A Star in the Making

Daddy and Bryn went on an outing to the mall last weekend while Mommy was getting her hair cut. This video, shot during their trip, marks Bryn's debut into the acting world. I'm sure it will receive an Oscar nod.

6 Months

Bryn turned six months a couple of weeks ago. We have now moved into the realm of solid food, toes in the mouth and a less than healthy obsession with remote controls.

Among Bryn's favorite things to do are chasing the rubber ducks around the tub, screaming during church services for no apparent reason (then laughing), blowing bubbles and spitting out green vegetables. Here are some pictures of our soon-to-be mobile girl.

Mmmm, those pages look delicious Daddy

Drooling and Jumperoo, Bryn's two favorite things

Bryn sporting her "Bloomer Beret" (courtesy of Daddy)

Bumbo and Daddy

Here are some recent pictures of Bryn in her Bumbo and with her Dad.

Bryn's Meets GG

When I was a little girl, my great grandmother was #1 in my book. I spent hours with her drinking peppermint tea and listening to her stories about traveling west in a covered wagon. I loved my GG and looked forward to the day that I would eventually introduce my daughter to her great grandmother, GG's daughter, an equally as wonderful woman.

Well, that moment came a couple of weeks ago when JC, Bryn and I traveled to Vermont. The entire Jones clan was there to spend the weekend with Bryn. I don't think that I held her for more than 10 minutes at a time all weekend. Even Monnie the dog joined in the the fun. She adopted Bryn as her very own and spent the weekend guarding her and licking her clean/dirty.

Mother's Day and The Blessed Event

Both JC and my mom will tell you that my birthday is a sacred annual event. As a Christmas baby, my mom always made me feel like my birthday was really special, not just an extension of Jesus' birthday celebration. And JC has followed suit (after some belly aching on my part). He always makes sure to purchase birthday wrapping paper for my gifts and sometimes family members are required to wear special outfits.

Having just experienced my first Mother's Day, though, I might have a new favorite day! Not only does JC have to treat me like a queen, but eventually, my future snot-nosed kids will have to as well.

This Mother's Day was especially wonderful, because we blessed Bryn. Nana, Aunt Michelle, Aunt Nikki, Ryland and Jon all came to DC for the blessed event. For those not familiar with a baby blessing, here is the abridged version:

The LDS church does not baptize infants; instead, mormons "bless" their babies. It is a ceremony where a priesthood holder (usually the father of the child) will officially give the name of the baby and bless him or her with wonderful things. After this blessing, the baby officially goes on the records of the church.

Here are some pictures from the weekend. It was so much fun and we're looking forward to seeing Nana and the rest of the gang in San Diego in a few short weeks!

Playtime with Daddy

It is beyond comprehension. I spend almost every minute of every day with my sweet little girl. I feed her, I tickle her, I read to her and I shower her with a ridiculous amount of kisses. I'm the person who lovingly cleans the earwax out of her ears and the boogers out of her nose.

Why is it then that every time Daddy walks through the door, Bryn's face just glows! She cracks a huge grin (sometimes even an audible laugh) and looks at him as if to say, "Daddy, I'm so happy you're home. This wicked witch has been torturing me all day. Don't ever leave me again."

I'm certainly in trouble ... because Daddy is starting to like her as much as she likes him.

Bryn and Daddy enjoying some Chopin together

Beefing up on baseball highlights

Perusing Politico and Drudge

A Week of Firsts

It was a week of "firsts" for Ms. Bryn; first Easter, first baseball game, first time sleeping through the night and most importantly, first Red Sox win against the Yankees! We'll recount them in order of importance to her mommy.

First Red Sox Win Against the Yankees!

Bryn awoke early Monday morning to good news ... the Red Sox had won their first game against the Evil Empire, the Yankees. While she hasn't yet pledged her allegiance to any one team, she tells us that both the Padres and the Red Sox are in the running. Uncle Matt and Grandpa Steve are lobbying hard on behalf of the Sox and she does look really good in red.

First time sleeping through the night ...

Yep, it's true! Our 8 week old girl is sleeping through the night! I awoke on Tuesday morning feeling very well rested and ran into Bryn's room to make sure our little one was still alive. And there she was ... sound asleep in her crib. With one exception, she's continued to sleep through the night this entire week. Bliss.

First baseball game

Bryn enjoyed her first baseball game at Nationals Park this week. The Red Sox played only one game in Washington this year and we were there to witness the win. Bryn slept through most of it but she cracked a sleepy little grin as Kevin Youkilis hit a home run in the first inning.

First Easter

And last, but not least, Bryn's celebrated her first Easter. Gifts from Nana and Lee Lee, an Easter basket, a visit from Uncle Matt and a new dress from her Daddy made it a special event. We celebrated with the Sandgren and Brady families and had a wonderful day!

Bryn's First Week

It is hard to believe that a week has passed since Bryn was born. What an eventful week it was! Lee Lee and Grandpa Steve came for a visit, a huge snowstorm dumped about 2 feet of snow in DC and JC and I found joy in analyzing poop.

Bryn is such a sweet baby. She is a great eater and a good sleeper. We've heard that the first week is the honeymoon period, but I can't believe that our little lady would ever be one of those cranky, fussy babies. Famous last words ...

Here are a few more pictures of our girl.

Bryn Taylor Sandberg

Bryn Taylor Sandberg arrived on February 2, 2010, at 11:48 PM. A petite girl, she weighed 8 lbs, 8 oz. and measured 21.25 inches long at birth. Mom and baby are doing well, and we hope to bring them home tomorrow. Lauren was a true warrior, successfully navigating a very long, difficult labor while avoiding a C-section.

More later, but many have asked for pictures so I am posting a few tonight.

Many thanks to all for their kind wishes, prayers, and offers of help.

Who knew these babies came without instructions?

Arriving at the hospital at 1 AM on February 2nd.

Between contractions waiting for epidural at 4 PM on February 2nd.

The morning after.

The finished product (or fruit of Lauren's labor).

Christmas in Yuma, Birthday at Disneyland

The Sandberg Family spent Christmas in Yuma this year. Yuma was in the midst of a bit of a cold spell, but 60 degrees felt a whole lot better than the 20 degrees it was in Washington!

Highlights of the week included a trip to Chili Pepper, setting up luminaries, a tearful Christmas morning scavenger hunt and a trip to Disneyland!

Nana treated all of us kids, young and old, to a post-Christmas trip to the Magic Kingdom! We all had a great time meeting the characters and riding the rides. We even got to see Disney's newest Princess! Alexis loves her some princess, so she was pretty psyched. Baby Sandberg enjoyed her first trip to the park, especially since Mommy stayed off from the rollarcoasters. Daddy rode enough for the both of them though!

Can't wait to meet this little one in a week!

This montage of photos truly captures the essence of our trip.

As does this one. Alexis was fascinated by my belly, especially my belly button. "When the baby gonna come out?" she'd ask.

Three Weeks and Counting!

I'm working to get Christmas photos up on the blog, but JC and I are still trying to figure out our new camera. So, in the meantime, I thought I would share pictures from my fabulous baby shower this weekend!

Friends Teri, Carrie and Heidi threw an amazing party to celebrate the impending arrival of our little one. I was so overwhelmed by the efforts they undertook to make this a such special day for me; one that I will never forget.

It would be hard to express how much JC and I appreciate the love, support and excitement we have received from our friends and family during this special time. We feel so lucky to have such kind and thoughtful people in our lives and are happy that our daughter will be surrounded by such wonderful influences.