Superstar

Needn't say much here. Papa Steve bought these shades for Payton today and she rocked them for a bit. She's ready for her close-up!

Grandpa

No one puts Payton to sleep like her Papa Steve. My Dad is visiting us right now from Florida. Other than him complaining a bit about the cold weather, he is enjoying hanging out with his girls. He holds Payton, talks, cuddles, rocks, feeds and loves her to pieces. Grandpa spent the day with us Saturday while we went to Sears for Payton's 4-month portraits. They turned out fantastic and I can't wait to share them.
It's really cute to watch my Dad with Payton. He said she really reminds him of me as a baby.

Cliffhanger

Oops. I guess I should be more careful about ending on a ...

I didn't know it would elicit such a response. Really, I don't have HUGE news of any sort. No, not pregnant again. No, not moving. No, not changing jobs.

I was just thinking the other day about all the great things to celebrate right now. The big news isn't so much mine, but the joys of others.

Pestows - Liz and Luke's family is expanding as she recently learned she is expecting baby number 3 in her family! Ethan and Abby will be great big brother and big sister to this newest addition and I'm sure the Weirs are overjoyed too.

Greenes - Welcome Henry Luke Greene, the big bundle of joy that joined Eric, Julie and Isaac on May 21. With a labor that lasted less than 3 hours, Julie is the envy of many a mother and such a trooper!

Matt - My brother graduates from high school on Saturday. It's hard to believe that my baby brother is growing up and heading to college this fall. He is such an overachiever. Not just one, but two state championships in football, as well as accolades in basketball and track on top of being a 4.0 student and working a part-time job. He's a great kid who's growing into an even greater man.

Payton - She is growing leaps and bounds right now. Seriously. She's learning so much and developing so quickly lately. Some big milestones are taking place now, like rolling over (That is our big news), holding her bottle (see photo above), and possibly teething. I'll be sure to post more on those soon. Payton just had an incredible week - sleeping through the night almost always now, such a mild-mannered joy during the day and her cuteness kills me. I can't hardly believe she's our baby. A-dor-able!

Motherhood

My first Mother's Day will always be extremely special to me. Scott & Payton went all out. Payton made me something at school. It's a picture of me holding her (taken by the daycare teachers) and a poem that reads:

Mommy, I love you for all that you do
I'll kiss you and hug you
Cause
you love me too
You feed me and need me
To teach you to play
So smile because I love you
This Mother's Day

Next to the poem are her two little handprints and then the entire thing is laminated. I have it hanging in my office now.
I woke early that morning, well Payton woke me early that morning, and then she and Daddy gave me my cards. Scott wrote some very nice, sentimental thoughts about bringing the best most special things into our lives and Payton even signed her card about why a daughter needs a mom. Daddy helped her by printing a picture out of me holding Payton and attaching it to the card. After Daddy dressed Payton in her "MY MOM ROCKS" shirt (See photo), we went to breakfast at the Pancake House, followed up by a nap on the couch. Later, we ate dinner at the Jacobs.
It was a nice day, complimented by really nice gestures in cards from Dad, Mom, Donna and Misha. Thank you all!

I love being a mother and have really enjoyed my special little girl.

Rantings

I apologize for not posting sooner. So much can happen in the span of two weeks, which is both the reason for not being able to post and regretfully not keeping up.
I returned from Columbus to find Payton and Daddy doing just fine, the house still standing and the Earth still oribiting on its axis. I missed them both very much but we made up for it during the weekend. Payton & I shopped that weekend for formula, a couple outfits, etc. and whatever else we could find deals on with the coupons I had for Babies 'R' Us. I thougt I'd give Daddy a break that day and let him do whatever he wanted, which resulted in him filling the ginormous hole in the backyard.
Then Sunday, that was my very first Mother's Day and it was very special. I could write a whole post on that, and still will, but it was a great day and I'm so blessed.
Work has been keeping me extremely busy. That's a good thing. It makes the day fly by faster and distracts me so I don't miss Payton too much.
Last weekend I spent time in Chicago with my girlfriends - Jayna, Tamara, Lisa and Kim. It was hard to be away from Scott & Payton all weekend but they did great once again. Payton even stayed overnight at Grammy Jacob's house so Scott had a night to himself.
So, my dad arrives today from Florida and will be staying through next weekend. We're pretty busy these days so I'll try to keep posting as much as possible.
Plus, I have big news...

Absence

I just spent a night away from Payton for the first time since her birth. The opening of a new Starr program in Columbus, Ohio meant an overnight stay for me. I wasn't too worried about leaving Daddy and Payton together; I knew he'd do great and she was in very capable loving hands. Really, he does so much anyway on a daily basis with taking Payton to and from daycare and caring for her for a couple hours before I get home from work. Scott is an awesome Daddy and husband.
I was worried, however, because I had to get Payton around Thursday morning and take her to daycare before I went to work because Daddy was sick. I was worried about him after he slept for almost 24 hours straight. But he's better now.
Payton has been a good girl the past couple nights, and slept all night long last night. Well, she woke at 4:30 AM but only needed help with her paci and a couple reassuring pats on the belly before falling back asleep until about 6 AM. Then after she ate, we took a small snooze in Mommy & Daddy's bed. I wanted to cuddle with my lil' punkin after being away for a couple days. I really really missed her!

3-month Puppy Pic

It's very hard to believe how quickly Payton is growing. It sometimes felt like time stood still during pregnancy, but it seems to fly by now that we're parents. These first few months have come and gone and I can honestly say they have been some of the most challenging yet rewarding times. Payton has blessed our lives and brought us so much purpose and joy! I especially really enjoy watching her and her Daddy bond. Not only is he a great husband, but watching Scott become a terrific father has been so heartwarming. I heard him and another guy talking the other day about having daughters and he said "hook, line and sinker" he fell in love with her.

To me, Payton seems to be growing leaps and bounds, but in all reality she's just a petite little baby doll right now. She weighs about 12 pounds and is about 24.5 inches long. Her eyes are still blue and she only has bits of peach fuzz for hair. Part of me can't wait for the days when she's toddling around and beginning to talk, and the other part of me wishes I could keep her my baby doll forever. No matter what, she'll always be our "punkin pie."

Here she is with her puppy. You can scroll back a ways to see a previous post where she was 1-month and 2-months. You can really tell here how much she has grown and that she really wants to sit up. She's nearly sitting up all by herself.

Recovering

Payton and I are feeling much better. We both still have a cough but I think we're on the upside of this cold now. I went to Urgent Care on Friday morning because I couldn't take it anymore and I had little sleep the night before. Payton slept much better, waking only once around 3AM for a bottle, but I couldn't sleep because I was hacking my lungs out. Then, Urgent Care was anything but. They took for-ev-er (yes, I break down syllables as if to emphasize the 2 hours of my life I'll never get back). The doctor sent me home with 4 prescriptions - cough syrup, nasal spray, antihistamine and antibiotic.
It's too bad Payton had to suffer through without the aid of drugs, but she seems to be doing a lot better. She's still a little congested at night and coughing, but her demeanor and sleeping have improved. I can take waking once a night.
Daddy took the night feeding last night while I was knocked out on the cough syrup. Did I mention it has codeine? Whew. One teaspoon of that and I'm a goner. In fact, I was still groggy this morning after Payton woke at 6:30AM so she & I snoozed on the couch for, get this - 3 HOURS!! Apparently Daddy thought we were cute....
We were getting our beauty rest, but by the looks of it I need to keep sleeping.

Bubbilcious

I need some humor right about now. The past week has been a tough one with my cold, and Payton being ill and getting absolutely NO sleep because of it. Plus I think being back to work full-time is catching up with me. So when I get home from work I talk pretty crazily to Payton and do some silly stuff. That happened to extend over into bathtime last night.


PJ is usually good about taking baths and seems to enjoy them. She gets pretty sleepy afterward, which is a good thing. We only do baths a couple nights a week, because she really doesn't get all that dirty and we don't want to dry out her skin. But as she gets bigger and more mobile, we'll probably do a bath every night.

Original

A friend sent this email to me where you can check out how many other "yous" there are in the United States. In other words, how many other people share your name.

For me, I am one of 16 others sharing a name in this country.

However, Payton is one of a kind!!

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 0 people with my name in the U.S.A. http://howmanyofme.com">How many have your name?