1 1/2 Months Old

On Saturday the Yost Family had a baby shower for us. It was a lot of fun to see all the Johnson aunts and family friends. We enjoyed fun games, good conversation, and yummy food. Thanks to all that came and for the adorable baby things. Lydia is now prepared to look pretty in pink for Spring and Summer. Aunt Betsy enjoyed holding Lydia and even Grandma Linda got in on the action. I think it looks like Lydia is looking right up to Linda as I took the picture.

After the shower we attending the Easter Vigil service which was a really cool experience. I don't remember the last time that I went on Saturday evening, so it was neat to start out with the lights off and then to fill the church with light by the tiny candles that we each held. It was also a special service because my sister-in-law joined the church, so we were part of the service.

Lydia did such a great job at the shower being passed from person to person and then at the Easter Vigil she slept the whole time. She even took a bottle at the end before we could get home to feed her. The bottle feeding has been going much better which is a relief. We didn't think that Amy, our friend who will be watching her for when I go back to school, would be so fond of bringing her up to school every couple of hours to eat. Just kidding we know that isn't a possibility.

On Sunday we went to Redwood for Easter with the Dahms family which was very enjoyable. Lydia must have been overly tired of being around people after Saturday's events because she was pretty fussy while we were in Redwood, but luckily the ride to and from was a breeze. I just hate when she cries while we are driving because you can't do anything about it, but stop. In the evening Carissa and Ike stopped to see Lydia and to get the goodies the Easter Bunny left them. They gave Lydia the cutest little bunny that vibrates and some candy, but I think the candy is actually for Charlie and me. I also had the chance to feed Lydia a bottle as you can see below. It was a great weekend!!

So far this week we've had a visit from my cousin Michelle, her daughter Madison, and my aunt Barb. We enjoyed lunch with my mom at Gustavus as the students are on spring break. It is so weird being back on campus especially carrying around a baby instead of backpack. Lydia and I was enjoyed dinner with the Salfer ladies last night. Besides the good food, it

was so cute to see the girls interacting with Lydia. They sang to her, held her hand, and smiled at her when she smiled at them. Lydia has definitely continued to smile a lot, but now you can tell that she is almost responding to your smile and voice. She has also found her hands and is sucking on them once in a while. The verdict is still out if that is a good thing or not :)

Hoppy Easter

We are excitedly awaiting the arrival of the Easter Bunny and have been reflecting on the amazing gift that God gave us; His only Son. I remember watching the Passion of Christ movie last year at this time and hope to watch it again before Easter Sunday. The movie, though one persons interpretation of the story, really made me realize the sacrifice that God and Jesus made for us. We will gather with family this weekend in praise for this awesome gift and in celebration of my sister-in-law, Jen, joining the Catholic Church. It will prove to be a busy weekend, but one well spent pondering this wonderful story of our creation.

Grandma and Grandpa Schloesser were in Texas last week and when they arrived home Lydia had left them a special surprise. We used the paper chains from the Schloesser baby shower as decorations for their room to welcome them home. Lydia even wrote a note saying she had missed them. I think we have made up for the lack of seeing each other because we have seen them almost every day since they got back and we even celebrated Grandpa’s birthday on Sunday.

Last weekend we took our second road trip to visit my cousin Michelle, her husband Byron, and their daughter Madison who were home from Texas. Madison is 3 weeks older then Lydia and it was lots of fun seeing her for the first time.

Each week we have taken a photo of Lydia next the same stuffed bear to show how much she has grown. Here are pictures of her at 1 week and 5 weeks. Look how much she has grown. She weighed 9lbs. 10oz. last week when she was weighed.

Lydia is starting to have those nightly fussy sessions we read about a couple weeks ago and thought, whatever, our daughter is perfect. Well reality has set in and thanks to Grandma Schloesser’s suggestion of putting her in the swing we were able to eat together without one of us holding her. Introducing the bottle has also proven to be a continued struggle. Charlie is being so patient, but one can only take two hours of crying and fussiness for so long. We consulted lactation services about suggestions on bottle feeding, so hopefully the suggestions will work.

Though these hurdles have presented themselves Charlie and I are still in such awe at what has changed in our lives over the course of the last 6 weeks. Seeing her smile, hearing her start to coo, noticing her recognize our voices, and just watching her sleep are all so special.

Happy One Month Old!!

Happy birthday to you... Can you believe that it has been a month since our beautiful daughter was born? We spent Lydia's birthday at uncle Jake and aunt Jen's house eating fish and enjoying a movie. But the really big event of the day was Lydia receiving her first bottle. It wasn't accepted by her or me as well as expected. She definitely has not gotten used to the rubber nipple and I never expected it to feel so strange not being the one feeding her. I know that it is important to give Charlie a chance to bond with her in this special way, but I have been the one doing it for the last 30 some days. I can now understand those moms that seem to have problems letting go, I better start working on getting over that now.





Other exciting events of the week: Lydia has been smiling, not just with gas or while sleeping, but when we are talking to her. My mom also noticed the other day that she definitely recognizes mine and Charlie's voices. Lydia was hanging out with my parents and when Charlie walked into the room; she heard his voice and she started looking around for him. How cool!! Lydia and I also enjoyed ECFE baby classes on Tuesday nights. It has been fun seeing other babies and talking with parents. This week I traced around her on a big piece of paper. It is amazing how big she looks on paper. What a fun memento for her to look at when she is big.





I have included a couple of the awesome photos we had taken a couple weeks ago. Lydia did great posing for the camera! She definitely is a gift from God!!

A Busy Third Week

The Schloesser family held a shower for Lydia on Saturday. We arrrived at Great Grandma Joan's apartment building to find colorful paper chains and decorations adorning the room. Great Uncle Dale had prepared his famous homemade pizza dough for everyone to create their own pizzas. Charlie and I made a heart shaped one with Lydia's name on it. Carissa and Ike made a B shaped pizza. We even had Nick make a calzone and Josh a stuffed crust pizza. Tricia and Mark were unable to attend but provided yummy bars with Lydia's name on them. Lydia did great being passed from person to person, but got a little fussy during gift opening and just wanted attention from Daddy. For some reason he ended up using the pacifer instead of her. Mommy and Daddy were even given crowns to wear. We definately felt like royalty! Thanks Bridget for the evites and preparations. Michelle and Dale the pizza was fabulous. And thank you family for celebrating!!

Saturday evening was filled with fun on the Schloesser side, so we better be fair and spend time with the Dahms side of the family as well. On Sunday we celebrated Great Grandma Emma's 90th Birthday in Redwood Falls. It was our first road trip which went rather well with Lydia sleeping on the way down and back. Lydia was once again passed from person to person and seemed to enjoy ever minute of the attention. Mommy and Daddy also enjoyed playing with McKenzie, Ben, Megan, Morgan, and Sam (my cousin's kids). Charlie really is a kid magnet! When he wasn't holding our daughter, someone else under the age of 6 was occupying his attention. Great Grandma Emma enjoyed holding Lydia and we even snapped a picture of the four generations.