Future Aviator?

Michaela started reaching for the toys that hang down from her play gym earlier in the week, and Gramps said, "sounds like she's ready for a mobile". And he was right! We've been putting her in the crib every once in awhile (she doesn't sleep in it yet) just to watch her airplanes flying, and she loves it! Michael was able to capture a few pics of her enjoying it today, and the smile in this one was tops. Yes, the cloth diaper makes her hips look twice the size they are...she really has tiny little hips, not junk in the trunk! ;)

Our Sleeping Beauty

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

Week 7

We think Michaela is especially angelic when she is sleeping, so I decided to share one from every week of her life so far. And occasionally her canine sister gets jealous of all her photo ops in the boppy and tries to get in on the action as well.

2 week check-up (3 weeks ago)

So, this is what Michaela looked like for her entire first doctor's appointment. She screamed more in that 30 min. than she had in the prior 2 weeks of life. Here is how it went down...
I undressed her (including diaper) in order to get weighed and measured. As soon as the air hit her bottom, she urinated all over the scale. The huge puddle of urine surrounded her (all the way up her back). I scooped her up and started patting her back with paper towels while my mother and the tech cleaned the scale. I held paper towels under her bottom while they were finishing up so we could try again. Before that was possible, I started feeling warmth in my hand. I held her away from my body (as to protect my own clothing), and a large puddle of poop accumulated on the floor. After all that, she was able to get weighed and measured. As you can see, she really enjoyed it. ;)

The doctor was happy to hear that all the plumbing was working but was not happy that the screaming continued while she was trying to listen to her heart and lungs. She had grown an inch and a half and gained over a pound since birth. We haven't gotten her weighed again since then, but we tried on the scale last night, and we think she is somewhere right around 10 lb. now. We will update you more after the next appointment.

3 Generations...

In Trier

In Heidelberg (yes, that is Michaela in the sling...it's not just a sash!)

And in Rudesheim.

Pretty in Peach

So, I can't figure out why blogger is turning the first picture sideways, but if you cock your head to the side, you can see how cute she is! My sister was doing a photo shoot for her generous and talented friends who made these items, and I joined in. Her roommate knit this cute outfit, and a friend we haven't even met stamped the burp cloths. Michaela's Gramps loves baby girls with mohawks, so this one was for him. If you look closely, you can see her natural highlights on the tips. The mohawk hairstyle works great on her since her hair naturally goes straight up in the back (not sure this is going to be so great when she is older!).

Michaela is...

As the photo shows, Michaela is over a month old already! The past few weeks have been extremely busy for us (hence the lack of blogging - sorry!), and Michaela has experienced a lot in her first month of life. She has been to many German towns, several doctors' appointments (for both she and Mommy), the Frankfurt airport, church several times, several restaurants, and many other places downtown and on base. She LOVES bouncing on the exercise ball (being bounced, rather), eating, traveling in the baby bjorn (thanks Dawn!) or sling (thanks Jami!), being outside, and listening to music. She DISLIKES having a wet diaper (especially in the older style cloth) and being tired or hungry. Michaela has also met many, many people in the past month, but her favorites, of course, have been the ones who have come the farthest to meet her...her grandmothers and her auntie. I promise more pictures of some of the events mentioned will be coming soon. I just wanted to post something to hold you over since it has been so long, and she has changed so much already!

First Sunday

Today was Michaela's first Sunday. The newly created family went to church and arrived with the usual tardiness that is a Cookey family trademark. During the service we were waiting for a blood curdling scream to emanate from our little one. We were happy to see that she gave us the visual signals of her hunger before it led to the less desirable verbal signals. After church we headed to Mainz-Kastel in search of flowers for our "window" boxes. She slept contently in her car seat for the entire trip and continued her nap for an hour after we came home. We are hoping these long afternoon naps do not translate to long hours of crying in the night. Currently, she is making the transition to life outside the womb quite well and is a very content baby. We are so blessed. Additionally, we have been blessed by so many friends here in Germany. The generosity includes meals, hand me downs, gifts, a wooden stork, and the list goes on. It has been a humbling experience. To all of you, we give deep thanks.