Recent Life

Well, I am finally starting to feel a little more settled here in California! I am starting to get to know some of the girls from MOPS and some from church. We had a MOPS picnic yesterday and we were there for over 4 hours hanging out and chatting. The weather was beautiful and it was a great way to get to know some people better. There are a few girls that I am hoping to get together with soon!

This week we are leaving on Friday to go back to Oklahoma and I am so excited I can hardly stand it! I am ready to see family and friends and show off how much Hannah has grown! I have a few pictures from the last week to share with you. Hannah hung out with her Daddy while he was shaving and so he put a little on her face too!

I took Hannah to the pediatrician this week and she is now up to 13 pounds 10 oz and was 25 1/2 inches! Also, I wanted to show you how much she has changed! The first few pictures are from her first bath at home from the hospital and the others are from yesterday! I can't believe how fast she is growing and just changing more every day.

Mother's Day

Well, this Mother's Day has been exceptionally great! Michael bought me a webcam and also one for each of our mothers so that we can all feel more connected with the miles between us. As an added bonus, we also went and had family photos made (I will post the link when they become available online)! I feel truly blessed to have a wonderful, healthy baby girl to celebrate with today. Having her has changed my life in so many ways that I can't even count! However, I have to say, even though this is the first Mother's Day that I have been recognized as a mother, I feel as though it is my second Mother's Day. Last year I was celebrating with two babies in heaven and it really was a struggle for me. I felt like I deserved the right to be called "mom" even though I didn't have a child in my arms to "prove" it. During this time, I have come to know other women in my life and online that have also struggled with fertility issues or miscarriage, some quietly inside, and others very publicly. I have gathered strength from them when I didn't have any and have gone to them to whine and complain when everyone around me just couldn't take it anymore. It was one of the hardest times in my life and I know that I am forever changed. So, to all of you out there that are struggling to become mothers or are celebrating today without your child in your arms, Happy Mother's Day to you!

4 months!

Hannah turned four months old yesterday! I can't believe it! I decided to post some pics that I took of her this morning. One of these days I will get around to professional pics again, but for now, the ones I took will have to do! I also decided to show you pictures of her "new tricks!" Dad can balance her on one hand, which kinda scares mom, but I trust that he won't drop her! (She also has on her cute Oklahoma State Medicine bib from Uncle Clay!) She also has gotten better at balancing (sorta) while standing/propped. She is leaning against the ottoman, but with no help!

Spring!

Last weekend in Santa Maria was the Strawberry Festival. It was alot like the Magnolia Festival in Durant, just with lots of strawberries! Michael and I did a strawberry tasting where we tried 4 and rated them for the growers. It was nice just to get out and walk around outside. Hannah fell asleep on the way there and slept the whole time we were there! I got her out of her stroller long enough to take a picture with the strawberries for the scrap book! This week has been the best week since we have been here for me with Hannah! Since my mom and Kathy left I have really been trying to get Hannah back on a schedule and get her to take her naps in her crib. She was doing great until I went back to work after maternity leave. Since she was with me at work, the goal was just to keep her quiet, at any cost! I got to where if she wouldn't sleep laying down, I would hold her to sleep and if it wasn't time to eat yet, but she was upset, I would feed her early to keep her quiet. With the traveling and moving, she just had never gotten back to eating on time and sleeping in her bed. Well, this week, especially the last two days, she has been fabulous! She is sometimes sleeping so well that I have to wake her up to eat! I took a few pictures of her sleeping today because she looks so cute with her little cheeks all squished up!

Also, I love that we live in a townhome with landscapers so that my yard looks great without me being responsible for the flowers! I do have one potted plant (courtesy of Kathy) that I am in charge of watering and keeping up and that is about my limit! Here is a pic of my plant and some pics of the flowers next to it. I love seeing all the color and variety in the plants around here.

This week on Monday, Hannah and I went to MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and had a good time. There is only one more meeting before the semester is over, so I hopefully will get some phone numbers from some of the other moms so we can get together over the summer. I am really trying to be patient and wait for God to provide the right friendships, but there are a few ladies from church and a couple from MOPS that I really think that over time I could be close to, it is just now waiting for opportunities to get together to get to know each other. In Utah, I got to know Tonya through work and it took me a few months for us to get close and the same for the friendships that I made through the church. I just have to keep reminding myself that I have only been here a month and it takes at least three months to really connect with someone on a deeper level! Luckily, I keep pretty busy with Hannah and keeping up the house and trying new recipes that I haven't gotten to bored and lonely yet, but I know that if I don't find friends soon, it is going to happen!