A Walk Down Memory Lane....

It's hard to believe that my baby girl is three years old! It seems like just yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital. What an amazing three years it has been! We just love our little Brenna! She has so much spunk and personality and she brings us so much joy. We still laugh when we remember the story of her birth. She took us by surprise and arrived exactly a month early! Being a planner and preparer, I wanted to spend the upcoming weekend shopping for the last items on our baby list--mainly a mattress for the crib. Brandon, on the other hand, wanted to go play roller hockey. I don't have to tell you who won but, needless to say, we spent the night before Brenna's birth playing roller hockey and Brandon will never live it down. :-) Well, I just watched (can you imagine a big pregnant woman playing roller hockey? The last time I played before I was pregnant I about broke my nose crashing into Brandon!) Anyways, we got home at about midnight and we were exhausted! At about 3:00a.m. I jumped out of bed because I thought I was wetting the bed. I ran to the bathroom but I wasn't peeing--my water had broke! I was so tired that I went back to bed mostly in disbelief that my water had broken--my due date was still a month away! The next morning I told Brandon what had happened but I was still in disbelief. We called the hospital and the nurse barked, "Get here now!" I wasn't having contractions yet but we began frantically packing our bags for the hospital. Note to self: pack hospital bags earlier next time. We were pretty giddy and excited about the possibility that our baby could be born that day. We got to the hospital and, sure enough, my water HAD broke! It seemed unreal and yet a little scary because she was so early. I began to panic that her lungs wouldn't be developed enough and that she'd have complications. I said many tiny prayers that day (in Brenna's behalf and for my own survival through the labor). The nurses immediately started my labor with pitocin because there is a window of 24 hours that a baby should be born after the woman's water breaks. We called our parents (who were at church) and told them we were at the hospital, to which they laughed in disbelief. When they realized we weren't joking, they quickly made arrangements to drive to L.A. for the birth. I called my sister, Emily, to tell her what had happened and ask her if she would be in the delivery room with me. We both cried and, bless her heart, she left her 2 little boys with her husband so she could be with me during my labor. It was so great to have our families there for the birth. Brandon was my #1 coach, with my mom, Brandon's mom, and my sister, Emily, as assistant coaches. I couldn't have done it without all of them. Each one would take a body part (legs, lower back, and cold compress on the head) and just start massaging away. Brandon, my dad, and my father-in-law gave me a priesthood blessing which helped me so much. Brandon never left my side and talked me through the entire labor. Poor guy--he worked just as hard as I did (well, almost)! After 12 hours of intense labor on pitocin (with no epidural), Brenna finally arrived! She was beautiful! I couldn't contain my emotions as they laid her on my chest and I saw my daughter for the first time. What a miracle! I hope I never, ever forget that feeling for the rest of my life. Our prayers had been answered....she weighed 6 lbs. 6 oz. and was perfectly healthy! A neo-natal team was on hand in case there were complications but she was perfect! We were beyond elated and it all seemed like a dream as we brought our first-born home from the hospital. We were floating on clouds as we held Brenna and realized that we were really parents. And then panic set in and we began taking her temperature every hour to make sure she wasn't too cold or too hot. Oh the joys of first-time parenting--we were pretty hilarious! I don't think I slept a wink for the first week of her life because I would watch her constantly to make sure she was breathing. She has kept us on our toes ever since-with her strong and independent nature. The very first time we tried to feed her baby cereal (mind you, she was only 5 months-old) she screamed at the top of her lungs because she wanted to hold the spoon and do it herself! She has always wanted to "do it herself". She is very strong-willed (I wonder where she gets it from)! ;-) We love our little princess and we are so anxious to see what great things she will do in the future. She will be a great leader and have many talents that she will use for good. We love you, Brenna! You make life worth living!

Princess Brenna Turns Three!

Brenna's birthday was January 29th and we've been promising her that we'd take her to Disneyland. She is in love with the Disney Princesses and so we couldn't think of a better way to celebrate her 3rd birthday. Brandon's parents, grandma, and my mom joined us as well as Brandon's brother and my sister and her family. We had so much fun! (what do you expect at the "Happiest Place on Earth"?) Brenna was in heaven! It was a long day for the kids (Ethan decided not to take a nap as we'd hoped) but very fun! Happy Birthday, Brenna! You are our princess!

Breakfast with the Princesses

All of Brenna's dreams came true in the space of about one hour--she was able to meet almost every Disney princess and talk to them up close! We reserved a spot at a restaurant where the princesses will visit with you as you eat. It was so amazing--and something Brenna will never forget! She was speechless in their presence. Each princess would come and talk to her and take pictures with her as we ate breakfast. It was perfect!

We spent the rest of the day walking around California Adventure and we had a blast! We went on rides, watched the Aladdin production, and took plenty of pictures (thanks to yours truly). I know, I know, I'm worse than a tourist but who's going to make sure we document the event?

Ethan and the Princesses

Ethan, having an older sister and being unaware of gender-based toys, has been caught on more than a few ocassions playing with or carrying around Brenna's princess dolls. He especially loves Snow White (don't ask me why) and so we thought it would be so cute to take a picture of the two of them. I'm not sure what he's doing in the picture (it must be a Tim the Toolman howl) but he's still a cutie! He also loved meeting "Fairy Godmother". He is such a ladies' man!!!

Ethan loves his grandpa!

Who likes to rock the party?

We like to rock the party! (a line from one of our fav bands, "Flight of the Conchords"). New Year's Eve this year ROCKED (literally)! Brandon's band played at his parents' rock climbing gym and it was awesome! The kids and I went to my sister's house for a family party where we played games and ate good food. I was able to sneak away for a bit to see Brandon play and then plant a wet one on him when the ball dropped. Happy New Year!

Christmas

We had a wonderful Christmas this year--filled with lots of memories! Brenna was so excited for Santa to come to our house she couldn't contain herself and Ethan was just thrilled to be tearing up wrapping paper! We really tried to focus on the Savior's birth and after telling the story a few times Brenna could retell the story by herself. Christmas morning was so magical (just as I remembered as a kid). I love Christmas!