I've begun decorating Ainsley's new bedroom. The room has four windows so it's a very bright room. It's just perfect for my bright little girl, my own ray of sunshine. I hung the pink sailcloth curtains I purchased from Pottery Barn Kids. Since then, Dear Darling has been calling the room "The Pink Lounge." Did I mention how bright the room is? The sun blasts through the pink curtains which are supposed to be light filtering. They're more like a strobe light blasting pink throughout the... Read Full Story

I had a productive morning and decided to take Ainsley shopping after her nap. She likes to go "bye bye" and to see new sights. So off we went to our city's version of Rodeo Drive. It was the perfect weather for strolling around. That was a good thing since our stroller wouldn't fit in most of the boutiques. Neither would our budget. We had a great time window shopping. Next time, we'll take a smaller stroller and a bigger wallet. Read Full Story

Mother's Day with Dear Darling and Ainsley was fabulous! It was a beautiful day and we went to church in our favorite mountain town. Father Rol gave our little family a special blessing during communion. He chuckled when he saw Ainsley. It could've been her fancy dress and bow in her hair. Or, she could've just flashed her big smile that melts the strongest of hearts. We went to lunch at Dear Darling's favorite restaurant and ran some errands before returning to our little bungalow. I took a... Read Full Story

In several of my sweetheart's blogs, she has invited me to make an appearance. I appear on Mother's Day to thank her for this amazing catalogue of our family's new life together and to wish her a Happy Mother's Day! We all have our mothers to thank for life and much more--my mom taught me to dream big and live life to the fullest. Sweetheart's mom taught her perhaps the most important lesson of all--that is, to be a great mom. My sweetheart and our daughter have already bonded in special... Read Full Story

Baby Bear is about the size of a hothouse cucumber, a whopping 14 inches long! I feel hot, am getting as big as a house, and could probably use a cucumber on my eyes. I woke up at 2:00 am this morning and just couldn't sleep. Argh. The amazing development process continues. The nerve pathways in his ears are developing, which means he more consistently responds to sounds. His lungs are also developing, as he continues to take small breaths of amniotic fluid. He's practicing to take his first... Read Full Story

Dear Darling gets up at 5:30 am so that he can spend time with his family before heading off to work. I'm not excited to hear the alarm ringing in my ear at such an hour, but it gives him a jump on the day before Ainsley wakes at 6:00 am. There are some benefits to this early madness. I get served cereal and decaf coffee in bed, a ritual Dear Darling started when I had morning sickness. Ainsley and Dear Darling enjoy their father-daughter time. He changes her diaper and gets her milk when... Read Full Story

Ainsley is a social butterfly. She likes to be out and about, checking out the scene. She's very observant and you can see the wheels turning in her head. She's sizing you up so don't try to pull a fast one. She has just enough stranger wariness so that she's mindful of new people and situations. She never cries in public or when new people hold her. Yet, we are thankful for her instinct to be cautious in new situations. Dear Darling reinforces her leeriness, especially when it comes to... Read Full Story

Ainsley toddles around the house, the back yard and the park. She's even started to pick up the pace and "run" away from us while giggling. It's both cute and sad. Dear Darling said his baby girl is growing up too fast. I agree. Read Full Story

Dear Darling washed his first load of laundry in nearly a year. I helped him fold the laundry and put it away. It's a simple task, but we had gotten used to Nanny Maria taking care of the family's laundry. We were happy to find the washer doesn't bite and the dryer doesn't kick. Maybe I'll do some laundry but I'll keep a little distance, just in case. Read Full Story

Dear Darling painted our porch! He spent the weekend scraping, cleaning, prepping and painting the porch. It took three coats to cover the ugly green painted concrete. It finally matches the rest of the house and looks great! Tiger wanted to leave her print on the new masterpiece but she didn't get very far. I grabbed her before her hind paws touched the wet paint. I wonder if her paw print will come out of my shirt? I bought a tile accent table for the front porch. Dear Darling likes to... Read Full Story