Minnesota!

I know, it has been awhile!  My gosh, July is just flying by with all of our life changes.  But we now have internet at our new home so I can update more consistently.  The last 4 weeks have been quite the adventure.  Packing up our first home of 4 years with some of our dear friends.  Saying good-bye to everyone and leaving our home of 10 years was pretty emotional. 

Our empty home

The roadtrip went better than we expected, Maija is a good traveler but I think we will wait until she is older to do a roadtrip that long again!  We made our stops in Cedar City Utah, Denver Colorado, Omaha Nebraska, and then my parents house in Minnetonka Minnesota. 

A few days after we got to Minnesota my parents, Emily and Abby came which was so much fun to have the cousins meet.  Some days they were on completely opposite schedules and didn't even really see each other!  Gotta love how much the babes nap during the day.

The adjustment has been pretty good here for Ryan and I.  He started work last week and has enjoyed it so far.  He has played kickball with Krista and her friends and softball with some coworkers already- he certainly doesn't have a hard time getting involved.  We've visted a couple of churches but haven't found a good fit yet.

We have spent a lot of time up at the lake already which is so relaxing and fun.  Maija likes the lake and has loved all the time with Grandpa and Grandma seeing them almost every day! 

Maija has definitely gotten worse and worse at sleeping.  It has been exhausting and frustrating, I know it won't last forever but I am not sure why she has regressed so much over the last 2 months.  I am trying to stop swaddling her but that hasn't gone so well so I am going to keep swaddling her since it's the only way she stays sleeping for any long amount of time.  I know we will have a few nights of roughness to get her to stop using the swaddle.  I'm just not quite ready for it.    Thankfully I can get some naps in here and there when I am really tired. 

All in all, we are so happy with the move.  Apartment living isn't my favorite with a babe but I will adjust and it isn't permanent so I have already begun the house search.  I am more eager than Ryan for a house- we have about half of our stuff stored at my parents house since it won't fit in our new home.  Thanks mom and dad!  Ryan just hates moving that much he doesn't mind :).

15 weeks and a failed camping trip...

This last week has been very exhausting.  Maija has decided it is more fun to get up every 1-3 hours just to check in with mama.  Sometimes I will feed her, sometimes I will just re-swaddle and put the pacifier in, I haven't let her start crying it out yet- I don't feel ready for that yet.  Anyway, no matter what type of getting up it is for me, it is still getting up out of bed.  It can be exhausting but I am thankful I don't have to get up and get ready at 6am every day.  It's OK if I don't shower until noon (as long as I shower before Ryan comes home so he doesn't know). 

Smiling at the baby monitor

Anyway, while Maija is napping I have been packing.  All of our friends, family and jobs know now so I can post it online.  We are moving to MN.  We are so excited to be by family.  I can't wait to have my family a part of her everyday life.  I can't wait to have seasons again.  I can't wait to be at the lake.  But I am sad.  I am sad to leave our dear dear friends.  I am sad to leave our church we love and believe in so much.  I am sad to leave my Bible Study- ladies who mean so much to me and my growth this last year.  I am sad to leave the ocean, the weather, the sun, the harbor, the food... everything about Southern California.  And I am sad that I have officially quit my job.  The job that grew me into a responsible adult, that took chances on me, that really made me a hard diligent worker.  Right now I am focusing on being Maija's mama, I think we make a pretty good team. 

We counted our money jar to go on a date before we move instead of waiting until our anniversary this year.

We went camping on Friday night with the McGuires.  Scratch that, we tried to go camping, but Maija was overdue for a nap and didn't feel one with nature.  So after being awake for 3 hours of fussing Christie and I packed her up and headed back to our home for the eveing while the boys camped it out.  Poor Christie- Maija cried about 15 minutes straight on the drive home- not just cried, but wailed.  She was so tired when she got back home she was zonked out for a few hours. 

Trying to be one with the wilderness

Camping family

2 men and a baby

Photo bomb

Yes, Maija is in the ergo... yes, those are just BB guns

I don't like goodbye parties, I don't like big gatherings so I am trying to meet with friends one on one, in small groups to just be.  Act like it isn't happening and to just enjoy. 

Sunglasses

She loves the mirror

Cheers to the next stage of life.  I am just thankful we get to take little Maija with us.  She is one I could not leave behind! 

14 weeks.

Our lives have been crazy these last few weeks.  Bottom line, God is good and we are so thankful.

Doheny

Good Morning

Playing with dad

So many pictures!!!

Pink skirt

13 weeks... 3 months old.

Another month!  Maija turned 3 months old yesterday.  In celebration we went on a hike in Laguna.  Unfortunately, we forgot our phones and camera so we don't have any pictures.  We used the Ergo carrier and with the little hood on we were pretty sure that no one knew she was in there and just thought Ryan was carrying a backpack on his front :] 


Loves her tigger

She has the best Aunts!

 Maija has become quite the chatty little girl.  It is so fun to watch her face as she is trying to form vowels and sounds.  She got to play with a lot of different people this last weekend.  We had a fun girls night with Ashley, Kiley and Jill on Friday... she, of course, slept through it!



Ready for girls night



Having fun in Grandma's homemade sweater!



Now she likes tummy time!



12 Weeks Old!

It is crazy to think little cousin Abby was 12 weeks old when Maija was born 12 weeks ago!  It's also crazy to think I was scheduled to go back to work today!  I am not ready.  I am not sure when or if I will be ready to go back to work and thankfully my boss has been really understanding.  He told me to take my time.  For now I am starting unpaid leave and we will take in month by month with a lot of prayer on what the best thing to do is for us. 

Montana shirt from Andrea

Coincidentally Maija had an awesome day yesterday, napping great, very smiling and laughing a ton then she woke up 5 times last night!  It was exhausting!  I know how spoiled we have been with our good little sleeper and I am thankful for that because I even had to drink coffee this morning I was so tired!  And to think I was supposed to start work today after that rough of a night. 

Maija has been screaming, laughing and talking a lot more.  Her favorite person, by far, is her daddy.  She gets so excited when he comes home and she just smiles and screams and wiggles around with excitement.  It just makes his day too :]  She loves her reading time.  We read from her Children's Bible and a few books a day.  She just studies the pictures and listens as I read to her.  She also has a fun time looking at herself in the mirror.  She will smile and coo and look bashfully at herself.  It is adorable.  She hasn't been fussing as much with tummy time.  She is up to 5-10 minutes a day!  This is a record for her.

She had a fun time this weekend with Sarah while we were celebrating Ryan's pirate birthday!  And she does so well in the nursery with Valerie on Sundays at church.  So thankful other people are so willing to take care of her so we can enjoy other parts of life a few hours a week!

Well after just 20 minutes she has decided she is done with her nap this afternoon.  Hope she sleeps tonight since her naps have been so short today!  Maybe our little girl is growing :]

Aren't those the most kissable lips?!

11 Weeks Old.

What an adventure this last week was!  We had our first official family vacation and were lucky enough to have Krista and her boyfriend, Mike join us!

Mormon Church

Sisters.

Kritter and Mike.

 We packed up the car late on Thursday, said a little prayer and headed to Park City, UT.  Maija did great- I mean fabulously great!  That girl can sleep.  We left at 8:30pm, which is right around when she goes to bed.  She didn't wake up until 3:30am so we got a lot of driving in before I needed to feed her.  Then she pretty much went back to sleep until we arrived early in the morning.  The way back wasn't as great but she still did just fine.  What a good baby.

Real dad's use Moby Wrap's.

Hiking.



Feeding Maija.



Cuddle time with Aunt Krista.

 We went to see the Morman Church, ate so much good food, chatted, played outside, Maija went down her first slide with daddy, she even went hiking in her Moby Wrap (thanks Ryan for carrying her!). 

Olympics 2002.

Very Athletic.

Checking out the museum.

Bobsled Team.

It was so fun getting away and just having time with the family.  I love my family.

Maija has been getting in a routine for sleeping.  She sleeps 8- 8 1/2 hours straight each night [yes, even when we were on vacation!].  She takes 4-5 naps each day lasting 30min-1 1/2 hours.  She still spits up a lot and I think that is particially why she is so skinny but the dr isn't concerned it just creates a mess for us.

We were in Park City for my first Mother's Day.  Maija [well Ryan] made me a collage of being a mama.  Still so crazy I am a mom, but I really love it so much.  He also got me a massage giftcard- he realizes how much work your back and bod go through carrying around a child all day, every day. 

This week will be a fun one too!  Ryan's turning 28 and our friend Sarah is babysitting so we can go to the Pirate Dinner Adventure with some friends!

10 Weeks Old.

My favorite thing about Maija these days is that she sings along with me.  Her favorite song is the Lion King "In the Jungle".  She mimics my mouth and sings.  The other night when I was putting her to bed Ryan came in to say goodnight.  She screamed with excitement when she saw her daddy.  It was so sweet and it makes me so happy that Ryan and I can be with her so much and that she recognizes us. 

And I got an iphone this week so I am able to capture more moments of Maija's life.  Although she normally changes her expression when the camera is on [camera shy].  So I have yet to capture her singing with me!

Gettin so good at tummy time

She loves her baths

Little cuddle bug

[She has the most kissable lips ever, poor thing gets smooched all day long by mama and all night long by her dad- we can't help it!]

She has still be getting up 1-2 times a night to eat... but I am getting her on a 3 hour schedule which has helped her napping a lot!  I normally have to wake her up!



Can't I just sleep longer?