Liza's Trip to Grandma's

Well the summer came and went, with working large amounts of overtime and on the hunt for a place of our own it really did not leave much free time.  We were very much looking forward to July 4th weekend, in the hopes of actually having a weekend to spend with Molly and Liza, not to mention it has come to be a traditional weekend for the McManus family to get together.  However my job had a big surprise for me when I walked in Friday offering me a very nice incentive to work that weekend, basically made me an offer that I could not refuse.  Fortunately Liza and I were able to make it to Grandma Sally's to spend some time with everyone.  We first went to Uncle Roger and Aunt Ivonne's house where we were greeted by a whirlpool of McManus'.  Needless to say Liza was somewhat overwhelmed by everyone as she had not seen everyone since her baptism and there were a couple of new faces, Aunt Barbara and cousin Ben.  Everyone was excited to see her, and deep down I know that she was excited to see everyone as she buried her face in my shoulder.  From there we made our way back to Grandma Sally's where Aunt Nancy, Uncle Richard, Aunt Barbara, cousin Owen and Ben were staying.  So Liza was able to get to know her Aunts, Uncles, cousins, and of course Grandma Sally a little bit better.  However the trip was over before we knew it and we had to make our way back to Claremont.

 

Back By Popular Demand

Hello Everyone!  Yes I am updating Liza's Blog!  Things are finally starting to settle down for a us a little bit, we have been very busy, and as you may have guessed it Liza is getting BIG!  Well a lot has happened since our last blog.  On May 15th, a very rainy day, Liza Leigh was baptized at St. Josephs Church with family in attendance.  We were very happy and proud to have Uncle Richard and Danielle be Liza's Godparents.

The Baptism was followed by a reception at Lloyd and Vera's where we had a nice spread laid out followed by Liza's gifts, which she had passed out by then due to the days events.  It was a great day with family and friends and appreciated everyone for being there.

Kobe's 6th Birthday Party

So we made our way back over the hills and through the woods to Grandma Sally's house we went.  Liza really doesn't mind the rides because she just passes out as soon as the truck is in motion, so it's an extremely peaceful ride for all of us.  So the reason we went to Grandma Sally's was because Kobe's birthday party was the following day, so we figured we would spend a couple days rather then driving down and back.  It was definitely a treat for Liza, first off since it's always great to see Grandma Sally, but also since the rest of the family has not seen her since Christmas and she has changed so much (we could only hope that she would be awake though).  So we arrived and Liza was able to see cousin Kobe along with Uncle Roger and Aunt Ivonne and then Uncle Thomas and cousin Taylor came after us.  Liza was a tad bit on the grumpy side because she had passed out on the short ride over and woke up looking around and wondering "ummmmm...... this is a new place, where are we?"  So not only was the family there, but a couple of Kobe's friends came over to celebrate his birthday with him, and I'm sorry Thomas I have to put this on here.  So when Thomas and Taylor arrived Roger had stepped out to pick up the pizza.  Not long after Kobe's friends arrived and his friend Peter came running into the living room to see Kobe and looked up at Thomas with this peculiar look.  Then after saying hi to Kobe, Peter ran back into the kitchen and calmly asked his mom "what happened to Roger's face?"  Probably one of the funniest things I have ever heard and of course became the running joke for the rest of the party.  But Kobe had a great party, had some good food, great presents and the time was enjoyed by all.  It is always great to get together with everyone especially now that we have Liza, she has a lot of family and she is growing so quick so we want to make sure that everyone gets to experience her and spend time with her.

A NEW DISCOVERY!

So it has been a little while since I have added a new post to Liza's blog, so I am long overdue.  But Liza has made a new discovery, EUREKA! she has a tongue!  Liza has realized that she has a tongue and with this new found discovery she can tastes things.  Her primary object to lick is her hand of course, but she is also licking her toys, when you are holding her and she is looking over your shoulder she will take that opportunity to lick your shirt, and just today I placed her on her stomach and she figured while I'm here I may as well lick my blanket.  I must say she has quite the tongue too, she is like the Gene Simmons of the baby world (but only due to her tongue, nothing else.)
She is also getting incredibly handsy as she is holding her toys in her hands, or grabbing onto your clothing as you hold her.  As for her physical features we are still waiting for some more of her locks to grow in so we can make a final determination on what color her hair will be, right now it is looking between strawberry blonde and red.  Her eyes however look like they will be green, thank god, the one feature of mine I wanted her to have.  She has been getting used to her crib more and more, so far it has been an easy transition from her bassinet to her crib, that is when she is not sleeping with daddy in the recliner :).

What a baby!

As everyone knows, babies change before you're very eyes!  So many people have said enjoy her while you can because with every blink of your eye you will be looking at a different baby.  Each day I think back to the day she was born and it is unreal how much she has grown.  Every chance I get I am trying to take pictures or video all of her moments.  Lately, she has developed her voice and I must say she is a riot.  First thing when she wakes up in the morning she loves to share her night with you.

I can never resist taking pictures or video of Liza, she is constantly making me laugh and surprising me by how she is developing.  I must say she does love television, but I'm sure it's all the lights and movement that is keeping her attention.

Snowy Days

On top of having plenty of free time, another thing we have more then enough of is snow!  Although people are complaining about the cold and the amount of snow we have, it has been a true New England winter, something that we have not seen for a few years.  So since we have it, we may as well make use of it, so we took Liza out for a little photo shoot.  She was our little pink polar bear and tolerated Mommy and Daddy's antics to try and make her smile.

A New Year

     So it is 2011, and what a way to start it off.  Since Molly and I are both looking for new jobs we have been able to spend plenty of quality time with Liza.  Despite the stress of it all you can't help but smile when you see Liza.  So all in all not much has happened in January, Liza had her 8 week check up and confirmed what we already knew, she is growing like a weed.  She weighed in at 12lbs 7 ozs and 23 inches long and received her shots, which I must say she took them very well.  But Molly and I could not help but flinch and feel so helpless when the nurse came into the room to give her the shots, in all honesty I don't know how the needle did not go through her leg when I saw the size of it.  Liza took it like a champ, crying until the nurse left the room, then immediately stopped.
     It is a shame that Liza is not a little older as we have gotten so much snow this winter and it has been a shame that we can not take her out to play in it.  But in all honesty, we would probably never find her if we did take her out there.  But she has been a blast to spend time with, especially since she is starting to react to us, laughing and smiling on her own.  I guess the real shocker is that it looks like she is going to be a red head (dad would be so proud), or at the very least strawberry blonde.

Liza's First Christmas

So this Christmas was exceptionally special as it was Liza's first.  Of course she is no where near old enough to realize what Christmas is, but that's not to say she still didn't make out like a bandit.  The holiday season became official when I put up Liza's own hot pink Christmas tree in her nursery, complete with lights and decorations, which Uncle Thomas and Aunt Kathy had given to her when they came to visit us in the hospital.

 The Precious Moments Nativity set was a gift to Molly from my mother from the Christmas before and it came in handy for Liza's tree.

 This was a Liza's first Christmas ornament that was given to her by Aunt Susan and Uncle Bob. 

 Another first Christmas ornament that was given to her by Molly's old high school softball coach Marilyn Brody.

This year we split the holiday between families and we did Christmas Eve with Molly's family and then we went to Grandma Sally's for Christmas day.  Christmas Eve each year the Baptist church puts on a service in the opera house in town, so Molly, Liza, and myself went with her parents and grandparents to the service.  Liza was a perfect angel during the entire service, she never made a sound and slept soundly.  Following the service we spent the remainder of the evening with her family at her grandparents house where Liza entertained everyone and opened her Christmas presents from her Aunt Nancy, where she received a Indianapolis Colts onesy and a stuffed soccerball.  At this point we knew that Liza was our daughter because no sooner did we put the ball at her feet, she started kicking it(such a proud moment).  From there we returned home where Liza slept peacefully, not waking until Christmas morning, to see what Santa had brought her.  We all woke up at about 7 that morning where Liza was greeted by a coffee table of presents (our living room is a little to cluttered for a Christmas tree).  We first opened presents from Uncle Richard, Aunt Barbara, Owen, and Ben, then continued to open presents from Molly and I and Meme and Pepe.

Wish I could say she was thrilled, but we were definitely thrilled enough for her.  As we opened gifts, Liza's Great Grandparents came over to spend the morning with us, opening presents followed by a Christmas breakfast.

Following breakfast it was time to load up the car (in the end there was little to no room for passengers) and it was over the hill and through the woods to Grandma Sally's house we go.  Molly, Liza, Meme, Pepe, myself and even Miyah went to Grandma Sally's for Christmas to spend the day with Grandma, Aunt Nancy, Uncle Roger, Aunt Ivonne, Kobe, Uncle Thomas, Jeremy, and Taylor (we would get to see Aunt Kathy the next day).  We arrived to Grandma Sally's house and were welcomed by Grandma and Aunt Nancy and not long after the rest of the family arrived.  From there we did presents, and let me say Liza received so many gifts, I wasn't sure how we were going to pack everyone and everything in the car.

So where to start?

So where do I start?  Since Liza has been with us for almost 10 weeks now I have a little catching up to do.  First thing is first, Liza was born Monday 11/15/10 at Valley Regional here in Claremont, NH.  She weighed in at 6lbs 15ozs and 19 1/2 inches long.  She was an absolutely beautiful baby who came into the world without making little more then a peep.  Of course I was there for the birth while Molly's mother, father, grandparents, and friend Joey anxiously waited for the news.  Fortunately both Molly and Liza did very well and both were given clean bills of health.  The following day Grandma Sally came over with Uncle Thomas and Aunt Kathy to welcome Liza into the family.  Throughout the rest of the week family and friends visited us in the hospital anxious to see Liza and see how Molly was doing.  I have to admit it was the most exhausting week of my life but well worth it.

We were finally able to bring Liza home that Friday, it was a long week in a very uncomfortable pullout sofa.  Although we had spent the entire week in the hospital with Liza, it truely did not sink in that we were officially parents until we placed her in the carseat and drove a cool 20 mph down the road avoiding every bump and pothole.  Of course Miyah (our puggle) was the first to greet her, since she had sniffed me all over on my daily trips home to pick up clothes she knew someone or something was coming home.  Liza adjusted nicely to her new home, eating, followed by a 3 hour nap, followed by more eating.  Likewise we adjusted well to Liza's schedule waking up for her feedings and sleeping when she did.

Following in Richard and Barbara's footsteps

Given that our family and friends are scattered all over the country, I decided to follow in the footsteps of Richard and Barbara and construct a blog focused on Liza.  Hopefully I can stay on top of the blog as Liza is changing everyday and there will be so much to share with everyone.  Since we were also generously given a camcorder by Richard and Barbara, I will also be able to post videos of her.  So I welcome all family and friends to keep up to date with Liza and all the memories that we will make with our lil' peanut princess.