Visit from the girls

YAY for visits from old friends! Our good friends Jen and Sarah came up for a visit here in Portland! Reese was super excited to meet two of her "aunts" and I was super excited for a chance to hang out with my girlfriends. They were happy to escape the heat of AZ for a few days and we were happy to do the tourist thing again.

They came in on Thursday and we pretty much just hung out, went out to lunch at the Kennedy School and showed them around the Happy Valley. On Friday, we did wine country! Todd was nice enough to be our chauffeur for the day and we took advantage of it. We did 5 of the wineries that day and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves! We even met a woman from Tucson who had opened a winery (Bella Vida) up here with her husband. They spend their summers up here working their tasting room and the winters down in Tucson where she is a pediatric physical therapist....not a bad way to do it that's for sure! We cooked a famous Spencer Casa dinner that night and just enjoyed the company!

On Saturday, we made a visit to the Portland Zoo! This was a new one for Todd and I too as I had heard the zoo here is great....and it turns out it is! For the price of a movie ticket ($10.50) you get quite the experience at this zoo. Of course, I love about any zoo. So, you can bet once Reese is a little bit older, I will be all over the annual pass. We'll be there every weekend! I love it and hope she will as well. For now, she could really care less. Oh well....someday! That night we also headed out for dinner at a restaurant in downtown PDX called Dragonfish. Funny story, so I called for reservations and told them we had 6 people. "No problem" the hostess told me. Then Todd reminded me to ask for a high-chair as well. Her response then changed to "ohh....well, we will have to see if we can arrange that. I will have to call you back". Ummm...OK. She did call be back and let me know that they were able to make the arrangements. Great. So, we get there that night and they had set us up in a completely private room! Crazy! I guess they really don't like babies in their restaurant. The ironic thing is, she is usually totally quiet in restaurants....except that night. The "private room" ended up being too quiet and she did freak out a bit. She needs the dull roar of the crowd to lull her to sleep I guess! Ha!

Anyway, after a girly morning of mani/pedi time, we said adios to Jen and Sarah on Sunday morning. It was such a great visit and I really miss being closer to our friends and family. We do hope to eventually get back to AZ, but in the meantime, we are just happy to have such wonderful family and friends who come to visit us! We love ya'll!!

Can't do this in AZ...At least I couldn't

Yes, that is the world's largest zucchini in that picture and yes, we grew it in the Oregon dirt right here in our own backyard! That's right...I couldn't keep a cactus alive in AZ, and now look at this thing....it is the same size as Reese!! And that is not the only one....it has friends!!! Anyone up for some zucchini bread?!?!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful 4th of July! Reese enjoyed her very first BBQ and fireworks show. This of course, came after she spent some quality time with Dad watching the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating National Championship (Todd's very favorite 4th of July tradition....personally, it turns my stomach). We had a friend of mine from work and her husband over for steaks on the grill and the Happy Valley fireworks extravaganza! I have to hand it to this little town...they know how to do the 4th of July! We live near a large park that we can easily walk to and they put on a great display of fireworks and all sorts of other "family fun." It felt what I would imagine the holiday would feel like in small-town USA. And the best part was that we didn't have to deal with the hazards of parking and gunning for a good viewing place like we usually do. Instead, we loaded Reese into her stroller, walked down the street, and plopped ourselves on the lawn with the fireworks overhead! Good stuff....good stuff!!!

Reese is continuing to do amazing new things every day. She is smiling in response to things (i.e. Mom or Dad walking into the room after being gone for a little while), starting to reach for her toys, sticking out her tongue, cooing, etc. At 8 weeks, she has become a little busy body and when on her changing table or tummy time mat, she kicks and smiles for as long as you leave her there! So, so cute!! She is up to about 11 pounds now and while I am not sure how long she is officially, her pants no longer have to be rolled up to keep her from "tripping", so she is growing by leaps and bounds!

We are off to San Diego this coming week, so hopefully her first plane ride is not too traumatic...for any of us! While Todd will in meetings for work a few of the days, I think we are all looking forward to some nice relaxing time in beautiful SD! We should have some great pictures from the trip next week!

The sweetest sounds....

The crying has turned to cooing....OK, not all the crying has turned to cooing, but we are certainly getting a lot more of these sweet sounds out of our little one. Her smiles and "words" melt our hearts every time and we find ourselves calling to each other to "come look at her" each and every time that sweet little smile comes to her face! While she can smile and coo and any spontaneous moment, her very favorite place seems to be on her Lilly-pad (aka the Tummy Time mat). We can be almost guaranteed one of these little treasures each time we place her there! With those smiles and coos comes much more awake time during the day! This is a great thing and I could spend pretty much all day "playing" with her. While playing still consists pretty much of waving and touching her nose, feet, and hands, I am attempting such advanced games as peek-a-boo and "high fives". Not so much on those yet...but soon my friends, soon! I also keep attempting to read her bedtime stories, but she is not so interested in those yet either....but I will keep trying!

Aunt Holly and Uncle Mark left this morning after a great visit! Reese is absolutely in love with all of her family that has been here to visit and she is so looking forward to meeting so many more of you! We took adventures to the Columbia River Gorge, Multnomah Falls, Full Sail Brewery, Mt. Hood (all of those were in one day), Downtown Portland (VooDoo Doughnuts, Kennedy School, Powells Books), and even the Oregon Wine Country....Todd got to drive for that one so I could enjoy a few tastings (well deserved if I do say so myself). She even got to go to her very first soccer game this weekend. Our friend Dave plays on a league so we went to his Saturday night game! I am considering joining the team as well, so I predict much more soccer in her future....big surprise right?!?!

So, we have definitely been busy, but that is a great thing!!! We are looking forward to Reese's first 4th of July! We are expecting weather in the 90's here this week, so it is starting to feel a little bit more like "home"! I hope you all enjoy a wonderful, safe, and fun-filled holiday weekend!

6 weeks...

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So, here is my first attempt at a video montage! We had a photographer come out to house the day before Reese turned 3 weeks and this little video is a collection of the best photos that she came up with! She was fantastic and I would highly recommend her work to anyone living here in the Portland area (shameless plug here...her name is Rebecca Mikami and her website is www.dancinglightps.com)

We have had a busy week once again with Holly (my sister) and Mark (her boyfriend) in town from Phoenix. We have been seeing the sights and exploring the town! Reese is absolutely in love with her Aunt Holly and Uncle Mark and has really been interacting well with everyone. She is starting to grab for things a bit more and is smiling a whole lot. And let me tell you, there is nothing in the world more heartwarming than those first sweet smiles...they make every tear and sleepless hour so incredibly worth it!!!

And of course, how can we forget Todd's first Fathers Day!!! Reese and Daddy had a great day together and she is officially in complete adoration of her dad!! She even helped to make him a fabulous dinner of lobster tails, jambalaya and artichokes...with a delicious peanut butter pie to top it off!! Ok, maybe I just wanted to toot my own horn there a minute, but it was all Reese's idea I swear!

All in all, at 6 weeks, Reese has completely turned our world upside down (in a wonderful, wonderful way)...it is hard for us to remember life before she arrived... and there is no sweeter love than the one we have for our little girl!

Eat, sleep, poo....repeat

Miss Reese is now 5 weeks old and I think it is safe to say that we are really falling into a pretty good routine....with a newborn, any semblance of a routine is a wonderful thing! We continued to have a busy week this past week with G'ma and G'pa Spencer in town. We did some more sight-seeing and spent lots of time just visiting and allowing everyone to get to know each other. I think Reese was sad to see her grandparents drive away on Saturday for their drive back to AZ...

Reese also got to make her big debut with many of my co-workers at a team-building function we attended on Friday. She did remarkably well considering the event was held right at her cranky time of day (generally between 7-10pm each day). She was passed around the group and got lots and lots of love from all! Who doesn't love a cute baby right??

As we speak, I am sitting here listening nervously to the baby monitor as I attempt to get Reese to take a nap up in her crib in her room. Right now, she is still sleeping in her bassinet in our room at night and will likely continue to do so over the next few weeks, but we are working on attempting a smooth transition by getting her to take regular naps in her crib until she learns that her crib is a good place....one for sleeping peacefully. She took a nice 1.5 hour nap up there this morning, but this afternoon nap is not quite as easy. We shall see. Baby monitors are a wonderful invention, but they are also slightly nerve wracking (is that how you spell that?).

We have been rewarded this week with some half-smiles! And I do think that they are intentional at this point and not just passing bubbles of gas. We are eagerly awaiting getting those heart-melting little gestures on a regular basis. Reese has one VERY cute little dimple on the left side of her smile that will hopefully stick around. We are not entirely sure where that dimple came from as I know that they are genetic and we cannot figure where it would have come from on either side of the family. Oh well, it is darn cute, so I really go not have need to identify where exactly it came from!

Well, tonight it is off to dinner for my birthday (which I almost forgot about since I have been so wrapped up in mommy-hood). We will see if Reese can maintain her perfect behavior record when out in public!! Fingers crossed....

Reese's Life As A Local Celebrity

So if there is one thing that I have learned since having Reese it is that there is nothing that begs people to strike up conversation with you more than toting around a newborn. Even more so than being incredibly pregnant if you can believe that! While our trips out are still a bit limited nearly every turn you are met with "How old is your baby?" The neighbors, who we are not especially close with, come running out to say hello....and we quickly realize it is not us they want to see, but Reese! And really....who wouldn't?!?! Regardless, I highly recommend having a baby (or obtaining one by other means) if you are looking to meet people in your community!

Reese is doing great and entertaining us to no end. We spend lots of time simply gazing at her both when she is sleeping as well as when she is awake. My biggest question is what babies dream about...often we see her twitch, furrow her brow, and even smile in her sleep. With such a limited frame of reference, I find it fascinating to think about what little movie they are watching in their sleep....my best guess is either eating or pooping....

Grandma and Grandpa Spencer are visiting this week, so Reese has been busy admiring this side of her family tree. She is enjoying all the extra holding and rocking and attention and of course the extra rides in the car as we do some sight seeing in the area (she LOVES the car)! I might also add that she is batting 1000 on eating out in public. We have had her out about 6 or 7 times now and we have been pleasantly surprised as she dozes through the meal. Lets just hope she stays such a sweetie!

Anyway, at almost 1 month old (yikes) Reese is such an amazing addition to our lives! It is already quite hard to imagine life before she arrived!

Here we go....

So, thus starts the first official week of Reese and I hanging out together all day, every day! I am so grateful for my wonderful mom (aka "Nanny") for spending 2 weeks with us and helping us out tremendously as we got settled into a groove with Reese. Now, it is on to reality and this week, it is just Reese and I during the day (until daddy comes home after work of course). So far, so good. Lucky for me, she is pretty darn easy to entertain these days....eat, sleep, diaper change, snuggle, repeat.....(not always in that order of course!).

This last week with Nanny here, did present some pretty big adventures though....we had pediatrician appointment #2 and we are back up to 2 Oz's over birth weight (Reese, not me) so I am feeling pretty good about that. Nothing stresses me out more than being concerned that she is not getting enough to fill her little belly and help her grow....luckily, I think she has gotten the hang of this whole eating gig!!

We also took our first trip to the beach....Reese did great all through lunch and as we strolled through the shops in Cannon Beach, but as soon as my feet hit the sand, she was NOT having it. Hopefully, she will grow out of her hatred of the ocean eventually! I think she was just super cranky from such a full day.

Reese also got the chance to meet her "Aunt" Erin for the first time!! Erin was in town for work and made a little side trip to meet our newest addition. She must have the magic baby touch, because Reese slept in her lap for about 2 hours straight! That is a talent not everyone has (just ask Todd). As always, it is so wonderful to see friends, old and new!

Saturday, we said a tearful "adios for now" to Nanny Miller as she headed back to Arizona. It is hard being away from family, but we will be heading down to AZ later in the summer and I am sure that we will have a good number of visitors here in Oregon escaping the heat of the desert. To cheer us up a bit, we headed out that evening for Reese's first parade!!! Yes, Todd and I are huge nerds and love us some parades!! So, Reese made her big debut at the Portland Rose Festival Starlight Parade!! It was a good time and Reese slept the entire time (well over 3 hours), even through the marching bands and drum corps groups. We did cover her little ears as best as possible to make sure that we didn't do any damage. All I can say is that I would give anything to be able to sleep like this little one!!

Oh, and how can I forget Reese's big photo shoot?!?! Yesterday morning, we had a photographer come out to the house to do a session capturing all those sweet newborn antics. She was here for over 3 hours and Reese made it pretty clear that she was DONE after about 2.5 of those hours. She had been an angel for the majority of the session, but somewhere around 12:30pm, Reese chose to express her frustration with the situation by releasing all of her bodily functions at once...with no diaper on....all over mom. Awesome...thank goodness she is my offspring. From there, it was pretty much downhill. None-the-less, most of the session went GREAT and we cannot wait to get the proofs from the shoot in a couple of weeks! I will be sure to post them on here once we have them!

Other than that, all is going well! Reese continues to sleep 3-4 hours at a time at night and wakes up pretty much on cue when it is feeding time. Luckily she usually falls right back to sleep...and so do I! Love her!!!

So far, so good.....and I think it will just keep getting sweeter each day!! Life is good....no, life is GREAT!!