Our Borrowed Angel

Coolin' Off

2007-05-02T14:18:00.000-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa Retz bought Chi a water activity table for his birthday. It was lots of fun! Of course we had to make some accomodations in order to have it be fun right now, but hey! whatever works!! So, one table minus the legs= a very cool pool/thing for two crazy cousins!

Birthday Party

2007-05-02T12:43:00.000-07:00

I almost forgot to post these! Of course you want to see him completely covered in birthday cake! He started out being a little scared of everyone watching him. He did NOT like it when Daddy put his hands into the cake. But finally, he realized just how much fun it could be and suddenly was COVERED in cake. The frosting even works well as finger paints!! Thank you, Daddy, for making a beautiful cake for my party!!

Fun Pictures

2007-05-02T12:15:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to catchup a little bit more and show you just how cute our baby is!! I am sorry I haven't kept up with this site very well, but I truly hope to do better in the near future! Keep a lookout in the VERY near future for pictures of Chi's baby sister!! Coming Soon!

This is the firetruck that my Gramma Yummy sent me! I absolutely LOVE riding on it (which I can do all by myself!)

What? I don't have anything on my face! Stop staring!!

Me and the best daddy in the world!

Look at Me!!

Family Picture

2007-05-02T12:14:00.000-07:00

A Little Comparison...

2007-05-02T12:06:00.000-07:00

Remember some of those funny pictures we took when Chi was TEENY-TINY?? Well here they are again but with some pictures of him in the same places as a big boy!

I am ONE YEAR OLD!!

2007-05-02T11:43:00.000-07:00

Wow! How time flies when you're having fun!! I can't believe that Chi has been here for a whole year now! He is such a blessing in our lives! He has learned how to crawl and pull up onto everything. He still is a little afraid of standing on his own and walking, but I can tell that it's not far off! He's got 4 teeth and is working on 2 more. He says a few words, but most of them are just mocking the sounds that we say, not really using them in context yet. He likes to say uh-oh (after dropping something over the edge of the high chair) and no-no (after we tell him no about something!). He's a very happy baby still and smiles a LOT. He pretends to be shy and is a MAJOR flirt with anyone who will pay attention to him.

11 months!

2007-05-02T11:38:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to squeeze these in here before launching into a full blown update including one year old pictures!!

Ride 'Em Cowboy!

2007-03-06T18:43:00.000-08:00

Malachi was given a rocking horse recently. It was a little scary at first....okay, he was terrified. But we quickly overcame that, and now he loves it. Tell me he isn't the cutest cowboy you've ever seen.

Truck Problems

2007-03-06T18:30:00.000-08:00

Malachi was given this fire truck by his Gramma Yummy. He absolutely loves it! He can ride around on it on his own and loves to hear the songs it plays. However, one day when he was on a fire run, a truck, headed to Walmart, crashed in front of him dumping its load of Ramen noodles all over the highway. (In other words...some crazy little boy had pulled the Ramen noodles out of the cabinet and left them laying everywhere.) Well, poor Chi was going so fast and trying to concentrate on just getting to the fire, that he didn't see the wreckage and ran right over one of the packages. Just his luck, one got stuck in his wheel. It made him so mad! He got right off and tugged and tugged on that noodle package, but never did get it out until the mechanic came and saved him. To this day, he is a little leary of noodle-laden Walmart trucks.

10 Months (And the Superbowl!)

2007-03-06T18:17:00.000-08:00

Yes, yes I know...Chi just turned 11 months. But I never posted his 10 month pics, so I'm doing that now! (Check back soon, I am really hoping to get caught up and actually post his 11 month pics before he turns 1!!)

Well, when Chi was 10 months old, a wonderful thing happened! The Indianapolis Colts beat the Chicago Bears in the SUPERBOWL!! Woo hoo!! So we decided to stage a re-enactment of the Superbowl, complete with the one of the Colts and one of the Bears!

I have hair!

2007-01-31T08:37:00.000-08:00

We have waited a LONG time to be able to say this..and well, nature wasn't taking care of it, so we decided to take matters into our own hands!

2007-01-31T08:33:00.000-08:00

We finally got snow!! Chi has been begging me to be able to go out and use his new sled that he got for Christmas. Finally, I was able to say yes! He wasn't too sure about it. It wasn't bad....he didn't cry. But he also never really cracked a smile. Well he did smile when he saw mom's makeshift boots that Dad thought were pretty stylin'.

9 Months!

2007-01-31T08:22:00.000-08:00

Yeah, yeah....I know he turns 10 months tomorrow, but I figure, better late than never. These were taken a while back. I just never got them posted.

Chi is now army crawling EVERYWHERE. He knows how to crawl like normal but he thinks it is better and faster to go on his stomach. Who knows why?? He is pulling himself up and gets into everything. He's also finally learned how to get back down once he is up into something. He also has 2 teeth!! I'll try to get a picture up of those, but he's very particular about who looks into his mouth.

I think I can take this guy...

Okay, Dad...I've got him in the sleeper...now what do I do?

Catch Up Time!

2007-01-10T15:57:00.000-08:00

Okay, I haven't posted pics of my cute little man in a LONG time....so I thought I would just try to play catch up and give you a quick overview of him now!

Chi loves to eat! Anything you give him, he'll stick in his mouth and chew! He loves cheerios, apple bites, green beans, chicken, okay really anything!

Yes, we did go see Santa....Who knew Santa was really my uncle all these years?!

Chi had a great Christmas! He got everything he asked for.....well, maybe he didn't ask for anything, but he still got plenty of stuff!!

Chi's good friend, Kaeden, came up North for Christmas. So we all spent the day together. The boys were so cute holding hands across the strollers all day.

Yup!! I can pull myself to standing now!! But don't ask me how to get back down, because I have NO idea! I just wait until Mom or Dad comes to save me. I also get up on all fours trying to crawl, but havent actually taken a good "step" with it yet. I still usually just fall back down to my army crawl.

8 Months!

2007-01-10T15:52:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I know Chi is already 9 months but here are his 8 month pics....finally! We had a rough 8th month.....Chi got the flu and was pretty nasty sick for a week. Just laying around, puking, runny drawers....all the good stuff. So these pics didn't get taken until about halfway through the month, but hey, I do what I can!!

7 Months!

2006-11-08T17:52:00.000-08:00

Wow, where has the time gone?! Chi is just a joy to have around all day. I call him my little leech! But he's the best little leech I could ever ask for! Unfortunately, Chi is picking up habits of his parents already. When Derek and I try to get Chi to smile, we look at him with a big wide open mouth. Well.....now that is all Chi does! He doesn't really smile anymore....when he's really happy or excited he just drops his jaw and opens his mouth as WIDE as he can!! He's so cute, but we're trying to go back to real smiles so that he doesn't have this silly look 10 years from now in his yearbook pictures!! :)

ROOAARR!!!

2006-11-08T17:30:00.000-08:00

WARNING: THE PICTURES BELOW MAY BE TOO SCARY FOR YOUNG VIEWERS. VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

Halloween was lots of fun! Chi went trick or treating with his cousin, Landon, for a while. Then we went to a few more friends and family members after that. He was so cute and he did so well keeping the lion hat on!

Ole Miss' biggest, smallest fan!

2006-11-06T13:16:00.000-08:00

Last week, we went on a road trip to see MiMi and PePe! Oh, what fun it was! MiMi had wonderful toys for Chi to play with...he really liked the stacking cups! We got to see a lot of places that Derek went when he was in high school. We also go to go to an Ole Miss football game. We almost beat Auburn!! It was tons of fun and we can't wait to go back again!

Carvin' it up!

2006-11-06T13:12:00.000-08:00

The perfect pumpkin becomes the perfect self-portrait!

Gettin' a Punkin

2006-10-17T08:45:00.000-07:00

Derek and I just love fall and we have always gone to the pumpkin patch every year since we've been married to pick out our pumpkins. So, Malachi got to join us in our tradition this year! He was SO cute with all of the pumpkins! I think orange might be his color! (might match his red hair!) He finally picked one out after much deliberation.

Landon finally came out to play!!

2006-10-17T08:44:00.000-07:00

Landon Joshua is finally here! He was 10 lbs. 1 oz and 22 in. long!! He is absolutely adorable and Malachi is very excited to get to play with his new cousin! Here is their very first meeting!

6 Months!

2006-10-10T18:15:00.000-07:00

We are finally 6 months old!! A whole half of a year! Amazing, isn't it? Time has just flown by. Chi is doing so well! He is 16.5 pounds and 27 inches long! Just tall and skinny. So we have trouble finding pants that are long enough but that don't fall down around our ankles! No, he's not crawling just yet, but he's getting awfully close. He gets up on all fours but doesn't know what to do next. We keep hoping that he won't figure it out, because when he does.........(notice the post below). He is sleeping pretty well (about 8 hours then eating then back down for a few more hours). Here are his six month pics.

*Coming Soon: Pics of Malachi with his NEW cousin, Landon, Plus Halloween pictures (hint....he's going to be saying Neigh)*

Curious George

2006-10-10T10:59:00.000-07:00

Well, our little man is so very curious! He cannot eat, sleep, play or do anything else if there is something even remotely interesting going on around him. And by remotely interesting, I mean anything moving, breathing, or living. Here are some pics of him exploring his world.

If I could just see what's behind curtain number one...

Well, if you can't climb out of the playpen, it's always worth a shot of trying to LICK your way out of it!!

Happy Baby

2006-10-10T10:27:00.000-07:00

Here are pictures of our happy little man. He is still so good most of the time. It's hard to get him to cry. The only times he actually does cry are when he's tired or if I forget to feed him!

Sleeping

2006-10-09T18:53:00.000-07:00

Just a few cute pictures of our little darling sleeping....Babies are just so sweet...When They're Sleeping!!!

Progress

2006-09-11T17:12:00.000-07:00

We are making progress in the sitting up area. We still lean a little, but we can sit up for a while by ourselves!!

5 Months

2006-09-11T17:02:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how quickly the time has gone! Malachi is changing so much! He is already over 15 pounds! He is really reaching for things with purpose now. He smiles and just about everyone and everything! He has added a lot of food to his diet. Sweet potatoes and carrots are his favorites. Bananas and acorn squash aren't too bad. But he HATES summer squash. However, if you add oatmeal to it, he'll pretty much eat anything! Chi has been SO much fun the last 5 months. We can't remember a time that we have ever been as happy as a family as we are right now!

Can you guess what I'm doing???

2006-09-06T17:00:00.000-07:00

Blue Suede Shoes and Super Glue

2006-09-06T16:43:00.000-07:00

Malachi had his first real ER visit last week! His wonderful mother left an open rotary cutter blade laying on the floor in front of her. So when she went to pick Chi up while he was crying, of course he sliced his foot open on it! The doctors decided not to put stitches on it, but instead to use the equivalent of butterfly bandages. Well, those came off the next morning after Chi attempted to eat his whole foot. So we went back to the doctor on Monday. His response? Use super glue to keep it shut! So off to the hardware store we went, bought some super glue and glued his foot shut! Of course that didn't work either. Finally we just wrapped it up for 3 days and let it heal by itself. Now he's fine with just a small scar to show for it!

Chi only cried for a second when it happened...he was even laughing at the ER!!

Blue Suede Shoe

Happy Birthday Mommy!

2006-09-06T16:32:00.000-07:00

Mom just celebrated her 24th birthday!

Oh, No! Mom's birthday is TODAY?!?

Well then, let's decorate!!

"Happy Birthday to you..."

A Walk in the Park

2006-08-17T20:06:00.000-07:00

Chi and I went for a walk in the park today. These pics were just so cute that I had to post them!

4 Months!

2006-08-13T20:35:00.000-07:00

Okay, so Chi is almost 4 and a half months old but these pics are better late than never! (At least they were taken on time, just not posted). He is now weighing in at 14 lbs 3 oz. 26 inches long!! He was sleeping through the night for about a month and a half, but is now back to getting up at least once during the night! Must be growing... He's rolling over from both his back and his stomach. He has found his feet and rarely lets go of them, but hasn't discovered that he can eat them yet. Not talking yet, but we expect that soon!! :) It's amazing how much he is growing! I've included his one month pic just for comparison sake!

Don't get too excited...This is more of a prop job than a real standing feat!

4 Months!

1 Month!

Eating!!

2006-08-13T20:31:00.000-07:00

Malachi is now old enough to eat real (if you can call rice cereal "real") food! He loves it! He is even doing so well with it that we are planning on starting carrots or squash this coming week.

Mom, I'm not big enough for this high chair yet!

Toys

2006-08-13T20:21:00.000-07:00

Chi is finally old enough to enjoy different toys. He's always loved his bouncy seat, but now he's branched into his walker, too. He loves the new view of being on the floorbut still sitting up. Granny also gave him this really cool duck to play with. It is filled with water which is very intriguing for Chi.

"Great" People

2006-08-13T20:16:00.000-07:00

Chi's Great Aunt Cindy and Great Uncle Harold came to visit him last week. Aunt Cindy is one of Chi's biggest fans! He had a good time with them and even showed off his attempts at learning to "creep".

I'm just so sleepy, Uncle Harold!

Chi and Aunt Cindy

More family

2006-07-20T13:48:00.000-07:00

We went down to Bowling Green, KY last weekend to spend some time with Derek's family. It was lots of fun and everyone loved Chi, especially 3 specific cousins...

Gabe, Nate, and Jake

Um...Mom...I don't think anyone is listening to you...

Say Cheese!

2006-07-20T13:37:00.000-07:00

Chi is such a blessing to us! He is always smiling at something. He is really getting big and strong. He is weighing in around 15 lbs! And if you look very closely, you can see his very first tooth poking through!

Happy 3 Months!!

2006-07-09T19:26:00.000-07:00

Once again, we are posting our monthly pictures. Below are Chi's 3 months pictures with his Buddy Bear. The blue outfit is two months just for a little size comparison. As an update, Chi is doing lots of new things. He is laughing and smiling at almost anything and everything. He is holding his head very steady and also pushes himself up on his arms while laying on his stomach. He has found his hands and LOVES to chew on them. He also manages to grab a hold of his feet every once in a while. A HUGE NOTE: Chi is now sleeping through the night!! WOO HOO!!!!!! He started this about 2 weeks ago when we got the Miracle Blanket. Let me know if you want more info on this amazing invention. It is wonderful!! Enjoy the pics!

Fourth O' July

2006-07-09T19:25:00.000-07:00

Happy July 4th!! Malachi celebrated the fourth in style for the very first time. We went to a parade and then to some fireworks. He really seemed to like the fireworks...no crying at all! He just watched them with VERY big eyes the entire time. He didn't even fall asleep (unlike the parade). It was also fun at the fireworks because Mom and Dad got to show him off to lots of people!

Mom and Chi watching the fireworks

Yes, that is part of the parade in the background....Only the parade in Pittsboro, Indiana would feature Danny's Septic Service!!

Father's Day

2006-06-25T16:12:00.000-07:00

Chi and I wanted to put up a little tribute a wonderful father. Derek has proven to be one of the best fathers I have ever seen. He is so willing to help out whenever he is needed. But it's not just that. He loves Malachi so much and would give up anything just to spend time with him. Most of the time, I have to shoo Derek away from Chi just so that he can get some sleep. He just loves to play and cuddle with him. Derek has done many night feedings and has sacrificed so many things just to be sure that Chi and I are happy. I just know that he will only continue to improve as Chi grows older. I am so lucky to have a man like Derek to be the father of my children. My children are also very lucky to have a father who loves them more than anything else in this world. We love you, Derek (Daddy).

Everyone says that we would look just alike if only I had a goatee......

Can you tell who is who?

We also wanted to say a HUGE thank you to our two fathers who are both wonderful men. Jay and Jeff are two men that have proven to be amazing fathers. Both of you have made us who we are and who our children will be. Thank you, both, for being men we could look up to and follow in your footsteps.

Just Chillin'

2006-06-25T16:10:00.000-07:00

Fire Engines and Birthday Cake

2006-06-18T17:00:00.000-07:00

Chi got to go to his very first birthday party yesterday. His good friend, Gavin, turned 3 a few days ago. The party was lots of fun. We even got to go to the fire station and see the fire engine up close! Of course, Chi was so excited that he fell asleep, but we still got his picture with the big truck so that he would always remember the experience! Happy Birthday, Gavin!

Isn't this a cool fire truck, Daddy?

But, I don't want to be a fire chief!!

Me and the Birthday Boy

Chi's many faces...

2006-06-11T12:16:00.001-07:00

Malachi has started smiling a LOT! It is just the cutest thing!

This is my fish face.

Dad, why are you making me suck my thumb?

Big Boy Crib

2006-06-11T12:16:00.000-07:00

I am a Big Boy!!! Chi slept in his own crib in his own room starting last Monday! It was heartbreaking for Mommy and Daddy, but Chi didn't seem to mind. And no, this is not helping the sleeping through the night situation though. He still is getting up every 2 hours or so. But the past two nights he has gone for longer stretches, so hopefully we're starting something good!

Being in his crib, Malachi has discovered his mobile. Apparently, this mobile is the funniest thing to hit Brownsburg. Chi LOVES to just lay in his crib watching the bugs go around his head. He laughs and laughs. But, we have to take the mobile out of his bed at night, because he sees it in the middle of the night and just starts laughing (without it even being on!) and then he won't go back to sleep!

What are those silly things flying around me?

Maybe if I concentrate hard enough, they will talk to me...

Chi shows his frustration that the mobile got shut off.

Birth Announcements

2006-06-11T12:02:00.000-07:00

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I just got Malachi's announcements sent out yesterday! I'm a terrible mother! :) So he's two and a half months old now and everyone probably already knows about him, but Kim and I put so much effort into making them before Chi was born, I just had to send them out. We hope you like them! If you don't get one in the next week or so and you would like one just let me know. If we didn't send one to you, don't take it personal. We barely remember everyone in our family nowadays, let alone everyone else. :)

Gramma Yummy and Co.

2006-06-11T11:55:00.000-07:00

I got to meet my Gramma Yummy last weekend. Why the name Gramma Yummy, you ask? Well probably because she is always trying to get mom and dad to eat, eat, eat. She is Italian through and through. I liked her though! I also met Scooter and Elizabeth! We had a great time visiting with them. We love you so much!!!

Gramma Yummy thinks I'm cute! :)

Me and Elizabeth....Now where is that Scooter guy?

Oh! There he is!!

Finally swimming....

2006-06-11T11:49:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally talked mom and dad into letting me go swimming in my whale pool. It was lots of fun! Too bad the sun was so bright, I couldn't even open my eyes! The secret to a good swim is to fill MY pool with nice warm water and let mom and dad get into their pool full of ice cold water!

I am SO excited to go swimming!!!

2 Months Old!

2006-06-01T19:30:00.000-07:00

I am such a big boy! I am 2 months old today! A lot has happened in the last month. I have learned how to smile in response to something. Mommy and Daddy have really been doing some crazy things to get me to smile lately. Sometimes I don't smile just to see how far they will go! I also rolled over one time from my belly to my back. But it was really hard, so I haven't done that again since. I also slept 5 hours one night! However, the key word here is ONE night. I haven't done that since, either. We also did my 2 month photo shoot with my bear. See how much I have grown since my one month picture?

Sittin' up with Buddy Bear

One Month

Two Months

Daddy won't feed me

2006-06-01T19:23:00.000-07:00

Well, this is a sad post to write. But unfortunately the world needs to know how I am treated on a daily basis....I try crying. I try chewing on my hand. I even try screaming my fool head off. But nothing seems to get the point across to these people that I am hungy. So, I took matters into my own hands. I decided to see if there was anything to eat on Daddy's face. I latched on to whatever I could find that stuck out. When that didn't work, I would bounce along his face until I found something else to try. Much to my dismay, though, they just thought it was funny and I still didn't get any food! Somebody feed me!!!!

A Whale of A Time...

2006-06-01T19:18:00.000-07:00

Boy, it's sure getting hot up here in Indiana. So my Mamaw just bought me a whale pool!! We blew it up and it is so cool! It even sprays water out of the tope of his head! Too bad it was raining outside when she brought it over. But mom just couldn't wait. She had to see how I would look in it anyway. I can't wait until it is nice enough outside so I can actually swim in it!

More Family Coming to Town....

2006-06-01T19:08:00.001-07:00

Next, my Aunt Alicia and Uncle Tim came to visit. They brought my brand new cousin Lily and her older brother Samuel. Lily is even smaller than me!!! She was born on April 13th. I really liked playing with them. But Lily did knock my binki out of my mouth while she was flailing her fist around. So I got her back by sucking on her fist whenever it came close enough!

My Aunt Alicia, Uncle Tim, Samuel, and Lily

Me and my cousins....this is where that Lily girl attacked my binki!

Samuel loved to give me and Lily kisses!

Even MORE kisses!

All of that kissing has worn us out!

Family Coming to Town...

2006-06-01T19:08:00.000-07:00

About a week ago, my Mimi and Pepe came into town to meet me! We had lots of fun with them. I made lots of faces and they told me how cute I was! They also sent me a really cute car outfit. Mommy loved it! Thanks Mimi and Pepe!

I am so funny!

Me and my Mimi and Pepe!

3 Generations of Guyers! Now that is scary.....

What a good lookin' bunch of people!

Down on the Farm...

2006-05-23T16:48:00.000-07:00

Well, Chi put on one of his cowboy shirts and bibs today (Bib says "Daddy's Lil Cowboy) and we headed out to the farm. We got introduced to some goats and climbed a tree. We tried to get up close with the horses, but they weren't interested in us.

Chi decided to climb this tree when mom and Mamaw weren't looking...

Chi...meet Bert...

....and Ernie

Mother's Day

2006-05-14T17:55:00.000-07:00

What a great day for a new mommy! I absolutely LOVE being a mom. Yes, it is hard work, tiring, and even stressful at times. But I couldn't think of anything that I would rather do all day long, than take care of my "Little Bug". I absolutely adore him.

This is the inside of the card Chi made for me and actually signed all by himself!

He's just perfect!

Me and my Little Bug

Mommy Graduated!

2006-05-14T17:51:00.000-07:00

Today, I finally graduated with my Associate's Degree...Yes, I have been out of high school and attending college for 5 years now and yes, the associate's is supposed to be only a 2 year degree. Some of us are just slower than others :) At least we made it and I was thrilled to have my son there with me!

Chi already doesn't like it when his mom kisses him in public.

Thanks Shelley!!

2006-05-14T17:46:00.000-07:00

A little shout out to my best friend, Shelley. Her and her husband, Steve, have decided to give us her son, Kaeden's, clothes as he grows out of them. With Kaeden being 4 months older than Malachi this works out perfectly. It is the best feeling ever to open the front door and see boxes of clothes sitting on your porch. It is a wonderful blessing to not have to worry about getting him new clothes all the time. Thank you so much Shelley! Here's one of the hats that has been passed down to Chi from Kaeden.

Growing Up....

2006-05-14T17:38:00.000-07:00

We are now six weeks old!! Here's a little comparison from our first week to now. He sure has put on some weight!

One week old...5 lbs.

Six weeks old...9 almost 10 lbs! What a stinkin' chunk!

Some more Great Grandparent pics...

2006-05-02T19:31:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pics that wouldn't fit in the first group...

Four Generations...

Very Proud Grandparents

Happy One Month Birthday!!

2006-05-02T19:21:00.000-07:00

Malachi turned one month old yesterday! I can't believe that he is that old already!! We took him in for his one month checkup and the doctor was very surprised about how BIG he is! He is already 8 pounds!! That means that he gained almost 3 pounds in one month (after losing a few ounces in the beginning). He is really starting to chunk up. Even we can tell how much bigger he is getting. He's also grown almost 2 inches. Everything else looks good except for this nasty cold that he has. Hopefully he will get over that soon. His tiny raspy coughs are enough to just break your heart.

Well, for his one month picture my sister suggested taking his picture next to a large stuffed animal and then doing that every month to see how much he is growing. I thought that was a great idea! So we got him a big bear and plan to take his pic with it every month and then once a year after he turns 1. Hope you enjoy his pics!

Going to Great Grandma and Grandpa's

2006-05-02T18:55:00.000-07:00

We took Malachi over to Illinois this weekend so that he could meet his Great Grandma and Grandpa. His Great Aunt Kay also drove down to meet him. Oh, and he also was held by his Great Great Aunt Hazel. It was a pretty "great" weekend. Chi did great on the 3 hour drive over there and the same on the way back. Other than this cold that he can't seem to shake, he seemed to have a pretty good time.

Chi and his very proud Great Grandma

Great Grandpa Hopkins admiring Chi

For those of you who know Great Grandpa Hopkins, you know how much he likes laying on the floor. So, it shouldn't surprise you that we would leave the room with him sitting on the couch holding Chi and then we would return to the room seconds later only to find them both laying on the floor! :)

Leaving comments...

2006-04-26T19:55:00.000-07:00

Quite a few people have asked me about how to leave comments on Chi's blog. Well, thanks to a quick copy and paste from Shelley's blog, here are the instructions if you do not have a Blogger account. First, go to the word "comment" that is at the bottom right of each blog and click on it. Then there is a text box under "Leave your comment" and you may type in whatever you wish. Please be sure to sign your name. Then you may post your comment under "anonymous" and it will let you publish your comment without having a Blogger account. If you have any more problems, please let me know. We really would love for you all to comment just so we know that people are still looking!!

My bath experience with Aunt Kimberly

2006-04-26T19:43:00.000-07:00

The title alone should tell you that this might not be a good experience. Aunt Kim came over last night to visit with Chi. While here, she said that she would give Chi a bath. Great, I thought, this will give me a break from everything. So, I got the tub full of warm water. Kim Got Chi undressed and gently placed him in his tub. He just relaxed in the warmth.....Relaxed so much that he began to pee all over the counter and floor....haha you might think. That is not even the half of it. We decided to proceed with the bath only to hear Aunt Kim scream a few seconds later....When we asked what was wrong she could only point to the small puddlish mess of yellow goop coming out of my son's behind. Yes, he not only peed in his bath water but also pooped. We didn't get a picture of the poop, but here is a pic of Aunt Kim and Chi after changing the water and finally completing Chi's bath.

Family Pictures....and gas

2006-04-26T19:31:00.000-07:00

They say it's just gas that makes newborns smile. But moments like this sure do make us melt when we catch them. It's a small glimpse into what we will enjoy soon when he is smiling because he is passing gas not just feeling it.

This is my first real time wearing pants! I'm such a big boy!!

Compared to his rather large parents....Chi looks teeny-tiny.

My new cuz, Kaeden

2006-04-26T19:20:00.000-07:00

My roommate from college, Shelley came in this weekend to help us out. She brought her 4 and half month old son, Kaeden, with her. It was a pretty fun and interesting weekend. We got lots of great food made for us, because Shelley is a Wonderful cook! We also got to see lots of smiles from Kaeden...he is a VERY smiley little boy. It was amazing to see how big Kaeden was in comparison to Chi. It also made me sad that my little boy is going to be that big soon too!! Well, here are some of the pictures we took from this weekend. Thanks for all of your help, Shelley. We had a great time!

Come on, Chi. When you do tummy time, you are supposed to look up like this.

Um, Mom, I don't think he is getting it....

Here we are at the park with our matching outfits. Do you know how hard it is to get everyone looking and smiling at the camera at the same time???

Easter

2006-04-18T17:42:00.000-07:00

Well, we had lots of fun with Chi this Easter. We took full advantage of his helpless state and took many pictures that we know will never happen again once he gets to where he can voice his opinion about such matters! But I'm sure that when he sees these pictures on a poster board at his high school graduation he will thank me for taking advantage of this opportunity.

So, when he asks about the facts of life, we now have pictures to prove to him that he was hatched from an egg....

This is when the photo shoot got to be a little tiring.

This is Chi in his fire truck Easter basket that Grandma got for him. It was also a tiring photo shoot.

I'm a Monster!

2006-04-10T16:52:00.000-07:00

We took Chi to the doctor today to get his weight checked because he had lost 6 oz by Wednesday of last week. So the doctor wanted to be sure that he was gaining enough weight. The doctor also warned us that he probably wouldn't be back up close to his birth weight of 5 lbs. 11 oz until at least 2 weeks old. Well, today...at 9 days old...Chi is a whopping 5 lbs 12.5 oz!! 1.5 oz OVER his birth weight. Needless to say, the doctor was quite shocked, but pleased. I'm not so sure about it though. I can just see us with a mammoth on our hands.

Fun at the Park

2006-04-10T16:32:00.000-07:00

Well, we went to the park for a good time this evening with Aunt Diana. Malachi was so excited about it all day long that he just couldn't sleep. So, needless to say, once we pulled into the parking lot, the excitement just got the better of us and we fell fast asleep! We tried to get Chi to play on the toys, anyway. But we still got nothing....Maybe next week we'll be more interested. And by the way, yes....I did forget his hat....I'm a terrible mother.

We couldn't decided if this was a dragon, lizard, alligator or what, but Chi seemed to like it........Sort of.

And here is Chi driving his first four wheeler. Funny....Most kids are more excited about it.

Me and my good friend, Daddy.

Daddy and Me

2006-04-10T16:26:00.000-07:00

My daddy just can't help but admire me....

I love to lay on Daddy. Amazingly enough, I am not falling. It's just the way to get comfortable! It's more like hanging...

Photo Shoot

2006-04-10T16:23:00.000-07:00

Decided to have a photo shoot today in my boppy pillow. It's not too often when I am this wide awake!

This is my serious face. Please don't make me laugh because I am a tough guy.

And here I am picking my nose. I hate that thing that mom sticks up my nose to suck the junk out, so I am taking matters into my own hands...literally.

Just a cute pic...

2006-04-07T16:02:00.000-07:00

Here's our little peanut sleeping in his pack n play. Isn't he tiny??

A Day of Firsts...

2006-04-07T15:44:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, we went for our very first walk. We walked to the park and then around once. Chi was actually pretty alert and awake, looking around at everything. I kept waiting for him to point to the dogs and trees...we may have to wait a while for that though. He seemed to really enjoy it until we started home....

BEFORE the walk...

AFTER the walk...

Then, on Thursday we did our first bath at home. Daddy and Mommy thought it was pretty fun and exciting, but Chi had different thoughts on the whole process. He's not a big fan of being naked...

Max and Emma

2006-04-07T15:25:00.000-07:00

Max and Emma (our dogs) got to meet their new little brother for the first time! We were very skeptical on how this little meeting would go. But it went great! They are both VERY curious as to what this little creature is and why he keeps making all of this noise. Emma will not leave my side for anything....she even follows me into our closet. Max, on the other hand, follows Chi every where he goes. They already seem to like him and they try to lick his face at any chance they get. The only problem so far was when I was changing Chi on the floor and Derek called the dogs. Of course, the shortest way to get to Derek was to jump OVER Chi. It gave mommy a small heart attack, but I think I might be recovering slowly.

Going home...

2006-04-07T15:18:00.000-07:00

Yes, we did make it home! It was a pretty emotional time for all of us. I couldn't decide whether or not I really wanted to go home. I mean, who wants to leave a place where they have RN's on call for round the clock babysitting, a great "nourishment" room stocked with all the pudding and ice cream you could ever want, and of course LOTS of people who actually know what they are doing with these tiny little babies! It was nice though...most people say that it's too bad that babies don't come with manuals. But mine did!! It's great with little tabs for the different sections and everything! :)

All snuggled up in my star suit that Grandma made me to keep warm.

Failing my tests......

2006-04-03T16:03:00.000-07:00

Well, so far Malachi has managed to fail 2 tests already!! He just isn't the student that his wonderful mother is! He failed his first hearing test (which is actually quite common when they are this small) but then passed the second hearing test this morning, so that should be fine. The second test he failed is his jaundice test. He is actually turing a pretty shade of yellow-orange, much like a pumpkin! The docs don't seem too concerned though, as he is just too small to get enough food in himself to clear all that yellow out. They will probably send us home with the blanket with the blue light in it to help him get better. Other than those two things, all is great! We finally learned how to breastfeed a little better and now we are much more content. We are planning on going home around 5 this afternoon after his last screening. Look for a post later on how Chi's first intro to Max and Emma goes!!!

I love to sleep with my Daddy! He's just like a big teddy bear!

Isn't this a funny little hat? Again, sleeping with Daddy....Does Daddy do anything besides sleep???

My very first attempt at real clothes! I'm not too sure about them, though. I think I would just prefer my gown and t-shirt. Thanks Grandma for going to buy me some premie clothes! I was swimming in all of the clothes that mom brought for me!

Malachi Aiden is here!!

2006-04-02T18:15:00.000-07:00

He is absoultely perfect! He came into the world on none other than April Fool's Day- a very appropriate date if you know Derek and I at all! He is a tiny little thing at 5 lbs 11 oz and 20 inches long. He is doing just fine despite being so small. The doctors say he will be alright as long as we can get him to gain some weight. And with the way he has been eating lately, I don't think that will be a problem at all! We are hoping to get to go home tomorrow afternoon after all of his final tests, although I think Derek and I are both nervous about not having a nurse button to push. We know that God will look over us though. We are so excited that God has decided to let us borrow one of his angels for a while and that He has entrusted us to help him grow up.

Please come back often. I plan on posting new posts and pictures as Malachi grows up and gets even cuter! Also, please feel free to leave comments! (You will have to create a username to do this)

Trying to wake up enough to eat! We had to play freeze out just to get him to wake up--hence no clothes!!

Me and my very proud Daddy

Trying to get warm