Weeks 6 and 7

We have had a busy couple of weeks with lots of "new" things happening. Ensley and I would like to share some of our adventures and milestones...

WEEK 6

Milestones:

• 1st night away from home: We took Ensley to the lake cabin we have in Moorsburg about an hour away from home. She loved it so we decided to spend the night. We had to bring everything but the kitchen sink anyways so Philip and I thought it would be good bonding time. Well....she definitely is a home body right now because we barely slept!
• 1st night in crib: After several restless nights in a row, we decided Ensley was ready to enjoy her own room at night so into the crib she went! She has done SO well and now we are getting a little more sleep. Those video monitors are priceless!
• 1st mom/daughter outing along: Well, we did it alone. I was most nervous about driving alone in the car but the car seems to put her right to sleep. We ran by the bank and then by my office. Everyone at the office was glad to see her...and how much she has grown! Everyone thinks she looks like Philip but I'm still hopeful. (I think she's looking more like me each day.)

St Patty's Day

Dad made sure she was dressed in green so there would be no pinches...just tons of kisses!

New BFFs Ensley and Addison

Week 7

Milestones:

• Real smiles: My heart just melts each time she smiles at me. And she's ticklish too!
• Beginning to coo: Won't be long before she starts saying her first words. I've been working diligently with the ma-ma sounds!!!
• Met your new BFF: We went to our great friends' house, Kristen and Zack Pumphrey, who just had their baby girl exactly 5 weeks after Ensley was born. Addison is a doll and we know these two will have great times ahead.
• Thumb/Fist sucking: Ensley has now found her fist and thumb and enjoys sucking on them (to Philip's horror). Even though I think its kind of cute, we are trying to get her to use the pacie instead.
• 1st Girls Night Out: Ensley made it to her first night with the girls at Jen Clements' house. It was a much needed outing for mom! Everyone brought the projects that they were working on or needed to finish and we ate tons of great food. My project was to learn how to better blog.....a big shout out to Tricia Nguyen who helped me out!! Thanks Tricia.

Stay posted....more to come soon!

ENSLEY IS HERE!!

and has been for almost 6 weeks now!! My how times flies. I've been meaning to update the blog but I am learning as a new mom that sometimes it's even difficult just to get dressed for the day!

Ensley Nora was born on Thursday, February 5th and weighed 6 lbs 11 oz and was 19 3/4 inches long. She was just a tiny little thing but cute as a button! We had a great experience and could not have asked for a better "angel" baby (Kit that's for you!). I don't think we heard a peep out of her for the first 2 weeks of her life....of course that has now changed. I've been keeping a journal of all of her milestones and daily activities so I thought I would give you a brief week by week synopsis....


Week 1

• 1st horror moment: the day Ensley arrived home our dog Memphis jumped from the floor to the bed and landed halfway on little E. She didn't move a muscle but I cried for 30 mins. I've since learned babies are more durable than we think!
• 1st photography session: We had Picsee Studios come and take photos of our new addition and we had a GREAT time. Jennifer did a fantastic job and captured some priceless pics. I am recommending them to everyone....picseestudios.com
• 1st spit bath: Didn't phase her much...
• 1st Drs appt: E's first outing was to the doctor's office. Again you were such an angel...slept through the whole outing.
• Baker clan comes to visit: E gets to see her Grams and Poppy again and meet her Aunts Carolyn and G and cousins Khaki and Andrew!

Week 2

• 1st parental outing without E: Philip and I decided to leave E in the great hands of DeeDee and G-dad and go to Sonic. I can't get enough of those Cherry Limeades. We were gone only an hour and a half, but I think I made 3 phone calls home. How am I going to make it when I return to work????
• Drs Appt: E had gained one whole pound in just about a week so I guess we are doing something right. We did get a bit of scary news. Dr. Hecht heard the heart murmur she first heard in the hospital and a little hip click. This means we are headed to the hospital for ultrasounds on both. Of course I was a nervous wreck but the doctor assured me she wasn't too concerned.
• more smiles (just gas for now)
• holding head up (still wobbly)
• TONS of laundry

Week 3

• Cohorn clan arrives!: DeeDee, G-dad, Clay, Kit, and cousin Harris are all together in JC. Philip hadn't met Harris yet and it had been over a year since we had all been together. It was a relaxing long weekend. We did have another photo shoot with Jennifer to capture the new family portrait. What great pics we got again!
• Ensley has lungs: I knew it! Mom had been with us for 2 weeks and the day everyone left E decides to show us her lungs....nothing we can't handle!

Week 4

• 1st full bath: cord fell off so now we can do "real" baths. She loves them!
• 1st bottle: Philip gave her the first bottle. She was screaming one night so we thought we would give it a try. It worked beautifully.
• 1st pacie: DeeDee really wanted to use the pacie while she was here but I held off until now. E likes the pacie at times but really doesn't need one much.
• 1st errand run: Philip and I ran about 3 hours worth of errands and E just stayed in the car. Again, slept through the entire journey. She loves those car rides!

Week 5

• Hospital visit: Great news!!! We survived the hospital tests with the help of DeeDee. Philip had to go to Charleston to be a best man at a wedding, so that left the girls. Everything was normal....thank goodness!!
• Lunch/Shopping trip: this week was the first of many girls' shopping trips. We went to Panera Bread and did some local shopping.
• 1st dinner outing: the three of us went to Cheddar's for dinner....I felt "normal" again for Philip and I to be going out together! Again....she slept. But I will say we have been developing our nightly scream sessions!

I will hopefully continue weekly updates.. I need to do a better job of keeping the blog up-to-date. I return to work in a couple of weeks so I am just enjoying my time at home with Ensley.

34 Weeks

Hey guys! Well we made it to 34 weeks and have entered week 35. Things are still going well. We are making progress on the nursery... thank goodness. Philip and his dad spent 17 hours+ putting up wanescoating, but it looks fantastic. I am so pleased! We picked up the baby furniture last weekend but we are waiting for the painting to be done before we begin to assemble. Then the fun can begin! I am looking forward to seeing the finished product.

I took last week off so it was hard to return to work today. Sleeping late and relaxation were much needed. I'm trying to savor those moments! I'm off the next 2 days as Philip and I are hosting a New Year's Eve party at the lakehouse for our supper club friends. I just hope I make it to midnight :)

We wish you the very best that the new year brings, and we hope to see you soon!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas is just a couple of days away! We enjoyed time with my mom and dad last weekend. They were in town for a long weekend to celebrate our Christmas and so Mom could attend a baby shower I had here in Johnson City. It was a jam packed weekend starting with a 3D/4D ultrasound. What a miracle! Little Ensley actually smiled for the camera and opened her eyes. It made me even more excited to meet her. As of tomorrow I am 33 weeks and counting!

It is a bit sad that we will not be going to Texas over the holidays, but it is for a very good reason. We enjoyed a Tennessee Christmas with Mom and Dad and included Clay, Kit and Harris via webcam. Thank goodness for webcams!!!

We will be heading to Philip's parents for a long weekend on Christmas Eve, but only after I enjoy my early Santa gift....a Mommy-to-Be massage and pedicure! I didn't even know I was that great this year!

We wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

30 Weeks

Well, I have officially reached the 30s and am oh so happy about it. Today marks the end of the 30th week...my how time flies! It seems just like yesterday that we were delivering the good news. Tonight was the first night of a 4 part Labor and Delivery class. We weren't sure what to expect but we did learn a few things. Each day we are getting more and more excited. Now we've just got to get her room in some sort of order. My nesting instincts are really starting to take effect!!!

A Tuna Christmas

Well, we are officially in the Christmas spirit...without a Christmas tree yet. It has been raining all weekend long which has postponed our tree shopping experience. Hopefully by next weekend we'll have it up.

Today we spent the afternoon with my partner and his wife. We went to brunch and then to a play called "A Tuna Christmas." It's based on a small town in Texas and is hilarious. Two men play all 22 characters and it was a hoot. A great start to the holiday season!

Hope ya'll had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Due to restricted travels we will not be able to see many of you this Christmas season so please keep in touch!

We Are Finally Here!!!

Hello everyone and welcome to The Bakers Batch. We are new to the blogging world but decided we need to practice before Ensley arrives! Philip and I just hosted our first Thanksgiving at our house with his family. Both (yes, we did two) turkeys turned out well thanks to big P. We couldn't decided on fried or baked so we did both! And Grandmama's dressing was delicious if I do say so myself! We are now gearing up for Christmas and are planning on picking out the Christmas tree today. More to come....