First Friend

Last week Juliet hung out with her first friend, Stella.  Sara Beth, Stella's mom, and I went to high school, played soccer, and participated in Young Life together.  Stella was a special baby from the beginning for me because Sara Beth and I were due the same day and it was neat comparing my progress with Sara Beth's while I was in Mexico.  Stella was born on 9-7 about a week and a half before Juliet.  Maybe one day these girls will play soccer together too :)   Have you ever seen two babies with so much hair?!?!

Eating

Juliet LOVES to eat.  She will eat as long as I will let her and whenever I let her.  It is also the ONE thing that will ALWAYS console her! (haha...does knowing this from trial and error make me a bad mom?!?!?!)  Anyway, I was taking a picture of us together and after looking at the pictures realized how focused she was on eating at the time.  Her head is moving around and her mouth is open in all these pictures and she is in search for milk!   Her "priorities" just made me laugh!!

Sleeping

Some days there is lots of sleep in the Sullivan home, and some days there is none very little.  Juliet has no schedule.  She will do something, sometimes good sometimes bad, for about 24 hours and just when I start to think it is her new norm she changes.  I am learning this is normal and to not expect a routine until about 6 weeks, but I still find myself holding on to all of her new behaviors in hopes of some consistency.  Live and learn, right?  Well, speaking of sleep, three-week-old (today!) Juliet has some favorite sleeping positions and places...

 She makes us laugh at how she just loves to sleep with her arms up above her head!

 Although she is not sleeping in this picture, she loves the football-hold with grandma

 She really does seem to like her bouncy seat which is her downstairs bed (thanks Leah!)

 Tummy-time is a new thing we are trying...so far, so good.

And, she loves to sleep on anyone's chest!

The Seeds of No

A poem written and shared with my by Mae Fortson:


I prayed and prayed
then waited - expecting a YES,
the Lord heard - then waited,
His answer was NO.

THE SEEDS OF NO

The seeds of NO
scattered quickly by the Enemy
grow into unwieldy, unruly plants
with thorns that pierce and disfigure,
multiplying in wild profusion.
Inherently rotten, they produce
chaos and confusion.

Seeds of NO
planted deeply into the heart
by the faithful Gardener
germinate in hope.
If carefully cultivated,
they take root and sprout into
comfort and encouragement.                      

Embedded in the mysterious
unwelcome seeds of NO
lies a secret seed of YES
that holds promise of fruition.
nurtured in faith
it takes root and ripens
into God's alternate purpose.

2 Week (and 2 day) Appointment

Juliet had her 2 Week Appointment yesterday.  She is now 22 in long and a whopping 8 lb 12 oz.   Eating is one of her talents, and she obviously does it well.

She seems to have her days and nights straight now.  She does wake-up to feed during the night a few times, but will go back to sleep with some rocking.  This is good, but also means she is not sleeping much during the day, which means I don't get naps anymore :(  ....I guess you can't have it all!

Meeting Granddaddy

My dad was away on business for the first 9 days of Juliet's life.  We excitedly welcomed him home on Wednesday.  For the occasion Juliet wore her NC State dress given to her by Terri Burkett and her running shoes.  Her running shoes were Juliet's first gift ever mailed to us in Mexico by my dad.  The shoes are still a little big, but they will be perfect once she starts running!  My dad has already "baby-sat" a few times and is a natural.  We are so glad to have him home!

 

First Time Away

Dear Juliet,
Right now you are with your dad.  I left you with grandma and Ms. Dottie for a little while last week, but you were still home so it didn't seem as hard.  You are only going to be gone for two hours, but I still cried when you left.  Every little sound makes me think of you like I should be listening for you to wake-up.  Even though you have been fussy all day and have not let me napped at all, I can't wait for you to be home.
Love,
Mom