Some Pics...

Evelyn happily holding Camille.


Are you talking to me?


Lifting her head. So strong!

Staying Home

We are staying home this weekend and getting things done. The last couple of weekends we have been out of town visiting family and friends and had a wonderful time doing so, but now we need to attend to household chores. The lawn hasn't mowed itself unfortunately and the house hasn't cleaned itself either. Richard will be working outside while I will be working inside. Hopefully there will be some fun time with the girls this weekend. I am hoping we can accomplish the cleaning in one day and have the other to do something as a family. It is supposed to be nice this weekend so hopefully we can enjoy the weather. We will probably stay close to home as the girls have been traveling a lot lately and Evelyn isn't as fond of her carseat right now. Maybe we will go to the park and play if it is not too cold.

Camille is sleeping better and is in her crib all night long. She slept 7:30-4:15 last night which I will take. I am so much more rested since I am not getting up 5-10 times a night. Camille is a happy baby and is starting to coo up a storm. She is outgrowing her 3 month clothes so it is time to bring out the 6 month clothing. Man, she is growing up fast. She is beautiful and a joy to be around. She is must more interactive these days and is even starting to giggle when you kiss her belly.

Evelyn is doing great. She too is talking up a storm. She can identify people in pictures and call them the right name. She knows Papa, Yaya, Uncle Scott (Cott), Aunt Nicole (Cole), Uncle Tyler (Ty),Sara, Claire, and Grandma Lavon. She knows some of the great grandparents by face but not name yet. We are working on them. Evelyn is doing better with her baths and even took a shower last night. She did pretty good so we may keep trying that for a while and see how it goes. Everyone seems to think she is ready to potty train so maybe we can attempt trying this weekend.

Richard is doing well and working hard. What's new? He is a great help around the house. He helps anywhere I need it including the cooking and cleaning. I hope he knows how much I appreciate it nad couldn't do it without him. He is truly an amazing man and dad. He loves the girls so much and says so everyday.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Good things are happening...

As many of you know baths have not been good lately with Evelyn. They are pretty much an all out war. We tried everything we could think of to make it happy again but nothing was really working. Last night we tried to give her a bath in Camille's baby bath (a step back maybe) and she spent almost an hour in there. She loved it. She let us wash her and even get her hair wet. It was a step in the right direction and hopefully it keeps going on.

Camille turned 3 months yesterday and man has it flown by. She has not been sleeping well that past 3-4 weeks until last night. Something changed over the weekend and she started doing better but last night was amazing. I don't expect this to be the norm by any means. Last night she fell asleep at 7:30 and woke up this morning at 6:30 happy as can be. She also has been putting herself to sleep by sucking on her thumb. We don't give her a pacifier so she made her own and she is VERY good at finding it. She has put herself to sleep for naps twice over the last day. This morning she was playing on the ground before Richard went to work and when he left she was asleep on the floor and still is.

I know not to expect this all the time but I can be hopeful that she will be a good sleeper and not cry like Evelyn did. I get now what my mom meant about us being able to fall asleep anywhere. That's what Camille has been doing lately. Let's hope it sticks.


This is how I found Camille yesterday afternoon.


She sure loves her thumb.

Wonderful Weekend

This weekend we were in Riverside celebrating my parents 35th wedding anniversary. Congratulations! It is not an easy task these days and I still that the love each other very much.

We drove down on Friday morning. We left about 4:45 and got to Riverside at about 1:30. We made great time. The girls we fantastic and we only stopped twice. It was a lot easier than we had planned.

Saturday, we got together with all the family. There were parents, grandparents and great-grandparents in attendance. It was great to see everyone and catch up. Everyone got to meet Camille. She was a happy baby which made it all the more enjoyable.

Sunday, we celebrated my parents anniversary by going out to dinner as a family. We had a good time. We all pitched in and got them a Blu-ray player so now they can enjoy better picture during their movies.

We drove home early this morning and again the girls were fantastic. We stopped 3 times and got home around 3. It was wonderful trip and I am so glad that we were able to go down.

Here are some pictures from the weekend. I will post more later.



The Whole Family!


Great-Grandpa Fred and Camille.


Papa Tim and Camille asleep.


Uncle Tyler holding Camille for the 1st time.


Camille tuckered out from the weekend events.


Evelyn playing in the dirt.


Evelyn and the doggies.

HAPPY 35TH ANNIVERSARY MOM AND DAD!

Busy Weekend

This past weekend was a busy one. Saturday we went to Grass Valley to meet up with some friends. Richard went on a 4x4 snow run with the husband and I stayed with the wife and their son for the day. The guys were supposed to be home around dinner time but did not get home until 10:30 because they got stuck in the snow. Luckily I was with my friend because otherwise it would have been a VERY lonely day at home.

The girls were great. I could almost say it was the best day either of them have had. They were wonderful. Evelyn only got a 15 minute nap and did not go to sleep until 10:30. She did so good with having no real nap. She never cried or fussed. The next day was rough but she is now back on her schedule. Camille did great and was a happy baby. I could not have asked for better babies.

Sunday we went and visited some friends in Elk Grove. We had a great time. Jon's parents were in town so we were lucky enough to see them as well. Evelyn took a while to warm up (she woke up from a nap when we got there) but once she warmed up she was playing with the boys like crazy. It was good to see them all and catch up.

This next weekend we will be in Riverside for my parents 35th wedding anniversary. Crazy! We will also be seeing some family that we haven't seen in a while and some more great-grandparents get to meet Camille. It should a good weekend. Hopefully the drive to and from are not too bad and hopefully Camille is a good traveler.

One last thing:

Happy Birthday Grandpa Hal! We love you very much!

Some pictures for the day...

Sleeping soundly.


In her crib... only lasted for about 20 minutes but better than nothing.



Evelyn giving Camille a kiss.




Sweet Camille.

Exhausted!

Camille has not been sleeping well (or at all) for the last 8 or 9 days. She has been up every 1-2 hours to eat and will not sleep in her pack in play for long. The longest she sleeps in it is about 2-3 hours if we are lucky. I am so tired I can barely keep my eyes open. I am at a loss of what to do to make Camille happy enough to sleep in her pack and play. Maybe she needs to be in her own room. maybe our room is too cold, too hot, too stuffy, etc. for her and she would do better in her own room. I don't know.

I feel bad for Evelyn becuase she is not getting the attention she needs because I am so tired. Hopefully this will all change soon. I know that it gets better it just doesn't feel like it right now.
I should say sorry now to my parents for next weekend when are there for 3 nights. Hopefully Camille will be sleeping better and I am sorry if she is not.

Here are a few pictures. I also added more to Flickr. ENJOY!

She sure is changing!

Our little ham!

Sisters!

Girl's Dr. Appointments.

The girls both had dr. appointments yesterday. It was Evelyn's 18 month check up and shots and Camille's 2 month check up and shots. It went pretty well considering there were shots.

Here are their stats:

Evelyn
20.9 lbs
33 inches

Camille
11lbs 1oz
23 inches
15cm head circumference

They are both doing really well. They both cried during the shots but stopped shortly thereafter. You would never know that they had shots. We only gave them Tylenol at the drs. office. Evelyn was fine so we didn't give her anymore at bed. I did give Camille a little more hoping it would help her sleep if she was in pain. They both did great.

We also had the lab results from Camille's latest round of lab work. Everything looks GREAT! Her numbers are all back to normal and we do not have to do anymore testing. It was the best news. Thank you to those keeping her in your thoughts and prayers.

I still cannot believe we have an 18 month and a 2 month old. It is a lot of fun but a lot of work.

Rainbows!

Today we went and checked out our first daycare. It was nice and clean and the people were friendly. It is definetly a contender but we want to check out a few others before making a decision. We don't want to make the wrong decision becuase it impacts the girsl so much. Hopefully the answer will be clear.

It rained the whole time we were gone and when we got home there was a beautiful rainbow outside that was vibrant and huge. Here are a couple of the pictures Richard took of it. Breathtaking.

If you look closely or click on the picture, there are actually 2 rainbows. There is one above the really vibrant one as well.

Best Bath EVER!

Usually Richard gives Evelyn her bath because I am taking care of or feeding Camille. I try to bathe Evelyn whenever possible, while Friday night Camille was in a good mood so Richard said that I could bathe Evelyn. We did our normal routine of brushing her teeth while the bath fills up and then getting in once we are done. That night she decided to take her toothbrush in the bath with her (she is getting her molars in so she like her toothbrush right now), and the fun began from there. We played for about 25 minutes and were laughing the entire time. She was in a happy mood and we played and played. She laughed and anything and everything. She was laughing the most and me saying "ewwww" when she would put the toothbrush near her feet. We were laughing so much that Richard started laughing in the other room even though he didn't know what was so funny. He said just the fact that we were laughing so hard made him laugh. It was pure joy. My stomach and face actually hurt from laughing so hard. It was wonderful.

You don't get moments like those often so enjoy them while you can. The next night was the worst bath EVER when I tried washing her hair with soap. Let's just leave it there.

Have a good one!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Scott! I cannot believe that you are 26years old already. Man time sure flies by. I remember being at home hitting each other because we were mad about something. Things don't change do they? Heehee. I hope that you have a great birthday and hope to see you soon. I love you.

Evelyn playing in the yard.

Richard holding a sleeping Camille (definetly NOT what she is doing right now)

Camille sleeping peacefully.

Some Pics...

Evelyn watching Camille.


Camille smiling.


Evelyn reading independently.

Mommy caught me on the chair.

Evelyn being goofy.

Looking for Daycare...

So I have started looking for daycare as I am going to go back to work this fall. I am very sad about it but it has to be done for multiple reasons. Anyways, I have called about 10 places so far and daycare for 2 small kids is not cheap. We have gotten quotes from $1600-$2300 a month. I can't believe it. Like my mom said, "We went into the wrong business."

If anyone has suggestions or knows anyone in the area please let me know. I want to look now because I know that lots of places to not have infant care or are full. I want the girls to be at the same place.

Here's hoping we find something.

My day with Camille

Today Richard took Evelyn do to some running around with Lavon so I got to have Camille by myself for about4-5 hours. It was wonderful spending time with just her and really focusing on her. I even got to take a nap with her. I enjoyed it and look forward to it more often.

Happy Super Bowl!

Get Together

Yesterday we had Mark, Cheryl, Sara, Claire and Lavon over for dinner. We had not seen Mark, Cheryl and the girls since Christmas so it was definetly time to see them. The girls all change so much that it is nice to see each other from time to time.

We had a nice dinner that Richard so lovingly cooked for us and then Lavon provided Angel Food cake and berries for dessert. I tried raspberries and blueberries for the first time. I like the raspberries but did not care for the blueberries. Hey, atleast I tried something new (one of my resolutions).

We played a couple of games that I think we will have to add to our collection after playing them. The first is Pictureka! It is similar to Where's Waldo but with some twists. It was a lot of fun and I kicked butt. The second was Apples to Apples Jr. (They have an adult version out I am told). It is hard to explain, The "judge" says a word and you have to pick from your cards which card best suits that word. Example: The judge's word is Creepy. The card I put in was Barney. Everyone puts in their cards and the "judge" pick the ones that they think best suits the word. It is ofcourse very subjective but still fun just the same.

We had a very nice time and hope to do it again real soon. It was wonderful watching Evelyn playing with Sara and Claire. She is so much more interactive and can actually play with them. It was fun to watch. Man they grow up fast.

More Pics...

Sweet Camille

Pretty Girl

Happy Sisters.

Where's Evelyn?

Couple of Pics...

Evelyn giving love to Camille


A kiss between sisters.


Thank you Amy for the wonderful pictures from our playdate.

New President

I hope that he can bring good change to this country during the time he holds office. I will not put my own views in but I do hope that he does right by this country. This country is going downhill fast and needs some major changes. Let's hope that he can do them.

Meeting the Great Grandparents

My grandparents from Las Vegas came up for a visit this past weekend. They hadn't seen Evelyn since Scott and Nicole's wedding and had not yet had the chance to meet Camille. We had a great time. Evelyn enjoyed reading books with my grandmother and she enjoyed the funny noises that Grandpa Fred made. It was fun to watch her interact with them.

Camille was good while they were here and they thought she was a cutie. It is amazing how fast they change. I remember when my grandparents came to visit Evelyn when she was 3 weeks old and now a year and a half later they are visiting my 6 week old. Time sure does fly.


Here are a few pictures from this weekend...


Evelyn reading with Great Grandma Yvonne.




Great Grandpa Fred trying to calm Camille.


Evelyn and Camille.



**Cutest thing just happened. While typing the captions, Evelyn was standing next to me, she saw the pictures and started blowing kisses. So darn cute that girl is.

A few Pics...

Evelyn playing in Kelly and Keane's backyard with Heidi.


Evelyn and Emma


Camille getting a bath.

Grandma Lavon holding the girls.

Grandma Lavon reading to Evelyn.

Camille and Evelyn

Camille - She is just over 5 weeks old and is doing good. She weighs 9lbs 13oz and is 21.5 inches long. She is growing well and eating good. Her liver enzymes are at 69 which is slightly elevated. We looked it up and we think 40 in the normal high. She has to get more lab work done next week and we will go from there. If it is still rising our dr. will recommend us to a specialist. Keep her in your thought please.

Otherwise she is great. She smiles now which lights up our hearts. She is sleeping 4-5 hours at night but then is up for 2 so that is nice but then a little hard. She is getting better about sleeping in her pack n play which lets me get better sleep. All in all she is a happy baby and fun to be around.

Evelyn - What can I say about Evelyn other than she amazes us everyday. She is talking more and more everyday and is learning new words all the time. Her newest words are apple, thank you, meal (Camille), and the sound the elephant makes. I am sure there are more but those are a few. Evelyn absolutely loves Camille and kisses her goodnight everynight and is always coming over to kiss her. It is the cutest thing. Evelyn loves to dance to toddler tunes and the latest Pink songs. She is very into books and playing with her dolls. She feeds them from her sippy cup, wraps them in blankets and puts them in the swing, carseat or highchair. It is really cute.

We have been very lucky with Evelyn being so independent with playing while I am taking care of Camille. She has transitioned so well and we are so proud of her. She is back to sleeping well and can now nap in her crib or laying on the couch. She just curls up and falls asleep which is handy when I am feeding Camille and can't lay her down.

She is no longer on bottle and doesn't take anything to drink before naps or bed. We just do her routine and then lay her in her bed with her blanket and she goes to sleep. It is nice for us and she knows what is coming next.


Life with 2 girls is amazing and we look forward to the many years to come. We are truly blessed with a wonderful family.

Jumping on the bandwagon

Other people have been posting the New Year's Resolutions so I thought I would as well. Like they said, maybe it will make me stick to them more.

1. Have better posture. I am always slouching which I know is not good. So I vow to stand taller and straighter.

2. Have the TV on less when Evelyn is awake. I am good about this at night when Richard is home but not during the day. She doesn't watch it but I do and therefore am not paying as much attention to her as I should be.

3. Try new foods. If you know me, you know I am picky. I am hoping to try more so hopefully I will like more and then there are more options for me.

4. To let me children figure out for themselves what they like and don't like. I need to make an effort not to place my feelings about foods and activities on my children and let them decide for themselves if they like something.

5. Cut back on the amount of soda I drink. This is a good one for everyone as soda is bad for the teeth. Sometimes I do good others I don't. I just want to cut down on the amount particularly the caffinated ones.

That's it! Do you think I can do it? I do. Here's to a great 2009.

Sick babies...

Having two sick babies is NOT fun to care for. Camille can't breathe well, particularly at night, which makes feeding her hard. They both have running noses, congestion and Evelyn has a slight cough. Evelyn's nose is a constant stream of snot that she will not let me wipe much anymore because it is getting sore. Today is better than yesterday as far as their moods go. Camille has been up more at night which is hard on both of us. Here's hoping they get better soon.

On a side note, Camille's bili levels are normal but her liver enzymes are elevated. We have to get more blood work done and hopefully will have more answers. Please pray that it is nothing serious and will resolve itself.

A couple of pictures...

Camille smiling for the camera!

Sisters!

Evelyn smiling after saying "Cheeessee"

Happy Anniversary!

It has been 5 years since Richard and I got married and it sure has been fun. I cannot believe how fast time hs flown and the things that have occured in that time frame. I have finished (most) of my schooling, got a wonderful dog, had Evelyn and became a stay at home mommy and then this past year added Camille to our family. 5 years a dog and 2 kids later I wouldn't ask for anything more. I look to the future and see nothing but brightness and happiness for us.

I love you, Richard now and for always.

Hapy New Year!

I hope that everyone had a great and safe New Year! We partied until about 10:30 and then went to bed. We woke up at midnight said Happy New Year and then went back to sleep. Such is life with two small kids

I hope that everyone has a great 2009. Happy New Year!!!

Happy Holidays!

We hope that everyone had a great Christmas. We sure did. We got some alone family time in the morning, spent the afternoon with Richard's family and the evening with my family. It was a long day but was great that we were able to see everyone. Evelyn enjoyed Christmas and all the gifts.

Here is her is her outfit from Great Grandma Yvonne and Great Grandpa Fred. It is the cutest thing I have ever seen (if I do say so myself).

How cute is this?

Playing the piano.

Day 2 of no bottles...

Evelyn has been without bottles for 2 days now and is doing great. She kinda weaned herself from them when she didnt want to take naps with having one before anymore. We decided to try at bedtime as well and she does great. Now we just cuddle and/or read and book before laying her down in her crib.

Hopefully this continues and we will no longer have to clean her bottles just the little ones from time to time.

Have a good night.

One more thing there was an explosion a few miles from our house today that I felt and scared the you know what out of me. It was so loud and such a huge bang I thought someone rammed into our house. Here is the news link http://www.kcra.com/news/18354980/detail.html

Scary. I hope everyone is safe.

Thank You Camille

Dear Camille,


Thank you for sleeping in your pack n play all night last night. Mommy needed the sleep laying down and not worrying about you. I hope that this trend continues as I am sure we both sleep better.

I love you and can't wait for Christmas morning with you.



Love,

Mommy

Gearing up for Christmas!

Christmas is only a few days away and we are ready ( I think). We have everything bought and wrapped so it is just a matter or passing them out and celebrating. My family is coming up Thursday or Friday and will be here for the weekend. I can't wait.

Christmas morning we are spending alone as a family. I want this to be a tradition in the years to come. We can get up, open presents and have breakfast all in our pajamas. I am looking forward to Christmas this year with our two girls. Evelyn will lots of fun opening gifts and Camille will probably sleep but look like an angel while doing so.

There is not much left to do other than clean house. That should go fairly quickly, nice thing about a small house. I will try to do a little each day while the girls let me and by Thursday hopefully there will be nothing left to do.

I wish everyone Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Holidays! Please be safe!

Dear Camille,

Mommy would like to start sleeping lying down. If you could please go and stay asleep on your back I would really appreciate it. I love you and I love holding you but sleeping while holding you is hard on mommy. Is there any way I can help you sleep on your back, if so I will try anything. I love you.



Love,
Mommy

1st Day ALONE!

Well, I survived the first day alone with the girls. Richard went back to work so I had them both all day. I did great if I do say so myself. I didn't even cry or get frustrated at either of them. It is still a transition but we are doing great, if only I could get Camille to sleep on her back in the pack n play.

I am also proud to say that I ventured out into the world with two kids on my own. We went to the grocery store and Costco. I did ok but still have to figure out the best way to get both girls in and out of the car. In time I will master that as well.

Hope everyone is doing well. I will try to take and post more pictures soon.

Evelyn's New Favorite Toy!

Last night Richard was making dinner and I was doing laundry (I know let the house work go, but I can't), Evelyn was eating a few Cheerios before dinner and the next thing I hear is "noooooooo" and the sound of the Cheerios being poured out of the box onto the floor. Evelyn loved it and thought it was hilarious. Here are a couple of pictures.

Otherwise, things are going good. We are trying to get Camille to sleep in the pack n play instead of on me, so hopefully that will be easy. She is doing good and eating well. We have to get some followup blood work done this week but otherwise she is doing great. We are enjoying our TWO girls.

Camille Karen

Camille Karen was born December 3rd, 2008. She weighed 9lbs 3 oz (big girl) and was 20 inches long. She is absolutely beautiful.

My labor was great and I was in the zone (according to Richard and Cheryl). I was able to go without meds again and had another great birth experience. Sometimes I think the birthing is easier than the parenting.

We are doing ok. Tired but okay. We are happy to have her home with us. She had to stay in the Special Care Nursery while we were at the hospital because of some complications but she is well now and doing great.

Evelyn is adjusting well, but doesn't like it when Camille cries and if she is sleeping wakes up because of it. This makes for short naps. We will get there. Next year at this time we will have a one year old and wonder where the time went.

We are in love. Here is the link to some pictures we have uploaded. More to come soon. Enjoy!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/burstiner_family/sets/

No baby yet...

but there is an end in sight. I had a dr. appointment today and although there is a little (very little) progress and the babies head is low not much else is happening. My dr. is not comfortable with me going more than a week past my due date so we are scheduled for an induction Wednesday, December 10th at 7:30 in the morning. I am praying that it will happen before than as I do not want to be induced. So please wish, hope, think, or pray that this baby comes on its own before next Wed. Everything else is going great.

We had a great Thanksgiving and Evelyn is wonderful as always. We are spending as much time with her as we can before the baby comes. She is an amazing little girl and we feel so blessed to have her in our lives.

We will keep everyone informed and hopefully we will have a baby soon.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope that everyone has a great Thanksgiving and enjoys spending time with family and friends. I will post pics later of Evelyn and us at Thanksgiving.

Mom, dad, grandma, grandpa and Tyler it was nice talking to you this morning. Evelyn enjoyed seeing you guys as well.

Love you all.

39 Weeks

We are at T-minus 7 days until I am due with baby #2. I had an appointment today and nothing is happening still, which is fine by me. I am doing pretty well, although getting comfortable at night is getting harder. Richard laughs at all my grunts and deep breaths as I try to roll over in bed. If you can't laugh, what fun is life?

I am hoping this baby doesn't come until at least December 2nd becuase my doctor is out on vacation and I really want him to be the one to deliver. So please say a little prayer that this baby with not come until at least next Tuesday. Another reason I want to wait is tomorrow night is a dessert party and Thursday is Thanksgiving, neither of which I want to miss.

Good Night.

Busy Weekend!

This was a busy and accomplished weekend. Friday, Evelyn and I went with Grandma Lavon to the Harvest Festival and did some shopping. Evelyn enjoyed all the pretty things and the man on stilts who made her a balloon bear. I bought my toffee for Richard and I that I do every year, man is that stuff good! I didn't get much else as we are not needing and nothing really caught me eye.

Saturday was busy cleaning the house. We got soooo much accomplished. The house looks and feels GREAT! I am definetly nesting as I can't clean enough. Saturday night we went and got our double stroller and mattress for the new baby. I LOVE the new stroller. It is the Chicco Trevi double stroller. Evelyn loves it and plays in it for a while with her dolly. It is really cute. Then we went to dinner with Lavon and then headed over to Mark and Cheryl's for some dessert. Poor Evelyn did not get a second nap and was up from 11am until 8:30pm. She was a trooper and did great.

Sunday (today) we cleaned a little more and then I had a mini baby shower with Lavon and Elaine. We went to lunch with no kid or husband, which is a nice treat. After we met Evelyn and Richard at Lavon's for cake and presents. The baby got a couple of warm sleepers so when it comes it won't be cold. It was a very nice and thoughtful thing to do and I appreciated and enjoyed it very much.

It was a busy and great weekend. Now onto Thanksgiving. Will I make it?

If you want to post comments or email me your predicitions about this baby please do so... you can include guesses on gender, date of birth, weight, and height. We can see who is the closest.


My Guesses:

Girl
December 2,2008
8lbs 3 oz
21 inch

Mandy Dr. Appt.

Well I had my weekly dr. appt. yesterday and everything is still going well. My blood pressure is good and the baby sounds great. It is head down and ready to go, but the dr. doesn't think it will happen too soon, which is fine by me. I am feeling pretty good still but still feel like there is a ton of things to do still. I think that the baby will come after Dec.1st but we will see.

15 Month Appointment

Evelyn had her 15 month appointment today. It went great. She is developing right on track and doing very well. She weighs 20.4lbs with clothes and shoes on so we guess about 19lbs 14 oz without. She is also 31 inches tall. She is 10% for weight and 77% for height. Dr. Brandle seems very pleased with the way things are going and told us to "keep up the great work." We are now going to start working on getting rid of the bottle. I just don't want too many changes before the baby comes so I might try after, but we will see.

Hope everyone had a happy Monday!