First Few Weeks at Home Sept, 2011

Amelia voices her displeasure with the current situation. She is hungry and nobody is meeting her needs a the moment. That's cause Daddy is holding her and Mommy is holding the camera!

During the first week at home the bean hasn't yet stretched out...she is still curled up just like she was on the *inside*.

She spends a signficant amount of time sleeping, so her eyes are closed in almost every picture...

...like this one...

...and this one...

..and this one...

...and this one!

The little pink bean is very comfortable on Daddy's chest.

Daddy gives Lily a little bit o' love while Meelie makes herself comfortable.

One of Amelia's very serious faces.

One of Amelia's very angry faces! Clearly, she is not enjoying the whole bath experience.

One of Amelia's, uh, pensive faces. She often purses her lips. It means different things depending on the specific situation.

Amelia hangs out on Mommy's shoulder.

And on her chest. She likes the comfort of being close to Mommy & Daddy...and especially likes to be able to look around...

...except when she doesn't! This would be one of those times...

Amelia in her pink outfit and matching bunny slippers. We should all have bunny slippers! We'd probably all be happier if we did.

Lily says "Hi baby! How are you?"

When Amelia doesn't answer immediately, Lily strokes her cheek to get a response from "Meela" (that's what she calls her).

Then she gives her a kiss on the cheek.

And a kiss on the tummy.

And finally gives her a little tickle to make her smile. Lily is embracing her role as big sister. It is wonderful to watch.

Amelia likes the pink butterfly swing almost as much as Lily did. Mommy & Daddy are very pleased about this, because it means she spends alot of time being happy and content.

Nana & Grampa Jim Visit Sept, 2011

September 10, 2011 - Nana holds baby Amelia for the first time...love at first sight.

...and is still holding her hours later! There were dinner and washroom breaks throughout the afternoon and evening...

...and also time to share :) Grampa Jim is thrilled to hold baby Amelia for the first time.

A few tickles wake her up so her eyes open and they can look at each other.

At only a week old, Amelia already has a wide range of faces...not sure what to call this one...

...or this one?!?!?

Auntie Jill cuddles the bean. It seems this is the nickname Amelia will have. Along with "Meelie". And sometimes combined with the vegetable to form the very popular "Meelie bean". And so it shall be.

Auntie Jill and Uncle Matt are happy to spend some time snuggling with the newest and smallest member of the Couper family.

Nana & Grampa Jim give Lily an early birthday present - a princess golf set!!! Lily is excited, but Daddy is even more excited because he is hoping to bond with the girls while walking greens and riding in golf carts when they get a bit older.

Lily tries on Nana's glasses. "Do these make me look smart?"

"Oh who cares about smart. They make me look cute, right?!?"

Nana, Grampa Jim & Daddy take Lily to the beach while Mommy stays home with Meelie.

The tide is out so it takes awhile to find water to play in, but Lily manages to find enough to get wet.

She even manages to get her t-shirt wet without actually swimming.

"Oh hi, Nana! Maybe one day I will be able to swim as good as you!"

Lily and Grampa wrap themselves up in towels to warm up.

Lily loves the fresh set of books from Nana & Grampa...she is a good reader...although she rarely follows the story in her books and mostly just makes stuff up :)

Amelia Comes Home

Sunday, Sept. 4, 2011 - Amelia is all strapped in and ready to go home...all she needs is a blanket! We don't want to cover up those cute little arms and legs for purposes of this picture :)

Once we get in the door of our home, Mommy starts to unhook the little bean.

Lily is a little bit confused about the fact that baby was just at the hospital this morning, but now she is in the hallyway of our, er, *her* home...

She decides to go for a walk to think about this new development...

...she sits back and observes the situation....she needs time to mull it over a bit...

...but eventually comes closer to get a better look...

...and ultimately decides to give her little sister a welcoming kiss :)

Amelia is Born!

Little Amelia Florence Couper is born Saturday, September 3, 2011 at 1:30 pm. She arrives a few weeks early. She is just as excited to meet us as we are to meet her!

She is beautiful and pink and has an amazing head of hair!

She weighs 7lbs, 6 oz and is 20.5 inches long.

One of the first things she does is grab Daddy's finger....

...and attempts to eat it! As we would soon learn, this is an indication of her very healthy appetite.

She has very long, curly toes. Just like Daddy's!

Aren't they, uh, amazing?

She is very tired from her journey and settles into a nice sleep once she is clean and dry and warm.

One of her favourite places to sleep is on Mommy.

Our midwife, Carolyn, is with us every step of the way. She stays for awhile after Amelia is born to make sure we are both OK.

In the first few hours after she is born, Amelia and Daddy spend some time together getting to know each other.

In the evening of the day she was born, Maggie and Malena come to the hospital to meet Amelia. They stayed overnight at our place on Friday, while Mommy & Daddy were at the hospital, and played with Lily the next day.

Daddy come back that evening as well to hold little Amelia and whisper beautiful things in her ear.

When she has had *enough* and wants to go back to sleep in her bed, Amelia gently lets Daddy know!

The next day, Lily comes back for another visit with her brand new little sister. She is very excited to spend time with *her* baby!

Lily is concerned that Amelia might be cold, so she pulls her little hat down a bit further.

A bright light was shining on our little angel from the very first minute :)