Sisters...do you think?

I took some great pictures of Natalie yesterday. She's 6 weeks old now!! I love getting past the first 6 weeks.....aahhhhhh. Anyway, she has been pretty happy lately so I wanted to capture it. The first is a picture I took of her yesterday and the second is of CYRENA on Valentine's Day when she was about 8 weeks old. Sisters?? I think so.

Party on

Yesterday we celebrated Cyrena's birthday with one of her friends who has a birthday close to hers. We just went to the park and had lunch and cupcakes with a few friends. It was low key and fun! Well, except for the part where Cyrena was panicking and having a meltdown because she had to use the bathroom so badly. Other than that, just peachy!

The Birthday girls

When we got home, I made Christmas almonds to give out and Cyrena helped us bag them up.  She was really concentrating.

We're alive!

Ok, so I apologize for the lack of updates lately. There's been a lot going on with getting ready for Christmas, starting preschool again, and taking care of a crazy baby! Here are some pictures of what we've been up to the past little bit.

We finally went to check out the 'Glendale Glitters' hype.  We loved the lights, but didn't love the crowds.  It was like we were on a moving walkway in the airport because there were so many people.  

The bus ride to and from the parking lot was the highlight of the evening for Cyrena.  She has always wanted to go on a bus!

Cuddling with Daddy.  We still haven't caught any of those award-winning smiles on camera yet.  Soon I hope.  She sure is a cutie and looks so much like her sister!

The proud gardener.  David harvested this awesome looking broccoli and we ate it with dinner that night!  Yum!!  He sure loves his garden, I'm glad he has this hobby because we all get to benefit from it!

Yep, we are ashamed to admit it but we took a 5 week old to a Suns game.  We kept her bundled and protected the majority of the time.  We needed to get out!  Cyrena was in heaven!!  In this picture she is pointing to the gorilla mascot on the court who does many, many tricks during the timeouts.  Everyone around us loved watching Cyrena's enthusiasm, I think her hands were raw from clapping so much.  

Natalie is 6 weeks tomorrow and we are able to see little improvements everyday.  She seems less fussy in the evenings and is sleeping pretty well at night.  She just LOVES to be held, who wouldn't??  Cyrena is going to be 3 in a week, I can't believe it.  She is such an amazing little girl.  We leave for Christmas vacation a week from Saturday.  Woo-hoo!!!

Letter to Santa

David sat down with Cyrena the day after Thanksgiving to write a letter to Santa. She had been looking at toy ads the past few days and had her eye on a few things. It was really cute watching her tell her dad exactly what to write and then of course she had a turn with the pencil. She asked me for an envelope and 'stickers' (stamp and return address label). She got the letter all ready to send and then carried it around all day. It still hasn't made it's way to the mailbox, she wanted to hang onto it. :) And yes, this is after breakfast and yes that is a piece of pie that David had for breakfast.

What a day!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!  Grandma flew in Tuesday night and we were all excited!!  We spent all day Wednesday making preparations for our feast.  And then Thursday we ate and ate and ate!!  Grandma is an amazing cook and we all benefited from her expertise. It was a little rainy but we still enjoyed our day.  Cyrena had fun making pies with grandma and we all loved having daddy home.  It was a great day to reflect on the many  blessings in our lives.  Cyrena loved saying all the things she's thankful for.   She can be such a sweet girl when she wants to be.  :)

The sun is shining!

     Well actually it's a bit overcast here in Phoenix.  But the sun is definitely shining in our everyday lives.  It's amazing what a little sleep can do for you!  First off, thank you all for your kind words of support and love.  They meant so much to me....even if they kept the tears flowing for a bit.  I think I needed to hit rock bottom in order for things to get better.  And get better they have!  That's terrible english I know.   The past 4 nights Natalie has been sleeping a 6 hour or more stretch.  How lucky am I?  The first night it happened of course I was up every hour checking on her, but now I'm relaxing a bit.  She has fallen into a pattern that is working for all of us.  I'm sure it will change soon but for now it's all good.  I think my prayers for relief were heard, I'm so grateful for that.  I hated feeling so awful and anxious, it's no fun.  I just kept telling myself that all I've ever wanted to be was a mom and I've got to pull it together somehow!  

    I cannot complain one teeny tiny bit about Cyrena.  She has been a champ through all of this.  She is SO helpful and happy and playful.  She still doesn't love going to bed, but what almost 3 year old does?  I don't think it was going from 1 to 2 that was bringing me down, it's the whole newborn thing; sleep deprivation, trying to nurse, watching their diapers, figuring out their cries, etc., etc., etc.  I'm just not confident with newborns, but things are getting so much better. I've actually started to be able to enjoy my new baby girl and relax about things a bit.  Like I've been told from EVERYONE who knows me, I WORRY TOO MUCH!  I need to not have such high expectations for me and my children.  As long as we're healthy and happy, we're on the right track.  

Natalie is starting to get some chub.  She already has the fat rolls in her upper thighs and her face is totally filled out.  Cyrena was formula-fed and very chubby.  Since I'm nursing Natalie so far I was interested to see if she would fill out from breast-milk as much as Cyrena did with formula.  So far, it's about the same!  Their baby pictures look so similar, even down to their cowlick which is in the same spot!

p.s.  I took the girls to go check out the new Trader Joe's that opened up out here.  It's so great!  It's a lot more spacious than the other locations and they had PLENTY of the kiddie carts which is the only reason Cyrena wanted to go.  For proof of this, you can check out the wounds on the back of my ankles from Cyrena ramming her cart into me as she followed me around the store.  Also, they have all their fun Christmas goodies out, SO FUN!

Baby Blues

I apologize for not posting much lately.  I haven't been having the easiest time and am a little overwhelmed!  I debated whether or not to write about it but I do have to acknowledge the amazing people in my life.  I've had a bad case of the 'baby blues.'  I tend to have major hormonal issues and I was a mess when Cyrena was born as well.  So the wonderful friends and family in my life have intervened and done their best to reassure and distract me and give me breaks.  They are truly amazing and I'm so grateful for their support.   I sometimes feel so isolated living here away from family.  Then I throw a pity party for myself and feel like I am not cut out to be a mother.  I know a BIG part of all these awful, awful feelings is sleep deprivation which I know will get better soon (hopefully!).  I do love my girls and love to kiss them to death, I just don't feel adequate a lot of times.   Figuring out a newborn is such an overwhelming task and at times seems impossible.  I know it will get better, it has to!  I'm looking forward to my mother-in-law's visit next week, it will be a great distraction.  And I'm looking forward to these hormones getting under control!

  On a lighter note, Cyrena finished up another session of her art class.  It was every Saturday morning and she just loves it.  It's the second time she's done it and she enjoys every minute of it.  Here are some pictures from today.

David wrote down all the things Cyrena was thankful for, then she took a turn writing down what David was thankful for.

Cyrena and her teacher, Miss Sheri.  She has taken a few classes from her and LOVES her.  

Our 4-eyed child.  These are her sunglasses that she took the lenses out of.  She loves wearing them still, but people really think she has glasses.

Our pink baby.   She looks sweet when she's sleeping huh?  You're all welcome to come over when she's screaming!