Meet the Cousins!

Kendall endured her first 5-hour road trip to Moorhead like a champion (and by champion, I mean she slept like a rock). Unfortunately, she had to endure the unruly dog in the back of the car. Maybe Luna will be staying at home next time...

Anyway, the Stavengers were all awake and excited to see Kendall Rae, some for the first time! The cousins, Marcus and Mallory, only know the baby by Skype, and the anticipation of meeting her in person was almost too much to handle. Both have developed a small obsession with the little munchkin, which made it extra fun to watch as they interacted with the newest Stavenger!

Smiles and kisses were distributed upon arrival!

We think she likes this place!

Mallory was quite a nurturer...

...and definitely wanted her "turn" to hold the baby!

Marcus' magic touch kept the fussies away (or so he thought).

Kendall had a little "gift" for Uncle Brian!

First Sunday at church in Moorhead!

BEWARE: This is the first of an onslaught of photo posts!

Let's Hear It For The Girls!

Definition of a good friend: one who will visit Duluth in the middle of the freaking winter just because she loves you and your new baby. I have at least two such friends: Stephanie and Beth, who left the warmth of Long Beach to kick it arctic-style with Kendall and me for a few days. I'm pleased to report that they both survived (granted we only left the house once) their first sub-zero experience. I thought the fact that they were taking pictures of our car's external thermometer the whole way to Duluth was amusing (Look! Now it's 8 degrees! Now it's 0 degrees! Now it's negative 2! I need a picture...). We loved, loved, LOVED our girl time- and were so thankful they were there to help with the baby as I endured another relapse of Mastitis. Needless to say, I know I have the best friends in the whole world. Come back any time, y'all!

Kendall laughs with Auntie Stephanie...

And is comforted by Auntie Beth.

First trip to the Mall of America!

This may be the last time she sleeps through a trip to the toy store.

Beware: Ranting Wife.

Ok- a little break from the baby-ness to write a diatribe about one of my least favorite days of the year...Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition Day. At the risk of sounding like a prude, I can't believe I haven't heard more women complain about this little "gift" our men receive in the mail once a year. Am I the only one that hates it!? Chris has had a subscription to SI for years, and gets 52 appropriate magazines a year with it. Why they have to throw in this ridiculousness is mind boggling for a couple reasons:

1) What do scantily-clad women have to do with sports?! (Other than the fact that men who love sports also love scantily-clad women...)

2) For a swimsuit edition, there are an awful lot of women NOT wearing swimsuits...

When this magazine showed up at our house last year, I had a lot to say about it. Chris hadn't really thought about how upsetting it would be, and compliantly discarded it. This year I averted the discussion all together and just tossed it- which Chris didn't care about at all. He's lucky I'm not still pregnant- things would have gotten ugly.

I won't go off about the female image in today's media- but I will say that I lump SI Swimsuit together with Playboy and Victoria's Secret catalogs. It's disheartening- especially for new mothers- who sacrifice our bodies to bring babies into the world. I don't need half-naked women showing up on my doorstep to rub it in my face.

Men...if you "love swimsuits" so much, I'm sure your wives would take you along to shop for a new one! Summer is coming, after all...

P.S. Couldn't find a tasteful swimsuit edition pic for the blog, so I threw in some Brett Favre love for all you Minnesotans :)

Saddest Face Ever.

Doesn't that just break your heart!?

It's Official. I'm a Maternal Basketcase.

What happened to me? I used to have a good head on my shoulders and emotions that were, for the most part, controllable. Now I'm flighty and mildly paranoid, interspersed with random weeping and clumsiness. Such is motherhood.

I locked my darling baby in the car. I had my hands full, and prior to loading her infant seat in the car, I placed all other belonging- including keys- on the front seat. Somewhere between closing the back door and proceeding to the driver's side, the auto locks kicked in. I don't think I've ever felt my heart race so fast. It didn't help that Kendall was ready for lunch and was screaming in the car. Before heading to a neighbor's house to frantically call for help, I recalled Chris saying something about changing the code on the driver-door keypad...and, fortunately, I'm a good listener. It opened on the first try and I slowly regained sanity.

Later, I intended to feed the baby while at my church meeting since I'm not a huge fan of breast-feeding in public. With Kendall still fussy, I put together a bottle of formula. However, I neglected to include the oh-so-necessary nipple for said bottle. Plan B- whip out the boob. Awkward, but it worked. Too bad I also forgot the burp-rag.

It's unbelievable how much this little baby has rocked my world; namely, my sanity. I know I'm not the only one- many friends have retorted that they, too, have had the same experiences. They say that brain cells die during pregnancy and you never really get them back...I, apparently, won't be disproving this theory.

Basketcase or not, I'm loving every minute of it.

Winter Thanks

It's wintertime. Literally and figuratively. Literally, as subzero temperatures lurk just outside this warm house. Figuratively in the midst of sadness in our family. Both give good reason to stop and reflect on life's blessings, large and small. Here's my list:

*For Kendall, who has filled up my long, boring days with new challenges and new joys.
*For my husband, who keeps me sane.
*For telephones and Skype.
*For grocery shopping. Used to hate it. Now, it's a welcomed retreat from the routine, and time to myself.
*For drive-up grocery loading at aforementioned grocery store.
*For a great church with a great coffee bar.
*For friends who care enough about me that they would visit Duluth in the heart of winter. (Thanks, Steph and Beth!!!)
*For hot chocolate (which I forgot I made half an hour ago. Oops!)
*For some great new pictures of our family.
*For warm slippers (thanks, mom!)
*For the new Bachelor...he's a treat for the eyes :)
*For grandmas that have been such a huge help around the house.
*For random memories of my brother that make me smile.
*For snowfall that I can enjoy from inside.
*For baby smiles and sparkling eyes.