Happy Birthday, Camryn!

Today is Camryn Karen Taylor's 3rd birthday! She's the troublemaker on the left. I wish we could be there to celebrate with this little Golden Child, but reunions shall have to wait until October.

Camryn, the humans, canines, and assorted fowl from this household wish you a very happy birthday!

Updates

Violet has had a few "firsts" this past week. On June 7th, she giggled when I tickled her. It is so fun hearing these first real laughs of hers! And the next night she held up a bottle all on her own! She isn't super steady with it yet, but I was just impressed she could hold it.

She is also getting quite adept at grabbing onto things and manipulating them. It's pretty darn cute.

On the 9th, I ventured downtown with her to run some errands. I had to provide my work with a copy of her birth certificate, which meant I had to go to South Sac and get a copy of her birth certificate, in person. Everyone at work just loved her, of course, and it was so great to see everyone again. Even though it has only been 3.5 months, I feel like working full-time was another lifetime. It was pretty surreal going back in.

Afterward, I headed over to a co-worker's house. She is also on maternity leave and had her little boy 6 weeks after Violet was born. They sure had fun together, and immediately grabbed each other's hands when we put them next to each other:

Beau is 6 weeks younger but 3 lbs. heavier. I worry about Violet being too thin and Shannon worries about Beau being too chubby. I guess mothers always worry!

On the 10th, Violet sucked her thumb for the very fist time (as opposed to shoving her whole fist in her mouth). Today she even amazed us all by sucking BOTH thumbs at once!

And for the most amazing feat, Violet ROLLED OVER from her back to her tummy today while at Grandma's house! What a star! I will try to grab pictures of her next time she does it.

The Apple of My Eye

Every day, I feel like I love Violet with every cell in my body and couldn't possibly love her any more than I already do.

And yet the next day, I find that I love her even more.


I am so thrilled and grateful to be the mother of such a precious little girl.

And feel humbled that Heavenly Father has entrusted to me the care of one of his beloved children.

I hope and pray that I can be worthy of such trust and try to better myself each day so that Violet has the mother she deserves.

New Additions!

Two weeks ago, we brought home a couple of chickens to join the Bragonje homestead. They are named Pepper (pictured below) and Daisy:

They sure are cute! The follow us around in the yard and even come clucking up to the back door. They are super soft, very sociable, and generally delightful. During the day, they hang out in the old dog house that was here when we bought the house, under the trees, on the retaining wall, or under the quail hutch. They spend their nights in a chicken coop Michael built from scrap lumber and parts we had from our many construction projects. Way to go Michael!

The dogs haven't quite adjusted to them yet, but I'm sure they'll come around.

Bring home the chickens got me thinking about all of the animals Michael and I have owned since getting married in August 2008:

Names: Nicodemus (Nick) and Maximilian (Max)
Species: Hooded rats
Origins: Joined us shortly after we were married. We really wanted pets, and they were all we could have in the place we were living at the time.
Status: Died December 2009 and February 2010.
Cause of Death: We suspect it was some tainted food we had fed them. R.I.P.

Name: Penelope
Species: Black lab/border collie
Origins: Joined our family October 10, 2009 as an 8-week-old rescue puppy. We closed on our house on the 9th, and we just couldn't wait to get a dog.
Status: Living

Name: Phoebe
Species: Black lab/shepherd
Origins: Joined our family April 24, 2010 as a 10-week-old rescue puppy. I was at the Loomis Earth Day celebration on my way home when I saw the rescue group setting up. Who could pass up an adorable black lab puppy?
Status: Living

Names: n/a
Species: Long-haired cats
Origins: Penelope found a litter of 2-week-old kittens in the bushes at my parents' house. The were these adorable little black balls of fur.We brought them home and managed to trap the mother the next day.
Status: Adopted. We kept them in our bathroom for a couple of weeks or so before finding a shelter that would adopt them out. We just didn't have time or space for 7 cats and 2 dogs.

Names: n/a
Species: Japanese quail
Origins: They joined us August 2010 (an acquisition from some local Russians)
Status: Of the original 4 females and 2 males, 2 females and 1 male are currently living. With the warm weather, they have started laying eggs again!
Cause of Death: 1) Natural causes, 2) Phoebe mistaking one for a chew toy after it escaped the hutch, and 3) pecked to death*. R.I.P.

*Poultry, in general, can be pretty violent. You want to be careful about introducing new birds to an existing flock, and if any birds have wounds, the other birds can go kind of crazy on them.

Names: Pepper and Daisy
Species: Silky/frizzle hens
Origins: Joined out happy home on Sunday, May 29, 2011. A woman in Lincoln was moving and couldn't take these beauties with her, so she gave them away, free to a good home.
Status: Living.

There you have it folks. In our next house, we hope to add sheep or goats to the list, and maybe a couple of cats. And rabbits would be fun. Oh, and how about...

Someone's listening...

I just have to say that prayers ARE answered.

Two experiences:

1) A few days ago, I wanted take pictures for some far-away aunts and grandparents. Unfortunately, my camera battery was dead, so I plugged it in to recharge it. Well, I remembered taking the battery out of the charger but could not find it anywhere. And I looked. Everywhere. I felt like I was losing my mind. Finally, I said a desperate prayer that I would find the battery (as much for the sake of my sanity as for the battery itself). Not a minute passed before the thought popped into my head, "Weren't you wearing your robe when you took the battery out of the charger?" Sure enough, I went to my closet, felt in my robe pocket, and presto chango--there was the missing battery.

2) Today, I remarked to Michael how it would be nice if Violet would nap for even just 45 minutes. I could get SO much done in 45 minutes! Well, today Violet fell asleep in my arms, I transferred her to Michael's, and she slept almost precisely 45 minutes (during which I cleaned and finished a frame refurbishing and picture hanging project I have been itching to do).

Are either of these experiences earth-shattering or life-changing? Nope. But they definitely re-affirmed that someone IS listening and He cares about the small stuff, too.

Mama's girl

Michael joked while I was pregnant that Violet was already a daddy's girl. I went along with the joke, secretly jealous and fearing it was true, and just hoped Violet would save a little love for her mama.

Well, as any mother could tell you, I need not have feared. At least for the time being, Violet is totally a mama's girl. That child NEEDS to be near me or attached to me AT ALL TIMES (my mom says it's because she wants to be near the food source). She doesn't sleep during the day unless I am nursing her or have finished nursing her but am still holding her. Daddy* will not do, I'm afraid, and forget trying to put her in her crib.

Don't get me wrong--I LOVE my daughter and cherish the time I get to be home with her. However, I wouldn't mind if she would be content to at least spend a little of her unconscious time in arms other than my own. So that I don't have to type these blog posts one-handed.

*Violet loves her daddy, of course. Any pictures of her smiling are her smiling at Michael. She just really, really loves her mother's arms. And boobs.

Sunday best!