Samantha is 1 month old!

Wow...where does time go? Samantha turned 1 month old on Thursday. I can't believe how old our little girl is getting. She went to the doctors and weighed in at 8lbs 5oz, which was a pound heavier than our last visit. I have already noticed how much longer she is getting and, of course, has already grown out of her newborn clothes. She's starting to recognize us now, and I love to see her eyes light up when I come home from work or come over to hold her when she's upset.

It's funny. They say that if you remain calm and relaxed, then your baby will develop a similar attitude. Over the last 4 weeks, Kristi and I have really tried to remain calm and make sure we never get too stressed, no matter how tired we get. I always try to remind both myself and Kristi that we have to take baby steps (no pun intended)...and that every day is a new opportunity to watch Samantha grow and develop. I have noticed that a few times this week, I came home a little stressed and preoccupied and would try to hold her and it seemed like she didn't want anything to do with me. She became agitated and would fidget and cry. Then, Friday night comes along where I wanted nothing but to hold her and she was as calm as could be!

Samantha is very photogenic. Our friend Michelle came over a few weeks ago to take pictures of Samantha. She did an awesome job. Below are a couple of our favorites:

Well...off to bed for me. I need to take advantage of all the sleep I can get. Getting up tomorrow to go to the airport to pick up my mom. She is coming to spend the week with us. It'll be great having her around and I'm sure Samantha will enjoy meeting her grandmother too.

Enjoy the pictures...I will post more later.