Acker Country Living: A December To Remember

Susannah is changing so much! Her little cheeks are filling out, her little belly isn't so little, she's grown at least 2 inches since birth, and she's so expressive! I've noticed the last few nights that when I put her back to bed after our 3AM-ish feeding, she "talks" in her sleep for a while before drifting off to the deep sleep - it is so stinkin cute. Even at 4:00 in the morning, I love listening to her little noises.

She really has the best expressions ever!

In my last post, I forgot to mention that Susie had her first babysitter earlier this month! Pete wanted to take me out to eat for my birthday, so our dear friend and neighbor Angie hung out with Susannah for a couple hours while we went to dinner. It is a blessing to have someone we can trust nearby to watch our girl from time to time, even though we're not quite at the point yet of "just needing a break." I'm sure those days will come eventually, so I'm very thankful for Angie.

One of Susannah's favorite spots

Figgy came in town the week before Christmas, which has been so much fun! Susannah loved all the songs Figgy sang to her and all the time they got to spend together. Just like when my mom stayed with us for a while, it was SO NICE to have an extra set of hands to help with daily tasks -- things like vacuuming and other super fun chores don't exactly make it to the top of my list when I have this adorable baby to stare at all day. It was also really nice having someone to hang out with during the day while Pete was at work who can actually talk back to me!

Girl time

We enjoyed our first Christmas as a family of 3 in Harrisonburg with Pete's family. Harrisonburg is a 3 1/2 hour drive from our house, so this was going to be our first long-ish trip with a baby in a carseat. Susannah has always done pretty well in the car for short trips here and there, so we were optimistic. Suffice it to say, Susannah prefers to NOT be in a carseat for over, say, an hour.

Oh gosh...

It was a long 4 hours! (30 minutes added because we had to stop TWENTY MINUTES out of Harrisonburg so I could nurse the poor, inconsolable baby.) Hopefully she'll eventually be okay with the carseat for longer trips, or I'm not going anywhere without Pete to drive so I can down some wine before leaving...

We had a great time once we got to Harrisonburg, seeing family and eating good food. Susannah's Gilbert cousins - Charis, Hannah, and Bethany - adore her, and I know they'll be fast friends once she's old enough to play. Unfortunately, the Gilbert girls had colds, so I didn't get any pics of them together, but I know there will be plenty of opportunities for that in the future!