Memorial Day Weekend

Randy, Helaina, and I traveled to Valpo to visit family for the Memorial Day weekend. It was a weekend of fun, relaxation, good friends, and great memories. During 3.5 hour long drive, I try to catch up on my phone calls to stay connected to distant family and friends. Well one phone call in particular proved to be very exciting....our good friends Erin and Jon announced that they are expecting their first baby this November! Yet ANOTHER baby in 2009. God's miracles are amazing!!! Jon is a very close friend that I have known since I was born. I also had the honor of standing in their wedding in June of 2007. Erin and Jon currently reside in Maryland, so we're already thinking about how to see this baby once he/she is born.

On Friday evening, my parents were invited to a VIP dinner that included a guest appearance by race legend Mario Andretti. So we took advantage of the opportunity to show off our beautiful baby and snap a picture with the racing legend himself. On Saturday, Katie (the mom to be of baby boy Archer) and Megan, drove up to Valpo from Indianapolis to spend the day with us. We sat outside, soaked up the rays, and just enjoyed each other's company. Miss Helaina loved seeing her Aunties again.
It's a good thing I remembered Helaina's shades, it sure was bright outside :).
Nothing like some good ole' country fun. My aunt and uncle brought their 4 wheelers to my parents house for us to ride...it only took a little convincing but Grandma and Grandpa McGinley didn't want to miss out on the action so they took the quad for a spin!!! There's nothin' these two lovebirds won't try when they're together...hard to believe they're in their 80's...Grandma says "She doesn't have to act her age."

On Sunday, we spent the day in Munster, IN. Randy and I helped celebrate Eva Pramuk's 1st birthday. Her dad, Dr. Kurt, was a close friend of Randy's in dental school. Their family lives about 30 miles from my parents...the location makes it very convenient for us to get together. Happy Birthday Eva (below is a picture of Eva wearing her Blackhawks jacket...sorry your daddy's team is LOSING the series to the RED WINGS)

Helaina turned 12 weeks old yesterday. Randy and I love her more and more each day. We were hesitant to travel with her and possibly disturb the routine we've been trying to establish. She never ceases to amaze us though. Overall, she didn't seem to mind the trip at all. I'm not so sure she likes the car seat as much as she used to, but we managed :).

***Helaina also wants to thank her Uncle Nathan for kindly giving his room up for the weekend. She slept peacefully in her Pack N' Play during the day and night, which meant that everyone was more rested the next day. (Well, maybe everyone except Uncle Nate, who manned the couch for most of the weekend and had to sneak into his own room just to get a change of clothes.)

It's a Boy

Erin was a wife in July of 2008 and now she'll be a momma to BABY BOY in October of 2009. Boys, boys, boys...Helaina is going to have quite the field to pick from :)

More pictures

What a beautiful day. The sun is shining, and it's above 70 degrees. Helaina slept from 8pm to 6 am (straight through) and is all smiles when we greet her in the morning. Life is good! We visited Sitty and Sedo today and downloaded some pictures from Sedo's camera. FINALLY...Helaina can wear her summer clothes! She is almost 12 weeks old and over 14 pounds. I'm also amazed at how much she likes to sleep. Even after sleeping for 10-12 hours at night, she has trouble staying awake for more than 1.5 hours. She'll start to fuss, we put her down for a nap, and she'll usually sleep for 1-2.5 hours. What a life huh :)! Sedo assembled her activity center. She's a little young, but in a month or so, I'm sure this will be her favorite toy.

These were taken when Helaina received her 40 day blessing.

Daddy's Style

Look what happens when daddy gets a hold of the hair brush after bath time (note Helaina's little birth mark on the top of her belly, aka Hemangioma, it's a vascular birthmark that will continue to get bigger for a few months and then slowly disappear w/ out treatment)

Is is miss Helaina or Alfalfa?

The spike
Our 2 month old is ready to crawl...Ready, Set, Go!!!

Randy and I couldn't have had more fun on this lovely Friday evening, spending quality time with our sweet little girl. We love you Helaina!

Pretty Ladies

Since their families don't have blogs...I'm taking the liberty to post pictures of them on our blog

My lovely friends, Katie and Erin, both pictured before their weekly Prenatal Yoga class

Mother's Day 09

My first Mother's Day, a very special day.
Getting bigger each day

Helaina makes the BEST noises! I love the smiles and "coos" and "squeals" and laughs. Her voice is beautiful!

It's true...even more babies in 09'

Just when Randy and I thought that the baby boom of 09' was coming to a close...we were delighted to hear of even more proud moms and dads that are expecting this year.

*Mark, Christina, and Isabella are adding another bundle of joy to their family in early November. Their daughter, Isabella, just turned 2 last month.

*We recently heard the good news that my cousin Kati and her husband Chris are expecting later this year. This will make 2 kiddos for their family, as their son Ryan will be 2 years old in August, and they are having another BOY!!! Chris and Kati live in Virginia, so we don't get to see them often...usually only holidays.

Helaina is going to have lots of new cousins and friends to play with...will there be even more to come in 2009 that we just don't know of yet?!?

2 month well visit, "Growing like a Weed"

How can any peds office call an appointment a "well visit" when they stick your 2 month old daughter 3 times in the leg and immediately get a blood curdling scream?!? Needless to say, it actually did go "well" today. Helaina had her 2 month visit with the pediatrician today, as well as 8 vaccinations (1 oral and 3 in her leg). She was a trooper. Nothing a good nap and a dose of Tylenol can't fix for Miss Helaina.

We were informed that Helaina is "Growing like a weed." She is in the 95th percentile as far as height and weight, 24 inches and 13 lbs 4 oz to be exact. Helaina is now fitting nicely in her 6 months clothes as well. I guess that could explain the massive amounts of milk she has been consuming in the last couple weeks. We were reassured that her feeding is normal, as well as her sleeping...even if she is still waking 2 times a night. The dr. said we may see her sleep improve around 4-6 months of age...really...that long from now?!? All joking aside, as long as we know she is healthy, Randy and I don't mind the "shift work" at night.

PS...Please no comments on this post about how your son/daughter slept through the night at 4 or 6 weeks...we are very happy for you but don't want to hear the details :) (Just kidding)

40 day blessing

Sunday was a special day for our family. Helaina received her 40 day blessing at our church. "Forty days after birth and in accordance with the Old Testament tradition observed by the Virgin Mary (Luke 2:22-24), the mother brings her child for her first visit to the Church. Inspired by the example of Simeon's encounter with the infant Messiah, for each child has the potential to be great in the sight of the Lord, the act of churching recognizes this and also serves, as with the mother, to introduce the child to the community of faith."

After the mass, Randy's parents had a nice dinner at their home for the immediate and extended family. Helaina was able to meet even more people today...she's so popular :)! The weather was gorgeous, and we were surrounded by our family that loves us so much.

My Sunday School class presented us with a gift to Helaina, an icon of her patron saint, Helena.

These are just a few of the 7th and 8th grade Sunday School students. With such nice weather, I believe some were playing "hookie." They are such a wonderful class.