October

In Oregon we are always taking note of the weather. Especially when we are having nice weather and when its not raining. We have had a great fall this year. The rain has held off and the fall colors have been amazing. Our nieces Abby and Ella visited us thanks to their awesome parents for making the drive from Montana. We had an awesome time with them exploring some kid friendly places like the children's museum and the ever popular pumpkin patch at Sauvie Island. Then we spent a few nights at the Oregon Coast. It was a little cold and windy, but the hot tub made up for that.
Sophie has had many fun nights out with her parents. She likes noisy places, as most babies do, the sounds seem to put her right to sleep. On the days when we are just hanging out at home, she entertains us with her wonderful laugh and playful spirit. She loves going on walks and looking up at the leaves on the trees. We are reading books everyday and she loves playing with her moose, monkey and owl. Tummy time is starting to happen and it seems like she is starting to think about turning over onto her belly. She has really become very vocal and we love hearing her sweet little voice. She weighed 15lbs and is 24 in long. Her hair is continuing to grow and has finally decided to lie down on her head instead of standing straight up. Her eyes are showing a little hint of brown with a shade of blue, so we are still curious what color they will be. Thank goodness she is a good sleeper, both Shaun and I know that we are very lucky for this. More updates soon.

Wait....where did September and October Go?

Well, when I decided to start this blog I was thinking about making regular postings about all of our happenings with Sophia. Then I decided maybe just a monthly update would suffice because well, you know I have a little one that needs my attention. I have been meaning to update the blog. I hopped on and realized I skipped a month. So, we have September and October to catch up on.

On September 5th we took Sophie camping on a record five night six day trip to Central Oregon. We started out at Olalie Lake one of our favorite spots. We were concerned about the fires that were going on nearby, but we stayed two nights and had a great spot with a perfect view of the lake. Then we checked out a new spot just South of Bend called little lava lake. This was a beautiful, pristine lake at about 5,000 ft elevation. Sophie did great and we kept her warm in our cozy camper sleeping right between her two biggest protectors.

Sophie had her first plane trip to San Francisco to visit Kathy and Ric, aka Grammy and Grandpa. We had a great visit and really enjoyed our time together. Our picnics and walks were awesome and we soaked up the gorgeous weather. And just for the record, this was Sophie's first experience with an i pad and she was truly entertained.

On September 26th we got great news from Sophie's orthopedic Doctor. Up until this point she was wearing her harness 24/7. The ultra sound results were positive. The harness had corrected her hips and the joints were stable!!! We were all relieved and felt very blessed with her progress and clean bill of healthy hips. How far we had come in just a few months. We had so much to be grateful for and the weight of worry was lifted. And, it was fun because now we were able to dress her pants and leggings.

With this being said.... lets reveal just how much Shaun and I enjoy playing dress up with our little girl. We found a great consignment store early on with the grandparents. So we are always scoring great deals and we are lucky to get packages in the mail from our loving grandmothers and family. So, she is not going without!! Shaun decided she needed a pair of jeans and took her on her first trip to the mall. Luckily dad has great taste and likes to dress her in cute outfits. And needless to say we think she looks pretty cute in just about Everything. Which then means that we have to get out the video camera and the camera and take a zillion photographs.
We feel very blessed to have Sophie in our life. We are enjoying precious family time together.

Sophia and Bella

August Photos

August Highlights

My oh My have we been busy. August was a super fun month we started the month with a visit from Nana and Pop (John & Becky). This was a very fun time for all of us because we really started to get out and go places. We ate out at some really good restaurants and did a little shopping. Having lots of hands really helped the new parents get acclimated. Then Sophia's Nana & Pop (Dan & Judy) visited from Montana. We had a really fun time all being together and sharing the love that a little of brings into this world. We love having grandparents around, they bring so much love to complete this beautiful circle of life.
Then we ventured out for our first family camping trip. We went to lost lake with our new kayak, the dogs and the pop up camper. One night proved to be just right for our first trip out in the woods. More camping trips to come.

At one month old she continues to be so alert. She loves her new rattle and her toy moose and owl. Her hand and eye coordination seems super impressive and really entertaining. She is really into her dance parties with mom and dad and loves her listening to music. Baths have been super fun because she gets to be out of her harness and she gets to kick around and swim. Good news with her little hips!!! Her Doctor says the sockets are deepening and they are being corrected by the harness. So, with this great news we are told she will be out of her harness Sept 26th and only wear it at night. We are so pleased with the progress that she has made and a few more weeks seems like a breeze. She is cooing and really responsive to the sounds we make with her. We swear her first word will be Hi, it already sounds like she is saying it. I have to mention her hair because everyone we meet comments on it. She has crazy hair and Lots of it! It gives her so much character and its her. I admit to putting product in her hair to try and tame it, it kind of works for a minute. And then it just pops right back up.

The end of the month wrapped up with a fun night out to a beer festival, a fun house party with some live music, lots of hikes in the woods and parks. Some visits with her pals Sullivan (9 days younger) and Vivian (born on the same day). Our lives have changed and we couldn't be happier. What did we do before Sophie was here?

Sophia Noelle Semsh

WELCOME

Sophia Noelle Semsch

BORN JULY 13th 11:04 am 8lbs 14oz 21 inches

Our baby girl entered the world and our lives are forever changed.
We are so blessed to have her with us. She is so beautiful and we are in love.
Mom and Dad are doing well and everyone is settling in to our new life together.
She was born at St Vincents hospital in Portland. The nurses and care that we received were excellent. She is nursing and sleeping effortlessly.
When she was born we were so surprised and delighted by her full head of dark hair and the dimple on her left upper cheek. She is wide eyed and very alert, from early on she had had strength in her arms and neck.
She loves sleeping in her basket, basinett and sometimes her crib. But, her favorite is her swing. She loves her swing! We don't know what we'd do without it.
We have been busy going on walks and rides and a few shopping and dining experiences too.
We have also stayed busy visiting the Doctors. She is wearing a brace/harness to help her hips settle into the joints. She has hip displasia, more common in breech and first time babies. This is something that can be corrected and we are staying positive that she will get the results from wearing the brace.
Every day there is something new that we see her do for the first time. Her smile is so precious and she smiles when shes sleeping. Hiccups are quite frequent and pretty adorable, her sneezes are so soft and gentle. We have watched as she has discovered her thumb, that was on her 8th day. When she was 10 days old she was holding her hands together. She loves having her scalp and ears massaged. So we make sure to get some massage time in each day. We know that each day holds a new discovery and we look forward to showing our little girl all the wonderful things that life has to offer.

First week