Happy 1 Month Birthday, Grace!

Grace is one month old today! Her first month of life has been a whirlwind of emotions for us. She is absolutely the best! I feel as though I've waited my whole life to be her Mom :-) It's an amazing feeling.

This past weekend was wonderful! My parents came to visit us on Friday and Saturday and watched Grace on Friday night so Martin and I could go on a date. We had a blast -- a fantastic dinner and a visit to our favorite bar for a night cap. We were able to reflect on our first four weeks as parents and share our thankfulness for our beautiful daughter. A big thanks to my Mom and Dad for giving us that opportunity!

Grace continues to grow so quickly! She is becoming more alert everyday and is getting the hang of being awake during the day and sleeping during the night. She's even had a few nighttime stretches where she's slept for four hours! It's crazy that four hours seems like a long time to sleep now! She's gotten into a pretty solid routine, and we are having so much fun with her! I spend a lot of time just watching her everyday and telling her all about the family & friends who love her so much. Life is good! Happy 1 Month Birthday, Grace Calleigh :-)

Grace's First Lunch Date (on her Due Date)

Yesterday, June 20th, was Grace's due date. It's crazy to me that she's three and a half weeks old already! I'm not surprised that she was born early though. Like her parents, I have a feeling Grace will be in a hurry to do everything!

June 20th also happens to be the birthday of a dear friend of mine, so Grace and I ventured out for lunch to celebrate. It was Grace's first lunch date! She seemed to enjoy herself, sleeping peacefully the whole time, while I enjoyed great food and conversation with two of my closest friends.

This week has been my first week home alone with Grace. It's been quite an adjustment after having the wonderful help of family and friends for the first few weeks, but Grace and I have done very well. My little angel and I are having lots of quality time together, which I am incredibly thankful for. And tomorrow night Martin and I are having our first date since Grace's arrival. My parents are coming to take care of Grace so we can go out for dinner. YAY!

Grace's New Tricks

When my brother, Brian, visited on Friday, he asked if Grace could do any tricks yet. Newborns often seem boring to people because they don't do much except sleep, eat, and poop. The first couple weeks of Grace's life, that's about all she did. (And she seemed to poop A LOT, especially while having her already poopy diaper changed!)

After just three weeks, I'm amazed everyday by how much Grace is growing and changing. She stays awake longer each day and is starting to be more aware of her surroundings. When I read to her, she seems to be paying attention and looks at the pictures. I love when her eyes meet mine, and I feel like we're communicating without saying a word. I feel confident that she knows how much we love her.

She is getting really strong. You should feel her grip! She's one tough little girl :) And her little legs spend a lot of time kicking every day, especially during tummy time. It seems like she's thinking about crawling already. I have so much fun watching her on her tummy, as she lifts her head and furiously kicks those cute little legs.

Yet, in spite of all these "new tricks," her greatest tricks (and the ones we seem to talk about most), involve pooping. Yesterday, when I was changing her, she literally covered my hand with poop as I was wiping her. Not only did the poop get all over my hand and the changing table, but it exploded onto the floor as well, leaving several "splatter stains." It entertains me how poop has entered into our daily conversations ever since Grace's arrival :) I guess that's what happens when you have kids...no topic is off limits anymore!

Martin's First Father's Day

On Sunday, Martin celebrated his first Father's Day. On Mother's Day, I predicted that Martin would definitely be a Dad by Father's Day. I was right, although I didn't imagine Grace would be 3 weeks old on Martin's first Dad's Day!

We had a very special day. We had a delicious meal, courtesy of my Mom, at our house. Grace made her Daddy a nice card and got him a collage picture frame and a World's Greatest Dad t-shirt and hat. She also made her Pop-Pop a card and got him a picture frame.

On this Father's Day, we were able to honor Martin, a brand new Dad, and my Dad, who's celebrated quite a few Father's Days. I'm so thankful for my Dad, and I hope Grace will be a Daddy's girl like I've been all my life. Grace is so lucky...she has an awesome Dad and a fantastic Pop-Pop who both love her very much, not to mention lots of other family members & friends who think the world of her.

Visit our photo site (the Baby Grace - Week 4 album) to see pictures of our Father's Day fun!

Touchdown!!

Our children will grow up watching football and will inevitably be encouraged to cheer for the Philadelphia Eagles and the Notre Dame Fightin' Irish! Before Grace was born, she already had 2 Philadelphia Eagles onesies (courtesy of her Uncle Brian) and an Eagles cheerleading uniform (courtesy of her cousin, Maddie). Last week she got her first Notre Dame shirt from a dear family friend, Linda, who's a proud ND alum. We know our daughter is a genius because she put her hands up to signal a touchdown as I explained our love of football to her.

Let the countdown to football season begin! The Fogarty family is ready to cheer their teams on to victory :-) Grace is definitely a Fightin' Irish girl and, of course, a proud Eagles fan! We're teaching her well already.

Our Growing Girl

Grace went to the pediatrician this afternoon. We were so anxious to see how much Grace had grown since her last appointment two weeks ago. At her last appointment, she weighed 5 lbs, 10 oz. We were shocked today when they weighed her -- she gained a whole pound! Grace is now 6 lbs, 10 oz, and she grew a quarter of an inch, making her 19.75 inches! She's growing so fast. We are in awe of our growing baby girl :-)

The doctor's appointment was quite an ordeal. Lindsey accompanied me, which was great. I was so thankful for the emotional support. Grace slept the whole way there, but made quite a stink just after arriving. I changed her, and she was good to go once again. When we got into the exam room, the nurse asked me to undress her so they could get her "naked weight." When I took her diaper off, I found another surprise. I cleaned that one up and put her on the scale to get her weight. She squirmed around a LOT and then proceeded to pee on the scale! Hilarious...

I put a new diaper on, but Grace was not a happy camper. As we waited for the doctor to come in, she threw one of her best temper tantrums yet, despite my best efforts to cuddle her. When the doctor arrived, she examined Grace, and Grace responded by letting the doctor hear the full capacity of her little lungs! Grace then pooped yet again, so we were on to diaper #3 of the doctor's visit! As the doctor finished up and assured me that Grace is doing great, she told me that Grace had to have a newborn screening before she left. The nurse came in and said I had to hold Grace while she took blood from her foot for the screening. It took about 30 minutes and a needle stick in each foot to get the blood they needed for the test. Grace screamed at the top of her lungs through the entire ordeal! Miraculously, I made it through without crying, although it took all my willpower :-)

Check Me Out...

...I can lift my little head! I am getting stronger everyday. I love tummy time. It's one of my favorite parts of the day!

I have an appointment with my pediatrician this afternoon, and Mommy is so curious to see how much I weigh now. She thinks I'm growing up too fast. I just roll my eyes...she is SO sentimental :-)

I've been having fun with Mommy's best friend, Lindsey, the past few days. She cuddles with me a lot. And Mommy is happy to have her help, especially last night when she made yummy lasagna for dinner!

The First Two Weeks

Baby Grace turned two weeks old yesterday! It's hard to believe. The time is flying by, and we're amazed by how quickly she's growing. We spend so much time just staring at her. She's absolutely beautiful!

I keep thinking about the fact that she wasn't due until June 20th...I should still be 10 days away from my due date. Instead, I'm adjusting to life as a new Mom, and I'm cherishing every moment with my daughter. Life is good. We are truly blessed!

We've enjoyed introducing Grace to our family and friends during the past two weeks. It's so much fun every time someone new comes to meet her! We're really anxious for the Fogarty family to arrive from Ireland in August. We can't wait for Grace to meet the rest of her family, those in Ireland and the rest of the Moyer clan in Pennsylvania. I imagine that Grace can feel the overwhelming love that surrounds her. At least, I hope she can :)

Splish, Splash - Grace's 1st Bath

We gave Grace her first tub bath yesterday, and it was so much fun! She seemed to enjoy it for the most part, especially after it was over and she was all wrapped up in her cute duck wrap towel.

Martin captured the event on video, which I'm sure we'll be able to use later in life to embarrass our teenage daughter ;-)

In other news, we found out that Martin's family leave request was denied because he hasn't been with the company a year. It came as a huge shock because we had been told that everything was arranged, and we were looking forward to sharing the first eight weeks of Grace's life together. Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be, and he'll be returning to work tomorrow. We're trying to be positive about it, but we're very disappointed. On the bright side, it's hard to stay sad for long when you have such a beautiful baby to love & cherish.

Grace's 1 Week Birthday

On Saturday, June 2nd, Grace celebrated her first week of life! We marked the occasion by singing "Happy Birthday," taking entirely too many pictures, cuddling her, and giving her loads of kisses. Grace especially loved the birthday sign made by her Nana.

Mom (me) had a bit of a rough few days, but I'm bouncing back. I had an infection that caused me to have a fever off and on from Wednesday to Saturday. With the wonderful care of my husband, Mom, and Dad, I'm a world better! Thank God because I couldn't bear being in bed so much (especially being away from my little girl). You know me...I like to be in on the action ;-)

Grace Meets Her Nana & Pop-Pop

On Thursday, May 31st, Baby Grace met her Nana and Pop-Pop for the first time. It was a special moment for us all. Martin and I were so excited as we awaited their arrival. All morning, we kept telling Grace about her grandparents - both her maternal grandparents that live in Texas and her paternal grandparents that live in Ireland (she'll meet her Irish grandparents in August!). We've been so anxious for Grace to meet these important people in her life.

Grace's introduction to her Nana & Pop-Pop is a moment I'll never forget. All of us were glowing! There was so much pride in our living room :) It's wonderful having them here...truly a special time for all of us.

Where have Nana and Pop-Pop been the first 6 days of Grace's life? They planned a week-long trip to Phoenix, figuring they had plenty of time until Grace's due date, and arrived in Phoenix on Friday morning. Martin & my brother, Billy, also were heading to Phoenix on Saturday morning. We were all a bit nervous that I would go into labor while they were all gone, but it was more of a joke than something any of us took seriously. Nevertheless, after my doctor's appointment on Monday, we all breathed easier when the doctor assured me that the baby wouldn't arrive until June. Oops, she was wrong! Baby Grace had a plan of her own.

It was a tough phone call on Friday evening when Martin called my parents to tell them I was in labor. They just didn't want to believe it. They ended up cutting their trip short to get home to meet their granddaughter. And now all is well...they are in grandparent heaven!