The Story of Patrick, Cami and Leiah

Going to Disneyland

2009-09-30T05:21:00.002-07:00

Today we let Leiah know that in 10 days we will be going to Disneyland.

Pool Play

2009-06-14T22:47:00.000-07:00

Leiah is getting a little more independent in the pool - and loving it

Some Shots of Spring 2008

2009-06-14T22:45:00.000-07:00

Never A Dull Moment

2009-01-15T23:31:00.005-08:00

Sometimes it rains or snows or is really cold but that doesn't stop us from having fun. Here are some clips.

Fun things already in 2009

2009-01-13T14:07:00.003-08:00

Leiah has been having a lot of fun. She has started playing dress up and she loves to sing! Her favourite place to visit lately is the Vancouver Aquarium where the new baby beluga, Tiqa, is. She looks at the pictures and says, "Mommy Tiqa is sooooo cute!"

Christmas #2!

2008-12-30T22:32:00.003-08:00

On Christmas Eve at about 10 pm we went over to Cami's parents' house where the rest of her family was and opened pj's as we do every Christmas Eve. We then went to bed, woke up and did just as much eating and opening presents as we did before! Leiah's favourite gift of the day was given to her by her uncle Shane who gave her the DeeDee Doodle "key"tar (a piano guitar). After that she would not open any other gift, she just rocked it out all day!

What a wonderful Christmas!

2008-12-30T22:14:00.005-08:00

What a great Christmas. We started our celebrating on the 23rd at Patrick's mom and dad's house. We all woke up together and ate and opened presents all day! Leiah's favourite gift of the day was her talking Elmo, she danced with him and hugged him.

"Mommy I doods makeups!"

2008-12-21T20:53:00.003-08:00

Leiah has recently gotten into my make up cupboard and loves to copy what mommy does. These are some of the results.

I'm 2!

2008-11-04T14:03:00.003-08:00

Leiah had a veggie tale themed birthday party. Her favourite veggie is Bob the Tomato. Patrick was in charge of the games and activities and did great singing the theme song and reading stories and trying to keep everyone busy! It was a fun day with a lot of laughter and this year Leiah was excited to blow out the candles not scared like her first birthday.

Back from Maui

2008-10-16T10:46:00.001-07:00

A Day on Farmor's new boat!

2008-09-24T23:31:00.005-07:00

Farmor got a new boat, a bigger boat so that Leiah would have more room to run around in. He is still learning how to pilot it, it is quite a bit bigger than the last boat. Leiah had a great time and can't wait to go on Farmor's boat again!

A Rainy Day at the PNE

2008-09-14T23:21:00.003-07:00

We went with some close friends of ours to the PNE! It started it out quite dry and lovely but by the 3rd ride it was clear that we needed rain jackets and puddle jumping boots! It was a great day anyway as Leiah started out not wanting to go on any ride and then would not want to get off them! We ended up pretty wet at the end of the day but fresh, hot mini donuts can make anyone forget about being wet and miserable. Can't wait for next year!

She loves her dresses!

2008-08-17T23:34:00.006-07:00

Leiah has loved putting on a dress lately. Patrick has even taught her how to walk up the stairs while holding up one side of her dress. She is so cute!

vancouver/victoria

2008-08-10T09:42:00.001-07:00

Fun at Home and in the Sun

2008-06-26T23:52:00.004-07:00

Word Mishaps

2008-06-25T23:17:00.003-07:00

With Leiah talking more she is beginning to struggle sounding out certain words - It can turn put pretty funny.

At the Little Gym

2008-06-06T09:50:00.004-07:00

Now after 3 months of going to the gym she is excited to participate in most of the events and doesn't wander off too often to do her own thing.

Marine Life

2008-05-17T11:55:00.003-07:00

This morning we went to the beach to explore the wonders of the ocean. Leiah, armed with her shovel, bucket and dora aqua shoes began to explore. She was fascinated with all the shells, hermit crab, tiny crab and little fish - Even the seaweed didn't bother her.

New things

2008-05-15T23:26:00.003-07:00

Leiah has recently taken to colouring. She loves to rip the paper off of the crayons and have all the crayons poured out on the table. She especially likes drawing pictures of "Dada".

Leiah has also become quite confident in the swimming pool. She enjoys being in the kiddie pool and walking around by herself. She is even getting used to floating on her back in her life jacket. We are trying to get her "boat" ready for this summer. she will have to wear her life jacket on the boat all the time so the more comfortable she feels in it the better, right Farfar!

Cami says Leiah Like Blueberries

2008-04-24T22:08:00.004-07:00

We have these small frozen blueberries that Cami tells me Leiah likes. So I put Leiah in her high-chair and gave her some blueberries. I took off her shirt because I know that things can stain with blueberries around. She didnt want to eat them. Maybe they were to cold, I thought to myself. So I took about half a cup of frozen blueberries and defrosted them adding a little sugar. Now I figured she would like them. As it turns out she really wasnt very hungry - all she wanted to do was play - so I let her

Leiah's first trip to California

2008-04-01T22:39:00.006-07:00

Over Easter we took Leiah to meet my grandmother and a lot of her cousins that are in California. She had a great time and did so well on the plane. She spoke to everyone on the airport and slept the whole way on both flights! It was great to introduce Leiah to my grandmother, a moment I will never forget.

Our Big Girl

2008-04-01T22:23:00.006-07:00

Leiah has seemed to have grown up so fast lately! She loves dressing up and is now into wearing my shoes. She loves feeding herself, brushing her hair, wearing my make up! Leiah is our big girl now.

Leiah's First Trip to the ZOO

2008-02-25T08:31:00.002-08:00

Family Pics

2008-01-12T00:20:00.000-08:00

Up on Seymour mountain

2008-01-11T22:12:00.001-08:00

With a day off and the rain having stopped we decided we would head up to Seymour mountain for Leiah's first try at tobogganing.

New Chef in the Making

2008-01-11T22:11:00.001-08:00

Boxes are more fun than the actual gift

2008-01-11T22:10:00.000-08:00

Finally a new video

2008-01-11T22:08:00.000-08:00

After having watched Leiah's favourite video over and over and over again, finally she received a new videos that happens to be her favourite show on Treehouse - 4Square.

Sitting on the Toys

2008-01-11T22:06:00.000-08:00

A normal chair isn't as fun as this alternative

Leiah gets her first stuffed Elmo

2007-12-29T18:34:00.000-08:00

Hey, Look What I Found Under the Tree

2007-12-21T22:32:00.000-08:00

With Christmas approaching all sorts of new items have been placed around the house. Some have been boring, like Christmas towels in the bathroom, but then there are the presents under the tree!!!

Action in the Snow

2007-12-09T14:36:00.001-08:00

This is Leiah's first expereince to snow outside of her stoller. Last year she was only 1 month old when the snow hit

Leiah's Second First Birthday

2007-12-05T20:15:00.000-08:00

Leiah had her first birthday in Quebec but now that we are all home we had another party with family and friends.

Leiah's First Birthday

2007-11-02T18:24:00.000-07:00

Leiah had her official birthday in October out here in Quebec. Once I get back home we will have the offical party.

When we placed the chocolate cake in front of her she didnt want it, pushing it away.

We then stuck her fingers in the icing. After licking off the sweet icing she was convinced of this new type of food-group.

Apparently she loves chocolate

Halloween

2007-11-01T15:22:00.000-07:00

With monsters, ghosts and pirates lurking in the darkness, Leiah waddles down the streets bring cheer and smiles to all.
Elmo and Mr. Pumkin Elmo, Elizabeth and Captain Jack Elmo and Cami Leiah admiring her pumking art

A year in review

2007-10-29T13:43:00.000-07:00

birthday pics will follow shortly but here is a video of some of the highlights of Leiah's first year

11 months old and counting...already?

2007-10-28T19:45:00.001-07:00

Leiah is on the move, starting to stand and cruise a lot! She hasn't taken a step yet...She also discovered that yoghurt is a great hair product for spiking hair.
Leiah has also taken to putting hats on her head...anything goes, even if it is pants or something not remotely close to an item of clothing at all.

Leiah Turns 10 Months Old

2007-08-25T09:55:00.000-07:00

Leiah's Frist trip to the USA

2007-08-25T09:52:00.000-07:00

After 2hr 15min wait at the border we hit the seattle outlet mall and then off to a nights stay in Mukilteo, Wa.

A couple of days Work/Holiday in Penticton

2007-08-25T09:38:00.000-07:00

First Signs of Dancing

2007-08-05T22:34:00.000-07:00

When she likes the music she begins to bob her head with excitement. Here she is watching Nanaland - a musical. After watching it once you are ready to never watch it again. Unfortunately she loves it.

Leiah Prefers to Feed Herself

2007-08-05T22:27:00.000-07:00

Leiah loves to eat - especially when she gets to feed herself. Some foods are much cleaner than others. Avacados are messy.

Sea Wall Walk across from Granville Island

2007-08-01T12:51:00.001-07:00

Finally got my camera Back

2007-08-01T12:44:00.000-07:00

I think I have some catching up to do. THis week Cami is training in Vancouver so we have been spending lots of time in Vancouver.

This is Leiah relaxing in the shade across from the Quayside Marina.

Went Boating

2007-07-16T15:36:00.000-07:00

Leiah had her first boat ride this weekend. Cami had to work so Leiah and I hopped on to the BC Ferries to Victoria and had a little boat ride on my parent's boat. Leiah was fascinated by the kid's room on the ferry.

The lifejacket was a little big - she didn't like it. I will have to see if I can find something that fits her better

On the Ferry ride home we both fell asleep, exhausted from our adventures

Toys to Eat

2007-07-10T20:34:00.000-07:00

I guess at this age everything is about eating. Shoes, paper, phones and of course toys.

Mobile Toys

2007-07-10T20:29:00.000-07:00

Leiah now enjoys crawling around as she follows balls or other moving toys.

First Day of Swimming Lessons

2007-07-04T21:26:00.000-07:00

Our Camera is still being fixed but my dad, Leiah's Farfar, came to the pool to watch the swimming lessons. It was a parent-tot class so Cami and Leiah enroled. Since We had already taken Leiah swimming she was the craziest and most active in the water. The other little kids were cute and some even cried.

Here we see Leiah smiling from ear to ear ash she floats on the floatation devices

Everyone takes a turn sitting on the floating mat. some cried, some fell off but Leiahjust enjoyed it

Climb every mountain

2007-06-15T21:04:00.000-07:00

I was trying to enjoy my very first Father's Day. Leiah didnt want to sit around so we set up a wall of pillows to contain her while we ate.

It didnt work - she decided she wanted to explore...

Daddy dropped the camera

2007-06-12T10:24:00.000-07:00

I will some more updates shortly. Daddy is getting the camera fixed. He says I was doing something cute and reached the the camera to capture the moment and the little sucker just slipped out of his hands.

Just to let you know, I crawl fast, can pull myself to standing a standing position by a chair or couch, can climb a few stairs before I get too tired and still love to drool.

Love, Leiah.

p.s. I have a new pool I can splash around in. It's so big, even mommy and daddy can join me.

Bye Bye Remote Control - Here is another Toy

2007-06-03T23:28:00.000-07:00

Being Mobile and having explored around a bit, Leiah now has another favourite toy!!

Leiah Enjoys her first Swing Experience

2007-06-03T22:58:00.000-07:00

We start slowly and then add speed. The moment it gets going too fast her face changes and she looks slightly panicked - we slow it down.

Favourite Toy

2007-05-29T09:29:00.000-07:00

Here we have Leiah eating and drooling over her favourite toy. We are planning on buying her a remote control that she can drool on as much as she wants.

I also see that Cami will now have directo competition as to who gets to hold the remote.

Leiah HATES Apples

2007-05-16T13:06:00.000-07:00

Over the past few weeks we have indroduced some solid foods to Leiah's diet. By solid I mean, taking a solid food and pureeing it so that she can swallow it without chewing. So far we she has had rice cereal, ground oatmeal, oatmeal/rice mix, bananas, potatoes and carrots.

Today we got to introduce her to Apples. I love apples. You can eat them raw, make apple pie, apple crisp, have apple sauce, candied apples, etc. Today was a win, as far as I was concerned.

She wasnt super sure with carrots when we gave her the first taste but we responded as positivley as we could as to convince her that carrots were amazing...it worked.

Today there was nothing Cami could do to change Leiah's mind about the Apples...she hates them.

First Attempts at Crawling

2007-05-05T10:58:00.000-07:00

With Leiah's love for the remote control, we were able to taunt her to move forward on the fouton.

If she is anything like her mommy, she will be the keeper of the remote control.
In a matter of a short time we will need to initiate the implementation of operation have-to-keep-the-floor-clean-at-all-times. Not looking forward to that one.

"Papa"

2007-04-27T17:48:00.000-07:00

After having said Mama a couple of weeks ago, she now has started saying Papa. We finally captured it on the camera. The funny thing is that once she sees the camera she is completely captivated by it and cannot focus on anything else.

Listen to Daddy's little girl say Papa!

Enjoying her sippy cup

2007-04-24T10:58:00.000-07:00

Now that Leiah is sittng up she has finally figured out how to use her sippy cup without having to be in a reclined position!!

6 Months Old

2007-04-23T14:27:00.000-07:00

Today we woke up and celebrated Leiah's 6th Month. She is a little under the weather having a little cough but was all smiles as she woke up at 7:30am. We pulled her into our bed and tried to entice her to sleep another hour but she just wanted to play.

We told her that we would celebrate today, buy her a ball (she loves to kick them) and watch the canucks game. She replied by asking for a bike. We said that she could get a bike a little later and that she would have to learn how to walk or at least crawl first

Places Been and Things Done - (in stroller)

2007-04-20T13:54:00.000-07:00

Walk along Railway tracks in White Rock

Waiting for a Train in WhiteRock

Playing alone out in the snow

Relaxing in the sun at Sindey, Vancuver Island.

Hanging out at Starbucks

Leiah's first walk

Going for a walk at Crescent Beach

Playing during our second snowfall

Checking out the Parliament building in Victoria

Admiring some history in Victoria

Getting Back to Easter

2007-04-19T14:20:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention Easter!!

It was a very full weekend. Of course we spent it around family and great food. In addition to that, we went to CLA for their Easter celebration service - Leiah was awake for all the music but fell asleep when the sharing started.

On Good Friday several of us went to Kurtis and Char's place for the annual easter egg hunt. Being that this was Leiah's first Easter she was ready to hunt for Chocolate Easter eggs and then donate them to Mommy's basket.

Leiah Figures out the Straw

2007-04-15T22:14:00.000-07:00

Well....she finally tasted something sweet. I gave Leiah the opportunity to suck some Iced-Tea from a straw. I wanted to see if she would know what to do if she had the chance to try.

Off to the Capital City - Part 2

2007-04-15T22:02:00.000-07:00

Leiah slept though some of the sight-seeing. I guess there is something nice about the gentle rumblings as we push the stroller over the cobble-stone.

In any case, this is Leiah chekcing out the Parliament buildings.

A little later she wanted to sit in the sun and check out all the seniors driving their cars down the main drag.

One sweet lady sat quietly and listened to all that Leiah had to say. Sometimes they both simply sat in pleasant silence.

Leiah particularly like the sun that day as she was sporting her new sunglasses. They didnt fit too well. Either they were too loose and fell off her face or they were too tight that she was not able to open her left eye. She looked cool though.

On the Way home we all fell asleep on the ferry. It was ok becuase only the Pittsburg-Ottawa game was on the BC Ferry's big screen TV.

Off to the Capital City

2007-04-15T21:29:00.000-07:00

The three of us decided we needed a mini-holiday so we hopped a ferry and went to Victoria. This was a weekend of firsts for Leiah. First, on the ferry, she was able to play with the other kids up on deck 6

We were all longing to get to the time-share condos in Victoria

At the Condo, Leiah got her own room. Actually it was the Master Bed. We wanted to give her something big enough so that she wouldnt fall off as well as we didnt want to wake her after she fell asleep. Cami and I slept in the living room on the spare bed.

After a great night's sleep we went under water at Victoria's Undersea Gardens. We got to see a live Scuba show - Leiah was facinated with all the fish.

In the background is the Victoria harbour and then the Queen's hotel, the Empress

Friday night Leiah was excited to wear her new Canuck T-shirt as she cheered on the Canucks. We were all dissapointed in Friday night's game.

Being in the Queen's city we wanted to have some Afternoon tea. we ate and ate - I knocked over my full tea cup. Good thing there were two table cloths on this table. It soaked up all the tea so nicely and quickly.

Tiny Olympic Swimmer in the Making

2007-03-30T09:21:00.000-07:00

Leiah's First Day in her new BIG Bathtub

2007-03-29T21:10:00.000-07:00

First Leiah gets ready by putting on her bathing suit - a cute 2 piece. Her "finding Nemo" swimming diaper was pretty big so it was her tiny bottoms that held everything up.

We put her in her carseat and proceeded to the new big bathtub. Of course she falls soundly asleep on our 7 minute drive so I had to wake her up and get her ready for the new expereince.

The first 7 minutes she quietly took everything in. She just looked around in utter amazement. Once she realised that she was safe and that this was a "fun" expereince - at least for dad, she began to squeal with excitement for the next 15 minutes.

Leiah's Dedication at CLA

2007-03-25T22:19:00.000-07:00

On March 25th at the second service at Christian Life Assembly in Langley, We had a formal dedication for Leiah. We wanted to have it at CLA since we had so many friends there. It also provided a place for Leiah's maternal and paternal families to come and celebrate. Cami's dad was the one that prayed for her in the service.

It was a very special Sunday. We were both very moved in the service and back at home. Cami and I have dreams for our little girl and pray into it daily. We see how God has had his hand on Leiah from the very beginning of the journey.

When the service was over we went home for a big party. We had invited all four sets of Leiah's family. I think there were between 50-60 people in our home and we ate food and cake until we could eat no more. It was a wonderful day and a great celebration

Leiah's second set of shots

2007-03-25T19:53:00.000-07:00

This past Friday Leiah had her second set of shots. Only three shots this time. Two in one thigh and one in the other. Again, I was the official holder. My job was to hold tightly to Leiah so that the nurse (very friendly and helpful) could execute with the needles.

Leiah has developed her lungs sinc the last set of shots - and she used them. Her recovery time was much quicker this time and both Cami and I did much better as well!!

So that we dont remember these times all too well, there will not be any pics or videos for this post.

Getting Mobile

2007-03-11T11:02:00.000-07:00

I think she is beginning to grasp the thought of being mobile. We place her down on her floor blanket and she immediatle rolls over. Now we begin finding her facing the opposite direction from which we first placed her on the blanket. She hasnt figured out how to roll continuosly so she is still always on the blanket.

The 10 sec video shows how she rolls over.

the voice over you hear in the background is Cami asking me about vegetables while i am trying to signal to her that I am capturing a video.

She loves water

2007-03-05T10:42:00.000-08:00

We haven’t been able to take her swimming yet but we did the next best thing. No bath in the sink, no bath in her little tub...We filled our soaker tub up with water and then gently lowered her in. She loved the vastness of all the water and after a couple of seconds began splashing away. I picked up a yellow rubber ducky for her earlier that morning so I tossed that in the tub. Holding her on her tummy with my hands, she kicked, and made splashing, swimming motions with her arms as she chased the ducky down. For the next 10 minutes, she chased that ducky around the tub as I moved her back and forth. Every once in a while I pulled her up to sit on my knee on the side of the tub as she panted with excitement. Then she tried to dive back in after the ducky.

ok - So it's been too long

2007-03-04T21:02:00.000-08:00

I was at a birthday party over the weekend and a friend of mine came up and gently but firmly stated that I had not updated the blog for a long time. February has been super crazy. Cami had her Birthday, I had my birthday, My brother Magnus and his wife Susan came back from China - all needing big parties. Cami's motto - "any reason to celebrate" It's a great motto.

Leiah's room is still almost ready - I think maybe I am taking my time because I love having her in our room. I can peek over at her any time I want to.

You will notice the cute baby that Leiah is sitting beside at Katie's 2nd birthday party. They both chew on everything so when they sat beside each other they instantly grabbed each others' hand and tried to eat it.

Leiah Speaks to piglet

2007-02-10T06:18:00.001-08:00

She continues to grow

2007-02-10T00:38:00.000-08:00

We just received this fantastic high chair the other day complete with a five point seatbelt to help hold her in place. As you can see she is still a little small for the chair but she loves it. Now she is up higher and can see as we are working in the kitchen.

Then the other day, we put Leiah on the floor on her blanket. We ran upstairs to get her recieving blanket. When we got back downstairs, Leiah had climbed up onto the couch, propped herself up with a couple of pillows and started reading. She's amazing.

Leiah touches the Pacific Ocean

2007-02-01T18:48:00.000-08:00

Today was a beautiful, sunny but cool, day. We thought we would take a walk at White Rock Beach. We started with coffees and then started a nice walk on the water-front walk way. We found the perfect part of the beach for Leiah to touch the ocean. Then we went for fish and chips.

Watching Baby Einstein

2007-01-25T20:54:00.001-08:00

3 months old

2007-01-25T19:29:00.000-08:00

Well Here are some of the 3 month old pics

Leiah is 3 months old

2007-01-24T16:55:00.000-08:00

We took pics but did not have them handy - I will have to update soon so that you can see her 3 month pics. I think that at 6 months I will post all 6 pics so we can all see a comparison.

But instead of not showing any pics, here is a 20 second cute video of Leiah in her car seat

Leiah got her first shots

2007-01-19T13:31:00.000-08:00

The first thing the nurse asks is if both Cami and I have taken a Tylenol for the tramatic expereince we will have in watching. She was being funny. nice.

I was the holder. I held Lieah close to me and then supported her leg. She was to get 2 shots in each thigh. The nurse warns us one more time so that we are not surprised, "this is going to hurt and she will cry".

The first shot goes into her thigh and immediately her face turns red, short silence and then a cry that would break any parent's heart. Cami and i did everything to hold back our tears. Leiah looked up at me and if her eyes could speak, said, "dad, why are you letting her hurt me" - or at least that is how I felt.

She did well during the day and needed lots of snuggling.

Another Snowfall

2007-01-11T10:40:00.000-08:00

Well, 14 inches fell yesterday...

Last weekend all three of us drove down to Vancouver to participate in one of BC's largest wedding shows. As a vendor there, we received a complimentary room at the Bayshore Inn where the fair was held. The bed was way too big for Leiah who almost disappeared in it.

Leiah continues eat and grow. she now sleeps about 12 hours through the night with 1 feeding about 8 hours in.

The time has come for Leiah's first shots in 2 weeks...none of us are looking forward to it.

Leiah got some cool "batteries required" toys for Christmas that she is still getting used to.

Happy New Year

2007-01-01T12:55:00.000-08:00

Well, we are back home after having been with our families over the holiday season. Today we have our pajama day. We always lounge on the first day of the year. Leiah slept 10 hours last night so we feel well rested today.

To begin this year I thought I would post a cute video of Leiah hugging her first teddy bear. She has had many stuffed animals but this is the first one that is small enough that she can get her arms around.

This year again I have some New Years resolutions and as I have done in the last couple of years I have a "to stop doing list". This concept has changed my life

Have a great new year
Patrick, Camilla and Leiah

Happy Last Day of the Old Year

2006-12-31T18:51:00.000-08:00

Well, 2006 is almost over and I think it has been the year of the most change we have ever had.

1. We moved...twice
2. Cami started a couple of new jobs and now on Parental leave
3. Pat left CLA and started his own business
4. We adopted a baby.

Of course Leiah has been the highlight of our year. Thanks to all who have been so supportive in our lives. We love you all so much.

Below are some random pics of the holiday season.

Happy New Year to all,
Love Pat, Cami and Leiah

Christmas is over

2006-12-28T11:24:00.000-08:00

The parties are over and we are all exhuasted. Leiah slept through the entire night last night. I still got up and prepared her bottle for her (twice actually) but by the time I got back up she was asleep. Then I got up at about 745am because she was fussing. By the time I got up with the bottle she was asleep again.

Here are some pics that we had taken of Leiah:

Christmas Eve

2006-12-24T09:47:00.000-08:00

Being Swedish we have always celebrated on Christmas Eve. As I grew up and realised that there is a stocking tradition here in Canada, we encorperated it into our tradition. It would be pretty anti-climatic to open a stocking after all the big presents under the tree have been opened. Our solution came when we decided to open our stocking on the morning of the 24th.
Having said all that - here is a picture of Leiah and her stocking on December the 24th. (by the way - mom and dad got their Christmas present when she decided to sleep 6 hours last night in one stretch!!!

Merry Christmas Eve Eve

2006-12-23T11:15:00.000-08:00

I think we have finished shopping...yah!

The other day as we were shopping I had a great idea. Let's drive by IKEA and drop Leiah off at the ball room. I remember loving it when I was a kid. Did you know that kids have to be a certain height before they run around in there?!? They said she was too short. So I had to measure myself - she was.

so we took her home and gave her a bath

Merry Christmas everyone!!

Santa Lucia - Getting ready for celebrations

2006-12-16T22:56:00.000-08:00

The celebration of Santa Lucia is a tradition that Swedes (and many others of course) have celebrated for years. I really don t know the significance except that it is an occasion for many of us Swedes to get together to eat and celebrate.

The day starts as daddy and Leiah get to sleep in a little. Cami put Leiah beside me and snapped a picture.

Leiah is all dressed up and ready to travel across town for the party

For this celebration, the oldest female child will have a crown of candles and lead the procession, followed by the girls, star boys and santa.

Notice how in the left side I stuck Leiah in there for the photo opportunity

Well the day is over and Leiah is all tuckered out.

Leiah and her toys

2006-12-15T21:41:00.000-08:00

Leiah has received a bunch of new toys but it seems that her favourite is a small yellow fuzzy cube with a hidden mirror. take a look as she smile away.

I think she smiles because as she looks in the mirror she sees how beautiful she is!!!

Leiah gives us her thoughts

2006-12-12T19:34:00.000-08:00

Being 7 weeks and a day, Leiah prepares to get ready for the "swedish" baby shower happening tonight

New Toys and A Bath Help

2006-12-11T22:21:00.000-08:00

Tonight we went to another baby shower for Leiah - she is getting really good at it. She got her first big toy. It squeeks. After I had over stimulated her she realised that the big blue elephant was her friend and she gave it a receiving smile

Now, being the new dad there is lots that I have to learn. Giving a bath is more than a task, it is a bath AND interaction with little baby. Diane felt I needed some help so that baths would continue to be a good expereince so she picked up the 5 bunny finger bath scrubber. I'm not sure what Leiah thought about it but she sure watched where all the bunnies went!

Decorating for Christmas

2006-12-11T17:15:00.000-08:00

"oh...Dad- did you buy me my very first Christmas ornament??"

She was truly surprised

Leiah had to hang the ornament herself. The first 3 places I hung it wasn't good enough

She fell asleep while helping mommy string up the lights on the tree

Getting Bigger

2006-12-06T21:38:00.000-08:00

Well Leiah has officially outgrown two of her outfits now. I thought at first I had mis-washed her clothes but am relieved it was not my fault.

I tried to give her a zurbert - I think I scared her - I'll have to break her in gently

Leiah enjoys being sung to. My problem is that I know every tune to every song but the words seem to fail me. So, I make up my own songs and she doesnt seem to mind. She is beginning to smile, coo, gurgle and tonight I heard her do a short laugh/squeal. Cami tells me about it but I finally got to hear it. She even likes her baths

sometimes we get a little tired

new pics coming soon

2006-12-04T22:45:00.000-08:00

over the last couple of days I have been getting our suites ready for tenants. I feel I need to tell you that so you realise that I do have a legitimate excuse for not posting in a couple of days. Cami has been to another baby shower. Every time we go somewhere we are overwhelmed with everyone's deep love for us and Leiah.

We had hired a photographer to come and take some family pics for us. We should have them by the end of the week but here is a sampling of a picture she sent us. We are so excited to see the rest.

We also took Leiah to see Santa - yes this year he is real. Leiah slept through the picture taking but did have the opportuinty to wake up long enough to puke on Santa's wihte glove. I guess she isnt getting anything from santa this year.

Playing in the Snow!!!!

2006-11-26T12:43:00.000-08:00

Getting All Bundled up!!

Out making a snow angel inthe snow

getting nice and cool

feeling a little snow on the face

Warming up at STARBUCKS

It's Snowing!!!

2006-11-26T01:12:00.000-08:00

SInce I have lived almost all my life here on the West Coast, I realise that if I want to enjoy snow, you have to do it on the first day. So I planned to bundle up Leiah and give her her first snow experience.

The plan didnt work as well as expected. First it was pretty late - pushing 11pm. Sencond, Leiah was sleeping soundly in her rocker (She didnt sleep a whole lot today so this was a well deserved rest.

So I took her stoller out to make it look like she was having her first snow experince.

There is the empty stroller outside our house...a neighbour just peeked out the window because of all the camera flashes..the probably think I'm wierd

This is Leiah sleeping inside while I am Outside

Johnson came to Visit

2006-11-25T00:10:00.000-08:00

Ben and Heather and all their girls brought dinner and came over for a couple of hours. Of course they wanted to hold little Leiah

Chelsea

Dania

Aislyn

Bretta

I'm a Month Old

2006-11-25T00:04:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Leiah turned 1 month. She has put on some good weight so now she can begin to fit into the 0-3 months clothing.
She wore her first dress.

Power's Back on

2006-11-19T19:36:00.000-08:00

With the recent storm we were without power for 3 and a half days but finally we are in the light. Leiah is now about 7 pounds and beginning to smile but everytime I pull out the camera she stops performing.

We are all doing well. We sleep or unpack whenever Leiah falls asleep. Diaper changes continue to be an adventure. One of us usually gets squirted with pee everyday so the washing machine is our best friend.

Well here are pics that all of you are waiting for...

We're Moving

2006-11-12T10:42:00.000-08:00

Monday Morning at 10:00 we begin loading the truck!

It has been a whirlwind of a couple of weeks. Figuring out life with a new baby, 2 big weddings shows that I participated in (one is ending tonight), packing and getting ready to move.

Anyone who wants a sneak peak at Leiah tomorrow can show up at 9:55am and then since you are already here can help us move. I figure we will be done by 2pm. We are only moving about 6 blocks away.

If you need directions, email me at pbjurling@gmail.com

Off to the Mall

2006-11-09T18:35:00.000-08:00

Leiah is so curious. The moment she is in a new environment or if she hears new voices she will wake up or she will refuse to go to sleep. Her eyes wide open, will roam the room and take it all in. As we walked down the corridors of Guildford shopping centre she watched all the lights and took in the sounds. To my dismay her eyes open up more and she will turn her head to the woman's fashion displays in the window. I got her out of the Mall as quick as I could.

Leiah SINKS into a bath

2006-11-09T18:26:00.000-08:00

Ok so we have advanced from washing one body part at a time to a full tubby. We have a little tub but she doesnt like touching the bottom so we tried filling the sink and while I suspend her in water, Cami wipes her down...plus, every baby has to be washed in the kitchen sink at least once. As we bathe her it becomes a delicate dance where Cami and I have to manouvre around each other's arms in order to accomplish the task all the while Leiah kicks and arches when she pleases.

The first time we tried bathing I think almost all three of us were in tears...now no one cries.

gone, gone gone gone, umbilical cord is gone!!

2006-11-05T18:12:00.000-08:00

It seems to have just disappeared! one day it was there and then the next it was gone. We couldn't find it anywhere. We looked through her clothing and her diaper and it was nowhere to be seen. And then we found it...in the washing machine. It must have fallen into the blanket or way down in her outfit. Cami threw it away before I could save it. It would have been such a great show case. When she is 17 and all her friends are over I could have pulled the sucker out and said..."Hey everyone, want to see Leiah's umbilical cord?!"

I couldnt even take a picture of it and post it on the web...oh well...*sigh*.

some pics of Leiah

2006-11-03T12:43:00.000-08:00