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.........