Guess which kid....

 This is a fun blog!   So everyone thinks Talia looks like Alaina...however I think she looks much more like Kylan...So what do you think?  Below I have grouped similar poses/age pictures of all 3 kids.  Can you figure out which is which?  Answers are revealed below, so scroll slowly.... 

From top to bottom: Talia, Alaina, Ky

Top to bottom: Ky and Talia

From Top to Bottom:  Talia, Alaina, Ky

From top to bottom:  Alaina, Ky, Talia

So, how'd you do?

Heaven Sent Dew...

Makes the grass smell wonderful in the morning.  It makes the earth so much livelier and all seems so magical--it didn't rain and yet the Earth has been renewed...Such an appropriate name for our little girl.

She has definitely renewed our lives and outlook.  She energizes our desire to be better.  She seems so magical and yet we know that God gave her to us.  We are blessed.

This blog covers Talia's first 10 days at home.  Surprisingly they were very easy days at home.  The kids were adjusting well and Talia slept like a champ!  She was doing 4 hour stretches at night.  We were amazed.  She is definitely our best sleeper yet.

Ky & Laina did very well with the initial adjustment of Talia.  They wanted to hold her ALL the time.  We had to actually start telling them "no".  They would ask when it just wasn't convenient and you can only crouch down next to them for so long.

On Saturday (5 days old) Pops & Debi came to visit.  Debi was so happy that she finally got her "I(Talia)n granddaughter.  (Get it--iTALIAn? HA!)  They took Ky & Laina out for the afternoon and also dropped off a bunch of meals.  It was such a blessing to have the afternoon with Rob & Talia.  Talia slept and we went for some burgers.  YUM!  Then afterwards we stopped at a few garage sales.  It was a good time.

Pops & Debi took Alaina & Ky to McD's for lunch and then shopping.  Grandma Debi bought Alaina some silver dress shoes--and she LOVES them.  She wears them all the time!  She calls them her sparkly shoes.  The kids also picked out a bunch of stuff at the Dollar store.  I know they felt LOVED & got some good spoiling--something they don't get much of.  Once they came back to the house G. Debi set up an Easter egg hunt for the kids in the backyard.  (Easter was too wet to have an Easter egg hunt and Ky was disappointed.  G'ma Debi was so thoughtful to do this for him!)  Thanks so much Pops & Debi for giving the kids an unforgettable afternoon. 

I also need to add that Debi had heart surgery later that week.  She went to the hospital on Monday and they doctor's found blockage in her heart.  We are so grateful for the expertise of doctors and God's hand in this situation to keep her safe.  Please keep her in your prayers as she is still recovering and having to deal with changes in lifestyle. 

So  you notice the lots of cute little naked pics of Talia--babies are SO cute and they grow and change SO quick, it is amazing how quick they fill out and turn into this little person.  I really wanted to capture some of those first moments so I don't forget how infants are.  For example, all the wrinkles on the back--that only happens with new babies.  And then their inclination to be in their fetal position.  Talia's legs were (she doesn't do it anymore--too big :( ) crossed in the womb so for the first month she always crossed them.  Their little legs are also very "bowed" looking--but straighten in the first couple of months. 

The red outfit Talia is in is one of the first outfits I bought for Alaina.  I think Alaina wore it once before she outgrew it.  Talia outgrew it by 1 month old.  Looking at her pics though, you can see how it is actually big on her (the pants were falling off) and now 1 month later the shirt is too small and the pants fit fine. 

Back to Talia's first week home.  Monday (Day 7) we all walked together to Kylan's school for Kindergarten introduction.  Ky really enjoyed showing off his baby sister (and still does).  Alaina as well.  They would say (and still say)-"We have a new baby!"  And Alaina adds "her name is Talia Rose."  It is very cute!  So the teachers got to see Ky's new sister.  It was nice to be able to walk Ky around the classroom and show him where things are at and what he can expect.  He seemed to take it all in stride. 

The next day we walked to Culver's for our first family custard outing.  The kids really enjoyed it (of course!)  Rob and I were a bit exasperated by the end.  Ky & Laina were starting to act up and well, we just don't appreciate that behavior.  Since then we have noticed a change (increase) in naughtiness.  I am sure this is just because of the new adjustment in their lives.  Hopefully things will go back to normal soon. 

The next day was windy, but we took a family walk anyway.  I noticed Alaina hanging on to her hair.  I asked her why, and she told me she didn't want her "piggy tails to fly away."  (Very cute).  So yes she hold on to them for much of the walk.  Silly girl!

Well I think that pretty much wraps up Day 10 for Talia.  I should probably also add that as of day 7 she started crying...(in my previous blog I mentioned that she hardly ever cries)  It appears she figured out that the "crying" thing gets her food/held/diaper change--so yeah--she uses that a lot now!  (But not in a colicky way--she really is a good baby.) 

Next blog--MARCH!  (and then another baby update--I gotta keep up with those she is growing SO FAST!)

February 2011

Feb 20011!

Wait a second...it's almost June! What is wrong with me!!!



Well better late than never...and yes more Talia updates & pics soon--I cannot deny you pictures of one of the three most beautiful children ever, and let me tell you she is gorgeous and GROWING like a weed!

So not many pics in February. I did not have a new camera yet and was using the old one so I didn't take many pics.

As far as pregnancy--this was the month I had extra ultrasounds to check on Talia. We were reassured with the first that Talia was fine--however underweight. Then our following ultrasound revealed we had a healthy girl of 4 lbs 11 oz at 32 weeks. (And yes, I asked them to confirm that the baby was a girl every time--even though I had seen it for myself, I was still in somewhat disbelief--after all this is me--I have been around boys my whole life and never imagined I would have one girl let alone two. Also the pregnancy was going so well, it just resembled Ky's much more than Alaina's.

Anyway, at the first ultrasound, I dropped Ky & Laina off with a friend. At that play date, Ky slipped and fell and hurt his arm. When my friend told me about it, I didn't think anything of it. Ky was acting fine. I did look later that day and noticed his wrist was a and he yelled. I looked down and noticed his wrist was still quite swollen. I ended up taking him to urgent care (it was a Saturday)--and wouldn't you know--it was broken. The doc said he had a buckle fracture. Basically the bone was misshaped. They put him in a splint and said he needed to wear it for at least 4 weeks. WOW! Boy didn't I feel like a bad mom. The doc reassured me that even she didn't take her own daughter in for an xray when she hurt her leg once. Several days later they had also discovered it was broken. Well, I did feel a little better.

Ky was such a brave guy. I couldn't go into the xray room since I was pregnant. He went with the nurses and did a great job. It was also somewhat ironic that Nana had also broken some bones in her wrist about the same time. They had matching splints which was rather cute in an odd sort of way. Ky was pretty proud.

Feb was a pretty emotional month for me with the pregnancy scare, the political stuff going on, and then the additional subbing I was doing as well as concern over a close friend who fell ill. Looking back on that month--I am glad it was a short one. I usually dislike the month of February because it feels like it just drag, but the business and stuff I was dealing with made the time fly.

I did find joy in a few things, like buying Alaina and Talia matching sweaters (my first matching gender purchase.) They won't wear them for another year yet, but hey--it's the little things! :) Alaina also was enjoying playing doctor with my tummy. She would often take the stethoscope and listen for the baby's heartbeat. I know she had no idea what was going on, but boy did it melt my heart!

In February, I also started to help out a friend by watching her two foster girls one to two times a week. They were beautiful twin girls--and boy did they touch my heart. Their story was sad, but their smiles were priceless. These little girls brightened everyone's day. They were 7 months old--so it was also nice to introduce Ky & Alaina to what it was like being around babies. Alaina did very well (though she was rough, she was very loving.) Ky was a natural helper. He would feed them bottles, bring them toys and play with them.

Rob and I have talked about fostering in the future and these two girls just drove home the need for loving families to show children such as these what family life should be like. No matter how small of a time you have with them--you do make an impact. Someday in the future (I am talking years--we need our kids to be a bit older before we are ready), I hope that we can also have the opportunity to love some children who need that extra support.

Well--I think that wraps up February. Next March--Isn't that pathetic. I think I will do a Talia update first! She is growing SO FAST! *SIGH* Well, all I can do is to try to treasure each moment as much as possible. I love that girl--she has truly melted my heart (just like Ky & Laina).