Five Months!

I can't believe Arden is already 5 months old! She's growing up way too quickly! At least she can still wear her 3-month-sized clothing. I did weigh her the other day, and she's 12 pounds! She's officially doubled her birth weight.

Let's see...this little one is no longer content simply lying on her back. She isn't too keen on sitting...she keeps scooting down...but she loves to stand. Her little legs are so strong! When she's on her back, I can tell she's trying to roll over on her stomach. However, the next thing I'm looking forward to is when she discovers her feet. So far, she's gotten to her knees. I'm waiting patiently!

Right now, her favorite thing to do is blow bubbles and make silly noises with her lips. She's such a cutie pie!

It's nice to have a bath after a long day!

Sun Hat

My friend Crystie got Arden this cute little sunhat for when we take her to the beach. We'll see if that happens, but in the meantime, she can wear it during her stroller rides. As you can see, I think it was still a bit too bright outside for her...she's squinting.

More Nakedness

I finally got the naked shot of Arden I wanted! Well, for the most part. It's not the greatest background, and the pic is a little uneven. But other than that, it's pretty cute!

A bit overexposed, but I managed to catch some water drops in mid-air.

Arden loves her bath!

Grandma and Grandpa Lewis

Adam's parents came to visit Friday evening through Tuesday morning. When they first got here, Arden was Little Miss Cranky Pants. I think she was mostly tired. I'm not too sure. Every time either one of them looked at her, she'd start screaming her little head off. My mom had a very similar experience when she visited. I hate to think I have a temperamental baby, but it's starting to seem that way. Luckily, after a day, she got used to them, and all was well.

Fun at the Aquarium

On Monday we went to the NC Aquarium with Adam's parents. It was a pretty cool place. Arden was really into looking at the fish. I'd say the most adventurous part of the trip was nursing her in the bathroom. What an ordeal! We all had a great time, though.

A full, happy baby smiling at mommy!

We're just a bunch of crabs!

Arden enthralled by the fish!

Daylight Savings

Sunday morning was a bit crazy for us. The time change didn't help. Arden woke up around 8 a.m. (after her 5:15 a.m. feeding). She technically should've been changed and dressed by then, but I wasn't about to wake up my sleeping baby. Adam wasn't home from work yet. I know we would have to take two cars regardless if Arden was ready or not. So instead of trying to quickly get Arden ready, I had Adam's parents go ahead to church. Adam got home from work around 8:45 a.m., the same time I started to feed Arden. When we finally made it to church, it was 10 a.m. I'm sure people thought we forgot to change our clocks, but we totally didn't forget! Anywho, Adam had to teach Elder's Quorum that Sunday, so it was a good thing his parents were in town. His mom kept Arden during Relief Society, and she was a good girl. Since I fed her at 8:45 a.m., she didn't need to be fed at church. That meant I was able to be with my primary class for sharing time and class time. There's a first time for everything! Oh, and yes, the kids are still crazy.

Other than church, we had a bit of a lazy Sunday...just the way I like them!

Below are pics of Arden at 21 weeks old! She's wearing Chris's Ralph Lauren Polo dress (probably for the last time.)

Downtown Stroll

Adam's parents came to visit this weekend. On Saturday, we drove downtown and took a nice walk. The weather was gorgeous. Adam and I have been downtown before, but the weather hasn't been warm enough to walk around. Plus, we didn't obtain a stroller until recently. I'm pretty sure Arden loves Jasmine's stroller as much as I do. She was content the whole time.

We parked in the Tryon Palace lot, but we didn't go there. We will, someday. We went in several stores, one of which being the Pepsi store. New Bern is the birthplace of Pepsi. Then we went into a farmer's market. There wasn't much produce, mostly just homemade items. I saw these adorable smocked dresses, but I wasn't about to spend $54 on a baby's dress. Adam would've had a fit! After that, we went into an antiques store. It was a pretty cool place. I think the coolest thing about it was the in-store cat named George. About this time Arden began to "come to life" and started to babble and coo. She's the cutest! Then we headed back to the car and on home. We had a lovely time!

On the walk back to the car, two geese threatened to attack us!

She laughed at Adam on the way home. It was nice both of us were able to sit in the back seat with her.

And then she passed out 5 minutes before we got home. She had a big day!

Nakey Time!

Arden was getting a slight diaper rash, so I let her have some nakey time on Friday to give the area a breather. Don't worry, I didn't get any shots of her little girlie bits. If I did, I wouldn't post them on here! I did try to get some pics of her bum while she was on her tummy, but she ended up falling over and crying before I could take any.

This little girl loves being naked! She's playing with the bear blanket given to her by Miranda. Oh, and yes, she did end up peeing on the blue blanket.

Brown-Eyed Girl

So it's looking like Arden isn't going to have blue eyes afterall. They're looking very brown in the pics below. Score one for mommy!

Out Our Back Door

The other day I was feeding Arden while Adam sat on the couch. I had the vertical blinds open, which isn't usual for me, and Adam glanced outside at the perfect moment. A big blue heron was walking along the treeline! It was pretty cool to see.

Little Rosebud

This cute 0-3 month rosebud pajama outfit came from Shena Arellano. I packed it when I unexpectedly went to the hospital to give birth to Arden. Don't ask me why I thought it would fit her. We ended up using a newborn outfit given to me by Melissa Blackwell. Anywho, this one fits her great now! Too bad she's about to grow out of it.

Chaotic Primary

So I realize I haven't written anything about my new calling as a primary teacher. Today was the third class I've taught. The kids are 7 years old. The numbers vary from week to week. The first week I had 2 kids...they were bouncing off the walls. The second week I had 7 kids. Not as much bouncing off the walls, but they were still loud and a bit obnoxious. This week I had 3 kids, and their behavior was a combo of weeks one and two. I just need to figure out how to get and keep their attention.

I'm not used to teaching a primary class by myself. Adam's always been there with me. I'm still trying to figure out how to get the kids to behave and respect me. I don't know if it's because I'm short and I seem young or what. I'm sure it isn't really just me. They do listen to me...for a few minutes...and then it's off to crazy town again. This week I started with a game of hangman, which they enjoyed. Maybe I'll do that every other week. I don't want it to get old. I also gave them a maze/coloring page to do during the lesson thinking they'd be too busy to act up. Unfortunately, they only spent about two minutes working on that. The previous teacher recommended having them talk about their week before the lesson. That way it gets all the "talk" out of them. She admits this cuts down on lesson time, but I figure the shorter the sweeter. I'll give it a shot next week.

Every week I'm a bit nervous about how Arden's feeding schedule will affect my class. So far it's worked out. I nurse her during most of sharing time while Adam sits with my class. She's good to go by the time class starts at 11 a.m., and Adam takes her for that hour. This week I had Arden with me during class. Adam went to Elder's Quorum and was set apart as one of the teachers. He gets to teach once a month, and next week is his Sunday. So that means I'll have Arden next week, too. She was very well-behaved today. She sat quietly (for the most part) in her carrier during class. I held her during closing exercises, and she was as happy as could be. She loves looking around at all the activity around her. Hopefully, she'll be just as good next week.

Wish me luck!

She Keeps on Growing!

Arden is 20 weeks old today! I can definitely tell she's growing. This week, I discovered I could no longer rationalize squeezing her into her 0-3 month sleepers. When she stretches out her legs, they pull on her shoulders. That can't be comfy! So we've been putting her in gowns and a few 3-6 month sleepers. I know, I know...she's 4 1/2 months old. I really shouldn't be surprised. I guess I'm a bit in denial that she's growing. I want her to stay my little baby forever! At least she still fits in her 0-3 month dresses, rompers, pants, and some body suits.

As far as the napping situation goes, it really hasn't gotten any better. She keeps falling asleep while nursing, and I just let her stay there...asleep on My Brest Friend. Let me tell you, it would not be that way if I didn't have that thing. I just want to make sure she gets as much sleep as she needs. Whenever I put her in her crib after she falls asleep on me, she always wakes up and screams her head off. Although, there were a couple of times this week when she fell back asleep for 15 to 20 minutes. I know I just need to keep doing it. I love holding my little sleeping baby, but nothing will get done around the house if I do it all the time.

Below are a few pics from today. Due to the rain, there wasn't any natural light...therefore, the red of her outfit is a bit blinding. This is the same dress as the preemie one her great grandma Lewis got her...only in 0-3 months. I got it at consignment before we even had the other one. What are the chances?!

Yay for the Stroller!

My dad let us use Jasmine's old stroller. The weather was gorgeous on Thursday, so I took Arden for her first stroller ride around our little block. It drives like a dream! It's definitely better than carrying her around the block, because I don't get a backache. It was a bit windy, but she loved it!

Suck on This!

I put Arden on her boppy thinking I could get a pic of her lifting her head up. I know she can. However, she was way more interested in sucking on her fist. It's her most favorite thing to do!

Car Ride

This past Tuesday we went looking for a place to rent canoes. Adam's parents will be here in a couple of weeks, and his dad really wants to go canoeing. We didn't have any luck, though. My Aunt Cathy said the Sheraton might rent canoes, so we'll try there next.

Here are just a few pics of Arden in the car during our search. She was quite content (I'm sure the pacifier helped a bit), and she even took a little snooze.

Who's that Baby in the Mirror?

Arden loves looking at herself in the mirror. I don't blame her! I wonder if she knows it's her...or if she thinks her reflection is another baby.






Here she is looking in the mirror during tummy time. She also "flips" over onto her back. I know it's really a fall...but a mom can hope!

Just another sweet pic of Arden and her daddy!