The Bird's Nest

Bailey 7 Weeks

2012-01-28T14:46:00.001-07:00

I’m behind this week. Bailey will already be 8 weeks on Monday! I have one more week before I go back to work. I’m both excited and sad about that. Here is Bailey at 7 weeks:

Yes, her hair looks blond her….it seems every time I wash it it gets a shade lighter. Brooklyn did the same thing! Here is Brooklyn this past week :

She still a great big sister. She’s been really helpful lately, which is so nice! She’s still going to pre-school one day a week while I’m off and she’s having a hard time separating when I leave. Hopefully that gets better quickly when we get back to our normal routine! She is pretty hilarious at this age. She says things daily that make me laugh really hard. I don’t think I’d have enough space to write them all down!

I thought I’d do an experiment the other day even though I knew what the results would be. Some baby photos of me and Gavin as a baby and Bailey. We’ve already ascertained that she looks JUST like Brooklyn….

Me first. We have the same mouth and nose. Definitely not the same eyes, but hers having been looking consistently more blue…On to Gavin.

Well, shoot. Not much denying that, huh? Although, she and Gavin have the same nose and mouth too. Interesting. Maybe that’s how we manage to crank out identical kids ; )

Four

2012-01-20T12:27:00.001-07:00

Lately it’s happened a lot. I didn’t see this coming for some reason. We’ll be at the aquarium, or Explora, or the library, and someone will ask, “How old is your baby?” Followed by, “And your older daughter? And then, “Is it just the two of them?” Yes. No. I WANT to say I have four. FOUR kids. Sometimes I explain, sometimes I don’t. I’ve been struggling recently with their absence. I cried this morning and my three year old consoled me, saying the same things that I say to her every.single.day. “Mom, let’s talk about the boys. I want them to come back,” she says every night before bed. I grossly underestimated the impact it would have on her. It’s been three months and she still asks for them every day. I know they are okay. I know they will be okay. We are all okay. But would we have been better?

Tutus and Mohawks

2012-01-17T17:49:00.000-07:00

Bailey in her tutu. With a mohawk :)

6 Weeks

2012-01-16T20:47:00.001-07:00

Bailey is six weeks old today! See her above? I told you she is crazy strong! She does little baby push ups all the time. I have a hard time holding her sometimes because she is so squirmy and strong. She weighed 8 lbs 15 oz today. She’s starting to outgrow newborn pajamas. That makes me sad, lol. Brooklyn wore newborn clothes for.ev.er. Until she was almost five months old….so that is new for me! She has some interesting hair growth. Hardly any in the front, and a ton in the back. Do you like her comb-over? The jury is still out on her eyes. Yesterday they looked brown, today they look blue…who knows? I am still clinging to the fact that as her hair is brown, she MUST look like me. Right? Yeah, I know….she looks just like Brooklyn, who looks just like Gavin! She is still pretty sleepy, but doing well. She is also very spoiled. In the next three weeks we will be working on sleeping in places other than ON me, and taking a bottle better. She’s starting to smile more and more, and make little sounds. Brooklyn was a talker from day one, so the lack of noise is also new for me. Brooklyn is still adjusting really well. I love that she can articulate her insecurities about things without crazy tantrums. The other day she was like, “Mom, I have an idea, Bailey can stay in the bed until she cries, and you can come do a puzzle in my room!” I took that to mean she needed a little more attention. She LOVES this baby. I have to watch her because she will climb in the crib with Bailey and force her binky in her mouth or cover her all up with blankets. She will NOT, however, throw dirty diapers away for me. Smart girl. She’s getting so big, I can’t believe it sometimes. It’s funny how I was so resistant to her growing up until I had a tiny newborn. That could be a dangerous pattern, lol. Here she is the other day being a goof-ball:

Another one of my big girl:

We are all doing really well. We had some news on the boys. I was appreciative of the update. It is still difficult every day, but we are hanging in there. I have been missing them a lot. Here’s one more of my squishy, have a good week!

Twins?

2012-01-12T21:13:00.001-07:00

I don’t know…..do you think they look alike?

***There’s an update over there***

5 Weeks

2012-01-10T13:44:00.001-07:00

This little peanut is 5 weeks old (yesterday). She is too cute, if I must say so myself!!! She’s finally nursing exclusively and had gained 7 oz at her last weight check. She’s waking up a little more, but still just really likes to sleep! She’s also starting to coo a little and smile more often. Mostly she is quiet and calm. Something I’m not so used to with Brooklyn and all….

Brooklyn has been such a big helper. She brings me things even before I need them. She’s also very bossy about HER baby. She will tell people who can hold her baby and when, and if Bailey squeaks, she immediately tells them to give her back to her mommy so I can take care of her. I’m really enjoying being home with her as well!

That crazy cross-eyed look that all one month old babies have…..

Not quite sure why she’s tired….lol.

Top Ten of 2011

2012-01-05T13:18:00.002-07:00

I’m participating in You Capture’s Top Ten of 2011 this week. Here are my favorite photos from 2011:

Her Mean Face

The Butterfly Pavilion

Testing out my new flash....

New Mexican Sunflare

My Crazy 3 Year Old

Painting Her Face

33 Weeks Pregnant

Baby Bailey 2 Days Old

Four Days Old

12 Days Old :)

Head on over to participate! Happy New Year!!!

Ten Things to Smile About-December

2012-01-02T21:56:00.003-07:00

I'm linking up with Emmy for Ten Things to Smile About. We definitely had lots to smile about this December! Thanks for hosting, Emmy :)

1. Welcoming baby Bailey on December 5th!!! We love her so much!

2. Brooklyn meeting her new baby sister! She’s been so good, I’m so proud of her!

3. Bailey’s Newborn Photo Shoot. Two days old.

4. More newborn photos. Nine days old.

5. Brooklyn’s face when she got her “Email from Santa.” Thank you, Koreen, for the link to The Portable Santa!!!

My big girl! 3.5 years old.

6. Our healing family. We all miss the boys greatly. Brooklyn still struggles almost daily. I have spoken with them twice on the phone. It’s good to hear their little voices and know they are okay!

7. Spending Christmas with loved ones. This is the first year Brooklyn has really been excited for Christmas. I loved that!

8. Figuring out Bailey’s sleepiness and working through it. It wasn’t an easy couple of weeks, but she is finally waking up more and nursing well!

9. Celebrating 4 years of being married! I love my husband so much!

10. Having ten things to smile about!!! It was a rough fall but we are stronger for it and incredibly blessed.

4 Weeks

2012-01-02T21:26:00.001-07:00

Today Bailey is 4 weeks old! Time moves too fast! However, I feel much more able to enjoy her tininess this time around. I was SOOO sleep deprived with Brooklyn, and let’s face it, your first is always stressful. I haven’t really slept in 3.5 years, so I guess the sleep deprivation isn’t as obvious this time around? Bailey is FINALLY starting to wake up more, and is nursing on both sides really well. She was up to 8 lbs 1 oz last week. Almost half a pound which was great! We’ll see what she weighs this week. I’ve graduated from outpatient clinic visits at the LC to attending their weekly BF support group. May I just say it dawned on me that I am the ONLY second time mom there…sigh. Oh well! I am SO happy to be nursing this kiddo successfully! She’s such a sweet little soul. She’s very quiet and hardly ever complains. She loves her momma to hold her and feed her and put her to sleep. She is also crazy strong. She has rolled over TWICE! Once from back to tummy, and once from tummy to back. That really kind of stresses me out! She’s not nearly as active as Brooklyn, but she is stronger IMO. Which is kind of scary because Brooklyn did everything just about as early as babies do. When she decides to wake up, she is very alert. Here’s some photos from today:

Happy New Year to everyone!!!

All Wrapped Up

2012-01-02T21:11:00.001-07:00

After almost four weeks of not being able to put my squishy down, I decided I needed a Moby Wrap. Or, because I’m me, I needed to make one. I asked for help on Facebook….I looked up tutorials on the web….and the one I liked most was this one. All the other ones I looked at called for 6 yards of fabric. SIX YARDS! I was thinking it would be cheaper to just buy one already made at that point, which is exactly her sentiment! I went to W*lMart yesterday and bought 3 yards of $1.50 a yard fabric to practice. It was super easy and I was really happy that I managed to put it on, and get Bailey in it on the first try. I lined the pouch area with flannel. It was hot. And bulky. Having proved I could make it, I knew I could now confidently splurge on nicer fabric. Even 3 yards of fabric is not cheap. I wanted to make the next one our of jersey knit. I knew from another project that the nice knit fabric runs about $9.99 a yard. I had a 40% of coupon to Joann’s so I thought that’s what I’d spend it on. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the knit fabric was on sale for 50% off. Score for me. I bought a coordinating fat quarter to go with it. I need to take better photos later, but it looks like this:

Basically, I love it! I love being able to hold Bailey and have my hands free. I’m sure my kitchen and Brooklyn are going to love it too. Speaking of Brooklyn, I made her a mini-wrap from the extra fabric. Oh, she is so cute carting her baby around! My next project is going to be figuring out how to make this wrap-less wrap….I love this thing, but seriously, 18 feet of fabric is a lot. I would love to sport it at the zoo, etc…but dragging all that fabric in the dirt and then stuffing my baby in it grosses me out.

3 weeks

2011-12-26T16:56:00.001-07:00

Bailey is 3 weeks old today! It seems too fast. I’m trying not to think about how I only have 6 weeks left before I have to go back to work. Some people only get 6 weeks off total….so I am lucky I suppose to get longer. She gained an “acceptable” amount of weight last week. We have a pretty good system down, but it is exhausting. And I am sad that she was nursing SO well, but now is more difficult to nurse. I’ve managed to pump enough to feed her in her bottle, which is a good thing because on the rare occasion I have had to supplement with formula, she is not a fan. She makes little faces and spits it out. She also almost inevitably vomits after formula as well. So…..frustrating. She is waking up a little more, mostly at night, lol. She eats really well at night and kind of grazes all day. I have been thankful for the BF support at the hospital, they have been really helpful. As you can see, when she IS awake, she’s really alert. I never used to believe people when they said their babies smiled so young, but Bailey really does. She has since day one, especially when I kiss her little face. She is definitely a mama’s girl. Gavin has tried to let me get a little sleep a couple of times and she won’t take a bottle for him, but she will for me. She also won’t fall asleep for him, but goes to sleep almost as soon as I cradle her. Cracks me up! I keep thinking that she looks more like me than Brooklyn ever did, but other people seem to enjoy bursting that bubble. She DOES look extremely like Brooklyn, who undoubtedly looks like Gavin, but I swear she looks a LOT like me….We are so happy to have her in our lives. Brooklyn is still very excited about being a big sister. We have had very few issues with adjusting and for that we are grateful. Here’s our first new family photo. Happy Holidays to everyone!!!

Sleepy

2011-12-18T09:00:00.002-07:00

I never imagined this would be an issue…but, it appears Bailey sleeps too much. This has been on my radar since day one, actually. I even brought it up at her 2 day appointment with our pediatrician. Not only was she sleeping 4-5 hours at a whack, but she was incredibly difficult to wake up. I really want to nurse this baby. I wasn’t able to nurse Brooklyn because of my back injury, and all the medication I had to take and such, and I really, really wanted to be successful at it this time. I made an appointment with the lactation specialist last weekend because while I’ve had another child, I didn’t feel I really knew what I was doing. And, because of our experience with Brooklyn, and her weight issues, I was nervous about breastfeeding and not knowing exactly how much she was taking in. I thought the appointment went great. They weighed her before and she was 6 lbs 14 oz. They weighed her again after nursing and she was 7 lbs 1.5 oz. So, she’d gained 3.5 oz and the LC seemed very pleased and surprised at my supply and her intake. I nursed all week exclusively and I really thought she was doing well. But, at her 10 check up she weighed 7 lbs 0 oz. This was not an “acceptable” gain. I was crushed. I made another appointment on Friday with the LC. She got to see firsthand how incredibly difficult it is to wake her up. She feels Bailey is a baby that is “happy to starve.” They don’t wake or show hunger cues as often as they should. She said they are as difficult to nurse as babies with latching problems, etc….She was eating for me every 4 hours or so, but, she needed to be eating at least every 3, if not more. So, she and I came up with a plan to keep my supply up, and ensure Bailey gets enough to eat. I HAVE to wake her up every three hours and, if need be, feed her a bottle of expressed milk and/or formula. She will eat while sleeping…but nursing is a little more difficult. I have to pump every three hours to make sure I keep my supply up. So far, I’ve managed to get all her feedings in, and mostly give her expressed milk, and it is exhausting. I was encouraged yesterday that several times she woke on her own right at 3 hours. Hopefully establishing a schedule will help her regulate this and she will outgrow it soon! The most important thing right now is that she gain appropriately, and that we maintain my supply.

I’m not very thrilled about weight issues already on the table with her. I have such mixed feelings on the issue. While I love our pediatrician, I always feel like too much emphasis is put on gaining tons of weight as an infant, only to turn around and be concerned with being overweight as children. Brooklyn’s situation was a little different in that she would actually lose weight, and obviously had an underlying medical condition, but, she really is also just very petite. I was very petite. My mom was very petite. Gavin’s niece nephews are petite. A lot of this must be genetic. At her 3 year appointment the doctor was thrilled with her BMI. Really? Nothing’s changed. She’s still tiny, and all of the sudden it was “great.” So, I don’t want to go the same route I did with her. Worrying unnecessarily. Counting calories. Pushing calories with butter, cream, cheese, etc. Those things ruined my child and her eating experience for a LONG time. I don’t want to do that again.

Hopefully as Bailey matures she will wake up more and eat more frequently on her own. I always demand-fed Brooklyn so this is uncharted territory for me. When she is awake, though, she is the most alert, precious little thing!

Day 9

2011-12-14T22:22:00.001-07:00

Bailey’s Birth

2011-12-11T09:34:00.004-07:00

Bailey’s labor and birth was a stark contrast to Brooklyn’s. I labored for 31 hours with Brooklyn. At 37 weeks this time I had 20+ hours of contractions consistently 6 minutes apart. I went in, I was 1 cm, and they stopped. Boo for false labor. This happened another 2-3 times in the two weeks following. I was SURE I’d have another marathon labor, thinking that’s just how my body rolls. A week ago, at exactly 39 weeks, I woke up and felt “off.” I took a nap at 7:00 am. I got up and was super nauseated. I took another nap. Got up again and felt HORRIBLE. I actually cried I was so nauseated (this was my first inkling….the crying). I decided I NEEDED to get out and do something. So, we grocery shopping, and to dinner, and then to buy Brooklyn a new winter jacket. Around 5:00 pm I started having contractions. They were really sporadic…12 minutes, 15 minutes, 18 minutes, 11 minutes…they bounced all over. I called my cousin who lives around the corner “just in case" (for the 4th time) but the jury was still out on whether this was the real deal or not. I went to sleep at 10:00. About an hour later I woke up having contractions that seemed fairly consistent. I got on the computer and started timing them. They bounced around from 8-10 minutes apart for awhile. Then 7….then 6….and then around midnight they started being 2.5-3 minutes apart. I woke Gavin up. I called my cousin to come over…and we headed to the hospital.

They were intense, I was having to focus on breathing through them. One of them completely stopped me in my tracks just outside L&D triage, so much so that the nurses offered to bring me a wheelchair. LOL, it was like 20 feet! We got checked in. I’ll interject here and say that I “waited” to go into labor on Sunday night because I KNEW my midwife would be on-call at that time. They hooked me up to the monitors and told me she was in a delivery and would come see me as soon as she could. The nurse checked me and I was 2 cm. Knowing that they will not admit you until you’re 4 cm I seriously cried…I had been 2 cm at my appointment four days earlier. And, I was admittedly in a lot of pain. So, they left me on the monitors. Triage is SO uncomfortable. I was having back labor again and laying in a bed is not conducive to pain control. Gavin was watching the monitors and I was still having contractions every 3 minutes. BUT, the intensity of these contractions was insane. Literally every single one was off the scale….I’m pretty sure I made a lot of noise, that was not entirely voluntary at that point. Eventually I said forget this laying in bed and got up and sat on the doctor’s stool backwards. This helped some, but it seemed to make the contractions even more intense.

About an hour after we got there my midwife walked in. I was shocked that she was admitting me without checking me again. The nurse started my IV line. We discussed pain management. Honestly, at this point I wanted the epidural. I really wasn’t getting any break between contractions and the back pain was of course awful. They wheeled me to the delivery room. We got there, they helped get me on the monitors. L checked me and I was 8cm. A few minutes later my water broke. I vaguely remember the nurse calling my midwife and saying she needed to get back in there ASAP. The anesthesiologist came in and L advised me that it was unlikely we’d have time for the epidural. In my state of mind, I was still imagining Brooklyn’s 2.5 hours of pushing and thinking there was NO way I could do that. She checked me and I was 10 cm….go time whether I wanted to or not. I might have panicked just a bit. I might be the only woman in the history of women who clamped my legs together and refused to push for several minutes. Eventually, I HAD to push. L kept saying it would feel better when I pushed…I didn’t believe her. I should have, lol. With the first push her head was out. I pushed with the next contraction and there she was! Amazing! And, instant relief! She looked so tiny! She did very well on her apgars and had the sweetest little cry. I was really shaky but I felt great! I am SO glad I didn’t end up getting the epidural. My recovery has been so much easier and faster than with Brooklyn. They cleaned her up, and she surprised EVERYONE by weighing 7 lbs 5 oz. The nurse thought for sure she’d be in the low 6’s. She is just a lot like Brooklyn and has very petite little features. I still can't believe how fast it was. From the time we got to the hospital, and the time she was born was less than 2 hours. I think I was in delivery for a whopping 15-20 minutes before she was delivered!

It’s crazy how similar they look, and how different they already are in personality. She looks super alert in the photos, and she IS when she is awake, but she has nothing on Brooklyn! She is super sleepy…I just happened to catch her for the 10 minutes she woke up the other day, lol. I love these two girls so much! I'm so happy to have both of them here and healthy!

Days Two and Four

2011-12-09T18:02:00.003-07:00

Day Two

Day Four

The Big Sister

2011-12-07T08:33:00.001-07:00

She is smitten! She is a great big sister and SO proud! She broke everyone’s heart on Monday night when it came time to leave the hospital. She cried so hard to leave her baby Bailey and mommy there. She cried all the way home and for quite awhile after. She was SUPER excited to bring her home yesterday and is eager to “help” with everything! I love my two girls so much!

Baby Bird II

2011-12-06T20:00:00.002-07:00

Bailey Yvonne

12/5/11 3:33 am

7 lbs 5 oz 20.5 inches

A Letter to Santa

2011-12-02T05:47:00.001-07:00

The other day we saw Santa at the mall. We didn’t have time to take a photo, so we promised Brooklyn that we would write a letter to Santa. Our car broke down again so we’ve been dropping daddy off at the train station and picking him up. To kill time we go to the library. Wednesday, Brooklyn was “exploring” the library and brought me a little piece of paper and a pencil from the reference area. “Mom, I need to write a letter to Santa. Okay, I’m going to write him a letter.” I figured she’d give me the paper to dictate, but in true three-year-old form she surprised me. She very carefully drew a line, and a circle. “There, mom, I wrote a “B.” “B” for Brooklyn!” She was so proud of her “letter” for Santa. I absolutely love how literal this age is. I got another paper and said I would write the letter for her on the back, “Dear Santa, I want…..” and she told me what to write. “Good job, mom.” she says. “You wrote a LOT of letters for Santa!” LOVE that kiddo!

What’s on Brooklyn’s Santa List? She would like a baby doll, a basket of candy, a red bone to throw to Sydney, and a stamp set and a new fishing pole. But not the one she got from the Easter Bunny because it broke. I think Santa can oblige on all but the basket of candy. The funny thing about this red bone for the dog is our 14 year old dog has never, and I mean NEVER, played. She is such a stick in the mud and always has been. I can tell Brooklyn misses her playmates because she constantly tries to get Sydney to play with her. Luckily, Sydney is pretty tolerant, and usually allows her to pile her with blankets, or dutifully follows her into her room, but, I would not say the Sydney actively participates in their “play.” She also threatens Sydney with this bone. She’s a very good driven dog and Brooklyn yelled at her about stealing food the other day. “Sydney, bad dog! I’m going to throw your red bone from Santa in the trash!” And then she cackled! It was kind of scary, lol. I am really enjoying this stage of her development.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-16T06:42:00.001-07:00

I Heart Faces-Autumn Splendor

2011-11-14T05:31:00.002-07:00

The theme this week “Autumn Splendor.” We had a great time playing in the leaves this weekend! I love when Fall sticks around for bit….head on over to I heart faces to participate in the fun.

Fall Photos part II

2011-11-12T06:51:00.001-07:00

I still love Fall….so glad it’s sticking around this year!

36 weeks!

Public Service Announcement

2011-11-11T08:18:00.003-07:00

Occasionally I feel the need to make public service announcements on my blog. It’s about as “political” as I get, lol. So, Pertussis, here we go. In October Brooklyn woke up one Tuesday with a slight fever. We kept her home. The next day she still had a fever, so we kept her home again. That morning the pre-school called me, because they knew she was out sick, to inform me that she had been directly exposed to Whooping Cough (pertussis) in her class. This means there was a confirmed case of it amongst her classmates. At this point, she wasn’t coughing, but was a tad congested. I called her doctor’s office, and they called in a prescription for antibiotics for her. They couldn’t get her in but urged me to take her to Urgent Care if I needed to. Meanwhile, the State Department of Health called me, and also urged me to take her in. By the time her 2:15 appointment rolled around, she was sneezing, coughing, vomiting after coughing fits, and crying. Amazing how fast that was. They tested her for pertussis and told me we had to keep her home for five days as she was symptomatic. Her cough got much, much worse before it got better. She was sicker than I have ever seen her, and we all know she’s been very ill before. For three days she literally just laid there, hacked, vomited and cried. She got very little sleep and she ate NOTHING for 6 days. By the end of her cough, she was making the classic whooping sound. And….she tested negative for pertussis…I’ve since found out that the State Department of Health is nothing if not persistent. They called many times to check on her, her progress, and the rest of the family. Because of the severity of her cough, and the fact that all her symptoms matched, they classified her case as “probable” even though she tested negative. Gavin, had a prolonged cough for over two weeks, so he was classified “probable” as well. They urged me if I had any symptoms to get tested and treated, and for both Gavin and I to get the TDaP vaccine.

It started off as a little cough. The DOH called to ask me some questions, the epidemiologist herself, and of course, cue massive coughing fit. Don’t ask me why at this point I was still just assuming it was my asthma flaring up, as it typically does this time of year when the weather changes….Anyways, she insisted I come get tested and that both Gavin and I get treated with 5 days of antibiotics. Because I was “symptomatic” this meant I was also not to go to work until I finished the entire five days. I think she about fell off her chair when I told her I teach first grade….At first I was annoyed, because I can’t afford anymore time off work. It hit me as fast as it did Brooklyn, and I pretty much coughed and puked for three days. I definitely could not have hung at work. I did not test positive….but again, I am sure they will classify my case “probable” as I was directly exposed and the symptoms were severe and consistent.

The run-down on Whooping Cough….infants and children are vaccinated at 2, 4, and 6 months with boosters at 18 months and between 4 and 6 months. The child who was confirmed at Brooklyn’s school was vaccinated, as is she. Obviously though, they’ve not received the full series, and even after the full series the vaccine is 80-85% effective. It’s given in children in the DTaP shot (diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis.) The vaccine has dramatically reduced the number of people who die each year of pertussis, but, the immunities wear off after 11 years or so, and they are finding that outbreaks are on the rise because of adults who have not received their boosters. I, hangs head, am pretty sure that I have not had a tetanus shot since I entered high school….and even then the common vaccine is TD (tetanus only.) Adults contract it and then pass it on to infants and young children. The symptoms are not as severe in adults as in babies. It is often overlooked as just a persistent cough in adults. More than half of infants who contract it require hospitalization, and 75% of infants under 6 months will require hospitalization. It can cause pneumonia, broken ribs, weight loss, dehydration, and can be life-threatening in infants under 6 months. The CDC suggests that all adults 11-65 be vaccinated with the TDaP vaccine every ten years. All adults who have young children, or who are in contact with young children (parents, grandparents, caregivers, etc), should be immunized to reduce the risk of passing the infection to infants who are most susceptible. Since 2009 it’s been common practice to vaccinate new mothers immediately following birth…they are now recommending that it be done in the 3rd trimester as it takes a few weeks to become effective.

Obviously the fact that I’m due to have a baby in 4 weeks has been a HUGE concern both for us, and the DOH and my midwife. All of us have been treated, and Gavin and I have both gotten the vaccine already…I have heard the commercials about pertussis, and seen some fliers, but I wish there were more of a push from doctors. Nobody has ever even mentioned it to me until the DOH started calling. The scenario with this vaccine is what made/makes me nervous about the Chicken Pox vaccine as well. When they started mandating it I couldn’t help but think that someday we’re going to have a whole population of adults who do not get their boosters and it will cause outbreaks among them and very young, not yet vaccinated people. The very populations it’s most serious for…..So, all my mommy friends, go get vaccinated if you’re not already. And strongly suggest to people who care for your children, or have close contact with them, that they do too. End PSA.

ETA: One of the issues is that when most of us were vaccinated as children we received our last DTaP when we entered school at 6. The booster we got at 15 was likely only the TD (tetanus) shot. The DOH guy looked at my shot record and this was the case for me. The research is showing the pertussis vaccine to start waning in effectiveness at about 10 years...

I Heart Faces-Black

2011-11-07T06:55:00.001-07:00

The challenge this week at I heart faces is “black.” I took this self portrait when I was 24 weeks pregnant (I’m 35 now!). I wasn’t into photography with my first child, I’m so happy to have been able to take maternity portraits this time around. It’s been a fun process to see my body change through photos. Head on over to I heart faces to participate in the fun!

*Note: I did not convert this to black and white. I shot it as a silhouette and adjusted the shadows.

10 Things to Smile About-October

2011-11-01T06:12:00.002-06:00

Well, I didn’t participate in September, because I didn’t have much to smile about then….I probably should have had less in October, but actually more….I'm linking up with Emmy today. What did you have to smile about this month?

1. This is really a carry-over from September, but I finally launched my new website:

2. 30 weeks of baby growing completed:

3. My peanut being more healthy since her surgery in August. With the exception of that one time…but really that is a HUGE improvement from last year:

4. Fall Photos:

5. 33 weeks of pregnancy completed:

6. What do they say? “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” I can try that….

7. Having my baby-girl to focus on:

8. Days like this:

9. Our little dinosaur:

10. A new beginning:

Roooaarrr!!

2011-11-01T05:50:00.001-06:00

Our little dinosaur on Halloween. She had a blast!!!

More Sunshine and Rainbows

2011-11-01T05:47:00.001-06:00

Sunshine and Rainbows

2011-10-30T21:02:00.001-06:00

I told you I’d be back another day with sunshine and rainbows….I don’t know what we’d do without her. We went to the Santa Fe Children’s Museum today. She had a blast!

She humored me….

More than once!

She painted….

She painted her face all by her little self….

She played dress up….and much, much more!

Thank heavens

2011-10-26T21:17:00.001-06:00

For little girls…especially this one!

I Heart Faces-Let Them Be Little

2011-10-24T05:56:00.001-06:00

The theme this week at i heart faces is “Let Them Be Little.” This is my 3 year old daughter. I am just LOVING how three year olds think and grow every day. Especially their imaginations! She wants to be a super hero….I think she could be, don’t you?

Fall Photos

2011-10-22T16:46:00.002-06:00

I love fall. I love photos. I love fall photos. I feel like fall comes and goes so quickly these days. Darn global warming….ventured out today for a bit. Did my soul good.

33 Weeks

***Updates on my other spot***

30 Weeks

2011-10-22T07:26:00.001-06:00

From two weeks ago:

And some of my peanut, she’s getting so big:

***You know what this means***

Not Ready

2011-10-20T14:40:00.002-06:00

I'm Back

2011-10-20T12:06:00.001-06:00

I am back. Not whole, and certainly not well, but back. I'll be back with sunshines and unicorns soon. I hope.

My New Website!!!

2011-09-18T09:27:00.001-06:00

I FINALLY have a new website! I swear this is the LAST time I’m changing the name of my photography business! I finally feel like I have my portfolio established enough to try and put myself out there more. I’m very appreciative to my husband and my father-in-law for helping fund this new project. Best birthday present ever! To check it out click on the photo, or follow the link, to my new site: http://www.katelynbird.com/

Jungle Bad Guys

2011-09-15T19:20:00.002-06:00

Her Token Dirty Look (We have at least one a shoot)

Brooklyn informed me in the car this morning they were going to play “jungle bad guys” at school. I asked her what this game entails. She says they run around, make a cross with their fingers, and kill the monsters. I love three-year-old imaginations!

Not the Baby

2011-09-04T22:55:00.001-06:00

Lately when I tell Brooklyn, “Ooooh, I just love my baby.” She get very offended, “I’m NOT a baby mom! I’m not your baby!” I try to explain to her that yes, she is a big girl, but she is also my baby and always will be. I am still my mom and dad's baby at almost 32, she is most definitely my baby at 3. She’s been really excited lately about the baby in my tummy. Her baby doll goes everywhere with her, and it shares her sister’s name, lol. I like watching her pretend with her baby. She can hardly wait for her to come, and neither can we!

Brooklyn

2011-09-04T20:58:00.001-06:00

We finally got Brooklyn’s pain meds worked out. She’s had a great couple of days (and nights!) and actually hasn’t needed any medicine for the past two days!! Today is the first day that she seems totally back to her old self, I am so happy to see that. She let me take a few photos today, yay!

26 Weeks

2011-09-04T20:45:00.001-06:00

Carrot

2011-09-03T05:49:00.001-06:00

Brooklyn and Papa found a baby box turtle in the middle of a busy street yesterday. They rescued it. Brooklyn named it “Carrot” last night after much thought. I have no idea how she came up with Carrot but it beat out “turrrr-tle” and “tortoise.”

Warm

2011-09-01T19:13:00.001-06:00

Brooklyn’s teacher sent home a book of pictures made by her classmates today. I got a little teary eyed when she handed it to me, but Brooklyn’s reaction was priceless! She was SOOOOO excited! “Mom! From my friends, my friends at school. This is so special!” She’s “read” it about a thousand times this evening. That was really nice of Ms. C. to help the kids make her “Brooklyn’s Get Well "Book”

Brooklyn’s had a rough couple of nights. We’re not really sure what’s going on with her pain/side effects from the pain medicine. She’s doing really well in the day with minimal or no t.ylenol. But even with the good stuff at night she is waking up screaming…She had a good follow-up appointment on Monday and luckily hasn’t lost TOO much weight so far…

Brooklyn

2011-08-25T14:07:00.001-06:00

Brooklyn is home! She did really well! They released her this morning and she had a pretty good day/night all things considering. There’s a longer update on my other blog. Thanks for the well wishes!

T Minus 11 Hours

2011-08-23T20:40:00.001-06:00

Tomorrow is the big day. Praying that everything goes well, without complications, and that she recovers quickly and as pain/fear free as possible. I’ll update when I get a chance.

***Speaking of updates***

24 Weeks

2011-08-20T16:20:00.001-06:00

I really failed at my promise to take a photo every week of this pregnancy….I haven’t taken one since 5 weeks. But here are some taken today at 24 weeks. I’m amazed at how fast it is flying by! (Photo credits go to Gavin, PP done by me)

Smile

2011-08-19T18:50:00.001-06:00

Brooklyn drew me a smiley face…

Let’s Talk

2011-08-16T18:41:00.001-06:00

Over the weekend Brooklyn and E had a spat. Gavin told me the reconciliation went down like this:

Gavin: “Brooklyn, go tell E you’re sorry for hitting him.”

Brooklyn: “E. Come here and sit down. We need to talk. I’m sorry I hit you. How did you feel when I hit you?”

Maybe she’ll be a therapist someday…..

Doctor, Doctor

2011-08-14T17:39:00.001-06:00

Today my three year olds were playing. I love their budding imaginations….”E, let’s take the baby to the doctor. I will be Dr. Tong (what she calls her pediatrician.) Okay, put the baby there on the table. Hi, baby! I’m going to check out your nose and stuff. Oh, mom, this baby needs surgery. It’s okay baby. You need surgery but it’s okay. You can have ice cream and applesauce and popsicles.”

In just ten short days Brooklyn is having surgery to remove her adenoids and her tonsils. I know it is necessary, and I REALLY hope it helps her. She is having issues breathing at night again. She’s kept me up for three nights now. She just coughs and coughs, and gags, and coughs some more. She’s on allergy meds, steroid nose spray, and more steroid nose spray…not really making a difference. I hope they don’t have to postpone the surgery….I can’t say I’m not scared though. Anesthesia, especially with her sleep apnea, makes me nervous. I’m also somewhat concerned about her recovery. She is VERY strong willed. I’m afraid she will refuse to eat and drink altogether if it hurts….we will have to keep a close eye on her for dehydration. Stocking up on ice-cream won’t be necessary…I am pregnant and all….

Not Acceptable

2011-08-12T22:20:00.002-06:00

This little face got in trouble the other day at school. She has been having a difficult time readjusting to being back at preschool, and listening to her teacher’s instructions. I went to their school for a luncheon the other day and the director mentioned she’d had a hard time in the morning with Ms. C. I was telling her I wasn’t happy with her behavior, that she was going to have consequences at home, and she cried. So, Ms. C asked what was wrong. I told her that we were discussing her poor behavior, and that Brooklyn was sorry for not listening and would try to do better. She told me that Brooklyn would not come sit at group when asked, or put the work away when it was time. When she said she told her she would have to talk to her mommy about it, Brooklyn began to cry. Laughing she then told me that E said, “No, no, Brooklyn. No get in trouble. Mommy will say, that’s not ‘ceptable.” Which is EXACTLY what I told her. LOL.

Stand

2011-08-11T18:30:00.001-06:00

***Where we stand…***

Furious

2011-08-08T16:33:00.001-06:00

Hopefully I can do this story justice, but mostly I want to write it down. So I don’t forget and I can look back and laugh at my little peanut. Some background on this photo: This is Brooklyn’s “mad” face. Intimidating I know. She gave me a good actual mad face for our little shoot awhile back, but this is consistently what her “mad” face looks like when asked to produce one. I’m not sure how she works that out in her cute little head…Anyways, we were getting ready to leave for lunch today when I wandered outside to give the dog water. Brooklyn followed…when I came back in she didn’t want to come inside, standing instead on the porch, and insisting that Sydney needed to come with us. I told her that we were going to lunch and dogs weren’t allowed at restaurants, Sydney would have to stay home. She still refused to come in, so Gavin jokingly said, “Bye, Brooklyn,” as he started to close the back door. Suddenly, Brooklyn slammed open the door with absolute fury, stared up at her dad defiantly, and screamed, “I AM NOT A DOG!” It was just one of those moments where you can’t do anything but laugh. She was soooo mad at Gavin and hugged me extra tight when I picked her up to console her. She stayed mad at him for a long time despite us explaining to her that dad was just “kidding” her. In fact, when we got back into the car after lunch she rehashed how mad she was, lol. She is a spitfire this little girl. People say the second girl is more “difficult",” we are in some trouble if that is the case!

Dreams Fullfilled

2011-08-05T10:47:00.001-06:00

I’ve mentioned before that my brother is a pilot, and that he and my father were building a plane in my dad’s garage. My dad began this endeavor in May of 2007. Over the past 4 years they’ve put over 2400 hours into its construction. My brother flew it for the first time on July 22. Here’s a video he made of the inaugural flight. I’m so proud of them both!

Rags To Riches

2011-08-05T10:29:00.001-06:00

I attempted another style of quilt yesterday. Still not sure what path I’d like to take for the main one. This is a rag quilt. I used pre-cut fabric squares from Joann’s because I’m efficient ~~lazy~~. It came with 30 pieces in 10 different fabrics. Then, I had to be not lazy and cut 30 flannel squares to help the fraying. Sewed it all together wrong sides together and then backed it with green polka dot flannel. The cutting was rather tedious but really didn’t take too long. I ran it through the washing machine and tada!! It’s pretty small, about 20x25 inches but Brooklyn seems to like it. For those of you wondering, and who follow my other blog, I am okay. I promise!

Rain

2011-08-04T19:34:00.001-06:00

“I never liked the rain until I walked through it with you…”

**You know where to find the good stuff**

I Spy

2011-08-04T07:21:00.001-06:00

Three year olds are funny. They say funny things and mean to even. We’ve been really into Disney movies this summer…Brooklyn especially likes Brother Bear. She’s been playing “I spy” for a week now, pretty much every chance she gets. To fully appreciate her style of “I spy” you need to watch this clip from Brother Bear:

We’ve tried teaching her how to really play “I spy.” I goes something like this.

Me: I spy something…..red.

Her: Tree!

Me: No, the stoplight.

Her: Oh, okay….I spy something….red.

Me: Stoplight?

Her: No. Tree!

July

2011-07-29T08:51:00.001-06:00

Is July already over? Wow. I go back to work August 10th!!! I’m excited for a new year, but where did the summer go? I may have mentioned, I’m not sure, that I bought a serger a few months ago. I was SOOO intimidated by this machine it wasn’t even funny. In fact, it sat there untouched for a good couple months before I decided to suck it up and try something. And I failed. And I let it sit some more. But, I was feeling itchy to sew last wee so I tried again. I wasn’t completely happy with my results, but that was my bad, not the serger’s. Yesterday I decided to try out a peasant top again. I made one a long time ago for Brooklyn but it didn’t really fit. So, I drew a new pattern yesterday and here it is:

(Please excuse my horrible cell phone photo)

I REALLY want to make the baby’s bedroom set. I’ve said this before…I hope I can follow through this time. I looked online at Hobby Lobby and found these two fabrics:

I went to Hobby Lobby yesterday and was pleasantly surprised to find both there, and two more coordinating prints. So I bought 1/4 of each and some minky fabric to try and make a test quilt. I’ve never quilted, or even made a blanket really…I made Brooklyn a mini-blankie that she’s already dragging everywhere. Apparently she’s NOT going to share it with her baby sister!

(Again, awful cell phone pic)

I really like the blue…cuz I like not-so-girly girly things…If the girls end up sharing a room I think it’s super cute for Brooklyn too! I found a dark pink minky comforter the other day that would coordinate great! I think we finally settled on a name. You know me and my dreams….a “boy” name came to me in a dream. I was pretty sure we were having a boy….so picking a girl name threw me for a loop a bit! I’ll let you know her name soon! That’s what I’ve been up to lately…hope to find the time to sew more in the coming months!

It’s a __________________?

2011-07-21T19:01:00.001-06:00

I had my big ultrasound today. Gavin is still working out of town, so my sister-in-law came from Denver so I didn’t have to go by myself! That was really nice!! They checked all the anatomy and everything looks great! The placenta previa has resolved so I am super happy about that. We decided to find out the gender so…………………………….It’s a:

GIRL!!!!!

I have to say I’m a little surprised. I had more boy vibes than girl vibes, but I am blessed to have two little girls! (And two little boys) Good thing I saved ALL of Brooklyn’s clothes!!!

Five

2011-07-15T10:16:00.001-06:00

It’s taken me five days to write about it. But it’s there….

Sunday Morning Coming Down

2011-07-03T13:06:00.001-06:00

I’ve always loved that song. This is what I spent my Sunday morning doing. A reprieve from the negativity that was my last blog post:

Brooklyn and her very special Elmo blanket. It was made for Gavin’s oldest nephew by my mother-in-law. She passed away before Brooklyn was born, but Aunt Nikki passed the blanket on to Brooklyn and she is rarely without it.

The Many Faces of Brooklyn

Playing with collages in Picasa…

***Thank you for the comments keeping my hometown in your thoughts. The evacuation order was lifted this morning. I’m sure so many people are thrilled to be going home. While the fire has burned 120,000+ acres, and is still actively burning, the town and the labs were spared. The fire fighters did an awesome job protecting the town site. Unfortunately over 60 structures, some of the them houses, have burned in other areas of the fire. Particularly in the Cochiti Mesa area. It has also burned over half of Bandelier National Monument and much of Santa Clara Pueblo’s sacred lands.***

Updates

2011-07-01T21:12:00.002-06:00

There's a LONG update on my other blog.

Prayers for Los Alamos

2011-06-27T16:48:00.001-06:00

I stole this off the news channel. I’m sorry I can’t credit it’s real photographer…this is the hospital in Los Alamos in the foreground.

Some of you may remember I wrote this post in May of last year, on the 10 year anniversary of the devastating Cerro Grande Fire. Yesterday, another wildfire was started in the Jemez mountains about 12 miles southwest of Los Alamos. When we saw the smoke plume from Santa Fe yesterday, my husband and I knew this was an intense fire. The news was reporting it at 100 acres, I KNEW this was no 100 acre fire. It looked like the atom bomb exploded up there. By nightfall it was estimated to be 3500+ acres. The live view camera from the ski area showed an entire horizon of flames on the north end of the fire, you could see them as far away as Placitas, almost 90 miles to the south. The Cerro Grande in 2000 burned 48,000 acres over the course of several weeks. This fire, burned 43, 597 acres in FIFTEEN HOURS. Unfathomable to me. It is already over 49,000 acres. It’s jumped the northern fire lines and is threatening both the Los Alamos National Labs and the town site of Los Alamos. LAPD issued a mandatory evacuation for Los Alamos around 2:00 this afternoon. My parents live about 8 miles south and east in White Rock. At this point they’ve not been evacuated, but I’m pretty sure they will be at some point. Please pray for my hometown. Over 400 families lost their homes in the last fire. Please pray for the firefighters and all public servants combatting this fire. I know the National Guard has already been called in. Please pray for the forests and all the creatures who live there. Please pray for those being evacuated. And lastly, please pray for RAIN. We’ve had an extremely dry winter and spring. This massive fires typically are not completely contained until the monsoons come and mother nature helps out.

Time lapse photos of the Las Conchas Fire

Baby Bird Update

2011-06-23T12:50:00.002-06:00

Another really bad photo of a photo…hopefully they give me a CD next time : )

I finally went for my Dr.’s Appointment yesterday. The midwife was a *little* annoyed that the nurses didn’t get me in sooner, and that I wasn’t told to go to the ER. If I faint again, I am to go to the ER. Boo. Anyways, she ran some lab work to make sure I don’t have an infection, and then she sent me to get an ultrasound to rule out placenta previa. I do in fact have marginal placenta previa, which is probably what caused the spotting. Basically it just means that the placenta is adjacent to the cervix, or lying low. As the uterus gets bigger, this tends to resolve itself. I have another US scheduled on July 19th for the anatomy scan…she couldn’t tell boy or girl this early either, and they will check it again. If it’s not resolved by then I will have to see a perinatologist. Hoping that doesn’t happen! I’m not on bed rest at the moment, which is helpful, but I am still really tired….I was very relieved that nothing more serious was going on and the baby looks/sounds great. Thank you guys for the well wishes, I appreciated that.

I love this US photo of the peanut. I saw it in the last US as well, but I love how the baby has its hands up by its head. Brooklyn’s ultrasound at 18 weeks showed that and she slept like that for a LONG time after she was born. So sweet : )

Brooklyn’s Ultrasound Photo

About One Week

Thomas

2011-06-21T07:23:00.001-06:00

We went to Durango this past weekend to ride Thomas! The kids have been talking about it for months probably. They were so excited to see Sir Topham Hatt, too. We ended up staying in Pagosa Springs which was beautiful, and cool. MUCH better than 100* it’s been here in NM. We got a bit too early of a start on Saturday morning and had to kill ~6 hours in Durango, but luckily there was an event going on, and a car show, and Dairy Queen, lol. We got back to the station about an hour and fifteen minutes early, which seemed like plenty of time…but, you have to pay to see Sir Topham Hatt, or at least get your picture taken with him…and he only “appeared” at certain times. Namely 2:45 and 4:15. We got there at 3:00…he was already gone. Our trip on the train was at 4:15…he was already gone. Fortunately, I foresaw this being the case, and I *might* have told the kids that the conductor on the train was Sir Topham Hatt….they were satisfied with that. Especially he said hi to them. And they said, as rehearsed, “Hello, Sir Topham Hatt. I’m pleased to meet you.” He looked confused but didn’t out me….whew. They took their photos with Thomas, which I’m going to have to buy, because it’s better than any of the ones I took. Then, poor Brooklyn cried, that she will “never never see Thomas again…” I assured her that it’s okay, Thomas can rip us off again in a couple years. Just kidding, it wasn’t cheap, but seriously, the excitement on their little faces was worth it. I loved that Brooklyn yelled “All Aboard!!!” after Thomas whistled, right on cue. One of the guys working said the Polar Express train is the best. We are going to try and do it next year…

While we were in Durango, I started to feel bad. Very, very bad. I was SOOOO fatigued and dizzy. I really thought I was just dehydrated. Then, at my parents’ house, while only Brooklyn and I were inside, I fainted. She was such a big girl and went and got daddy for me. I felt awful that she had to do that….She gave me a hug and said, “Mom, I give you a hug. You’re okay now, right?” That hurt my heart. Sunday night I started spotting….I called my OB yesterday and the nurse just doesn’t seem that concerned. I am scared. I never had any spotting with Brooklyn, and certainly not at 15 weeks. She asked if it was bright red, which it is, and she STILL didn’t just squeeze me in. Then, she made me feel REALLY scared because I should be feeling the baby move by now, but I don’t. So, I guess I wait until tomorrow, for my regularly scheduled appointment. I’m on bedrest until then, and Gavin is out of town working. So, yesterday was interesting with my 3 little kids trying to rest. We watched like every Disney movie we own. We’ll probably do that again today. Good thoughts would be appreciated….

Vivid

2011-06-14T22:12:00.001-06:00

The theme this week was vivid. I missed the deadline…but I had fun trying.

Blogging

2011-06-13T11:58:00.000-06:00

I have so much to say, and no words.

Baby Bump

2011-06-08T22:26:00.001-06:00

So….I mentioned I already have a baby bump. Not sure I’m ready to photograph that just yet, despite my goal of taking a photo every week….LOL. Here is one from when we found out, right about 5 weeks:

And another:

Here’s one of Brooklyn at 22 weeks….

Yeah. It’s something like that……

Cats Out

2011-06-04T07:09:00.003-06:00

So….the cat’s out of the bag. We’re super excited!

**There’s updates on the other spot**

Three!

2011-05-26T21:33:00.001-06:00

Brooklyn turned three yesterday! We had a busy day…Dr. Appt in the morning, cupcakes at her school, bowling with her and E, a home visit, and Brooklyn’s sleep study in the night! She had a great day!! She LOVES bowling. E beat all of us, how sad is that for Gavin and I? She did really well for her study and spent the day with mommy at work because she just couldn’t handle going to school this morning after not seeing me all night. I can’t believe she’s three! She’s such a cute little girl.

Love.

2011-05-24T07:27:00.001-06:00

I love my life. As an aside, I didn’t stage or pose this shot at all : ) They just really love each other…

Backseat Drivers

2011-05-22T12:49:00.000-06:00

So, having three rows is great....but my kids have turned into backseat drivers, with the exception of J. I think it's partly cuz they can see now, we sit up so high, and partly because they are just growing up :)

Frequently overheard in the mornings:

B: "Mom, go under there, to the animals." Yes, she knows how to get to the zoo, Explora, and BioPark.

B: "Mom, I can't see my house. Oh, YAY!! We're almost to the potty!!!!

E: "Mom, don't fall off okay. Be careful." As we go over the fly-overs, lol.

E: "Mom, be careful of the cars, okay?"

Ps. Thanks for all the well-wishes :))

A Little Bird

2011-05-17T20:12:00.001-06:00

………………..says there’s an update over there : )

Rolling in the Grass

2011-05-07T06:37:00.001-06:00

Gavin and I made a commitment this year to finally finish our backyard. Last year we planted a flower bed and tried to grow some grass, but it remained largely a big dirt box. For the last several weeks Gavin’s been laying a patio, and Thursday his dad came from Denver to help him put sod and finish the rest! They finished yesterday afternoon and it is sooooo nice! I love it! The kids REALLY love it!! It is so nice to be able to take them outside to play. Today, we’re going to go to SF to pick up a swing set from my Aunt and Uncle!!! Next week my parents are giving us their patio furniture, yay! So, we are super excited about our new backyard. I will post better pics soon, I just had my 50mm on…The BEST part is it is done in time for the kids’ birthday party and summer!!!

This is Brooklyn’s “happy” face, lol!

3-2-1

2011-05-05T07:10:00.001-06:00

Today (and for the next 20 days) we are the happy parents of a 3-year-old, a 2-year-old, and a 1-year-old! Happy 3rd Birthday, E! We love you very much!!

Fishy Fishy

2011-04-30T19:24:00.001-06:00

Fishy Fishy in the brook,

~~Daddy~~ (E and B) caught it with a hook,

Mommy fried it in the pan,

Baby ate it like a man.

The “Easter Bunny” brought our big kids fishing poles for Easter. They were so excited! Today we headed out to Shady Lakes to fish for the first time. It’s pretty much a guarantee that you’ll catch fish there…and spend lots of $$$, LOL, but we wanted them to be successful and excited for their first fishing trip….Sure enough, they had bites almost as soon as their lines touched the water! We started out in the big fish pond because we didn’t want them to catch TOO many fish….E got a big bite and Gavin helped him reel it in, and I netted it. He was excited but kind of afraid of the fish at first. While Gavin was helping him, Brooklyn got a bite! I tried, while holding J, to help her reel it in. We could tell it was even bigger than E’s, and his was 15.5 inches! But alas, I know nothing about fishing, or setting the hook, and the fish got away. She caught a little one later in the kiddie pond that was 12 inches. They were really happy about their fish, and especially about eating them later! I don’t think Brooklyn’s ever eaten as much at one sitting!

We Want To Know Wednesday

2011-04-27T18:29:00.001-06:00

Thought I’d chip in this week and link to Mamarazzi : ) The questions this week are:

{1} What is the first thing you notice about the opposite sex? Are you an eyes or a smile person? Maybe another body part?

I would have to say eyes and smile. That is typically what I notice first, and btw, I LOVE my hubby’s eyes and smile ; )

{2} If a movie was being made about you who would you like to see cast to play you? And would your movie be a comedy, drama, romantic-comedy, action film or a horror movie?

It would definitely have to be a comedy or a romantic comedy. Those are the only movies I really enjoy! I would love to see Jennifer Love Hewitt play my role, or maybe Ashley Judd…

{3} Does your high school yearbook include a senior comment section? If so share what you said about your future goals. Have you met those goals? If you do not have a yearbook just share what your goals where when you were 18 and if you have met them. If you’re brave enough include your Senior Picture!

My HS yearbook DID have a comments section, but I didn’t fill it out…..Anyways, I wanted to be a teacher, and mommy. I’ve done both! I REALLY wanted to have my first baby before age 30. I had Brooklyn at 28….I also had dreams of adopting someday, and….here we are! I suppose I could post my senior photo. Don’t judge. I know my hair LOOKS like I graduated in the 80’s but it was 1-9-9-8!!

{4} What latest trend simply baffles you?

Hmm….this is a tough one because I really don’t care about fashion. At all. So….as a teacher, I don’t get silly-bands. But mostly I just wish I could come up with something stupid like that and make a TON of $$$…….

{5} When you walk into a room how do you present yourself? Do you walk in with confidence and command the attention of others or do you slink in and do your best to go unnoticed?

I guess it depends on the event. Something work related, I’m pretty confident, unless I’m translating…..somewhere where I don’t know people, I’m more reserved…

Mo’Money

2011-04-19T19:15:00.001-06:00

Brooklyn has a big jar in her room. It’s almost full to the brim of coins. Every time she finds a coin, or Gavin has change, she puts it in her jar. She gets a big kick out of her “monies.” Gavin’s been working out of town for the past few weeks. It was difficult for all of us to say goodbye each Monday. On one particularly difficult day she was crying, “Why daddy, I don’t want you to go to work.” Gavin responded that he had to go to work so he could make money for us. Five days later, he had no sooner walked through the door and she is yelling ecstatically, “Daddy! Where are my monies? Daddy went to work to get monies for my jar? Where are they?” And that’s the question she asks every day since : )

Today's World

2011-04-19T17:56:00.000-06:00

I couldn't have said it better myself.

A Bird

2011-04-17T16:06:00.001-06:00

This little bird is always singing. I love it. She thoroughly enjoyed hiking yesterday in Bandelier and she was super excited to carry her own water…no complaints from her daddy and I on that one. I played around a little with texture and text for this photo…She’s getting so big so fast!

Grown Up

2011-04-10T10:41:00.001-06:00

Brooklyn’s new hair cut. I was brave and tried to curl it with the flat iron….She is getting so grown up these days!!

MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

2011-04-10T08:24:00.001-06:00

Gavin helped me take some photos yesterday. It’s not often that I ask for pictures of myself to be taken…So, here I am at 31, ha! It feels like a school photo to me. We all got haircuts yesterday hence why mine is combed, sort of ; ) I have decided I REALLY HAVE TO HAVE this necklace:

If my dear husband is reading this, Mother’s Day is on May 8th wink wink.

Ps. There’s an update or two over there….

Nothing to Say

2011-04-06T18:58:00.000-06:00

Gosh. Lately I have nothing to say (pick jaws up off the floor.) Life is busy. Surprising I'm sure...Gavin's been working out of town. The kids are sick. I have had approximately 15,~~000~~ home visits/appointments in the past two weeks. I'm super grateful that my father-in-law was able to come from Denver to help me out this week. I'm glad Spring is here, but seriously, can we be done with the sickness, please? Pretty please? With a cherry on top???

I call Shenanigans

2011-04-02T16:34:00.001-06:00

I’m calling shenanigans again on little Miss B. Yesterday at dinner. “Daddy, I can’t eat my food. My tummy hurts. I can’t eat……Oh, you have candy? It’s all better. My tummy is better now.”

Only Me

2011-03-28T20:37:00.001-06:00

Occasionally, I look at my blog stats. Not often, just once in awhile. I had noticed awhile ago that basically the g**gle search that leads people to my blog is "Ka!ya L--ynn." I thought that was kind of odd, but really thought nothing of it. Then, when I was working on my blog this weekend, after she passed, I noticed it again. So I went ahead and g**gled it. Go ahead. You should do it, too. Just kidding! So, not only did I accidentally name my dog after MJ in Jamaica, but a p*rn star too! Oh, and people who search for her, check out my blog. YIPPEE!! Makes me 100% confident that I made the right decision in coming back public ;)

RIP

2011-03-27T08:51:00.002-06:00

Yesterday we made the very difficult decision that we could no longer humanely extend Kaiya’s life. She had some complications this past week and it just wasn’t fair to make her continue to fight with such a low overall quality of life. Saying goodbye was very difficult, but we are all very much at peace, so I know we made the right decision. Our big dog, Sydney, has been acting out lately. A lot, and we were stressed about why that was. She was stealing food, desperately, not listening, etc….oddly enough, she is completely back to her normal self. I think she was trying to tell us something. She was sad yesterday, and we took her with us on our mini-roadtrip. She seemed to really enjoy that. I truly enjoyed the last 8.5 years with my little Kaiya.

More Jeep Tour Photos

2011-03-27T08:45:00.001-06:00

More photos from New Mexico Jeep Tour:

New Mexico Jeep Tours

2011-03-27T08:42:00.001-06:00

Gavin and I had the extreme pleasure of going on a jeep tour today with New Mexico Jeep Tours. A HUGE thank you to my mom and dad for this opportunity. We had a wonderful time and enjoyed seeing all the sights and the immense history of the area. Our guide, Roch Hart, was awesome! If you ever have the chance to do this, take it!!

Here I Am!

2011-03-27T08:35:00.001-06:00

Are you going crazy with my bi-polar blogging??? Sorry. Anyways, I am back, with super blogging boundaries in which “other” things will not be mentioned here at all. I will continue blogging “over there.”

Mrs. Bieber

2011-02-26T08:11:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, while eating lunch with my students, one particularly sweet little girl said, “Mrs. Bird, I wish you were famous like Justin Bieber so I could buy a poster of you at the book fair.”

Wow. That must be the ultimate 7 year old girl compliment….LOL!

Gender Differences

2011-02-26T07:23:00.001-07:00

Lately Brooklyn has been really into gender differences. She applies a “gender” to everything. It makes me wonder if this is partly because she speaks Spanish as well. The trash truck, for example, is a “she.” I’m not sure if that’s jus a developmental thing, or a developmental thing because she’s bilingual…She uses pronouns pretty well I think. He, she, him, her, it…..The other day I get in the car and she says, “Mom, I so GORGEOUS, right?” “Yes, Baby.” “Oh, E, not gorgeous, He’s HANDSOME!” Lol. “Brooklyn, is daddy a boy or a girl.” “He’s a daddy.” “Is he a boy daddy, or a girl daddy?'” He’s a monkey. He says, “Waaah, waah, waah, waah, waah.” Interesting thought process my kiddo has….

Mother of the Year

2011-02-20T21:06:00.001-07:00

We went to dinner tonight, even though I am sick, because we all had cabin fever. I guess I sound worse than I thought I did, because this was the conversation between the waitress and I upon sitting down:

Her: What can I get you to drink?

Me: Fanta, please. (said fawn-ta in Spanish, it’s a habit…)

Her: Vodka?

Me: No, Fanta, please.

Her: YOU’D LIKE VODKA??? (seriously people stopped and stared)

Me: No, I’d like a fanta. Faaaan-ta.

Her: ***Clearly has no idea what I’m saying***

Gavin: She’d like an orange soda.

Her: Oh, okay!

Busy

2011-02-20T09:26:00.002-07:00

Busy pretty much sums up life lately :) And sick…sickness too. I can’t wait for warm weather…Amazingly, everything really seems to be falling into place. In ALL aspects of our busy life. For that, I am grateful. For the sickness, not so much.

Warm weather: Please come back soon….

Ps. Updates...

Before and After

2011-02-20T09:15:00.001-07:00

My friend, Teresa, did this. I thought I’d like to do it too. I often hear people comment that they want a camera like mine so they can take nice photos too. The camera is only part of the equation. Post-production is crucial as well. I also shoot pretty much exclusively in manual mode, so there is knowing how to set the settings, also ;) Here’s a rare glimpse at some SOOC photos to show the difference between how they come out of the camera, and how I process them for publishing/printing. For most photos I adjust lighting/shadows, enhance the saturation, sharpen, use noise reduction when necessary, retouch blemishes, crop, and straighten if necessary. It takes me about 5 minutes a photo to process. So, if you’ve ever wondered what the “time and talent” you’re paying for is about, this is a huge part of it.

Chuga, CHuga

2011-02-14T17:53:00.001-07:00

50mm f/1.4 ISO 200 1/125s

I purchased a new flash this weekend. It’s a compact external flash that I’ve had my eye on for a long time. I hope it can help me take better snapshots of every day kiddo things and be okay with the image quality ; ) I tinkered with it yesterday and came up with this photo. I was pleased with the distribution of light and I got a few cute shots of the kids, but can’t post them….I'm also thinking of joining a local photography club. An acquaintance mentioned this group and I checked it out. I’d really like to broaden my horizons a little bit and focus some energy on genres other than portraiture. Happy Valentine’s Day!

And The Winner Is…….

2011-02-06T18:15:00.001-07:00

Michelle AKA Yummy Mommy!

Michelle said, “I tweeted…I want to win this dress for my baby girl!!! So cute!” Congratulations! Please email me with your address and I’ll get it in the mail ASAP :) (birdnestphotosATgmailDOTcom) Many thanks to those who participated!

***I know I said I’d post the winner tomorrow but I will be SUPER busy tomorrow :) First day back to school after a week of snow days. Also, I didn’t count Nap Mom’s comment in the tally as she asked not to be included***

Last Chance-Toddler Dress Giveaway!

2011-02-05T12:05:00.001-07:00

Just a gentle reminder that today is the last day to enter the GIVEAWAY for this toddler dress! Please feel free to enter for any reason. If you want if for your daughter to grow into, or your niece, or your best friend’s daughter, or whatever the reason, please enter! We’re not picky : ) I really enjoy sewing, and I enjoy the opportunity to share. Have a great weekend!

Giveaway-Toddler Dress!

2011-02-01T19:51:00.002-07:00

Today we had a snow day, so I had time to finally finish the dress I’ve been promising AND take photos! So, here it is. This my own reversible pillowcase design featuring Brother-Sister Design Co.’s Devorppa Noir Flora and Devorppa Noir Diamond fabrics. I’m going to recommend it as a size 2-3. It fits Brooklyn like a dress, and she is two and a half, 35 inches, and 27 lbs….***Note: This is a new dress, she is just modeling it for you : ) *** Brooklyn commanded me to “make another one, mom.” I’m sure I will, this fabric is divine!

This dress can follow you through the seasons. It would be great as a sun dress, but is just as cute with a turtleneck and over a pair of jeans!

How to enter:
You must live in the continental United States to participate in this giveaway.
Each person may enter up to 4 times. Note: You must leave a comment for each entry. I will be randomly picking a comment using random.org based on the total number of comments on Sunday, February 6, and posting the winner on Monday! Comments will be closed Saturday night at 10:00 pm. To enter:
1. Leave a comment about why you want to win and what you like about this dress.
2. Become a fan of Lil’ Bird Boutique on Facebook. Come back and leave a comment telling me you’ve done so (or let me know you’re already a fan.)
3. Tweet about this giveaway. Come back and leave a comment and a link.
4. Blog about this giveaway. Come back and leave a comment and a link.

Thanks for looking! Have a great week!

The Stink Eye

2011-01-30T08:07:00.001-07:00

Brooklyn has mastered the art of dirty looks. I’m not sure where this is coming from…but she lets you know when she is unhappy lately in a big way. She got in trouble at Ms. C’s house the other day for giving her very nasty looks after being asked not to do something she shouldn’t. She also got a talking to about that one. I DID manage to get it on camera :) Her really mean look, is even worse than this. She’s such a little spitfire!

***ps. There are updates if you know where to find them***

Baby “G”

2011-01-10T21:48:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I did my first newborn newborn shoot. Baby “G” is the baby of a good friend of mine from HS. I am really pleased with how the shoot turned out. What a great start to a new photo year!!! You can find the rest of the shots here.

I Heart Faces-Best Face Photo 2010

2011-01-04T07:38:00.002-07:00

To me, any photo with this face, will always be the “best,” simply because I look into and say “I love you” as often as I can. Happy New Year to everyone! I hope to participate more in I heart faces for the new year!

Our Anniversary Dinner

2011-01-02T14:10:00.002-07:00

We ended up going on our postponed anniversary dinner date last night! We’ve been planning this, since JULY : ) I guess I never blogged about our trip up the Sandia Tramway in July. I’m not sure why….Anyways, it used to be the longest tram in the world. Now there is one in Armenia or something that is like an 8th of a mile longer, lol. We had dreams to go up the tram and eat dinner at the top for our anniversary. Originally, my parents were going to come and watch the kids so we could go on our actual anniversary, Wednesday. That didn’t work out, but fortunately my father-in-law is in town so we changed the reservations for last night. We got there just as the sun was going down, beautiful!

The bottom of the tram is about 6500 ft. The top is at almost 10,000. We saw on the sign in the terminal that the temperature at the top was –2 degrees. BRRRRR!

We left the terminal and had a wonderful ride to the top. Hardly anyone in the tram car. You could see animal tracks in the snow, it was neat! The wind was blowing hard at the top and whew was it cold!

See that tree on the right, very windy!

We managed to hang in the wind and cold for about two seconds for this shot…

We made our way to the restaurant and got seated. We definitely splurged and enjoyed ourselves. (They don’t call it High Finance for nothing ; ) We got Coconut Shrimp for an appetizer, I had Prime Rib and Gavin had the Filet Mingnon. And then we had a most wonderful Turtle Cheesecake for dessert.

I’m glad we went. And I’m glad we budgeted the money to splurge on ourselves a bit for a change. It was nice to reconnect also. We headed back down the mountain but not before some nice gentleman took our photo together:

Coming back down the mountain in the dark was neat. Unfortunately the cabin was FULL. 40+ people. So we didn’t get to see the lights of the city real well, and then the windows fogged up. Happy New Year, everybody!!!

Happy 3rd Anniversary!

2010-12-29T10:07:00.001-07:00

Happy 3rd Anniversary to my baby. I love you!

Muse

2010-12-28T22:29:00.001-07:00

She is my muse, always.