Thursday, March 12, 2009

4 Months Already?





Arden is another month older and again it has come so quickly! It seems that every time I blink, she has changed in one way or another. She is such a happy baby--talking and laughing all the time! She loves her bouncy seat and is starting to play more independently in her exersaucer. She is a rolling machine when it comes to rolling from her back to her tummy, and is starting to try and figure out how to get back on her back. Arden is also getting used to being on her tummy--it's still not her favorite position, but she is spending more time on her tummy before she gets too fussy. She is becoming a wiggle worm on her back and her tummy--I have to watch her very closely or she will end up right next to Murphy. Of course, this is partly his fault since he thinks he has to be right next to her everytime she plays on the floor! We have discovered that Arden is very ticklish! It is so fun to tickle her and listen to her laugh :) Geoff and I truly enjoy every moment that we have with her--each day brings something new and exciting for us. Speaking of new things, Arden is starting to try and sit up! When I change her diaper, giver her a bath, put her in the car seat--practically anytime I lay her down--she props herself up on her elbows and tries her best to sit up. It is so cute! Even when the nurse put her on the scale at her last Dr. appointment, she tried! I'm sure it won't be long before I'm posting that she sat up :) Oh and have I mentioned she sleeps GREAT at night?! Hopefully I won't jinx myself, but Arden has been sleeping through the night for quite sometime now! Occasionally, she will wake up around 3am, but those nights are very rare. On a normal night, Arden goes to bed between 8-9pm and wakes up to eat around 5-5:30am. She then goes back to sleep until 8am, sometimes 9am! I know, I know I am very lucky--trust me, I count my blessings every day!

On to other news--Arden had her 4-month check-up last Friday. She weighed 16 lbs. 1 oz, and was 25.5 inches long. She is still in the 90th percentile in length and weight so that is great news! She had to get 3 shots again, but she did great--only crying while the nurse stuck her. Once the shots were over, so was the crying. She slept for most of the day too, which was very nice.

Arden's doctor also gave us the green light to start her on cereal! She has been eating rice cereal once a day since Saturday and loves it! She was definitely unsure about it the first time around, but now she gets excited when I put her in her bumbo seat and sometimes even helps me feed her! One time she literally grabbed the spoon and shoved it in her mouth! We are so glad that she has had a smooth transition with her first "food" experience.

And last, but not least, Arden had her 4-month photo session last Saturday. Thankfully we were able to get a morning session because that is her best time of day, and boy did she do a great job! She was so happy the whole time and cooperated as much as a 4-month old can--I can't wait to see the pictures! As soon as I get it, I will post the link so you can see the pictures too!

Sorry this post was so long--it has been quite some time since I have updated and I had a lot to share. Now that I've finished rambling, you can enjoy what you've all been waiting for...PICTURES!!!

I had to include a picture of poor Murphy--I think he's been missing out on a lot of attention lately :(
Spending some time outside
Arden's first basketball game!

We tried so hard to get a good picture of Arden in her very first gift (the ADORABLE onesie from our friend, Stacy). As you can see from Geoff's expression, we were having lots of fun trying to get Arden to cooperate!

Arden loves to play on her tummy time mat!
Our house the morning it snowed. Unfortunately we didn't get a picture of Arden in the snow because she was sleeping.
Just a few pictures that I love!
Trying cereal for the first time--she's definitely not sure about it!
But thankfully she loved it--can't you tell?!

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Arden is 3 months old!

Last Tuesday, Arden turned 3 months old! It's amazing to me that in 3 short months she has changed so much. This picture was taken the day she was born:
And here she is just a few days ago:
And it's not just her looks that have changed. Her personality is growing and developing each day. She smiles non-stop, loves to "talk", and has started mimicking some faces. She loves to chew on her hands and blow spit bubbles :) She loves it when I sing to her so I try and do this every morning. "Good Morning to You" and "Jesus Loves Me" are two of her favorite songs. Arden has also rolled over from her back to her tummy--but then she starts crying because she HATES being on her tummy! I try and have a little bit of "tummy time" each day with her, but it doesn't last long because she starts crying a few minutes into it. If anyone has any suggestions for making it more enjoyable for her, definitely pass them along!

It is so incredible to see these changes happening each day. I'm sure there are many more things that Arden is doing, but these are the ones that came to my mind first. Geoff and I love spending time with her--the smallest things make us smile so much! We can't wait to see what happens over the next month!

She doesn't go to the Dr. this month so I don't have any stats to give you, but I do have several pictures to share! Her next appointment is March 6 so I will have her stats after that. Until then, enjoy pictures of our little sweetie :)

Murphy is always watching out for Arden--making sure we don't do anything to hurt her!

Some of my favorite faces she makes:




Taking a walk in the sling

Trying out the exersaucer for the first time! Thanks G.G.!!

Isn't she the cutest thing?




This is the kind of picture I get when I try and take some while holding her!

No matter how tired she was, she just couldn't let go of the frog :)

Posing for pictures after our walk


Possibly my favorite picture of her so far!!

Monday, February 2, 2009

VOTE FOR ARDEN!

I entered Arden in the Valley Baby of the Month contest here in Huntsville so I need you all to vote for her! Click here to vote--you can vote once a day per computer--so vote as many times as you can! If you have trouble with the link, you can go to www.waaytv.com and click on the Valley Baby of the Month ad. The babies are listed alphabetically by first name. Hope you are all having a great day!

Saturday, January 24, 2009

What's not to love about this?!

To me, there is nothing more peaceful than a sleeping baby. I love watching Arden as she sleeps--seeing all the little smiles and quirky expressions and hearing her precious laugh as she dreams. Sometimes I wonder if there is anything I could love more...
and then I realize, this may be the only thing that tops it! My heart melts every time I find my two favorite people like this...
Geoff, I love you so much! Thanks for being such a great husband and a wonderful father for Arden. I can't wait to watch your relationship with her grow! She is so lucky to have you as her dad!
Arden, you are so precious to me! My love for you grows more and more each day. I feel so blessed to be your mommy. I love you!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On to other things...nothing new is really going on with us. Arden is definitely growing and changing each day. She is cooing and smiling so much--I wish I could just freeze time to capture her faces! I love talking with her and playing--it is so much fun! I can't believe that she will be three months old in just a week!
Arden loves spending time with her Aunt April and cousin Silas. April went back to work this week (sniff, sniff) so we haven't been able to spend as much time with them as we'd like to. We did take a few pictures of the babies recently--I can't wait until they will both look at the camera at the same time!



Aren't they completely adorable?! I am so thankful Arden and Silas are this close in age--it will be a blessing for them to grow up together.
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend--look for Arden's 3-month update in a week or so!

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Arden's First Christmas (better late than never, right?!)

I realize this post is very late and that we really didn't take that many pictures, but it's the thought that counts, right?
We had a great Christmas--the month of December was very busy for us, but we definitely enjoyed the time spent with family and friends. We had 5 family gatherings, plus a few parties and dinners, so we didn't have much down time! Instead of babbling about each and every Christmas we had, I will just share some pictures. Even though Arden won't remember this Christmas, we still wanted to celebrate it with her. We had a lot of fun, she got several gifts, and we can't wait to experience Christmas with her next year!
Arden's gifts (minus the exersaucer she got from G.G.!)
Our Family


Christmas at G.G. and PaPaw Tucker's





the Norton Family Christmas



Doesn't Arden look so happy here? HAHA!

2 Month Check-Up

I can't believe Arden is 2 months old! Time really flies doesn't it? In a way though, it's hard for me to remember life without her! Geoff and I feel so blessed to have her in our lives--we can't wait to see what the next few months and years bring us! We are taking a picture of Arden with this giant teddy bear each month to see how much she grows. It won't be long before she is as big as the bear!

Arden had her 2 month check-up yesterday. She weighs 12 lbs. 7 oz. and is 24 inches long. Her doctor says she is in the 95th percentile in both categories so that is great news! She also received three shots--she wasn't very happy about them but she really did a good job. She screamed A LOT as the nurse gave them to her, but was asleep as soon as she finished. She slept a lot yesterday, and is still sleeping quite a bit today, but at least she's not fussy!

In honor of Arden's 2nd month-a-birthday, here are some of my favorite pictures we've taken of her over the last few weeks--enjoy!


After bathtime in her very cute robe!
Taking her first bottle
Coloring her first picture with Auntie April
Enjoying the scenery at the Opryland Hotel
Working hard with Daddy :)
Isn't she a cutie!