Kate Isabella

She's finally here! Our little bundle of joy FINALLY made it to us! Kate Isabella was born June 26th and was 8 lbs 7 oz and 19.5 inches long.

Here's the birth story . . . On Friday morning around 10:30, I started feeling really mild contractions. They got close together pretty fast. Jake came home for lunch around 12:30 and they were already 4 minutes apart. I took a shower, got my things together and we were off to the hospital by 2:30. By that time, the contractions were about 2 minutes apart. We got checked in and the nurse checked me - I was dilated to a 3.5 and 90% effaced. The doctor told her to break my water to get things moving along. As soon as he broke my water, I got my epidural. Things were smooth sailing from there! I pushed for about 10 minutes and little Kate was here at 6:24 pm. She is such a little angel. She came with nice, kissable chubby cheeks and is such a good baby!

I forgot what it was like to have a newborn - the sleep deprivation fighting the complete happiness over this adorable, sweet little person that just melts your heart! We love her so much already!

Here are some highlights of little Kate's birth day:

Right after coming out of mommy's belly

She's a nice sized girl!

Mom, dad and baby (Emmy came to see us just after this pic was taken)

Proud mama

Proud daddy

Emmy wasn't too sure about what to think of mom in a hospital bed holding a new baby

This is the next day at the hospital. Emmy was watching us change the baby and started warming up to her.

I really love that sweet little face!

I love this pic! My two sweet girls :)

Happy Father's Day!!!

I love this pic. From the big smile on Jake's face, you can see how much joy he gets out of being a dad!

Happy Father's Day to a wonderful husband and father! Jake is so involved in Emmy's life, she just adores her daddy. He is such a great dad, seriously the best. He doesn't hesitate to change diapers, do dishes, vacuum, dust, clean the kitchen floor, this man does it all. I just want to thank him for all the help he has given me throughout this pregnancy. I love you so much, honey!!! Thanks for all you do!!!

Here are some recent pics of daddy and daughter:

Flying a kite

Fishing

And of course I have to give a shout out to my own dad. He is seriously the best. If you don't know him, believe me, you wish you did! He never fails to make me smile and make me laugh. He is a genuinely great person. When I was dating, the guys I brought home had to compete with this guy - I had to marry someone that was just as good as my dad (lucky for me, I married someone just as great!). He was a great example growing up of the way a man should respect and treat his wife. When I met Jake, I knew he had many of the great qualities my dad had. Thanks, dad, for helping me pick such a great husband, even if you didn't know that's what you were doing! You have been a wonderful dad! I love you!

My dad and Emmy. She adores him just as much, if not more, than I do :)

Emmy

I feel like it's been a long time since I've done an update on Emmy. She is two and a half years old - time has flown by! It seems like yesterday that she was just learning how to walk. She is such a sweet girl. I've said it before and I'll say it again, she makes being a mom so much fun! It's definitely a challenge some days, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Here is what she's been up to lately:

* She hides something behind her back, runs up to us and says "Look at my got!" Translation: "Look what I have!"

* She LOVES singing. Her favorite lately is Phantom of the Opera. Even the parts that Christine sings that are so high, she sings it all! We've had fun getting it on camera and it's so funny listening to her little voice. She even sings it on key!

* Since she loves Phantom, she has a little dress-up dress that she calls her "Christine dress." It's one of those white, fluffy slip dresses. I think she thinks it looks like one of the dresses Christine wears in the movie. She has to wear it every day. Sometimes I have to hide it so she won't wear it out in public . . .

* She found a binky clip that was hers when she was a baby. She calls it her binky and holds it in her mouth. When it falls out she starts crying like a baby. Not the funnest noise in the world. I think she's acting like a baby because of my sister's baby (which she gave birth to a little over a week ago - he's so cute!!!)

* She absolutely loves being outside. She has a bike that she likes to ride but her feet won't reach the petals so she just uses her feet to push her along. My dad bought buy her a bike that she could actually petal, but she won't use the petals! She still uses her feet on the ground! She just needs more practice . . .

* A couple of days ago, she got one of her bowls, put it under her shirt and told me it was her baby. Of course I had to get pics!



She is such a fun and energetic little girl! And she will be a great big sister, I can't wait to see how she is with the baby (I'm only a little nervous that the baby will be harmed :) ).

My little blue box

Almost every girl dreams of getting a "little blue box" from none other than Tiffany & Co. Well, yesterday I got my very first little blue box! It is a belated birthday present from my mom. Thanks, mom!

I took pictures as I opened the box. Now you can all participate in the excitement!

The beautiful blue box! Makes you feel special just looking at it, right?

My excitement was continuing to grow . . .

And there it is! The classic sterling silver Return to Tiffany oval tag necklace.

And of course I had to get a picture with it on . . .