Monday, March 31, 2008

Our first walk!

So I'm still behind in chronology... even though we took our first walk almost a week ago, I'm only now getting to it. BUT, nevertheless, here we are.

Before going outside, Brayden took a moment to gives Layna some sweet kisses.


We loaded Layna into her seat to go into the stroller (which she did NOT care for!). Sidenote: We suited her in a little Pooh hat because (1) it's super cute on its own and (2) she kinda snorts when she's angry... so I've taken to calling her Piglet!


Once we were ready, we took off!


On our walk we saw some of the first spring blooms on the trees. Since Layna was born just hours before the first day of spring, I thought that celebrating spring is perfectly right. Nicole's doctor has a calendar in his office with an appropriate quote: "The earth laughs in flowers" -- Emerson (perhaps the earth is giggling a little bit for Layna!)

Sunday, March 30, 2008

Visiting Hours

Layna's had quite a few visitors in her first 10 days of life! Here are just a few (the ones with picture proof!):




Even family friends have made the journey to visit, including one of Mia's closest friends from childhood, Janice.


Today was the first day that Nicole and I have been by ourselves with the kids from sun up to sun down... and we made it! :) BUT, it calls for a BIG Thank You to Mia (Nicole's Mom) for sticking with us from Layna's birthday through Saturday. It was wonderful to have her here, not only to help, but to spend some great quality time with two of her grandbabies.

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Some (more) Easter fun!

Our Easter (for a number of reasons) continued throughout the week. Since I only gave a cursory coverage of the feast day, I thought it was high time I showed you what else we did.

The holiday began with Brayden receiving his basket... that you already know. We also made Easter sugar cookies! Nic and Brayden got all-kinds-a-messy in flour and cookie dough to make some gorgeous goods.



It began with great control... but as time wore on...


...it devolved into flour-mania! (Who let this kid have a bowl of flour?!)


Finally, the cookies were done!


All the while, Layna just watched in shock at the cookie carnage. BUT, she was dressed-to-cute in her new Easter outfit!! (Thanks Gigi and Gido!)


After cutting cookies (and a nap!), we headed outside for Brayden's first Easter Egg Hunt! He ran all around and found all 6 eggs. Wait until you see what's inside!

Friday, March 28, 2008

Layna comes home

When Layna came home, Brayden (and Zoey!) was so excited to see her. He ran up onto the sofa to greet her...


...then began to identify her facial features...



...and then began to show off. He did his now-famous head stands for her.



Once Layna got home, she began doing what she does best: sleep! Here are a couple sleeping pictures from around the house.


Thursday, March 27, 2008

Leaving the hospital

We've finally reached the end of the hospital pictures. Before we left, I snagged one final picture of Nicole and Layna in "hospital" attire.


Luckily, Poppy came to the hospital to help us pack up and (of course) record the exit. Just before discharge... which took forever... Poppy caught the proud parents with their new princess:


We dressed Layna in her purple leaving-the-hospital outfit (one of 4 planned for the hospital...) and put her in her car seat. (She may look content here, but trust me, she did NOT want to go in!)


Then, in a rare (and stunning!) display of strategic movement, we walked down the hall...


...and got into the car.


We were finally on our way home!

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Brayden at the hospital

This video is so great -- you can really see Brayden's personality and how he's taken to Layna. He's very sweet with her, always wanting to give her hugs and kisses when he sees her in the house. This was just the beginning...



Here's another from the same afternoon. Brayden, not terribly interested in Layna's lack of movement, began to explore the hospital room... and he discovered the cabinets. This is only part of the video (but it's still long) -- however, he's too funny not to watch it. This is Brayden: all day, every day. :)

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

The BIG Brother!

The day after Layna was born, she met her BIG brother, Brayden! Brayden was very sweet, meeting me in the lobby with a big, long hug, then running upstairs to Nicole with another big, long hug:


We had Layna in the nursery when Brayden arrived, so he was able to get some good love and attention before Layna appeared. He ran all around the room and finally settled at the table to color. Then... welcome Layna! She came in and he was very interested in her, climbing up on the chair to pear into her bassinet.


He was so very enthusiastic that I had to jump in to teach a little lesson...


Before Brayden left, we took a quick picture to remember the day. He looked so much bigger next to her!


I have a couple great videos of this day that I haven't edited -- but I'll get to that soon and get them up (they're hilarious!!).

Monday, March 24, 2008

The Roenicks meet Layna

Lots of people visited Layna in the hospital, but two stayed around to hang out with Brayden, too! Here are pictures of Mia and Poppy with Layna:



Stay tuned for a "Brayden meets Layna" post tomorrow! :)

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Easter Morning!

Happy Easter to you all!

We woke up this morning to see Brayden find his very first Easter basket! (well, the first as a walking person) Here's a quick video of his discovery:



What you didn't see in the video is that he DID get some cake... his first Little Debbie (ah, memories!). This is the most sugar he's ever had, and you could see the sugar rush in motion...


Of course, Layna wasn't left out of the morning's festivities. She received her very own "bunny," too!


We've been doing very well the last two days at home. Layna's been resting up and Brayden's been so excited to see her every time she's walked into the room. He cheers "Baby! Aww!" and pats her on the head. Hopefully that love will stick (at least for awhile!).

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Waiting on Layna

While we were at the hospital, some of our fabulous friends rushed to our aid and watched Brayden until Mia and Poppy were able to fly up from Florida. A huge THANK YOU to Robin, Beth, Casey, Chris, and Annie -- you're all fantastic!

So luckily, even though we weren't with Brayden on Layna's birthday, Chris and Casey filmed and produced a video at the apartment, titled "Waiting on Layna." This is super cute and we love having it -- we're sure Brayden will love to see it when he's older, too!

Friday, March 21, 2008

First Scene

I lieu of the long day we've all had, all I'll do tonight is post the birth video (NO, not of the birth, right after it!). Layna is about 45 minutes old in this video, taken about the same time as the previous picture. This can be a little taste of her budding personality... a bit more reserved than her brother. (As usual, please pardon my random chatter... and my ringing cell phone!)



As an aside -- I received a congratulatory email from my good friend Lukas, a student here at the seminary from Namibia, who wrote:

"Children are blessings from God. In my culture we say, 'Okaana omongwa' which means 'a child is a salt.' Having children in your marriage is like putting salt on your food, to make it test better!"

-- I love that!

Homeward Bound

We're just about to leave the hospital, and all is well! The pediatrician just confirmed that she is healthy and won't need to be seen until Monday. Nicole's also doing very well and (according to her) seems to be recovering faster this time around.

I have plenty of pctures (and video!) to share once I get home to a computer that works, so check back soon! Thanks, again, for all your support. We've loved reading all the blog and email messages!

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Introducing Ms. Layna Nicole!

She's here!

What a wonderful blessing it is to announce the birth of our daughter, Layna Nicole! She was born last night, March 19th, at 7:47pm. She weighed 7 pounds, 15 ounces and was 20 inches long. She's a bright and healthy little girl! Nicole's labor went smoothly and with a much quicker delivery. She and Layna are doing very well today (after many exams) -- they're both fantastic! Check back regularly for updates!

Here she is, just about 45 minutes after birth:


...and getting cleaned-up right after birth (what drama!):


Here she is with Nicole within a half-hour of the birth -- doesn't she look great?!



We appreciate all your prayers and support over the months and want you all to share in our joy. We love you all and hope to see you very soon!

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

We're OFF!

Nicole's been feeling regular contractions since about 1AM and they've continued to progress -- but not quite close enough to rush to the hospital. Luckily, she already had a check-up scheduled for this morning, so we're off to see her doctor. Perhaps today will be the day!

Check back for updates!

(And in the meantime, feel free to send well-wishes to Nicole via email or comments below -- I know she'd love 'em!)

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

The ticker ticks

It's lunchtime on Tuesday and we're still cruising along without the presence of our second child. BUT, much to Nicole's chagrin, the ticker is continuing to tick -- counting the days beyond the due date. Nicole has an appointment tomorrow where the doctors will take an in-depth look at Layna's situation (making sure she's not in any distress, etc.) and barring a problem requiring emergency attention, they will schedule an induction for sometime in the next week. So even though she's gone beyond the due date and is just tired (in general), there is a light at the end of the tunnel!

Monday, March 17, 2008

Zoey: On the lookout

Happy St. Patrick's Day! (aka Layna's due date!) It's about dinner time, and still nothing -- not even a tremor. Tomorrow begins the count up...

Zoey's keeping watch for Layna and is decked out in her St. Patrick's Day green -- a supportive "I'm the BIG sister" scarf! She's amassing quite the collection of scarves (like this post from April 2006 in preparation for Brayden's birth). What can we say -- our dog likes accessories.


...and for good measure, here she is playing in the yard (and by yard, I mean a pile of dirt and mulch). Really, these pictures are just to make Aunt Elyse happy since she can't play with Zoey very often. I know you love it, Elyse!

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Coloring like a Big Boy

As I wrote a couple days ago, Brayden LOVES to color. The new development, however, is a desire to color on his own. Typically we have to sit with him and write the words he wants to spell, but the past few days have given us a great gift -- self-play! Here he is, multitasking (coloring while standing on a chair to peer around the corner at the cartoon on TV... yeah, yeah):


And of course (since we are very good parents) he's never allowed to get on top of the table to color...


In other news, Layna is still in utero. At this point, she's likely to be late, given that she's due tomorrow. I joked with Nicole about what to do with the ticker at the top of the page. I didn't know if it would simply start counting up from zero, or if it was say something like "Layna's DUE today!" If it can't tick up, then I'm going to have to do something else to count the days (as if Nicole needs a reminder about how long she's PAST due!). Layna may end up being more than 22 months younger than Brayden! Yikes, man. We'll let you know when we do!

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Some stories

(No baby yet... dah, dah, dah)

There are so many little things about Brayden that I always think I should share with you and never get around to it. I especially don't want to forget these things over time and figure that setting them down in the public sphere is one way to remember. AND, since I'm impatiently waiting Layna's arrival, I think it's time to share.

He has been feverish the last two days without any other symptoms (except a very mild runny nose). He does this whenever he teethes, so we think that's what's been going on. Yet, I just read a post on another blog that referenced their son having run fevers before each new developmental phase. She thought that her son did just what Brayden did (a fever for 24-48 hours with additional grumpiness) and then he'd just snap out of it with a doubled vocabulary, or something like that. Brayden hasn't doubled his vocabulary (that I can tell) but he has snapped out of it. Now I'm on the lookout for some big developmental milestone!

He loves his Playhouse Disney (which he watches everyday... yeah, yeah... bad parents, blah blah blah). When he wakes up from his midday nap, he walks out to the family room, grabs the TV remote, and hands it to us with a sweet, "Please." For the past few weeks, we've asked, "Would you like to watch Manny, Mickey, or Pooh?" (referencing his three favorite shows). About a week ago, he began to have the conversation all on his own. He'll find the remote, hand it to us while saying, in his own dialect, "Manny, Key-key, oh Pooh," pause to think, then says, "Whichever-of-the-three, Okay!" He always ends the conversation with a very enthusiastic "Okay!" We don't even need to be there... it's too much. The funniest thing is that he's truly thinking about it. He'll say any of the three depending on his mood. What a character.

He's really into hugging and finds many things very precious. Whenever he see something he thinks is precious, he'll say its name and follow it with "Awww" and a hug (if possible... maybe kisses, too). For example, every time we give him a stick of string-cheese (a favorite!) he'll say, "Cheese! Awww!" and then give it a hug. He gives the string-cheese a hug... seriously. Another example: Whenever we walk into our favorite Target (and we're there a lot), we walk past the photo counter (when you're imagining this, picture Brayden in his fabulous double-tassel knit hat that makes him look like a cross between an Eskimo and a court jester) -- one of the pictures on the photo counter is of a little baby. On cue, Brayden will say, "Baby! Awww!" Inevitably, someone is standing at the counter and always comments on how cute it is. Of course.

Brayden's still loving to spell his words (over and over and over again) whenever he's coloring. In fact, whenever he asked to color, he really only wants to spell his words. He'll climb up to the kitchen table and say, "Paper! Color!" When we give him the crayons, he scribbles for all of about 3 seconds before handing a crayon to us with a "please," which means that he wants us to write the words he spells. Here's the funny part: Even since he began spelling words, we've asked, "What does that spell?" so that he can begin associating the letters as words to help him begin to read. Now, after we've written the words he's spelled, he (again) has the whole conversation on his own. We'll write the words and after he says the final letter, will say, "What does that spell? Brayden!" If he could cook his own food, he wouldn't even need us!

I'm out of stories for now. Perhaps I can muse about other cuteness later. Keep willing Layna out! Hopefully, God willing, Brayden will love her as much as he loves his cheese.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Where's Layna?

While Nicole and I are sitting on our hands, waiting for our little Layna to come on out, Brayden has opted for another kind of "waiting position" --


He's been loving this position recently. He seems to have discovered standing on his head... and it's VERY funny! Even Zoey's waiting patiently:


Nicole had a check-up this afternoon and everything looks good... just no labor! The doctor is hopeful that, based on her current progress, Layna will come in the next few days and not be well beyond her due date. BUT, she seems to be in no rush. We'll keep you all in the loop!

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Falling asleep, in real time

Nicole says that I find this a bit TOO funny, but I've never seen a kid do this. (For all I know, every kid does this!) Anyway, in case you need a laugh, watch Brayden fall asleep in his chair while eating lunch... I still crack up!

Monday, March 10, 2008

A quickie

- just because it was cute...

After dinner, Brayden and I decided to have a dance party, so I turned on my iTunes playlist. He was loving it, as usual. I kept it rolling as we finished dancing and moved on to coloring. In the background, "Hey There Delilah" came on (if you don't recognize the title, I'm sure you're recognize the song because it was played incessantly in 2007). Take a moment and think of the chorus... got it? Brayden began to sing along! The actual lyrics are, "Oh, it's what you do to me, [repeat]." Brayden's lyrics sounded more like, "Oh e-nah-wuh-nah-wuh me, oh e-nah-wuh-nah-wuh me." But it was so great nonetheless! (He even got the pitches!) He kept singing it proudly... all the way to the bath.

Okay, cute story over. :)

Sunday, March 09, 2008

The boys

While the boys are waiting on the girls, we're having fun. Brayden typically spends a lot of time each day playing with puzzles and blocks. Most of the time he plays on his own, but he also humors his parents and lets us play, too.

Yesterday he was playing with his Legos...


...and I just HAD to interrupt! I ran up behind him, ready to get a picture, but this is what I got...


...on his way to pounce on me. He loves to pounce and pin me to the ground, then jump up and down on me (that would make a great Dr. Seuss book!).

BUT, I was able to take this picture of the two of us after a good romp:


And still we wait. I tried to convince Layna that March 9th would be a great birthday, but she didn't buy it. Perhaps I can sell her on a March 10th birthday. Sounds good, huh Nic? :)

Friday, March 07, 2008

Spelling-B

(No baby yet... fyi)

Brayden's been doing VERY well with his reading and spelling. A couple weeks ago, he began to spell more than his name (note this post), but in the last week, he has perfected the spelling of his own name, Mama, Dad, and Zoey. We simply have to say, "How do you spell ____?" It's fantastic! He's almost able to spell "Layna" as well. What a smartie! I'll try to get some video of him doing all this soon.

As for Baby Watch 2008, we're still waiting. No new babies in the Girata house. Nicole's still doing well, nothing like the problems at the end of Brayden's pregnancy. We're just simply waiting around for Layna to decide she wants to finally meet us all in person. Hopefully, for Nicole's sake, it won't be too much longer. Until then!

Sunday, March 02, 2008

Side-shot

As promised, here is Nicole's 38-week side-shot:


Doesn't she look great?! This picture was taken at the same point as the picture she took while pregnant with Brayden for this post oh-so-many months ago. She's still feeling really good. I think that we've finally gotten our apartment in order for Miss Layna's arrival. We've been playing a chess game with all of her stuff in our little apartment. Needless to say, it will be SO much easier in the new house. We're in countdown mode and ready to finally meet our little lady!