More photos...

A few more photos from our big weekend. There a few duplicates from my Facebook page but I know not everyone is on Facebook yet (get with the program people it's the wave of the future) so my apologies to those who do drink the Facebook Kool-Aid for double-posting pictures.

"Grandma made me wear this hat. I have matching booties. I am mortified."

Teddy Bear Butt - how cute is this? Thanks Mary, Randy and Katie for this precious outfit!

Maybe something is wrong with me but I think this shot is hilarious. She's soooo mad that her toes are curled up. 2 seconds later she was sleeping of course.

Baby at the Biltmore Estate. She was very impressed as you can see.

"Drop the camera and help me with this baby, Kurt"

Grass-Level Shot of the Amazing Biltmore Estate




Happier Mom with a Very Cute Baby

Daddy Being Sweet

She is such a joy. I swear she took my heart out with her when she was born and it's floating around inside her because I feel every breath she takes and every smile or frown like it's branded on my heart. We sit there for hours just watching her. I can't believe almost 7 weeks has flown by already. How in the world will I ever go back to work and leave this little person for 8 hours a day? Gulp. I know people do it every day but man the thought of missing so many smiles and gurgles and sighs makes me want to cry. Come on Powerball....we just need a enough to quit our jobs and stare and her all day!

Baby's Mountain Adventure

We officially have the best baby ever. The happy family made it back from baby's first trip to Grandma and Grandpa's house in one piece without having to stop once in the 2 hour journey for diaper changes, feedings, or screaming fits. Whew!

First of all, holy crap do you need to bring a lot of stuff when you go away for a weekend with a baby! It took forever to pack for the 3 of us. Thank goodness we left the dogs home. The drive went well, as I mentioned. I think 2 hours is her limit though because she started stirring just as we got close to our destination. I spent the last 15 minutes of the trip telling her "we're almost there, hang on a few more minutes" as if reasoning with an infant is going to get me anywhere. Well maybe it did because it worked. So many adventures and firsts this weekend, but I'll try to hit the highlights.

Adventure #1: Baby Goes to Downtown Hendersonville and Jump Off Rock!

Our first lunch out with baby. She got a little hungry so I fed her in the car after we ordered and got back in time for a fabulous lunch at Mean Mr. Mustard. We strolled around town and stopped for some "real" coffee. No offense to Grandma and Grandpa's decaf, but taking care of our energizer bunny baby requires full octane. After taking in the sights of H-ville, we drove up to Jump Off Rock -- what a view!

Baby Taking in the View at Jump Off Rock

Adventure #2: Baby Goes to Blue Ridge Parkway!

What a WONDERFUL day we had on the Parkway. The weather was perfect - a cool 57 degrees compared to 80+ in Hendersonville. The visibility was fantastic and if it weren't for the dozens of motorcycles vrooming around it would have been very peaceful. We had baby's first picnic - picture below. As you can see, she couldn't really enjoy the view from the makeshift tent we made over her carseat, but that precious baby skin hasn't been exposed to sunlight and I am not going to the pediatrician for a sunburn and getting the worst mother of the year award. She enjoyed dining al fresco. Mommy didn't feel too weird whipping out a boob on the parkway, oddly enough. That whole earth-mother-one-with-nature vibe was in the air. I did cover up with a blanket for a little privacy. Only potentially creepy onlooker was a guy with two loudly barking full size black poodles hopping into a convertible BMW. Kurt was ready to gut the poodles with his swiss army knife if they got too close - he thought they looked hungry. But fortunately, no blood was shed.

That's the baby under the blanket/tent that Kurt is tending to..

We continued down the parkway until it got foggy and a little rainy, as it tends to do up there. We turned around after stopping at the highest elevation overlook and witnessed some idiot redneck parents helping their little toddlers climb on an UNSTABLE ROCK SLIDE right next to the road. Seriously, what is the matter with people! I may not exactly be Bear Gryllis but I know enough not to climb on loose boulders. Again, no blood was shed or children crushed thank God. People really should have to take an IQ test before procreating.

Adventure #3: Baby Goes to Biltmore!

Our weekend of nonstop excitement continued with a family outing to the Biltmore Estate. Grandma and Grandpa joined us too. It was a beautiful day that got off to a rousing start when baby decided it was lunchtime before we even got close to the house. Since dining in nature worked so well yesterday, we figured we'd just plop down under a tree and do our thing again. After finding a tree that wasn't covered with bees, we sat in the grass and tried to get her nursing. First we had a little toddler boy wander over to say Hi. Hello. Go away now little boy. Then we discovered that baby does not like to nurse without Boppy. Kurt ran back to the car to get the Boppy pillow. Meanwhile, baby is screaming. People are staring. Awesome. Finally, we satisfy vampire baby's needs and we can roll on down to the house. Grandma and Grandpa scored free tickets (thank you!) so we didn't feel obligated to tour the house. We just wanted to see the Flower Carpet and gardens. Flower Carpet was pretty. Then, after spending $30 on 2 hot dogs, 2 hot pretzels and 2 beers, we attempted to stroll the gardens but quickly realized it was too hot, there were too many stairs, and baby was too fed up to continue communing with nature. It was worth the trip though just to get this cute photo:





It was a great long weekend - Mommy and Daddy even had our first alone time at the Cummings Cove pool and hot tub! Whoohoo! I think we left Sarah Beth with Grandma and Grandpa for over an hour. We also got to show her off to lots of Grandma and Grandpa's friends who are all in agreement how cute she is. We've got lots of cute pictures from our adventures. I'll post some more soon!

Vampire Baby and Diamond Earrings

Ok so I'm taking the liberty of posting twice in one day...the earlier post has been in the works for a few days but the little princess didn't care to let me finish it. Speaking of our little angel...she must've gained 2 lbs last night because she fed nonstop for about 12 hours. Seriously, every 1/2 to 1 hour she was demanding a boob. It got even more frequent last night; she kept us up 'til almost 4am when she finally got her fill and konked out like a drunken sailor. (or is it conked out? I never typed that word before...hmmm.) Needless to say, I was at the end of my rope and ready to hang myself with it by then. Daddy got up and tried to help, finally succeeding in putting her in her crib around 4. Yikes. Mercifully, she slept 'til almost 9am so I did get some sleep. But it was touch and go for a while there.

So this afternoon my sweet hubby surprises me at home with a little box wrapped up in a pretty pink ribbon. Small boxes are the best boxes, I have learned. Not like when you were a kid and you always went for the biggest box under the tree. My "Push Present!" And yes, to you sticklers out there, I know I didn't technically 'push' but "Major Abdominal Surgery Present" isn't as catchy or as humorous. Anyway, he picked out beautiful sparkly diamond stud earrings. I love them! Here's a pic...it's hard to take a picture of yourself with an iPhone, btw.

He's good, isn't he? It certainly was a nice surprise after Night of the Vampire Baby. The perfect size - I could wear them every day and SB won't rip them out of my ear like she does with my dangly earrings.

Thank you Kurt for being such a good Husband and Daddy. You will be handsomely rewarded. : )

Mexi-baby

Another exciting weekend was had by all in the Fagan-Newsom household. We managed to take baby and the dogs to Freedom Park for a walk on Saturday. What a production that was. 2 cars, 2 dogs, baby, car seat, stroller, and diaper bag. Oh boy. Only one minor meltdown trying to get the car seat in the stroller (guilty party shall remain nameless.) Moose was a little confused by the whole stroller thing but I managed to avoid running him over despite his periodic short stops in front of us. Sarah Beth once again slept through the whole thing and the rest of us got some much needed exercise so another success for the record books.

You'd think we wouldn't want to push our luck but no, we were feeling confident and took our little angel to Mexicafe for dinner Saturday night. Our first meal out in over 5 weeks! She was hypnotized by the colorful lights on the ceiling and quickly fell asleep. Score! Here's photos of how it went down:

Awake

Getting sleepy...

Sound asleep

We had a delicious meal of guacamole & tacos and Mommy had her first Margarita in over 10 months. It was fantastic. To top off our adventure, we stopped at Elizabeth Creamery for ice cream.

At some point this week we realized we needed another base for the car seat to put in Kurt's car, so on Sunday we made the dreaded trip to Babies' R Us. It's not just that this BRU is out in BFE (aka South Charlotte), but we just hate this place. It's too overwhelming. However we packed up our little baby off we went. Fortunately, we met a really helpful lady that worked there who saw our baby slumped over in her seat and asked if she always ended up like that... apparently baby isn't supposed to look like her neck is broken when she's sleeping in her carseat. She pointed us in the direction of "The Snuzzler" which is nifty padding for the car seat that gives her cushioning and keeps her head from falling over to the side. Sarah Beth looks much more comfortable. We also learned that cloth diapers make the best burp cloths. All in all a very educational trip!

Next weekend...trip to Grandma and Grandpa's house! Wish us luck!

Big Baby

Sarah Beth had her one month checkup. Here are her stats:

• Weight:9 lbs 7.5 oz --55th percentile
• Length: 22 1/4 in. -- 77th percentile
• Head Circumference: 37 1/2 -- 70th percentile

So we have a healthy, tall baby with a big head. That means she must have a big brain. We're so proud! "Your Baby Can Read" and piano lessons start tomorrow.

My goodness what big eyes you have...

Sarah Beth is 1 Month Old!

Time sure flies when you're having fun with the cutest baby in town! We've managed to keep Sarah Beth alive and healthy for an entire month - a milestone achievement for us amateur parents. I think it's safe to pop open the champagne we've had chilling since before she was born and celebrate.

Another exciting week for SB. She had her first bathtime in the baby tub. She did great! Well, she just sat there and didn't cry so in my book that's great. Kurt is an expert baby-washer. We had the tub set up in the kitchen sink and the dogs were quite interested. I believe they thought we were going to cook her. "Finally," Savannah Dog thought, "that baby is going to be worthwhile." Much to her dismay we were not marinating her, only cleaning her.

Actually, Savannah's been coming around. Yesterday she was nudging the baby's hand trying to get Sarah Beth to pet her, we think. Hilarious. She'll have to wait a little longer for that. Moose licks her feet at every available opportunity.

In other news, yesterday Mommy finally got her hair done - now I can show myself in public again. Kurt stayed home with Little Miss; she thanked him for her bottle by spitting up all over him. Oops. Bottle comes out a little easier than breast, apparently. She was ready for seconds by the time I got home though. Friday is the big one month weigh-in. We can't wait to see how much our champion eater has grown. She feels heavier every time I lift her but that may be my back getting weaker and weaker. Who knew mommyhood was so physically demanding!? I'm going to have some serious biceps by the time she's walking.

Sarah Beth's Big Adventure

Our Little Angel

(Thanks Aunt Ronni for my outfit!)

The heat broke yesterday and we got to take Sarah Beth out for her first walk in the stroller. We walked a lap and a half around the lake at Freedom Park and I think she enjoyed it immensely although it's hard to tell since she was asleep half the time. I have come to believe that sleeping baby = happy baby. I can say with certainty that sleeping baby = happy parents. However, sleeping baby(daytime hours) = party baby(nighttime hours) = cranky mommy and daddy. There's a little baby algebra for you. Anyway, back to the big adventure...we successfully loaded baby in the car and assembled the stroller with the baby seat once we got there without tipping over the baby or cussing so we were quite impressed with ourselves. She squinted at the daylight (what's that?) for a few minutes then she got used to it and looked around until she zonked out. It was a nice outing for Mommy too since I've been cooped up under baby house arrest for 4 weeks now.

Another big first -- Sarah Beth took her first bottle on Wednesday. I'm been pumping daily, and Kurt braved a few hours alone with her while I went to Jenny's house for a glass of wine. She took it no problem. Yay! That means a little more freedom for the Milk Factory. ; )

She's officially 4 weeks old tomorrow. Her one month checkup is next week - we can't wait to find out how much she weighs now. She is not missing any meals, that's for sure.

I need to say another thanks for the gifts and cards we've received. The UPS guy arrives about every day with something cute for our little miss. She has more clothes in her closet than I do. Good thing too, since she finds it funny to spit up or 'leak out' on an outfit as soon as I put it on her. We're averaging about 3 wardrobe changes a day lately.

All in all, we adjusting quite well to our new life together and are excited to start introducing her to the world and have many more adventures to come...