Sweet baby Regan....

Ok I know I am not at all objective, but doesn't she look so cute and cuddly??? It is is only in the 50's today and rainy, which is a huge blessing! This has been the hottest summer on record in Denver since 1901. And to actually have rain and cool temps is great! So here is my sweet baby girl all wrapped in her beautiful, cozy blanket taking a nap. The blanket is a gorgeous gift from my sweet neighbor Teri. She has a similar one that she received as a gift when her daughter, Hyacinth, was born last November. Teri must have seen the envy in my eyes and known it would be a perfect gift for Regan. And I do have to point out the quilt the lines the bassinet in her pack and play that she is laying on. About 3 days before Regan was born my Mom gave me a huge bag filled with a bunch of clothes she had saved from when my sister and I were babies. And one of the items was a beautiful quilt my Grandmother Hurley, who was very special to me and has since passed on, made for me when I was a baby. Now many of you know about the blue quilt that I have had with me through every move (including 4 years in college) that she had made for me when I was older, but I never knew she had made this one for me as a baby! So it is wonderful for me to have my baby girl use it as well. I know Grandma would have treasured Regan.

Regan and I have made it two whole days without Daddy or Connor. And also without Chase, my Dad took him for a while. I love my dog dearly, but let's face it I got a pure-bred WIMP! He has extremely sensitive ears and everything bothers him! He doesn't like thunder or high pitched whistles or the sound of a dripping faucet, he's just a very cute neurotic Aussie. Lately his problem has been a smoke detector, when one in our house needs the battery changed, we will know it inside of a minute! But this one is inside someone else's house! We think the people that live behind us have one that needs a battery change and have decided to close the bedroom door and ignore it! Which would not be a problem except that they also left the window open so you can hear it in our backyard! Which means Chase WILL NOT go outside to take care of business! We have been trying to walk him a few times a day, but let's face it- I just had a PERSON CUT OUT OF ME and can't take him for a long enough walk for his highness to do all that he needs to. So he has decided to do it inside- seriously gross, which is very unlike him. We have enough poop to deal with right now! So my Dad has taken Chase for a while. You have to understand that when I got Chase ten years ago for my birthday I had originally wanted a Chocolate or Yellow Lab and when a friend told me she knew of some pure-bred Aussies for sale I mentioned it to my Dad and he went nuts! He and my Mom had an Aussie when they first got married, but had to give her up before my brother was born because the apartment they were moving to would not allow animals. So he has always loved Chase as his own. It has lessened just a bit once he got his own Aussie a year or so ago. And if you ask Chase if he wants to go see Grandpa- he goes bonkers!

And now onto explaining poor Regan's plight... Poor baby, it's not enough the she decided he entry into this backwards world would be sideways, which would incur a broken wing, but everytime we have taken her to our PCP for a checkup she winds up getting a heel stick! And to add insult to injury, she has pink-eye and colic! If she makes it through this, she will definitely be one tough little girl. I pity any fool who messes with my little girl. So she still as the splint for the next couple of days and we have to pry her little eye open for ointment every four hours. And at night she either gets a bath in the WONDERFUL Johnson's Bedtime Bath and lathered in the same lotion and also gets Gripe Water in every bottle. I have dug out my infant massage book I bought with Connor (who was THE calmest baby ever) and have learned some tricks to ease her distress. But the biggest trick is laying her skin to skin on me so she can hear me breathing and my heartbeat and we just rock until she falls asleep. Any of you who have had to share this experience know how distressing it can be to hear that pain filled cry, but the best part out of it is laying there in the quiet, dark of the night, with only the sound of Bill sleeping, rocking my daughter into some sort of peace. Amidst all of this, it is wonderful to be a Mother...

See ya, Melinda

Little girl's broken wing and gooky eye!