Obsessed

Malina cannot get close enough to her little brother- literally- I think she would probably try to sit on his lap if we didn't intervene.  The first couple days were a bit rough (see previous post) but once she learned that crying is normal, Malina loves to be near Luca.  She pets his head- as if he were an animal- and says "Good boy, Luca."  Today she even said, "Luca is my best friend."

Luca Grayson

Luca joined our family at 2:02 am on May 19 - three days past his due date.  A couple days prior, I decided to go with an induction knowing that I was carrying a large little boy who was extremely content in my tummy.  Brian and I headed to the hospital at 6 pm on May 18th and started the induction process around 7 pm.  Dr. Falk arrived at 10:30 to break my water after 3+ hours of little/no progress on the pitocin.  From there it was semi-smooth sailing and Luca arrived two and half hours later.  He swallowed some fluids on his way out and had to have his tummy pumped but shortly perked up after. 

Luca weighed in at a whopping 9 pounds 5 ounces and measured 22.5 inches long!  We are beyond blessed!

Malina has adjusted well to life with a little brother.  The first couple of days were rough- she cried every time Luca cried.  It took a lot of reassuring that he was just fine and she has since been able to ignore his cries.  Now everything she does revolves around baby brother Luca.  She makes sure he is included in her coloring, tea parties, and playing, and must always kiss him goodnight before naps and bedtime.  She takes her big sister role very seriously!

Our little man :)

Hours old- Malina is checking him out and not so sure at this point

Two days

Proud Big Sister

Reading to baby brother

11 days old

EASTER 2013

Easter in pictures...

Coloring eggs

Amazing

Backyard egg hunt

Ahh man, just cheerios and cranberries...

The Not-So-Terrible Two's

Our little girl turned two on March 16th.  Although we're only a few days into this so-called terrible year it appears to be anything but terrible.  We celebrated Malina's birthday all weekend starting with a play group party on Friday with her six best buddies.  She shares a birthday with her bff Raleigh, so we combined parties and enjoyed a semi-relaxing breakfast birthday party outside on the patio.  On Saturday we had a family bbq with Lynne & Joe, Jason & Kenny, and G'Ma & G'Pa Kuhn.  Malina actually woke up on Saturday saying "blow out candles and eat cake."  I think she understands this whole birthday thing quite well.

At two years, Malina is a darling little girl who is still quite shy and reserved in social settings but full of energy at home.  She is very soft with her toys, friends, and dogs and will likely be an excellent helper when her baby brother arrives.  Malina loves to read and to listen to music.  We often spend hours reading...and she can "read along" as she has many of her books memorized.  She can recite many songs including her ABC's and can count to 15...repetition, repetition, repetition.  She can ride a bike but not steer so someone has to run along side her.  Potty training is temporarily on hold; she can, but refuses to use her big-girl potty.  We'll try a new approach in a couple months. 

We keep extremely busy with play dates, story time at nearby libraries, and monthly trips to the zoo.  We have grown close to our play group friends and enjoy spending our mornings with them.  Malina does surprise us with random tantrums but she is easily distracted, especially by her crazy daddy who is always anxious to play.

Birthday weekend photos:

Malina and Raleigh

Yummy

Loves Auntie Lynne

Going for a ride

Big Wheels

Crazy Uncle Joe

oh BOY!

Ever since this little guy came into our lives (my belly) he has been trouble.  We can't be surprised, as trouble-making boys run on both sides of the family.  Brian was a handful as a child (and still is) and my brother Lou was a terror, I mean spirited child.

When the ultrasound technician announced that our little baby was a boy Brian and I smiled at each other with an "of course" glare.  18 weeks of brutal morning sickness could only come from our own little trouble maker.  Now that we've entered into a more peaceful time of pregnancy - 25 weeks along - the excitement of having a little boy has really hit us both.  We are grateful that Malina will have a brother to grow up with and we will get to experience life with a little boy.

A few pics from the past 25 weeks...

Malina sharing the good news with Daddy

8 weeks (baby brother) and 19 months (Malina)

19 weeks (baby boy) and 21 months (Malina) - right before "the pop"

20 weeks

20 weeks

The big sister

Had to share this one - I think my mom was the most excited about the news

Christmas 2012

Christmas 2012 was a whirlwind!  Lou arrived late Friday, Dec. 21st and Grandma and Grandpa Ullrich arrived Saturday, the 22nd.  On Sunday we all went to visit Great Grandma in Sun City West.  Monday was Christmas Eve and Great Grandma, Ellie, Clark, Jason, and Kenny joined our clan in Gilbert for dinner.  The same group, plus cousin Sarah,  gathered the following day for Christmas. 

Malina enjoyed lots of family time and was extremely spoiled by Santa this year.  Although she was sick on Christmas day she didn't miss a second of present opening or of Uncle Kenny's amazing pies. In fact, pie was all she had for dinner that night.

The day after Christmas we had my big anatomy scan where we found out our little babes is a boy.  Brian was not surprised at the news but I was in shock for a few days after.  Grandma Ullrich definitely showed the most excitement over the news- she literally jumped up and down and screamed when we announced the gender. 

After Christmas Day things started to settle down.  Lou left town December 30th, while Grandma and Grandpa Ullrich stayed until January 2nd, giving Brian and I a few evenings to get out of the house (without Malina).  We all had such a wonderful holiday!

These two were glued together for three days

Aunt Ellie and Uncle Clark

Uncle Louie had to join in on the coloring fun

Once the bike riding began this was all she wanted to do

Opening an extremely large present from Uncle Kenny

She played with her new tea set for two hours straight

Tea with Cousin Sarah

Out for a walk

Perfect place to read a card

I never thought we would need a larger dining room table

Christmas with the Kuhn's

Christmas came a little early this year as Grandma and Grandpa Kuhn visited last weekend.  Malina loves spending time with her grandparents, especially Grandma Kuhn.  She was spoiled (as usual) with gifts and attention.  We all enjoyed a Christmas celebration on Sunday night with the whole family.

opening stocking gifts

too excited to open any more

getting the hang of how to open a present

playing in her new Mickey Mouse beanbag chair

Auntie Lynne and Uncle Joe

Grandparents

...if only we could get the grandparents to cooperate