The 28th?

Two months, kind of.

So if your birthday is on the 31st, when do you turn one month older in February?

I'm going with the 28th since there is no 31st.

She is a tiny one.

I took her to the doctor around 6 weeks and she had only gained 6 ounces!

As of yesterday she's gained 10 ounces, weighing in at a delicate 7lbs 13 ounces.

I promise I'm feeding her.

She's just not a very big eater.

I think she likes being small.

She almost smiled today.

It was adorable.

I can't wait for the real thing!

The Mean Neighbor

Dear Rude Neighbor,

I'm sorry that your daughter chased our dog into your yard but that doesn't give you an excuse to use the "d word" in front of my children.  That was the first time their innocent virgin ears had ever heard anyone swear in real life.  And it really affected one of my boys.  He cried to me tonight saying, "he felt bad for the rest of the day" because you don't have a big enough vocabulary to express yourself without using ugly words.  Yes, I know that eventually he would have heard it somewhere but I just wanted to let you know that you were the first to dirty a young mind.  Don't you know that speaking like that makes you sound uneducated and scummy? I would call you an a*!@# but even in my limited vocabulary I can come up with a better description of you.  I hope that next time you choose your words you will have some respect for the little ears around you.

Sincerely,
The Mom that sounds overprotective but really just cares about her children

Girl Bonding

It's beautiful!  The girl bonding is already beginning.

Alexandria lets Stella watch Les Miserables with her.

Isabel wants Stella to watch TV with her.

They take great care of her. 

It's lovely.

Cold Mornings

Cold mornings are awesome.  

When else would you find your four children and the bird all cuddling together in the big red chair?

Love the cold!

Boys

Do you like my picture?  I was spying.  Some boys came to hang out with Alexandria.  Papi immediately went out to supervise.  He got them to play some baseball.  I think he's the cool dad.  As long as he maintains the cool dad with a little bit of intimidation we should be good. Alexandria needed a little help to know that the boys who were doorbell ditching were doing it because they wanted her to go outside.  But she figured it out and played it well.  And so it begins. . .

6 Weeks

We are making one spoiled little girl.

She is always being held so she always wants to be held.

It's my fault, really.

I can't put her down.

I just don't want this time to go by too fast.

And it is going by FAST!

But our spoiling is making for an unhappy baby. 

We don't see very much of this.

That's as close as we've gotten to a smile while she's awake.

But instead we see a lot more of this.

She's always ready to cry on a moment's notice.

So although it's hard, I'm giving in.

I'm reluctantly laying her down for her naps

and making sure she sleeps enough.

I think it's working.

Plus, bonus! I now have time to take more pictures and blog!

Win - Win!!

Lived

"It's so fun to have my own baby that actually lived." - Isabel

She loves having Stella with us.

I think all of our kids appreciate her more than they would have if we didn't have Mikey.

They even tolerate and try to help when she cries.

It's making for one happy momma 

and one kind of spoiled baby girl.

It's awesome! 

I couldn't ask for anything more.

School Work Funnies

Check out number four.

"I am asom"

Love it!!

Leaving out a "s" gives number four a whole new meaning.

Oops!

Loving Her!

Stella at three weeks

Stella at one month

Guess who's one month old today.

Miss Stella Rose!

She is fitting right into our family.

Alexandria is the best at getting her to sleep.

AJ loves to hold her and asks to help me with her so I can get other things done.

DJ is proud of his little sister.

And Isabel is loving having a baby that's "all her own".

I feel like she's been with us all along.

I know she was with us in October in Utah,

and with us during the 4th of July.

Whenever I think of 2012 I keep thinking she was there.

I think mothers feel the little spirit with them even before baby is born.

I love being a mom!

Happy One Month Stella!! 

Happy Birthday Mikey!!

We met at the cemetery today to celebrate our baby boy's birthday.

The kids and Papi played some football.

We saw white and blue balloons floating above us, a sign from Mikey I'm sure.

You know how we love balloons.

It's our way of feeling like we can communicate with Mikey.

So when the nice people at Icing for Smiles asked us what we wanted on our cake we chose balloons.

Awesome how the balloons floating above us at the cemetery and the balloons on the cake were the same color.

It must have been Mikey's way of telling us he was there with us.

Isn't the cake adorable?  I loved it!!  A special thanks to the people at Icing for Smiles and the people of Let Them Eat Cake here in Phoenix who volunteer their time and resources to make cakes for families of medically challenged children.

Then, we made our own balloon and sent it up to Mikey.

I know he gets our messages.

I love when he answers back.

And look who I caught on camera smiling while dreaming about her big brother on this beautiful day.

He makes me smile too.

I love you Mikey!

Happy Birthday!!