Cribs, Quilts & a visit from Grandma & Grandpa Brown

Lotty has been spending some of her nap time in the crib in her room.  You can see that she always enjoys sleeping there.

Although she sleeps most of the time, she does have awake time, too.  A few mornings ago, Paul and Lotty let Elizabeth sleep a little longer and tried out this wonderful quilt that our friend, Ann, made.

Just a couple of days ago, Paul's parents came to visit on their way from Northern California to Nebraska for a family reunion.  Those not geographically challenged realize that Seattle really isn't on the way between those places.  I guess their route had something to do with meeting their first grandchild.  They will be back in the first part of August for a longer stay.

Family Portrait & Tummy Time

On Tuesday, it was nice outside, so we decided to take some pictures of the family outside in our backyard.  Our garden looks so nice thanks to the efforts of our personal gardener, aka Grandpa Derksen.  OK, so we all look a little tired.  That's to be expected, right?

We did manage to get our dog, Max in a picture, though he didn't want to stay:

Today we had tummy time on the nice, soft blanket that Grandma Brown made.  These were taken in Lotty's room.

Visits & Portraits

Elizabeth's parents stopped by a couple nights ago while we were eating dinner to visit with Lotty.  Unfortunately for them, Lotty slept through most of their visit.  She did wake up near the end and spend some pretty sleepy time in Oma's arms.

Yesterday morning, she had her first portrait taken.  It wasn't really an official portrait, but a nice opportunity presented itself.  The question is, color or b&w?  Let us know what you think.

There was a suggestion to try sepia toning, so here that is for comparison:

Hopefully soon we will be able to do a family portrait.

New Member of the Family Home

We are very pleased to be home from the hospital after what was a very routine delivery of our first daughter, Charlotte (Lotty) Marie.  She was born the morning of July 9, at 8:46 AM, weighing 7 lb, 2.2 oz and measuring 20.5 inches long.  We had a very nice stay at the Northwest Hospital; the nursing staff were very helpful and enjoyed being there to help us.  We all spent the first night there.

This is one if the first pictures of Lotty while she is being weighted and measured.

Paul is getting the chance to hold his first child while Elizabeth's sister, Kathryn, takes a picture.

Before her first bath, Lotty enjoyed the warmth of a heat lamp.  The bath was less enjoyable.

While not her favorite thing, once she got immersed in the warm water, Lotty settled down and was her usual, cooperative self.  (We can't really say what usual is yet, of course, but it is a nice thought.)

Becky was one of Lotty's nurses who was very encouraging and let Paul listen to Lotty's heartbeat through the infant-sized stethoscope.  Becky was also there for the delivery.

After arriving home, Elizabeth had some time to cuddle Lotty on the couch.

At home, Lotty naps in a rocker seat, one of the many generous gifts or loaned items we have received.