Game Day

It's game day and we're all relaxing watching the Redskins play the Packers.  I've made some game day food, potato SKINS, queso dip and chicken tenders.  Marissa is sporting her new hat from the craft fair yesterday!

Hoping the Skins can pull out a win today!

Home, Sweet Home!

We're back from New York!  Marissa and I had a relaxing week at the hotel while Danny worked.  We tried out a few tasty restaurants in Syracuse, visited Danny's co-workers, went shopping at the mall and did lots of cuddling!  On our way home we stopped at Cabela's in Hamburg, Pennsylvania.  It's the outdoor man's dream!  We spent about two hours in the store shopping around.  Our big purchase of the day was two training collars for Eli and Sadie.  We need to whip these dogs into shape now that Marissa is here.  They've been really great with her, but with visitors stopping by, we need to get them to calm down a little bit.  We're hoping that within a few weeks they will calm down a little bit and know how to act when we have company.  We'll see how it goes!

 

 Trying to catch a grin

 Marissa learned how to hold her rattle while in New York

 And she also learned how to chew on her rattle in New York

 Such a big girl!

Today we went to the Fall Festival as a little family of three.  We saw a few friends and did some shopping at the craft show.  I got a new apron for myself, which is exciting because I've never had an apron before.  Now I am officially Mrs. Betty Crocker!  =)  We also got Marissa a new winter hat, I'll post a picture of that tomorrow.  After spending a few hours at the Fall Festival, Marissa had a photo shoot with daddy, then zonked out for a little nap. 

 I still can't decide who I think she looks like.  I think she has features from both of us.

 Too stinkin' cute!

Passed out!

We arrived home to a few packages in the mail.  I ordered Marissa a jumperoo for Christmas.  We aren't going to get too crazy for her this year since she really won't remember or be able to participate in the festivities, but I think she will get a lot of use out of it.  I also received her monogrammed Christmas stocking to match the rest of ours.   Christmas over the next few years is going to be so much fun! 

We grilled out some BBQ chicken tonight since it was such a beautiful day.  I gave Marissa a bath while Danny cleaned up from dinner and now we're watching the Capitals game, drinking a beer and relaxing on the couch.  Marissa is asleep, for now, and life just feels so complete.  I love my little family of three and I love being a mom.  I know most people would think that this is a boring Saturday night, but I'm perfectly content.

Good night blogger world, see you soon!

~*Alicia*~

Passing the Time

While Danny is working, I decided that I would catch up on some reading.  As a Christmas gift last year, Danny got me the first Harry Potter book.  He's been bugging me to read it and I'm just now getting around to it.  So between feeding, diaper changes, play time and nap time, I'm trying to put my Christmas gift to good use.  I've read the first chapter so far.  I've heard they are great books, so hopefully I will enjoy reading it. 

Yesterday we headed to the mall after Danny got off of work.  We got Marissa a few fall outfits.  It seems that we have quite a few summer outfits that were given to us that aren't really appropriate for this time of year.  She's starting to grow out of her newborn outfits already, she is growing so fast!  The doctor said she should gain another two pounds in the next month.

Back to reading!

Road Trip!

Yesterday we set out as a family of three in our loaded down Ford Escape to head North to Syracuse, New York.  I woke up at 4 am to feed Marissa, fixed Danny and I breakfast, finished loading up the car and we hit the road.  We were on the road around 7:30 am and had to make a quick stop to fill up on gas.  There's something about going to a new place that gets me excited like a kid on Christmas morning.  What can I say, I like road trips. 

Our first stop was Baltimore, Maryland to pick up Capitals tickets for the game on Columbus Day.  Danny is going to have a guys night out, which I think is well deserved after being such a great husband and father.  I was going to try and go to the game but I'm not ready to leave Marissa with anyone yet, and I don't think that drunk men screaming at a hockey game is exactly my cup of tea with a one month old baby in tow.

The drive up was pretty uneventful.  We stopped a few times to feed Marissa, gas up and of course we had to refuel ourselves with some Starbucks coffee.  Danny had a pumpkin spice coffee and I got an iced vanilla latte, yum!

Here's a few shots from the drive up:

As most people know, Danny and I are huge fans of "The Office."  Remember this picture from last Halloween?  Yep, Danny got this costume idea from the show, sporting his Dunder Mifflin shirt like a true fan. 

How 'bout those Redskins last night?  But I digress... =)

Anyway, we stopped in Scranton, Pennsylvania to take some photos of the Paper Supply Company that is featured in the opening scenes of The Office.  We also got a shot of Mulberry Street.  We tacked on about 45 minutes to our trip by driving around Scranton, but we weren't in a rush so we had a little fun!

Yes, we are dorks.

After cruising around Scranton we got back on 81 to head to Syracuse.  Marissa slept the rest of the trip which was great! 

We arrived around 4:30 pm, so it was about a 9 hour drive.  We were originally thinking it would take us about 10 hours so it was nice that we had actually goofed off for a bit and still made it in decent time.  We unpacked the car and headed to Ruby Tuesday's to watch the Skins beat the Eagles!  Afterwords we went grocery shopping and then headed back to the hotel to call it a night.  Danny and I were both in bed by 9:00 and lights were out by 9:30.  Even though Marissa slept most of the day she only got up at 1:00, 3:00 and again at 7:30 this morning.  I guess the trip took a lot out of her, too.

Today we are just relaxing in the hotel while Danny is at work.  Marissa is 5 weeks old today.  My little girl is growing up!



Trip to the Mailbox

Marissa and I took a little trip to the mailbox this morning to find this little handmade gift from Monika, a long time family friend.

So cute!  We have gotten so many wonderful gifts from friends and family.  Everyone has been so generous and thoughtful.  Marissa is one special little girl.  I love handmade gifts that are one of a kind.  Marissa has received 3 handmade crochet blankets, headbands and a cute winter hat.

The sun is finally shining after two days of pouring rain!  I'm trying to pack for our trip to New York, though I'm not feeling very motivated today. 

Eli and Sadie will be going to their best friend's house next week while we're away.  They like going to Heidi's (the black rottie) house because they can romp and play and drive Heidi's parents crazy with their non-stop energy. =) Here's a few photos from their last sleep over...

They play so well together.  I know many people don't trust Rottweilers, but Heidi is such a sweet dog and very well behaved.  She's not temperamental at all and she does well around other dogs and kids.  We watched Heidi a few weekends ago while Bear and Amanda (Heidi's parents) went on a camping trip.  Even with a new baby, having three dogs in the house wasn't that bad. 

Today is the first day of October which means it is Breast Cancer Awareness month.  Ladies, make sure you do your monthly breast exam!  It's very important to catch it early.  I'm sure you know someone who has had, beaten or lost their battle with breast cancer.  Several years ago we lost my Aunt Norma to breast cancer.  I miss her and think about her often, I can only hope they find a cure one day soon.  Save the ta-ta's!

1 Month Check-In

One month ago today, my sweet little baby girl made her way into the world.  I can't believe how fast the time is flying and all I keep hearing is "just you wait" and "it just keeps going faster."  I just want to freeze time and keep her this size forever.  This past month has been one of the greatest months of my life, Marissa brings such joy to my heart and I love her so much!  It's going to be really hard for me to go back to work.  At least I don't have to go back until the week of Thanksgiving...unless I find some way to make money from home.  Hmm...wishful thinking.


Here's Marissa's one month stats:

8.13 pounds, she weighed 6.6 pounds at her 4 day check up.  She is currently in the 38th percentile for her weight (she's petite, but 2 pounds is great, which means breastfeeding is successful so far).

She is currently 21.75 inches long, she was 19 inches at birth, so she has gained 2.75 inches in a month!  She is in the 76th percentile for her height, she's a tall girl. 

Her head circumference is 14.25, she was 13.25 at her 4 day check up.  She has a small head like her mom and dad and is in the 29th percentile. 

Now onto the important stuff....

I know I'm a little biased, but isn't she cute?

Our First Play Date (with commentary)

We had our first baby play date yesterday.  Okay, really it was more of a play date for the parents, but I think we all had a little fun.  =)

Jeremy and Mickey came over for dinner, we had baked spaghetti, salad and bread sticks. Hunter and Marissa got to meet again.  Hunter was checking out Marissa and was pretty curious about her.  It was so cute! 

Marissa: "Daddy, this is Hunter"

 Hunter: "Hi, Marissa!"

 Hunter: "Mr. Mudd, may I hold Marissa's hand?"

Danny: "Hey now boy, you better watch it!"

 Hunter: "You're a little baby, I'm a big boy now!"

 Hunter: "It's okay Marissa, no need to cry."

 Marissa: "Mom, you know I really don't want the finger right now..."

Hunter: "I'll take that finger, I like fingers!"

 Hunter: "Yeah, my bib doesn't lie, I drool."

 Hunter 5 months, Marissa 4 weeks

I think it is going to be so much fun watching these two grow up together.  We probably shouldn't tease them about being boyfriend and girlfriend, but they don't know what we're talking about yet, ha, ha.  It's nice that they are so close in age and it's nice having friends with kids.  They understand bath time, bed time routines and fussing while you are trying to carry on an adult conversation that doesn't consist of baby poop!  I had a lot of fun yesterday and hope to get together more often. 

Danny had a ball with Hunter.  He's at that age where he laughs, smiles and loves being bounced!  He's like the total workout gym.  After all the excitement of the day we got Marissa ready for bed and Danny and I relaxed on the couch together.  We both dozed off a few times and decided to get in bed early.  I think it was a little after 9:00, lol.  We are an old married couple now, but it was nice to snuggle in bed together on a Saturday night. 

Today we are going to watch the game, the Skins vs. the Rams.  Hopefully we've got this one in the bag!  Marissa is going to have to wear her Redskins onesie today.  Last week she didn't wear her onesie and we lost in overtime.  Danny got me an Orakpo jersey for my birthday, so I'll be sporting that today! =)