Goin' public

Everyday it seems we are getting more awake time with C which is fun, but also means it's been harder to blog!  We feel like she's starting to develop some habits (being a "morning person", sleeping longer at night, not gracing us with poopy diapers at night, enjoying bath time, awake time in the evening, awake time in her crib entertaining herself...) but who knows how long they'll last.  It also feels like she's getting better at nursing, focusing more on faces (and at a greater distance), doesn't seem to be reacting to strongly flavored foods in my diet (yay!), and is developing some good head control.

"Morning person" - we wake up to a smiley baby!

The weekend before last was a big one - we actually got out in public with the little girl.  On that Saturday we awoke to pouring rain, but we were not to be daunted.  We packed up and were out of the house a little after 9 to head downtown.  We found a great parking spot at the farmer's market so Wade wouldn't have to run too far in the rain while little C and I waited in the car.  After that we headed over to the Herb Day celebration (and found another great parking spot) to get some medicinal plants, meet some folks, and try locally made kombucha (a first - it was delicious!).  Little C slept in the carrier the whole time and we learned a lot.  Next we headed to the spice shop and lucked out with our third fantastic parking spot right out front so Wade could wait in the car with Little C while I picked up the things we needed.  She slept through it all and we made it home just in time to get her fed.

On that Sunday we headed to Thank You Mama's Mother's Day sale to pick up a few things and get our picture taken (they were doing a free family photo booth).  She mostly slept in the carrier, but did great and it was nice to get out with her and meet other parents.  We also ran into a friend from grad school who's baby is a few weeks older than C so it was good to see her and meet her baby girl.

Last week we had a lot of visitors - both friends and family that came over to meet C which was really nice.  It's always fun to see how everyone interacts with her and how she responds to them.  My Mom stayed with us for a few days which was a huge help and a lot of fun to have a Granzie sleepover (I feel spoiled now and wish she could stay more often!).  We celebrated Cinco de Mayo with her and made a big Mexican dinner complete with mariachi music and hibiscus lime tea from the yard.  Wade even made GF churros after dinner which tasted amazing.  During that time Larry's brother and sister were in town so they were also able to come over to meet C too which was fun.  We also had some friends over last week to meet her so it's nice to finally be able to start socializing her (after handwashing of course - we're not ready to handle a sick baby just yet,  lol)

Last Saturday we finally got out for C's first actual trip to the Farmer's Market.  She did great riding shotgun in the pack on Wade.  We went early to try avoiding the heat and were able to pick up veggies, local blueberries, local kombucha, and Ethiopian food at our favorite stand.  By the end of an hour, Wade and C were starting to cook though, so it's clear we're going to need a more breathable pack for outdoor stuff during the summer or we'll have to use the stroller.

Wade and Little C (under a sun hat) at the market.

On Sunday, C had her first big car trip the hour down to Anna Maria Island.  We spent the day down at Mom and Larry's for Mother's Day with Wade making a delicious brunch.  We were relieved that she did so well in the car (and we only left 15 minutes behind schedule!).  We were also able to use the day as an opportunity to start getting her used to her travel crib which she'll be using over Memorial Day weekend.  After brunch we took some pictures - part of our Mother's Day gift to her was to get some nice shots of the three of us, which was fun - however, as per usual, getting C to stay awake for pictures has been a challenge but I think we got some good ones.  Celebrating Mother's Day brought a new sense of thankfulness this year - thankful that we have such supportive family and friends that love C and thankful I have such wonderful women in my life who are also moms willing to help and teach.

The day after Mother's Day, C finally got to meet her Grandpa (my dad), Susie, and her Great-Grandma.  They came to visit for the afternoon and we enjoyed a nice visit and many fun photo opportunities since we were able to have 4 generations together!

For more pictures check out our Picasa site.