Grandpa and Grandma are Here...

Aria has been eating up the attention of her Grandpa and Grandma J since Saturday VERY early in the morning. She's gone up a mountain (at Grouse) and seen her first bit of snow, (and Grizzly Bears), she's been for a walk at Campbell Valley Park, she's gone shopping and got a crib (which Grandpa and Dad put up last night - it looks GREAT). She hung out with her Great-Great-Great-Aunt Iris (not many kids have one of those any more) and she's been held, cuddled, consoled and cared for all week long (and mom's enjoyed the break)!

She also went to the doctor yesterday and he said she's growing faster than they hope for (250 grams is the target growth in a week, she's gaining 300) and he doesn't need to see her again until July!

So, little Aria is 91/2lbs and growing steadily. She slept through the night twice this week (about 5 or 6 hours), but last night she kept me up again - I guess I can't expect things to simply be totally liner when it comes to that stuff.

It's been great to see just how much Grandpa and Grandma love little Aria. You begin to understand God's love for us more and more when you've got a child of your own - and seeing how one little girl can wrap four of us around her finger is pretty amazing. Sometimes we'll all just stare at her and agree together that she's gotten even cuter since the last time we all looked at her. What a sweetheart! And so great to have Grandpa and Grandma J visiting...

Next week - Opa and Nana!!

Here's a picture of her at the top of Grouse in the restaurant where we had dinner I love the way Brad's caught the light in her eyes:

Aria is -1 day old today

It's May 8th today, and Aria's due date was May 9. It's amazing to think about how different things are than were expected - and what a blessing. I'm glad she came out early - and my body is certainly VERY glad!! I like her a while lot more than I liked being pregnant!

We went to the doctor yesterday - Aria's 8lbs 2oz! She's gained 2 lbs since coming home 4 weeks ago!! Crazy!

Today's Photo Session

Everyone thinks that I must be taking an overwhelming number of pictures of Aria. Well, truthfully I'm not. I tell people that I'd rather her be able to recognise me as a person, rather than a mutant with one long, black eye. :-)

When I'm with her, I'd rather be with her. I only really enjoy photography when it's intentional and I'm in the right headspace. And quite honestly, Aria seems to agree with me: