another busy week

hi all,
i hope everyone is doing well and had a wonderful Easter. thalia enjoyed her first easter with chris' family. she got her first chocolate bunny too. of course chris will probably eat it for her!! easter was our first time back to church which was a little daunting but all survived. and of course there was a line to see our little one. it really was quite a sight! we kept her in her car seat and chris acted as security while all these people shoved and pushed to get a glimpse of her. what a scene! it was definitely nice to be back at church and how encouraging it was to see all the people who already love thalia and are willing to help us with whatever we need...especially if it involves holding the baby! (don't worry yiayia...there will be plenty of holding for you when you come back!)
thalia got to spend more time with her aunts and uncles this week. they enjoy it as much as she does. she is really starting to lock her eyes with yours and i think she is starting to recognize people, which is really incredible. other milestones include amazing head and neck strength. the past couple days she will push her head and shoulders up as she lays on your chest. we really only have to support her when she gets tired. and probably the funniest thing is that she loves to look at the pots that hang in our kitchen. i am not sure why but she will crank her neck around to get a good look if i am standing in a bad spot. her other favorite things to look at are our tall pictures in the family room. she will stare at those for what seems like forever. it really is incredible and amazing watching her develop day to day. and i must say she is getting cuter and cuter by the minute. i left the camera downstairs but i will try to get a new picture up in the next day or two.
chris and i are really looking forward to this upcoming week...our friends matt and regan are bringing their daughter, avery, up from austin to visit. she is three weeks older than thalia and i am looking forward to our first play date!! i'll keep you posted. in the meantime, have a wonderful weekend!
love you all. thanks for all the support, love, and encouragement!
c, c, and t

New Pics!!!

can you get any cuter?!

so sorry

hey everyone,
i am sorry it has been a week with no updates! how cruel am i?! actually not cruel...more likely sleep deprived. although on that front we have had a couple really great nights in a row!! lately she stays awake from 2am until 3am but other than that she sleeps for 2-3 hours and only wakes up to nurse. last night she slept closer to four hours at a time! yay!!! she still isn't sleeping full-time in her bassinet but i am experimenting with some things during the day that might help that, like having her nap on her back instead of on her little newborn lounger pillow thing. we will see if that helps. chris and i think she just really doesn't like sleeping flat on her back. (are we surprised she is high maintenance really?!)

other than that, chris has been doing a great job lately. he has been changing more diapers and staying up with her at night. the other night they bonded as he looked through LEGO's website and showed her all the cool sets they make.

thalia's aunts and uncles-to-be have been coming over a lot to play with her which has been really great. it gives me a bit of a break as they fight over who gets to hold her, and i get some adult conversation. not a bad deal. another GREAT deal is that some people from our church have offered to bring us dinner twice a week! it really does help out, especially since chris has a lot of shows coming up in the next couple months. it's not easy - or safe! - to try and cook something on the stove while holding a baby.

okay, enough stalling...here are some new pictures for your enjoyment. have a great weekend! go dawgs!!


thalia and her playmat


daddy's princess



thalia's custom headphones from matt

special shout out

hey all,

just wanted to let everyone know about another new and special addition! our friends kate and jeremy welcomed their own baby girl on march 7. here is a picture of little lyla. congratulations guys! can't wait for our little girls to hang out!!

first family photo at home!

well, today is a sad today...today we say goodbye to yiayia and papou. yes, my mom is actually leaving us and flying back to albuquerque. it will be tough for everyone but we will survive! plus they will be back in a bit for nikki's graduation and wedding...though that isn't for like 6 weeks. i am under strict orders to send pictures of thalia every day so my mom doesn't miss anything. and you may have some fun stories to read on here now that chris and i are on our own. i think we'll be okay though. i don't know what i am going to do with the silence. we had so many people in town this weekend for nikki's bridal shower! aunt jillian and aunt jenny and all sorts of grandmas!! grandma diane, and grandma martha, and yiayia, and great grandma (or g.g.ma if you ask her). so much love given to thalia this weekend, i hope she doesn't go into withdrawl! good thing we have grandma donna around to love on her all the time!

anyway, here is a new picture for everyone...our first family picture at home. i think we are a darn good looking family, if i do say so myself :o)

much love and little sleep! c, c, and t

success #2!

yay! i finally got my slideshow to work! thanks to everyone who submitted their many pictures of my beautiful baby! i really appreciate it. i can't figure out how to make the pictures bigger but you can get the idea. if there is one in particular you like, send me an email and i can email it to you so you can have it.
things are still getting better everyday. yiayia is still a blessing. it will be tough when she leaves, not just because she has been helping with the baby, but because we have gotten to spend so much time together. but she will be back in april for aunt nikki's graduation and wedding and then thalia and i are heading to albuquerque for memorial day.
other than that we are just laying low, getting some rest, and changing diapers! oh the joys of parenthood! i couldn't ask for more - i love being a mommy.
oh, and a special shout out to annie mou for my fantastic midnight feeding care package! what an incredible and welcomed gift! you are the best.
gotta run! dinner time

love c, c, and t

success!!

okay, so i have been having some problems getting the slide show to work but i am trying to figure it out. hopefully it will be up by this afternoon.
the success part comes in that last night thalia spent the whole night in her bassinet!!! most of that success came from chris and i not falling asleep on the couch until 3am - but still last night was the first night i got to spend the whole night in my entire bed. now if we can get thalia to sleep through the night!! (yeah right, i know!) but she slept for 3.5 hours at a time which i think is a great start! and i think she is going to set the record for youngest baby to roll over because she is already trying to get her hips turned around when i change her diaper. (ps...thank god for yiayias because we had quite the diaper episode this morning and yiayia was gracious enough to help change thalia! what would i do without her?!)
after a weekend filled with visitors and low on naps, all three of us girls are looking forward to a more relaxed monday and hopefully some much needed rest! slideshow to come though - i promise.
hope you have a great week!
love c, c, and t (and yiayia too!)

more pics

well we have survived our first week! thalia is doing very well and already developing into quite a character. usually she just eats, sleeps, and poops, but lately she has been staying awake for little bits of time just hanging out. chris' favorite thing to do is snuggle with her on his chest. usually she tucks her hands under her face but every once in a while she will put both arms out the side like she is giving him a big hug...it's super cute.
we survived her first bath and we have finally figured out how to get her to sleep in her bassinet! let's just say mom spent the first few nights on the couch. but she is usually sleeping for three to four hours at a time at night which is great! one thing i have learned (and know it sounds obvious but) is that every baby is different and certain accepted guidelines don't always work. but we are being safe and learning as we go.
and as you may have noticed, i added a slide show to the blog so you can sit for a second and watch as they scroll by. they aren't in any order - i am a new mom, give me a break! more to come as thalia continues to grow and amuse us.
hope you have a great day!
love c, c, and t