Quote worth reading

I came across this quote and it hit close to home. 

"Life is too short to wake up with regrets. So love the people who treat you right. Forget about the one's who don't. Believe everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, take it. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said life would be easy, they just promised it would be worth it." ~Michael Gartner

One Month

To our little Carmen:

It's incredible that four short weeks ago you arrived into this world and we now can't even imagine life without you. You have made us a family.

You continue to amaze us each day in so many ways but it's the little things you do that keep us in awe and make us beam: the way you hold your head up so strongly, the way you throw both arms over your head and stretch when you are finished eating, the way you always have your right hand pressed on your cheek before you start zzzing away and how you love, love, love being held by daddy like a little tree frog.
 

3 Weeks

Oh boy (or should I say, Oh girl) have you been growing.  Your cheeks are fuller than last week and your hair is getting longer, especially at the back of your neck and your eyebrows continue to get darker.  You have discovered your thumb and I've caught you sucking it more than a few times now.  You like your little gym and grab and kick at the animals; the giraffe is your favorite.  When your head is resting on mine or daddy's shoulder, you cross your arms and rest your head on your hands.  I smile every time.  Can't wait for what is next.

Grandma is the best

Grandmas hold our tiny hands for just a little while, but our hearts forever.

~Author Unknown

It is with teary eyes and a heavy heart that we said goodbye to Grandma Stephenson this morning as she boarded a plane back to Arizona.  She stayed with us just shy of three weeks to help us transition little Carmen home.

The last few weeks have been such a learning experience and I have cherished every moment and feel so fortunate that my mom was here to be a part of it all.  She was such a tremendous help, more than she will ever realize or can begin to understand. I will miss her tremendously and Carmen will miss being held, rocked and read to by Grandma, who she loves so very dearly.

I just hope that one day I will be the mother to Carmen that my mom is to me.  I feel so blessed. Thank you.

 

2 Weeks

I thought week 1 went by fast, but week 2 has been even more of a blur.  Carmen amazes us more and more each day.  At week 2, this is what we know (or think we know) thus far:

• She loves snuggling on your chest and nestles her head right underneath your neck
• She doesn't like being nudie when she is getting her diaper or outfit changed and has a tendency to cry, cry, cry until she is nice and warm again
• Did I mention she has a strong set of lungs.  She sleeps  like an angel during the day, but often night time is a different story...still learning the difference between day and night, but we're getting there.
• She loves to be cuddled and rocked right after she is done eating and for being such a little lady, she makes lots of "after meal" noises
• She has discovered her hands and constantly has them near her face and can wiggle those little hands out of the tightest swaddle
• She is gaining weight and her cheeks are rounding out which makes them that much more kissable
• She has the most beautiful eyes and I find myself so very happy when both eyes are open and I can gaze into them

 

Happy New Year!

A family tradition: washing in money the first day of the new year for health and prosperity.  We thought this was the perfect opportunity to give Little C her first bath.  Here's to a year of new beginnings!