Van Buskirk Baby

Pigtails for Palin!

2008-10-01T14:49:00.001-07:00

Sophia is sporting her new t-shirt that says "pigtails for palin". I am so proud of my Wee-publican! She put it on today for this pic but I am going to have her wear it all day tomorrow.

Sophia is all ready for the VP debate tomorrow night! I think she could even win over a few votes on the campaign trail too!

I can't imagine a cuter Wee-publican anywhere else! Vote for Palin and help Sophia in her first campaign! How could you say no to that sweet face?!

Sophia's First Ride

2008-09-30T15:59:00.001-07:00

This is Sophia's first ride...the Jeep! I think she has great taste in vehicles, I love the colors. The best part about her vehicle is there are no payments (thanks Grammy) and no insurance! She loves to sit in this although I think she is supposed to be walking with it, but no surprise that she investigates everything instead of moving much like the Jumperoo.

This is such a Sophia moment, she always investigates all the details of everything instead of jumping or moving...she is content to play with little things for so long, it amazes me how she entertains herself.

Then of course everything ends up in the mouth! She loves to taste everything and chew on it, I'm sure her first teeth will not be long. She loves to chew on the puppy's ear because it has a crinkly material in it.

She is not a bit shy about anyone watching her chew with her mouth open...

In the end the thumb is always her favorite! Buckle up Sophia :)

Leslie's Wedding

2008-09-30T12:40:00.001-07:00

This is Sophia getting ready for her Aunt Leslie's wedding. She was invited to be the flower girl even though she is only 5 months old! It was a pretty busy weekend...all the ladies began decorating at 7am on Saturday so Sophia stayed home with Jason most of the day and met us for rehearsals at 11:30. She came back to get ready at 2:30pm, so this is a shot as I was getting ready to change her.This is her Grammy Crawford and Aunt Allison helping her with the bows in her hair. She LOVED that dress...it tasted really good to her! She had it in her mouth almost the entire time, and of course the thumb in the mouth too!
This is my sister Leslie, I love this pic of her she is so beautiful!!! I think she has the most amazing complexion, unfortunately I was not blessed with her skin tone. She was SO calm and relaxed very unlike me on my wedding day.The plan had been to push Carter (Sophia's cousin & ring bearer) down the aisle in a double jogging stroller. Everyone was worried about Carter, I knew Sophia would be a breeze because she is so laid back....HA! Two seconds before I'm supposed to walk down the aisle Sophia starts crying in the stroller, Carter just sits there watching her. So I scooped her up and she walked with me! How do babies sense these things?! Carter rode in the stroller by himself and then we handed them off to the babysitters waiting in the wings. I can't blame her it was nap time, she was ready for a nap...
That's exactly what she did next...SLEPT! She was sound asleep like I had never seen her before during most of the pictures. So she looks like a rag doll, but the cutest rag doll ever! This is a shot of the wedding party. The groom's sister Caressa, myself with Sophia, Leslie, Ryan the groom with Carter, my brother Ryan and Jason.

This was a shot of the three of us that day, she was so tired it had been such a busy few days for her and she crashed hard, I think she looks so adorable though. I have to say I married a real HOTTIE! WOW!!!

She was so good during the reception, she was passed around to lot's of family members. We had hired two babysitters to help with them and they were a BIG help. It was nice to have them take the babies to change diapers, make bottles, and hold them during the big events.

This is one of the last shots of Sophia at the BIG day! At 9pm I took Carter and Sophia along with the babysitters back to our house for bedtime. I then hurried back to the reception to finish the party and then help clean up. It was so beautiful! We all had a blast and could never have done it without the help of my friends Megan, Reni, Jerry, and my cousin Jennifer. Megan and Reni both were married this last year and I asked them for lot's of advice and info. Jerry was the incredible DJ, and my cousin Jennifer helped decorate and did hair! I am so blessed to have such great friends in my life as well as a beautiful and loving family! CONGRATULATIONS LESLIE AND RYAN!!!

Fall Fun!

2008-09-29T09:31:00.000-07:00

Sophia and I went to Hilger's Farm Market on Sunday with her gal pal Hailey and Hailey's mom Cheri. It was such a beautiful day! Sunday they judged the biggest pumpkin contest at Hilger's so there were HUGE pumpkins there. Here is a close up of Sophia next to the winner (1,200 + lbs.). She looks a little bored in this pic...

This is her and I standing in front of one of the piles of pumpkins, this pic shows more of her personality that day which was HAPPY! She loves people, and is so content to watch everything I love how she has that toothless, open-mouth grin...she is such a happy baby. Everything seems to go in her mouth these days...

I sat her down to take a cute pic of her with the pumpkins and she picks up straw and starts to chew it! Sophia you're not a horsey, she thought it was good stuff though. I wonder if she learned this trick from our puppy Bentley (he will eat anything)?

Here is my favorite pic from the day, she finally looked at me and we were safe here with no straw around this area! The pumpkins were safely out of distance from her mouth too! We plan to take more fall pics soon when we visit Campbell's Pumpkin Patch in Wabash. Jason's great aunt and uncle own that and we're excited to see them and visit the patch.

I think this pic is so cute, Sophia is trying to figure out how she can get her mouth on this pumpkin and poor Hailey doesn't like the grass. Hailey is such a sweet baby she was so happy the whole day except when Cheri put her on the grass so we figured she must not like the grass. Hailey is now 9 months and Sophia is 5 months, they are almost exactly 4 months apart.

Homemade Baby Food

2008-09-10T10:59:00.000-07:00

This is Sophia getting ready to eat some of her sweet potatoes. I have been making all of her baby food. I think it's a lot of fun plus I'm saving money and know exactly what she's eating. She loves her sweet potatoes and has also tried green beans, butternut squash, and bananas...yummy! She is such a good eater, she eats rice/fruit for breakfast, vegetable/fruit for lunch, and oats/vegetable for dinner. I never knew foods would be so much fun!

These are the containers I bought for her baby food, they are called Baby Cubes. They are AWESOME, I love them! They are like ice cube trays and you snap these containers into them and they each hold 2 oz. of baby food or breast milk. It is so nice because I can grab a couple of them and throw them in the diaper bag and we're off!

They stack very nicely in my freezer, I bought 4 sets (although I think a 4 more would be great..Christmas ideas?) Anyway making baby food is way easier than I thought it would be. This morning it took me less than 15 minutes of prep time to make butternut squash and less than 5 minutes to make green beans. I even use just a cheap blender I have, not a fancy food processer! The savings are adding up too, I saved $10.40 this week on making my own baby food than buying generic brand baby food at Wal-Mart, so just another reason to make my own.

And when we're done we just put them in the dishwasher they are dishwasher, freezer, and microwave safe! So if you are thinking off ways to save money you can make your own food, or if you just want to know what your baby is eating! It has been a lot of fun and I think the Baby Cubes are the way to go...easy and portable. I think our next food will be another fruit...most likely PEACHES!!! I'm sure she'll love them. What does everyone else think about homemade baby food? Any good recipes? I better run almost time for Sophia's PM nap. Thanks for looking!

McCain/Palin all the way baby!

2008-09-07T19:41:00.000-07:00

Alright here goes, this blog is mostly to brag about Sophia but I had to throw in my 2 cents about the election (something I rarely do). It will come as no surprise to those of you who know Jason and I that we will be voting Republican in November. Normally I shy away from political debates but I feel so strongly on this issue I am compelled to show our support. I've noticed lately that many people are jumping on the OBAMA bandwagon much like supporting a winning sports team. It seems that "change" and "Obama '08" bumper stickers are the newest fad! I am not one for political fads and believe people need to really know what they are voting for that's why I'm urging all of you to check out www.glassbooth.org . It's an awesome website that you can go to and vote on issues that are important to you and at the end it tells you which candidate you are most aligned with and why. Of course I was most aligned with McCain at 73%. I'm curious to see how all of you do at the quiz. If you're comfortable add as comment and let us know.

I truly believe Obama would bring change if elected but not the change people think--this is not not the time for on-the-job training!! So please check out the website and get informed and remember that regardless of where you stand voting is a precious right that we all should exercise. I will get off my soap box now and post new pictures of Sophia in a few days :)

"I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction"
--Barack Obama in his book Audacity of Hope

Showin Off Her Stuff...

2008-08-28T19:28:00.000-07:00

Soph is getting more mobile by the day...I was laying on the couch yesterday and Sophia was on the ground playing, I looked away for only a minute and she had rolled 20 feet across the room...she's a wild woman! Thankfully we had prepared weeks earlier by putting up a gate to the basement stairs. Here is Soph attempting to stand in place on the couch, but she needed a little help from mr. pillow!!

Let's Swim Everybody!

2008-08-28T19:23:00.000-07:00

Sophia thought it would be a good day to swim, so we broke out the little pool she loves so much...

She loves to have fun.....

Time For Big Girl Food!

2008-08-28T19:07:00.000-07:00

Sophia had turned 4 months old on August 11th, so it was time to try some cereal!! She did great with it, has us laughing, and seemed to like it..

Here we are telling her that there is more on this earth than milk to eat--yeah!
Slowly but surely..
Hmmmm..... not bad!
Getting ready the next day for another bowl of cereal!! Rice cereal..yummy (whatever) and wearing the required Raider armor.....
Getting anxious...I'm hungry!!!!
Never missed a thing!! Miss Nosy we call her.....

Whoa!!

2008-08-28T19:04:00.000-07:00

Sophia having her typical wild mama hair day! Just a quick pic to show.. she's a nut!

Party for Soph at G-Ma & G-Pa VB's!

2008-08-28T18:31:00.000-07:00

Sophia had her first open house at Grandma & Grandpa Van Buskirk's --- a party just for her, which she loves!! She had lots of guests, including all of her great-grandparents on Jason's side and even great-great grandma Brown was there. Dave's golf cart was the excitement of the day, as everyone wanted their own tour of the woods, with the nice trails that run through it---and at the end of the day mommy, daddy, and Soph drove back and showed her the woods daddy grew up playing and hunting in.

with great-grandmother Sara

and great grandma Sue

Here is a really neat pic, it is a 5 generation picture of Jason's family on Dave's side..

Aunt Kristen with Sophia's great grandpa Ron and Jeanie..

and some hangin out time with Aunt Kristen..
and then with grandma..

I think she's ready to wrap it up!!!
BYE BYE!!

Lady Linus

2008-07-16T12:27:00.000-07:00

Sophia has turned into quite the thumb sucker. She used to take a pacifier, but one day discovered her thumb was much better. In the last two weeks she as decided that she also needs this "taggie" blanket that my Mom bought her as well. So when she takes a nap or sleeps at night she holds the blankie and sucks her thumb. So here she is showing Aunt Kristen how talented she is.

Here she is taking a nap today. Jason's Uncle Chris has an uncanny knack for giving people nick names. So I was telling him one day about Sophia reminding me of Linus from Snoopy. He said "Her new name is Lady Linus!" So Sophia was officially named from Uncle Chris. Jason and I usually sneak into her room and take the blankie out of her crib once she is asleep. She is going to bed at 8:00 waking between 6-7 in the morning and then taking a nap at 8:30 and waking at 11:30 and then another nap between 2-4. We are so blessed to have such an awesome baby girl!

Lazy Summer Day

2008-07-16T12:16:00.000-07:00

This last Sunday Jason's family came over and spent the afternoon and evening with us. Sophia really likes to sit outside so we spent most of our time on the deck hanging out. This is her with Jason so relaxed and happy in Daddy's arms just looking around.

Here she is with her Grandpa VB, they both had their first visit to Asakusa Sunday night. We were introduced to Asakusa last year and loved it. For those of you who don't know what Asakusa is, it is a Japanese steak house (very yummy!) We thought it would be fun to eat there Sunday night, Dave was unsure at first but ended up eating everything on his plate, Sophia was a little noisy but she did really well for the most part. So I think the first time critics gave it a "thumbs up", or a "thumbs in?" (Sophia).

Raider Dino

2008-07-16T12:08:00.000-07:00

This is a Raiders Dinosaur that lights up, plays music, and walks around. Sophia watches it and smiles at it, this is what her and Daddy play with when Mommy leaves. They have a lot of fun together. I'm so lucky to have a husband that wants to be involved with his daugher.

Sophia likes to sit in her Bumbo seat, it is a seat designed to help babies learn to sit up. She thinks she is a big girl in this seat, it is so cute to watch her. Of course notice the blanket in all of the pictures she loves that blankie!

4th of July

2008-07-16T11:55:00.001-07:00

We were able to travel to Des Moines again to visit my family for the 4th of July. We had a lot of fun, Sophia was an awesome traveler again! Here she is with my Mom all dressed up in the outfit that she bought her.

This is me holding Sophia, she actually has been such an awesome sleeper lately that she missed any shot at fireworks. We had a cook out with my whole family in the afternoon and then Jason went with my Dad and brother to the horse track. Mom and I stayed home and relaxed and Sophia went to bed at 7:30.

Sophia is smiling and cooing all of the time, she is so much fun! She is so observant and is watching everything. I just love this little girl so much, her crazy hair is so adorable!!!

Watching The Final Round...

2008-06-29T20:32:00.000-07:00

Sophia was rooting for Paula Creamer to win on Sunday at the U.S Women's Open, but a 78 didn't do it! She loves watching it, stared at the TV forever!

Anxious to see the Raiders!!

2008-06-29T20:21:00.000-07:00

Daddy and Sophia just so happened to be wearing Raiders shirts, so we thought a photo with the blanky would be cool with it! Sop & Daddy LOVE the Raiders!

We Hired a Professional!

2008-06-29T20:10:00.000-07:00

Miss Bailey, our 6th grade neighbor, recently attended a class and was certified in baby care!! Fresh off her recent degree, we thought we would take advantage of her services now before she hit the big time! So, Sophia is giving her a dirty trial run on Friday here......

More Cute Photos From Past 2 Weeks...

2008-06-23T08:54:00.001-07:00

Rainforest Jumperoo

2008-06-22T19:34:00.001-07:00

We received this jumperoo from my former boss Brenda Fishbaugh, we put it together this weekend and she loved it! I think this is going to be a huge hit. Brenda loves animals and it is so appropriate that she bought Sophia the Rainforest Jumperoo. Thanks Brenda!

My Friend Bella

2008-06-22T19:32:00.001-07:00

Ed and Renee came over with Bella last week...can you believe these two are only 5 weeks apart?! Sophia looks a little frightened here, but I'm sure it's the start of a beautiful friendship!

Crazy People!

2008-06-22T19:24:00.001-07:00

I thought this was a super cute photo of Sophia watching her crazy grandparents and chihuahuas!

Father's Day

2008-06-22T19:16:00.000-07:00

Sophia gave Jason a very special gift for Father's Day, it was a book she wanted him to read to her. This was no ordinary book though...

This is the Funny Face book, it has different animals and Jason holds it to his face like a mask and says "Oink, Oink, and Moo Moo" it was the cutest thing ever. Sophia smiled and smiled and then cooed...she loves playing with Jason.

I know Jason had a wonderful 1st Father's Day, as you can see he is a great father and enjoys it so much!

Baby Dedication

2008-06-22T18:53:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, on Father's Day, Sophia was dedicated at Pathway Church. Jason and I have been attending Pathway since January 2008. Here is a picture of our head Pastor Ron praying with Jason, Sophia, and I.

This is the picture of Sophia on the screen that they showed while we prayed. We had a family photo in the church bulletin with a prayer Jason and I wrote...
We thank God for entrusting us with our precious daughter Sophia. We pray she will be Christ follower and love You with all her heart. We also pray that You will guide her and direct her for Your will in her life so that she will impact the world around her for Your Honor and Glory.

Our church believes, as do Jason and I, that God does not hold babies accountable for their salvation at this time since they are not aware of their decision. This dedication is more symbolic for our family that we are making a commitment to raise Sophia in a Christian environment. This was so meaningful to all of us, it just reminded us as parents the awesome responsibility we have to Sophia and our Lord Jesus Christ.

We are so blessed to have immediate and extended family to support Sophia in her walk with Christ. Our very good friends, the Lofland's and Smith's were there too. It is such a blessing to have good friends like them and we thank God for them daily.

Sophia was an angel that day! She was so peaceful and slept through most of the ceremony. We have been blessed with such a sweet baby!

Her great-grandma Fisher made her gown and bonnet. We had practiced with the bonnet and she was not a fan, but that day Grandma Fisher put it on her and she was angelic. I guess she knew how hard Grandma had worked.

I just love this picture...Grandma has always been so special to me and I know Sophia will some day realize how blessed she is to have her in her life as I have.

My First Putting Lesson...

2008-06-12T16:22:00.000-07:00

Sophia took to practicing inside since it was a little hot outside! Her own putter is coming soon!

Swim Time

2008-06-08T14:23:00.000-07:00

This is Sophia getting ready for her firs swim. I was shocked that the 3-6 month swimsuit that my Mom bought her is already on the small side for her! She will most likely be out of this in the next month...she out grows everything in the length first. So this is her on the changing table...

This is Mommy carrying Sophia, and Daddy snapping this adorable shot as we get ready to leave...

This is Sophia on the slide right before I let go and let her slide into the water! Just kidding, I wonder how many of you just had your heart stop?! We just set her up here and she looked at the water. This is actually at our neighbor's house (Lehman's) and the had a little pool set up for their 2 year old Bryson. Sophia LOVED watching Bryson in the water. She just sat on my lap and was mesmerized by him. We dangled her feet in the water and she just curled her toes.

I'm excited to take her to a big pool sometime soon. I bought a Bjorn carrier for the water and think she might really like sitting in that while I'm carrying her. Babies are so much fun! We are so blessed to have Sophia...she slept 8 1/2 hours last night ate and then went back to sleep for 2 more hours. She is fitting into the family so well (ha, ha).

Cute Photos

2008-06-01T13:38:00.000-07:00

My Great-Great Grandma

2008-06-01T13:30:00.001-07:00

On Friday Sophia had some special visitors over...her Great-Grandmother Sara and Great-Great Grandma Brown. We couldn't resist taking a couple of photos. Grandma Brown was so cute and I'm so glad she was finally able to make the trip and see Sophia you could tell she was thrilled. Sophia slept through most of the visit. I printed these pix on my printer so Grandma Brown could take them home and she said everyone on her block would know
Sophia...how precious!

My First Vacation!

2008-05-30T12:34:00.000-07:00

Over Memorial Day weekend we traveled to Des Moines, Iowa to visit my family. My parents along with both of my siblings live there. It took us about 8 hours to get there. Sophia did awesome on the trip! She slept most of the way and when she was awake she was content to coo and smile in her car seat. People have made fun of us for having such a big SUV and one little baby (Infiniti QX 56) but it was completely stuffed. So traveling with a baby is not bad but packing for the trip is a lot of work! Mom and Dad had to wonder if we were moving in or not?!

On Friday us girls went to the Perry Tea Room. It such a beautiful Victorian restaurant that my Mom and I have always enjoyed. It was fun to take Sophia there with us. The menu has such girlie food, we both enjoyed the quiche and it comes with an other foo-foo items such as heart shaped crackers and such.

Jason and my Dad spent most of the weekend at the horse track. I don't think they had huge success but had fun trying. The track there has lives races so if anything they enjoy watching the horses run.

Sophia finally had the chance to meet her only cousin Carter. Carter is my sister Leslie's son he was born in September. They were so cute together at one time they grabbed each others hands, it was so precious. Carter had a double ear infection and didn't feel well so it was a little bit of a bummer. My sister was so excited to see her, Aunt Leslie held her quite a bit. It was fun to see Leslie's new apartment too.

We did a little bit of shopping as there are so many great malls out there. Sophia loves to move around so as long as we keep the stroller moving she is happy as a clam. A couple of the malls had nursing rooms near the restrooms so that was nice for me to use as we needed them. They were just little rooms with a changing station and a rocker, so that was perfect.

We were sad to leave everyone, but are planning to head that way again for the 4th of July. By that time Carter should feel better and we will have even more fun. Hopefully Jason and Dad will have better luck at the track too. Sorry so long to make these posts but unpacking takes much longer with an infant and I can't seem to get anything done in a timely manner anymore. But she is so much fun and we can't imagine what we did without her. Have a great weekend!

The Flynn Great-Grandparents Visit

2008-05-30T10:27:00.000-07:00

Last week before our vacation Jason's Grandma Sue and Grandpa Ron came for a visit. We had a lot of fun and I know they were excited to see Sophia. Grandpa Ron lives in Florida so that's why it took him a little while to see Sophia. We're hoping that in the coming years we'll be able to visit him in Florida. She was really good during the visit and seemed to follow everyone who was speaking with her eyes. Of course she gave lot's of smiles too.

My New Gal Pal

2008-05-18T15:50:00.001-07:00

Today we are excited to add to our family of friends...Bella Lofland! She is the daughter of our good friends Ed and Renee Lofland. Bella was born at 12:30 this afternoon at Dupont Hospital in Fort Wayne. She weighed 6lbs. 2oz and was 19 1/2".

When we found out we were expecting Sophia, Ed called Jason and asked for some ovulation advice so Jason feels he really helped Bella into this world! We had Ed and Renee over Friday night and she was really feeling ready to have this baby so when she called last night telling me she was so crampy I told her she was probably in early labor. She was scheduled to be induced Monday morning, but early this morning Renee got up to go to the bathroom and she felt like she was peeing her pants but not so, her water had broke! Ed sent me a text at 3:00 this morning and when I got up at 3:30 to feed Sophia I read it and was not able to go back to sleep I was so excited. We visited this afternoon and I took a quick nap this evening.

I can't believe how big Sophia looks next to her! Time really does fly by so quickly. Bella is so beautiful and I am so happy for Ed and Renee they were just beaming at the hospital. Sophia always smiles at home when we talk about Miss Ne Ne and Bell Bell, so today when I told her Bella was here she started smiling again! I know this is the start of a wonderful friendship.

Congratulations Ed, Renee and Bella!!!!

Running Errands....

2008-05-13T20:53:00.000-07:00

Today Sophia and I got all packed up and headed for the outside world to run some quick errands. It was such a warm beautiful day and since she stays warm anyway, this outfit seemed to work out great (very springy). When we got back we waited on daddy to get home from work to take a walk around the lake, and we did. Perfect day for a walk! Sophia was doing an excellent job of sitting up for us on the couch in order to catch a few pics before she got too fussy!

Happy Mothers Day Mommy!

2008-05-13T20:45:00.000-07:00

We had Melissa's first Mothers Day Sunday and we loved spending the day together. Although the weather was rotten, we went to Cracker Barrel for brunch and came back to the house to give Mommy a much needed nap!! Sophia did awesome in letting her mommy sleep, she went down on my chest for 3 hours and was out like a rock! Here is Melissa & Sophia's first Mothers Day pic...

4 Weeks Old & Push-ups

2008-05-09T19:34:00.000-07:00

Tonight I was able to get this shot of Sophia after Jason told me to hurry and grab the camera. She is so strong and held her pose until I was able to get back and snap the pic! Miss Sophia is also 4 weeks old today--it is going by so fast!

A VERY Big Sneak Peek Cont....

2008-05-09T07:27:00.000-07:00

Betsy, our friend & photographer, just informed us of more pics from our shoot that are ready to view. She does such a great job of capturing the pictures into words that I am also going to give you a link directly to Betsy & John's site to see.
http://betsyandjohn.net/blog/2008/05/09/an-evening-with-sophia/
Here are a few more however for now..

Sneak Peek of Our Photo Shoot!

2008-05-07T13:23:00.000-07:00

We scheduled a night to do Sophia's post labor shoot, so our friend and photographer, Betsy King, came over last night and Sophia did great! Betsy got a ton of great inside/outside pics and we can't wait to sort through them all. She sent us today just a quick shot of a few pics she chose as an early sneak peek, but these are the only ones we have seen thus far!

I Love My Bear!

2008-05-07T01:17:00.001-07:00

I captured this adorable picture of Sophia today on the bed. She was so content with her bear and binky. She was so content I had time to do my hair and make-up...any new mom will tell you that time for this becomes very rare!

Gma & Gpa VB Sunday Visit

2008-05-06T20:37:00.000-07:00

Sophia had a very busy weekend! When her one set of grandparents left to go back to Iowa, Gma & Gpa VB came up to see her. We just kind of hung-out and ate Subway, Aunt Kristen stopped by too to see Sophia and she loved being held by everybody! Grandma VB was joking with Grandpa in this pic, saying Sophia probably didn't recognize him after a recent mustache trim! She does have a convincing argument after seeing Sophia's reaction here! But she loves him
anyway!
Sophia & Aunt Kristen were doing some major "girl-talk" here!!
Grandma finally got her turn after Gpa & Aunt Kristen were done holding Miss Sophia

Busy, Busy Weekend!

2008-05-03T15:50:00.000-07:00

This weekend my parents were in town from Iowa, they had been so excited to come back and see Sophia. Mom and I really had Sophia on the go!

Friday we visited Great Grandma Schlichter in the nursing home, and then took Daddy lunch. After that we introduced Sophia to the world of garage sales. She was such a trooper! She never made a noise at all. We even found some awesome clothes for her that still had tags on them.

Friday night Daddy and Grandpa went to the Komets game and us girls went to Red Robin. We have decided that it is the perfect place to eat dinner with kids. Everyone in there has kids and it is so noisy that when Sophia did cry no one even heard her, and those that might have smiled because they had kids too! That may be one of our new favorite places although Jason is not cracked up about the food.

We did a little run of the mall and told Sophia as she got older she would spend a lot of time there! We even found a couple of cute outfits for her there too! Then we came home and everyone was exhausted. She slept 5 1/2 hour straight...yeah! I was able to run around like this because I had pumped and gave her a bottle, which she took like a pro :)

Today Sophia had to be the youngest shopper at the Vera Bradley outlet sale! There were around 5-6 thousand people (well maybe I'm exaggerating but it felt that way). We bought a few gifts for people and a backpack that matches the diaper bag she received from the hospital. Then we ended up coming home and Grandma Crawford babysat Sophia while Mommy went for a quick pedicure. The lady doing my pedicure asked me if I had children and I said "Yes, her grandma is watching her now." My eyes swelled with tears, I missed her so much! Grandma did a great job and she was asleep in her arms when I came home. Daddy and Grandpa each won pretty big $$$ at the off site gambling place here in Fort Wayne off of simulcast horse racing--Daddy is getting pretty good!

So what a busy weekend!!! Tonight we are going to watch some recorded shows and rest...some of us more than others hopefully :)

Four Generations

2008-05-02T19:23:00.001-07:00

This a picture of four generations on my side of the family. This is my grandma Maxine Schlichter, my mom Sue, myself, and Sophia. This is a really special picture for me because my grandma has Alzheimer's disease and is in the advanced stages. She has reached the point where she can't even feed herself or talk anymore. So it meant a lot to Mom and myself that Sophia was able to have her picture with Grandma Schlichter. Grandma actually carries baby dolls around at the nursing home, she actually had seven children of her own and babies seem to be familiar to her. Today when we were there she laid eyes on Sophia and watched her intently the whole time, it was very touching. She actually smiled a bit when we let her "hold" Sophia. When we took Sophia away she actually kept bunching up the blanket on her lap as if she wondered where the baby went. Alzheimer's is such a terrible disease! I am so glad we had the opportunity to take this photo with her though.

Great Grandma Fisher

2008-05-01T15:05:00.000-07:00

Great Grandma Fisher came to visit Sophia today! She has been working all winter on a Christening gown for Sophia. As soon as we found out we were having a girl she started to buy the materials for it. It is so beautiful! Grandma has spent so many hours hand embroidering this gown. It is very detailed and looks just like one of the old fashioned gowns babies wore. She has made a bonnet that goes with it that is so sweet. So today we had a fitting and tried it on her to see how it fit. Grandma is going to make some adjustments to it this weekend. Sophia is going to be dedicated at church on June 15th which is Father's Day. This Tuesday we are having our good friend Betsy over for a photo shoot and I thought we might take a couple of photos in her gown. So anyway I am super excited about this gown it will be so special since her Great Grandma made it for her. I thought about taking a photo of her in it today, but I thought I would keep you all in suspense until it is completely finished. So I guess I am giving you all a teaser :) I feel so blessed to have such a caring and involved Grandma in our lives.

Great Grandmother Visits

2008-04-29T17:07:00.001-07:00

Today Sophia's Great Grandmother came to visit her. Sophia was very alert and had her eyes open most of the time. I was amazed at how well the two of them interacted. It was like they were old friends. Grandmother would talk and talk to Sophia and she would just watch her very intently taking in every word she said. It was so sweet! Grandmother brought her some adorable black dress shoes with a bow, they are a big for now but Sophia has such long feet I'm sure she'll be in them before we know it. I can't believe how much Sophia is growing and changing already! Today when I was watching the two of them together I couldn't believe how she is focusing her eyes so much. We feel so blessed to have so many friends and family that love her so much :)

Lazy Sunday

2008-04-27T16:17:00.000-07:00

This morning Jason and I had every intention of taking Sophia to church. She didn't sleep nearly as long last night and so I was up and down a little more. So when the alarm clock went off we decided to hit the snooze and try church next Sunday. It makes us a little nervous taking her somewhere like that right now. This week we are hoping to introduce her to a bottle after I pump. I think I will be more confident in our outings when I know I can satisfy her hunger in public. So instead of church we met our friends the Loflands at Bob Evans after church. We have been going to Pathway since January and after church we have a tradition to eat brunch with them afterwards. So today we had our first brunch, she did awesome! It will be very interesting in a few weeks when Renee has Bella, then we will be coordinating two feeding schedules at our brunches. I think brunch wore Sophia out, she has been sleeping so good this afternoon. Normally evening is fussy time but tonight she has been so calm. Maybe I will pay for this late tonight...hopefully not! It has been nice because I had some time to clean the house a little and Jason did some yard work. Sophia is such a blessing!

I Love My Swing!

2008-04-27T16:12:00.000-07:00

Thursday night we put Sophia in her swing for the first time, she really liked it. Here is a picture of her on Saturday swinging away. She doesn't have just an ordinary swing, it is pretty fancy! Her Grandma and Grandpa VB got this for her at a shower. It vibrates, makes nature sounds, plays music, reclines, and of course swings. She has a mobile on it that has bears that she likes to watch. She also stares at the giraffe and zebra too. This will usually pacify her for 10-15 minutes when she is in a fussy mood. She really likes it when she can keep the soothie in her mouth and swing...life just doesn't get much better than that :)

My First Party!

2008-04-27T16:02:00.000-07:00

Sophia had a very exciting day on Friday. She went with Jason and I to the chiropractor in the afternoon. It felt very good for the two of us to get adjusted. I had gone a few times when I was pregnant with her and so the doctors and staff were excited to meet Sophia. She did extremely well and never even opened her eyes. Later that evening we got together with some friends of ours. Sophia was passed around all night which she totally loved! This picture is of Cristi and Steve's daughter Sydney, she is 4. Syd LOVES babies! She wanted to help me change Sophia's diapers so I would let her snap and unsnap the onesies and help me get the diaper ready along with the wipes. She was so adorable, she even told me at the hospital when they visited that she would teach Sophia how to be a princess! We had a great time with our friends and Sophia was awesome, we left around 10 since she was ready to eat and then bedtime. She slept 6 hours straight that night, I think the day wore her out. It was kind of weird for Jason and I to leave a gathering that early. It seems that pre-Sophia we were always one of the last couples to leave. So we have had to make some minor adjustments in our life but we both agree she is worth every second of it!

Grandma VB and an afternoon visit

2008-04-24T20:05:00.000-07:00

Grandma VB had a teacher in-service day at school so she was excited to get to come up and spend time with Sophia. Mommy felt she was a little more fussy today between feedings, so we weren't on our best behavior for GMa, but she didn't mind at all. Daddy arrived home a little after 6 from work and little Miss Sophia totally played the "Daddys Girl" role and laid in his arms just as sweet as can be!!!

Visiting "Aunt Rinda"

2008-04-23T17:53:00.000-07:00

Today Mommy & Sophia went across the back yard to see Miss Lorinda's new kitchen table. Miss Lorinda is always so excited to spoil Sophia because she has 2 boys, Bryce & Brett (well technically 3, I guess you can call Jim a boy at times!!) ......so we think she loves her "girl time!"

Worn out from playing!

2008-04-22T19:14:00.000-07:00

Mommy attempted some solo play time for Sophia today while Daddy was at work--as you can tell she had other ideas and said that she prefered to take a nap instead!!

Yoga in our Boppy!

2008-04-22T19:09:00.000-07:00

We were getting into some awful unusual positions tonight taking a nap in our boppy! We never thought we would laugh so hard with a baby as we have with her.....her antics just crack us up!

My Eyes Are Open!

2008-04-21T17:05:00.000-07:00

Sophia has been such a great sleeper that I we rarely see her with her eyes open for long. This afternoon I fed her and she seemed to be very alert and quite comfy in her bouncy, she was content sitting there with the vibration and music gazing at the toys. I couldn't help but post this shot I thought it was too cute!

My Neighbor Friends

2008-04-21T17:00:00.000-07:00

My dear neighbor Sheri Kautz brought us dinner tonight. She brought some helpers to carry all the goodies in. I saw the little troops coming up the back deck. They all looked so cute. They politely asked if they could look at the baby, and I gave my permission. Sheri and I were chatting and I looked over and they were all huddling over her. Not one of them tried to touch her but they were so engrossed with watching her. I couldn't help but snag this picture. Sophia had her eyes wide open and seemed to be watching them back. I feel so blessed to have such great neighbors and their well behaved children!

Sophia's First Outing

2008-04-21T16:48:00.001-07:00

Sophia had her first outing today with Mommy. It felt nice for me especially to get out of the house on such a nice day. We started off at the bank, the tellers were so excited to see her! There are three of them there that are all expecting girls within the next 5 months. After we stopped at the bank we were off to Pak Mail to mail some letters. I stop in there a lot so again they were all excited to see Sophia. The next place we stopped was Daddy's store. We luckily picked a great time to drop off lunch when he wasn't too busy. This picture is of her and I at the store. Our last stop of the day was at Eye Pro my previous employer. Some of the girls had been to the hospital but a couple had not seen her yet. She was very good and slept through our entire outing. I never heard a peep, she only flinched a couple of times getting in and out of the car seat base as it makes a snap noise that startled her. We walked over to our neighbor Lorinda's when we got home and said hi to her parents visiting from Florida. She likes her stroller to keep moving though and fusses a little when we stop. It was a beautiful day and I was thankful to have such a great baby to tote along with me. I did note that these errands that took me minutes before now take twice as long...but she is worth every extra minute.

Aunt Kristen & Sophia

2008-04-19T16:24:00.001-07:00

Aunt Kristen came up to see Sophia on Day 1 & 2 at the hospital and they even planned matching outfits by the way it looks....

G-Ma VB & Sophia

2008-04-19T16:15:00.000-07:00

Grandma VB holding Sophia on Day 2 at the hospital. We are starting to think she wants to move even closer than the 1 hour drive due to withdrawal!

Bouncy Seat

2008-04-19T15:57:00.000-07:00

Saturday afternoon we decided to try out her Pink Boppey Bouncy Seat. I think it looks really comfortable and wouldn't mind an adult size for myself. Her Grandma Crawford bought this for her as a shower gift. I really like the Boppey products, my sister Leslie bought me the traditional Boppey pillow that I love for nursing support!

Sophia loves her bouncy! She has slept in it most of the day, it has a vibration setting and plays music too. She was quite content. All three of us took a great nap today. Jason and I were on either couch and she was snug in her bouncy seat between us. The doggies don't bother her in it, which is also a plus. The blanket she has a swaddler blanker which I am also loving. It has a diagram in it and you put in her in the middle and fold the blanket the way the picture shows and then has velcro tabs for the finish. It stays really tight and is great for dads who haven't played with babies and aren't comfortable swaddling.

It has been a nice day. We haven't had any visitors today and have screened our calls. Jason and I have enjoyed just relaxing with her and catching up on some nap time. We've also loved on our neglected chihuahuas.

Nap Time

2008-04-19T15:52:00.000-07:00

We quickly learned that Sophia loves to sleep on your chest. She just curls up in little ball and will stay there for hours if you would let her. Jason loves this time with her! I got this photo the other day after he came home from work.

In the afternoon I enjoy doing the same with her. We are both cherishing every minute with her we know everyone says it will go so fast.

Bath Time

2008-04-19T15:45:00.000-07:00

Jason and I gave Sophia her first at home bath on Sunday night. She was not very fond of her bath that night. It was a little tricky since we can't submerge her in her tub yet. So we did a sponge bath. I think the key to her bath is us remaining calm...I think we were a little tense.

Grandma Crawford helped give her a bath on Tuesday evening. She was much better and we learned the kitchen sink has a perfect spray for us to shampoo her hair. She loves to have her hair shampooed.

I gave her another bath Saturday morning and she did not make a peep. She loved it and I played with her "piggies". She is so cute at bath time and looks so little!

First Days Home

2008-04-19T15:30:00.000-07:00

Sophia has just been such a joy! She has been sleeping about 4 hours at a time at night...I am so thankful for this! She has also been a great eater. Sometimes she is sleepy but I have learned a few tricks to wake her up.

Sophia loves to save her dirty diapers for her Dad. Daddy starts to change her diaper and he wipes her booty and then boom! She has poop that starts pouring out...Jason is very calm about it and is now a pro at changing diapers. I had several different diapers I had received as samples and left overs from friends. Jason quickly decided he prefers the Pampers Swaddlers. It is so funny to us that we talk about poopy and wet diapers and the colors and which diapers we prefer. We are enjoying every minute of it.

Sophia has so much hair that I am able to put some bows and clips in it already. It has been so much fun to dress her already! I know I am biased but I keep thinking how beautiful she is! She had her first pediatrician appointment on Tuesday. She had gained an ounce back already. The doctor looked her over and says she is doing great. We go back again in 2 weeks.

We have had several visitors since being home. Grandma and Grandpa Crawford stayed all day on Monday and Tuesday since they were here from Des Moines. It was really nice having them here as they got take out for us both nights and spoiled Sophia while Mommy took showers and unpacked from the hospital. We have had a few neighbors over. On Monday I looked at the front windown and saw a neighbor boy with his face pressed against the glass. I think the 8' pink stork in the yard has drawn some curiosity from the neighbor kids.

Thursday night Grandma and Grandpa VB came to visit. Grandpa VB loves to hold Sophia which is so sweet since he is such a big guy, she looks so sweet in his arms. Grandma VB made a really nice dinner for us that was so nice. Most of you know how much I like to cook!

Friday night our good friends Jeff and Cheri Smith brought carry out over for us and we ate dinner together. It was so yummy! Jeff and Cheri had a baby girl Hailey in December so we took some pics of them together. Later our friends Ed and Renee popped over to see Sophia. Renee is due in May with a baby girl Bella. We are so excited Sophia will have so many playmates.

First Night Home

2008-04-19T15:22:00.000-07:00

As we arrived home it was such a strange feeling to be by ourselves with Sophia. We let Bentley and Lexus meet Sophia after I made over them. Dogs are so smart! It was if they fully knew we would be bringing her home with us. Bentley sniffed her over very well but did not try to "kiss" her like he normally does to everyone else. It was as if her knew to be gentle. Lexus was terrified of Sophia but has sense warmed to her slowly. She barks when Sophia cries but we think she is afraid we are hurting her. I'm sure with time she will get used to the cries. It does not bother Sophia she doesn't even flinch!

This is the outfit that Sophia wore home from the hospital. I had been on a search for this "perfect" little outfit. I think she looks so pure and innocent in this outfit. The great thing is that it was big on her and should fit her a while. Her first night home was very calm and she pretty much just ate and slept. She is such a sweet baby girl!

Our Hospital Stay

2008-04-19T15:12:00.001-07:00

We stayed at the hospital for 48 hours after Sophia was born. The first night we didn't receive much sleep due to the nurses checking on her and I frequently throughout the night. She did very well the first night and slept well. We had to really wake her up to get her to eat when she was supposed to.

The second night was really rough for her which I hear is very common for most newborns. Sophia did not seem to want to leave my chest. I was the human pacifier to her. Every time we pulled her away she would scream and we couldn't console her. Finally we called our nurse and asked them to please take her to the nursery. We felt bad but neither one of us had had more than a couple of hours of sleep and we knew we had more visitors coming the next day. The nurse assured us that we needed to take advantage of this and we finally got a few hours of sleep that night.

I cannot say enough about the service we received at the hospital! Our nurses were wonderful and so knowledgeable. They really made us feel very comfortable and answered all of our questions.

The last evening there Jason and I received a celebration dinner. They brought in a linen covered table with flowers and a fancy dinner. We even had our own little Don Hall's cake! Shortly after we were discharged and started home with our bundle of joy!

Sophia's Visitors

2008-04-19T15:05:00.000-07:00

Sophia had many visitors at the hospital. About an hour after she was born all of her grandparents and her Aunt Kristen came into the room to meet her for the first time. They were all so excited to meet her. Grandma and Grandpa Crawford and Grandma VB had been there most of the afternoon waiting.

We had many friends and family visit on Saturday and Sunday. This is a picture of Sophia with her Grandpa Crawford and Great-Grandpa Crawford. Her Great-Grandma Fisher was also one of her visitors.

Sophia Elle Van Buskirk

2008-04-19T14:52:00.000-07:00

Sophia Elle Van Buskirk was born on Friday April 11, 2008 at Parkview Hospital North in Fort Wayne, IN. She weighed 8 lbs. 3 oz. and was 22" long with a full head of dark hair.

We arrived at the hospital at 6:45 am in the morning for a scheduled induction. After being hooked up to monitors we discovered I was already in early labor and 3-4 cm dilated. At 8:15 am they hooked me up to the induction drugs and we were ready to roll. There was really no action until about 1:15 pm when I felt the contractions were strong enough for me to receive the epidural. At 2:00 the nurse broke my water and by 6:00 that evening I was fully dilated. My epidural did not work very well and I felt every contraction. This did allow me to know when to push without looking at the monitor. At 6:55 her head had crowned and Jason started crying when he saw the all the dark hair! Dr. Rumsey came in at this time and a few pushes later Miss Sophia was born at 7:07 pm.

They immediately laid her on me and Jason and I both cried. It was such an emotional moment that neither of us will ever forget. It was amazing to see her and hold her after 9 months of fantasizing what she would look like! This was our first family photo.