Dedication Pictures

Here are a few pictures from Kayden's dedication.

Our little family

Kayden's pretty dress from Grandma Maureen, laying on the blanket great great grandma made for Karen's dedication years ago

The whole Matlock bunch

Proud Grandma Maureen and Grandpa Dean

The Holidays...

Its hard to believe that Christmas has come and gone and 2009 is quickly creeping up! The whole holiday season has taken on a whole new feel with a precious little infant in the house. As I read the story of baby Jesus to Kayden, I could not help but think about how horrible it must have been for Mary while riding the donkey or how dirty it must have been to give birth in a stable. The whole birth story hit a little closer to home this year for sure!
Shane's family has been out here for Christmas, enjoying Kayden and the sights, tastes and lights of Lille. We were so lucky to be able to dedicate Kayden on Christmas Eve. The church had a "Crib Service" which was pretty much an interactive living nativity while the Christmas story was read. I was Mary at one point and Kayden was Jesus. So, with little kids dresses as angels and "shepards" surrounding Shane and I and the rest of the family, Kayden was dedicated to the Lord. It was such a special evening, a very memorable first Christmas Eve for Kayden!

Hanging out!

Cozy with daddy!

First bottle!! Success!

HATING bath time!


Post bath photo, clean but not happy

Getting into the Christmas spirit

Freshly washed, spikey hair

I Love NY jammies

Praying for a good meal

All tuckered out

Attempting a photo shoot

A week of firsts....

The last three weeks since we have been home from the hospital have completely flown by in a sleep deprived blur. Each day is a new challenge/ adventure in how to get Kayden to sleep, reading her cues and just trying to figure out how a new baby fits into our lives. After frantically reading every book in the house regarding babies and paniking when Kayden did not match perfectly to the suggestions, I am attempting to embrace the fact that she is an individual. She did not read the books or get the memo on how she is expected to behave. Therefore, as the parent, I can come up with my own routine for her, using books as a reference, rather than the ultimate authority.

All that said, this week has been quite the week of firsts, at least as the new parent!
This week for the first time, Kayden has...
puked, peed and pooped on me....
hung out at her first coffee shop with mommy and daddy...
visited the pediatrician and has grown 2 cm and over 1/2 pound...
stopped screaming with every diaper change...
used the Baby Bjorn and LOVES it...
been quiet for a whole dinner!...
had her first bottle...
smiled when I read "The Polar Express" and Santa was mentioned (it was probably gas,but a smile none the less)
smiled during our little family prayer (again, a bodily function- spit up followed all over Shane)
listened to Coldplay, the Eagles, and U2 lullabies to go to sleep...
had her boogies cleaned out with the blue suction thing and SCREAMED...
went clothes shopping and Christmas shopping with mommy...
had tummy time on her play mat and was amazed by the squeaky toy...
peed and pooped all over the changing table at 5am...

It was a great week.

In the stress of a newborn, I also have realized that sometimes I forget to just stop and enjoy our beautiful little daughter. In a book I just finished, the author concluded with these thoughts... "So here you are, trying to figure out if you have what it takes to be the mother your child needs, the mom God intended you to be., What do you get for all the diaper changing, sleep deprivation, headaches and worries?
You get glimpses of God every morning, and giggles under the covers every night. You get more love than your heart can hold, sticky peanut butter kisses and arms that fit perfectly around your neck. You get a hand to hold, and someone to remind you that clouds look like dinosaurs and that dandelions make beautiful bouquets. You get to blow bubbles, fly kites, bulid sand castles, and jump in mud puddles without caring about the mess."