Niki week 2

She's just so cute and cuddly!

Hi Grandma!

Lily loves you. When you call and talk to her on the phone and only hear a few words, this is what is really going on:

(Click on image to view MOVIE)

And here are some pictures of her playing with her favorite cash register toy.

Now we have "Kids"

According to our friend Jenni:

With one child you have an Accesory
but with two or more, you have KIDS.

This is definitely true! After a week in the house, we took the kids to the park to cure our spring and cabin fever.

Tyler the Super-Dad:

Lily at play:

Easter Conference

The Easter Bunny visited early this morning before Lily woke up. After finding candy in her purse and on her dresser, she had no problems finding the rest of it.

According to Conference tradition, we had crapes for breakfast. It wasn't as big of an event as prior Conference Crapes, but they still tasted great.

We also had a pajama day as we watched General Conference (www.lds.org) on the computer in the study. Lily is not allowed in the study so she thought it was a real treat.

The First Week

I can't believe it's already been 1 week!

We sure have been enjoying getting to know each other better this week. It's been a relaxing break from our regular schedule and we are loving every moment of it.

Sister Love

Easter Dresses

Just Niki

Tyler Planted a Tree - We bought the tree with hopes of getting it planted before Niki came, oh well. Good thing Tyler's had time off work. We (meaning Tyler while I watch) are getting a few of our projects done around here.

Lily Singing and Sleeping

Lily Singing - She's even better at it when there is no camera around. I had to reminder what comes next, but usually she'll sing the whole song all by herself. She spends hours singing each day.

(double click on image to view movies)

Lily Sleeping - For some reason Lily finds great comfort in eating and will often fall asleep doing it. We finally took a picture of the result.

Nicole Ann West - - - has arrived !!!

Nicole Ann West born March 26, 2010 at 4:04pm 7 lbs. 4 oz. 20.0 inches long

Baby Niki is finally here and we are so excited! After 11 hours of labor she came out looking just perfect. Tyler was almost done with his night shift when I called him home, fortunately he was able to get a few good naps in during the day. He was the so supportive and happy all day. Lily went to the neighbor's all day and was so excited to finally get to come see "Baby Niki". She kept telling the nurses and everyone on the phone "Baby Niki come out! my Mom Belly!" She was singing and smiling and so full of energy. Everything went so well and the recovery has be great. We are so thankful for our newest family member.



Niki is so cute. The first sound she makes whenever she needs something is a high sharp "pterodactyl" cry, followed by the usual baby grunts, whines, gags, or sucks. She is a huge cuddler and doesn't like to be set down ever. I think she was a womb thumb-sucker because she keeps trying to do so now and gets frustrated because her arms are all swaddled up. Lily and Niki love to sit and stare at each other. Lily gets so excited that she has a hard time keeping her hands to herself, but she tries very hard to "be nice" and to give "soft" touches. We are so blessed to have her healthy and happy.

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The Details: (for those of you who want them)

At 4:30am I called Tyler to come home from work (he was almost done with his night shift). It was official, I was in labor. It took a while for the contractions to intensify so Tyler was able to take a nap and pack and get Lily ready to go. We dropped Lily off at the neighbors and headed to the hospital at 8:30. Things still weren't going fast enough so they sent me to "walk around" - yea right. Just as we were about to give up and go home for a while (we were in the car), the "active labor" hit, and boy did it it fast! I went from a 4 to a 7 with 5 contractions in 30 mins. At 11:00 I was immediately admitted and the staff got busy. "Epidural, Epidural, Epidural NOW!" Well, I finally got an epidural at 1pm; fortunately, the contractions were slowing down and de-intensifying just enough to survive while I waited. After that it was smooth sailing. They broke my water and the contractions picked up steadily. Tyler and I got to take a much appreciated nap. We called some family and got all happy and excited together. It was finally time, and after 30 mins of pushing and an episiotomy, Niki was born at 4:04pm.

We stayed in the delivery room till 8pm, waiting for the epidural to wear off. Tyler and I enjoyed just talking and looking at Niki and spending the time together as the staff cleaned up and monitored us. After dinner, we decided Lily had waited long enough so Tyler went and got her. It was fun to see how happy she was. She was very well behaved and cute. Of course the nurses couldn't get enough of the two cute girls. Lily kept watching everything closely to see what this baby was all about. When it was time to move, Lily thought it was funny that she got to push mom in a chair for a change. We said goodnight and Tyler took Lily home to sleep. I was jealous that they actually got to sleep through the night.

Our stay at the hospital was short. Niki and I stayed the night in our own room in Mother Baby Unit. Lily and Tyler came back for most of the next day. After talking and calling more family, we ate a picnic lunch in the room and then we watched several episodes of the show we all enjoy: "Fineas and Ferb". All four of us fell asleep and enjoyed a much needed afternoon nap. Tyler took Lily to the park while I did the check-out paperwork and we finally came home around 8pm.

Little Fishes

We had another wonderful extra-long weekend with Tyler off for "Spring Break." We finished it up with a trip to our favorite activity: SWIMMING!!!

And just for the heck of it, there's a Pregnant And Ready to Pop shot for you to enjoy.

Atypical Toddler Mess

After 45mins of playing quietly by herself, Tyler discovered the "mess" she had made in her play room. "Janna, come look at this" he said in shock. I however, was not surprised. It's just a typical day for Lily. I finally have proof of what I've been trying to explain to him:

Notice how even the spoons are aligned the same direction, everything is correctly placed, and only the toys she was playing with are removed from the toy bins. Sometimes I worry if she's a little TOO ORGANIZED!

Day Trip to Austin

We drove all day, apart from a stop at Costco, the Park for Lunch, and the Macaroni Grill for Dinner. It was fun to see the city, the river park, and University of Texas. Next time, I will be able to do more than just sit in the car and observe.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Hey Aunt Diane, this GREEN outfit cuteness is just for you:

FHE: Bunny Cupcakes!!!

Well, they looked better in the recipe but we still had fun making these bunny treats. Lily was most excited to spread frosting on her own cupcake and eat the bunny nose or bunny ears or bunny eyes. She had a major sugar rush the rest of the night. I'm so glad I had a rare burst of energy today that allowed me to make this FHE extra memorable!

Skirts and Fuzzy Socks

Lately Lily picks out her own outfits. Mostly because she can undress herself and allowing her to pick her clothes means she'll keep them on. All she wants to wear is skirts. SKIRTS and HEADBANDS (because that means she can do her hair by herself). Good thing she gets her clothes from her cousin Charley who shares her fashion preference. Oh and she still changes her shoes 3-10 times a day, but now she pairs them correctly and mostly gets them on the correct feet.

While she struggles with putting on her own socks, she's discovered that she CAN put on MY FUZZY SOCKS. They look like red go-go boots, and combined with her favorite flare shirt-dress, it's a cute 70s imitation. I'll add them to this slide show if I can catch a picture of it.

Day Trip

We went to Dallas for a day.
We went to the Temple and hung out with our friends the Gillespies. Lily had so much fun with her new friend "Jackson" she really didn't want to leave.

Once there was a snowman... In Texas?

That's right. The snow dumped on us. It only lasted 1&1/2 days and even our giant snowman has now melted away, but the 8 inches we did get was sticky and perfect for packing. We cleared our yard of it to build a huge snowman. Tyler even got the day off work due to "hazardous driving conditions" which turned out unnecessary. Well, you know us. We just couldn't resist being outside and enjoying it! We had several people pass by in their cars and take pictures, I guess people in Texas don't know how to play in the snow.