One month old...

Saraya had her one month check up yesterday. She officially was due to be born today and she has rapidly made up for that fact that she arrived 5 weeks early. She weighed 6 lbs 11 oz yesterday which means she gained a whole pound in the last 10 days! She also has grown 2.5 inches since she was born and is now 20 inches long! Most importantly, she's healthy and meeting all her developmental milestones at or ahead of schedule. We are so blessed!

Napping with Daddy

Is there anything more precious than a sleeping baby?

These are my favorite moments as a mom. I love it when she just looks at me and it seems that she is really listening to what I am saying.

4 Weeks Old

It's hard to believe, but yesterday Saraya was 4 weeks old! She's growing so fast and the time is flying by! I can't believe she's been home for 3 weeks!

She has started to smile at me and her Dad in the past couple of days. Her smiles certainly are precious. She's developing a little personality, too.

Here are some pictures from yesterday as she celebrated her 4 week birthday!

I Need a Nap

I think this is Saraya's way of saying...

It's a hard life...sometimes a nap is all that will do!

She frequently sleeps with her hands like this, covering her face. It is fitting, actually, since in every ultrasound I had before she was born (and there were a lot of ultrasounds, believe me...) she had her hands in front of face preventing us from getting a good luck at her face. In the past few days we have caught her sucking her thumb at times, too. It's all too cute.

Ahmad and I are loving every second of being Saraya's Mom and Dad. She is such a little bundle of joy!

Doctor's Visit

Saraya went to the doctor today for a weight check. Just as we suspected, and as you probably can see in the following pictures, she's gaining weight like a champ. She was up to 5 lbs 11 oz today which means she gained 11 ounces this week! Her cheeks are really starting to fill out and she even has a little double chin now. Here are some pictures from today:

Getting ready for her doctors appointment.

Talking to Daddy

She's supposed to be taking a nap, but instead is wide awake, taking in the world.

Saraya's First Visitors

This week Saraya had her first sleepover with her cousin, Laurel. Aunt Laura, Nana and Laurel came to Rochester to visit Baby Saraya. We all had such a good time! Saraya particularly enjoyed the hugs and kisses from Nana and Aunt Laura.

Ahmad and I enjoyed spending time with Laurel. She is five months old now and has grown so much since we saw her last. She's such a big girl and she smiles all the time!

It was really fun to see Saraya and Laurel side by side. You can really appreciate the difference in size when they are so close.

Finally, Saraya had her two week doctors appointment today. We were thrilled to learn that she is now almost 5 lbs (4 lbs, 15.5 oz.). She gained 9 oz in just one week! She's doing great and is already ahead of a few milestones! She's such a good girl!

Happy Easter!

Here are some new pictures of Saraya. Her Easter basket is bigger than she is. That just means more candy for Daddy and I to eat!

She's Here!

Ahmad and I would like to introduce our daughter, Saraya Renee. Despite arriving early at 35 weeks, she is doing amazingly well.

I'll spare most of the details, but I admit that a four day induction of labor wasn't the most fun thing I have ever done. In the end, though, we were blessed with this beautiful little girl who Ahmad and I fell in love with instantly. Nana was there with us and Papaw was able to see her right after she was born even though he is in Iraq thanks to Skype.

Saraya has done great for being kicked out of the oven so early. She's eating like a champ (wonder where she gets that from?) and gaining weight everyday. She came home after only a week in the Special Care Nursery (a step down from the NICU) and has done great at home so far. We are blessed that she sleeps in four hour blocks so Ahmad and I are getting plenty of rest aside from the fact that I am either feeding or pumping for an hour and half every 3 to 4 hours.

Here are some pictures from her first few days at home.