You've Got Mail

Sailee actually received her first piece of mail the other day! It actually had her full name on it with our home address. Somehow, it was unbelieveable to me that this little being that didnt exist in any shape or form this time last year is now receiving mail. It was.....her social security card. And it actually made me sad, this piece of paper that signified that my little blissful angel is an actual person who has no choice but to grow up and have responsibilities like working and paying the government and having to deal with the mail that is addressed to her own name! I almost cried! Neil thinks I'm ridiculous.

She is six weeks old and changing so much we can hardly believe it. One of the main things we notice is how much she smiles lately. Although we know she doesnt know us quite yet, we like to think that somehow we have caused her to experience joy! While Sailee has always made crazy noises since the day she was born, her noises are starting to involve consonants and sometimes even seem to have multiple syllables. Another recent development is that she is starting to follow us with her eyes a little bit when we are near her.

Such small developments but they are so grand to us as we continue to marvel in sheer amazement at the beauty of this itty bitty life. As I envision a time in the future that Sailee's growing and changing will become something we are so used to, my hope is that we never take it for granted and always remember this time in which we would be awestruck by little movements, gestures, noises that, although probably unintentional and involutary on her part, totally rocked our world.

Yawn!

Happy dreams

Awake time, still somewhat rare

All bundled up

Maybe I'll be a ballerina, or a yoga instructor

Happy mornings after breakfast

I'm too cute, take more pictures!

More yawns and stretching

Our two little ones

We really consider ourselves a family of four at this point. Our first child, Chewie, came into our lives in December of 2008, and so this spoiled rotten little pup has really been the center of our lives for about a year and a half before Sailee came along. Chewie has gotten quite used to unlimited playtime and walks with Mom and Dad, trips to the dog park, toys and treats, and constant hugs, kisses, and ear rubs. Spolied rotten doesnt even begin to describe it.

Everyone is curious how Chewie has been reacting to his new little sister, and most expect to hear that he is insanely jealous and always competing for attention. I cant say enough how proud I am of Chewie for how mature he has been ever since she came home. While he still does need plenty of attention, he's getting by with a lot less as it is impossible with the baby to keep up with what he is used to. There are times when we get so wrapped up taking care of Sailee, we realize we havent seen Chew in a while and sometimes find that he has retreated to his crate on his own. Still, we try to make sure he does get some time during each day where he just gets to be a dog and doesnt have to be a big brother.

Chewie seems to have taken a liking to Sailee. He enjoys licking her feet the most. While he is cautious around her, he does seemingly worry when she is crying and he perceives that no one has noticed. The other day my dad was watching Sailee so I could get a shower. Since Sailee was sleeping my dad dozed off as well on the sofa. When Sailee woke up crying, Chewie jumped up on the sofa and licked my dad's nose to wake him. When he saw that my dad woke up enough to acknowledge Sailee, he retreated back to his own spot.

Sometimes I wonder if events like that are just coincidence, or if we dont give our pup enough credit for being a smart dog. Either way, we are so fortunate to have a little one that seems to be able to balance being spoiled rotten and sharing the attention!

Here are some pictures of Sailee and Chewie that we were able to capture so far.

Our baby's growing up...and so are we!

It seems so strange and wonderful to be able to say that. Sailee was born exactly one month ago today. It feels today like we have had her forever, and at the same time it feels like time has flown. We still have so much to learn about this little person that God has sent into our lives.


It has been one crazy month just trying to get to know our little one and even accept this huge responsibility of being parents. Between recovering from a c-section and learning how to live this new life, I havent had much opportunity to create those pictures in my mind that connect this little baby with the dreams we have for our child. One thing that is for sure is that when you have a baby, selflessness completely takes over. For one month I havent thought much about what I look like, how I feel, what I want to do at any given time. Everything I do is for her and her only. Some days we wish we had had a baby earlier, at a younger age. But today I am thankful that I am at the point in my life where I have had plenty of "me" time, and now it's time for someone else.


Today at one month of life, I can only start to imagine what joys Sailee will bring to our lives. I imagine a time when she will be able to look me in the eye and know I am her mother, when I will be able to make her laugh, when she will be able to tell me what her needs are, when I will be able to teach her things and introduce her to her world around her, when she will want to be away from my side and still know I am with her, when she will come to us on her own for comfort and protection, when she will look to us to guide her through her day. I am starting to form these pictures.

As she grows and changes, I know we will start to form more of those pictures and start to imagine her walking and talking, navigating her own world and making decisions for herself. It is impossible to think of such a time now, as I stare at my sweet angel sleeping and dreaming, but it's so exciting to know it only gets better. Happy birthday sweet child. We are so blessed to have you!

The Beginning

This is my first post on this blog. My hopes are that I will be able to create a tool that allows us to share moments of our lives with loved ones and also have a record of how our lives evolve over time. As we start this new chapter in our lives with Sailee, I especially hope to create something that she will one day appreciate as a record of the beginnings of her life and want to be a part of.

The story really begins with the date November 20, 2009. Neil and I traveled to Charlotte, NC to visit because Neil had been offered a summer law internship at Alston and Bird. Knowing that any internship he takes could possibly mean a full-time offer later, we decided we couldnt take the job until we both saw the city and knew it was a place we could possibly consider living in the future.

We arrived at our hotel with enough time to walk around downtown a bit, before we had to get ready to go out for the evening with some associates from the firm. I had a feeling I might be pregnant, and told Neil I wanted to buy a pregnancy test just to make sure, especially since there might be wine at dinner. I took the test when we got back to the hotel, and it was positive. Neil and I were sure this had to be a false positive. We were in total disbelief, so I took the second one in the box, and again the same result. Still convinced this might be inaccurate, we vowed to retest the next day with a digital test and not get too excited until then.

We had a wonderful time with the associates, and needless to say I didnt have any wine! The next day, the digital pregnancy test confirmed another positive result. It is hard to describe the feeling that overcame us at that time. To say we felt grateful and blessed would be an understatement. For so long Neil and I have discussed our dreams for our family and future, and to imagine that in 9 short months we would have a child was nearly impossible to fathom. We were ecstatic and still in disbelief, despite 3 pregnancy tests!

Charlotte proved to be a lovely city, reminding us a bit of Austin, with a small town feel but enough there to be able to imagine settling down and raising a family. We enjoyed wonderful food and lovely drives through the neighborhoods with big beautiful homes, envisioning a time when we might be able to afford such a lifestyle...

In the end we took the offer and Neil completed his 6 week internship during my third trimester. Yesterday, we celebrated as Neil received an offer from Alston and Bird as a full-time associate to start September 2011. While those six weeks of our lives were trying times for me, I am so proud of Neil for doing a good job and working to create a better livelihood for us and for our family. We are truly humbled by the good fortune we have received and thank God for providing us with open doors and new paths to choose from as we start a new journey in our lives.