Happy Big Brother Day!!!

Amelia's birth has changed all our lives.
No one is this more true for than Vince. Thus to cushion the "new sibling shock," we threw a Big Brother party for him in hopes of emphasizing this change in siblinghood.

There were presents, ice cream and even a big cake. Vince was incredibly jazzed.
Through it all, we praised him for his patience and love.
I really hope this helps him accept Amy as a new family member. So far, the signs look great.

Here's a great shot of the cake.
Thank you, Grandma!
And thank you Mike, for picking it up and delivering it all to the house!





Vince really loved the railroad theme on the cake.
Here, he used his fork and some good table manners to enjoy the sweet delight.









Yeah, that didn't last long.











Once he was done noshing, he dove right into the cool gifts waiting for him.
The "Thomas the Tank Engine" leapster game was an instant hit!

After this, we watched some Blue's Clues.


Happy Big Brother Day, son!

Amy Comes Home

Well, today was Amelia's day to come home.
I like to think I was pretty prepared. I did the dishes, tidied up the house and double-checked the car seat mount to ensure that everything was ready. At about 10 am, Kimosabe and I fueled up the ol' Blue Beetle and went to pick up Mommy and Sister.

The hospital staff was very expedient with Lisa & Amy's checkout. And boy, they checked and double-checked EVERYTHING. Once they confirmed that we had the right baby and everyone was in good health, they walked us to the main entrance and let us go.

Enjoy the pics.

For the most part, Vince was very well-behaved at the hospital. Granted, it helped a lot that we brought some diversions to keep him busy.

He got a huge kick out of the hospital bed. I'm pretty sure he wants one for his room!



Ah, this was the lovely view outside of Lisa's room.
Picturesque, no?







Lisa had a pretty yellow dress laid out for Amy to come home in.

Yeah, those are socks on her hands. They keep her from scratching herself. Believe it or not, Amy was born with long, sharp little fingernails that rival Lady Deathstrike's.




Amy's a beautiful baby. But man, does she hate being taken out of her swaddling.
This is a shot of Lisa putting her in the car seat. The Little Lemon wasn't happy.





Nonetheless, she was a perfect little angel all the way home. Not a peep.







Of course, the fact that she was asleep might have helped too.








Once we got home, there was a frantic hour of steady phone calls from family and other well-wishers welcoming us home. We didn't mind. We were glad to hear from them.




Now that the girls are home, Vince and I have tons of errands to run. Prescriptions, supplies, food. Our whole routine is changing.

But I earnestly believe that it's changing for the better.

Pictures from Jessica's graduation!

Remember my niece, Jess?
Her Mom sent me some pictures from her HS graduation. It was a momentous occasion, as the guests of honor were my parents!

"Why is this so unusual," you ask? The trip marked my Mother's first long-distance outing since recovering from cancer and my Dad's first long-distance outing since...
Wow, since I graduated from Army Basic Training in 1991.

Congratulations, guys!
Here's my girl, posing with her proud parents! As the oldest child, Jess bears the burden of having to set a fine example for her siblings on how to properly lead an adult life.

Yeah. My brother looks very, um...confident...and proud.
Proud and Confident. ^_^;;;



Here's Jess posing with my Dad.
I've always had a healthy respect for my Old Man. He is singlehandedly responsible for the wonderful lives my siblings and our children lead. If it wasn't for him working up the nerve to move to the US, our family's history would have turned out very differently.



While my Mom tends to enjoy keeping up appearances within good society, my Dad's a much more practical man.

Take for example, this picture.
I'm pretty sure my loving Ma wanted to slap that hat off my Dad's head.
But in my Dad's mind, Burning Sun + Blazing Heat + Desert = Broad-rimmed Hat.

They're made for each other!

Thanks for the pictures, Cec!

More pictures of Amelia!

Here's my little gal fast asleep in the "Infant Buggy" provided to us by the hospital staff. Not long after this picture, she awoke screaming for her Mama. Yeah, it turns out babies are somewhat sensitive to camera flashes. ^_^;;








Lisa is the Queen of the Quick Heal. At the advice of the medical staff she was on her feet today, taking laps around the Maternity Ward to help her get better. Can you believe it? After the entire birth experience, all she's got to do is walk it off!

She's the happiest she has been in a long time.



And who can blame her?








Lisa insisted that Amy and I pose for a picture. In fact, I have a picture just like this one with Vince when he was born.

Judging from the look on Peanut's face, I probably should've shaved this morning.







Later in the afternoon Meaghan, our good friend and Amy's Godmother, stopped by to meet her for the first time. She was a little nervous to hold her at first.
But as you can see, Amy stayed quiet the whole...time.....

Christ, that's a powerful flash. O_0

Meg's gonna kill me.




Lisa got to speak with her Dad in NC.
He'll be visiting in August with Amy's Great Grandma, Beatrice!







Being pawed at the whole day, Amelia took plenty of opportunities to get some rest. Here she is, taking a well-earned break in between cuddles.






Tomorrow is Amelia's day to come home.
Free from the careful tutelage and care of the hospital staff, it'll be up to Lis' and I to get back into the infant swing of things.

I think I'll get a good-night's sleep tonight.

Alas, the New Addition!

Faithful readers, I'd like to introduce you to my newborn daughter, Amelia Grace.

She was born today at 4:09 pm, weighing in at 8 pounds, 12 ounces.
Lisa did it without any painkillers....au naturale.
The medical staff was very impressed with her endurance.

As for Amy, words cannot describe the feeling I felt when I first heard her cry. It was like music.
I was there for her first gaze into the world.
I was there for her first bath.
Heck, I was even there for her first sneeze.

It's going to be a great time for "firsts." I can't wait.
And now all of you can enjoy her first photos.










While it doesn't look it, Vince was in "Supreme Big Brother" mode. He regarded Amy with an incredible fascination, touching her face and showering her with kisses. And while we can't be sure whether he's accepted her or not, I'd like to think his affection is a good sign.

A Hike in the Wasatch (7-2-07)

It's always great to hike the local areas around our home. This past Monday, Cheryl and Mike treated Vince and I to a day in the Wasatch Mountains. The hikes were incredible thanks to the perfect weather. It's nice to know that great hiking is less than thirty minutes away. This was the first trip where I used a proper digital camera instead of Lisa's phone cam. The pics came out great.
Take a look!
Our first hike of the day was a short jaunt to Donut Falls.
Here, Kimosabe takes a break at a stream crossing.







It was also a great place for Vince and Grandma to toss some stones!







Vince and Mike were a team again.








Towards the end of the trail, the lot of us had to cross a tricky little log bridge. I had handed the camera to Cheryl while Mike and I helped Vince cross. Thanks for the shot, Mom!






Donut Falls was a real treat. We got there before the sun crested the canyon, so the setting for our hike was still cool and perfect.










As is our custom, we had snacks at the trail midpoint.
Vince really had his breath taken away by the falls.







Once we were done, it was time to play. Vince and Mike scrambled across the boulders in the stream.







Taking a break.








Here's a view of our spot from up high.








Mike and Squirt crossing the log bridge on our way back.








After Donut Falls, Grandma treated us to lunch at the Silver Fork Lodge. Here's Vince, digging in on his grilled cheese sandwich.







After lunch, we hiked the Silver Lake to Solitude Lake trail.
It was gorgeous.







This picture is for my Mom in LA.
During my Mom's last visit, Cheryl and Mike had taken her to Silver Lake. Once I told her about Vince's affinity for hiking, she insisted that I take him as well.





I told you I'd do it, Ma!








Once we passed Silver Lake, it was a steadily ascending hike to Solitude.

The scenery was perfect.





We even had a local check us out.








When we finally arrived at Solitude, it was pretty hot. Luckily, there was a large Ponderosa Pine there to shade us.







Cheryl's feet were bugging her from the march, so she wanted to soak them. Sadly, Solitude wasn't an ideal place for a feet soak.







The view however, was awesome. Don't mind the construction workers. They're grading down more ski slopes. :-(







Vince chomped down a PB&J...








...and then kicked back in the shade!








Not too bad for a self portrait!








Once we finally made it back to Silver Lake, Mom found the perfect spot to soak her feet.

At that point, Squirt had started to get a little cranky.





But as you can imagine, the bellyaching stopped once he joined in with Grandma.







After we were done with our second hike, we jumped Guardsman Pass over to Park City.







Vince really took in the scenery.








Cheryl mentioned most matter-of-factly that one couldn't pass through Park City without getting some ice cream.

Needless to say, Vince was all for it.














While we ate, I let Vince take command of the digital camera. This is the shot he took of handsome ol' me.







And here's the shot Vince took of Grandma.

Waitaminute! Is she shooting him the bird?!?






Overall, it was a great day.
Thank you, Cheryl and Mike!