L's First Christmas

We had a lot of fun celebrating L's first Christmas with my parents and my brother, my sister-in-law, and my niece (who is 2 months older than L)! In the photos below, you will see our sad Charlie Brown Christmas tree...it didn't even make it until Christmas. (Since we are here in FL, we opted to not get a tree but two native plants that we could plant later. One made it, one clearly did not.) We made little ornaments with the kids to remember how small their hands were on their first Christmas! L was all smiles for my dad! It was a great celebration all in all. Enjoy the photos!

2009 Christmas Letter

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

As we reflect back over the year, we have much to be grateful for. We are most grateful for the safe arrival of our little boy, L, born on July 4. He is such a sweet gift. At 5-1/2 months already, he is incredibly busy. He LOVES the dogs. We are bracing ourselves for when he is mobile & can actually get to them on his own! It is amazing how one little person can utterly change your life. As I recently read, “I kind of resemble me, and sometimes I sound like me, but this new person has lost all sense of fashion and vocabulary.” As a new mom, I am overwhelmed by the love I have for this little boy…my heart walking around on the outside as my mom says. We are enjoying Levi immensely. You can read more about him & the fun things he is continually learning throughout this blog.

We had a lot of fun visiting lots of friends & family early in the year, before my belly got too big to comfortably fly or drive anywhere! L has definitely slowed us down, which is a good thing. We are enjoying the comfort of our home and our friends and family for whom we are so grateful. We continue to be overwhelmed with the kindness & generosity expressed towards us both before & after L arrived.

Everyone asks us, “How are Syd & Max responding to Levi?” The answer is that they don’t pay him much attention yet. They definitely notice him, especially when he’s eating his cereal. But as soon as L figures out he can give the dogs food, they will be his new best friends.

In other news (IS there other news??), The Viewfinder Project is going strong. We continue to conduct models throughout the city and are working to run a model in South Africa in 2010, which is really exciting. The website is www.theviewfinderproject.org.

The Ball Project (www.ballproject.com) is going well. K continues to get balls to communities around the world thanks to the support of many of you!

We look forward to 2010 and the adventures the year holds. (K turns 40 and L turns one within a week of each other!) We are excited to introduce L to you in person in the months & years to come.

All our love,

K, M, and L (and of course Syd & Max the Wonderdogs)

Santa Claus?

As we anticipate the arrival of Christmas in less than a week, a question has been raised that I would love to hear your thoughts on: Will we let Levi believe in Santa Claus and to what extent?

So my question to you: Would you promote the presence of Santa Claus in your families? Why or why not? Whether you speak from your own experience as a kid or if you speak as a parent, it doesn't matter to me. I just want to hear what you think.

We have our own ideas on this and know where we're leading but I'm curious how other families have handled this. Let us know!

mb

Updates from Sanibel

We have now been in Sanibel for over a week and are loving it! Our place is coming together...we even hosted K's parents over Thanksgiving and two friends from Idaho this last week. We're enjoying the warm weather and spending some time just the three of us.

mb + k

5 Months Old (almost)

L is quickly approaching his 5-month birthday which is crazy to me. He is so darn cute. Recent developments include: eating rice cereal (first attempt was on Oct 31 but over the last month he can legitimately EAT it, swallowing and everything), holding himself up while on his belly (see photo), starting to sit up (can lean on his arms while sitting up for short periods until he folds forward or falls sideways), holding his bottle while eating, continuing to improve his grasping skills, and laughing like a little boy. I love it. We'll sing "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and he closes his eyes and opens his mouth anticipating a tickle or the "rain" coming down (our fingers running from his head down his face). So cute. Enjoy the photos!

Video of L

Here's my first try at trying to upload video to the blog. Let's hope it works! Two videos here: one of L making spit bubbles while playing on the floor (taken about 4 days ago) and one of him babbling (3 months old). Enjoy!

4 Months Old!

Here are the latest L pics. He's four months old & rolling all over the place. He started "eating" cereal on October 31. At his four-month appt he was 25 inches long & 13.5 pounds! He's growing fast. His eyes are still blue! Hope you're all well.

mb

3 Months Old!

L at 3 months (plus or minus)!! He's very busy, holding up his head, trying to flip over belly to back, back to belly. Kicking like crazy! Smiling & laughing out loud. We love it. Enjoy!

8-week Photos

L is 2 months old! He's super cute, laughing and kicking and playing. His neck is getting really strong though he still can't hold his head up totally. He has some skin issues that have emerged in the last 2 weeks...really dry skin. One doctor thinks it's eczema but our pediatrician isn't calling it that at this point. At his 2-month check-up, he weighed in at 11lbs 3oz and is 23 inches long! He's growing so fast!

Here are some photos I took of Levi last week just before his 8-week birthday. We had an open studio event at the Harrison Center for the Arts so I had my darkroom open & hung a few of these. Enjoy!

6 week photos!

L turned six weeks yesterday! Hard to believe. I keep saying that every week but it is indeed all going by so fast. He is super cute. He's smiling at us more and more. And his eyes are really starting to follow us; he can focus so much better. He still loves to have his hands up by his face. And he makes the most adorable cooing and gurgle sounds! You can't help but love him. Wow.

Here are a few more photos from this last week. One is of his post-bath hair which sticks straight up for a few hours afterwards. The others are of him with various stuffed toys. 

mb

More L Updates

So now I have more time to write a little bit... L has had a red-letter 72 hours! This weekend, he started giving us bona-fide smiles, thanks to Grandma & Grandpa!! Last night, he slept in his crib in his very own room for the first time. And today, he held a rattle for the first time!! The rattle is K's from when he was a baby. Isn't that sweet? There's a photo documenting this momentous occasion below. He's getting so big so fast! Can't wait for you all to meet him.

mb

Photos of L

Hi all!

Here are some more photos of L. The ones of him with the sock monkey are when he was 3 weeks old & wearing his very first pair of pants! (His belly button healed so we celebrated by putting on pants!) The others I took today at 5 weeks old. Enjoy!

mb

4 Weeks Old!

Yesterday was L's 4-week birthday! Hard to believe. He's getting so big so fast! We went to the pediatrician's yesterday for our 4-week check up. L has grown an entire inch and has gained 2 pounds since he was born! He's now up to 22 inches and weighs in at 9lbs and 10oz. I'll post some photos soon. He's a cutie!

Sneak Peak at L's Newborn Photos!

We had professional photos taken last week of L while he's in this teeny tiny newborn phase which so quickly passes. The photos are gorgeous. You can look at the photos UNTIL TOMORROW NIGHT (Thursday, July 23) when the slideshow expires. I hope you get a chance to take a look!

Go to www.bluecandyphotography.com. Click on the image to enter the website then go to the "Clients" link. Our password is "____" all lower case. Enjoy!!

2 Weeks Old Already...

Today is L's 2-week birthday. It's hard to believe 2 weeks have gone by already! We are living in a bit of a time warp. Three days will go by & we can't remember when a given event happened. When did we last go to the grocery store? When did so-and-so stop by? What day is it? It's like the Twilight Zone. But it's all been going well. 

L is adjusting to life just great. He's sleeping in 2-hour intervals (or so), which may not sound like a lot but is greatly appreciated by K & me! L is really cute. He loves to have his hands up by his face...just like in his ultrasound pictures! When he sucks his thumb, he inserts his thumb palm facing his chin with his index finger & pinky gouging him in his two eyes (think hook-em-horns). He's learning to like his pacifier, which is awesome. He has a goopy eye which the doctor thinks could be the result of a small tear-duct. We're watching it. At his first doctor's visit, he weighed in at a whopping 7 lbs 9 oz! So he's officially past his birth weight! Yea!

We've had a few small outings here & there. Today being the 2-week mark, I am now officially allowed to drive & I think go on short walks though I'm still laying low for the remainder of the weekend until I talk to the doctor's office on Monday. (My tendency is to try to do too much when I feel good even if I shouldn't. So I'm trying to be a good patient!!) But today we decided to grab some sandwiches & take them to a local park to enjoy the weather. Then we went on a short walk with L. The dogs even came with us!

Here are a few more photos for all of you. He's a cutie!!

Love K+M+L

Introducing...

Hi all!

K & I want to thank each & every one of you for all of your thoughts, prayers, emails, calls, and patience as we welcomed the newest member of our family into this world last weekend.

Without further adieu, it is with great joy that K & I introduce you to:

L I B J

Born July 4, 2009 at 5:43pm

7 lbs 5 oz, 21 inches 

L was delivered via C-section last minute. We experienced something called "arrest of decent." Thankfully he was never distressed; his heart rate remained steady & healthy.

We are back home & are both doing very well. L is awesome. He is a champion eater & has alert, curious eyes. He's perfect.

We can't wait to introduce him to all of you!

All our love,

K, M, and L

False alarm!

Well, yesterday was a crazy day. Without going into too many details, I woke up in the middle of the night Wednesday night with some concern that I might be starting labor. I had my 39-week appointment at 10am the next morning so because my contractions were not getting more intense, I went back to sleep. 

At my appointment, the doctor ran a test & said that I should come back at the hospital around 4pm to get checked in and get things going. "Oh my gosh!" I thought. This was it. Our son was on his way! 

While I was very excited, I was also a little bummed that my labor could potentially require more medical interventions such as Pitocin, which I have been praying we avoid. K & I both were also a little daunted by the thought of a potentially long hospital stay waiting for things to progress. 

But then again, I thought, this is God's show & he knows best how to bring this child into the world. Let's go for it!

So K & I used the next five hours to finish packing, figure out how to get the car seat secured in the car, make arrangements for the dogs, letting our families know what was going on, and of course eating some lunch! 

At 4pm, we rolled into the hospital. My contractions, though regular & coming at 5-10 minute intervals, were still not very strong. I was still laughing & talking right through them. We got checked into the hospital & I was sent to triage where they would run some additional tests before getting me settled into a delivery room. Thankfully, my doctor was there to guide the entire process. 

They strapped some monitors on me (we were able to hear the baby's heartbeat regularly for about an hour!) and took a test to see what was happening. The test they ran is apparently over 99% accurate. Apparently the test from earlier that day was wrong! So my doctor sent us home!

After the adrenaline rush of thinking our son would be home with us by the end of the weekend, we were both grateful knowing that the baby will come when he's good & ready. And we are grateful that people all over the world have started praying for the safe arrival of this little boy! 

My due date is next Thursday, July 9. So we will get to meet him soon!! My contractions are still coming regularly! Stay tuned for more updates!

mb

The Home Stretch

It's June 9 today which means we are in the home stretch with this pregnancy! Baby J could arrive anytime now in these next four to five weeks! (My doctor induces at 41 weeks so we don't have to wait too long after July 9!) It's crazy to think we'll meet him so soon!

We still don't have a name picked though we're narrowing it down. Just when we get the list more manageable, one of us thinks of entirely new names to add to the list! Sigh. He WILL have a name. And you all will find out what it is after he's here!

K just returned home from 12 days of traveling internationally. It's good to have him back. Now we're both settling in for this major addition in our lives. 

Below is a more recent photo of me taken Memorial Day weekend. I was 34 weeks in this photo. I'm still feeling good though shaving my legs & tying my shoes is becoming increasingly difficult. I can actually feel the veins popping in my forehead as I bend down! But all is well. Starting this Friday I will see my doctor every week until Baby J arrives.

Stay tuned! We have internet access our hospital room so we will be sure to post news of his arrival!

M

Preggo Photos

So many of you have asked to see some photos of me pregnant so here are a few! These are from a trip to Texas four weeks ago (already!) so I'm bigger now than in these photos! It's hard to keep updated photos... I'll try to post more recent ones soon! It's hard to believe I only have 10 more weeks to go. Time is flying by.

mb

It's a...

...BOY!! We just found out on Monday morning that we are having a little boy! Woo-hoo! Below is a picture of our kiddo (and a picture of his foot). Not so sea-monkey looking anymore! I am now 21 weeks pregnant. Our due date is still within a day or so of July 9 according to how he is measuring. Thanks for all of your fun emails & posts! And the adventure continues...

Surprise!!

Well, by now most of you should know our happy news that we are expecting a baby!! WOW! We are still in disbelief. As of today, I am exactly 16 weeks and 1 day pregnant. I am due on July 9, two days before K's birthday! I go in for my 16 week appt on Monday where I'll get to hear the heartbeat again. I've already heard it twice...music to my ears! I actually was able to see the baby at 7 weeks, which was awesome though the bean looked just like...well...a bean. (See image below.) Our 20 week appointment is at the end of February. K will go with me to that one. It'll be the first time he'll hear and/or see the baby first hand! 

It's crazy. We never thought we'd be here. But this baby wasn't an accident or a surprise. We were trying. And here we are! I've felt great. No nausea or morning sickness. No excessive tiredness. No pain. I am very grateful and thankful to God. 

I'll do my best to keep you posted on the pregnancy, including images when we have them. Thanks for any and all prayers & well wishes as we are on this journey.

TVP Video

Here is a video that we recently completed to help tell the story of The Viewfinder Project. We partnered with Taylor University's Producing for Clients' class to produce the video. The students did a great job. I hope you enjoy the video and that it helps you better understand The Viewfinder Project! (The video was shot on location at Shepherd Community here in Indianapolis.)

You can click on the title of this blog entry which will link you to YouTube or you can simply go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jtzOyMfLmM. 

Here we go again...

This is a bit embarrassing... I haven't blogged since last October (when we got home from our 2007  trip to South Africa) and here we are on our way to South Africa again in a week. Geesh. So here is my quick what-we've-been-up-to-in-the-last-8-months summary before we go to SA again:

We went to Thailand (Nov 4-16) for a big sports conference. This was my first trip to Thailand. We were in Pattaya on the coast. I exhibited 10 photos of umbrellas I photographed. Here is an excerpt from my artist's statement from this show: "These umbrellas strike me as being metaphoric. They are there to protect, from the sun and from the rain; they are there to provide relief or escape or both. I somehow want the umbrellas in these photos to become magical escapes for all the bad stuff that exists in Pattaya & in Thailand & in the world. I want them to keep the people safe [...]." Sex tourism is a huge industry in Pattaya, which struck me deeply and prompted the photography exhibit. Check out www.thesoldproject.com for more info.

ColoradoNewYearsPalooza was a fun time with our largest group to date (26 people or something crazy like that). We had a ball & remain ever grateful for the generous hospitality of K's parents.

The Lees moved to Indy! We have thoroughly been enjoying our good friends the Lees who just transplanted themselves from the DC area to Indianapolis. They are currently living next door to us so we have enjoyed life in such close proximity to dear friends!

Over the span of three weeks in May, our good friends had a baby, a good friend died tragically, and other good friends got married. We experienced three of the most important parts of a person's life - birth, wedding, death - in a matter of weeks. That was an emotional time for us.

We had lots of visitors from all over the world (including Brunei, Australia, Turkey, North Carolina, DC, Chicago) and have gone to visit friends and family around the country. 

We road tripped with the dogs to Virginia for a family reunion then down to North Carolina to visit friends. And we just returned home from a road-trip centric vacation to the Pacific Northwest where we drove from Seattle to Portland to Boise. Below are a few photos (K in front of the Red Hook Brewing Company and a view of Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach). 

So I think that pretty much brings us up to speed! I have vowed that I will try to update the blog at least ONE time per month with some photos and/or ramblings. So you can all hold me accountable. Thanks to those who faithfully check back for updates! I will make it more rewarding the in the future.

mb+k