3 months old

Tomorrow Chloe is officially 3 mos old. I still can't believe time has flown by as quickly as it has. Chloe holds her head up really good now. It continues to be a hot summer here but I like all the seasons (although the heat can get to be too much at times). Next summer will be really fun when she can swim and really enjoy being outdoors. Gma and Gpa Traxler are coming for a visit this weekend. It will be fun to see them. For now I have a couple of more cute photos to share of Chloe below.

Sizzlin Summer

It is hot here in Sacramento. Today is the 7th straight day of over 100 degrees (I think it is 106 or something crazy out there) and Chloe and I are keeping cool by staying indoors. Our computer was down for awhile so I have not been able to post recently, but now we are up and running again and so I am doing some updating. Chloe will be 3 months old at the end of this month. She talks a lot and is scooting around pretty good on her back. I am just waiting until she rolls over, which I think she might do anytime now.

These 2 photos are a great capture of Chloe smiling, which we can get her to do on cue now!!:)





Below are a couple of photos of Nate and I in front of our house on our 5th wedding anniversary on July 8th (wow how time has passed). We went out to the movies, saw Star Wars III, and out to Black Angus for an early dinner while Gma Julie watched Chloe for us. It was our first time away (although we did sneak out for about 45min when she was 5 weeks old while Gpa Dan watched her to go get In & Out burgers for lunch when we were visiting the fam down in Huntington Beach). So, needless to say it was a big deal for us to get out for a few hours and to leave Chloe.







Below are just some fun photos I thought I would share with you.

Jack

Jack is our 9 year old cat. We have had him for 4 years. He is an orange tabby british shorthair. He is a good cat. We weren't sure how he would react to Chloe and so far he has been wonderful. Below you see Chloe with wrist rattles on looking to find where Jack is. She loves him and becomes aware of him more and more each day. She smiles and almost giggles when she sees him. Oh, and the legs belong to me...

2 months

Yesterday Chloe turned 2 months old. I still can't believe it. I remember not to long ago I was pregnant with her. Now, my angel, she consistantly sleeps through the entire night (about 9 hours and has been sleeping through the nite fairly consistantly since about 6 weeks). Yesterday was Chloes 2 month doctor appointment, the "big one" or the "milestone" as her doctor stated, where kids get their first set of shots. Well, all in all it went really well. I wasn't sure what to expect, but the shots were given quickly and it was almost over before it began. She cried some, bled a little, but did great. She didn't miss a beat, still ate good the rest of the day, never showed signs of any negative side affects, slept through the night great (I had to wake her this am...) The only evidence left that proves she got immunized is written down verification on her immunization card saying she got shots. Well, needless to say we all survived, although I know this was much harder on me, the mom, than her (it always is). I am very greatful to Gma Britting for coming with me to give me moral support. Thanks Mom!!:) Chloe is now 11 lbs, 10.2 oz and 23 1/4" long. The doc says she is progressing wonderfully and is very healthy.

Today is my birthday, I am 28, and this is the best birthday I have ever had. Nathan and Chloe are my best presents and I spent today with one of my two best presents ever...that would be Chloe!!:) Above is a photo I took of her today.

It seems like when they are this small everything they do is a "first" and every day is filled with them. Today she held a toy for the "first" time. We were having so much fun!!

In the photo above Chloe is sticking her tongue out. She does this quite often and it is so cute!!

Cute Photos

I just could'nt help it and had to take some more photos of Chloe. Now that Nate has shown me how to blog, I will be putting up more photos (probably a lot of photos but I am a very proud mama and just cant help myself!~:) )

In this photo Chloe is spending tummy time with daddy while he is on the computer.



Just another adorable photo below...



And here is another smile...her face just lights up and my heart melts!

First trip to HB

These pictures were taken about 3 weeks ago. When Chloe was just 5 weeks old we took her down to Huntington Beach, CA to visit Gma and Gpa Traxler and the extended Traxler Family. This was a fun trip and we had a great time introducing Chloe to the fam. Below is a picture of me holding Chloe at Gma and Gpa's house. Look at those beautiful baby blues!!:)



And now it is bedtime and Gpa wanted to read her a bedtime story. And I am there talking to her as well.

Boyz and their Toyz

Nate and I have recently purchased our newest toy...an ATV and boy is it a lot of fun!! Just yesterday Nate and my dad went up to the Tahoe National Forest and did some exploring as well as some fishing. I must say I was a little leary about buying it at first due to the expense, but it is so much fun and will add so much to our future camping experiences that we are so happy we made this purchase. God is faithful!! We hope to buy one for me in the future, and of course Nate has already been pricing ones for kids. Can you believe they can drive their own at 6 years old? He cant wait to share this with Chloe on her own ATV. Below is a picture of my dad next to his blue ATV and our ATV is the green one. This place is gorgeous! It is called Canyon Creek which is below Bowman lake.



Below are pictures of Nate and my dad after fishing. This one is my dad showing off his catch, a catfish at a lake called Catfish Lake. Real original name but at least it is easy to remember!!:)



And this is Nate proudly displaying his "catch" as well. Isnt he cute?!! Nate I mean...he, he, he:).

1st Dad's Day

Well we spent a great first father's day at Lake Natomas with Kristi's family. It's nice having Sunday's off too spend with family. I have two more off before my parental leave runs out. I'm so thankful for the time I've had though. In this day in age, few jobs allow Dads to take so much time off.

Here is a picture of Chloe with her cousin Hope. Hope is three, and can't wait for little Chloe to come over and play barbies. We can't wait either.



Here are all three Dad's. Kristi's Dad, Tom; my bro-in-law, Gordon; and myself.

Smile

Here's a smile picture! I tried and tried to get a good one on camera, but you all know how kids are!

Storytime

More fun storytime. Daddy's been working so much he feel's like he's in the song, "Cats in the Cradle" But in the grand scheme of things I love the time off I get to spend with her and her mom. Everyday is a first.





Isn't she getting big! It's amazing how fast she's growing. She's about 11 lbs now!! Whew!

We have had to start putting her in some 3-6 month clothes. The newborn clothes are starting to get packed away.

Grandpa's Birthday

On Grandpa Tom's birthday Great-grandma Marge got to hold our little bear cub for the first time.

New Friend

Chloe got a new friend the other day. Her name is Mekenzie, Michael and Melanie Moore's new daughter. She was born on June 11, 2005 @ 10:50pm. 8lbs 20 1/2".



They are having quite a time with her. But they have THIS to look forward to.



Isn't she cute!?

Bed time

Kristi and I read to Chloe last night before bed. She was just entranced by the sound of my voice. It was really neat.



We read the first chapter of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." by C.S. Lewis.

Play time

Chloe is really starting to perk up.

We have been having a bit of a saga regarding breast feeding since we left the hospital. The first two weeks of life at home were good, but a little stressful. Kristi and I were committed to breast feeding Chloe. Well she didn't gain any weight through her third week and the doctor advised us to do some experimenting.

To make a long story short, breast feeding unfortunately didn't work out as we planned and we were disappointed, but we made a smooth switch to formula and are now formula feeding full time and Chloe is gaining weight and doing good and that is what matters. (9lbs 4oz. this morning)

She is having fun around the house:



And we're having fun playing with our living doll:

New Perspective

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted, but since I've been back to work, it's been a little more hectic than before.

Today Kristi was holding Chloe while she was getting some "tummy time":



While she was sleeping peacefully, lo and behold, BBBUUUUURRRRRRAPPPPP!

A HUGE BURP CAME OUT OF HER! Kristi and I couldn't stop laughing! It was long enough that I think I saw her tiny lips flapping in the breeze!

It's those moments that let us know that any boring days Kristi and I had are now long gone. ;-)

Two Sides

Babies are really a miracle. You get to see how a little life develops, and it does so right before your very eyes.

Chloe is really a very good baby. She feeds well and sleeps well. Even at 12 days old she has responded to consistant feeding. We feel blessed to have such a good little girl.



Of course, as we have discovered, when nighttime comes, it can be hard on little babies who are overtired and can't quite get to sleep.



But Mom and Dad love our little daughter very much, and we loved showing her off to the family on Mother's Day. I hope you all had as much fun as we did. We missed those of you we couldn't be around.

2+ Miles

Yesterday we went on our first walk with Chloe. We used her stroller for the first time too. It worked really well. We went quite a ways and tested Kristi and Chloe both. First things aren't worth doing unless you go overboard. Right?!?

Time to go home!

The doctor discharged Kristi from the hospital on Sunday, May 1st. She was able to stay as a courtesy because Chloe was still admitted.

Then, at 6:05pm on Monday, May 2nd, Chloe was released from the hospital to go home.



We were so exited to actually be starting our new life as a family. She slept peacefully the whole way home. I have to say I drove very carefully with her in the car. I wasn't about to get in a wreck on her first car ride.


When we got home Tom and Kris had been waiting with our dinner for 1 1/2 hours. They were so exited to see and hold little Chloe.

The Bili Lights

Many babies get something called Jaundice. It occurs when the baby's liver is too immature to metabolize dead blood cells which occur naturally. It turns out that Chloe's red blood cell count was very high, which made the problem more acute.

The result was this:



She had to stay under these lights, in this position in the Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for three days. The only time we could remove her was for 30 minute feedings every 3 hours.

This was very tough for me and Kristi. Not only could I not stay the night with Kristi, but neither could her baby. All three of us were separated.

While in the NICU, the nurses and doctors found other things wrong with Chloe. They said she had Stridor, a breathing abnormality caused by a narrowing of the voice box. She could breathe normally at rest, but started to have difficulty when she cried.

It was very stressful thinking about your sick baby day and night. It added tremendously to the stress that Kristi and I would face when everyone eventually was discharged from the hospital.

Day One

Chloe and Kristi stayed in the hospital the first night. I couldn't stay, but could come during the very long, loosely enforced visiting hours. The first day Kristi got no sleep and I barely got any. Since we were up for more than twenty four hours, and I couldn't stay, I went home and got a little rest.

When I arrived back at the hospital, the first day of our new lives had already began. Chloe was sleeping peacefully in her crib next to Kristi's bed. I got to hold her for the first time, and help Kristi feed her. What a rush that day was. Grandma Julie, Grandpa Dan and Aunt Amy were the first visitors. They just ate little Chloe up and got to hold her and see her.



Then Grandpa and Grandma Britting showed up to visit. Cousin Hope, Aunt Dianne and Uncle Gordon came as well to see little Chloe. They all said what people say to new parents: "She's so cute!" and "What a beautiful little baby!" The only difference was, she really is cute and beautiful. :-)

I left the hospital to let Kristi and Chloe sleep at around 10pm. I could hardly pry myself away, but rules are rules.