P-A-D: Day 23, My Two Grandmas

On Sunday May 5 we finally took a trip back to Port Orchard. It was a short trip, but Kailea needed to spend some time with her grandparents! Kailea didn't seem to notice getting a quick lick from doggy Alexa, but she did spend plenty of time gazing up at her Grandma Duarte. She also had her third ride in her stroller, but she slept through that entirely. Fresh air is exhausting!

P-A-D: Day 22, 6 lbs. 13.5 oz.

What a day! On Friday May 4 our girl beat all expectations for her 3-week weigh-in: at 6 pounds, 13.5 oz, she gained 12 ounces in 1 week. Almost twice the gain we were aiming for! Her pediatrician declared her officially, perfectly "normal". Woo-hoo!

Then that afternoon we spent a few hours with Aunt Heidi and Cousin J.R. So many visitors this week!

P-A-D: Day 21, Picture Day!

Yesterday was picture day! Kailea's Aunt Heidi and Grandma Cairns chipped in together to gift us with a photoshoot from Heather Puett Photography, so our keiki got all gussied up. She responded really well to Heather, and eventually managed to fall asleep to allow for some of the more creative poses, so I think it definitely went well. I can't wait to see the pictures!

No seriously, I couldn't wait: I had to show off the cute outfit we bought for just this occasion. There are better pictures of the outfit, but this is the sweetest picture of my precious girl that I've managed to capture so far. She can make a heathen like myself believe in angels.

P-A-D: Day 20, Pile on Daddy!

On May 2nd, I was feeling stumped about how to photograph our girl. She was really cranky when she was awake, and definitely not up for any wardrobe changes. It was the day of her first bath, but we were so nervous and she was so upset, there was no time for pictures. I was losing hope, afraid I would have to resort to yet another photo of her zonked out in her bouncer, when Eric called to me quietly, "Get the camera."

Daddy meant to use the pillow in his lap for little baby Kailea, but our cat Nikka had other plans.

P-A-D: Day 19, Lei Day

Did you know that May Day is Lei Day in Hawaii? As a child, I remember making leis the night before that would be taken to school, flown over to Oahu, and then placed on the graves of fallen soldiers at Punchbowl (The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific). There was always an unofficial competition between classmates to see who would make the most leis, but one was usually enough for me. I always used white plumerias, my favorite Hawaiian flower. Even as a kid, I understood the sacredness of giving and receiving of a lei, so as an adult I have made a few for very special occasions. When my mother placed the lei around my neck on my wedding day, I cried.

I honored this tradition by making a tiny (too tiny I would find) lei for my little girl. I used the plastic flowers that decorated a bouquet of washcloths given to us at the hospital by my Sister-in-Law Heidi to celebrate Kailea's birth. I was really tempted to go outside and pick some real ones, but didn't want to deal with the milk that gets all over your hands when you work with fresh flowers. Plus, I can keep this little lei as a souvenir of my girl's very first Lei Day.

P-A-D: Day 18, Tulip Festival

Day 18, April 30: It was 2:05pm on a Monday when I had the grand idea that we should brave the blustery, occasionally rainy weather to head out to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival to see a little color. We arrived at Tulip Town shortly before 4pm. We had an hour to visit the tulips. And the muddy, muddy fields they lived in. Yikes! The stroller will never be the same.

It would have been nice to get some pictures of the girl outside with actual live, growing tulips, but it was rather chilly and we knew once we lifted her out of the stroller, there would be no getting her peacefully back in. Plus, all that mud made everything very slippery, and I wasn't about to risk falling flat on my face with my precious little Kailea in my arms! We had to settle for some indoor pictures with arranged flowers. Oh well!

P-A-D: Day 17, A Glooming of Eeyores

On April 29, Day 17 of my Photo-A-Day Challenge, I introduced my girl to Eeyore. Actually, a whole bunch of Eeyores. I have officially decided that a group of Eeyores shall now be known as a "glooming".