Thursday, December 31, 2009

Susannah update: six weeks

Has it been six weeks already since sweet Susannah joined us? So hard to believe! The weeks are flying past, and my tiny girl is already losing her newborn look and growing by the day. She is much more alert now and will sometimes cry just because she can't see me nearby. We're also seeing her first tiny smiles. Daddy has coined a few nicknames for her because of her unique communication style, my favorites being Susannahsorus (because she sounds like a little dinosaur) or Susannah Grunt (rather than Susannah Grant).

Aaron continues to make the adjustment to being a big brother, and is learning to share. Yesterday he brought his guitar - the prized Christmas gift - to his baby sister, laid it across her in the bouncer seat, and said "wanna play guitar, little girl?" He also pays special attention to her when she's sitting in her swing. He'll get very close and ask if she's feeling okay, push her seat, or pat her feet. There are times when he struggles with having to share his mama, and he'll ask if we can put her to bed, but after a few extra cuddles he's back to playing with his toys and being a crazy two year old.

We're late for everything these days, so it's no surprise that her one month portraits didn't get taken until six weeks. Even then, her photo session was squeezed between my morning shower, brother's nap time, and a load of laundry. It's all part of life with little ones, this running in a million different directions at once. Enjoy these photos of our precious babe (and hopefully month two will be more timely!).










Saturday, December 26, 2009

Our family Christmas card 2009



I had good intentions of writing a letter to go along with our cards this year, but two little kiddos have kept me from spending any quality time with my computer lately. The year isn't over yet, so I may get to it still. Stay tuned!

Finding Peace at Christmas

To say that Christmas isn't my favorite time of year would be an understatement. With a long history of December drama among extended family members and the stresses of overly busy schedules, endless shopping lists, and a good dose of seasonal affective disorder, it just gets worse and worse every year. Last year, I made it my goal to find ways to calm the craziness and craft a more peaceful Christmas celebration for our family. So what did I do? I went and had a baby 5 weeks before the holiday. Hmm.... maybe not the best way to introduce calm into our lives.

I'm learning that, for me, Christmas has absolutely nothing to do with December 25. I think that date on the calendar may have been corrupted beyond redemption by our cultural insistence to consume, consume, consume. So I'm giving it all up. I realize how much expectation I've put on that day, and I'm just letting it go. December 25 is going to be a stressful, emotionally charged day for the foreseeable future, and I'm not going to fight it anymore. What I'd like to do is find ways to spread out the celebrating. Make Christmas a whole month of special things. It will be my way of keeping Christmas in a way that extended family drama and long to-do lists can't touch. Perhaps finding joy and peace will come more easily this way.

There were a few moments this Christmas that were bursting with joy and peace, so I'm holding on tight to those tiny beacons:
  • Having my dearest friend, Rebecca, come from California for a week to help us recover from the chaos that our second child has introduced. She left us much better than she found us, with all our clothes and dishes washed, our Christmas shopping finished, and a menu and shopping list written out for Christmas dinner. She put love into action and served us better that we deserved - exactly what the Christmas story is all about.
  • Our first Christmas eve service with our family at Westminster Presbyterian Church, raising our voices together in verses of "Silent Night" as the soft glow of candles illuminated the faces of families we love doing life with.
  • Dancing with my son by the Christmas tree, hearing his little voice wish me a "Merry Mismas."
  • Singing carols to our children at bedtime. It didn't matter that we'd often stumble over the words once we got past the first verses of our favorites. It mattered that we were together, making joyful noise.
  • Rocking my baby daughter to sleep and thinking about that other baby of long ago. It's been a special blessing to have a newborn at Christmas time, as it makes more concrete the shocking reality that Jesus, creator of the universe, became so tiny, so vulnerable, all for my sake.
I'm so thankful for these simple gifts - a wonderful husband and beautiful, healthy children; a place to worship freely, and a church family who knows and loves us; most importantly, a God who loves me with reckless abandonment and who gave it all that I might find peace at Christmas and always.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Pictures!

I feel awful that I haven't had my camera out more... but my hands are usually full of other things when Kodak moments happen. I guess it really is true that younger siblings get the short end of the stick when it comes to documentation.

But here are a few:

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Our growing girl...

Miss Susannah is growing like a weed. At the 2 week mark, she weighed in at 10 pounds. By three weeks, she was up to 10.5. In an effort to avoid unnecessary trips to the pediatrician, I've been weighing her myself on our postage scale. It's quite a sight to see my baby laying in a pyrex dish atop the scale. Buy, hey, whatever works, right?

I saw this little cartoon on another friend's blog, and can't stop laughing. Here's our life in stick figures...


So funny!

Monday, November 30, 2009

Susannah's Story : the very beginning

DISCLAIMER: the following is a pretty detailed account of Susannah's birth. If you're uncomfortable with risking TMI, you might want to stop reading now. I won't be offended, I promise. :-)

It's been more than a week now since our sweet Susannah made our little trio into a quartet, and there's so much I've wanted to get down on paper (or blog, as the case may be) before it starts getting fuzzy around the edges. Her birth was both the most difficult and most beautiful experience of my life, the pain and the love all tangled together now.

Susannah's birth story begins on Thursday night, the 19th. After nearly two weeks of false labor and a lot of discomfort, I was really ready to have this baby. Aaron and I took a long walk around the nearby mall, then met Mike for dinner at Ol*ve Garden. As I got ready for bed later that evening, I pulled out a clean t-shirt to put on - my old Calvin Streetfest tee from my freshman year of college. It was the shirt I wore during my labor with Aaron, and I sort of chuckled to myself as I fished it from the back of the drawer... "Wouldn't it be funny if after all the long walks and visits to the chiropractor, all it takes is this shirt to get my labor going?"

My sleep that night was amazingly peaceful. My bladder only woke me twice, and my two year old, who'd been waking from bad dreams with some regularity, didn't make a peep. With most recent nights full of tossing and turning and hours spent on the downstairs couch, this was a welcome break.

My restful sleep was disturbed at about 6:30am. "Did I just wet the bed," I wondered in a sleepy haze? As I waddled into the bathroom, it began to dawn on me what was happening. My water had broken, the slow trickle announcing the imminent arrival of my baby. My t-shirt had done the trick! I called downstairs for Mike, who was just about to leave for work, and together we managed to mop up my leakage and call Hillary, our midwife.
"Good morning, Hillary, my water just broke." Her reply made my smile: "Oh, thank goodness!" I wasn't the only one getting impatient. With no contractions yet, I asked her if I should send Mike to work, but she insisted he stay put, and she would come right over.

The party slowly grew as the morning wore on. Hillary arrived and checked my progress: 3cm, 80% effaced. Contractions had started, but were light. Tera, Hillary's wonderful assistant, arrived soon, too. Aaron helped Mike inflate the birthing tub, and he really wanted to go for a swim as Mike began to fill it with warm water. He eventually stopped trying to take his shirt off and settled for letting his rubber ducky float around in his stead. Before long, he headed to the Anderson's house for the day to play with James and Eli. Photographer Eileen finished a session and hurried over. LeAnn got to work to find her database way behind schedule, and when all the work she could accomplish for the day was done, her boss graciously let her go for the day. My birth team was fully assembled! Mike and I took a walk through the neighborhood (it was an unusually bright and warm day for mid-November), pizza was ordered for lunch, and the girl talk was interrupted only every 7-8 minutes by my contractions, during which the room got very, very quiet . I was having too much fun for my body to be very productive, so Hillary sent me upstairs where it was quiet.


By 2pm, things had taken a more serious turn. Contractions were stronger and required more of my concentration. I tried reading, but had to put the book down before long. The tub was ready for me to sink into, but I wanted to save it for when things got harder, so I sat on the floor, moved to the bed, got into the shower, then finally turned to the tub for some relief. If my body got too comfortable in any one place, things would slow down a little, and Hillary would encourage me to change positions again.

Mike put on his swim trunks in the early evening and helped me into a second shower. I'm so glad he was there for support, since Transition happened, and I was hit by some of the most intense contractions of the night. It was wonderful to have him there to rub my back and stroke my hair, assuring me that I'd get through these hard moments. LeAnn stood in the bathroom with us, encouraging words at the ready. This shower is where I also started to sing during contractions, and I was amazed at how much that helped distract me from the pain. As a contraction grew, I'd life my voice as best as I could: "The Lord is my shepherd / He makes me lie in pastures green / He leads me beside quiet waters that wash over me..."


Now back in the tub, sitting on the birthing stool, I had just a lip of cervix that wouldn't give way. As I worked through contractions, about 2 minutes apart now, Hillary would try to help move it out of the way. Yes, this hurt a lot. I started to "sound pushy," Hillary said, so at 8pm, I got off the birthing stool and began to push. This was the hardest work yet, but it was amazing that I could actually feel my baby moving down with each good push. I'll always remember the feel of Mike holding my left hand and LeAnn on my right, giving me support and encouragement and letting me squeeze against them when I needed to. "I wish we could each take a little bit of the pain," LeAnn had said earlier in the afternoon, and this was the moment she was able to. Having such loving friends around me did help ease the pain, and I am so thankful to have had them there. They each were God's grace for the moment.


Susannah finally slid into Daddy's hands ("9:17, folks," LeAnn called out with much excitement), and he lifted her out of the water and onto my chest. The relief was immediate, and Mike and LeAnn joined me in singing the Doxology over her. Our beautiful girl was here, pink and healthy. As I got out of the tub and into bed, I watched Mike cradle this tiny new person in his arms. I watched my husband fall in love with another girl, and I enjoyed every moment of it.



Susannah brought a few wonderful surprises with her. First was the fact that she weighed nine pounds! When Mike first slid her up into my arms, I thought "Oh, good! She is tiny!" None of us could believe what the scale read just an hour later. I was also surprised by how well she nursed right from the start. With Aaron, we'd had so much trouble with feeding, and I was mentally prepared for the same battle with this little one. But she latched right on as soon as I was out of the tub and warming up in bed. What a happy discovery that was! Finally, I think I was expecting her to look a lot like Aaron, but she looks totally different. It's a good reminder that she's her own person with her own story.

This was a difficult birth - much harder than birthing Aaron. Being at home, in my own clothes, my own space, my own bed, on my own terms, really gave me the extra strength I needed. I loved looking at photos of my family hanging on my bedroom walls. Loved listening to my birth mix on my iPod (and discovering that Hillary, too, loves Over the Rhine, almost as much as I do). Loved being able to invite anyone I wished to be part of the experience, then watching God orchestrate all the details just perfectly for us. As hard as it was, I could not have wished for a better birth experience.

This week together has brought a lot of laughter and tears. The tears have mostly been mine, thanks to the hormonal roller coaster I'm now riding. But the laughter surely outweighs any sad feelings. It strikes us with much humor that one of my internal organs (placenta) is double bagged in our freezer. We've learned to duck and dodge Susannah's poop squirts, which happen regularly as soon as her diaper comes off. The first incident took four hands and 30 minutes to recover from, but now we've learned to take cover. Aaron has attached himself to one of the fuzzy pink blankets Susannah received as a gift, and he now sleeps with it and carries it everywhere. It's pretty hilarious to watch our two year old boy parade around with his pink blankie, but if it helps him to feel more connected to his new baby sister, we're all for it. And our Wednesday evening trip to Me*jer ended with the van pulled to the side of the road so I could nurse Susannah while Mike fed newly purchased cottage cheese to Aaron. Both kids had a total hunger meltdown, and it was tempting to berate ourselves for being so adventurous. Instead, we chose to laugh about it. "This is just how we do things, right" Mike joked at the height of the stress. "We do things together."

Susannah Grant, we're so glad you're here. So glad we're all together.


Eileen of EM Photography captured Susannah's birth in the most beautiful way. To see the slideshow, click here. I've edited the images included, so there's nothing too graphic.

Friday, November 27, 2009

Thanksgiving Foursome


We had a wonderful Thanksgiving feast with the Anderson family. So much to be thankful for this year!

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Thankful Thursday (except it's Wednesday :-)

Have you seen the Gratitude challenge that's making its way around Facebook? Many of my friends have chosen to post one thing daily they are thankful for. While I'm not officially joining the challenge, I'm making a one-day exception. Today is my due date, and there is much to be thankful for.

  • I'm thankful that my body has been up to the task of carrying this sweet little person for the past 40 weeks. All indicators say she's healthy and active. Praise God for this miracle!
  • I'm thankful for the freedom to plan my birth according to my own wishes. Most women around the world don't have this luxury, so I'm not taking for granted that I've been able to weigh my options and make informed decisions about my own health care and that of my children.
  • I'm thankful for the wonderful care givers who have looked after us. Hillary, our midwife, has provided the most personal, gentle care, and I cannot wait to have her attend our birth. Dr. Tony has made sure my body is in tip-top shape for birthing, and his encouragement and extra care in these past few weeks has been such a source of comfort. He's as anxious as we are to welcome our little one into the world (and start her chiropractic care!). There are unnamed lab technicians, ultrasound techs, nurses and insurance company employees who have each contributed to the success of my care. I'm grateful that God has gifted each one of them with specialized knowledge and the passion to share it with us.
  • I'm so very thankful for the wonderful friends who have supported our family during this pregnancy. Our freezer has meals waiting in it already, thanks to the ladies in my bible study group. I was blessed by a small but mighty group of friends at my Mother's Blessing a few weeks back, and having them pray over me was very moving. There have been emails and facebook comments of encouragement. Some have even taken Aaron for a play date so I could rest when needed. I have an amazing support network!
  • Our church family has diligently covered us in prayer. Since announcing our pregnancy just after Easter, our names and due date have been listed among the prayer needs in our weekly bulletin, and these needs are also prayed for during our worship service. What a blessing to have church family who takes seriously the privilege of prayer! To be a part of a covenant community, where we are truly invested in doing life together, is such a special gift. Thank you, Lord, for Westminster Presbyterian Church, and for leading our family to join their flock.
I'm looking forward to the gratitude that will come after labor and birth. It's so easy to get caught up today in the discomfort of pregnancy and the anxiety of waiting, but I'm choosing instead to let my heart sing... "Praise God from whom all blessings flow..."

Sunday, November 15, 2009

A family of 3 (for now)

We're all on pins and needles waiting for baby girl to join our little party, so while I wait, thought I'd post a last picture of our family of 3. We've been soaking up the time together - today's adventure was a long family walk to the neighborhood pond where Aaron could chase the geese and run around for a bit.


I remember this waiting just before Aaron was born, and it feels so very different this time around. With Aaron, I was clinging to pregnancy, partly frightened by the huge changes that lay in store for Mike and I, partly intimidated by the prospect of labor, and partly because I just loved having Aaron all to myself and birthing him meant I'd have to share him. :-) In general, this has been a much more difficult pregnancy, so I'm 100% ready to be done. Ready to face labor and it's temporary discomforts; ready for the change that's coming to our family trio. We've seen first-hand that children are, indeed, a blessing from the Lord, and we're so anxious to add one more to the mix.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

A Midwife for Mama

"Aren't you nervous," someone recently asked me, "about not going to a hospital to have your baby?"

I'm not nervous one little bit because...

I'll have Aaron here to midwife for me. Just after these pictures he told me to "Lay down and rest!" I think he's got it all under control. :-)

Monday, September 28, 2009

Aaron's 2-year portraits: behind the scenes

I know another photographer who says she's rather pull out her own teeth than photograph her children. I'm beginning to understand what she means. It seems like all the location details, outfit planning, and kid cooperation comes unraveled as soon as I pull out the camera.

Mike gave Aaron a bath just before heading out for our session, and Aaron begged for some "lotion" in his hair (gel). A little couldn't hurt, right? But it meant re-wetting his hair to get rid of the greasy, slicked look it gave our little guy. Not off to a great start.

I had agonized over wardrobe choices for these pictures, wanting him to look nicely put together, but not too nice. I still wanted him to look like himself. So we'd settled on jeans and a few t-shirts, all of which had been washed and ironed and hung up so as to look perfect. Who would have guessed that the snack in the car would have left big wet spots all down Aaron's front? Now we had a wet shirt as well as hair that was still wet from the last-minute washing. Ugh!

I was beginning to flip out a little at this point, and I hadn't even started photographing. Thankfully, my trusty assistant (Daddy) came to the rescue and dried the shirt over the car's air conditioning vent. I worked on Aaron's hair and got it looking good. We were in business! What we didn't know was that it was homecoming at many of the area high schools and dozens of dressed-up adolescent couples had flocked to the park for pictures at the same time as we did. Seriously?!?

But all's well that ends well. In the end, I think these hurdles forced us to sharpen our problem-solving skills and creativity, and made for even better pictures than I had hoped for. The images I'm loving the most aren't the ones I'd planned for, but just unfolded naturally. Stopping at the playground wasn't in my agenda, but Aaron's smile as he swings and slides is exactly what I was hoping to document in this session. Sometimes, it's about letting go, isn't it?

My super assistant, shirt-dryer, and laugh-maker... Daddy!


A quick outfit change in the parking lot...


One of my favorites:


To see his entire session, check out my post on our other blog. Or watch this slideshow.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

From D-Land

So here's a short letter to Aaron.
(thanks for the encouragement Auntie Rebo)

Aaron,
Your mom is an excellent writer and has done an amazing job at documenting your life. I am about one hundred blog posts (updates from Daddyland) behind and I apologize.

God has really blessed our family and allows Momma to work from home and take care of you. Daddy sometimes feels disconnected as I leave for work early in the morning, before you wake up and return later that evening. Please know that it brings me great joy when I call momma several times a day from work and check-in on the two (three) of you. Momma always provides updates on all your silly (and sometimes not-so-silly) behavior. We discuss the new words you have started to say and how many time-outs you have.

I recognized a few weeks ago, the significant amount of time you spend with your mom. When you and I were out for a walk, you turned to me and said something like,"c'mon momma." I did not have the heart to correct you. I just let the moment sink-in and smile with true joy.

My sweet boy, I must tell you, your playfulness makes me laugh...a deep, rich hearty laugh. I really enjoy making you laugh hysterically usually by spinning you around and then tickling you.
I love going for walks in the neighborhood with you and going to our special place - "yucky water",to look for "froggies" that jump in the water as we approach them and watching you pick up little rocks and throw them in the water. You wind-up like you are going to throw the rock across the pond but it usually goes about 12 inches away.

I love raising you and I am grateful to God for you. More posts to come (from Daddyland).

Love Always,
Daddy

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Thankful Thursday: Aaron Michael

Yesterday's post was a difficult one to write. There's just too much about my Aaron that I want to share with him about what life is like these days, and there's no way I could accurately express how much he is loved and cherished. So today, after all the birthday hoopla is finally coming to a close, I want simply to say how thankful I am for this wonderful boy. I figured a few photos might be able to tell the story better than my words ever could...




Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Turning Two

Dear Aaron,

Where has the year gone? I feel like it was just weeks ago that I was baking carrot cake cupcakes and hanging the birthday banner to celebrate turning one. And now you're already two?!? From what I hear, the years fly by faster and faster from here, so I'd better get used to it.

Just like I did a year ago, I feel a little sad today. My baby boy is another step closer to being all grown up. There have been so many times this year that I've wished I could bottle you up and keep you this age forever. Your energy and enthusiasm for life just astound me (wish I could bottle that up, too!), and the speed at which you're learning new concepts is mind-boggling. You have brought joy unimaginable to our lives, Aaron, and that joy seems to be growing right along with you.

A quick look at my big boy...
  • Your imagination is blossoming. One minute, Aaron the boy is playing with his Duplo blocks and building towers or houses, and the next minute I have Aaron the doggie scooting around on all fours, barking wildly. I love watching you use your creativity during playtime!
  • Coloring is a new favorite activity, too. Your favorite things to draw are circles (you call them "mickeys," since they look like Mickey Mouse) and you are always picking up crayons, pens, and markers to scribble here and there.
  • You've finally settled on Spicey Cat and your white blankie as bedtime buddies. I had to buy a second blankie that is identical so we could keep one in the wash rotation and always have a clean one on hand. Of course, your binkie is still your best friend, too.
  • Baseball, baseball, baseball is all you talk about some days! Daddy picked out a t-ball set for your birthday, and you headed outside with Dad and Grandpa Lloyd last night to play a few innings. When the sun finally disappeared and you had to come in, there were a lot of big tears, and the first toy you asked for when you woke up this morning was your baseball bat.
  • You're vocabulary and language skills are unbelievable. We call you our little copycat because you so frequently repeat whatever we say.
  • Broccoli is one of your favorite foods. Sometimes I wonder if you're really my kid. :-)
  • You're a dancing and singing machine! Current favorite tunes include "Sing, Sing, Sing" and "You Lifted Me Out" (you call it the woh woh song) by Chris Tomlin, and anything Wiggleworms. We sing a lot in the car, and I love hearing your little voice belt out a melody.
There are a million little details I wish I could record about who you are right now, but that would make this one very long letter. Instead, I'll just say again how much you are loved, how special you are to us, and how our family wouldn't be the same without you. Life is changing fast, little guy, and in just a few weeks you'll be a big brother, so I'm soaking in these final days of just the three of us.

Today I'm praising God for letting me be your mama, for bringing such a special boy into my life, and for giving me the tools I need to help grow you in the knowledge and grace of Jesus Christ. As Daddy said to you at dinner earlier this week, "You're the most wonderful boy I know!" I couldn't agree more!!!

Hugs and kisses to my favorite two-year-old,
Mama

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

I Heart Purple Cavaliers

When people ask me how Mike and I met, I often joke that it was in my backyard. That's true, since we met at a backyard BBQ my roommate and I were hosting. But to be more accurate, I should probably tell people I met him at my front door. I remember that summer night, six years ago, when I watched through the kitchen window as a purple Chevy Cavalier pulled up in front of our house and parked on the curb. A very cute guy got out of the car, and I hurried to fix my hair in the reflection of the microwave door as I silently cursed my roommate for not telling me any attractive, single men were on the guest list. I opened the door, our eyes met, and the rest is history.

Then came our wedding day. When our plans for transportation didn't work within our schedule quite the way we'd laid it all out, we just rolled with it and hopped into that same purple Cavalier. Mike insisted he spend a few minutes cleaning it out before letting his bride in, and I discovered that pounding dust out of the floor mats can, indeed, be a romantic gesture of the highest sort.


Most recently, Aaron and I begin watching carefully as the 5 o'clock hour approaches. We sometimes press our noses to the living room window, and other times take a little walk down the street. From inside or out, we're straining for that first glimpse of the purple Cavalier as it rounds the corner and heads for our driveway, announcing that daddy is home for the evening. What a welcome sight that rusty old car is!


So last night was bittersweet when we traded that purple Cavalier in for a newer family van. We were a little sad to see it go, to say goodbye to all those memories. "I've driven every one of those 155,000 miles," Mike said proudly. He was just 21 when he bought it new, and it was hard to let go of a car that has been a faithful friend and carried us through these early years of our marriage journey. But the road winds on ahead, and we'll be navigating it in our Toyota Sienna, with a couple of kids squawking from the back seats. Here's to the next 155,000 miles...

Monday, August 17, 2009

I'm a copycat

At the dinner table...

Daddy: Mama, these meatballs are yummy. What's in them?
Mama: Turkey, cranberries...
Aaron: Cranberries! Cranberries!
Mama: ...cheese...
Aaron: Cheese! Cheese!
Mama: ...and two apples...
Aaron: Two apples!

Mama and Daddy laugh at the little copycat who repeats everything, then Mama decides to play a little trick.

Mama: I'm a copycat
Aaron: meow!

:-)

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Tiny Talk Tuesday

There's a lot of talking happening at our house lately, but today, one word did the trick...

I met with our midwife, Hillary, this afternoon, and took Aaron with me to the appointment. He loves to help her take my blood pressure and listen to baby's heartbeat, although his interest in my belly is usually interrupted by the big box of toys in her office. But today, as the cold gel was squirted onto my bump and the Doppler began to draw circles, broadcasting that family whooshing of a heartbeat, he whispered only one word: WOW!

Couldn't have said it better myself.





And because a blog post is naked without a photo, here's a fun one:

Monday, July 27, 2009

Do you get excited by mail? We do!

Mail is a very exciting part of our day. Aaron gets quite upset if I make a trip to the mailbox without him, and he's a great helper, carrying all the junk mail back into the house for me. Today's mail was particularly exciting, since three packages arrived on our doorstep.


What could be in there? Lots of good stuff:

Aren't these cute? I won a contest on Glimpse last week, and got to choose my favorite pair of Jack and Lily shoes. I didn't expect them to arrive so quickly, or to be such great quality. Thanks, Glimpse!

Second package opened was this:

I've been researching diapers for a long time now, checking out all the deals on eBay and DiaperSwappers.com. These are Fuzzi Bunz Perfect Sized Diapers, for those who are wondering, and I bought 6 mediums. I am a big fan of one-size diapers, and did order 12 FB one-size, which should arrive next week. But this print isn't available in the OS, and I just couldn't pass up the deal. Hello, pink!

At this point in the mail opening, Aaron thought I was going too slow, so he grabbed the scissors and tried opening box #3 himself. Here's what we found inside:

More diapers! This is our stash of newborn prefolds, which I picked up on Diaperswappers.com for about $1 each. One size diapers are usually too big for newborns, so these will be our supply until baby girl packs on a few pounds. Who knew diapers were so exciting, right?

Of course, playing with the boxes was Aaron's favorite part of the whole process. He promptly made a boat out of the biggest one, and made "Toot, toot" boat noises while I examined my treasures.

You have to admit, this does make mail pretty exciting. :-)

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Vote for Aaron's messy face!


We usually don't enter cute baby photo contests, but the prize for this one caught my attention. $1000 gift card to one of my favorite photo equipment suppliers always comes in handy, right? :-) So I searched my photo archives and entered Aaron's messy face in the Messy Baby Faces Contest. Now we need your help. Would you take a minute to vote for us? His entry is here and you can vote once per day until the end of the month. Thanks!

Friday, July 10, 2009

Aaron's "Mowmower"

This is what it looked like the last time Aaron helped Daddy cut the grass.


A lot has changed since then, but A's enthusiasm for helping with chores has not. Any time he hears a lawnmower engine whirring somewhere in the neighborhood, he'll look at me quizzically and ask, "Dada... mowmower?" So when Dad pulled the lawnmower out of the garage yesterday, Aaron was just too excited - and Dad thought it was too cute to say no when Aaron wouldn't stop being helpful. They cut the whole front yard together...

Tuesday, June 30, 2009