Makena is 13 months old

Makena turned 13 months old on June 6th. She is changing and learning new things every day.
- She weighs 21.5 lbs.
- She has found a new veggie that she loves. Corn (see proof below)
- Along with "dog" and "riggins", she know makes a very soft "ruff" sound when you ask her what the dog says.
- She has learned to identify the ball and the dog in her books.
- She has been signing "more" for the last few months. Now she prefers to grunt when she needs more food.
- She still loves Riggins!! She pats and climbs all over him. Luckily he doesn't seem to mind.
- She likes to take Riggins for a walk each morning.
- She still love her books. Right now her favorite is The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss.
- She learned to climb into our shower.
- She has learned to shut the closet door behind her...sometimes she is on the wrong side and can't get out.
- She has recently discovered the cabinet doors.
- She loves helping her Daddy get ready each morning after breakfast.
- She is sleeping though the night and still taking two naps.
- She still loves to put things in containers and take things out.
- She likes to play with her little people school house and barn.

I have just been amazed at how much she is learning. It is awesome because one day she doesn't know it and then the next she does. I am so happy that I am getting to experience it all. Thank you God for the amazing 13 months you have given to us.

Here are some pics from the last couple of weeks.

At Grammie and Gramps having corn on the cob for the first time.
I walked in one day and she was curled up asleep. Too cute.

I barely had time to snap this before she wanted to wiggle off the couch.

We don't get mommy and makena pics too much.

May God bless you all!

And life changes...

As many may know by now there have been a few changes in our lives since Don's birthday. On the morning of Don's birthday, I discovered I was pregnant. The first thought of pregnancy entered my mind on April 30th when Don and I were on the way to dinner and I had this overwhelming heart burn. I noted I had not felt that kind of heart burn since I was pregnant. However, after eating it went away and I never thought about it again. I then noticed over the next two or three weeks that my coffee in the morning was no longer tasting very good and the occasional coke suddenly did not have quite the allure that it had had. Then the week of Don's party I kept getting nauseated. Monday through Wednesday, I thought it was my vitamins as it seemed to follow taking them in the morning. Then on Thursday I felt nauseated all day. So on Friday, I eliminated the vitamin and I again I felt the same feeling. By this time, I was suspecting pregnancy but kept being doubtful as I was still breastfeeding and it took so long before I just thought there is no way. I had still mentioned nothing to Don. On Friday night I read my journal that I kept with Makena as I remember how my coffee also lost its luster with her. If the symptoms were the same, we would be about 7 weeks. So on the morning of May 22nd, Don left for the doctor and Makena and I went to CVS. Let's just say there was no doubt in the "plus sign".

Makena's birthday card for Daddy was signed "Happy Birthday Daddy! We love you! Makena, little brother or sister, and Riggins". I got pretty anxious because I didn't think Don was ever going to open it once he got home. Let's just say he was surprised! He was reading it outloud and then kinda drifted off and say "Are you pregnant?". We were very excited but in shock.

May25th was our first appointment with the doctor since I wasn't sure how far along I was. The estimated due date is January 12, 2011. The heart beat was 160 bpm and going strong. We had our second appointment today to confirm the date and all is going well. Today the heart beat was 177 bpm. Dr. Ramos said our "little nugget" was the size of a lima bean but was already moving around. We were measuring a few days further along then the first sono indicated but will continue with the 1/12/11 due date. Here is the first picture of our "nugget".

We are so excited about our new addition!

More to come on an update on Makena...things are changing with her too...

My little reader and her Doggie Do

With great joy, my little reader has emerged. Due to the sad fact that Don and I don't read too much, I am happy to say Makena some how got the good gene. Hopefully, Don and I will be better examples in the future for her. Riggins loves to style Makena's hair. It doesn't matter how much I get on to him, he insists on licking her head when he walks by. She doesn't mind at all but she gets so wet and sometimes his breath is stinky...yuck! We love him though! Here are some cute pics of her Doggie Do.
Also Makena has learned where her belly button is. It is so cute to see her lift up her shirt and pull up her belly so she can see it (her belly is a little round so she has to shift her belly to be able to see it). I'll try to get a pic or video. It is soooo cute!

I think I blogged before that she stood briefly on her birthday. She stood by herself a few more times today, but she thought it was a game for her to fall into my arms.

Love my baby girl!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!

May 22, 2010 marked Don's 40th year!! It has been a great weekend. We celebrated with friends on Saturday night. Everyone got a chance to razz Don a little bit. We went through 40 things you may or may not know about Don. We ate Rosa's fajitas and had a little ice cream to top off the night.

Amanda, our next door neighbor, came and played with Makena for the evening. I am really bummed that I didn't get pictures of the event. I guess I was a little busy trying to make sure everything was ready and in order. Also, Makena's evening started off a little rough. I think her teeth were bothering her because she is never cranky like that. She is currently cutting her 4 top teeth at the same time and I think she has 2 more bottom teeth on the way. That seems like a lot of change for a little girl.

Don and I also finished the Financial Peace University by Dave Ramsey tonight. I would recommend it to everyone. It is a great course and really shows you that with some discipline, anyone can get rid of debt and build wealth.

4 Happy Years!

Dear Don,
I can’t believe it’s been four years. It seems like yesterday you were proposing to me on that very cold Colorado night. I will never forget the surprise and excitement when we got to share our news with family and friends.
Our first year began with a fabulous honeymoon to Costa Rica. The rainforest, lava flow, and watching the rain from balcony hot tub were the highlights for me. Then we spent the rest of the year getting used to each other as roommates (Jiff or Peter Pan…).
Our second year we bought a new house and what a great house it is! It is now our home filled with lots of love and dog hair. I wouldn’t have it any other way!
Our third year had some trials as we tried to get pregnant but then we were able to spend time enjoying each other awaiting the arrival of our little girl. Our trip to Hawaii was amazing (even with the scary ride around Maui). What a beautiful journey to celebrate with each other!
Our fourth year has been full of joy as we welcomed our precious baby Makena Ashtyn. Memories of naps on Daddy’s chest and tearful 5am battles are all blessed moments of the year. Thank you for being willing and making it possible for me to be home with our precious miracle.
Happy Anniversary Baby! I love you more and more each day!
UNLB

May 13, 2010

Happy Mother's Day!

Yesterday marked my second mother's day. Last year at this time, we had just gotten home from the hospital and it was what I thought was one of the best days of my life, but I can now say it just keeps getting better. After my first full year as a mom, I can say the joy has been never ending. Each day as I watch our beautiful baby grow and change, I am truly amazed. God works in our lives every day. He created us, he created the ability to conceive, and give birth to a baby. We serve an amazing God. He has the ability to knit together every fiber of our being as well as get us through any kind of difficult situation if we choose to let Him. He never intended for us to always be happy but He does always want us to trust in him. I pray every day that he will keep Makena safe allowing us to have many other Mother's Days together.

In honor of this special day, I want to thank my Mom for all she did raising me and all the things she continues to do now that I am prepared to make decisions on my own. She was always there when I was involved in sports, graduating from high school and college, my wedding day and for the birth of my first child. I always know who to call if I need help. Thanks Mom! I am truly blessed to have a loving Mom like you.

I also want to take the time to thank Jeanette for opening her arms and accepting me as a part of the family. As well as thank you for being a wonderful mother to Don all these years. I know he is the man he is today because of all the love you gave him and prayers you raised on his behalf. Thank you.

Unfortunately, I didn't get any pics of me and Makena on Mother's day. However, here is one from our Christmas trip to Colorado.

Now and Then

Here is Makena Now...
May 6, 2010 taken by Mom

and here is Makena Then ...

Going home from the hospital May 8, 2010

May 14, 2009 by Melanie Lee
May 21, 2009 by Steve Colwill

Today, I took Makena to see Dr. Tomecko. She said she was absolutely perfect. We talked about the transition to cow's milk, development, and got shots. It is amazing to think how much she has changed from the first day she entered the world. She has grown 11.5 inches and 13.5 pounds. That seems crazy to me! No wonder why babies aren't happy sometimes, they are changing so fast it has to hurt.

Now:

Weight: 21 lbs (50th percentile)

Height: 30.5 inches (90th percentile)

Head: 17.75 inches (50th percentile)

Then:

Weight: 7 lbs 9 oz

Height: 19 inches

Overall the appointment went good. I still hate to see her get shots. It breaks my heart to see that little face wince in pain and then see tears poor out of her eyes. Luckily, it only lasted for a few minutes. She passed her vision test too. She was so good to sit still for 5 or so minutes with 3 leads contected to her head and a patch over her eye.

After a much needed nap (Makena that is), we also had a fabulous dinner at Los Cucos with Chris, Stephanie and Caleb to celebrate Makena's birthday. Makena loved dancing to the mariachi band. However, it was really loud! Fun times with family.

May 6th is here! Happy Birthday Makena!!

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY MAKENA!! Here are some pics from the last month. I have had a lot of fun being at home the last two months. At 1 year old Makena is:

Food:
- Loves broccoli, strawberries, yogurt, ice cream (of course that doesn't happen too often)
- Wants a turn with the spoon after every meal.
- Usually has to eat something all by herself before she will eat from a spoon.
- Can drink out of her sippy cup or straw all by herself.

Church:
- Attends class on Sunday morning and has been going to the Nursery while Don and I have attended Financial Peace University Class on Sunday evenings. She always seems to enjoy herself.

Playtime:
- She loves playing and watching other kids play. She doesn't quite understand playing together just yet, but she definitely loves to sit and "take it all in".
- She loves to read her books. It sometimes amazes me how long she will just sit and read her books. This may be the making of "Miss Independent".
- Favorite Book: My First Counting Book (Golden Books)

Family:
- She loves spending time with her family. She is always ready for Daddy to give her hugs when he get home from work and to send him off to work in the morning.
- She loves to rub Uncle Tyler's hair.
- She is starting to know all of her grandparents more and more each time we see them.

Words:
- Dog and something that sounds like "Riggins"
- She has said mama and dada but doesn't seem to use them consistently yet.
- I think she said "All done" at the table the other day.
We go to the Doctor tomorrow so I will post some other stats after that.

Transportation:
- She pushed her stroller now on the carpet and the wood floor, but not walking unassisted yet.
- Crawls everywhere.

Riggins:
- Loves him!! Always wants to put her hands in his mouth.
- Loves feeding him treats.
- Trys to "throw' the ball to him. He doesn't seem to want to chase the 6 inch throw just yet.
- I have also caught her crawling over to him and kissing his face while he is laying down. So sweet! Followed up by kisses from Riggins of course then she pats him on the head.

Also if you would like to view the video Don made for Makena that I wrote about earlier go to http://www.farmersfight.net/ and select the "videos" tab.

1st Birthday Party!

We spent the last week doing house work and getting ready for the big day of bright pink and flowers. On Friday morning Makena and I went to Mother's Prayer breakfast. Makena had a great time playing with Jake, Mallory, Emilyn, and Charlotte. I did look over as Makena was playing with Jake and she was reaching up to him with both hands to come get him and pick her up. It was a precious moment.

Friday afternoon, Grammy joined us at the house so that Mommy and Daddy could go celebrate another birthday with a friend. Happy Birthday Matt! Papa, Grannie B, and Uncle T also came to stay with us on Friday night for our special day on Saturday. Before Mommy and Daddy left, Daddy shared a magnificent video with Mommy. He created a "1st Year" video of our baby girl. As the tears welled, I was putting on my mascara, which is kinda ironic. The video consisted of 4 fabulous songs... "I Saw God Today" by George Strait, "Arms Wide Open" by Creed, "All-American Girl" by Carrie Underwood, and "It Won't Be Like This For Long" by Darius Rucker...and the most precious moments in our little girls life captured in pictures and video. Thank you Don for capturing our baby's first year is such and awesome way!

Technically, Makena doesn't turn 1 for a few more days but it was time to celebrate with friends and family on Saturday, May 1st. So bring on the pink, the flowers, the family, and friends. We started the event at 1:30pm. Attendees included: Those mentioned above, Gramps, Aunt Amanda, Uncle Marcus, Great Aunt Nancee, Monica, Sydney, Cody, Theresa, Clayton, Casey, Maria, Aidan, Melanie, Tyron, Luke, Faith, Hannah, Laine, Dana, Jackson, Jack, Jenny, Colton, Caden, Michael, Lisa, Maggie, Maci, Jason, Bethany...hopefully I didn't miss anyone.

The video played for all to see during our time together. As our guest arrived we spent time hanging out and catching up. Then we moved to open gifts and ended with the cupcake extravaganza! Makena received some wonderful clothes, money, books and the greatest toys. We have already worn a dress and pa-jama-jams as we call them. Thanks to everyone for being so generous and thoughtful.

Here are some pics from our day...

Our precious princess in her Birthday Outfit!

Cute as a button!

Blowing out her candleNot exactly sure what to think of the icing and cake...Mom gives her a little taste.And then...As you can tell, it only took one taste. Then she thought Daddy needed some too! Aidan might be missing out on the yummy cake.Now it is Makena's turn to feed Daddy. I hope this is an indication that sharing will be no problem for her.Playing with the balloon with Granny.Makena sits proudly on display as quest arrive.Melanie and Makena. Friends and family...

Papa making faces at Caden... Are these two brothers? I think there was a lot of computer talk.

Theresa, Cody (cousin), Clayton, and Aunt Nancee

Makena and Grammy getting ready for the festivities.Pics of the birthday girl... Yummy cupcakes, cookies, strawberries (which is now Makena's favorite fruit!!), veggies and queso.

This was a display of pics of Makena each month for the last year.

We had a great day with everyone including the extra family time afterwards. A couple of milestones/firsts:

On Saturday, May 1, Makena let go breifly while standing. Not for long before plopping on her bottom, but it was one of those intial changes before other "big" changes.

Today, she walked behind her new stroller with no assistance. I believe we'll be walking by June. I guess we'll see.

Thanks again to everyone!