I feel like a zombie

This week has been hard...I'm not exactly sure how working moms do it, but I guess the answer is LOTS of coffee! Between taking care of the baby, the cats, the fish, the house, and a 40-hour work week, I'm exhausted! Thank goodness Tim is a "hands-on" dad and husband who cooks dinner every night and does night feedings every other night. Plus all kinds of countless other things. THANK YOU TIM, you are the BEST!

I'm so looking forward to a nice relaxing weekend with my family that includes catching up on some sleep. I'm even willing to try taking a nap. :)

Lauren is starting to make the most hilarious facial expressions. Here are a few I caught tonight!

My new favorite picture!

We had a good morning with lots of cuddle time!

Smile!

I've been trying for weeks now to get a photo of her smiling. She has been smiling a LOT lately, especially in the mornings!

I finally caught one this morning, although the picture quality is low, it is still soooo cute!

Day 1: Complete!

My first day back at work is over! It was pretty successful with only one minor hiccup: my car wouldn't start this morning! I thought it is a sign I need a new car, but according to Tim it was just a sign of needing a new battery. :) After the help of several awesome friends, it is fine and now working.

Otherwise, my day was pretty good. It was nice to see everyone again and get my brain moving around. I was really sad to leave her, but they were very nice and said she had an excellent day. Plus, once she got home, we were doing tummy time, and she lifted her head all the way up and is getting so close to rolling over! I'll try to get video of it soon.

Last Day at Home :(

Today is the day I have been dreading for 10 weeks. Tomorrow I start work and take Lauren to daycare. I really didn't think it would be this hard, but I am SO sad about leaving her.

We went to the doctor yesterday and Lauren did awesome! She weighs over 10 pounds and was very healthy. She had all of her shots which made me sad, but she only cried for a few minutes.

I took some pictures of her sleeping last night. She is getting so big and is so adorable!

Lauren playing

Today was the last Friday that Lauren and I will get to spend together before I go back to work next week. We went and had lunch with Tim and that was a lot of fun! Tonight I am going out for the first time since I had Lauren. It is my friend Chelsea's birthday and I am going to her birthday party!

Here is a little video I took of Lauren earlier today. She is getting so big and loves the hang out in this "play gym" - it is amazing how much she is changing every day!!

Hanging out with friends...

Tonight Lauren and I had dinner with our good friends Sara and Nick. We had a lot of fun and Nick loved the "baby!" He is soooo adorable! Look at his blonde hair - too cute!

She started to smile a lot today. It was so funny and cute. I can't believe I am going back to work next Thursday. :(

More pictures (of course!)

I tried to get a few photos of Lauren this morning in her baptism gown - she had a major meltdown though so we only got a few pictures before I had to take the dress off! She is laying on the beautiful personalized blanket that she got from Aunt Jodi and Uncle Chris. It is so lovely. I'm trying to figure out how we can best display it, I love it so much!

I also wanted to share a picture of her from Maryn's 2nd birthday party on Saturday - she is getting so cute, I can't stand it!!

Baptism

Lauren had a very special day today. She was baptised this morning and then had a nice celebration afterwards. It was very lovely. My entire family made it down for the event from Nebraska, which meant so much to me! :) I've got so many pictures that I want to share from the day, but here are some of my favorites. I'm going to take some more pictures of her tomorrow in her dress since it was so beautiful!

Visit from Aunt Ashley and Uncle David!

Aunt Ashley and Uncle David are in town early for Lauren's baptism tomorrow. They just stopped by and held Lauren for the first time!

If you know my brother at all, you know that he NEVER smiles for photos. I mean NEVER. It is almost impossible for him. So, this picture really says more than 1,000 words. :) Love it!!

2 months old!

Today Lauren is two months old, I can hardly believe it!

She slept for almost five hours last night and then woke up at 4 and wouldn't sleep again! I guess that is progress though. :)

Here is her two-month picture, she looks so different to me. I can't wait to see what she looks like next month, although it makes us a little sad that our baby is growing so fast. :(

As a reminder, here is her one month picture!

Happy 4th of July!

We had a pretty low-key 4th this year. We hung out with Chris, Jodi, and Abby and they guys set off some fireworks in the driveway while it rained. Lauren and Abby both had on festive outfits for the occasion! We sang "happy birthday" to our country with Abby. Fun times and good friends!

Pretty dress...

We are getting ready to head to church in a few minutes, but thought I would update with a "sneak peak" of Lauren's baptism dress for next weekend. My fabulous aunt Denise (who really could make a full time living as a seamstress, she is REALLY good) made Lauren's dress. She made a trip down to KC yesterday so we could make sure it fits. It looks perfect! I'm so excited for her to wear it next Sunday! It is really long and just beautiful!

Also, here is a picture I just took of her before we leave today. She is getting sooo big, she doesn't fit into any of her little newborn size dresses that she used to wear. :(