Christmas at the Leivestad's

A few hours after M and C were released from the hospital, we headed over to G&P's house for an early Christmas celebration. Don't I have a lovely family?All of us!!
The four of us went back over Christmas Eve again after the church service. G made it pretty funny for everyone to find their presents.

Here's my D trying to find his, in peanut butter and a diaper!!

Uncle B with part of his white elephant present. Somehow M's camera got B mid-wave and made it look like he's missing his forearm.

Best Christmas present ever!!!

M decided that this morning she was given the best Christmas present ever!!!! It started with a wonderful night's sleep---hey for a 6-day old to have TWO 3 1/2 hour stretches of sleep (so almost four hours between feedings!!) back to back --that is a wonderful night of sleep!!!!! Then I woke up just as M&D put C down for the 2nd time (about 5 am) and I crawled into bed with them and promptly fell right back asleep.

As M laid there trying to get back to sleep she thought about the fact that her whole family was all in one room, sleeping soundly. What could be better than that?? Then when everyone woke up (about 7:15), we stayed in bed and watched 2 Christmas specials--How the Grinch Stole Christmas & Merry Madagascar.

What a wonderful way to start Christmas Eve!!! I hope everyone has just a good of Christmas as M already has had!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Carrie Sophia

M when she came home from work to have C. Really, M is in labor. Very painful labor actually, since nothing could be given to her until the OR room was ready for surgery. (about 2 hours after making it to the hospital, already dilated to a 5).

Cutting the umblicial cord.

M's first look at Baby C.

Getting all the vitals, being admired by D.

In the room.

Here's a picture of me admiring my new baby sister.

M and her Santa girls.

C with her eyes open.

M and her girls.

C and me.

D and his girls; with me reading to D and C.

Baby Sister

Baby Sister arrived a little earlier than expected. D made fun that since M is a runner her little girls had to come out running. In other words, M had to leave work early Thursday since labor started and Baby Sister was born that afternoon. Here's her stats and background behind her name(since it is special like mine)! In case you forgot I am named after the first 3 letters of D's name & M's middle name and my middle name is after 2 great-grandma's middle names.

Carrie Sophia--after P's favorite aunt and middle name after a great-grandma's middle name.

born: Thursday, December 17, 2009 at 4:13 pm

size: 8 lbs, 20 1/2 inches long.

Christmas Program

Today was our SS Christmas program. I dressed as an angel, but I didn't really participate. I was upset that my cousin got to sit up in "my" chair (a chair borrowed from the nursery) next to Baby Jesus (my baby doll). While we practiced M put another chair up front so I could sit next to Jesus also, but during the program when the choir came up front to sing, I couldn't see anybody, much less M and I wasn't too happy about that either. So I spent the rest of the church service in the nursery with Uncle B.Here's the rest of the participates. It was a Congregational and Sunday School musical and the adult Sunday School class was very helpful. Everyone did very well. M moved up the program a week early, since next weekend M has to work to finish up some things before taking a 10 week leave. After the church service, we had a wonderful Christmas feast--turkey, ham and all the trimmings. Lots of different people brought wonderful desserts. I was so tired out from the service and so full of wonderful food, that I started my nap in the car on the ride home!

Seeing Santa

Friday night was D's annual Christmas party at work. His work has landscaped grounds and they put out a wonderful Christmas display people can drive through. Friday night it was closed off just for employees and their families to walk through. After we walked through the display, we rode the horse drawn sleigh around the small loop.D and I in front of the Navity scene.

My favorite display was Santa's workshop with the elves making the presents.

There was also a church with real stained glass windows.

After the outside activities we went inside to see Santa. But first we were greeted by a Christmas mouse. I was very excited to see him and just had to go up to say Hi.

When I sat on Santa's lap, he gave me a candy cane.

I had lots of fun looking at all the pretty lights and walking around in the snow. I even got to eat a cookie while we walked around.

Merry Christmas to everyone!!

TWO WEEKS!!!

Two weeks from today I get to meet my baby sister.

M's C-section was moved up one day due to a scheduling conflict with another practice. So December 21st at 12:30 pm, M will go into surgery and my Baby Sister will be born.

I've been getting very excited. When M&D put the crib back up in Baby's room, I ran to get a cup of water for her bed. I was concerned that she would be thirsty, because I have my cup of water right next to my bed every night. I have also been asking M&D, "Baby out?"

Soon enough I will meet her!!!

Decorating for Christmas

On Saturday, I helped M get out all the Christmas decorations. I even found my Nativity Set from last year. I took it straight to my room to play with it. Later, when M finished setting up the living room, I wanted my Nativity scene with M's. So M put it right in front on the coffee table, so I can play with it any time I want and not disturb the other decorations. Needless to say, it was a good plan but M has had to get out the superglue twice already to help fix some of my playing!!

M had to set up the artificial tree this year. She doesn't want to take the tree down before Christmas and knows she won't be up for taking it down shortly after Christmas. So since the Christmas decorations will be up until after the New Year (when Aunt R is here to help take it down!!), M decided it was safer to have the artificial tree and not have to worry about a real tree drying out. The compromise is that we have a wreath hanging over the door that can be disgarded very easily when it dries out, but at least we have the fresh smell of evergreen in our living room.

Fun and Games with Daddy

The week of Thanksgiving I got to play with D everyday. We had lots of fun and made up a few new games. This one was very fun and we've played it a few times since then.


Daddy got a new computer (an early Christmas present from Mommy) and I have found the box to be quite entertaining. Here I am playing Brileigh-in-the-box.

D also let me watch some Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. M thinks it is cute how I say Mickey Mouse.

When we watched the Curious George Christmas special, I found it quite funny when George was trying to refill the squashed tomato with ketchup to get it round again.

I played with my legos and made trains with them.

I even had time to play with my stickers and my doggy. I danced some to Bible songs. M didn't quite catch it, but I was doing the actions at the beginning.

At the end of the day, I helped D relax. However, he didn't get much sleep with me as the pillow!

I had so much fun with D last week, that when I woke up this morning I was looking all over the house for him. I didn't believe M when she told me that D was already at work. I wouldn't get ready or do anything until I found D. So M said that if I went and used the restroom I could give D a call at work. I went straight to the bathroom and M went to get her phone so I could call D. D said it was the highlight of his day because I was so talkative and kept saying "Hi D, Good morning D".

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving day we headed over to G&P for dinner. I even helped to set the table.I also thought my dolls needed to have their own Thanksgiving dinner.

Here I am at the "girl's table". Notice the pickle I put on each plate, just for my cousins.
I was too hungry to wait for everyone else; besides it was almost my nap time!!

After dinner and a nap, Cousin L and I went on a walk with M. It looks like it was snowing, but it was just the cattail fuzz we were playing in!!!

It was quite fun to play in the fuzz. We ran through it, made "snow" angels, did cartwheels and just had fun!!
Here is a short video of me setting the spoons on the table. Each plate was a little different. G says by next year, I will learn the proper way to set a table, but for this year at least everyone got a fork and a spoon!!!

Cousin'sWedding

Last weekend was a busy one full of wedding festivities. On Saturday I went with M to Cousin L's bridal shower. It was only the 2nd wedding I've ever been too, but I had lots of fun. Cousin L with her stash of cleaning supplies she received. She should have a clean house for the next year or so!!!

The sisters!! Ok, one is not quite official but is newly engaged to Cousin A.

The wedding ceremony on Sunday evening.

So in love!!!!

D and I on the dance floor!

The first dance.

What a cute family. You can really see that Baby Sister is starting to grow. Only one month left until I get to meet her.

I had lots of fun on the dance floor with my cousins.

It was a beautiful wedding and I am so glad that I was able to help celebrate it.

Happy Veteran's Day

HAPPY VETERAN'S DAY!!

I just wanted to take this time to thank all our servicemen and women who daily sacrifice in order for my country to be free and one that I feel safe growing up in.

On a personal note, I would like to thank my D and P for their past service in the armed forces and my Uncle W for his present and future service.

Thank you for making this country a littler safer for me!!

Love you all!

Halloween

In preparation for Halloween, I got a new ring. I also was trying out different outfits to see if any would work for my costume.

I finally settled on Minne Mouse, while M chose to be a cow and D chose Simple Jack.

Since I had just been to Disneyland and gotten some Minnie ears and also had a new DVD with Disney sing-a-long songs, I figured it was the perfect costume.

I even had a red sweater to put on when it cooled off at night for trick-or-treating.

Aren't I the cutest little mouse you've seen around? Please don't throw me out of your house!!!

We had a busy day on Halloween. M, D & I went downtown in the morning for the annual Fall Fest. I got about half a bucket of candy, from just walking around one block and through the closed off street. I petted a horse, saw some friends and had lots of fun. We then ate lunch and went home to take a nap. When I woke up from nap I went to a few houses in our neighborhood. Then we headed over to Uncle L's house for his Halloween party. P and I had some fun while eating dessert and waiting for my cousins to come back so I could go trick-or-treating with them. When they came back, they took me up the block and around the cul-du-sac and I got another half bucket of candy.


M really tried to limit my candy intake on Halloween, but with everyone giving me free candy it was hard for M to catch everything. So I had about 6-8 pieces of candy throughout the day. So whether it was a sugar high or as D suspects a tummy ache, I was up for about 3 hours that night. But since that night I have slept through all night in my new bed and M took most of my candy to work to share with her co-workers!!!!