1st 4th.

Wednesday was Ada's first real holiday (I don't really think Memorial Day counts), and it just so happened that it was my favorite holiday:  Independence Day!  I love other holidays as well, but I really enjoy celebrating the 4th because it's so low-key.  There's no pressure to have things perfect.  This year that was especially true because it's just to hard to make big plans when the holiday falls in the middle of a work week.  So, with Aunt Lu in tow, we spent a little time at the Cheverly pool (please let us be members next summer!) and had an impromptu and very informal cookout and firework watching (on TV) at our house with some friends.  It was certainly seemed much less celebratory than Independence Days of the past, but then again, everything is more fun with Ada around :)

Photoshoot

Throughout my pregnancy, I begged Joel for a newborn session for our little one.  Joel, always the practical one in the relationship, balked at the idea but surprised me with one for Mother's Day.  What a wonderful gift!  So, when Ada was two weeks old, we had the lovely Sarah Danaher of Ampersand Photography come take newborn photos.  Sarah is a fellow member of our church family and a fantastic photographer!  I wanted natural pictures that really showed Ada's newborn-ness, and Sarah did a wonderful job.  It's so hard to believe how much she has changed in just a few weeks!  At this point she was just shy of 8 lbs and 20 inches long (yeah, she shrunk because her cone head rounded out  quite a bit after birth:))  At her last doctor's appointment (2 weeks ago) she weighed a whopping 9 lbs 4 oz and was 21.5 inches long.  Since then Ada has been through her 6 week growth spurt and I'm sure tops 10 lbs by now.

These are just a few of our favorites, but you can see more here if you would like!

Month 1

(My plan is to do monthly blog posts for the first year and have a book printed for Ada's first birthday... we'll see if that actually happens :))

Dear Ada,

This first month has flown by, but it feels like we've known you forever.  This month has brought more joy than your dad or I ever thought possible.  The moment you arrived, our family was forever changed.  We're so thankful for God's good gift of a daughter, and we hope that we care for you like the good gift that you are.    

Firsts:  Everything!  You've had your first bottle, first bath, attended church for the first time... you've only been here a month, little one, but you've done a lot!   

Milestones: Technically, you're sleeping through the night.  We got your first 5 hour stretch at two weeks, and it has returned in the past week.  Keep it up, Ada!

Measurements:  At your last appointment (2 weeks old) you were 21 in. long and weighed 7 lbs. 9 oz.  We were happy to see you get back to your birth weight, plus some!  You love to eat, so I'm very interested to see how much you have grown at your next doctor's appointment.  

Favorite Toys:  Toys aren't really too exciting for you right now, but you do enjoy a good book (especially Hello Aubie!).

Like Mommy: Once you decide go to sleep you're a great sleeper!  According to Na and Poppa, your temperament is the same as mine was as a baby.

Like Daddy: The most adorable dimples ever.

Food:  You nurse... a lot.  We're letting you set your eating schedule, so number of meals and time nursing varies.  You did try your first bottle with a little bit of success.  You've since had 2 more and are getting better and better!

Sleep:  Excellent!  You usually nap for 2-3 hours, and a typical night is a 5 hour stretch, eat, then another 2-3 hours, eat, then another hour or so.  Whoever decided that 5 hours = sleeping through the night clearly wasn't spending all day and night with a newborn... Mama needs some more sleep!  

Challenges:  Fighting naps.  Sometimes your first nap of the day doesn't start until noon or later, which means you're awake in the mornings for much longer than you should be.

Our Days:  You still determine our daily schedule at this point.  Slowly, but surely, we're seeing you work out your own natural schedule, but you're still doing a lot of eating, sleeping, and pooping.

Favorite Events:  You went to your first Memorial Day cookout hosted by Mr. George and Mrs. Becky.  You slept through most of it, but it was very fun! 

Mommy's Favorite:  Sleepy smiles!  You smile so much when you're sleeping, which means we get to see those dimples.  I also love watching you wake up.  You stretch so much and make the best faces.  If your faces at one month are indicative of your personality, you may be a tad dramatic.  

Daddy's Favorite:  Watching you sleep and your big blue eyes right after you eat.  You're so alert right after you eat!

Upcoming Events:  Our June schedule is pretty clear.  The only thing we have planned is your next doctor's appointment on the 12th. 

Photos:

Less than 24 hours old

Bathing beauty

Miracle Blanket... I love you.

She's sleeping well when the hands make it over her head.

First bottle... and not too sure about it.

Fell asleep while trying out the Ergo infant insert.

Introducing...

Ada Elizabeth

May 8, 2012

7 lbs. 4 oz. 

21 in.

She is such a joy, and we are so thankful to be her parents.  

4 weeks to go...

Approximately.

You would think that with as many advances in medicine as society has made, that someone would be able to more accurately predict when a baby will decide to make his or her appearance.  Tomorrow will start the one month countdown until Baby Sasnett's due date.  But, here I sit in my suburban home with a tiny set of feet digging in my ribs, and I'm trying to decide whether or not my sudden urge to do laundry is the nesting instinct or the realization that I won't have clean clothes to wear should we end up in the hospital tonight.  This could seem like the same thing to some people.  Not so, friends.  If I knew this baby would take her sweet time and not arrive until May 16 (the doctors won't let me go past that without induction), I would most certainly put off that load of laundry.

What's new?

I'm going to try my hand at blogging again.  Why?  Well, we live in DC and our families and many friends live everywhere but DC.  Oh, and we're expecting our first child in a month.  A little girl.  Yes, our house is slowly turning pink.  No, we haven't chosen a name for her yet.

Let's be honest, this thing is probably going to turn into the Baby Sasnett show really soon.  And you're going to love it.  

Where to start?

Well, it certainly has been some time since I posted last, but recent changes in the Sasnett household has left me few excuses.  Yes, I am no longer a US Senate employee.  I am very, very thankful that I have the privilege to stay at home and spend the majority of my time serving my husband and working to make this house a home.

And now to give a house update.

We started with some demolition and painting... but we've only gotten a few of the rooms painted.  I just can't decide on colors for the rest of the house!

A little basement demo...

With help from Dan and the Joneses...

Got us to this.  I still hate going to the basement, but at least there are no more cabinets for monsters to hide in.  

While the boys were tearing things down, we started doing this...

Goodbye rainbow, hello neutral!  Can you tell I like gray?

We also replaced the carpet in the master bedroom.  I think it needed it, don't you?

We also had a problem with our washer and dryer.  Well, the washer was okay, but the dryer wouldn't turn off.  It was very hard to keep up with laundry when many days our schedules didn't allow us to be home (and awake) to watch several loads of laundry.  So, we replaced our old appliances with these new babies...

I've been pinning laundry rooms in hopes of finding inspiration for this area.  Hopefully I'll figure something out soon.  I need something to lure me down to that scary basement... at least for the time it takes to wash some clothes.  And that is exactly what I'm going to do now... until next time!