Baby's first bath (at home)

The other night we deceided that we didn't want to be the ones with the "stinky baby", so we thought we better give Ileah her first bath at home. We have a heated floor in our bathroom, which made it really nice for her. I think she really enjoyed her bath, for the most part.

She's so tiny

Getting washed down by Momma

I think she looks like a little frog!

And Daddy washed her hair.

I think I need to use gel if I want the mohawk to stay!

Even Abby thought she smelled good after the bath!

Our "new" family!

Just a few days before Ileah decided to arrive in the world...

The midwife and I just before feeling nothing...

Ileah's first view of the world... Even then, her cry wasn't very loud, but loud enough to get an 8 on her first apgar score and a perfect 10 on her second! I guess she really was ready to come out into the world, even though it was 20 days early!

My first view of Ileah. I didn't even know what color hair she had until Josh took off her hat. For some reason, I wasn't expecting her Daddy's blonde at all! She really does look like him!

My poor little pea... She didn't like being weighed... She'll probably hate me later for puting this picture up for the world to see... At least it's better than the other one! ;)

Being measured... everything normal!

She was so flexible she nearly kicked herself in the head!

She was very alert the entire time they were checking her after birth. They tell me she couldn't take her eyes off her Daddy. DEFINATELY a daddy's girl!

And here she is with her Daddy!!

Usually calm, like all babies, she must cry at times!

Finally all bundled up... She was so tiny that the little shirt had to be rolled up several times for her hands to stick out. Even the newborn diaper was far too big and had to be rolled down. Good thing there are premie diapers out there!

Too cute to pass up... Gripping her Daddy's fingers... She already has him wrapped around her's!

Sleeping with Momma the next day... She was so tired. We even had to wake her up for her feedings!

Me adjusting to being Momma the next day. Because she was so early, we were more shocked than anything else!

Awake in her first outfit that "fit." She was so small that the newborn clothes I brought were far too big and so we had to wait for some amazing, considerate friends to bring her clothes that fit her!

She loves to have her hands up by her head...

Yet another shot of Ileah and her Daddy.

She's so cute when her eyes finally open from sleep and she starts to look around.

She loves to look at her Daddy.

Ileah and I catching up on some much needed sleep...

Absolutely perfect. What else can I say?

It looks like she may already be on her way to becoming a model... A Health Quest magazine photographer asked if she could be in the photos with the doctor for the article they were doing. Um, hello!! Yes she can! :) Don't worry, no Jon Benet for us!!

My Birthday Boy!

Ethan wasn't pleased to see us at first as we woke him up from his nap, and so went to hide in his backyard...

When he realized that his Uncle Josh was there though to help him and play with him, he perked right up!

He wasn't quite sure what to think of my baby belly though. He was a little shy and finally went to poke it with one finger while looking at it skeptically.

He seemed a little more interested when I showed him my belly button that was protruding and poked it after I showed him that it was fun to poke at. We'll see what he does when baby decides to meet the world finally!

Honesty

There are times in life, when I'm extremly thankful for someone elses virtues, this was one of them.

About a week ago, Xica and I, along with her mom, and my Uncle, took a trip to Montana to go out to our relatives ranch for branding (pictures to follow). On our way over we stopped in Bozeman for the night. When packing the vehicle the next morning, through a combination of the vehicle being moved to another parking spot, and poor choice of placement, my backpack was left sitting in the parking lot of Bozeman Best Western. My mistake wasn't realized until we were an hour and a half down the road.

You know that deep, dreadful, sinking feeling... Yeah, I had it. It's amazing how much one can fit into a backpack! And how hard it would be to replace some things! Here's just some of the items in the backpack: My bible, three books I recently received as gifts, North Face jacket, Leatherman, hunting knife, pocket knife, $700 dollar digital camera, a extra lens for it, and My Grandpa's 38 revolver, that he used in World War Two! You can't get much more "irreplaceable".

After getting the hotel number, and calling, the desk clerk went back to look, and found an empty parking lot.

Here's where that dreaded feeling got a lot worse! Thankfully it lasted only about 20 mins. That's when I received a call from the hotel. An HONEST patron of the Best Western had found my bag, and turned it in, just after I'd called them looking for it! Thank you Lord! He hadn't dug through the bag,(I'd had it packed so tight, I could tell) he just turned it in, leaving no name, no desire for reward.

May we all strive to be so honest, looking after other's needs, before our gain.

Canoeing on Baker Lake

We stopped for lunch at a little spit. I'm glad the grass hadn't grown back yet, or it may have been a little wet!
I was amazed that I still fit into a life vest even being seven months pregant!

Yeah for cameras that have timers! (even though Josh has his eyes closed...)

I insisted on going canoeing at a beach where we could have a little fire so I could have smores. It's summer, right?

Josh was a good daddy-to-be and roasted my marshmellows so I (and baby) didn't have to smell too much of the smoke.

We actually got to see Baker! It was beautiful.

Much easier heading back with no more wind and little lake white caps!

We went Clamming.

I've gotta tell you, I really enjoy the fact that my in-laws live on the water, and have a beach and tide flats. During the summer I make the most of it by doing as much crabbing as I can. So when the sun broke a few weeks ago... OK, maybe it just stopped raining for a moment, either way... I got the urge to get outdoors and doing something fun, and different.

I found out that if you go clamming on tide flats that belong to your family, there is no limit to the amount you can take home. So off Xica and I went... It ended up being colder out there then we thought it would be, so Xica was glad her coat still fit over her pregnant belly. I ended up finding lots of horse clams in no time.

That night we had some really good home made clam chowder, and some really good deep fried clam strips!

If you aren't careful, they'll squirt you. I got it in the eye... it wasn't pleasant.

I love the views down there and the peace and quiet found on the beach.