Reunited And It Feels So Good!

We had our first ever family reunion! My awesome cousin Stacy initiated, delegated and pulled off our first family reunion. It took place in Half Moon Bay and it was a fun and beautiful day. It was so great to get together with all of our relatives on Nana's side.

Nana & Papa

Auntie Cussy & Cousin Trina

D & Little Lady

Cousins & Spouces

Our Family

Nana's Siblings

Siblings & Spouces

Aunts, Uncles, Cousins & Kids

Extended Family

With Cousin Stacy & Little Kaia

Exersauser=Babysitter!

Auntie Cussy & Uncle Andy



D & Little Lady



Little Lady in her fluffy hairdo

Delighted to be Reunited,

D

A Very Happy Half-Birthday, To You! To You!

We made it a whole SIX MONTHS! I can't believe that half of a year has already passed us by! (I also can't believe I am not another month late on this update.) 

Little Lady allowed me to celebrate my first Mother's Day by sleeping-in that Sunday so I was able to sleep a little longer and also take a shower (in the morning!) and get ready with out being frazzled about getting her ready and entertained at the same time. You can't put a price on that! 

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At our visit today with Dr. W, The Lady weighed in at 15 lbs. and 7 oz. and measured 25.5" long. She is starting to prop herself up, wanting to sit on her own. She is not quite there yet, but well on her way! Spitting has begun and Nana just keeps encouraging her, darn it. She has started reaching for her bottles and guiding them into her own mouth when she is hungry. It is so precious. I can't believe how much she has learned in her first six months of life. It's amazing!

Not Late For This Important Date,

D

5K Day

Last weekend Nana, Lady and I headed out with about 150 women from our church and the community to participate in our annual 5K. We had done it once before a couple of years ago and both years, the weather was perfect! It was high 70s with a great breeze!

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Lady slept for the first 2 miles and then woke up just in time to cheer us on to the finish line. It was a great way to start off our morning and our weekend! Little more than three miles and exactly three generations!

Soaking Up Sun and Having Some Fun,

D

A Swing and a Laugh

Last week I met up with Nana and a couple of the kids she nannies and played at the park. It was a gorgeous summer day, but we found some shade for the kids to play in. Little Lady had her first swing ride! She was more fascinated by her new surroundings than the swing itself, but she did enjoy it... for a little while.

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As serious as she looks here, Lady is really actually a pretty giddy baby. She loves to talk and laugh (and drool)! Recently I caught her on video laughing up a storm. Don't mind the shaky footage, I was laughing pretty hard myself.

Swingin' in the Sunshine,

D

Down to the Pound

I took Little Lady for her 4 month check-up last week and to get another round of shots. She did great with the first set, the second set was a little more difficult but nothing too dramatic. Since her last check up two months ago, she has only gained a pound and a half. The Dr. W says it isn't anything to worry about yet, but we have started adding a few ounces of formula everyday to help her put on some more chub.

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As of last week, Lady is weighing in at 11 lbs. 12 oz. and is 23 inches long. She rolled over once from her belly to her back, but didn't like it very much. She is also getting pretty good at holding her own bottle. She LOVES to laugh and Nana, Papa, Grandpa D and I all love to make her laugh.

Luring Laughter,

D

Sunny Soiree

As promised, here are a few pictures of the soiree from after Little Lady's baby blessing at the end of January. It was so fun to have a house full of kids and a day full of sunshine! A few of my cousins and their beautiful and fun children came as well as my Aunt Katie who was so busy behind the camera, that I don't have a picture of her in front of it. Darn it.

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Full of Love From Family Fun,

D

One Blessed Baby

Little Lady had her baby blessing in church a couple of weeks ago. Her Grandpa D performed the blessing while surrounded by Papa Rob, my brother-in-law's grandfather, her Bishop and home teacher who all participated.

The dress Little Lady wore was made by an amazingly talented sister in our ward, who, despite her own many projects and the holidays, found the time to make this gorgeous gown. Nana picked out the pattern and I spent hours in a fabric store 38 weeks pregnant trying to find all of the right components, but it was well worth it.

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We were also blessed to have so many members of our family who came out to support Little Lady on her big day (well, second big day after her birthday, of course...)! She was surrounded by so much love. My Aunt Katie also shared her great talent as a photographer so that we could have these memories forever. Thank you! I will soon post pictures of the little soiree with all of our visiting family. 

Feeling Blessed Myself,

D

Princess Playdate

I was starting to get major cabin fever from being cooped up inside too long (I still am not allowed to drive from my surgery), so Nana planned a day-cation to visit my cousin Stacy and her family. Her daughter Kaia is Little Lady's second cousin, but ironically, she came first. They are a little over a week apart in age.

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It was nice to have a change of scenery and to visit with my cousin and her husband. It was also fun to compare Kaia and Little Lady as they both have already developed different habits and personalities.

Anxious to be Active,

D

Bubbles Baby

I was half-excited/half-dreading Little Lady's first bath. All I have ever heard was that there was nothing more slippery than a baby in a bath... Oy vey! With a lot of help from Nana, we got her squeaky clean at least for a little while!

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A Little Relieved, A Lotta Damp,

D

Celebratory Surprises

Little Lady and I were more than spoiled this Christmas. It was full of great surprise gifts! The first surprise came when I got a call from my sister a couple of days before Christmas telling us that her and her husband were going to drive in from out of state the next day to celebrate with us! Once here, they couldn't get enough of Little Lady. She didn't mind all of the lovin' either!

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As per family tradition since I was a kid, Little Lady got her first Christmas Eve pajamas and got started off with her first stocking and a little Santa hat... Surprise, surprise, she didn't like wearing it very much!

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I also got Little Lady her first Christmas ornament. It's a choking hazard for now, but someday she will appreciate it!

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I was very surprised how generous family, extended family, and church family were in ensuring that Little Lady had plenty of gifts to open. We both were excited for all of the little trinkets and outfits. She was so excited that she fell fast asleep...

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The rest of us made out pretty nicely also. Surprisingly, half of us ended up with slippers this year, but they were much needed for chilly feet this winter!

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I don't know whether Sis or Little Lady was more snuggled with the other... They were pretty inseparable, which was fine with me as it was nice to have two arms again, even if it was only for a few days.

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Another great surprise was Papa coming to wish us all a Merry Christmas. It took about one minute after he walked in the door for him to get Little Lady in his arms, that was not a surprise.

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Our last holiday endeavor was trekking to the Oakland Temple to see the Christmas lights. I stayed nice and warm in the Jeep with Little Lady while everyone else weathered the freezing wind up on the hill. The lights, nativity and decorations were beautiful, even if we were only there for ten minutes.

Overall, it was a great holiday! Another great surprise our family had was a very generous Secret Santa who doorbell ditched our house every night for almost two weeks, leaving a wonderful surprise each time. Not only was it fun, but it made us feel so loved and blessed. They were pretty sneaky so we never discovered their identity, but thank you whoever you are!!

Very Merry,

D

D-Day Breakdown

I can't believe that my Little Lady has already been with us for over a week! It has been such a joy to watch her change and grow on a daily basis. So far, she is just a fun, cuddly, happy baby who lets me sleep most of the night... Can you believe it? Me neither!

D-Day still seams pretty surreal. Going to the hospital with my mom and dad just seemed like another doctor visit until I stepped foot in the operating room. My amazing and gracious doctor allowed both of my parents to be in the room (even though the hospital usually only allows one person) and it was such a blessing for them to be there. Since I had a drape three inches in front of my face during the c-section, all I could do is listen to what was going on and watch my parents faces as they witnessed Little Lady coming into the world. She put on quite the show too!

From the accounts of my doctor and parents, Caleneigh came out waving. Although it's a cute story to tell,  seeing an arm first is actually one of the worst things to happen during child birth because it means the baby is completely sideways and you can't pull her out by her arm as it will break or dislocate. So after what felt like a deep cleaning of my rib cage, Caleneigh came out into the world. It turned out that she had been transverse because the cord had been wrapped around her neck for sometime. The process of getting her out took about half an hour and my doctor said it was one of the most challenging c-sections she had ever had. I hope that isn't a foreshadowing of any kind... My dad was able to cut the umbilical cord, something he hadn't done since I was born...

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It is hard to describe the feelings that came over me when I first heard her cry. That was my Little Lady screaming and whimpering. As cliche as it sounds, it really was music to my ears. I wasn't able to hold her right away since I was still being sewn up, but the nurse brought her to me. It was all a blur, literally, since I was overcome with emotions as reality finally set in that I was a mother and this was my daughter. I was warned that there was nothing that could prepare me for how quickly and deeply I would fall in love with that baby, and it was absolutely true... I was in love at first sight.

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While I was in the recovery room working off the meds, my mom took Little Lady for an afternoon at the spa, or so I call it. She was weighed, washed and got her hair did before being bundled up and brought back to me.

I stayed in the hospital for four days and was graciously visited by my loving step-father, aunt, cousin, church friends, and even my English professor from this last semester. My favorite and most helpful visitors were of course my parents, the newly titled "Nana" and "Papa" who were there every day for hours on end.

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It's only been a week, but I fall in love with my Little Lady more and more every day. I take pictures of her hourly and I think my lips have a magnetic connection to her chubby cheeks as I can't stop giving her kisses... Not that I want to stop! It's so much fun to have her in my life (although I am still trying to catch up on some sleep) and can't wait for the continued adventures and memories to be built.

Falling In Love and Falling Asleep,

D