Day Care and Such

It has been a very exciting couple of weeks for Marissa and all of us.

First of all, we went to Colorado for Valentine's Day. It was a super quick visit, just 4 days, but it gave Marissa time to see her grandparents, aunt and uncle, and all of her cousins. Of course, everyone is amazed at how big she is getting. Mike and I got to go on our first date without the baby. Marissa stayed and had big fun with her grandma Jackie. I called a lot but made it through dinner and a movie. It was good to get out but it was even better to be back with my baby.

I went back to work, part time, starting last week. It took me forever to find a day care provider that I was comfortable with. It amazed me how many providers didn't even look at Marissa let alone talk to her. I was definitely not comfortable with that since she is the one that they are working for. Daddy and I just pay the bill. Finally, we found MeMe. It was my last hope at feeling comfortable with a provider. She asked to hold Marissa and talked to her right away when we got there. It was nice that she cared about getting to know her. Her house was also super clean. That was nice since I had been in some houses and places that I wouldn't let watch my dogs let alone my child. I was instantly at ease, Marissa was all smiles with her, background checks had been done, there is only one other baby, and she was licences with the state, so the decision was made. It has been working out very well. I had a really hard time in the beginning and began to question going back to work so early but we are going into week two and just playing it by ear. Marissa really enjoys being around the other baby and MeMe really plays with her a lot so I feel pretty okay about my decision. That is until I miss something and then I will probably get upset. I think that this is good for me to get out of the house and for Marissa to be exposed to other people. I will keep you all posted on how it is going.

16 Weeks

Well, it is hard to believe that we have made it to 16 weeks old. Since Marissa was born, 15 October 2008, it has been a roller coaster of buying our first home, moving back to the states, the holidays in Colorado, and finally all of our belongings finally arriving in Kansas to be unpacked. Marissa's nursery was the first room to be painted and fixed up. Life is finally slowing down and Mike and I are enjoying every second of it with our little girl.
Marissa has done so many amazing things in the past couple of months that it is unbelievable. She has almost doubled in size from when we brought her home. At her last doctor's appointment she weighed 12.8 lbs and was 24.3 inches long. It is truly amazing how much she has grown and changed in only 16 short weeks. She is constantly eating her hands, drooling, and needing to grab onto everything, including my hair. It is wonderful to watch her play and see how hard she concentrates when she is trying to grab a toy. Usually it doesn't hold her interest for very long but we now have a living room full of entertainment for her so she stays busy.
Last week we had our first on purpose roll over. Tummy time has not been fun for us and Marissa has always cried when put on her tummy. The pediatrician assured me nothing was wrong and that Mike and I just needed to keep doing it. Finally, she stopped crying and then she just turned over like "what now?". It was pretty funny because she was still clutching her toy in her hand the entire time and just looked at me so I could take a picture.
Yesterday, when Mike and I drove out to Wichita she had her first laugh. I'm not sure what triggered it to happen but I was walking with her back to the car and she just started cracking up. Both Mike and I were super suprised and unsure of what was going on but she just continued to giggle away. It was honestly one of the most amazing sounds I have ever heard. She has always been a very smiley baby but the giggle was just too sweet. Now, Mike and I just sit around entertaining her trying to get a laugh out of her but so far it was just the one time. We must not be very funny or entertaining but we still get a lot of smiles from her.
We are still not sleeping through the night or in our own bed but those are all works in progress. The pediatrician tells us that it is time to let her cry more and sleep on her own. I tried the sleeping on her own and she makes it for a couple of hours and then cries until I come pick her up and take her to bed with me. I am hoping that those couple of hours will get longer and longer but I don't mind sharing my side of the bed with her. Chopper and Mongo, the dogs, are getting used to it but they have just moved further over onto Mike's side of the bed. I haven't quite been able to let her cry it out yet and probably won't be able to. I am pretty comfortable having a spoiled child. As long as she feels loved and knows how wonderful she is then that is all that matters to me. I will continue to give her all of the affection and attention that she wants.