Back in Iowa!

We are officially back in Iowa! Paul and I pulled into Clinton at about 7:30 last night. We were so glad to be home and were overjoyed to be greeted by such wonderful family! Abby's brother and family came to greet us from Marion and of course were anxious to meet Jillian! We plan to unload the moving truck today and attempt to get settled. Paul starts back at Lowe's in Davenport this weekend and Abby still has a few weeks of maternity leave before starting her new job. We are filled with all kinds of emotions right now as we make this transition. Colorado was so good to us and we have so many treasured friends there. Needless to say, it was very hard to leave but we are also excited for the opportunities God has for us here. We are excited to be reunited with all of our Iowa friends and family again!




Jillian's first time meeting Uncle Nick and Aunt Erica! She was also glad to see Grandpa Glew again too!

Sleeping on the job...

As many of you know, Abby is a PT, so she is a believer in tummy time and tries to incorporate it into every day she has with little Jillian. :) Up to this point, Jillian has loved tummy time and fearlessly raises that head with the encouragement of her Mommy. Well, now that she's 5 weeks old she is getting a little smarter and figuring out some tricks to avoid that hard work! She has discovered that she can actually get quite comfortable on the boppy during tummy time and manage to turn it into nap time!

I'm one month old!

Yes, it's true, we've already had Jillian for a month! Oh how time flies and how she is growing and changing every day!

SMILE! :)

Here are some of Jillian's joyful smiles caught on camera! She really does smile quite often but we haven't been quick enough to catch them at the right time! She's a pretty happy baby...most of the time!

What a day!

Just wanted to let everyone know that I went through 4 outfits today! Lets just say I'm eating and digesting very well! It's been pretty entertaining seeing Mommy and Daddy try to clean up my messes before I catch them by suprise again! :)

Life with Jillian

It's hard to believe we have had Jillian for almost 3 weeks now! We are enjoying our time with her, especially when Daddy is home from work and we can all be together! The weather has been very nice this last week so we've been able to get out on some walks with Jillian in her jogger stroller. We have also had several visitors stop by from our church, the seminary, and Abby's work. Many of them have brought meals too so that has been a huge blessing!

Daddy and Jillian on the trails

We took Jillian for a walk on the South Platte trail behind the seminary, a trail we have walked many times before!

Jillian's stretching routine when waking up

Still stretching...

Yes, she has Mom and Dad's complete attention!

Jillian tried a pacifier for the first time this week and has come to like it as she gets better keeping it in her mouth on her own!

We have discovered for nap time Jillian prefers not to be swaddled (especially her arms) and loves to take on this very "free" position!

Home with Jillian Grace

We were able to bring home our little Jillian Grace on Sunday afternoon and have been adapting to all the life changes including sleepless nights, dirty diapers, endless picture taking, and constant hugs and kisses. We LOVE our little girl so much and thank God for such a happy, healthy baby. We have enjoyed every minute with her...yes, even the sleepless nights! We have been so fortunate to have Abby's mom staying with us since we came home from the hospital and she has been so helpful providing hot meals, clean laundry, lots of love to baby Jillian, and great company/support for Abby as she heals from her c-section. Thanks, Mom!

Paul's parents are planning to come out soon as well and we are really looking forward to introducing them to baby Jillian!

The last couple days, Jillian has been on some of her first outings including going to Lowe's to visit Daddy, going to Target, and grocery shopping with Mommy and Gram. Jillian loves her car rides and has slept soundly through all of her outings.

Gram and Jillian

Taking Jillian home from the hospital. She did great on her first car ride.

Proud Grandpa

Napping with Mommy

Working on some tummy time

I love tummy time on my boppy!