Truly Scrumptious! (more photos)

I recruited Brett to help me take some photos this weekend. They turned out better because he could entertain and I could snap easier. We still don't think we got exactly what we are looking for, but she sure is cute! Man we love her, and know that she is the most beautiful baby in the world, no matter what Regis and Kelly think.

If you want to check out the competition, go here. You can see why we think we have a real winner. :)

Eat your heart out Regis Philbin!

Regis and Kelly sponsor a beautiful baby contest every year (check it out here!). Well, my baby is the most beautiful baby in the world, so I figure she has a shot at the first place prize of a $125,000 scholarship. Or at least at the 2nd, 3rd 4th and 5th place prize of a $25,000 scholarship. Or maybe a 6th through 10th place prize of $1,000 worth of Gerber products. Okay so it's free and easy to enter. The only thing is, how can I capture all this beauty in one picture? I have plenty already I would love to use, but it has to have been taken within 30 days of entry. That means, photo shoots every week! This baby is a night mare when it comes to taking pictures, but We hope everyone enjoys this weeks attempt! Let me know which ones are your favorites as they get posted!

Sugar and spice and everything nice! Yes she is so tasty!

Work it girl!

Monster hand! She will kill you!!

Juliet speaks!

BABY!

Well, this post is over due, but hopefully I won't be!! Everyone who is anyone knows already that we are expecting #2 at the beginning of May. You may not know (but probably do) that we are expecting a little boy! This is both exciting (Brett has been looking forward to passing on a Y chromosome) terrifying (I only have experience with girls! Okay, girl.) and I have to admit, a little disappointing (I already own all the girl things I need, I already had plans for a bedroom for my two little girls, and we already had several names we agreed on for our daughter. Oh well. :) But as the pregnancy draws on (and on and on and on) I can't help but get a little more excited for our new addition.
This pregnancy has been really hard for me. In August we prayed to see if it was time to expand our little family. I was relieved when we received the answer that we should wait another year before trying for #2. I gained a lot of weight with Juliet, and still had 15 lbs to take off. It was nice to know I had one more year before I had to plunge back into fat lady-ness.
Imagine our surprise when less than a week later we found out we were pregnant. SURPRISE! Well, even though it has been a hard adjustment, I have felt really blessed this pregnancy as I have prayed for understanding, comfort and insight. It has been a neat experience to really feel this baby's spirit and know we are welcoming a special person into our home. It has been hard, but it has also been very rewarding.
Some things about this pregnancy have been a lot better than last time though. NO ACNE! I was looking at my 6 months pictures from last pregnancy and am amazed at how fat my face was. And spotty. This time around I have worked hard to excercise -- not every day (thanks to Juliet) but at least 4 times a week. Thankyou Denise Austin! I have felt so much better this pregnancy, my weight gain has been better, my energy has been better, and I haven't been so sore (though the best is yet to come, of course.) All in all things are looking up, and we are looking forward to welcoming our little man into the family!

Ode to Juliet

Juliet is finally getting over her travel funk and settling back down into life at home. She has been so sweet and perfect the last few days, it almost breaks my heart to think she won't be the sole center of attention for much longer. The big ultrasound is tomorrow, and though I've been pregnant for five months now, it seems like this is the event that is going to make this new baby real. So before that happens, before I get wrapped up in setting up for new baby, in finding a baby name, in worrying about space for #2, I wanted to reflect a little about that first baby that stole my heart.

Juliet just a few days old: several people warned me that some new moms don't instantly bond with their newborns, that often enough it takes a few days, weeks or even months for women to feel that instinctual bond with their baby. Not so with Juliet! The moment she was placed in my arms I knew I would do anything to keep her happy and safe. I loved her in a way I never understood before. My sweet baby!!

Juliet at 2 months old -- this same trip was the first time I ever heard her laugh. It nearly melted my heart! We spent the rest of the vacation trying to get her to make that sweet sound again.



Juliet at 4 months old: starting to sit up on her own and her first taste of rice cereal. And yams. She hated them and still hates them. This was also the first time I ever got a rubber band into her hair! She is so beautiful!!

Juliet at 7 months old -- She has two tiny teeth poking in from the bottom. I could hardly get her to sit still for this mother's day photo shoot. She had been crawling for nearly a month and was unstoppable!! She hasn't quit moving since. She'll probably be flying soon.


Juliet at 10 months old -- She was a champ during the big move to Lubbock. Can you believe 6 more teeth in 3 months? She never complained once. Sweet angel baby!! She's already a professional walker -- if only we'd had a yard to run around in!

Juliet on her first birthday! She is so over photo shoots. I have to resort to all kinds of trickery to get any decent photos out of her. This is a sweet reaction to peek-a-boo with mom. It is soooo hard to play peek-a-boo while trying to aim and click!


Juliet today, 15 months old. I can't believe how beautiful she is!! When Dr. Barton first handed me that (not-so) tiny little baby, I thought I couldn't love her more. Well, today I love her more, and I can't imagine being able to increase that love or my heart will blow up. At 15 months old Juliet has started to rapidly increase her vocabulary. It seems like she has a new word every day!! To date the words she uses often and correctly include:

Juliet
Mom
Daddy
I (short for "I love you")
Up
Bite
Uh-Oh
Baby (and points to my ever increasing belly)
Bath
Dad (which means down)
Puppy
Nana (banana, and sometimes other food items)
What's that?
Good Job!

Her other tricks include pointing out her nose and head when asked, singing "Jujy's song" (adapted from Elmo's song), laying down for diaper changes when asked (and when she feels like it!), throwing her own diapers in the garbage (along with sippy cups, socks, remote controls, and whatever else she likes), sitting down when asked, climbing onto chairs, stabbing macaroni with a fork, and unfolding laundry.

Juliet is truly the biggest blessing in Brett's and my life, and every night we thank our Father in Heaven for sending us such a special spirit. We look forward to watching her blossom into a little girl.

Best of 2008

I had a friend who did a blog of their 'best of 2008' and I loved the idea! So here is OUR best of 2008!

Best Movie: Iron Man I really have to side with Brett on this one. I loved it.
Best Book: I haven't read as much as I would have liked to this year. What mom has! But of what I read, my favorites were Life of Pi, Anansi Boys, and Girl with a Pearl Earring . Yes I read Twilight this year. No it did not make my favorites.
Best Place to Live: What can I say, I miss Rexburg. Lubbock has nicer weather though.
Best TV Show: Still Chuck. I am sorry for all of you out there who did not appreciate it as it should have been appreciated. I also love Pushing Daisies. Darn you ABC for canceling the show!
Best Video Game: I really enjoyed Zelda Twilight Princess. I don't play a lot of video games though. Unless Bloons tower Defense 3 counts.
Best Home-made Dinner: Salmon Bisque. Next time I am putting the salmon in the blender though. Oh and Kelli's apple pie oatmeal. I still can't get over that.
Best Deal: $1.33 for gas. But it looks like it is going up now!
Best New Hobby: Eating Brett's delicious home-made pretzels. mmmmmm. . .