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Last night, my baby cried. She wanted me.
She wasn't hungry.
She wasn't wet.
She just needed her mom.
She needed a little love.
I reached over to hold her hand.
She grabbed it with both hands and pulled it close to her.
She stopped crying.
She hugged my arm the way a toddler hugs a security blanket or favorite stuffed animal.
That little bit of contact from me, made her feel safe and happy.
For now, I am her primary source of security and comfort.
She needs and loves me.
Being a mom can be so amazing.
I love my little Avynlee.

Five minutes later, after I was sure my little one was sleeping soundly, I leaned over and kissed her cheek. She smiled. Being a mom is so amazing.

This is a sampling of the adorable pictures my amazing friend, Carlye took of baby A when she was one week old. Yeah, that was three months ago. She's so much bigger now! I am smitten with my sweet, little baby. She is so wonderful!

Christmas Cards!

Would you like one from us? Email me with your address.

jefanga@hotmail.com

Thanks!

Picture Fest

I've been working on scrapbooking my pictures of Avynlee to post...but I work and go to school and love my family so it's been put off many times. Here are some adorable pictures to hold you over.

My amazing friend, Carlye, took some adorable newborn pictures (they aren't in this post, sorry) which will be coming soon. And my talented sister, Aliese, made some birth announcements (also not in this post) which I'll post soon (and print and send out soon...geeze, biggest slacker).

Here's our girl.

One month old:
In her crib. I made the bedding. I think it's kind of adorable.

First cabin trip:

Clearly hates the bear outfit.
Looking out the big window at the amazing view.

(Her namesake is in the background)
Roasting hotdogs with momma (totally posed, I didn't really roast hotdogs with my baby)
Pretty hillside with chubby momma.
First Halloween:
I sewed some paws and a tail onto her little fleece bear outfit...and then it was quite warm and she roasted in it. First Trick or Treat. We went to a neighbor/coworker's house, and to our parents' houses.
Tubby Time:

Not terribly surprising that the offspring of Adam and Jennifer loves her some swimming. She's seriously the biggest fan. It's adorable.

Blessing:

My mom has the pictures of us all together. I'll get them soon perhaps.

I made her dress from the fabric my wedding dress was made out of. Her headband is made from the lace on the dress. The blanket is Belgian lace Aliese gave me which I sewed (haven't finished yet actually, hand stitching all of that is kind of a beast) on to some washable satin.

She's so pretty! I love being this baby's mom.

Two Months

I have a bunch of unfinished posts I need to finish and publish...and I will...hopefully soon.

Today, my baby daughter is two months old. Tomorrow, I go back to work (dreading that). I am loving being this little girl's mom. She is amazing. She is so sweet and smiley. She loves to cuddle and be held close. She nestles her sweet little head in to my chest/shoulder area when I hold her. She rarely cries and when she does it's more of a quiet wimper. Avynlee loves to be held. She doesn't mind when strangers hold her but it's pretty obvious that I am her favorite with Adam a very close second. When other people have her, she looks around for us. Sometimes she sleeps through the night. Most the time she needs to wake up once to eat. She's been "talking" and smiling for about six weeks but is becoming more and more animated. She is such a happy baby. I love her cute smiles and giggles. She doesn't like applause and is afraid of the dark. She loves swimming in the bathtub; she lays on her back and kicks her little legs and splashes. We need to get her a tiny little swim suit so she can come swimming at the pool with us. She might be a little spoiled (or a lot spoiled). This little girl has us entriely wrapped around her finger and that's exactly how we like it. She is the best thing that has ever happened to us. Adam and I are both so smitten. I knew I would like being a mom but I had no idea how great it would be. I have never felt more important and I have never felt more love. She has turned me into a big wuss (an aquaintences baby passed away and I bawled and bawled, I can't even imagine losing a child). Adam and I are constantly gushing about how cute she is and we exchange picture messages all day long. Our girl is such a miracle and we are so grateful to have her in our lives.

Today, sweet baby A had her 2 month appointment. She got her shots. It was so sad. She looked as us like we had betrayed her and she cried the saddest cry. We've never heard her cry like that. It was heartbreaking. Luckily, our girl is tough, her crying was brief, and she seems to be fine now. As much as I hated seeing my tiny girl poked, I'm so glad we have modern medicine and vaccinations. I'd way rather her have shots and be a little fussy than have her get super sick. Her health means so much to me. All three of my siblings had birth defects and I was kind of a sickly kid. I am so grateful my baby daughter was born healthy and strong and has managed to stay healthy. I had emotionally prepared myself for time in the NICU due to my far from stellar genetics. But my baby daughter is so healthy and we went home a mere 30 hours after she was born.

Little Pyah pants (we call her Pyah more than we call her Avynlee...maybe we should have just named her Pyah) has the same facial features I had as a baby. I'll post pics to compare sometime. She looks just like I did...only prettier. She may have my face, but our lucky girl seems to have gotten her build from her dad. She is so tall and thin. She eats like crazy but doesn't really put on much weight. She is 24.8 inches tall and in the 99th percentile for height (the average 2 month old is just over 22 inches). She is 12.1 pounds which is in the 81st percentile (average is 10.8 pounds). Her head circumference is 15.4 inches which is in the 54th percentile.

She looks around a lot and is so alert. She watches me move around the room. She loves tummy time. She can almost roll over. She has amazing head control. She loves her bumbo chair. She intently watched Polar Express for about half an hour this morning while I showered and got ready. She can scoot herself a few inches while flailing around on her back. She likes to touch soft/fuzzy things and will continually pet/stroke things she likes the texture of. She likes to hold things and sometimes manages to put her binkie back in her mouth (we were so proud the first time, we think our girl is a genius...so funny what babies do to people).

This little girl might be one of the all time most loved babies in the entire world. She is so amazing and I am so grateful she came along and changed our lives for the better.

Pictures of our Baby and a Cute Video

I love this video! Cute little nub. I love when she makes noise. In this video it's like she'e yelling at her hiccups. Aren't those dimples adorable?

Happy Birthday Adam!

My best friend turned 29 today. I met Adam eight years ago. I've adored him ever since. He is so cool, nice, funny, and smart. Adam has been the best friend and most amazing husband. He is such a good father. He is so adorable with little Avynlee.

Adam, I'm so glad you were born. Without you, my life would kind of suck. You and Avynlee mean everything to me. Thanks for being so great.

Our Baby Story

Click on the images below to read the story...be aware there is plenty of oversharing.

Avynlee Marilyn Kay

Avynlee Marilyn Kay

September 14, 2011 - 12:37 pm

9 pounds, 7 ounces

21 inches

Home Stretch

Somehow, I'm almost done being pregnant. I'm so excited to meet our baby daughter...but also a little freaked out. It's weird and surreal to think that in a week or so I'll be a mom. Crazy! Despite the cute little pregnancy tracker saying I have 6 days to go, my due date has been moved to tomorrow (so crazy!). I'm sure the 6 days is more accurate, though, so I'm just going to stick to it.

Last week, my work had a baby shower for Whitney and me. She is due 7 weeks after I am. I look like I'm ready to burst...and I am. I'm also ready for all this swelling to go away...cute jowls, huh? Even my nose is bigger.
Last week, my champion of a husband came home with some lovely flowers. He's the best. I had recently had a school related break down (side note: my mood hasn't been too affected by the pregnancy hormones, but I have had a couple randome bouts of hypersensitivity or aggitation...I'm sure Adam has really enjoyed that). He's the nicest guy in the whole world. I've never seeen orange daisies with random white petals. So pretty. We aren't a flower couple. Adam gets me flowers from time to time, but it's a rare and very sweet occasion. He included a very sweet note. I'm really lucky to have him.

Last week, my doctor cleared me to go to the cabin over Labor Day weekend. I was a bit unsure because it's so close to my due date...he wasn't worried at all. So we fit one last cabin trip in before we became parents. It was great. The weather was beautiful. I actually felt cold for the first time in SO MANY MONTHS. My horrible pregnancy heat rash is nearly all healed now (tmi?). Adam got a lot of runs/hikes/walks in. I helped my mom saw some wood (by "helped"...I pretty much mean watched her do it all). It was so nice to go up and relax. Things have been a bit chaotic the last couple months so some chill time was much needed.

And now, I wait. Maybe there will be a cute baby in the next pictures I post.

Basement Camping and Weekend Fun

Two weeks ago, our central air stopped working. This is awesome since pregnant women tend to thrive in 90 degree temperatures. It sucked. While it was broken, AK set up a little bedroom in our unfinished basement. He blew up our air mattress, moved the tv and wii downstairs, and moved my piles and piles of pillows downstairs. We spent just about all our time in the basement since it was at least 15 degrees cooler than our bedroom (hottest room in the house). It was kind of an adjustment, especially my jaunts to the bathroom (getting up off the air mattress and then climbing the stairs to the bathroom on the main floor...plenty of effort). But we both slept so much better down there. Last week the nice man came and fixed our AC. I am so glad it's working. But I've been kind of loving the basement camping, so we've kept it up. It's a great way to keep me super chilly, which I love. Poor AK sleeps wrapped up in down comforters though. What a champ.

We had a glorious weekend together. It was so busy and so great. I love when I get a full weekend of Adam time. Bliss. On Friday, we went to Mona because Adam needed to inspect a claim there. We popped in on some family while there. Then we hit up the red barn in Santaquin for some amazing produce and ice cream. So great. That night, we went to the drive in movies. We love movies. We love drive ins. The movies weren't that good but it was so fun being together. We think it'll be a good way for us to go to movies once Baby Kay's here. We stayed up later than we have in ages. We didn't get home until almost 1:30. It was like the good old days!

On Saturday, we picked up our Bountiful Basket and got some good cleaning done. We took a nap (in the basement, of course) and did some shopping for Baby Kay. Then we went to my aunts house for a birthday barbeque and some swimming (Adam swam, I did not). I love hanging out with family!

Sunday morning, AK woke up early and made me an amazing breakfast, he even made homemade blueberry syrup. What a champ. He loves me. I'm living the dream (with the exception of the horrible heat rash and back pain).

Baby Showers, Triathlons, and Wedding Cakes

It's been a while. I'm a slacker. We've been busy. The first weekend in July, we were in Lava Hot Springs...I blogged about that already. The second weekend, my sweet mom and grandma threw me and my unborn a baby shower for the Freeman side of the family. I was especially swollen on this particular day and my face is crazy puffy, but I figured I'd swallow the pride and use them anyway...maybe my baby will want to know what she made me look like!

(The narrations on the scrapbook pages are from Baby Kay's point of view since they'll be going in her scrapbook...try to ignore that)

This is more for Baby Kay's sake and for her scrapbook. I want her to know what gifts she got from all the people who are excited to meet her.
The next weekend, my good friend Brittany threw us a co-ed baby shower. I dig the idea and think all baby showers should be co-ed. Baby Kay is Adam's too. He should be in on the parties and gifts and fun, right?

The next weekend was the 24th of July weekend. I had that Monday off and Adam took it off so we could have a long weekend at the cabin. I love going to the cabin. It's my favorite place in the world and I wish we had more time to go. Maybe next summer. I can't wait to put Baby Kay in our hiking backpack and tote her all around up there. We went on little jaunts with my grandma (we're at a similar walking pace these days), had s'mores, played games, and tons more. AK even helped the Erics with some logging. I didn't think it wise to participate in my normal cabiny fun so I stayed pretty close to the cabin. Luckily Adam is comfortable enough to do his own thing sometimes. He went on trail runs and hung out with those more able (I'm in no state for logging). As much as I love being more active, if I have to take it easy, the cabin is the most lovely place to be doing it! My sweet grandma was so overly protective. She's 85 and kept trying to do things for me and telling me to be careful. You're 85 sweet lady! Take care of yourself! She already really loves her great granddaughter and wants me to make sure she is safe.

This is the only picture of the whole trip because I am a big failure at taking pictures of our lives. My mom took it on one of our little strolls up the road. See why it's my favorite place ever?

The last weekend in July, Adam competed in the Spudman triathlon in Burley, ID. Our friend Kevin lives in Arizona and flew in to compete as well. The three of us carpooled up on Friday night and woke up good and early (but not early enough) for some race time fun. We got a little confused on the start time. We thought it started at 8. It did not. Adam and Kevin were in the same wave and were supposed to start at 7:05. That didn't happen. And having a champion waddler with them didn't really speed things up. Kevin ran ahead and ended up starting one wave late. He and Adam were in wave 2. Kevin made it in time for wave 3. Adam wouldn't abandon his big pregnant wife though (I tried to make him run ahead, but he loves me more than winning...a lady down there thought it was awfully touching...she almost cried) and didn't make it to the starting line until the 4th wave and ended up leaving with the 5th. Sorry champ. Adam ended up starting the race at 7:20 (even though the timing chip started without him at 7:05).

Adam's goal was to go under 2:30.00 which he did handily...but it's not recorded correctly due to the 15 minute late start. I feel bad that he doesn't have proof that he did it, but knowing he did was good enough I suppose. While I was waiting at the finish line for my boy, I was super surprised to see him come in before Kevin since Kevin left 10 minutes before. There was a big bike crash and a bunch of people were taken to the hospital. We were so worried Kevin was among them. Thank goodness he was ok! And he made it under the 2:30.00 time too (but again, because of the late start, it's not really documented). I'm so proud of my husband for his hard work. He actually did the swim in a faster time than our friend Kevin who was one of the best swimmers in the state in high school. What a champ.

I didn't get very many good pictures, and didn't get any of Kevin, because of the way the race was set up. The transitions weren't all in the same place and I wasn't about to scootch my pregnant butt all around town.

Yesterday was Kailie Paulsen's wedding. My friend, Holli Paulsen Pierce, is due 2 weeks before I am. I volunteered to make her bridesmaid dress. Luckily my mom pretty much took over and did almost the whole thing. I barely helped at all. Her dress turned out so cute and fit over her baby bump! I was commissioned to do the wedding cake. This I actually did by myself and did not pawn it off on my mom. She wanted white gerber daisies but that fell through but I think the yellow roses ended up looking great too. This was the most time consuming cake I've ever made. That lace patterned fondant was not esay. But I think it turned out great.

My nice mom and sister helped me transport the cake and stack it. This cake is my new favorite.