Sweet Surprise

As I mentioned in my last post, we got an iMac. It is AWESOME. So, today, while on a conference call (Yes - I am so productive!!!), I was burning discs of pictures that were on my laptop. I found some .MOV files that my PC wouldn't play. Luckily, the AWESOME iMAC will!!!! What a wonderful, wonderful surprise....

We are off to the beach tomorrow for a week in St. Augustine (2 weeks for me, Molly and my Mom!!) with my parents and my sister's family. 6 adults, 1 five year old, 1 five month old and 1 three month old. It should be interesting! I also have some posts I need to write about Molly's performance at Pottery Barn about a week and a half ago and life in general, but, this video took the cake! I had to post it right away!!

The fastest 5 months of my life...

I can't believe Molly is already 5 months old!!! Wow...it has FLOWN by...that sounds so cliche, but it really is the truth!

We got an iMac this weekend...you know, because we are millionaires and can just buy stuff all the time :) Really, we had been considering a new computer because our laptop is on it's last leg and has every picture of the past 5 years on it. My sister recently got an iMac and so...you know. We gotta keep up! HA! Regardless, it is the coolest computer EVER!!!! I digress...

So, Miss Molly Kate is 5 months old. I can't even stand it. I still go to her room every night before I go to sleep and stare in amazement that this piece

of heaven is ours. She is an answer to countless prayers...and while I understand that no one is perfect...she is MY piece of perfection.

Not long ago on that snowy Friday night our little girl changed our lives forever. 5 months later, check out this laughing little girl...

On the move!

Molly rolled over today from back to front and front to back! She's been working on it for days...maybe a couple of weeks.

First roll over:

You're surprised?!

4 Months Old!

Molly is already 4 months old! Can you believe it? I know...I can't either!

4 month stats:

Length - 24.75 inches - 66th percentile

Weight - 14lbs 5.5oz - 63rd percentile

Head circumference - 16 inches - 38th percentile

Diapers - size 2 (OMG!!! Size 2 already!!)

Clothes - 3 - 6 months

Sleep - 3 naps per day - 1 hour to 2 hours each

Bedtime - 7 - 7:30PM - sleeping until 1:30 or sometimes until 3:30, then back to sleep until about 7-7:30AM.

Eating - Molly eats about every 3 hours...she is exclusively breast fed, but we now give her a bottle of breastmilk and rice cereal before bed. I thought it might help her sleep longer...but, the jury is still out on that. I'm going to keep it up for now, though.

Fun Facts about Molly to date:

We are almost rolling over!!! She can get all the way over except her shoulder...she can't quite figure out what to do with her arm that is on the floor. I'm sure she will figure it out sooner rather than later, though. I have a feeling that once this girl figures out how to get around, we are never going to get to sit down again! At dinner, we've always put Molly in her bouncy chair on the table with us...but, we are quickly outgrowing that, as well. She does enjoy the bumbo, so that might become our new fixture on the kitchen table. She is sort of "over" the swing...but, it makes me sad to think about putting it away. She is OBSESSED with the jumparoo. I am talking....O-B-S-E-S-S-E-D. Our friends Shanna and Jed loaned this to us...wow...it's worth it's weight in gold. I need to take some video and post it for you to see. She still loves the bath tub and has enjoyed the pool the few times we've ventured up there with her. Our baby is definitely a water baby! Molly wakes up with a smile on her face and smiles and laughs all day long. She is the most good natured baby I've ever had the pleasure of raising :)! Oh, wait...she's the only baby I've ever had the pleasure of raising...

She is "talking" all of the time now and thinks it is fun to make the "O" sound and shape with her mouth. It is soooo cute! Often times, she will start yawning mid-"O". She laughs out loud when you blow rasberries on her stomach and at her Pop (my dad). He's the first person she laughed out loud with!

She is a CHAMP at going down for naps and to bed...we practice self soothing in these parts and she is wonderful! We have a book, song and bed...and sometimes her Nanna cheats (totally kidding, Mommy!) and just tells her a story on their way upstairs and she still goes right to sleep (I tease my mom about this...). I'm so proud of her for going to sleep so great...I'm probably crazy, but it makes me feel like she feels secure. She knows we will be back for her when she wakes up...and that she is safe in her crib to just drift off to dream. She will probably totally fight me on naps in a week for saying that! Ha!

Today I had a dentist appointment and "Co-Co" kept her. (Co-Co is the lady who will be her Nanny 2 days a week starting in August...and no, that isn't her real name...). I digress. Anyway, Co-Co kept her and when I got home Molly didn't get upset, but, she definitely reached for me. It ROCKED! It made my day!

Here is Molly with her dog, Rags on her 4 month birthday...

What? You are surprised at how cute I am???

What a difference a year makes...

One year ago today...

Today...

I'm speechless...and totally in love.

A Year Ago Today

As many of you know...or maybe don't know...Molly is our IVF miracle. She's the answer to many, many prayers and our personal slice of heaven. Every baby is a miracle...ours just took a while in the making.

This morning (5AM) as I was nursing her, I realized that a year ago today was our egg retrieval that resulted in our pregnancy with her. Today's June 1st is quite different from the June 1st of 2009. I am actually more emotional about it as we hit the 1 year mark of our conception and the long awaited 2 pink lines. What a difference a year can make...


A year ago my blog post read:

I have a funny feeling...and I think it's Hope creeping back in. I thought she'd long since abandoned me...given that I haven't seen a glimpse of her in what feels like months. But, I think she may be slowly trying to edge back into my life. I must admit, I would prefer to keep her at bay and protect my damaged-enough-already heart...

So far, we've had decent, dare I say good, fertilization reports. I'm starting to *hope* that we will maybe have 1 or 2 to freeze.Its been strange not talking incessantly about this cycle with my friends. However, its been a nice break for my heart. I've just been coasting through, kind of in denial that its even been happening. I sit here now, on pins and needles (and a heating pad), waiting for more news. *Hoping* that month 30 of this journey, in my 30th year, will bring us the miracle we've been hoping for all along.

My favorite moments with Molly are those like this morning...where we are together in the quite of the hours before dawn, just the 2 of us. My heart melts when she puts her tiny hand on my breast as she nurses. She'll sometimes look up at me - mouth full - and smile while nursing. It's those moments that make the journey through infertility seem so far away and ease the pain that consumed those years.

Molly's 2 month stats...at 3 months

I'm only a month late posting Molly's stats for her 2 month check up. Better late than never, I guess!

Length - 23 inches - 71st percentile

Weight - 11lbs 2.5oz - 55th percentile

Head circumference - 15 inches - 29th percentile

Diapers - size 1

Clothes - 0-3 months, 3 months

Sleep - 3 naps per day - 1 hour to 2 hours each

Bedtime - 7PM - sleeping until 1:30 or sometimes until 3:30, then back to sleep until about 7AM. She has slept through the night several times, though, and is getting more consistent with that!

Fun Facts about Molly to date:

Molly is a very happy and laid back baby. She loves her Baby Einstein play mat - especially the octopus! - and her swing. She smiles a ton - especially at Daddy when he gets home from work. She's cooing a lot and, again, especially when Daddy gets home from work! It's so cute - it's like she's trying to tell him all about her day! She wakes up super smiley and sweet, unless you wake her up before she's ready - and then she takes a few minutes before she'll smile at you. She pokes out her bottom lip when she cries...and arches her back when she stretches. She is wonderful in the car and really likes her mirror that plays music. She's discovered her hands and how tasty they are and is grabbing on to just about everything. Just in the past few days, she has started noticing her feet...I bet they will soon taste delicious, too! She enjoys sitting in her bumbo and has really started showing interest in stuffed animals. We recently introduced her to her Jumparoo and she's totally intrigued with that! She really likes music and sleeps better with background noise. She is still sleeping swaddled, but is busting her arms and legs out most nights. However, she rests better swaddled - and if we don't swaddle her when we put her down, she has a dance party and wakes herself up! I have a video of this that I need to post! I think Molly's favorite thing to do is to take a bath! I am looking forward to taking her to the pool in the evenings and seeing how she likes it - she really seems to enjoy the water!

Here is Molly on her 3 month birthday: