More Baby Updates!!!

Life seems to always race by so fast and we tend to forget the time when our little ones were so little that they could fit in the palm of their Daddy's hand. Makenna is now three weeks old and we feel so blessed to have her and our other little angel, Kaylee, in our home.

Many of you have asked for more of the story of Makenna's birth. So, here is a quick summary of how it all happened! We were scheduled to be induced on the morning of Wednesday, July 9th. The hospital called that morning, however, and informed us that they were too full that day and that we were not going to be able to get in until Saturday. We were totally bummed, not only because we were so excited to finally have our new baby here, but mostly because Dan was flying out Sunday morning to go back to work in California. We were very upset and trying to think of anything to help us have that baby! Thankfully, our hero of a doctor came to our rescue! He knew our situation and was so wonderful to offer to bend the rules a little bit to help us out. He called us at about 2:00 that afternoon and told us that if we were very quiet about it and could get over to the hospital quickly he would break my water for me and induce me that way. Of course we were in the car immediately! We made it to the doctor's office at about 2:30. He broke my water right there in the office and then sent me home for a few hours to wait for contractions to start. We headed home and about two hours later the contractions started. I knew from my labor with Kaylee that I progress really fast so as soon as I started to feel contractions we jumped back into the car to head for the hospital. I was glad we did because by the end of the 15 minute drive to the hospital the contractions were VERY strong and coming VERY quickly! We checked in and when the nurse checked me I was dilated to a 4. My contractions were getting very strong and I was in a lot of pain. Dan was very good at his job at letting all the staff know that I needed my epidural ASAP! :-) It took about 45 minutes for the epidural to get there and by then I was so glad to get that huge shot (and to think, that was the part I was most nervous for!). After the shot set in things were much better! My doctor came in and checked me again. I was dilated to about a 6.5. My family arrived with Kaylee and we chatted for about 20 minutes after to doctor left. The nurse came in and said that the baby's heart beat was a little fast and so she wanted to check and make sure everything was OK. When she went to check me she about passed out! I was dilated to a 10 and READY TO GO!!! She started rushing around getting everything ready because she thought we would have a few more hours to go. When I told her I progressed fast she never believed that I meant THAT FAST! The doctor rushed back and after some short pushing baby Makenna arrived at 7:19 pm. She weighed 6 lbs. 13 oz. and was 18 inches long. She was beautiful and hardly even cried at all during those first moments of her life! We were so glad to finally have her here! After everything was cleaned up and she was checked out Kaylee got to come in and see the new baby. She was so excited and cute with the baby. She wanted to be right up on the bed next to the baby and wanted to hold her right away. We were also blessed to have my parents and sisters, my grandparents, and my aunt Tami there to share in this very special moment.

Of course we had to get a picture of Makenna in her first pink bow! I am a firm believer that little girls must always have a cute bow headband in their hair- that is until Daddy sees it and takes it off! :-)

Nana with granddaughter number two. She loves her grandbabies and spoils them way too much!

Makenna with her Papa, Nana, aunt Nicole, and aunt Janessa. We were lucky to be able to spend a lot of time with this bunch over the past few months as we have been living at my mom's house waiting for our move to California. Makenna definitely got lots of attention at Nana's house and there was always plenty of fighting over who got to hold the baby next!




Makenna with her Great-Grandma and Grandpa DeMass. I have always been very close to my grandparents and I was so glad that they were there with me for Makenna's birth. We all love them so much!

Makenna with aunt Tami. Tami is like a second mom to me and so of course she had to be there at the birth too! She's also a wonderful nurse so she always makes sure that the nurses at the hospital are doing things right. :-)

Aunt Tami and her husband Eric and their kids Nathan, Ian, and Emily!

Makenna with her aunt Rachel, uncle Jared, and cousin Jackson. We have loved hanging out with them while we have been in Utah together. We will miss them when we are in California and they are in Connecticut!

Makenna with her uncle Andy and aunt Angie.Too bad for them that we are moving and they won't get to babysit all the time!

Some more pics with Great-Grandma and Grandpa DeMass!

Some more Great-Grandparents- Grandma and Grandpa Mac. Makenna is so lucky to have so many grandparents who love her!


Makenna with aunt Lexi. Lexi was adopted into our family years ago and we love her to pieces!

Uncle Rick and Aunt Muileng came to visit little Makenna in the hospital. We all love to go to their house for some great BBQ's and the best ribs in the world!

Aunt Holly came to visit Makenna shortly after we got back to my mom's house. She brought her an adorable little outfit that we can't wait for her to wear! These two also have a very special bond because they share the same birthday!

One of the best moments in life is having your new little baby cuddle up to your shoulder. It is the best feeling in the world! You can't help but feel their strong little spirit and realize how special they really are. Here are some moments of cuddling that Makenna and her Daddy shared.



Like I mentioned above we were lucky to be able to spend some time with my family for the past few months while we were preparing to move. Kaylee loved spending time with here Nana and Papa, but she was especially in heaven spending a long sleep over with her aunts Nicole and Janessa. They had a blast and we will all miss them very much!

Two Peas in a Pod!

On one of our last nights in Salt Lake we decided to go bowling. Kaylee thought bowling was just the coolest thing she had ever done. She was so cute. She didn't care if she knocked down one pin or ten, she would clap, scream, and cheer for herself and do a little victory dance after every bowl. It was so adorable and she had the time of her life!


We will miss our family very much but plan on coming back to visit very often so don't worry!

Many of you may not know that Makenna had a little bit of jaundice when she was born. On the day we left the hospital they tested her billirubin levels in her red blood cells and they were a little bit high. This usually causes a yellowish tint to their skin and eyes. You couldn't really tell by looking at Makenna's skin but they wanted to be safe so they sent us home with this light bed. When we set her in it we couldn't help but laugh at her little alien bed! The sad part was that she had to stay in it for two days and could only get off it when she was eating. It was very hard because everyone was dying to hold her and they couldn't. The worst part of the whole fiasco was going to the hospital for what ended up being about 10 days to get her little heels pricked for blood tests. The levels kept fluctuating day after day but were not going down enough. We were getting worried so ended up going into the doctor after about two weeks. They checked her liver functions and came to the conclusion that she had a form of jaundice called breast milk jaundice that is found in babies who are having all breast milk and no formula. It usually will last for 6-8 weeks but should go down after that. We will have her tested again when we go back to Salt Lake for her baby blessing in August to make sure things are still OK and that her levels have gone down on their own.


Here are some pictures of the two cutest girls in the world! Kaylee loves her new little sister so much and especially loves being the big sister and big helper! She has been so wonderful with little Makenna and loves to hold her, talk to her, and even sings her little lullabys. It is so adorable! We feel so blessed to have our beautiful little girls in our lives and couldn't imagine anything better than their sweet spirits in our home. They are truly what life is all about!







Happy 4th of July! To celebrate our country's birthday we had a BBQ's with my parents and sisters and my Aunt Tami and her family. The kids had a blast playing together. Kaylee loves playing with her aunts and her cousins Nate, Ian, and especially Emily. They had a fun time holding a bubble blowing contest and, of course, lighting sparklers and dancing around the yard. The fireworks show was provided by Dan and my dad and Kaylee thought they were so awesome. It was a wonderful holiday and we all had a blast!





Makenna did not like the fireworks all that much but she did look adorable in her little patriotic outfit!