Do the Puyallup!

We decided to take miss Ivi to the fair, and just had to illustrate how small she is by putting her on top of the biggest pumpkin we could find........

And Yes, she is wearing a care bear suit. Gosh what terrible things mothers do to their children!

MMMMmmmm.....Solid food!

Wel folks, the time has come. Ivria is six months old, and makes the saddest little faces at me any time she sees me eating! She opens her little mouth and pouts, hoping for a little morsel of real food. So our big girl finally gets to try out some yummy rice cereal! Daddy was the super hero of the day when he presented her with the first spoonful of the pasty mash.

Our little trooper has taken to the spoon like a pro. Now she can hardly contain herself whe she sees me coming with a spoon and a bib. She sits up like a big girl in the high chair and chows down. Today, mashed vegetables.......tomorrow, The World!!!!!

I was also surprised to find out (almost by accident) that Ivria is cutting her first tooth! She has made no complaints, and is not waking at night or anything! I swear I got the deluxe model baby. She takes most things in stride, and is just an absolute delight to have in our lives.

Mmmmmmm. Good Stuff!

Summer camp adventure

Mommy and Daddy and Auntie Robyn were all invited to summer camp in Spokane to play music this year. So, Ivria and daddy had to spend many hours brushing up on those drum skills!

Going to spokane of course involved Ivria and daddy's first ever plane ride! Both of them enjoyed the experience, and Ivi fell right to sleep as we took off. She was so well behaved the whole trip, and sang a delightful baby song for all to hear as we landed.

After settling in at camp, Ivi decided to take some time to relax and kick back and check out the scenery.

And of course we had to try out the lake! Ivria was unsure of what to think about the whole experience. Mommy slathered her from head to toe in sunscreen, put her in a swim diaper and a baby bathing suit, and plopped her in the cold lake water with the fishes!
I don't know what she was thinking here, but I'll bet if she knew how to say "ewwww" she might have!

Ivria was excited to make new friends! This is baby Selah who is two months old. Ivi wanted jump right in to the social experience at camp!

Here we are strolling around having a good time! The weather was just right for a baby to enjoy. We spent lots of time enjoying God's creation

Her are my sleepyheads crashing my bunk!

and here they are lounging in the sun.

I don't know what she was up to here, but it's hilarious!

And here we are at the airport, waving goodbye after our big adventure.

MORE PICTURES!

I Love that Baby!

Favorite mommie baby pictures

Big girl got a checkup!

Our little (BIG) girl had a checkup this week! All is well! She is growing like a weed now.......25 inches tall, and 13lbs 8oz! This totally cracks me up though. Her height is in the 75th percentile, her weight is in the 40th percentile, and her head circumference is in the 15th percentile! So she is tall, slim, and has a teeney head. (I'm jealous hahahah!) Our gorgeous girl just gets more gorgeous every day. She loves to hold her own weight on her legs, and just laughs and smiles and shows off her big kid skills. Daddy is her favorite person in the whole world right now. She puts on the biggest show for him when he comes home from work. Mommy works at night now, and misses Ivi so much at bedtime......we love to read our Bible stories after a nice refreshing bath. Life could not be more enjoyable with our little sprout!

I just finished a nice afternoon portrait session with Ivria today! Here is our favorite! The full size file is available to those who like to print from home, just let me know, and I'll email it out.

The Baby Days of Summer

Here you can see, our fine specimen of baby, sleeping peacefully in her natural habitat. Undisturbed by the torrent of political upheval, unencumbered by material worry, and understandingly worn out from a full day of being a beautiful growing babe. Between nursing sessions, naps, and playtime, it's a wonder she has time to spend with her adoring public (ehem...mom and dad!). But alas, she is generous with her little loving smiles!

Mama and baby in our Ring sling!

Ivi's First trip to the beach!

For her forst ever trip to the beach, we went to Hartstene island in the Puget Sound. It was a wonderful time being out as a family! Thank you to Josh and Tasha for letting us join them.

Ivi spent lots of time in her playpen having fun with her toys, and enjoying the sunshine. We made her a little tent with a blankie, and she took a relaxing nap in the springtime breeze! We were so surprised as to how much she seemed to enjoy the environment, and we hope to take her on more fun trips this summer, as she learns about this big world!

The telltale mark of motherhood

See that nice little spit mark on my shoulder! That was Ivi's way of saying "Happy mothers day mommie!" I treasure each little milky spot that she leaves me!

Daddy's new girlfriend

Well, She is certainly amazing. When I was a young man I remember clearly wanting, no, needing a wife! I wanted to be loved and to love another. I wanted closeness and a life long friend to share life with. The real "amazing" thing about my second girl is that I really had no idea how much I needed her and have come to want her more each day. Like my wife Ivria is a sneaky little one. I chuckle at remembering the reasons I had for agreeing to get the wifey pregnant, such as: "I am getting older better do this soon if gonna do it at all," or "I bet if we have a kid it will help me to grow up some," or "I think I heard the wife's sex drive increases when pregnant ^^." The truth is I had no clue what to expect! The fact is, however, two girls are better than one.

She's Pooped! (and I don't mean the diaper!)

Poor wittle baby Ivi is not feeling so well today! I'm not sure what is going on, but she didn't want to nurse all morning, and now the little one is still sleeping in her carseat because I did not want to wake her after we got home from church. We think she might be coming down with a little cold...... she has been coughing a little, and maybe having trouble breathing when she tries to nurse. SO sad, huh! Mommie doesn't like it one bit! Mommie wants to make Ivi feel happy all the time! Mommie is NOT having a good day when baby has a not so good day! GRRRR! Mama bear is very protective! Mama bear wants to snarl at whatever may be messing with her baby! GRRRRRRR! Mama bear will be completely reasonable about the situation though, and keep an eye on Ivria's temperature and give her lots of love and snuggles. ::sigh:: Sometimes, that's all mama can do I guess! It will be nice when she can tell me what is going on with her little self!

PLAYTIME!

Ladies and gentlemen......Ivria has now discovered the world of toys!

She loves her stuffed frog, and she sings him songs all day. And today, she was swatting some toys that hang over her play chair. I love seeing her discover new things.

Yesterday, she had a rousing game of "shake the rattle" while I folded laundry.

Look at meeee! I've got a noisemaker!

The smile that makes it all worth while.

The nights are long, but the days are bright with baby smiles. Every thing else dissapears when that little grin shows up and steals my heart. The beautiful thing about young children, is that they don't know how to be anything but sincere in their emotions. Her joy is honest, and I am blessed to be the recipient. I am so overwhelmed every time she lights up when I come into her view. Babies are generous with their love. I wonder at what point we lose sight of that as we grow older.........

Eight weeks have flown by.....

Wow. Two months have already gone by! Ivria is growing and learning....and rolling over on her own already! We have an early bloomer on our hands I think....

Hah...I'm comin!

Her Nana has been visiting from Georgia this whole month and had to go home today. Ivi was sooooo glad to get to meet her and spend lots of time smiling and showing off new things she can do. Nana was even kind enough to let mom and dad escape for a date! We appreciate her so much and wish her safe travels as she makes her way back home.

A Beautiful Baby!

Here is the official start of our Ivria Blog! Coming soon......Pictures and stories from the most beautiful baby in the whole world!

Our beautiful birth.

It all began one sunny monday morning. I was 38 weeks pregnant, and having woken up with mild contractions, I decided that it might be time after all to pack that hospital bag.......

We made our way into Tacoma and settled in at Grandma's house to see where things might progress. After having contractions five to ten minutes apart that whole day, we finally were able to check in to the birth center at 6am on Tuesday, February 27th. That night, Ivria Mae Pyette was born in the water, delivered by her Dad.

Ivria was a perfect 7lbs2oz, and 20 inches long.

Mom and Dad could not be happier to welcome our precious new little girl into the world! She was delivered at The Birthing Inn, attended by Joan Fischer, CNM, of the Pearl Place Midwives.

From my perspective, I could not have asked for a better birth experience. I was able to enjoy the whole process with Jim there to support me. Our natural labor and delivery was a dream come true for us. We spent a fair amount of time in preparation for this event, but nothing could have prepared us for the awesome responsibility of bringing a new baby into our lives. Life changes when you bring a child into the family, but we have experienced the joy and can wholeheartedly say that it changes for the best. Darling Ivria.........Welcome to our world!

Our first family picture!