Check out the Slideshow!

Our good friend, Kady Dunlap, came by a couple weeks ago to take some pictures of Mae. She was one month old at the time. Kady made a really great slideshow out of some of the best photos. She's so talented-- thanks, Kady!

Click on the link below to see it. Be sure your volume is up so you can hear the music. Enjoy!

http://www.kadydunlap.com/Mae/index.html

Good Sleep and Smiles

It doesn't get any better than that! Last night, Mae slept from 11:30 until 6am...yeah!! It was so great not to get up at 3am! Hopefully it's the start of sleeping through the night. Not to get greedy, but we'll be working on extending it....

She's also been smiling at us these past few days. It's so cute!! Every day they seem to be more frequent and last longer. It's still hard for me to capture them on camera but I got a couple small smiles. I'm sure I'll get a really good one soon. You can definitely tell when she smiles that she's going to have at least one dimple on one side and possibly both sides... just like her dad! She's really been much more expressive in general. She has fun making different faces and really studying everything a lot more closely.

Here's a picture with James Dunlap when he came over one day...can't wait for them to be able to play together and not just sit together.

She loves this play mat, especially staring and coo-ing at the black and white stripes.

Mae also loves sticking out her tongue these days.

Such a happy baby!!

Getting Bigger and Bigger

I've been pretty bad about posting lately. Mae has definitely "woken up" and isn't that sleepy newborn all the time anymore...which means less time for blogging. We've had a couple of rough days and nights but overall she's still doing great. She was 5 weeks yesterday! She's starting to really be able to focus on our faces and different objects. She can hold her head up for a few seconds...big accomplishment for a 5 week old. She smiles more often too, but we haven't gotten that big smile directed at us yet. Can't wait for that! Here are a few pictures from the past couple weeks.

so sleepy after a good meal...

She's starting to fill out a little more these days...look at that tummy!

More pics

Here are a few more pictures of Mae at 3 weeks. We just started using the "serious" swaddle blanket last night to keep her flailing arms from hitting her in the face and waking her up. She looks like she's in a straight jacket but it really helps her sleep well...so we are all fans of the swaddle around here!

Mae also loves her pacifier which we are also thankful for since it really calms her down and helps her sleep. We think she looks like Maggie Simpson though since it's just about as big as her face and it moves so much and makes a lot of noise when she sucks it.

Here's Mae in her stroller on a walk. We were going every day last week but it's gotten a little colder this week...we both really like to get out of the house and get some fresh air.

Today we had some official "tummy time" to work on Mae's head control. She did pretty well...

...but it really took it out of her...

Tex even had to stop by and check out what was going on. pretty exciting day around here.

Here's a shot of me and Mae. We need to get some more of these...I had to take this one with my camera phone just to have a picture of us together.

This shot was just too cute. I love her smile! Her eyes are even a little open in this one. Can't wait for that first all out smile!

Eventful Midnight Hour

So, last night we had very eventful early morning hours...and it wasn't because of Mae. Jason actually fell asleep on the couch after dinner and then woke up around 11:30 to get some water before heading to bed. Apparently, he got up too quickly and gulped down too much water and ended up passing out. He fell pretty hard and hit his head either on the counter or stove and made the absolute loudest noise. I was up with Mae about to feed her and ran into the kitchen to find him lying on the floor and the back of his head covered in blood. Needless to say, I was screaming and scared but he came to after only a few seconds and we made our way to the emergency room. Thankfully Julie is still here and could stay with Mae all night since we didn't get home from the hospital until 5 am.

Jason had lots of tests run and everything looks fine. The doctor said sometimes you can just faint like that. He did have to have 16 stitches since he cut his head pretty good-- it's about a 3 inch horiztonal gash in the middle of the back of his head. We are so thankful that's all that it is though.

It was very scary and made for an eventful night...and such a great Valentine's Day:) If you're interested I have pictures but I won't post them here....

Two week update

Mae had her official two week doctor's appointment yesterday and passed everything with flying colors! She has gained back all of her birth weight, plus one ounce. We are so proud since she had lost a pound after she was born. We also got the go-ahead from the doctor to not wake her up at night to eat every 3 hours...now she will wake us up when she's hungry. Last night she went 5 hours, so we're hoping that keeps up!

Grandma Julie and Aunt Kelli are here now too, and they have been such great help! They are so sweet to Mae. She's definitely getting spoiled, but I guess that's what grandmothers and aunts are for. We'll post some pictures with them soon.

I'm only going to post one more picture right now. It's the first one capturing Mae's precious smile. Of course, this only happens when she's sleeping. She apparently finds herself more amusing than any of us right now.

10 days old!

I have not been very good in keeping up with the blog so far-- hopefully I'll get better as I figure out our routine. So far, the first 10 days with Mae have been great! Jason and I both feel like it's so much better than we could have ever imagined. It's amazing how much you can love someone instantly! It's been the most fulfilling and joyful week-- of course, with ups and downs along the way but it's been wonderful. We've been lucky so far that Mae is a pretty good eater and sleeper. We hope it continues!

My mom has been here for the last week and just left yesterday. We were so thankful for her help and were a little nervous to be on our own. But, last night actually went pretty well so I think we'll make it. Jason's mom (and, actually, dad and sister) are coming this weekend to help out for a few days. We can't wait for them to get here!

Here are a few pictures from the last 10 days. This first one is my favorite so far since her eyes are open and she looks like a little angel...at least to me.

Watching the golf channel I'm sure...something she will have to get used to!

Here are some from the hospital.

Mae's Here!

Mae Elizabeth Dallas was born January 26th at 4:45pm. She weighed 7lbs 11oz and was 20 inches long. Mom and Mae are doing well and we are back at home now. More pictures to come...

One week and counting...

We just decided to start a blog so that we can share pictures and updates with all of our sweet friends and family who might be interested in what's going on in the Dallas house. I'm kind of hesitant about doing this since I'm not very into computers or writing but we'll give it a shot!

The big news right now is that my doctor has now officially scheduled me for an induction next Monday, January 26th! I just got back from an appointment and she thinks that the baby is going to be pretty big, so she thinks going ahead with an induction a few days before my due date is the best option. Jason and I can't believe that we have less than week before we check into the hospital and our lives change forever-- for the better, of course. We're really excited though and will keep you all updated if she happens to arrive before then.