Wednesday, May 13, 2009

A few more pics...

Today was Miriams 2nd day out and about!






Katy already hit all of the high points - but we had a few more fun pics that I wanted to put up...



Cecilia Eating - at Home with Katy

Ready to go!


Eating a Granola Bar with Papa


Taking my blood pressure


Baby Miriam - Fast Asleep Amidst the Rucus



So for months now, Carly and I have been working with Cecilia to get her ready for new baby sister. She's been working on sharing, being gentle, and being quiet - and is pretty good at all of them. We've also been working on teaching her where baby sister and Baby Miriam (we used both names) was - in Momma's belly. We would ask where Miriam is, and she would point at Carly's tummy. Now, we get to teach her that Baby Miriam is out with us!

Cecilia and Miriam - Getting to Know Eachother

She's Here!

Miriam Therese Hale
Born 5/12/2009
8 lbs, 5 oz, 19inches


Howdy Everyone! It's me, Cousin Katy, in for Carly and Matt as they are current in the hospital celebrating (and recovering from) the birth of their new little girl! Many of you may remember that back when Big Sister Cecilia was born, Matt and I had plastered the internet with tons of pics before Momma and baby were even home from the hospital. This go round, however, is a bit different, as 1.) Matt does not have a laptop in the hospital room, and 2.) resident family photog KT (that's me!) has spent less time at the hospital and more time at the (new!) house taking care of Cecilia. Luckily, C & Me were able to visit Momma and Papa this morning, so we retrieved Papa's camera card and snapped a few pics of our own. Then Carly and Matt gave me permission to update the blog, so here I am!

Okay, so I know everyone wants me to get right to the pictures, but before the cuteness begins I want to take a moment to thank and praise God for his blessings to my cousin and her husband. Consider the miracle of these two little girls' existence: not only were they formed and created without complication, but both arrived safely, and are happy and healthy. Truly, it is a wonderous thing. As you read through this post, I hope you will all reflect on your own experiences with birth and families, and pray that God continues to bless not only our friends and loved ones, but all the families throughout the world.

And now, without further ado.......Baby Miriam!


Carly before surgery

So maybe we don't tell Carly I posted this one. But come on, you've got to have the 'before' picture, right? Keep in mind that this was taken at 7:30 and she was probably high as a kite.

Here's the after picture! So pretty!


Miriam and Momma

Carly had a rough time recovering from surgery yesterday, but she's doing much better today! Although this C-section happened early in the morning, it didn't have 20-something hours of labor preceeding it, so I think maybe Car was just more awake for the first day of recovering this time. Regardless, she's very happy to have her little daughter on the outside!


Miriam sleeping

As you might expect, Type-A parents Matt and Carly already have Miriam on a tracked schedule of feedings, naps, and diaper changes. I'm happy to report that she is excelling in all three subjects! :)

Winkin' and Smilin'!


Miriam's personality is already starting to show. She's a curious little baby, frequently opening her eyes and looking around. While most babies are content when they are well fed and warmly bundles, Miram seems to have an enhanced sense of comfort and relaxation; I'd describe it as "chill".

Big Sister!


Yesterday, Cecilia and I made a Publix run (where she charmed the pants off a few dozen senior citizens) to get some gifts for baby Miriam, and some flowers for Momma. This is right before we went into the family center.

Unfortunately, yesterday's visit was made a bit too close to lunch/nap time, so it had to be cut short. However, we went back today for fun family reunion!

Cecilia meets Miriam


Cecilia was playing with the balloon when Matt brought Miriam over to her. Cecilia stopped playing for a second, stared at Miriam, then grinned and held the balloon out to her, saying "Ooooo!" Looks like all the lessons in sharing paid off! :) Cecilia continued to try and share toys with Miriam throughout the visit....despite having no clue what toys were, I'm sure Miriam was appreciative. :)


Family Picture!

Getting Ready to Go

Waving 'Bye'

Well, that's all for now. Hopefully Cecilia will wake up shortly and we'll be able to go back for another visit. Stay tuned for more pictures! Until then, have a fantastic day!

Monday, May 11, 2009

Relaxed Mother's Day

To all the mother's out there - happy Mother's Day!

To my Bride - I'm so grateful to have you as the mother of my children - I love you very much and am blessed to have you in my life!

We usually have a bid to-do with Mother's Day for Carly - typically we take a trip somewhere (like Martha's Vineyard while we were in Boston). But this go-round, we took into account the fact that we were 1 day before the scheduled C-section, and plans turned more to just relaxing as a family....
We started it off by making a giant mushroom and sausage omlet for breakfast and settling in to being extremely crapulent....


Cecilia's godparents, Amadee and Carol Pepper, got her this outfit. Super cute!





Saturday, May 9, 2009

Making a Splash!

The new neighborhood we moved into has a park and pool - which Cecilia has gotten to use a few times. She's quite the homo-dolphinus (good story - ask about it sometime!). She isn't afraid of the water at all - just walks around, sticks her head under water, splashes, etc. Check out our little champ!






Friday, May 8, 2009

Helping Momma Cooking

Helping Momma cook brown bread (aka magic bread, but that's another story) ...

Hey, just because I'm young doesn't mean I can't have aspirations too!
Um, Momma, can you grab this spatula now?

Sorry it has been a while!

For those of you that follow our blog, I apologize for the last month. Things have been hectic to say the least. We ended up having to move while I was 36 weeks pregnant, Matt went to Ohio for a week immediately after, and then we were without internet for a while. Needless to say, there has been picture taking in that time, and I am hoping to get them all posted before Baby Girl comes on Tuesday! I also want to get pictures of the new house, so maybe after we have unpacked a bit more this weekend, it will be in a picture taking state.

Stay Tuned!

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Our Little Bookworm

We have a little scholar on our hands. Carly got the mommy instinct when things were just a bit too quiet - so she snuck back to Cecilia's room to see what was going on. She found Cecilia studiously pouring over a book on the nativity story...