We are all pretty settled into our “new house”. There are not many things hung on the walls yet but we will get there. I do miss the other house sometimes but this house is slowly becoming home.

Drew is starting to get busy at work with new buildings opening this fall and a big software change over these past few months.

I just started another series of childbirth classes tonight, which I do about every 12 weeks. It has truly become a real passion and the best job I have ever had. I really wish I could do it everyday.

B is B, still bright-eyed and a bit comical. He tells Nallia every day she is beautiful and how much he loves her. He is in his first year of preschool and loves it. We have toured the elementary school closeted to us, now he asks all the time if he can go to kindergarten. He still has about 2 ½ years to go! Recently he has come to LOVE books and reading he wants us to read all day long and help him to read signs and easy books. How do you explain that license plates have letter but you don’t “read them”? He asked me a few time to read them,  so I said the letters and numbers out loud and then he says he knows the letter but what does it say?

So we are well, looking forward to spring and summer trips. We also hope to have visitors soon too!

As Bryson is really starting to understand and enjoy different holidays we are starting to celebrate them more. Last night I made him and Nallia a valentine and left out a small gift, some new jammies and fun underpants. We also had one of his friends bring him a valentine and we made heart cookies for the neighbors.

We ended the day with heart pasta for dinner. Bryson didn’t even try it since pasta is not really his thing but it was fun anyway.

This was a crazy December! When we returned from our trip to Hawaii we closed on a new house. Our new place is still in McKinleyville, it is close to the schools and on a fun street with other young families. It is brand new and built by the local high school’s trade program. It also has an attached one bedroom apartment which cam in handy with my parents here for the holidays.

Drew’s dad also visited for Christmas, so our first Christmas in Humboldt County we had a full house. Bryson really enjoyed the tree this year and loved playing with the ornaments, which means we had a few broken ones. Next year he will be getting some in his advent to make up for it. Nallia loved the bright lights and even opened a present or two herself, luckily her brother was very helpful.

Nallia has also started eating food, she doesn’t have a passion for it like B did but she likes to feed herself. So far she has had pears, sweet potatoes, garden veggies and carrots. She has also played with O’s and tore up chicken which seem to go over better than the baby food.

Well we miss everyone and hope you all are getting more rest and sleep than we are!

I have been a total slacker with posting pictures of the kids. We have been taking them, but never seem to find time to post pictures. I have posted pictures of Nallia upto 3 months.

(This picture is from Gold Rush Days in Sacramento this past weekend)

At about 4 1/2 weeks old Nalley started to smile. It has brought out her personality and a dimple on the right side that everyone comments on. If they miss the dimple  you can bet they will ask how old she is, then say something like “Oh that’s is a lot of hair” “Was she born with that hair?” or “Was Bryson’s hair dark?”

She rolled from her belly to her back starting at about 6 weeks. Now she does it every time you put down. She has developed a small giggle when you rub under chin and has also recently started scooting backward when she is on her back.

Nallia is one of those babies you think is really a gift. She eats well, most of the time, from the breast or bottle (pumped milk), she sleeps all night and falls asleep about 8:30pm all on her own. This is a bit odd since Bryson has just started to sleep well. Over the last few weeks she has started to suck her right thumb. She more chews it more than sucks on it.

Nallia loves to be held and only cries about one time a day, she generally freaks out about 5pm but then is happy. She lights up when Bryson is around but she is alert and happy when he is not. I honestly see how much they already love each other but I know he can be a little much for her some days. She loves to sleep until about 8:30 (which is just what B did) BUT Bryson gets up about 6ish, sometimes even earlier and tends to wake her up which you can read about on my last post!

Nalley is just about 12 pounds now and her 0-3 months clothes are getting a little tight. I have really started to enjoy the choices of girl clothes and even put clips in her hair today!

Nallia is the calmest baby you have even seen, Bryson was easy but Nallia spends the day looking around. She likes to be held and does not like a wet diaper but otherwise she is just happy. She is best when you let her sleep in the morning and nurse as she wants. This all leads to wonderful and fun days OR days where Bryson wakes her up every time she tries to sleep then he decides to not take a nap and they are both super tired and grumpy, here is where I wish we had a routine. He has never been one for doing it all the same but she is very much a baby with a schedule. She likes to wake around 8:30am, eat and then take a nap at 10:30ish, eat then nap again. This is the time of day that makes it or breaks it. At about 1pm Bryson has reached the point where he should nap or be happy to have quiet time. Most days he has quite time, about twice a week he takes a nap but on occasion he tries to nap and never falls asleep he just keeps bugging Nallia and singing and talking. These are the worst days. By about 4:30 she is over tiered and he is crazy.

Today was one of those days, not the worst of those, but I am learning to manage better. Once I recognized he is out of the routine we head out. The library saved us today with a new Signing Time DVD, 3 books and a audio book for me. We spent some time there and headed home, at home we were able to watch the Signing Time and everyone was happy.

One day down, one more lesson they have taught me that routine could be boring but sometimes boring is nice and peaceful.

Nallia is 2 months old ALREADY! She is very giggly and smiles a lot. Her hair is getting even longer and filling in, everyone says it will fall out but just seems to be holding on. About two weeks ago she started rolling over. I thought it was a fluke but she does it all the time now.

Another Pic by Bryson

We are also excited to be planning a trip to Hawaii. How far our life has come since our last visit there!

We have been very busy over the past several weeks. We had Bryson and Nallia’s cousins, Katie and Atti, their Aunt Jenny and Uncle Attlia and Grandpa visit a few weeks ago. Bryson lots fun running around with his cousins. Nallia was lucky to get several bags of hand-me-downs from Katie. We spent time at the blueberry farm picking berries, hiking and picnicking at Lady Bird Johnson Grove and even showed them the Sequoia Park Zoo.

The following weekend we headed east to Del Loma, where we “camped” across the Trinity River. We stayed on the deck of a friends cabin as we have for the last few years. Bryson loved the river, the small adventure walks we took him on, the fact we had to take a small motor boat to get there and most of all our hosts had a “Rhino”. This 4×4/golf cart vehicle was every boys dream. Nallia on the other hand was not a happy girl in the 102 degree temperature.

This was a great break just before I sat for the International Board Certified Lactation Consultant(IBCLC) exam the following Monday. I won’t know the results untill October 16th so I am just hoping I passed and making the best of the wait.

Last weekend we had a great visit from Drew’s step dad, Pat and his girlfriend, Connie. Since their visit happened to coincide with my birthday we went to Larupin’s  for a fun birthday dinner. While they visited we also ate at the Samoa Cookhouse and walked the Arcata Plaza. They brought great gifts for the kids, including Nike’s for Nallia and Lego’s for B.

This week it has been wonderfully sunny here in the land of clouds and rain. Nallia is now 7 weeks old and weighs over 10lbs. Bryson has also been growing like crazy, he can now reach the light switches, the truck’s door handles and so much more. He is 37 inches and 36 pounds; we had him in for a check up to get his paperwork done for school this far. If he has not already told you he is going to the “Discovery Room”, this is the younger of the two preschool classes at child care center he goes to at HSU. He is very excited and talks to everyone about how they will be able to play on the big play ground and how the room has play dough. He starts back in two weeks.

Because of the break in school B has been home with us the last two weeks and, do to furloughs and paternity leave, it seems Drew has been home a lot too. I started back at work last week and during the few shifts I have worked both kids have been home with Drew. Yesterday I rushed home only to find EVERYONE a sleep in the living room. So we are busy but at least we are getting some sleep. I am sure Drew will get Nallia’s first month’s pictures up at some point