Christmas blessings!

We have been so blessed this past year, and Christmas was no exception! Our families really outdid themselves on the gift-giving this year. Of the great gifts we got, none compared to the gift we received the day after Christmas. I was getting Kaelin dressed, when my phone rang. It was Leann, the foster mom of the birth mom of Kaelin. I figured she was just calling to wish us a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Not so... Instead she called to tell us that the birth mom was "done being a mom" and had decided to give up Kaelin's sister for adoption. Yeadon and I were speechless! Could God really be giving us TWO children in a year after so many years of wishing for and wanting a child? Apparently so... It looks like we will be getting Kayden (yes, that's right. Her name is that similar to her sister's!) sometime this week. We were told it would be today the 31st and if that's the case, well, here goes the newest adventure of the Sturtevant family. Please, lift us up in your prayers as we begin this newest journey. Now... I know you all want to see Christmas pix of my beautiful baby... So, I won't disappoint!

This was taken at Jeremey and Stacia's. We went there before Christmas to celebrate with Yeadon's side of the family. Yeadon's dad and step-mom got Kaelin this rocking duck... It's soooo cute! Funny thing is.. when Kayden came over for a visit, she loved it too!

For those of you who don't know my dad, this is him! He absolutely adores Kaelin and she him. I'm so grateful that God brought us our daughter; I never thought that children could bring so much joy to everyone's lives!

My Rollie Pollie

Yesterday, Kaelin discovered how amazing it is to roll from her back to her tummy and back again. As you can see in the videos, she gets SO excited and kicks her feet back and forth. Yeadon and I were cheering her on and clapping for her everytime she did her new "trick". She would get a huge smile on her face and do it again and again and again. I went to bed early so Yeadon was up with her until bedtime and apparently Kaelin rolled and knocked her head a couple of times on the chair... She learned that she didn't care for the chair even after she had such a great time chatting with it!

For Sale...

Here are two purses that I made for a salesperson that Yeadon works with for his job. The charcoal one is made out of gray and black corduroy and has a red with white check lining. There is a buckle-closed pocket on the front, a zipper inclosure, and an adjustable buckle handle. The peach floral one is made out of cotton and has a green lining. There are two magnetic snap pockets on the front of the purse, a pocket on the inside, as well as a zipper inclosure. I promised I would start posting my "creations" on my blog (for Nikki!), so here's my first batch! If anyone wants a purse or a bag... just let me know!

Sweet Baby Face

Kaelin is such a sweet baby! We had a rough go at it for a few months, but she is just so fabulous that the hardships seem distant now. Yeadon took this picture right before I was about to feed Kaelin her morning fruits... I usually give her a spoon to play with or she especially loves her maraca that she shakes and shakes. I thank the Lord every day for this amazing gift He gave us in our daughter!

Where's Kaelin??

I put Kaelin down on her activity mat the other day, and I went to take a shower, or something like that. When I came back into the living room, I heard her, but I couldn't see her from where I was standing behind the couch. As I moved around the corner of the couch, there she was... UNDER THE CHAIR! She is such a squirmy-wormy that she scooted herself off her mat till she was under the chair. She was having a blast... talking to the bottom of the chair and just chatting away. I called Yeadon into the room and asked him to find his daughter... when he did, he just laughed. Silly girl!

Daddy's Snowman

"Jenn, get up!!"

"I don't want to get up!"

"Yes, you do!!"

"Fine..."

This was the conversation at 6:45am this morning. Yeadon had been the one to get up with Kaelin when she woke up early for her bottle and I was blissfully trying to get some extra sleep... Until Yeadon called to me to get up. As I looked out the window in our bedroom, the inconvenience of getting up quickly evaporated. It snowed!! I love the snow (have I already mentioned that?!?). Yeadon told me to get Kaelin up and get shoes on... My wonderfully clever husband made a snowman after feeding Kaelin her bottle. What a guy! He was so proud of himself and he couldn't wait to share it with Kaelin (and me..) As you can tell, I'm still in my P.J.'s and so is Kaelin... but at least I got a hat on her!

First ornament on the tree!

Yeadon and I decided to buy an artificial tree this year... I know, I know. Before anyone gives me any grief, let me explain why we went the artificial route. Every year it's a fight to get Yeadon to go pick out a tree, trim it down to fit in the house, set it up, and decorate it. It got to the point where getting in the Christmas spirit just wasn't any fun. Plus, the first week of having a real tree, Yeadon is allergic to it and he sneezes which just torques him off even more. On top of that... We live in a VERY dry state, so our trees always dry out quickly which means more mess to clean up. So, I relented and said that as long as the tree looked as real as it could, I'd be O.K. with an artificial one. And this one does! It's beautiful! While we were out looking for our tree, we found Kaelin's first Christmas ornament. It's a little stuffed duck and sooooo cute. She is fascinated when we turn the Christmas tree lights on, which I do frequently, and she loves to just look at the tree. When Yeadon got home from work one day he decided to help Kaelin with her ornament... It's one of those memories I'll cherish. Daddy and baby together during my favorite season of the year... LOVE IT!

Beautiful Snow

We had our first real snowfall yesterday. It was fabulous! I absolutely love winter and I am probably one of the few people in the world who loves it when it snows. If it snowed 365 days a year, I would be fine with it! Someone gave me this outfit for Kaelin and I thought it was appropriate for her first experience of snow. As you can see, she really like the fur around the collar... she was always trying to eat it!

Sleeping Death Grip

Kaelin likes to fall asleep while holding on to something. Usually it's her blanket or my shirt. I put her in her swing because she was having a hard time falling asleep and when I went to check on her, this is what I saw. She cracks me up!

On the road again...

This was taken on the way to Jeremy and Stacia's for Thanksgiving. We stopped so we could feed and change Kaelin... but of course, we had the camera on hand just in case we needed it... I went to throw Kaelin's diaper away and when I got back, this is what I saw! She was having so much fun (well, so was Yeadon!). I love my two clowns!

Giving Thanks

This year was our first Thanksgiving with Kaelin. Can I just say, WOW? I've always been thankful in the past, for life, for family, for health, etc. However, this year everything seemed a little brighter, a little better, more right, even. It took a long journey, but I was O.K. with God's plan not to allow us to have children. Then came Kaelin. I could never in my wildest dreams imagine what holidays would be like with a child. She made it even more special just because she was there to share it with us. We spent the night before Thanksgiving with my family in Reno (sorry no picts!!) and then we drove to CA to spend Thanksgiving day with Yeadon's sister and her family, Yeadon's mom, and Yeadon's dad. Both days were wonderful! Above is a picture of me and Kaelin with my two nieces, Kailey (older one) and Kaydence (younger one). I am so blessed!

So, I bet you're wondering what this is all about, huh? Every time Jeremy and Stacia come and visit with the girls or we go visit them at their house, I bring Kaelin's bouncing chair. Kaydence is always fascinated by it, sooooo.... I decided to let her try it. It was HILARIOUS! She would bounce, then lift her legs and swing, then bounce again. The chair was as high as it would go and she stood her full height in it, yet she still wanted to bounce. She was out of breath when I finally pulled her out. It almost seems that the older children get, the more they want to play with baby toys...

Fancy Feet

So, my very fabulous friend, Nikki, made these amazing little shoes for Kaelin. I've been waiting and waiting until her feet got big enough to wear them. I LOVE THEM! They match so many of Kaelin's clothes and they just look so darn cute! She wore them to church yesterday (pink and purple outfit) and again today (jean outfit.) I think she will wear them everyday until she outgrows them, that's how much I love them. O.K. So on a side note: My 5 month old daughter is wearing 6-9 month clothing. The jeans she's wearing are 6-9 months and she looks like she's busting out the top with her belly... Oh the joys of a very healthy baby girl!

It's Bath Time!!

So Kaelin has been sick for a few days and I was told to give her baths everyday to help her clear out her lungs. This is the second bath I've given her in the last two days... so, I decided to spice things up a bit. I've never played with her hair much because she hasn't had much to play with... until now! Isn't she soooooo CUTE?!? She's going to kill me some day for these pictures, but for right now I'm going to show the world how stinkin' adorable she is!

Messy Face

We decided to give Kaelin her first taste of rice cereal the other night... It was hilarious! She got it everywhere and even places I didn't know she could get dirty. Of course her first taste wasn't what she expected and it took her by surprise, as you can see in the video. All that aside, eventually she LOVED it! She giggled and smiled the rest of the time we fed her. She acted as though we never fed her, that's how fast she ate.

First Harvest Party

Ok... So she doesn't look all that happy to be at our church's harvest party, but she WAS the cutest baby there! Within minutes of walking into the church, Kaelin started crying this terrified cry that worried her grandma and I. After 20 minutes of crying in the quiet nursery, a diaper change, a bottle, and some Tylenol, she was ready to begin the slow trek back through the church to the costume contest in the sanctuary. She didn't win, but there's always next year...