Holidays

I am so excited it is Holiday time now that we have a child.   Now the Holidays bring more meaning with them.  I know she is still to young to understand but at least now they have more reason behind them.  It has been fun to go and do the "typical" holiday activities. 
On Thanksgiving we gave Leah some baby food Turkey, yes I was excited.  Leah didn't seem to care one way or the other about it.  I do have to say that meat baby food is gross and I do not think I will be giving her any again.  I will just wait  until she is old enough to eat meat that isn't mushy! That was pretty much it for Thanksgiving. Oh I almost forgot Kevin's sister Cindy and her family came down.  It was so fun to have Leah's cousin Jack there to play with.  I have to admit I was trying to talk them into moving her the whole time during there visit, haha.  I just love having family close by.  I want Leah to grow up with her cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents all close by...just like how I had it. 
So far for Christmas we have taken Leah to get some picture with Santa.  It was really cute!  She just grabbed at his beard and had a confused look on her face.  Typical Leah story..on the way to see Santa I dressed her in a cute dress right before leaving the house.  Then when we got to the mall, like 15 min away, I went to take Leah out of her carseat and she was dripping in poo! Her dressed and tights were covered, I didn't know what to do.  I really wanted pictures with Santa and her.  So I ended up having to go into the mall and purchase another dress, but it was worth it.  She also got her first pair of shoes, yes I am that mom that doesn't put shoes on her children.
I do feel bad because our apartment is so small that we do not have room for an actual Christmas tree.  Instead we just have a tiny one in the corner. It sucks but hopefully one day we will be in a larger place or an actual home.
Kevin and Me are doing well.  Work has been extremely busy, it is very stressful managing my workload and my family time/responsibilities.  Kevin has been having to do many solo nights with Leah, but he is so great and helpful. 
 Recently my grandmother passed away.  She was such a wonderful grandma and there are so many precious memories of her that I cherish.  I wish I could have been there to say goodbye.  I just hope that she is at peace now and no longer suffering.  She was a great grandmother, she was a nurse and I remember I use to love playing with all of her nursing tools.  Oh and she always made the best homemade vegetable soup and collard greens!(I am from the south)

Leah and Briggs playing together...Notice my dad talking with Brinley in the background

Videos

Kevin made a you tube channel for us.  We have taken some videos but they were to big to email to people.  So the you tube channel was the best option so our family can see them.  The channel is www.youtube.com/imkevinclark  So go there and check on the videos.  So far there is only one video of Leah eating apples.  She hated apples, so weird.  She loves all veggies but is not a fan of fruits. 

4 months

Leah is 4 months old.  She had her 4 month check up and that did not go well.  I had to rush back to work on the worst case I've had.  Leah got sick from the immunizations and was miserable. 

She has started to roll over and grab things with her hands. Yes I know these things sound simple, but it is exciting watching her learn it.  She tried her first food, sweet potatoes, and it was awesome.  She liked it  but wasn't sure how to eat off of a spoon so most of the food didn't get in her mouth.  haha

My wonderful parents are watching Leah while I am at work, I am so grateful for there sacrifice.  I feel guilty that they are having to take over my responsibilities.  ONE DAY I hope I will be able to stay at home.  My parents do such a great job with Leah. My mom gets excited to tell me all the things that Leah does during the day and she is teaching her all sorts of things. 

Recently we went to Gardner Village for the Witch Festival.  It was fun to see Leah and Briggs dressed up together.  Leah was so tired and had grump face all night.  I love being close to family and I am desperately trying to get Kevin's family out here.  I love my sister in laws and they have all babies around Leah's age and it would be so fun. 

Kevin and me are doing good.  We both stay busy working.  We are adjusting to having a child and being on "family" schedule instead of our own schedule.  It is hard to find time for yourself and when I do I feel guilty for leaving Leah since I already leave her all day for work.  We are slowly figuring it out and adjusting.  I love my husband so much for all the help and support he gives me and Leah. Family life is  hard but so wonderful.

back to work :(

Cindi, Dave, and new baby Jack
My little family
Leah and Jack, yes Leah looks ginormous next to 3 week old Jack
Leah, Brinley, and Briggs (all the babies are drooling lol)


Yes it is that time already, I mean work time. My maternity leave went by so fast it was unreal. At first I didn't know what to do with myself being at home all day. But I quickly adjusted to being a "stay at home mom" and I loved it. There is nothing better than getting to spend all day with your child. I am going to miss seeing Leah learn to do new things and watching all of her fun expressions on her face.

Over the last few weeks as the day came closer to returning to work, I spent my days looking for work from home jobs. Unfortunately most of them were scams. I am hoping that I can adjust to working again, it is going to be so hard leaving Leah for the whole day. I am so thankful that I have wonderful parents who are able and willing to watch her while I work.

Kevin and me recently took Leah on her longest road trip all the way to CO. She did great on the drive. We went to visit Kevin's sister, Cindy. She she just had her baby and we went to see him and join in on his baby blessing.

PICS

leah at one month
Funny story about this picture...Leah has on Briggs jacket at the rodeo. Reason being, that she pooped through all of her clothes and didn't have anything else to wear.
Us on our vacation in the hotel

how cute she fell asleep with her little hands laid so "proper" haha

Baby equals Busy

Amy and Jared
Brooke (Leah's cousin born just 3 days after Leah)


Leah and Briggs on their blessing day
Leah in her blessing outfit just 3 weeks old

Wow I didn't realize how much my life was going to change with the new addition of a baby into our family. Everyone told me that it was going to be different but I just didn't believe it for some reason. My day is filled with caring for Leah and also trying to find time to care for myself. I love being a mom, it is the most wonderful feeling in the world. Kevin has been doing so good adjusting into "daddy" role. Leah loves her bath and loves to be held. She has started to smile and make eye contact, I love when she looks at me and smiles.
So.. Leah had her baby blessing on the same day as her cousin Briggs. It was a great time having our family all together for this. I am so blessed to have a husband that is able to give our children blessings and thankful for that. We also took Leah on her first vacation. We went to Oakley, ID for the pioneer day festival. We went with my sister and her family. It was a great time and I have a new found love for rodeo's. Leah did good on the trip, I on the other hand felt stressed most of the time. It was hard packing for a child in addition to myself, I also had to get over my fear of breast feeding in public. I have to say it wasn't so bad. Oakley was a cute little town. On the trip Kevin had to shoot a bird (he had to to make sure it was dead and not suffering) it was so sad. Kevin and my brother in law Aaron got to play most of the time. I am still healing from the c-section, sadly the incision is not healed yet. Kevin says I have a "weak" body.
In other news my sister in law, Amy, got married this month. She was a beautiful bride. I wish that Kevin and me were able to attend her wedding but with a new baby we couldn't make it out to New York.

Baby is Here!!

she looks so sweet when she sleeps
Leah and her cousin Briggs
going home from the hospital
kevin and leah
Leah's first day out of the house


Wow what a long pregnancy...I am glad that it is over and ready to get back to "normal". I am so happy with the end result of my pregnancy of course. I love being a mom and can't believe how much all the woe's of being pregnant don't even matter now. On June 13th I finally went into real labor when my water broke. I had a few false alarms prior to that. I ended up having to have a c-section and had some complications with the delivery but all is well now. In the end Leah was born weighing 8 lbs 3 oz and was 20 inches long. She is gorgeous and I can't believe she is finally here! She is so sweet and loves to sleep for now. Kevin did such a great job jumping into his "dad" role. I couldn't ask for better while we were in the hospital. Kevin not only took care of me but he also had to do everything for Leah as well. I have to say seeing your husband being a dad makes you love him even more.
As for me I am still recovering from the c-section and can't get around the best. I am taking maternity leave from work and I have to say staying at home is new experience. Of course taking care of Leah keeps me busy but it is an adjustment being at home all day. I do love being at home with her but I was surprised at how I miss going into work and associating with othr adults..I know weird.