Birth announcement

 So we finally got Emma Bug's birth announcements made!  She's six weeks old today.  I can't believe she's growing so fast.  These photos were taken by my dear friend Laura Johnson when baby was 10 days old.  She is so talented and I'm glad she captured my girls smiling.  The feet are Claire's and Emma's.  It's sentimental because Claire's feet look so great from her treatments for club foot and Emma's feet were perfectly perfect when she was born. We are so thankful we didn't have to go through the club foot experience with Emma.

Enjoy looking at those beautiful faces.

Photo Card

View the entire collection of cards.

growing

Goin' for a walk!

Love the daddy!

My baby girl is growing like a weed. I can't believe she's already six weeks old! Here are some fun things about Claire:

Favorite time: feeding time!
Favorite thing to do: snuggle with mommy and daddy
She loves to smile!
She giggles in her sleep.
Momma and daddy could stare at her all day
Hair is growing longer and longer
Getting hiccups is a routine part of the day, several times during the day.
Only cries when she's hungry or trying to pass gas!

Claire has one more set of casts, which she will get on Monday, June 20 and have until July 1st then she's DONE! All she will have are braces on her feet and legs. My baby girl is a trooper and has done so well with her treatments for club feet.

She is the most beautiful baby in the world.

I always tell Kory I can't wait for her to sleep through the night, though she is a good sleeper anyway.

It's so precious to me how much her Auntie Kali (Kory's only sister) loves her! Kali came home from work during her lunch break on Sunday just because she knew Claire would be there. She came in, said hi to us and Jase (her son), quickly grabbed a plate of food and went into the living room, where Claire was contentedly lying on the floor looking around, and laid right next to her for her entire lunch break. The two of them just talked and played (as much as a 6-week-old can do) and it was so sweet. Kali didn't even join us at the dinner table. I think she barely said 5 words to us. Then Kali told Claire she was sad to have to go back to work. Auntie Kali is in love with the baby and I think it's just about the most precious thing ever. I wish I had a picture!

That's all for the updates. I'll try more later!

The Best Mother's Day Present...EVER!

So, the evening of Cinco de Mayo my membranes released (water broke) and the next day at 4pm Claire Leinani Sekaquaptewa was born. We immediately fell in love with all 5lbs. 10oz. and 18 inches of her. She was perfect and beautiful, club feet and all! I was planning on being at school that Friday morning, but after laboring all night at home, I checked into the hospital around 7am and the rest is history! She decided she wanted to come 5 weeks early.

This baby girl is enamored with her daddy, loves snuggling with momma, and knows exactly how to play the "cute" card. She is loved by so many people but most of all by her momma and daddy. She makes momma's heart melt when she reaches for and grabs my finger during nursing time and she's a trooper with her casts on her feet. We love this baby and can't believe how much our lives have changed in the last 4 weeks. WOW! She's already 4 weeks old.

This is a great shot of her feet.

It was really nice not to have to worry about work, though I did think about my students every once in a while and hoped they were happy and well.

Mine and Kory's lives have completely changed....We wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

32 weeks

Updates? Really? You want updates? I haven't posted in so long. I want to post pictures, but have been having problems with posting them here. So, I suppose my updates won't be quite as exciting with just words.

Obviously, my belly is getting bigger and bigger. I've hit 32 weeks and am starting to actually feel pregnant. It's harder to put my shoes on, stand up after sitting too long, and other "pregnant" things. Kory and I are getting so excited to meet baby girl. She still doesn't have a first name, but her middle name will be Leinani, after her great-grandmother (Lynne's mother). I figured it would be appropriate because Kory's grandmother had a Liver transplant and some health issues she was able to overcome. Since our baby girl will likely have club feet when she is born, and I know she will be strong and able to overcome this trial so early in her life, Leinani works perfectly. The next step is to decide her first name. I think it's just going to have to wait until she is born.

Kory and I have been exploring "hypnobirthing." It's amazing and I am learning so much about giving birth and why women shouldn't have to feel pain during labor. I'll save my soap box about this whole thing for another post, but ever since I've gone to these classes, I wonder why our society is so backwards about the whole childbirth process. It's unreal!

We've just been keeping busy with work and school and preparing for baby. I feel like I still have so much more to do in order to feel ready for the baby to be part of our family. That's about all for now.