I can't believe it....
Six months ago this very evening we were at home. I was about six hours into my contractions and handling them pretty well. I was trying to stay relaxed with the help of a yoga ball. I was waiting on my sister to come back from a date with a girlfriend; she was bringing me salad.
The night wore on and soon there would be more pain but there would also be a side salad and Halloween specials. By 10:30 it was quite intense. A call to the hospital nurse would have me waiting at home till 1:30 Wednesday morning, October 25th. That was the last night we would be without our darling Aurelie.
It seems like it was yesterday that we were bringing her home. I remember thinking how delicate she was with her broken clavicle and being so cautious of how I was holding her. Now she's a tough little cookie. Her friend Sam has been showing her how to sit up by herself. I am certain that they are both going to start crawling soon.
Aurelie has her lower two teeth coming in and they sure are sharp; believe you me! We will find out how big she is in the beginning of May. Our rough estimation is 14 lbs 6 oz and about 25.5 inches. She still fits into a lot of her 3 month old clothes which is fine by me. We have had to retire a few of her baby things already and it's been hard. I can not imagine how parents who have fast growing children feel.
Though she may be smaller for her age she sure is smarter. She has been making kisses and we are starting to "give" them to people. We are also working on waiving. Her "high-5" isn't too shabby. Instead of slapping palms she sorta just rests hers in yours but it's still cute.
We are trying to plan our first mini vacation. Hubby and I think the beach would be a fun getaway. You can't fathom how close we came to making it a Disney Vacation. 8O Wish us luck on the car ride and good weather. That Memorial Day weekend will mark five years since hunny proposed to me in the San Juan Islands. Think, without that moment, I wouldn't have the perfect life I have now. There really is some reason and order to the chaos we call life.

Happy St. Patty's Day! Well, tiny is about five months now and growing like a weed. At her last appointment she was 24.5 inches and 13 lbs. 1 oz. She hadn't gained any weight for over a month so the 4 oz. gain was a good thing.
She is still a sweetie pie and cuter than ever. She laughs so much and just loves her daddy. He has the magic touch when it comes to making us giggle...even sometimes on purpose. ;)
Saturday night was a big milestone for her, by her, I mean me. She stayed the greater part of the afternoon and evening with someone other than a family member. She did better than I did apparently. We left her with my second mom who has been in my life for 21 years now so it wasn't too bad. I felt worse leaving a teething baby but she had some wonderful people caring for her. Her daddy, auntie, uncle, nana, and I had a wonderful time at Rain. Wow! I can't begin to describe what a wonderful concert it was. It was neat because Auntie even got to see one of her students there. Talk about a small world.
Nowadays, our favorite pastimes include blowing raspberries and drinking from cups. She loves to mimic you raspberry-ing. Of course, this means baby drool all over the place but it is just too endearing. I really don't know when she learned to drink from cups but you better be careful not to leave a cup within reach or she'll grab it and wear it.
I just can't get over how adorable she is and how much we love her. It makes me sad to think about all the little ones out there in the world that are not the center of their parents' universe. I did not know beauty or love till I had her. There is just nothing conditional about the feelings I have for her. She is just everything!
Just think, April showers are on their way along with her six month birthday. Till then, we wish you the best.

It's almost Valentine's Day and tiny is going on four months. She is doing so well developmentally. She is still standing like a pro and now, she can roll over both directions. She remains a stronger tummy to back roller but I'm sure she will get to the point where she can roll out of any situation.

Lately our little girl has really discovered books. Every night we read "Good Morning, Good Night" to her. It is a wonderful rhyming book with touch and feel pages. Her daddy reads the first line and then I come in with the next. I sign as much as I can and Daddy does some pretty funny voices. Unsurprisingly, she gets really excited over her Disney books! Ah, she is my daughter. He, he.

Another family trait, that she most likely gets from her Auntie Heather, is dancing. The little one loves to dance around. Uncle Steve got her a grooving hippo for Valentine's Day that plays "Call Me" and Aurelie will just stand in front of it and move along with the toy. She absolutely loves it!

Poor Aurelie and Sam have been so sick. The girls have been coughing, sneezing, and oozing for weeks now. Little Sam even had pink eye secondary to the cold. She is such a little trooper. We are so lucky to have her with us. She keeps both Aurelie and I smiling all day long. :) We do think the tinies are on the up swing so let's keep our fingers crossed for their speedy recovery.

I am sure there is tons of information that I am forgetting right now. She changes so much minute to minute that it's hard for me to keep up...though I do have to say, I am loving the ride!

Well she is 3 months old now. We finally got to her two month check up which had been rescheduled five times due to weather, power outages, or ice. She is 12 lbs. 5 oz. and 23.5 inches long! We were demonstrating our standing skills for Dr. Milam (she can stand up against the sofa by herself) when she decided to projectile pee, missing the wee wee guard and hitting the table and floor. It was pretty impressive actually. Even the doctor was amazed at how much urine came out of such a tiny person. Ah, what can you say, she drinks like a fish. ;)

I just can't get over how fast she is growing. I mean 3.5 inches in three months is pretty impressive in my book. The only thing I've ever had grow that fast was maybe my waistline. He, he. She is doing all the things she should and maybe a few of the things she shouldn't. Like I said, she can hold herself up while standing and we are working on sitting unassisted reliably. Right now she can keep balanced for a few minutes but does end up tipping to one side or the other. Really, she does better standing than sitting. Odd huh?

We also managed to be apart for two days! It did end up being harder on me. Auntie Heather loved having her and was able to put several hats on her throughout the day (she has a hat fetish). Abuelo got a fun surprise for his birthday when he was changing Aurelie. Somehow that tricky baby managed to write Feliz Cumpleanos Abuelo on the outside of her diaper. He wanted to keep it but luckily Abuelita was there to stop him. He, he. It makes me so happy to know that she has all these caring people in her life. She truly is blessed, as am I, to have all this support and love.

The seminar went well and should help us to invest wisely. We hope to have her college taken care of, as does every parent I'm sure. I just really want her to enjoy her education which is really hard to do when you work multiple jobs. I also wouldn't mind having the house paid off in a few more years. ;) We'll see.

As it is, she is starting to awaken and babble at me so I will just say thanks for being a part of our lives.

The little bugger has done it again! She has managed to make it snow more so we had to reschedule her two month appointment yet again so that we can have Grampa present while we are getting our inoculations. What fun huh? She now will be seeing Dr. Milam on the 25th. What a great three month birthday gift, getting shots and watching mommy cry; good times, good times.

Aurelie is getting a new playmate at the end of January, little Samantha. They will be the dynamic duo of Sam and Lee...though that does sound like a used car dealership. I'll come up with something else. We really are so excited! She is the cutest little thing, next to our baby of course. She is just all smiles and personality. She's only about a month older than Aurelie. Now, the age gap seems so important but really, in about five more months you won't be able to tell a difference. It will be awesome having a close friend with us everyday. :)

Monday and Tuesday are going to be the biggest test of trust I've ever had to face thus far. Hubby and I have a two day seminar. When I say two day, I mean it. Monday is from 9 am to 9 pm and Tuesday, though shorter, is still 8:30 am to 5 pm. So I have to trust that someone else will take good care of our Aurelie. The longest day will be spent with Auntie Heather. Auntie is really great with the baby and was actually the first person that babysat. However, I haven't been away for more than three hours so this whole 15 hours without the tiny is going to be so hard...for ME. Then Abuelo gets her Tuesday, which just so happens to be his birthday. !Feliz Cumpleanos Abuelito! I hope this will count towards a birthday gift. *fingers crossed

At this point, Sweet Pea is talking an awful lot. She loves it when you roll your tongue and Nana's monkey face. She's getting so big too. She's been sitting up against things like the sofa, and yesterday she was standing all by herself while holding onto my shirt. She's got some strong legs. Maybe, in addition to dance and soccer, she'll go into gymnastics. Who knows; at this point all doors are open to her.

Our family hopes all is well with you and yours. Best wishes!

Happy New Year everyone! Sorry that I have not added anything to this blog. I am so bad at this. Unfortunatly, any free time I have is generally not spent on this site. I will make a resolution to be a little more on top of things for Aurelie's sake. ;)

I have to say that after talking to other mom's, I was pretty lucky in the delivery. I was up and going with just the slightest of waddles the next day. The baby was born with a broken clavical on her right side but you never had known from her temprament.

This baby has really experienced a lot in her short little life. Less than a week after being born, we have a flood to rival Noah's and Daddy and Nana can not make it home to Duvall. Luckily, Auntie was a life saver and kept the two of us from loosing it too badly. Then, after the wettest month in recorded history for Seattle, we have Snow, in November, a rare event. The baby did like going out at night to take some pictures. She loves the outdoors, what little of them she's gotten to enjoy with the weather. Then we have a tornado inspired windstorm that leaves us without power for six days. Luckily, everything the babe needs runs on batteries or walks on two feet. ;) We also managed to stave off pertosis, shingles, rotovirus, and the seasonal flu. This baby is going to have the BEST immune system ever!

The holidays were great for us. I'm sure hunny and I got more out of them then she did but she can always look back at pictures and watch family videos to see how much love she had surrounding her.

Thank you for being a part of our family.

It's October...We're actually in October now. We have 19 days left! It's crazy. I can't believe all the stuff we have to do to get ready. I feel sorry for those out there that have unplanned blessings; we've been preparing for years and I still feel like I'm running out of time. I can't imagine how I would be handling things if I only had the 9 months to get everything in order.
As you can see the nursery is coming along. We actually have furniture in the space but there are little details, like the hand-painted knobs that I still need to finish, that are making the room not quite "picture perfect" yet. He, he. I'm procrastinating on packing our hospital bag. I think it is my attempt at denial. Besides, our family runs so late that it will be an induction on the 25th so I won't have anything to worry about. ;) I really think I'm excited, just a little overwhelmed. However, it seems like I'm the only one. Nana, Auntie, and Hubby all would love her out now...I think I want to enjoy these last moments of just her and I, a little longer. I know, I'm selfish. Anyway, please keep your fingers crossed for us that all goes well. :)