Lara has started "talking" more and more. Every time I try to get her to "talk" on Skype, so won't do it, so here are a couple of videos for those who want to see!

I can't believe my sweet little girl is 1 month old! Time has really flown by!

We don't go back to the doctor until 2 months, so I don't have any stats, but I know that she is growing a ton! She has now grown out of almost all of her newborn clothes, especially the ones with feet. She is fitting better in her 0-3 month clothes every day! I have enjoyed every minute with her so far, and am excited about each new thing that she does, but I just feel like she is growing up way too fast!

1 month old:
* Starting to smile
* Coos and "talks" more every day
* Eats every 3 hours during the day
* Longest nighttime stretch is 7.5 hours (I am very thankful that she likes to sleep!)
* Takes naps in her own bed with very little crying!
* Is discovering her hands (and liking them more than her pacifier...)
* Tolerates Tummy time and is starting to try to roll over
* Favorite Toy - Play gym that came with her exersaucer


Here is Lara at 1 month on her leaf. Hopefully we can compare each month. Too bad we don't have one from when we first got home from the hospital!



Getting stronger every day!



Lara LOVES her daddy! Look what a big girl she is sitting up with Daddy

We have both learned a lot this first month! I don't think either of us were prepared for exactly what it would mean to be a parent... but who really is? We've learned how to become diaper changing pros and how to laugh when she has explosive bowel movements... ok maybe we're still working on the laughing part... We're learning that the size of a person does not coincide with the amount of laundry that needs to be done... But most of all, I realize more every day how truly amazing God is. I sit and look at her and am in awe of how perfectly she was created. We could not have asked for a better gift!

Happy 1 month birthday little Lara!

We decided to take a trip to Atlanta to get Lara's Brazilian Birth Certificate and Passport as well as take care of a couple of things for Lucas at the Brazilian Consulate in Atlanta. We are planning to take a trip to Brazil sometime in April, so we wanted to go ahead and get some of this taken care of in case it takes a while for the paperwork to get completed.

In order to get the passport I had to have a picture of Lara on a white background, with her awake and looking at the camera, without her hands in her face. HA! That was definitely a difficult task with a newborn! I did finally get a picture that would work. Here is the winner! Not that great, but it met all of the requirements... I still find it funny that her passports will be good for 5 years... can you imagine how different she is going to look when she is 5 and has to use this same passport?

It is about a four hour trip to Atlanta, so we decided to break it up into two days. We weren't sure how well Lara was going to do in the car, but she did great for the most part!

We decided to take a break in Chattanooga. We walked around Downtown for a little while and just enjoyed the nice day. Chattanooga is one of our favorite cities, so we were glad to make this little stop!

Me and Lara Walking in downtown

Eating at Sticky Fingers - Some of the best ribs we've ever had! Lara is kind of hiding in this picture, but she's there!

Lucas and Lara in front of Sticky Fingers

Lucas walking with Hailey - I'm not sure if Hailey was happy to come with us or not... but hey it beats being left at home by herself right?

Chillin' in the hotel! We actually got to use our pack 'n play to travel! It worked great!

Hailey in her spot on the chair in the hotel, eating her bone. She was definitely happy!

Cute Lara - She's saying look how strong I am mom!

Play Time with Daddy!

Awww :-)

Dressed and ready to go to the Consulate on her 1 month birthday! Her jeans are a little big, but I decided it was time to wear them! Doesn't she look cute?

I can't believe she is 1 month old!!!

We had three appointment times at the consulate. Everything went really well, and we got everything taken care of that we needed. There is a large Brazilian population in Atlanta, so we decided to go to one of the Brazilian restaurants.

Porto Brasil - I would highly recommend it to anyone that is in the Atlanta area and wants to try some Brazilian cuisine!

After we ate, we headed back to the consulate to pick up a few documents. Then we went to the Brazilian market to get a couple of things. They had a little cafe there, so we got a couple pao de queijo and Guarana to go.

Lucas - So happy :-)

We stopped back by Chattanooga on the way home to break up the trip a little.

The view as we were coming into town - This picture does not do it justice...

All three of us at Aretha Frankensteins. One of our new found favorite little places!

Me & Lara about to eat the best pancakes in the world!

One more picture! Last time we were here, I was still pregnant! Glad that we could let her experience it in person now!

We had a great trip! Lara did way better than we had anticipated! Glad to know that she can travel pretty well. Hopefully this will continue so we can make a trip to Texas this summer!

Lara has decided that she actually likes bath time now, which is good because we have to give her a bath almost every day. I'm not a fan of her smelling like spit up every day...

Look how big she is getting! I can't believe it!

Let is snow, let it snow, let is snow! We woke up to this beautiful layer of snow covering the ground! I know that if you're used to seeing snow, then this isn't much, but any snow that staying on the ground for any time at all is exciting in Alabama! It actually continued to snow for the next 3 days and the snow stayed on the ground for a week (at least in the shady areas!) It was really nice to have the snow around for a little while! It makes everything seem so bright and clean! I wouldn't want it all the time, but for a week it was fun!

Our front yard!

Lara's first time seeing snow! I'm sure she'll remember this for years to come...

Me and Lara enjoying the snow!

Look! Lara standing in the snow! All by herself... ok maybe not, but her feet are touching the ground! :-)

Hailey LOVES the snow! She spends most of her time eating it!

Lucas gave Lara her very first bottle! Since I am breastfeeding, I have no idea how much she is drinking, so we tried 2.5 oz. Seeing as she was hungry again an hour and a half later, I don't think that was enough! We also need to try to find a different bottle because she drank all 2.5 oz in about 5 minutes... That might be a little fast! Hopefully she'll get the hang of it soon, so we might be able to have a date night soon!

Some pictures from 4 weeks!

Lara is starting to smile more and more. I can't wait to hear that laugh!

Copying Daddy by stinking out her tongue

Look at that crazy hair!

Daddy & Lara

One of my favorites! :-) I love this face!

Funny face!

Lara talks to her animals a lot now! It is so fun to hear her finding her voice!

Sleeping with our mouth open!

BIG smile! Too bad it was in her sleep! Love it!

Trying to catch up with pictures...

Love these naps - Although we're trying really hard to do more sleeping in our own bed during the day...

Lara Loves her play gym! She's really starting to look at the animals more...

She's getting so big!

Nap time with Daddy! Love this picture!

Purple Hat - Thanks for the cute hat, sweater and shoes Granna & Granpa!

Going for a walk - Lara and I are both sporting our caps! See she is admiring mine! :-)

Love this pink one! All decked out in pink... including the pacifier!

Love this tummy pictures! She is getting so strong!

Her eyes are still blue! Crazy...