just imagine

April 2010

2012-01-03T16:27:00.000-08:00

The biggest, most exciting thing for Hannah in April was that she learned to use the potty!! I am not one of those over-achiever mothers that have to have their children potty trained by 18 months or even 2 years old. Hannah showed no interest, therefore I had no interest. But the second she did show interest, I tried to be all over it, and did it all completely wrong. I get frustrated really easily, and poor Hannah is such a people pleaser...let's just say that I completely gave up my spot for mother of the year. And then a friend posted on her facebook about the book 3 Day Potty Training. For me, for Hannah, it was magic. It made sense to me, I stayed calm, she screamed, I still stayed calm, she screamed some more (there was a lot of reluctance to let the pee freely flow) and there was lots of hugging while on the toilet. It took about 3 1/2 days for us, but she got it and I am so proud of her.

She always has the most amazing bed head.

In her new big girl panties!

We spent the whole day together, attached at the hip. A friend took Bryn for the day and the Keith was home the next two days to allow all my focus to be on Hannah.

We had a nest in our swingset that had three little eggs in it. We loved those little eggs.

The big girl.

She is seriously the best girl ever.

And Brynlee...

She is also the best.

She's becoming a pro at walking and has the greatest sense of humor.

I can finally put her hair in pigtails.

As long as she's eating, she's happy. I love that messy face!!

And Keith...Poor Keith. He developed a hernia in his stomach from his previous surgery and so he had to have another surgery to fix it. We were able to stay in Evansville for it instead of going to Indianapolis. The poor guy can't catch a break!

ALSO...

Ryan and Kylee got married!!

We love Kylee and are so happy that she is in our family.

Since Keith was about 3 weeks post-op and couldn't lift anything, we took along one of the young women from our ward, Jordan, to help me with the girls. We got a lot of looks, most of them disgusted looks, from people as we would pass them in the airport. Jordan and I are packed to max with bags and kids and Keith has his very small carry-on. Then as we got our rental car, Keith stood there directing me on how to pack the bags/stroller/carseats into the SUV. (Even though I am totally anti minivan, and yes I own one, they have so much more space then that blasted SUV) Men everyone were wondering how he got in on such a good gig. Women everywhere were shaking their heads in disgust. I kept calling him a dead beat husband. For some reason he didn't find that very funny. Hmm, go figure!

Hannah's musical debut

2011-12-07T16:29:00.001-08:00

Can't leave out this beauty. Hannah at 2 1/2 years old. She is ALWAYS singing.

March 2010

2011-12-07T14:51:00.000-08:00

I am determined to get caught up on my blog for 2010 before I can start 2011 in 2012.

Hannah got her first haircut ever from Aunt Julie while we were visiting. That's right...I let my child sport the serious mullet. I didn't realize it was so bad until I looked back at pictures. Now it just makes for some great comical entertainment. However, the mullet has grown out and she got a little trim.

Too cute.

The bad thing about trying to post about two years ago is that I don't remember what anything was for. So here, we went out to dinner for something. Yeah, that's about it.

I love my family.

Brynlee got to go out on the boat for the first time.

We soaked up as much AZ sun as we could. Hannah could have pulled Bryn around all day long!

We went to the zoo...

...she wants to walk so badly.

My favorite picture

PLEASE DO NOT FEED THE ANIMALS.

Brynlee finally took her first steps all be herself on March 18th.

And we celebrated Easter. A little blurry, but still so adorable.

We loved our extended stay in Arizona, but it was time to head back home to Indiana.

Giggley Brynlee

2011-02-07T14:27:00.001-08:00

I can't get enough of her giggles!!!

February 2010

2011-02-07T12:00:00.000-08:00

Nat and Tatem stayed for a good portion of February. Whenever they come, it's almost a must that they stay for a while to get in some good playing time.

I tried very unsuccessfully to potty train Hannah. This may have been her only success.

Keith's team, the COLTS, made it to the Super Bowl. This may have been the one and only time that the jersey he got me for Christmas came in handy!

Of course, Nat and Tatem had to cheer for the opposing team.

Whatever...

Valentine's Day isn't Valentine's Day without chocolate covered strawberries.

Typically, the recovery time for Keith's surgery would have been 6 weeks. He was cutting it close because there was a Podiatric Seminar that he had to go to in Vegas. Keith, his dad, the 3rd year resident Dr. Jason Denton, and his residency director Dr. Alvey presented a poster to be judged. It's the responsibility of the residents to put it together. We first flew into Phoenix and dropped the girls off with Aunt Julie (man, my girls have some seriously awesome aunties that are always so willing to watch them). We headed off to Vegas with Keith's parents. It was too cold to be by the pool, so I just did a lot of relaxing and just a little bit of shopping. My shopping buddy wasn't feeling very well, but it gave me a chance to meet up with my high school friend, Mischa and her baby Malik!

Out of over 100 posters, they took 3rd. Well done gents!

We took in a little night life, clean night life.

We had front row seats and VIP passes to none other than...Donny and Marie! I know, can you hardly contain yourself!! It was actually a good show. I used to have a Donny barbie doll when I was little. It may have been my older siblings, but I inherited it. It might be worth something today if one of our many dogs wouldn't have chewed Donny's hands, feet and nose off.

We also saw Bill Envall and Cirque de Soliel's O.

Two of my favorite people.

After Vegas, we drove back to Phoenix where the girls and I stayed for a few weeks to play in the sunshine and Keith headed back home to work. Poor Keith.

January 2010

2011-02-06T14:15:00.000-08:00

I know everyone says not to try and get caught up on the blog but to just journal what is happening now, but I pretty much missed all of 2010. So, I'm going to attempt to do very quick month by month updates just so that I have some peace of mind.

After returning from Christmas in beautiful Arizona, we were welcomed home by this scene:

As beautiful as it may seem, snow and I don't have that fantastic of a relationship. However, when the sun is shining on fresh, beautiful snow, I will admit that it is rather lovely...for two minutes and then I want it gone.

Natalie "the Nanny" came to our rescue yet again as Keith prepared for his first abdominal surgery, only we thought it was going to be his one and only surgery. How foolish were we!! Keith and I made the trip up to Indianapolis while Nat stayed with the girls. We hit up a Suns/Pacers game the night before his surgery. One last hoorah before the dreaded event. We sat right behind the Sun's bench. So fun.

After a few days in Indy, we came home to recover, play (well, Nat and I...not Keith), and start new projects around the house that maybe we'd end up finishing. Hannah, Tatem and Brynlee love playing together.

Isn't she just the squishiest thing ever!?

January review:

Kind of fun for everyone else. Really crappy for Keith! See, this whole getting caught up thing isn't that hard!

Getting Bigger all the Time!

2010-08-17T20:17:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post of the girls. It has been awhile (as you all are aware) since anything has been posted on the blog. Amazing to see how much these two have grown. Brynlee is 21 months and Hannah is in full swing of living life as a 3 year old!

Tiffany Muranaka was watching the girls for us while we were away for Nikki's funeral and took this picture. Right before she took the picture, Hannah saw Brynlee's hair and exclaimed, "That is a great idea Tiffany!"

At the Koch Children's Museum of Evansville. The load in the bucket was a wopping 28 lbs.

Lindsay is quite the seamstress these days, and has 2 really cute models to test out her creations.

We can't get enough of her eyelashes!

Those are a couple of hot mamasitas!!

Tom Selleck happened to be visiting so we were able to get a quick photo op with him. What a guy!

Nicole Marie Bangart Robinson

2010-08-17T19:39:00.000-07:00

August 28, 1979 - July 11, 2010

For those of you who did not know, Nikki passed away unexpectedly on July 11, 2010, at her home in Salt Lake City. Her passing has been very difficult for our family, and her own family Nate, Kellene, and Jackson. How grateful we are for the Plan of Salvation, and the knowledge we have that we will see her again because families can be eternal.

It is through the atoning sacrifice of our Savior that this will be possible, and that our hearts can begin the healing process. Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we, like many who have faced this trial, can relate to and feel the words of Paul resonate within our hearts and minds.

"O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?"

-1st Corinthians 15: 55

Taken April 30, 2010

She is truly loved, and will be missed by her family. We love you Nikki. You are a beautiful woman, sister, daughter, Mommy, and most importantly, Daughter of God.

Happy Birthday HANNAH!!! 5/17/10

2010-05-19T23:11:00.000-07:00

Can you believe this beautiful little girl is 3?

Neither can I.

(More party pictures and an explaination of the cake to come...)

San Francisco - Dec 28-30, 2009

2010-04-16T12:44:00.000-07:00

Keith surprised me with a get-a-way to San Francisco for my birthday.

We saw WICKED from the very front row!

We toured ALCATRAZ

on the boat ride over to ALCATRAZ

(in my mind, every time I write ALCATRAZ, I'm saying it with a loud, booming, scary voice...moron)

gross

We enjoyed some fine dining....

...and another fantastic show, OVO by Cirque du Soleil, front row again!

My man doesn't disappoint!

WE LOVED IT!

The two and only times I had visited San Francisco were for 2 of my open heart surgeries.

The first time we tried to tour the city the day before the surgery. It was cloudy and rainy and I remember being very hungry. Never a good thing for my mood! I hated every second of it.

The second trip was no better. Both of our parents were there, but the fact that I was there merely for surgery cast it's own black cloud on my ability to enjoy it.

Keith lived in San Ramon, just outside of the city, when he was younger and has been determined to help me enjoy it.

He succeeded.

Thank you lovey!

Let us remember back, oh so long ago...

2010-04-11T14:22:00.000-07:00

Hey, remember when the Christmas holiday was upon us? I can barely remember either, so I better document it now before I completely forget!

It all started off with my happy little birthday. I turned 30 this year, and it really could not have been less traumatic. Ask me how I feel at 35...the story might be different. We got to celebrate with our wonderful friends and Keith also took me out to dinner at Madelines. So delicious. He surprised me with an upcoming 3 day trip to San Fransisco while we would be in Arizona for 2 weeks. He is by far the greatest surpriser. I give him 5 gold stars.

The day after my birthday we jumped on the plane to Arizona. That night we spent the evening with my family in Mesa. We had our traditional FHE with Christmas chimes. This event brightens my day. As you can see, we take the chimes very serious in this family!

McAllister family

CHRISTMAS MORNING at GRAMMY and GRANDPA'S!!

Brynlee lasted about 10 minutes before she was whining for a bottle and to be put back in bed.

Keith doesn't ask for much when it comes to birthdays or holidays, and he is by far the hardest person to shop for. So, when he asked for a Larry Fitzgerald football jersey for Christmas, and although I detest jerseys, I had to get it for him. However, I find myself to be very easy to shop for. All I really asked for was clothes....well, maybe next year I should ask for the money to buy my own clothes cause this is what happens when Keith goes shopping for me...

He's fired!

Brynlee finally woke up after we had all opened our presents, so while she watched something on TV, I opened the rest of her presents for her.

Hannah and one of her very best friends, Grandpa.

The rest of the day was so nice and relaxing. The girls loved being with Grammy and Grandpa and we loved the weather.

Next stop: SAN FRANCISCO!!

Happy Valentines Day!

2010-02-14T13:43:00.000-08:00

to my favorite Valentines...

I LOVE YOU!

Isaac

2010-01-05T11:45:00.000-08:00

From His arms to mine,

you came.

You are my miracle,

sent from above.

My joy...my precious gift.

Ten tiny toes, ten little fingers

how small,

how beautifully...perfect.

You came to breathe a breath of life...

To give to you,

to give to me,

a blessing, a promise of an eternal family.

Even though your time was short

here on earth

I knew your mission was fulfilled.

I'll cherish it.

I know

you are safe, you are happy

wrapped in the arms of your Heavenly Father.

My little one,

You'll wait for me

and I you.

I know,

My little one,

I'll see you again,

raise you again

in the life to come.

How glorious it will be!

My tears are now of

Faith...Comfort...Peace.

My precious little one,

Until I hold you again...

I Love You!

A friend of a family member, whom we've never met, wrote this for our family after Isaac was born.

Today we celebrate Isaac's 2nd birthday.

I remember everything very specifically about that night. The chaos, the fear and then the complete peace that overcame the room when he was born. His short moments here on earth have impacted my life more than I ever imagined.

He's our angel.

We sent two blue balloons to him in heaven today and had some birthday cake.

I'm pretty sure he would've loved birthday cake!

We love sweet boy! Until we meet again...

Watching the balloons fly to heaven...and Brynlee longingly watching the swings.

She was pretty ticked when we went inside without swinging!

Success with Santa!

2009-12-24T08:23:00.000-08:00

One thing I will truly miss about Indiana when we move is SANTA CLAUS!

They have, by far, the best Santa I've ever met in my life, and I've met a lot of Santas.

Hannah wasn't too sure about him in the beginning, since last years attempt was a flop, but he won her over with his patience, cute little personality, candy canes and books!

Brynlee thought he was pretty neat and snuggled right up to him.

Merry Christmas!

Oh yeah!

2009-12-20T20:28:00.000-08:00

She's a forward facing big girl now and lovin' life!

Randomness

2009-12-14T20:53:00.000-08:00

Hannah cheesin' it up for the camera. She hardly ever smiles for me, so I'll take what I can get!

They actually laid like this watching George the monkey for about 15 minutes.

Hannah moved first which made Bryn roll after her.

Always smiling...except when she's not...

This girl has no personality.

She stuck those in her nose by herself and came running into the office to show me.

I could laugh with her all day long.

Bryn's first ponytail!

Happy from the moment she wakes up. I love walking into this every morning!

I swear my kids wear clothes and not just pajamas....

Thanksgiving

2009-12-14T20:40:00.001-08:00

This year for Thanksgiving we kept it pretty low key. My brother, Miles, drove down from Ohio to be with us and our cute friends, the Muranakas, joined us for a relaxing day. Keith was on call and spent most of the morning at the hospital, but still managed to make us breakfast and prepare the turkey before he left. That's a good man right there. He walked back through the door just in time to sit down for dinner.

Brynlee called it quits before picture time.

Have I mentioned that Hannah LOVES her Uncle Miles? Well, she does.

After we visited him back in September, a post I think I still need to do, she talked about him everyday and about Toby the kitty cat who is Miles' cat. I love the cute friendship those two have developed and have loved seeing him build the same relationship with Bryn.

We LOVE when Uncle Miles comes to visit!

Happy (really late) Thanksgiving!

HALLOWEEN

2009-11-25T20:22:00.000-08:00

I have to post pictures of Halloween before we celebrate Thanksgiving!

Introducing SUPER GIRL and the cutest little MONKEY ever!

Hannah did well at our wards trunk or treat and caught on pretty quick, but going door to door was a little intimidating for her. The first house we visited was our neighbors and she cried when the woman answered the door. No costume, nothing scary, but Hannah was not happy. It might have been the overwhelming scent of cigarette smoke that hit us like a brick wall when she answered the door, however. Made me want to cry too.

After that first house there was no more crying, she loved walking around, but ringing the doorbells and asking for the candy was not on her list of fun things to do. She would politely say thank you after every house, coaxed most times, and then as we started for the next house, she'd eagerly exclaim, "We gotta get some MOORRRE!!!" And then she'd shrink with shyness right as we reached the door. Brynlee just watched everyone that walked by, smiling as usual. I took Bryn home after we went up and down one street because I kept seeing people go to our house and I had a ton of candy to get rid of and I wasn't willing to keep it all...ok maybe some, but not all! Overall, I think Hannah enjoyed herself. She still brings me her pumpkin almost everyday and tells me that she needs to get more candy in it. And if I don't honor her request, she turns it into a nice purse!

Practice What You Preach

2009-11-12T19:38:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, Keith had to work all day which means us girls were left to getting to our 9am church on our own. Getting anywhere before 11am is a serious problem for me. My children wake up anywhere between 8-10am, usually the latter when we have somewhere to go. It had been a late night for Keith and I on Saturday and Brynnie was pretty cranky. So, I allowed them, and myself, to very lazily sleep in. However, I had a lesson to teach during the third hour of church, so I had to make it at some point.

Side note: Not that I care what you think about me, but skipping church is definitely not the norm for us...just so you know...but that not that I care what you think...but it's not...

After breakfast and dressing, I was still bustling around the house, changing last minute poopy diapers, the story of my 'trying to leave the house' life, and filling sippy cups just one more time. I took Brynlee out to put her into her carseat and Hannah followed me into the garage. Hannah has a habit of climbing in on Brynlee's side, squeezing herself on her hands and knees behind Bryn's seat to get to her seat as I'm repeatedly telling her not to, and in the process usually snagging her hair on something and ripping out anything cute that I've done with it. I didn't have time to re-do her hair, so I continued to tell her no, over and over and over as Brynlee was struggling against me trying to strap her in. So, finally I took ahold of Hannah's arm helped her back out of the car, firmly telling her if she would just wait, I'd help her get in on her side. I turned back to help Bryn and very quietly and sweetly Hannah said, "Be nice." The concern in her voice stopped me in my tracks. Very quickly it didn't matter to me anymore that we needed to be anywhere. It also made me smile. How many times have I told her to "ask nicely" or to "be nice to Bryn" or to "speak nicely to mommy"? She listens so intently to everything I say even though it may not seem like it at the time. I bent down to face her and asked, "Is mommy not being very nice?" Her response, "Yeah, BE NICE MOMMY!" said with a little more force. I took her in my arms and said I was sorry to which she replied that she was sorry. We got in the car and made our way to church.

Some people say that God will strike them down with a bolt of lightening if they do or say something wrong. Sunday he struck me down with the sweetest, quietest, most loving little voice. Hannah definitely has her typical two year old moments, but for the most part that little girl amazes me with her ability to comprehend, reason and especially to love.

I borrowed this quote from my cousins blog. I love it and we could all probably use a little reminder now and then.

Thank you, Hannah, for reminding mommy that she needs to speak nicely.

I love you precious girl!

2009-11-07T14:32:00.000-08:00

THE PARTY!!

the birthday girl

my fabulous friend/party planner helper...TIFFANY!

the spread

the princess's throne

"You want me to do what?"

"Here, I'll show you!"

"Just shove it in your mouth like this."

"hmmmmm..."

"Mommy's sorry for shoving your face in your cake. Please forgive me!"

"This is amazing!"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRYNLEE!!

We had some great friends come over to help us celebrate Bryn's birthday. She slept for the first 45 minutes of the party, wasn't too interested in the cake, could care less about the presents, but loved the bottle she got after the excitement died down and she could watch all the kids play with her new toys. Thanks to some great friends who came to play and to Tiffany for helping us put it together.

I know I've said it before, but I can't believe my baby is one.

She's an angel baby that is suddenly learning from her sister how to become a diva.

She started army/swimming crawling the day before Halloween, but is still a rolly polly.

She loves watching Caillou and Elmo with Hannah and still thinks Hannah is the most amazing thing ever!

She still takes 3 naps a day!! This makes me love her even more!

She is the sweetest, smiliest, happiest little girl and we love her so much!

Happy birthday Brynlee!!

BTW...Nicole P...if you happen upon my blog by chance for whatever reason in the world and see that my daughters first birthday looks a whole heck of a lot similar to your daughters first birthday, just know that I thank you for letting me steal, I mean borrow, your cute ideas.

I'M ONE!!!

2009-11-04T13:07:00.001-08:00

BRYNLEE IS ONE YEAR OLD!!!

...to be continued...

CHICAGO! Aug 21st - 23rd, 2009

2009-10-16T13:23:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned that my husband is one of the best gift givers ever? Well, he is. At this point in time after we had gotten back from Columbus, Natalie and I had been diligent about going to the gym everyday, or if we weren't able to go, doing some serious Hip Hop Abs at home...or attempting and laughing is more like it. Anyway, Friday morning after breakfast I suggested that we get ready for the gym. I knew Keith was coming home early, so I wanted to get a jump on our day. She told me no. So, I suggested we do Hip Hop Abs. She said no again, and told me for the next 3 hours I needed to obey whatever she told me. She suggested that I get in the shower now! After a few more attempts at persuading her to workout with me, I caved and got in the shower. A few minutes later while I was in the shower, Nat hands me the phone. It's Keith. He said that I need to be ready and packed within ONE hour! Well, if you know me at all, I don't do well with time restrictions. But it sounded very exciting, so I did my best. One hour later Keith and I hopped in the car and started driving. I had no idea where we were going until he handed me some tickets to see JERSEY BOYS in CHICAGO!! I was so excited! We flew up to Chicago, foregetting how nice it is to travel without children, had a blast. We stayed at the WHITEHALL HOTEL, ate a lot of delicious food, went to the FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, attempted to go to the top of the Sears Tower but the line was too long, and saw our show. I LOVED the music but hated the show. It isn't a show that I would recommend to people. I wished the whole time that the four singers would just stand at the front of the stage and sing instead of talk...there was some pretty foul language. OVERALL, we had a great time. We needed about 2 more weeks there to just relax and enjoy each others company. Thanks to our nanny Natalie who watched our girls and had such a fun time while we were gone.

THANK YOU KEITH!! YOU ARE THE BEST!

Aug 19th, 2009

2009-10-16T13:14:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th Anniversary to my lovey dove!

For our anniversary, Keith and I went out to our favorite restaurant, Cork 'n Cleaver. Sounds weird, but it is deliciousness. He also said that we would be attending a "show" in the future. Well, I hadn't heard of any shows coming to good 'ol Evansville, so I was a bit perplexed, but excited all the same.

I LOVE YOU KEITH!

Aug 14-16, 2009

2009-10-16T12:49:00.000-07:00

OK, let's try going back to August.

Keith had planned a little road trip for us to go up to Columbus to see Miles and Tom. It was Bryn's first road trip and it had been a while for Hannah. We got the trusty DVD player all hooked up for Hannah and off we went. The 4 1/2 hour trip took us 8 hours. By the last 30 minutes stretch, my nerves were shot! Hannah had been kicking the DVD player that was attached to the back of Keith's seat. She wanted Barney, no wait, Elmo, no wait, Barney, no Elmo....I need my cup, where's my baby, oops I dropped my cup, where's my blankey...nerves shot! Bryn needed to eat and with all the calmness a mom on the brink of insanity could muster, tried to convince Keith that stopping and feeding an angry baby is worth being a little late rather than getting to our destination in a half hour. He wasn't convinced, cause all he was thinking was, "I have this great surprise waiting for this crazy lady at Miles and Tom's house and I'd really like to just get there!"

So we drive on with a whiny toddler and a hungry baby, but look at her, how hungry can she really be?

As we FINALLY make it to their house, it's great to see them and everyone is happy to be out of that blasted MV---(yes, I drive an MV, don't you EVEN judge me...I'm still coping with it)

I began looking around their house at all the changes they had made when all the sudden little Tatem, my niece, comes down the stairs and around the corner. I freaked the poor girl out when I screamed and picked her up. NAT AND TATEM CAME TO PLAY! So the gist of Keith's surprise was that he had invited Nat out to visit, but they decided that we needed to see Miles too. Nat and Tatem were to come back to Indiana with us and stay for a week or so. She was also going to watch the girls for us on our anniversary, or so I thought.

FANTASTIC SURPRISE!

Keith wanted to tell me so many times on the trip, but held strong and kept it a secret. We had a great, quick weekend with Miles and Tom.

(Please don't think that these are the only outfits my girls wear. I guess they are just always in them when the camera comes out)

Bryn is taking this whole "being a Mid-westerner" a little to seriously!

2009-10-16T10:26:00.000-07:00

So, have you been wondering where we've been? NO? Well, I'll tell you anyway! We've been right here, too lazy to do any blogging, that's where!!! I'm so far behind that every time I'd sit at the computer and realize just how behind I actually was, other things distracted me and blogging got pushed to the side. However, I know family at least is relying on this blog to see two of the most crazy girls ever, so blog I shall...eh, maybe later.

Bifocals

2009-08-28T21:11:00.000-07:00

Drum Roll please....

2009-08-09T12:25:00.001-07:00

Brynlee now weighs 19 lbs 12.5 oz and is 26 inches long.

75th percentile for weight and 25th for height.

"Holy crap, mom, did you hear how much I weigh!?"

"Oh yeah, 19 lbs looks good on me! Work it, work it...!"

Cheesers!

AND!!!....

Bryn got her first tooth on Saturday the 8th!! Finally. She's has swollen gums for a while. She has her cranky days, but overall she's been a happy girl.

Here's hoping she's happy through the rest of the teeth!

9 months!

2009-08-04T13:48:00.001-07:00

My little Brynnie Lou is 9 months old today! I tried to explain to Natalie this morning on the phone that I am just now feeling the 3 month span that she was in the hospital...meaning, that in 3 months she'll be one year old, and even though I was able to be with her in the hospital, she wasn't at home. It makes it almost feel like she hasn't been here for 9 months cause she wasn't in our home those first 3 months. Does that make any sense? No? Well, it does to me. I just can't believe I'm gonna need to start planning a 1 year old birthday soon. That's nuts!

We go to the doctor on Thursday for her check-up, so I'll post her stats then. In the meantime, here's a little about this chubby, smiley, lovey baby that I love so much...

Bryn has slept through the night since she was about 6 months. Every once in a while, she'll grunt so loudly, but all I have to do is put her binki in her mouth, which she spits back out just moments later. She just needs that minute or two of comfort, then she's back to sleep.

She's a dream.

She's a little steam-roller. She's everywhere with her rolling, but no where near crawling.

I think I'm ok with that.

She smiles constantly.

Everything makes her smile, except stranger danger. It's becoming a reality for her. Eating is always an interesting task. We tried feeding her solids about 2 months ago, and she just wasn't ready. So, we tried again about 3 weeks ago and it was received much better that time. However, when we put the food in her mouth, she's smiling, which means that the food just dribbles out of her mouth constantly. I have to lean her back in the high chair to allow gravity to take it's course. Hey, it's a cute problem to have. No complaints here.

She's sitting up all on her own now and has been for about a month and a half. She loves it cause it makes watching Elmo with Hannah so much easier!

She's a total tv junkie. She'll crank her head in any possible direction just to be able to see what's on. Having the tv on while she's eating is not an option, cause nothing would get accomplished!

She still loves jumping. And when she's not in her jumper, she's making me help her jump. She's my workout for sure.

"that was a great workout...oh look, Elmo's on..."

"I'm not tired..."

"zzzzzzzzz....."

She LOVES Hannah. Hannah can make Brynlee giggle just by walking past her.

Remember this picture from March?

Hannah had to have Bryn sitting RIGHT next to her.

They are well on their way to being best friends!

Post-Father's Day pics

2009-07-21T09:16:00.000-07:00

I wasn't able to get some cute pictures of Keith with his girls on Father's Day cause everyone was itching to get out of their dress clothes and take naps. No different from any other Sunday, but I still needed some cute pictures of the three of them. Since Hannah wasn't completely disheveled from playing in nursery, I figured this particular day would be perfect.

In this next sequence of pictures, I'd like you pay particular attention to Hannah who somehow learned how to toss her hair very passionately.

These are three of the my most favorite people in the entire world.

Traveling Oats

2009-07-20T09:41:00.000-07:00

I've moved a lot in the last 10 years. First my move to Chandler, Arizona in and then 7 other moves through east and west valleys, finally my last move to Indiana. Through all these moves and roommates getting married, I've inheritated a lot of stuff. A park bench from Natalie which stayed in AZ, tupperware, ironing board, framed art, furniture...you name it, I probably got it. Most of these mismatched things got sold at a yard sale before we left, but there is one thing that has secretly made it through every single move possible.

For Keith's birthday he asked me to make him DATE CRUMBLE, a delicious, although it may not sound like it, dessert that his mom makes. Very fattening, very good. It calls for oats. I know I've seen oats in my pantry, so I only got the other ingredients that were needed. As I prepared to make it, I looked closely at the tub of oats and this is what I saw....

.....uhhhhh, GROSS! My first clue that they were no good should have been the fact that they came from Safeway, and I can't remember the last time I set foot in a Safeway. I moved to AZ in May of 1999. How on earth did this stupid little tub of oats make it through 8 moves and across the country?

Moral of the story...clean out your pantry every once in a while. Lesson learned.

Can't get enough of this girl!

2009-07-15T14:57:00.000-07:00

I love Brynlee and Brynlee LOVES jumping!

Oh looky!

2009-07-13T19:14:00.001-07:00

OH, guess who decided it was a really good idea to strip down butt naked, squat next to her little piano, and poop about 7 rabbit nuggets on my carpet!!!

YES!!! This amazingly beautiful, little girl!

I was in my bathroom getting ready for the day, when I realized that I hadn't heard Hannah for a while. I started out of my bedroom when I heard, "the wheels on my bike go round and round, round and round...". "She's playing on her bike," I thought. "She's fine." So, I proceeded back into my room. Not 3 minutes later I hear very faint and only slightly paniked, "Money? Money? Money?" (money is mommy) Each "money" is getting more urgent although she's still not freaking out. As I turned the corner, she looked at me: no clothes, no diaper, no more need to use the toilet. I picked her up, careful not to let any yucky areas touch me, and sat her down on the toilet. When I try to talk to her as I'm disciplining her, she likes to laugh at me. I figured pooping on the floor was a habit I was not willing to let her continue, so I raised my voice just a bit to really get her attention. She flinched at every word I said, and as I walked out of her bathroom to go clean up the doo-doo, she started crying as I started laughing. She sat in time-out for a couple minutes and we were back to being best friends within a matter of seconds. Duct tape is still our friend during naptime and bedtime, but it looks like it might be our friend all day long. We'll see.

Arizona '09

2009-07-13T13:11:00.000-07:00

Here are just a few highlights of our trip to Arizona.

There was lots of pool time, although I didn't come home with a tan...very disturbing.

2009 marks 10 years since the Anderson girls, Whitney, Natalie, Stacy and myself, moved to Arizona. Stacy and Natalie flew in from Idaho to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. Cousins Chelsey and Christine came to party with us!

Whitney was sick during the reunion and sadly missed some activities. I'm so glad she is feeling better now, but so sad she didn't get to play more. But we got to play with Stella for a couple days. I sure love that little girl!

We have the greatest friends in the whole world. I enjoy where I live, but I sure miss Jaime and Taylor and their sweet baby girl, Macie. I'm excited to move back to AZ in a couple years just so that we can hang out with them again!

The boys and their girls. These two would be inseperable if we'd let them be.

Jaime and Macie meeting Bryn for the first time.

Macie

We all flew out to AZ together, Keith left after the weekend and the girls and I got to stay for a couple weeks. Keith then flew back out to fly home with us. Our flight to AZ was HEAVEN! Brynlee slept the whole time on both flights and Hannah enjoyed many Elmo videos. They seriously were perfect. People were making comments like, "I was just waiting for one of them to act up and they never did! Such well behaved children you have!" And of course, I was just beaming. I even thought for a moment that perhaps I would be able to travel with the two of them by myself sometime in the near future. This was a breeze.

Well, somewhere in those two weeks, Brynlee suddenly woke up and decided that lots of sleep wasn't necessary. Hannah got spoiled rotten with attention for an entire two weeks, so.... let's just say the flight home was the complete opposite and I was no longer beaming, but crazed with anxiety.

As evident by the amount of chubb on her legs, Brynlee is very serious about feeding time and will start giving warnings 1/2 hour before it's time to eat that there better be a bottle coming her way. Well, being in the hurry that we were in the morning, I forgot to pack extra travel packets of her formula. She was about 45 minutes from eating as we were landing into Chicago, but a bottle would have been lovely to have so that she'd be sucking on something as we landed. Instead, she screamed the whole last 45 minutes of our first flight. Hannah, being the loving sister that she is, cried with her. Not even Elmo could calm her. We had to wait until we landed in Chicago to buy some formula there. Oh, guess what? The airport doesn't sell formula. Lovely! I went to the information station and the lady there said that they had some in their office which was completely the opposite direction of our gate. Again, lovely. I only had a few minutes to book it, and for those of you who know me well I DON'T RUN...so I walked very quickly to the information office to get some formula. I did make it back to the gate with a few minutes to spare. We made the bottle but saved it for take off. The second flight, although not as crazed as the first, was still no picnic. Hannah hasn't slept in public since she was a very small baby. She's always refused to sleep in church or anywhere. I'm very jealous of parents with sleeping children in church. So, let's just say that this girl is TIRED!!! After a very long, emotional day for everyone involved, we finally land in Indiana, jump in the car and almost immediately...

OF COURSE!!!!!!!

I can do this!

2009-07-07T13:36:00.000-07:00

So, I've finally picked up the motivation to really start posting about our trip to Arizona. There's so much to catch up on, and although I look at the pictures nearly every day, I haven't had it in me to actually blog about it. But the time has come, and I need to get it done before one more thing happens and it's added to my list of things to blog about.

Let's begin with Hannah's birthday.

Yes, we had a party for her at Grandpa and Grammy's house on her actual birthday, but earlier in the week we were invited to attend the 2nd Annual Princess and Prince Party for the kids in our old ward that were all born within 4 months of each other. I just realized that I never did a post of this party from last year. Marissa, Sarah, Bailee, Reagan, just to name a few were all in attendence and it was a mad house.

Marissa and Hannah

Hannah and Sarah

This year, it was a beach themed party with a little pool, slip n' slide and of course dessert. Tiffany, Marissa's mommy, put together sand pails full of graham crackers, chocolate pudding, marshmellows, and some other stuff for the kids to eat instead of cake. Most of them weren't too sure of it, but once I gave Hannah a little taste, she was hooked!

Marissa

Sarah

Bailee

And all the mommies. The photos from this year were taken by Brandy T and she did such a great job! Thanks for the invite. We hope to make it to the next one!

Family Pictures by Natalie Montez

2009-07-06T14:24:00.001-07:00

We had our family pictures taken while in Arizona by Natalie Montez.

www.photosbynatalie.blogspot.com

LOVE HER.

But now I already feel like the girls are changing and growing so much that I need new ones. Enjoy.

2009-07-04T19:12:00.000-07:00

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY

LOVE,

THE BANGARTS

To my babies daddy

2009-06-21T20:26:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day

to the guy who, in my opinion, is one of the greatest daddy's out there!

MY KEITH!!

Hannah and Brynlee adore their daddy!

I couldn't have asked for a better daddy for our kids!

I love you!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

to my Dad-dad-daddio and my Dad-dad-daddio-in-law!

I've been so blessed to have these two amazing men in my life!!

HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY HANNAH!!! 5/17/09

2009-06-10T14:14:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HANNAH!!

We were so excited that we were able to be in AZ for Hannah's birthday where we could surrounded by lots of family and friends!

I'm gonna be a broken record and say that I can't believe my little girl is 2!!! She becomes more and more of a little girl every day and less and less of a baby girl.

She had a great birthday!!

Here she is screaming for "more more!" We re-lit the candle about 5 times and sang the happy birthday song about 3 times, which is why in the next picture, the candle is backwards. We took it out and she wanted to blow it out again.

This cake was amazing!!

She had some very interesting party guests....

She loved her new tent and it looks like Isabella loved it too.

Brynlee loves her big sister! In her eyes, Hannah can do no wrong!

Some things that I want to remember about Hannah right now are

(and there's a lot):

-She loves Brynlee. She asks to give her kisses and always very happily says hi to her when they see each other for the first time in the morning. She likes to throw her diapers away and put her bottles in the sink for me. If ever Bryn is crying, Hannah will go get her a blanket and toss it at her, kinda like, "Here, this always makes me feel better. Now pipe down."

-She calls me Money. She'll say mom and mama, but to say mommy, she says Money!! I don't know whether I should be concerned for the future and how she sees me, but for now I LOVE IT!!

-She's still very much obsessed with Elmo, as you can see I don't really try to stop her. Ernie has also become a favorite and she asks to watch Elmo and Ernie several times a day, although she really won't watch anything else. She sleeps with her Elmo and Ernie dolls and sometimes insists that they sit with her while she eats.

-She loves her ABC's and numbers. She has been able to recognize all her letters and numbers since about 20 months. While counting to 10, she usually skips five, but always ends by shouting YEA and clapping for herself.

-She's getting very independent. She's telling us what clothes she wants to wear and also what jammies. She hasn't put up too big of a fit when I dress her in something different, but I know that day is not too far away.

-She does ok with me doing her hair. As long as she either has a snack or is watching Elmo, I know I can actually do something with it. But I can always talk her into sitting there for me with the BOW. She loves wearing her bows and loves to look at herself in the mirror when I'm finished. Then she tells me to put a bow in Brynlee's hair.

-She hates having her picture taken and refuses to look at the camera. Drives me crazy!

-She still takes a bottle at naptime and bedtime. She asks for it, putting the words together to save time, "ba-night-night?" Who can resist that because what child ASKS to go to bed? We've been trying to taper down on the amount we give her, but she's on to us. She typically goes to bed around 8:30pm and is still talking and carrying on by 10:30pm. As long as she's not crying, fake crying doesn't count, we leave her in there to her own imagination. I'm pretty sure she reaccounts her whole day and plays it out all over again. Some of the conversations have included outbursts of, "AMEN ELMO!" "YEA DADDY! (clap clap clap)" There's acutally a lot of clapping and banging her feet on the wall. Naptimes are no different. She'll go down at 1:30pm and can still be talking an hour and a half later. I guess it just gives me a lot of time to myself!

-She'll say hi to you a thousand times a day and will continue to say it until you say it back, even though you just said it 1 minute ago. "OH, HI THERE!" "Oh, hi honey!" "Oh, hi baby!" "Oh, hi love!" These are some of the pet-names she'll copy in the sweetest little voice ever!

-So maybe Keith and I encouraged this one a little. Whenever someone burps or passes gas, (and you know it's never me!) she says, "Ewww grinee, ewwww, tinky diaper, ewww poop." Grinee means Brynlee. Lately she's been blaming Brynlee, but she'll usually blame me!! Again, it's NEVER me!!!

-If she wants help, she says, "help you?"

-If she wants you to hold her, she says, "hold you?" or "hold my hand?"

-She loves baby wipes. She likes to wipe the floor, the table then her face with it. Gross.

-She'll always let me know if she's doing something that she shouldn't be doing with a big, loud, "UH-OH MONEY!"

-She can recognize all her shapes and colors.

-She likes to sit on the potty. However, she has yet to actually do anything into the potty. When I tell her to push the pee pee out, she bounces up and down a couple of times, then says "All done! Wipe!" She then proceeds to rip off just a tiny shread of toilet paper. I guess that'll do since nothing came out!

-Church is becoming a circus. In our ward, unless you get there a half hour early, there's no chance of a pew, so we always have the hard seats which are easily escapable for a 2 year old. She still loves her books, but whenever we are in church, her books just don't do it for her. She very energetically says AMEN after each prayer and speaker, and also after each song or special musical number shouts "MORE MORE!" with a clap clap clap. But the best is when the closing prayer is finished but there's still that quiet moment before the organ starts the post-lude, she always manages to get in a VERY loud, "ALL DONE" as she throws her hands up in the air. She also likes to voice this comment if we have to take her out during the meeting.

-She loves nursery, or so I think so. She goes in very easily now, finds a baby and then that means I'm good to go.

-She'll give us kisses anytime we ask for them.

-She likes to take all the toys out of one of her toy chests and lay inside of it with the lid closed. Then she proceeds to have the most interesting conversation with herself.

-If you ask her where something or someone went, she lifts up her hands and says, "I-ya I-ya". I know I should correct her but it's too stinkin' cute. Then if she finds the person or thing, she gets so excited and says, "oh there it is!"

-She says "oh thank you" to everything.

-She's observant of everything around her.

-She loves the moon and asks to see it every night.

-She'll tap her hand on the table just so that I'll kiss her owie. Everything needs kisses.

-She's still an incredible eater. She will try ANYTHING we give her. Typically if she doesn't like something the first few times, she'll end up liking it later. She loves tangy and spicy foods. She loves balsamic vingerette dressing, salsa, any sauce she can dip into, loves pickles, any fruit possible although we think she might be slightly allergic to strawberries, LOVES blueberries, has finally learned to like asparagus, likes most vegetables, likes green and red peppers, sauteed mushrooms, hummus, steak and the list goes on...That doesn't sound like a very huge range of foods, but I'm telling you, she pretty much likes anything! The one thing that she consistantly doesn't like is ravioli, but she loves other pastas. Maybe it's because I'm such a picky eater that I think she eats things that I wouldn't picture a 2 year old eating. I swear she eats more of a variety of foods than I do!

-Whenever Daddy or Aunt Nat calls to talk to her, she wants them to sing the turtle song. So they start into it. Five words into the song she changes her mind to the Popcorn Popping song. Five words into that one, she decides she really did want the turtle song. At least she knows what she wants.

-She knows she shouldn't be in our room or the office, so when I catch her in there, she takes off around the bed or the desk and drops to the floor on her belly to hide like it's the last place I'll look for her!

-She genuinely is the sweetest little girl. Don't get me wrong, she can throw a good tantrum, but she can easily be reasoned with, something I'm SO grateful for. She is very mild mannered and easy going.

-She'd rather sit with mom and dad then do anything else...especially if there's a book involved.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my little girl!

She has blessed our lives beyond anything we could have imagined.

Happy Birthday Hannie bananie! WE LOVE YOU!

Her 2 year old stats: 95th percentile for both weight and height!

May 11, 2009 Journal entry

2009-06-06T16:08:00.000-07:00

So, as mentioned in a previous post, I have the greatest kids ever. But even great kids aren't so great sometimes, right? Let me explain. Hannah turns two this Sunday. It makes me a little emotional thinking about how big she is getting and how extremely blessed Keith and I are that we are her parents! But on this road to TWO-hood, she is becoming ever independent, deaf and quite disgusting. Hannah's night time routine is as follows: bath, jammies, brush the teeth while daddy blow drys the hair, bottle (yes, she still takes a bottle...don't judge me), and night night. However, she doesn't quite understand the night night part because this girl will lay in her crib for the next 2-3 hours and have the most fascinating conversation with herself, her Elmo and Ernie and her doggies. Sometimes she'll start crying, meaning that she's pooped, and we have to go in, assess the damage and give her yet another little bit of a bottle. It's a habit we are trying to help her break. But her new bed time past time is really not one that needs to continue any longer.

I love checking on Hannah when I know that she has finally fallen asleep. It's the only time she's still for more than a few seconds. The other night when I went in to peek on my slumbering child, I opened the door, allowed my eyes to quickly adjust, and got an eye full of moon! She has the cutest little tushy, but it's nothing I want to see naked in her crib! I started giggling, which she heard and stood up. I went to get Keith and as we both went in to see her, we saw her very pee soaked bed, very pee soaked animals, very pee soaked hair! Into the bath we go! She thought this was quite funny. We've had several more incidents like this one, one including poop, and have finally come up with a solution: DUCT TAPE.

Life is a little cleaner now.

April 2009

2009-06-06T13:30:00.000-07:00

I love these girls

2009-06-02T18:21:00.000-07:00

I promise that many a new posts will be coming. We just got back from Phoenix and I realized that I left my cord to my camera at my in-laws house. So, as soon as I get that little cord back, you will be treated with lots of pictures of Hannah's birthday, lots of pool time, and Brynlee's chubby legs!!

Happy Mothers Day to everyone!

2009-05-10T18:13:00.000-07:00

I love being a mommy.

I have the greatest kids ever!

One has no choice to be in pictures and the other refuses to sit still long enough or smile at the camera!

So this is the best that we get picture wise!!

Sometimes being a mom is really hard. Really, really hard.

But when those cute little girls smile at me, or speak in a different language that only Hannah and her dolly can understand, when my Brynlee cuddles, when Hannah says I love you, there's no other joy that I can find in this world. I love my babies so much!

I love being a mommy!

AND....

Happy Mothers to my wonderful mom and mother-in-law!!! I am so blessed to have two of the most beautiful, influental women as my mothers! I love you both so much!!

Thank you to my hubby Keith for, first of all, making me a mommy.

And second, for taking care of me today and making my day so wonderful. I love you!

6 Months

2009-05-04T11:43:00.000-07:00

Brynlee turned six months on the fourth and lucky her, she got to go in for her shots!

She is:

weight: 14 lbs 4 oz - 25th percentile

length: 24 1/4 inches - 10th percentile

head: 16 1/4 inches - 25th percentile

YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS???? SHE'S ON THE CHARTS!!!!

At the beginning of April we went in for her development check up with the physical therapist and her neonatologist. Developmentally for her adjusted age of 3 months, she got a 97% which means she's doing perfectly. For her actual age of 5 1/2 months (at the time) she got a 69%. The PT said that was actually really good and that usually kids at this point are in the 50's or lower. We'll take it! Then her neonatologist said she was just a bit on the heavy side and that we needed to make some adjustments to her feedings. She said if she continues to gain weight at the rate she is, then she'll be too top heavy and will not be able to roll, sit, crawl, or any of that because she'll be too fat!! I was laughing so hard! However, this particular doctor is known for her diet plans with babies and although I highly respect her, I'm just fine with my chubby baby. Her pediatrician on Monday said she's just fine weight wise and that she can now start on cereal with a spoon! I have a feeling she's really gonna like that.

I can't believe she's 6 months already!

Oh, is Easter already over?

2009-05-03T12:03:00.000-07:00

On Easter Sunday we blessed baby Brynlee. My parents, Keith's parents, Miles, Tom and Ryan were all able to come be apart of her special day. Keith's blessing for Brynlee was so tender and so sweet. She's such a little miracle and we love her so much!

Here are the gents that stood in the circle.The whole gang
The Grandparents

Miles and Tom and the girls
My mom made that beautiful blanket for Brynlee. Thanks mom.

There are more pictures of Brynlee and Hannah to come. I still have to have Brynlee's photo shoot in her dress. So....just wait....

Happy Easter.

She slept through the night!

2009-04-22T15:24:00.001-07:00

My little miss Brynnie Lou slept through the night! She took her bottle at 9, we laid her down at 10 and she didn't wake up until 6am!! Granted that was only one night, but my sweet baby usually gives me between 5-7 hours every night. Oh, I just love her!!

Little Drummer Girl

2009-04-19T15:32:00.000-07:00

There's nothing like a little Rock Band before you go to bed. Hannah is now the official drummer in our band. She's got some mad skills! So sorry Julie and Ian, but you've been replaced!

Please don't mind her band hair...she just had a bath and that's the aftermath of dad's blow drying skills.

P.S. Do you see that little black dot in the upper left hand corner of the second picture? Well, that dot is on EVERY PICTURE THAT I TAKE!! It's driving me nuts!! I've cleaned all the lenses in every part of the camera I can get to without taking it apart. I don't know what it is! Please, anyone with any camera knowledge, if you have any idea what it might be or how I can get rid of it, I will love you forever!!

Zoo 4/11/09

2009-04-19T14:28:00.001-07:00

I'm telling you, I can't be without company! But they usually don't come for me, they come for my cute little girls. Grandpa and Grammy Bangart, Uncle Ryan, Grandpa and Grandma Anderson, and Uncle Miles and Tom came for Easter weekend and Brynlee's blessing. We had such a good time and the weather even cooperated on Saturday long enough to let us go to the zoo. The zoo here is definitely not the Phx Zoo (there wasn't even an elephant and their rhino just died), but overall it was such a great day. Hannah went all day without a nap and even at dinner afterwards, she behaved so well. Brynlee slept most of the day in her stoller. I could handle having 7 nannies for my children. I think Hannah could get used to it too!

Hannah would only go through the tunnel if Grammy went first, and hey, Grammy will stop at nothing to make sure that Hannah has a great time!

Here we go---lots of updates!

2009-04-16T12:28:00.000-07:00

I have some serious updating to do. So, sorry, but I'm starting all the way back in February!

I guess I have a hard time being alone, cause we had company again in February!! Grammy Karen, Aunt Julie and Isabella came to visit us. Isabella pretty much idolizes Hannah and had to be where ever she was. And Hannah did so well playing with Isabella and was so gentle with her! We did some shopping, playing and Keith and I even got to go out on a date for

Valentines Day...a couple days early...we didn't want to deal with the crowds. And as always, when everyone leaves, Hannah walks around like she's lost. We love having company!

Watching Baby Einstein (I'm usually totally opposed to Hannah watching Baby Einstein, but this one was a good one. Baby Di Vinci. She's always asking for the Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes song)

We got a PajamaGram from Grandpa for Valentines Day!! We love jammies!

Nightly bath buddies. Isabella was usually finished before Hannah, but Hannah would cry every time they took Isabella out of the bath! They had some fun together!

This look looks good on you, Julie!! Three little girls!!

Keeping up with tradition, Grammy got the girls matching dresses for pictures. Now why we keep torturing ourselves with such traditions is beyond me. The girls never cooperate, the pictures never turn out and by the time we are done, everyone is crying and we all look like we've wrestled with a bear.

Hannah: Where does this little person keep coming from?

Isabella: I so hungry!

Brynlee: What the?

H: Get it off of me!!

B: This is cozy!

I: Someone feed me!

H: What did I ever do to any of you!?

I: That baby looks tasty!

B: Who signed me up for this?

H: ALL DONE!

I: Let me at her!!

B: What the?

H: I'm outta here!

I: You think this is funny Mom? I'll show you funny!

B: Where'd I go?

Bed Buddies

2009-03-24T16:03:00.000-07:00

Kisses in the Bumbo

2009-03-18T11:47:00.000-07:00

Hannah loves giving Brynlee kisses

Hurricane Hannah

2009-03-10T14:50:00.000-07:00

HURRICANE HANNAH HAS STRUCK AGAIN!!

Somehow this little girl manages to DESTROY my house every single day!

ballerinas

2009-03-07T16:41:00.000-08:00

Ice Storm

2009-03-06T18:39:00.000-08:00

We had a terribly bad ice storm come through in February. I gotta tell you it was quite terrifying. The snow/ice and I don't get along very well. I'm a sun worshiper all the way. In our decision to move to Indiana, many people told us how "mild" the winters were. "We'll get an ice storm and the next day it will be melted! No big deal!" (you know who you are!!!) Well, melt the next day, my butt!! THOUSANDS of people lost their power for days, some even weeks. We were so completely fortunate, nay, BLESSED beyond belief that we didn't lose our power. The only set back we had was that our satalitte wasn't working for American Idol! I mean, come on!! No seriously, we were so blessed!

Here are some shots that Natalie took. There is a inch or more layer of ice on every single tree branch. Ice storms: Frightening? Yes. Beautiful? Absolutely! I just don't want any more!

4 Months Old!!!

2009-03-04T16:08:00.001-08:00

Brynlee is 4 months old today, and 6 weeks corrected/adjusted age, meaning she should actually only be 6 weeks old, doing things that a 6 week old would do. By the time she is 2 years old, she should be completely caught up. But I have a feeling that in the weight department she's gonna catch up in no time at all!!

This was her going home outfit which she out-grew within a week of being home. I couldn't even get it over her noggin!

I've often been referred to as THE DAIRY. I seriously could have fed 3 babies in the NICU. I'd pump about 6-8 ounces every time. I'd pump and bring my milk in until the staff had to tell me to hold off for a while because there wasn't any room in the freezer for anymore of my milk cups. The problem was, though, that there wasn't any room in our freezer either. When Brynlee came home, obviously, it was a lot better cause I was nursing her instead of pumping. But suddenly she became very uncomfortable and would arch her back like she was in awful pain after she ate. She tooted all the time, spit up like a champ and never slept at night. I changed my diet several times, but nothing seemed to help her. So finally one day, I decided to have Keith feed her while I pumped just to see how much I was getting. I barely pumped 3 ounces!!! Ticked! My poor baby was hungry and getting milk that didn't agree with her. Needless to say, we've switched to formula and she is doing so much better. She actually sleeps (sometimes) at night for a stretch of 4 hours, 5 if I'm lucky! So sadly, the dairy has shut down.

It's hard to believe that my little tiny peanut that weighed

2 lbs 6.6 oz, and was 14 inches long

is now...

9 pounds 7 ounces, and 21 inches!!!!

Her doctor was quite pleased and said that she's actually almost on the charts!!!

During her check-up, the doctor put her on her tummy to look at her head control, which has always been pretty good, and as she was semi holding herself up on her arms, probably by no choice of her own, she simply rolled over! She hasn't done it since and it was probably just a fluke, but I'll let you know in a few days cause we are working on it!

Live-in Nanny Needed

2009-03-01T13:09:00.000-08:00

Where do I begin?

I've been blessed with a lot in my life. A fantastic husband, healthy & beautiful children, my health, trials, a WONDERFUL family and so much more. And during Nov-Feb, I was blessed with the most perfect, most reliable, most fun live in Nanny ever!!!

The day I got put in the hospital and told that I would probably be there until the baby was born, whether that was the next day or in January when she was due, Keith and I talked about who we could have come help us. I know that any one of our family members would have been so willing to come out for about a week or so, having other obligations such as work and school to get back to. But the first name that popped into my mind was the one and only Nanny, NATALIE!!!

My sister, Natalie the Nanny, who I dearly despised growing up,

(she was the middle child, I was the youngest...it was bound to happen)

has truly grown to be one of my dear and best friends. Natalie so selflessly and willingly packed her and her little Tater Tot up and came to help us after we had baby Brynlee. Having her here allowed me the opportunity to go to the hospital any time I needed or wanted without having to send Hannah to a sitters or having to miss a day seeing Brynlee. She was our personal photographer for Brynlee's birth and got some of the most amazing photos. She and Tatem became best friends with Hannah and she taught Hannah so many new and fun things.

Hannah learned what it was going to be like having a little sister around, and Tatem didn't take any time at all letting her know that anything of Hannah's was now Tatems....just like little sisters like it!

And I can't say enough about Natalie without mentioning her fantastic husband,

IAN.

Also a selfless human being, allowed his family to be gone for 3 months.

Now, I've heard a lot of people say, "How could they do that? I could never be away from my family that long. Blah blah blah..." And to you people I say, you probably couldn't then. Though it was so hard for both of them, and thankfully Ian was able to come out for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, I will forever be indebted to their beautiful family for the incredible amounts of service they have given my family. Corny, I know, but these two truly live up their last name: SERVICE!

And this isn't the first time Natalie has come to our aid. When I was put on bed-rest with Isaac, she also came to help with Hannah and she was pregnant with Tatem. Once again, it happened to be over Christmas. Now I don't know if I can spend a Christmas without her. She was there for Hannah's final adoption hearing, Isaac's birth and Hannah's sealing. I swear this girl is my angel!

You are such a great mommy. Tatem is so lucky to have you be her mommy!

Nat, we seriously don't know what we would have done without you. Words cannot describe the amount of love we have for you and Ian. It takes such amazing people to be able to sacrifice themselves in such a huge way that you did to help us and you two are beyond amazing!

WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

I'm such a lucky girl to have you as my sister and as a best friend!

I hope my girls can have the same or better relationship that I have with my sisters

--all 7 of my sisters.

Thank you with all our hearts!!

Grandma Anderson

2009-02-15T14:35:00.000-08:00

Thank you SO MUCH, MOM, for coming and helping with the girls. Brynlee and Hannah love you so much and Hannah always asks us to sing the songs you taught her.

My mom got to come visit for 2 weeks. It was fun having her and Natalie here. I just wish all my family could be here at once...maybe not right away, but in a few months. Hannah was always entranced by Grandma when she sang songs.

Hannah never let grandma rest. She was busy from morning til night.

And of course, miss Brynlee adored grandma. How can you not?!

That's what cousins are for!

2009-02-15T13:05:00.000-08:00

Hannah loved having her cousin Tatem here for 3 whole months!

She always had a play buddy....

...someone to wrestle with...

...someone to mother...

...and someone to pamper her...

...someone to read to...

...someone to share her love of Elmo with...

...someone to be silly with...

...and someone to become great friends with!

Come back real soon Tatem!! We love you!

She's so beautiful!

2009-02-06T12:31:00.000-08:00

Hannah will stop at nothing to make sure little Tatem is purely entertained!

Back tracking!

2009-02-05T12:01:00.000-08:00

So, I never actually posted about our Christmas, which was quite enjoyable. Natalie and Tatem were still here, Miles and Tom came, and Ian was supposed to come Christmas eve, but he got stranded in Chicago.

Helpful hint: don't travel through Chicago on Christmas eve.

You're welcome.

Thankfully, Ian was able to make it Christmas morning around 10:30, so we held off opening gifts until he could be there too. But just to get a jump on things, Keith and I helped Hannah open some presents before we headed to the hospital to see Brynlee. And as a bonus, Santa was going to be at the hospital for the brothers and sisters of the babies in the NICU. Now, Hannah and Tatem had already gone to see Santa at the mall which was a traumatic experience for both of them, but we wanted to see if 3 days later they might change their minds about him.

NOPE!!!!

It didn't help that they chose Scary Santa either who had evidently just been out to smoke a pack!

We finally started opening gifts at 9:00pm.

I loved having my family here!
Tatem ate all the tags from off of the presents which made it interesting guessing who they belonged to.
Hannah had an ELMO themed Christmas.
She loves her new recliner that she sits in while she watches ELMO 10 times a day!
I love this picture of Nat and her troll

Miles and Tom had to leave on Saturday, but Ian got to stay over New Years.

For New Years, we tried our hardest to stay up playing Rock Band. Keith lasted until 11:15 before he called it quits. But as we were getting ready to go to bed, I went in to check on Hanny and good thing too, cause she had done some serious damage in her diaper. So, as the clock struck midnight for the new 2009 year, I was wiping poopy from my daughter's tushy.

Ahhhh, Happy New Year!

We kept our tree up until Brynlee came home on the 13th of January so we could get a fake Christmas morning picture! Happy Holidays (really late)!

Etiquitte Issues

2009-01-25T15:19:00.000-08:00

Meal times have become even more wonderful for Hannah ever since we got her a booster seat. I know she feels like such a big girl, sitting at the the big people's table. Big girl? Yes.

But a lady in the making?....not likely!!

"I'm much too busy to feed myself mother."

Manners may not be one of her better assets, but she sure makes up for it in cuteness!!

Sisters

2009-01-16T17:05:00.000-08:00

There's nothing better than sisters.

I love love love these two!

Bath time!

2009-01-14T14:04:00.000-08:00

I love babies and bath time. Hannah has loved bath time from day one and so far Brynlee is following in her footsteps. Thank goodness cause it just makes life so much easier!

So hungry

If I could speak for Bryn and her crazy eyes in this photo, she may just be wondering why in the world she's not being fed, but instead being subjected to never ending picture taking and once again into the arms of someone who may only give her a doozey of an eye poke.

But how can I resist a picture of these two?!!!

Look who's finally home!!!

2009-01-13T15:43:00.000-08:00

BRYNLEE IS HOME!!!

We've waited exactly 10 weeks for this day and are so relieved and excited that it has finally come. Bryn is 5 pounds and perfectly healthy. She was so blessed with such an uneventful stay at her resort/NICU.

Hannah was very excited to finally see Brynlee in person rather than just kiss her picture. She wanted to hold her immediately...

...and give her kisses....

Assuming the position. I foresee many of these naps happening!

Isaac

2009-01-05T23:01:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that it has already been a year since we had Isaac. It's amazing how much our family has been blessed because of him. We miss him desparately and can only wait for the day that we get to see him again.

We borrowed the tradition from a beautiful friend of ours to send a balloon into heaven on our baby's birthday.

Keith also picked up a birthday cake....

...and Hannah helped herself!

At first she was giving the cake kisses but soon realized it's deliciousness, bagged the kisses and went in for the goodness!!

It was a good day.

I love remembering Isaac and I love knowing that we get to be with him forever.

We are so blessed.

**Obviously Brynlee didn't get to come home today, but we are still hopeful that it will be sometime this week. Keep your fingers crossed!**

2008-12-28T22:07:00.000-08:00

Here's hoping everyone had a Merry Christmas!

We certainly did!

Miss Brynlee is now 4lbs 3.9oz.

She no longer requires an NG tube because she takes all of her feedings from a bottle or by breast feeding. She's still doing so well and I'm hoping and guessing that if she keeps behaving that she will be coming home next week!! Now, MOM, don't go spreading rumors that she's coming home next week! I'm simply guessing! Keith and I both say she'll come home on Isaac's birthday which is the 5th! I just want my baby girl home with us!!

It's an obsession

2008-12-23T07:24:00.001-08:00

She's just a tad obsessed

However, I think she gets this next obsession from me.

And why not?

Who doesn't love Wheel of Fortune?...and it looks like we have a new follower!

Where'd my baby go?

2008-12-17T12:15:00.000-08:00

My beautiful little girl is 19 months today.

Hannah is seriously the sweetest little girl. She LOVES giving kisses to everyone, to all the animals in her books, to her flashcards, to all her toys and dolls and especially to baby Brynlee's pictures. She has never been a big tv girl, but has recently discovered Elmo. Anytime we turn the tv on, she'll stop whatever she is doing and ask for "EH-MO" with a lot of enthusiasm. But once Elmo is gone, she's back to doing something else.

She LOVES music and dancing. If there's music on, she's shaking her body somehow whether it's the feet gently kicking while she's reading, or the full on shimmy that aunt Nat taught her. And if there's a moments pause before the next song comes on, she's instantly and vigorously shouting for MORE!

She seems to learn a new word everyday. She's very polite and says thank you, "teh-tu", whenever you give her anything or doing anything for her. I need to get a video of her saying all of her words and doing all her tricks. She's pretty entertaining!

Today, I asked her if she wanted some more food for lunch, to which her response was her typical grunt and "more". So I took her head in my hands and nodded her head for her while I said YES. I did this several times, trying to get her to actually say yes, but she wasn't very interested. Natalie and I continued our conversation, and a few minutes later, we looked over at Hannah and she had her hands on her head, trying to make herself nod! We were laughing so hard. And then later this evening, I was sitting on the couch with Hannah reading books and talking to Natalie, when in our conversation, I said, "uhh, yes please," and Hannah took her head and bent at the waist to say yes. After we laughed and made her do it another 50 times, she finally started saying yes, which is also quite humorous. So now, she's pretty much dancing, bending her knees up and down with her hands on her head, just to say a simple YES! She's crazy!

She can also be very fiesty and stubborn, which always keeps things interesting. Honestly, I kinda like her stubbornness. I may reget saying that in a few years, but it's only because her tantrums aren't frequent enough to drive me looney. She does know what she wants, when she wants it, no questions asked. But in the end, we can always expect the sweetest little "teh-tu" and a kiss. She makes it really hard to say no to!

I just can't get enough of this girl!!

Brynlee's 1st bottle!

2008-12-15T08:20:00.000-08:00

Sunday was such a great day!!

Not only did my sweet Hannah endure through nursery (see previous post), but miss Brynlee took her first bottle!! She was so cute! And, of course like the true Bangart/Anderson that she is, she took it like a CHAMP!! She DOWNED her full ounce like it was nothing and still kept going. Plus, she didn't let a single drop drip from her mouth.

She is either a dainty little girl or she ain't wasting a morsel!!! I think Hannah must have given her a good pep-talk on eating while she was still in the womb!

I kept watching her monitors and kept getting told by Keith and the nurses to watch her instead. She did so well at keeping her sats up. She did start falling asleep. Eating is hard work!! We had to unbundle her and take her cap off to keep her awake. But by the time she finished, she was OUT, but not before she had a poopy first!

I love those big bug eyes!

"I am so full!!"

This pic was taken before her bath and feeding. She has only been laying on the right side of her head, looking out into the room and now her head is flat! The nurse put this panel in her isolette, the other side is a mirror, and she finally locked onto it like it was the most amazing thing ever! Hopefully now her head will re-shape itself!

AND...for a fun little fact:

both of my girls took their first bottle at the age of 5 weeks!

Hannah on 6/20/07

Brynlee on 12/14/08

Our 3 Pound Turkey!

2008-12-14T13:29:00.001-08:00

Brynlee reached 3 pounds on Dec. 5th!! And as of Saturday night she weighed 3lbs 7.7oz! She went up to 30 cc's or 1 ounce of milk every 3 hours! She has also graduated to the front and final room of the NICU which means all she needs to do now is gain weight, move from her isolette into an open crib and bottle/breast feed. They said that within the next few days they will start trying to bottle feed her!

She's seriously just cruisin' through this NICU/preemie business!

I still can't believe how small she is even though I'm somewhat getting used to her size. I held a baby in church today and she seemed so big even though she's only a month old!

Grandpa and Grandma Bangart got to come and visit us. Karen got to stay for the whole week and Dan came for the weekend! We have had so much fun and have gotten a TON of stuff done around the house. Thank you both so much for all of your help!

"this is my grampy..."

"have you seen this trick Grammy?"

And there's Miss Hannah.....who only poses for the camera these days if she's got a wrapper or food on her head. Otherwise, she refuses to look at the camera!

(Mmmmm....peppermint Ghirardelli chocolate squares...I think I'll go have one right now!)

And in other fantastic news, Hannah made it through nursery today!!!

Well, I'm not saying she was too happy about it the whole time, but she came out with a picture she had colored and a Christmas bell around her neck, and we all know how much this girl loves her necklaces!!! Hooray for Hannah and hooray for mommy and daddy!!! I might actually get to pay attention during our classes....but probably not!

She has loved having Grammy and Grandpa here. We are all going to miss you guys!!

Turkey and Rock Band!

2008-12-10T23:05:00.000-08:00

Miles, Tom and Ian came the week before Thanksgiving to celebrate PRE-THANKSGIVING!! We had so much fun. Well, I did...I can't really speak for them. I love having my family here. Miles and Natalie helped with Brynlee's nursery, which I might add looks SO beautiful (it's not quite finished, so those pictures will come later). We worked on the nursery, relaxed and of course played ROCK BAND! Newbies Miles and Tom certainly thought they were hot stuff!

Hannah LOVES watching us play Rock Band. She had to be snuggled up real close to whoever was playing the drums and everytime a song would end, she'd ask for more in that sweet little voice of hers! She's the cutest!

Tatem with her daddy/clone

Hannah found some new suckers to read to her! You can become instant friends with Hannah by reading a book with her, or feeding her, which ever is more convenient.

Uhhh...could someone please get my daughter a comb!!

Our pre-Thanksgiving feast!! It was so delicious!

And the best part?...I didn't really have to do anything!!

(Again, someone find Hannah a comb!!)

Uncle Miles and Brynlee. Uncle Ian and Tom also got to see her, but I guess no pics were taken.

Thanks for a fantastic holiday! I can't wait to see you all again for Christmas!!!

Thanksgiving

2008-12-05T19:25:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was great for us. We visited baby Brynlee in the morning and then went over to our friends house for a fantastic feast!

So here's our hopeless attempt at a family picture on Thanksgiving.

Hannah was not in the picture taking mood. And actually, neither was Keith.

Honestly and sadly, this is the best we ended up with.

A couple days later I finally got to do kangaroo care with Brynlee.

--Kangaroo care seeks to provide restored closeness of the newborn with mother and/or father by placing the infant in direct skin-to-skin contact with one of them. This ensures physiological and psychological warmth and bonding. The kangaroo position provides ready access to nourishment. The mother's body responds to the needs of the infant directly, helping regulate temperature more smoothly than an incubator, her milk adjusts to the nutritional and immunological needs of her fragile infant, and the baby sleeps more soundly. --

I loved it! And she seemed to be pretty cozy!

Little Brynlee

2008-11-30T21:38:00.000-08:00

Weighing in at a whopping 2 lbs 12.9 oz!

And just as pretty as can be!!

Poor Hannie

2008-11-30T21:25:00.000-08:00

My poor little Hannah is sick. She's wiped her own boogers all over her cheeks so much and we've wiped her nose so much that her face is chapped. I feel so bad for her...

...but she still can manage to show her "happy" face.Ok, so maybe her happy face needs some work.

STATS

2008-11-25T09:50:00.000-08:00

Hannah at 18 months old:

28 pounds

33 inches long

Brynlee at 3 weeks old

2 pounds 9.6 ounces

14 7/8 inches long

...and with just a glimmer of happiness, Keith and I are both in our "pre-Isaac" pants!

Granted I only fit in maybe 2 pairs of the many of them, but hey, I'll TAKE IT!!!

BRING ON THANKSGIVING DINNER!

I just love these girls!

2008-11-18T22:20:00.000-08:00

Hannah is 18 months old!!!

She's gone to nursery for the last 2 Sunday's and she lasts about 10 minutes before we hear her crying from the Sunday School classroom. It may take a while for her to get used to it, but I'm determined to make it happen!!

Here's Miss Hannah enjoying some yummy chinese food! This girl loves all types of food! And what's so great is that she lets you know how much she enjoys every bite with a big, sweaky "MMMMMMMM" and a smile!

Grammy came to visit and got Hannah a new horse! Let me tell you, this girl can ride!

One of Brynlee's nurses gave Hannah a diaper of Brynlee's and a bottle for her to take home for her baby dolls. Now Hannah loves to feed her baby.

"some for the baby..."

"and some for me..."

Brynlee is 2 weeks old!!

So much has happened! So here's a quick run down on the last week of Brynlee's progress.

They never had to start a PICC line because she was taking all of her feedings so well and she is now up to 20 cc's every 3 hours! She no longer has an IV because she is getting all of her nutrition through my milk. They do add human fortifiers to each feeding just to help fatten her up! On Wednesday the 12th, she graduated to an isolette. When we went to visit her on Thursday, she had graduated to the next room, which means she's stable and no longer considered critical! She's goes up and down with her weight, but over the last 3 days, she has consistantly been gaining weight and as of Tuesday night she weighed 2lbs 6.4oz! She's quite the pooper and has even pooped on daddy! We've been able to help change her diapers and bathe her. On Monday, they took her off of her nasal canula and she's been doing fine on her own. She has times where her SATS fall, but nothing to where they feel the need to put the canula back on her because she usually will get her numbers back up pretty quickly. So now all she's hooked up to is the OG tube in her mouth and monitors! No other assistance needed!

Her first day in the isolette

Her nurses say she is such a peaceful sleeper.

No more nasal canula!

Little Miss Bright Eyes!!

Dogs for Sale...no, I'm totally serious!

2008-11-12T19:49:00.000-08:00

I need to find a new, loving home for my 2 yorkies. Between my trips to the hospital, being a mommy and preparing to bring Bynlee home, I am having a hard time providing them with the attention that they deserve. Now, despite my intolerance of them during my pregnancy, they are good dogs. They are both house trained, sleep in a kennel at night, get along with kids, and love to cuddle. They are both full bred Yorkshire Terriers and I have pedigree charts for each of them. They are 3 years old.

If anyone knows of ANYONE, ANYWHERE that could provide a great home for these two, please send them our way. They need a home where they would get lots of attention, walks and love. I would LOVE if they could go to the same home, but I know that that may be hard.

My email is lindsaybangart@gmail.com. Email me for more information and price.

Monty (male)
Maddie (female)

One week old

2008-11-11T20:45:00.000-08:00

WE GOT TO HOLD HER!!!

She LOVES her daddy. She totally responses to Keith's voice and loves to hold on to his finger. I got to hold her Monday night when Natalie and I went to see her and she cried so hard which was pretty darn cute. But as you can see, she's pretty content with daddy.

I know she can't see much of anything, but when I was holding her on Tuesday, she was looking right at me. Keith came and stood over my shoulder, called her name and she moved those beautiful blue eyes from me right to him like it was no big deal. I guess she's just advanced for her days! :)

We heard her sneeze today for the first time, three little sneezes. So cute! I also got to change her tiny little diaper. She's quite the pee machine.

Now if she would just poop.

They tried to get a PICC line in her arm today but weren't successful. I think they may try to find some place in her scalp to put it. We could have matching scars cause I also had a PICC line in my scalp when I was a baby.

She still hasn't needed any oxygen and she loves when she gets to sleep on her tummy.

She dropped to 2lbs 1.4oz on Monday, but gained again to 2lbs 1.9oz on Tuesday!

They increased her feedings from 5 cc's every 3 hours to 8 cc's.

Fatten on up, Miss Brynlee!

Brynlee update

2008-11-08T09:02:00.001-08:00

Brynlee is still doing very well. They started feeding her my breastmilk thru an orogastric or OG tube in her mouth on Friday. She has been losing weight everyday which I know is typical, but when I called to check on her late Sunday night, her nurse told me she had gained!! She went down to 2lbs 1.9 oz and tonight she was 2lbs 2.7oz! She's up to 5 ml feedings every 4 hours and tolerates them perfectly!

On Thursday, they tried to switch her from the CPAP to a nasal canula with a little bit of oxygen. She didn't tolerate it too well and her oxygen level kept dropping. They replaced the CPAP without oxygen and she does just fine. She just needs that extra bit of pressure to help her breathe. She was pretty jaudice so she had been sun bathing in her bed, but by Sunday she was already better and without the light. She was really bruised from playing peek-a-boo during her delivery and that has gotten so much better too. Her head has also taken on a normal shape (thank goodness!).

She tends to be a little fiesty thing, (I wonder where she gets it), and so she has an itty bitty pacifier that we dip into some sugar water to give her a taste. She loves the binky and latches right on to it. Her tiny little cry is getting stronger and is the sweetest little sound ever! We still haven't been able to hold her, but we can kiss her and touch her all we want. She's such a sweetie and is definitely a tough cookie. Everyone's prayers are being answered and we THANK EVERYONE SO MUCH for their prayers. She still needs them!

The nurse let her take a very quick break from all the equipment so that I could actually see her face!

Hooked back up and loving life with her binki!

Like Mother, Like Daughter

2008-11-06T20:51:00.000-08:00

Need I say more?...

November 2006

November 2008

Uhhh...Brynlee...you maybe could've tried a more flattering way to be just like mommy!

I love you baby girl!

Determined

2008-11-05T21:44:00.000-08:00

Hannah has decided that her new goal is to climb the stairs from the other side.

By the way,

she loves being a big sister. We used to ask her where baby Brynlee was and she would give my belly a nice smack. Now with pictures of Brynlee, she'll give the picture kisses when we ask where she is. I know she doesn't quite understand yet, especially since she won't be able to actually see Brynlee for a while, but she's definitey in the running for

'BEST BIG SISTER '08'.

(All other candiates for 'best big sister '08 can send in their resumes but shouldn't get their hopes up.)

2008-11-05T21:36:00.000-08:00

"One, two, three, four. I declare a thumb war....

...beat ya, daddy!"

Brynlee's 2nd Day

2008-11-05T12:46:00.001-08:00

Brynlee has been doing very well. She has been doing so well with her breathing that she had the breathing tube removed today at noon. This means she is breathing on her own. All the tests that have been done so far have been perfect.

She is now on a CPAP machine which forces air down into her lungs. CPAP is the same thing that people with sleep apnea wear at night and Lindsay wore after her last heart surgery. She will probably have this taken off tomorrow and just wear a simple nasal canula. Thank you again for all your prayers. Keep them coming!

Brynlee is handling her time with the CPAP much better than Lindsay did when she wore hers! She will actually leave it on.

Brynlee Louise Bangart

2008-11-04T08:38:00.000-08:00

Our little girl arrived at 6:41 a.m. She weighed in at 2 lbs. 6.6 oz. and measured 14 3/4 inches long. She has dark hair and blue eyes. It was a long night, but Lindsay is grateful for the epidural. She agrees with all you fellow magnesium sulfate recipients that the medicine is awful stuff. Brynlee is doing well. She is currently in NICU, intubated and on a ventilator, but does not need oxygen. She is breathing fine on room air. Thank you for all your prayers. They were definitely felt as we were waiting (with some anxiety) for Brynlee to come.

Lindsay after the epidural

Humungo Contraction

Once again, thank goodness for epidurals!

I am handling this labor business pretty well if I do say so myself.

Brynlee Louise Bangart at 6:41 a.m.

We love her so much. She is one tough little girl.

November 3, 2008

2008-11-03T14:31:00.000-08:00

This is an update from Keith

This is my first official blog entry so forgive me for my lack of making the blog look as nice as Lindsay does.

Lindsay dialated to a 3 this morning and is now having real, painful contractions. They have started her on a magnesium sulfate continous IV infusion to try to calm the contractions. The medicine has slowed the contractions down, but it is making Lindsay sick. She is a trooper though. Way tougher than I am. Baby Brynlee is doing well. She continues to run laps inside Lindsay :).

Please keep Lindsay and the Baby Brynlee in your prayers.

2008-10-31T19:39:00.001-07:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN...

from HANNAH the MOUSE

and MYLEE the KITTY

I'm gonna go ahead and say she was a little hot. Holy sweaty head!

P.S. A little update...the doctor put me back in the hospital until Monday at least. She's very nervous that my water is going to break. I feel totally fine, baby girl is doing totally fine and is VERY active, so we just want to keep her in until she's good and ready. I don't know what's so bad about my uterus that my children just don't want to stay in there like they're supposed to!! Honestly!!

Me and my Grandpa - by Hannah J. Bangart

2008-10-29T11:20:00.000-07:00

My trip to Arizona was so much fun!! I got to play with so many people, and got to spend a lot of great time with my GRANDPA!!...or "Gra" as I like to call him!

We went to Mexico and played on the beach, chased birds and soaked up the rays!

Sometimes in the morning before he left for work, he would come get me out of bed so that mommy could sleep just a little bit longer. We'd read books together in his and Grammy's bed!

He took me on all sorts of different rides...

He gave me my first bite of SHRIMP and I LOVED it!!

And every night after my bath, he would blow dry my hair into the most...uhhh...beautiful styles.

I had so much fun with my buddy!

I LOVE YOU GRANDPA!!!