First Mother's Day

Good morning! I know it's been over a week, but we have been so busy and exhausted that this is the first chance I've had to sit down at my computer for more than 10 minutes. We had pictures done of Payton last week, and although we survived with a few good shots, it was quite the experience. We fed her right before, and she was perfect when we got there; just looking around, relaxing. Not so when I put her in her outfit to start taking pictures! As soon as the lady starting positioning her in different ways she got cranky, apparently she does not like being told what to do! We would just put a pacifier in her mouth and wait until the photographer was ready, then take it out really fast so she could take the picture. This when on for about a half hour until it was finally over... and then of course she was perfectly fine afterwards! Actually she fell right asleep, so I think she was a little tired... either way, we did end up with some cute shots, and we better get used to it because we'll be back several more times this year! :) I don't pick them up until Friday, so everyone can see them soon! Until then, I'll leave you with this little gem...

This is what we call the joy of parenthood! :) A couple days worth of dirty diapers!

We still love her more than anything though :)

We left for Gig Harbor on Friday, and got there in the afternoon. It was a beautiful weekend! We got to see both sides of the family too, which is always great. On Saturday, Kyle and I had a playdate with some friends from college, Drew and Stephanie. They live in Gig Harbor and have an 8 month old son named Colton, and I was so excited to see them and meet eachother's babies. Colton was SO adorable! He was all over the place, crawling and playing with toys... weird to think that will be Payton before we know it!

So stinkin' cute!

I woke up to say hello!

Babies meeting eachother

Drew and Steph with Colton and Payton. It was awesome to see them!

I had a great first Mother's Day. We went to my cousin Carissa's house in Kingston for brunch... her and her husband Chris have a big german shepard named Bear, who was VERY curious about Payton. He kept sticking his nose in her carseat to see what was in there! He wasn't aggressive at all though, just had to figure her out.

Actually, I think he was mostly interested in her carseat toys!

We had her dressed in a cute dress, and that lasted all of about two seconds. She was in it long enough to take a picture though!

Being held by Great Grandma Book

It was such a beautiful day, and since Chris and Carissa live about three blocks from the beach, we decided to go on a walk. So we strapped Payton in the Baby Bjorn and walked to the beach!

Our family :)

Bear really liked playing with Kyle!

We were sad to leave, but glad to be home. All of the travelling can take a lot out of you! This weekend, we are going to do... nothing! :)

Time for an update on Payton herself. With the reflux, it feels like one step forward, two steps back. We'll think she's feeling better, and then have a rough couple days... the Zantac is weight based, so we had her weighed at the doctors office to have her dose adjusted; we'll see if that helps. We're very hopeful :) She weighed 12 pounds 12 ounches yesterday! She continues to grow and amaze us. She started really giggling on Monday, and always has a smile for me when I peek over her bassinet first thing in the morning. The hemangioma on the back of her head has raised a little, and the one by her eye has increased in size, but isn't raising yet. We're watching it closely to make sure it doesn't get too close to her eye or interfere with her eyesight; if that happens, the pediatrician will refer us to a dermatologist. I guess they can either inject it with a steroid, or even laser it off. The doctor was describing a case he saw where the child had one on the side of his neck that grew so big it obstructed his airway! Although a little unsightly, we are very blessed that her "bumps" haven't really affected her thus far.

On Sunday night I was rubbing her head as she was going to sleep (her mama likes that too) and noticed a lump UNDER the skin, right next to her bump. It was squishy and kind of moved around, and to me kind of felt like a little fluid collection or cyst. Finally a couple years of feeling everyone else's lumps at work paid off! I called her doctor's office on Monday to tell them about it, and they wanted to see her the next day. So, we took her in to get it checked out. It didn't feel worrisome, but I wanted the pediatrician to look at it just in case. The doctor was pretty stumped by it; he says he typically sees lumps like that in newborns at the hospital due to trauma in the birth canal, but it was uncommon to show up in 2 month olds. But, who knows how long it's been there! I told him that she was a c-section, but I did try and push her out for about 4 hours, so that was a possibility. He agreed with me that he couldn't think of anything worrisome it could be, but took some measurements of it. We're going back in a couple weeks to see if it grows; if it does, then he'll refer us to a neurologist. I'm sure it's nothing, but I'm glad they're being cautious about it. I think we just have a lumpy baby! :) We go back in about two weeks, and I'll definitely keep everyone updated!

I got a good smile in this one :)


I have a couple of birthday shout outs... My dad's birthday is on Friday, and my little BABY sister is turning 21 on Sunday; I can't believe it! She's already almost a senior in college... I know I'm really not, but it makes me feel old! Happy birthday to two of the most amazing people I know!

Sisters :)