Cara's 30th Birthday Party

Cara turned 30 on the 12th, I threw her a small birthday party to celebrate the occasion. We had a BBQ at Cara's Mom's house since, it has more space and isn't currently a disaster area thanks to Hurricane Aven.

Here's the Birthday girl and Aven

I didn't get too many photo's I was running around cooking or otherwise getting things done. but here is a good one featuring most of the people that attended.
Pictured above: Dustin, kissing his son Payton, being held by Amber. Rob and Jaxon in the background along with Grace's butt. 'Nique on the right with my parents Christine and Dennis in the background. Not pictured is Rob and 'Nique's daughter Gwen.

Cara's Mom Nancy holding Aven.

Videos of Aven

I finally got around to editing the video we took of Aven and Grace meeting for the first time. I thought it would be a good thing to use to test posting videos to the blog. Lucy is also seen in the background meeting Aven for the first time.

Aven's First Trip to the Malecker Ancestral Vacation Grounds

I've been excited about this trip since I found out I was pregnant. Being able to share the cabin my grandpa built in Flaming Gorge with my child was a major life event for me. This year is the 40th anniversary of my Grandpa leasing the land on which the cabin is built, which made it even more special. The only thing that would have made it better would be my Grandpa being alive to enjoy this moment with me. In one of the last conversations I had with him, he explained how he built this place for his family and how he hoped I would take my future children there for them to enjoy it the way I have enjoyed it throughout my life.

Aven and I sitting on the deck, July 2009.

My mom, Mr.Breeze, and me sitting on the deck, August 1979.

A family portrait on the deck.

Hanging out at Mustang Ridge. A favorite swimming spot that is accessible by boat or by car.

Aven and I at Mustang Ridge near the water. The water is incredibly high this year.

Aven and Grace.
It didn't get much above 60 at the cabin until we left on Monday, so Aven spent much of the trip bundled up. Thanks to Lisa Morey for the incredibly cute, warm hat that kept her little head warm.

Aven and Ian.
Luckily, it got up to 70 in places without so much tree cover, so we were able to enjoy a hike along the canyon rim at Red Canyon.

It rained quite a lot while we were there. Here's a gorgeous view of the bridge and the Gorge with rain clouds reaching down.

Thanks Grandpa, for building the cabin in this beautiful place. I'm so happy that my daughter gets to grow up there just as I did.

Sacrifices That Really Aren't

I took Aven to the doctor yesterday because she had some blood in her stool, which really freaked me out. First, she weighs 11 lbs. 5 oz.- wow! She's getting so big. The only time she looks small to me anymore is when Ian is holding her. Second, Dr. Dimick thinks she is allergic to dairy. So, for the time being I have to remove all the milk, cheese, ice cream etc. from my diet. Not an easy thing to do. From what I have read this is pretty uncommon in breastfed babies, but more likely to happen to babies from families with a history of dairy allergies. My mom and sister both have this allergy. My mom's allergy is quite extreme, my sister's is fairly mild. The good news is that there is about a 90% chance this allergy won't persist past her 3rd birthday. I may even be able to reintroduce dairy into my diet in a couple months when her digestive tract is a little more mature. This doesn't even feel like a sacrifice to me- just something I'm doing to make sure my daughter is as healthy as possible. It's an interesting opportunity to explore different ways of preparing food. Just tonight I had my first cheese-less pizza. Not too bad.

Reliving the Good Old Days

Aven loves taking a bath. I think it reminds her of the good old days, back in the womb, when she got to float around in a warm watery environment all day long. The thing she hates about the bath experience is getting out. Today, for the first time, she didn't wail inconsolably for 5 minutes strait. She let me know that she did not appreciate being removed from the bath but quieted down as soon as I wrapped her in a towel. She then proceeded to be very cute while got her diapered, lotioned, and dressed.

At last- the elusive smile has been captured! You'd smile too if your towel had a hood with a duck on it.

Taking a bath and smiling for the camera are both incredibly tiring and must be immediately followed by a feeding and a nap.

Tired From a Long Day of Mobile Watching

Aven is 6 weeks old today. She is growing faster than I ever thought possible. She's working on her social smile, which I have yet to capture with the camera, but it's absolutely precious (as if you expect the mom to say anything different).

Her new favorite thing is her mobile. She loves just watching it slowly spin while it plays its little tune. She's content to lay and watch her mobile for up to 30 minutes at a time, kicking her legs and waving her arms wildly the entire time. This allows to me get a few things done around the house, which is nice. The main problem is having to wind the mobile every few minutes. Another issue, not really a problem, is that she is so cute that I will often stand over her crib and watch her watch her mobile instead of doing the laundry or unloading the dishwasher. Oh well. I absolutely love being able to witness all this rapid development. It's fascinating and more than worth the lost sleep.

Happy 1st Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day Babe, I love you :)

Thanks for helping me make this beautiful baby. You are an amazing dad. I love watching you with Aven; you are obviously crazy about her and I know she's crazy about you. I wouldn't want to go on this adventure with anyone else.

Grace Lets Out Her Inner Borzoi

Grace is one part Border Collie . . .

. . . and one part Great Pyrenees . . .

. . . but sometimes, depending on the camera angle, she likes to let out her inner Borzoi. She must know that I'm a fan of the breed.

Goofy, yet elegant at the same time.

What's Up Cuz?

Today I took Aven to meet her new cousin, Dallas. Dallas was born on June 4th (or was it the 3rd?) to my cousin Marcy who is about 4 years younger than me. It will be fun to have two babies so close together. Hopefully they'll be good friends as they grow up together. I think it's incredible to look at these two babies side by side because it really shows how much babies change in such a short period of time. They were almost the same weight at birth and even though she is a mere three weeks older Aven looks so much bigger. As of Friday she was 9 lbs. 13 oz.- a gain of 2 lbs. 3 oz. in a month. It was fun to talk baby stuff with another new mom. We exchanged our delivery room stories and talked about the wacky nurses we dealt with at I.M.C. And of course we talked about poo, because it's almost impossible to have a conversation with another new mom without mentioning it at some point. Congratulations Marcy and Jason- he's a handsome boy!


Here's a sleeping Aven. She only woke up toward the end of the visit. I'm sure she has absolutely no idea she met her new cousin today.


Here's a sleeping Dallas. He slept through the whole visit. He looks just like his dad.

Getting Ready Enters a New Dimension

I have two choices every morning: 1. Get ready for the day while Aven takes her morning nap, which follows her morning feeding. 2. Make up the sleep I lost feeding her in the middle of the night while she takes her morning nap. I usually go with the sleep because when I don't I end up very cranky by the time Ian gets home from work. So, the above photo depicts part of my new getting-ready ritual. First, I try to get her occupied by her mobile in the crib while I hurry and wash my hair. After that I set my full length mirror, hairdryer, makeup, brushes etc. on the living room couch, usually while holding a fussy Aven. The last step is to get her comfortable and content on my lap on the boppy with a pacifier so I can dry my hair and put on my makeup. It takes a bit longer and is slightly more backache producing than the baby-free method, but the extra sleep is definitely worth it.