have been grateful for these luxuries at my parent's house.

It has been interesting sharing a house with 12 other people, especially with a newborn. We hadn't quite settled into a routine yet and have faced the challenges any new parents have displaced from our comfort zones. I keep telling myself that God has blessed us with great lessons, beginning with Sage's "challenging" birth. We've just learned to be so grateful for what's available to us and understand that Plan B still works, even if you never really wanted to utilize it. Our family has had unique bonding experiences and we've all enjoyed our time together. Everyone else has been able to return home today as electricity has been restored. Dustin and I are hopeful our power and water will be back on very soon and we'll be able to go home. We've been SO grateful for everyone's hospitality, but it's true, there's no place like home!

First Outing

We made a trip 1.5 hours out of town today for Sage's one-week doctor's appointment. She's gained 9 ounces in the 5 days since we left the hospital! That puts her at 6 lbs, 13 oz. Our pediatrician says she looks perfect and that we don't need to bring her back until she's a month old!

Sage's First Photo Shoot

Our photographer, Shelley, came over on Sage's 1 week birthday and took her pictures. You can see all of the pictures on her website at http://www.shelleysphotography.net/. View the Gallery and her pictures are listed under "Sage Elise." Sage loved to have her picture taken! We had a great time and it's great to capture these precious moments on film.

One Week Old!

I can't believe our little girl is already a week old! It seems like just yesterday we found out we were having a baby and now she's already a week old. We have loved every moment she's been in our lives. Each day I watch the sun go down and just drink up what the day held. Sage is growing already! She has uncurled and stretches her legs and arms out. She's found her voice and coos and shrieks like a baby eagle when she's happy. She's wonderful and this week has been the best of my life!

New Member of the Pack

Our puppies, Sogno and Dandi, couldn't be more excited about the newest member of the pack! Sogno watches over Baby Sage constantly and Dandi loves to check out all the fun noises a baby makes. It's been amazing how quickly they've adjusted and really like having a baby around the house. Sogno perches on the edge of her bed and looks into Sage's bassinet whenever she coos or fusses. Dandi peeps her head over the edge to see what's going on. It's been so great to add Sage to our family!

Welcome to the World

We've had lots of friends and family to welcome Baby Sage!

MeeMaw & PeePaw (not yet pictured)

Grammie & Paw Paw

GG (Great-Grandma)

Nana

Nanny

... and many more to come!

Sleep, Eat and Play

We're settled at home and enjoying being in the little world of Sage! She basically likes to eat, sleep and play. She makes the neatest noises and is changing daily. Dustin and I could truly spend all of our time just staring at her! We've learned that a new baby means you're on call 24/7, the washing machine can run constantly, and sleep for more than four hours is over-rated when you wake up to an angel!

Baby's First Bath

On Thursday, Sept 4th, we gave Baby Sage her first bath. She was a little scared at first, but soon enjoyed the warm water and loved to have her hair washed! Dustin and I had a blast and can't wait for all the bathtub fun in our future.

Bringing Home Baby

After 4 days in the hospital, we got to bring home Baby Sage! We are SO blessed that both of us were so fortunate to be healthy and sent home a day early! It was a tough car ride home with all the other Hurricane Gustav evacuees returning, but we got home safe and sound and love being here!