BEST OF BOTH WORLDS

Blond or brunette? We can't tell yet, but we're just glad that she's got some hair, definitely more than CJ had (and P.S. that is NOT a bald spot...it's the flash reflecting off her little blond hairs, I promise)

IT WOULDN'T BE PARENTHOOD IF...

...your toddler didn't draw on the wall, right? :)

MATTIE - 2 WEEKS OLD

Mattie had her 2 week check up and she's doing great! She gained 15 oz in 10 days (the doc said he likes to see an ounce a day, so it's safe to say Mattie's getting enough to eat :) and her jaundice is pretty much gone. Dr. Lee complimented her on her nice pear-shaped belly and the nurse asked if she was a C-section baby because her head is so perfectly shaped...hopefully we can keep it that way. Here are her stats:

Weight: 9 lbs 8 oz (86th percentile)

Length: 21 3/4 in (93rd percentile)

Head: 14 1/2 in (71st percentile)

Mattie is getting stronger and stronger, holding her head up more and more each day as well as having more and more time each day that she is awake. Though she sleeps for long periods of time, giving us 4 or so hours of sleep between feedings at night, she likes to stay awake for up to two hours after being fed...and when she's awake, she likes to be held, so it makes for a long night. She's becoming more tolerant of diaper changes, but she definitely is not a fan of getting dressed or anything else that messes with her :). And she loves to sleep in Mommy and Daddy's bed (which we're definitely trying to limit) and suck on things, like her fists and binkies. We love her very much and are so grateful she's a part of our family!

click on the grid to enlarge the pics

WHAT COULD MAKE ME HAPPIER?

MATTIE - 1 WEEK OLD

click on grid to enlarge the pics

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PAIGE

Paige turned 28 on March 13th and despite having her birthday on Friday the 13th, she felt very lucky - or rather, blessed - to have great friends who came over for cake and ice cream, thoughtful family who sent her flowers, cards, and gifts, and a wonderful husband and two beautiful children who made her birthday the best it could have been!

the beautiful flowers Paige's parents and siblings sent her when she got home from the hospital

birthday dinner at PF Chang's

posing before our friends came by...Paige already looks exhausted

crashing after everyone left; I guess giving birth 4 days earlier caught up to her :)

A LITTLE BIT OF WHAT CJ's BEEN UP TO:

The last two weeks have been a transition for us all, but CJ has managed to make it memorable. Though he was a little freaked out by the hospital, he quickly warmed up once we got home and he's adjusting well to having a little sister. He loves to give her blankets, pat her head, hold her hand, give her kisses, and share his toys with her (all supervised, of course :). We're so grateful that Mattie has such a loving older brother. We love you, CJ!!

MATTIE GAYLE MACKAY

Born: Monday March 9, 2009

3:13 PM

Weight: 8 lbs 12 oz

Length: 19 1/2 inches

Click HERE to see pics taken of Mattie at the hospital

CJ - 18 MONTHS OLD

CJ turned 18 months old on January 26th! He is learning and growing so much and we absolutely love having him in our lives. He brings us so much happiness and we can't wait to share him with another little one! Here are just a few of the things CJ is up to these days:

- Weight: 22 lbs 14 oz (13th percentile)

- Height: 31 3/4 in (34th percentile)

- Head: 19 (64th percentile)

- CJ started nursery and the leaders said that he did better than any other child they have ever had (should we be sad that CJ couldn't care less about us leaving him there?:).

- He is becoming very independent and wants to do things on his own. For example, he won't eat unless he has his own spoon/fork and the bowl/plate is on his tray

- He is finished with bottles and binkies

- He loves to take off his socks...we find piles of them behind his crib all the time

- He likes to put things in the trash, like keys and toys, and in the toilet, like books and hats

- He LOVES keys! He asks to play with them all the time, and he likes to take them to the door and put them in the space between the door and the frame as if he's unlocking the door

- He still loves books - but he likes to "read" them at a much faster pace now- and he enjoys action songs (right now he really likes BINGO)

- He loves to watch Sesame Street

- His favorite word is "ball" (and he sticks his tongue out when he says it)

- Some of his favorite foods are hotdogs, yogurt, apples, crunchies, fruit twists, and chocolate covered pretzels

- Every morning CJ yells "Da-dee" from his crib when he's ready to get up

- He's very good at copying syllables of words

- He likes to make sounds for animals, cars, and even likes to make a fish face by sucking in his bottom lip

- He says several words (or words that sound like them) which include: Daddy, please, keys, Jesus, thank you, ball, uh-oo, buh-bye, hi, hello, spoon, CJ, duck, shh, achoo

LAW REVIEW VESTING CEREMONY

This last Friday, the Law Review had a semi-formal dinner to celebrate the accomplishments of the outgoing 3L editors. Though Bryce isn't a 3L, all the 2L editors were invited as well. It was a great opportunity to recognize the accomplishments of the outgoing board and welcome the incoming board, and for us, it was a nice meal with some nice friends and it gave us something to look forward to next year. Can you believe Bryce only has a little over a year of law school left? Man, time flies!

L-R: Bryce and Paige, Shay and Misty Wells

I MUST BE COMPLAINING TOO MUCH...

This is what happens when you have the most thoughtful and caring in-laws: you end up with a beautiful bouquet of flowers and delicious chocolates being delivered to your home all because you're 9 months pregnant and have a head cold!

Thank you again, Greg and Sheila - love you guys!

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON...ALMOST

If anyone knows Bryce, they know that he loves mini golfing. So after a couple months of trying to go (that darn snow), we finally set out as a family to play some mini golf...and see how CJ would take to the new sport - it was his first time! Well, the course was a bit of a disappointment - it only had 9 holes and we got a picture of almost all 9 holes in one shot, that's how tiny the place was - but it worked out great for us because no one was really there and CJ had free reign to run around and chase balls, which is pretty much what he did the whole time. He was definitely more interested in picking up his golf ball and throwing it, rather than hitting it with a club. We all had fun, and it's probably safe to say that CJ really loved his first time mini golfing...but maybe not for the same reasons his dad loves it so much :)

click on the grid to enlarge the images

VALENTINE'S DAY 2009

Valentine's Day lasted for 3 days in our family this year! It started with Paige and Bryce beating the crowds and going to dinner Thursday night (thank you again for offering to babysit, Heather!). We stuffed ourselves with a 3 course meal at Black Angus! Then Friday, CJ got a Valentine's Day package from his Grandma Forsgren - a Valentine's teddy bear! He loved opening the box, and loved giving the bear lots of kisses too. He carried it all around the house. Thanks, Grandma!

Finally, Saturday morning Bryce told Paige he was going to play basketball, when really he came home with a beautiful bouquet of flowers, a box of chocolates, and a dozen yummy donuts for breakfast (Paige has been craving donuts lately...the good kind that you can only find in mom-and-pop stores). After stuffing ourselves with sugary goodness, Paige wrapped Bryce in her "love," literally! She had made him a chain with 101 links and each link had on it one reason why she loves him (cheesy, I know, but c'mon, it's Valentine's).

Then after a lazy morning, we all went mini golfing downtown (see other post), and then came home and babysat for our friends so they could go out on a date as well. After CJ went to bed, Paige got out her other surprise for Bryce - it's kind of become a tradition - chocolate covered strawberries! And once again, we stuffed ourselves with sweets. It was a wonderful day!

FREE FOOD, ANYONE?

Were we the only ones who took advantage of Denny's free Grand Slam offer? It was great because Bryce doesn't have class on Tuesdays, so we woke up around 8 AM, rolled out of bed, piled in the car and headed to the closest Denny's. Even though it was packed, we only had to wait about 15 minutes to get a table. Instead of saying the highlight of the morning was when 9-months-prego-no-make-up-unshowered-bedhead-Paige got interviewed by the local news (and did we mention that she was wearing a big hoodie and sitting down at a table so no one could even tell she was pregnant?! instead she just looked fat!), we'll say that it was the mini Grand Slam they brought out for CJ, as pictured above.

P.S. Paige's interview never aired, thank goodness!

3-D ULTRASOUND

Bro. Cutler is in our ward here in Spokane and he is an ultrasound tech who works for Siemens, one of the leading hi-tech companies in the world. He just received their latest ultrasound machine and wanted some volunteers from the ward who would be willing to let him use their images in his demonstrations to hospitals and health care facilities. So of course, we jumped at the chance to see our little girl in 3D/4D (for free!). Check it out...do you think she looks like CJ?