TV and Tummy Time

I've been trying to give Lacey some tummy time every day to strengthen her arms and neck. Tonight we set her down on our automan while watching a show and she was so entertained watching the tv that she stayed on her tummy much longer than she usually does. We thought it was pretty cute!!!

Getting ready for Portland

It has been a very busy week in the Stevenson household. We are getting ready to move up to Portland next Friday and so our house is feeling less like a home and more like a storage unit with boxes piling up everywhere. The nice thing about this move (this will be the fourth time that Bryce and I have moved since being married) is that we have had a little bit more time to purge while packing. The youth in our ward are doing a yard sale fundraiser and a canned food drive, so everything that we don't want or use anymore can go to a good cause. Although we have our little one to take care of, I feel like this move hasn't been as hectic as the last three. Maybe it's because we've been anticipating it for the last six months.

I've been blessed to have the help of friends from our ward help me pack up the kitchen - is the kitchen the most daunting part of the house to pack up for anyone else?? With four of us working yesterday, it only took about 2 hours to pack up all of the dishes. Now if I can just finish the pantry today - we'll be doing well.

In between packing boxes, I've been enjoying spending time with our Lacey. She is growing so quickly and it seems like there are new things that she is doing every day. After her bath a few nights ago, she was smiling and talking to us in her own little way. Bryce grabbed his phone and captured the moment in the two videos below...

Blessing Lacey

With Bryce's family in town for Rochelle and Josh's wedding, and Grandmama Mary here for the week, we decided to bless Lacey on Sunday, February 19. We had almost 30 family members present for the blessing! Grandma Stevenson gave Lacey her blessing dress and Grandmama Mary found her headband.

Unfortunately, I forgot to pack a white onesie for Lacey to wear under her blessing gown and she was quite uncomfortable in her dress as a result. She was a little angel while Bryce pronounced her blessing and then asked to be changed into something a little more comfortable afterwards.

Because we did not take family pictures with Lacey in her blessing dress on the day of her blessing, Bryce and I dressed up today! We will just pretend that the pictures below were taken last Sunday...

Rochelle and Josh's Wedding!!

Last Saturday, February 18, Bryce's cousin, Rochelle married Josh Murphy in the Oakland, California Temple. Lacey and I stayed home, but Bryce was able to attend and snap lots of fabulous pictures of the family outside of the temple.

Uncle Chad and Aunt Cheryl with (from left to right) Natalie, Ryan, and Brittany.

The beautiful bride and groom - I love her vintage-styled gown. Just gorgeous!

Mom and Uncle Kelly...

We love Daddy!!!

Lacey is definitely a daddy's girl. Whenever Daddy walks into the room, she will generally stop crying and give him a great big smile. I love the picture below that we took at Lacey's 6-week check up. Speaking of which - Lacey has grown from 21 to 23 1/2 inches and from 9 lbs. 1 oz. to 11 lbs. even. The best news is that she is a healthy, happy baby and we couldn't feel more blessed.

Happy Valentines Day!!!

We had a wonderful Valentines Day this year! Bryce brought home a beautiful spring bouquet for me and my favorite peanut butter M&M's. And I experimented in the kitchen and made a heart-shaped valentines day cake which ended up being Bryce's breakfast the following morning:) Why not?

Lacey wore her Valentine's Day outfit given to her by Grandmama Mary. We thought she looked pretty cute, however, the bow made her look a little bit like Aunt Jemima, no?

Lacey Lou!!!

Every parent must feel that their child is the cutest, most adorable baby to enter the world. That's certainly how Bryce and I feel about Lacey. We love watching her and all of the faces that she makes. Bryce caught some of our favorite faces in the shots below...

My favorite picture!!! Quite the spunky kid:)

A Walk in the Park

Sometimes on Sundays, we like to take family walks. A few Sundays ago we took a walk in Clayton and found a tree with a rope swing. Bryce and I took turns swinging and both felt like little kids again.

Grandma and Grandpa Stevenson Come to Visit!

We were so fortunate to have Grandma Stevenson come to stay with us during the second week that we were home from the hospital. Grandma made delicious dinners, cookies, and together we learned how much little Lacey loves the hair dryer!!

We were joined by Grandpa Stevenson on Saturday, January 21. Lacey sure did love sleeping on Grandpa's shoulder.

Sometimes, Lacey will sleep on my shoulder too...she's pretty darn cute!

Papa and Gigi Come to Visit

I wish I was as good at blogging as my sister-in-law Heather. But alas - I am not and so I write about our last seven weeks in one evening. After Lacey was born, Papa and Gigi drove to Concord from Sacramento to visit her. Lacey loved being held by Papa for two hours while Mommy got some much needed sleep!

Gigi graciously stayed with us for 10 days while Bryce and I adjusted to life as new parents. She cooked wonderful meals for us, did laundry, and even organized my closet! It was wonderful!!!

After Gigi's stay, we met up with Papa at what used to be the Nut Tree for a little walk and Jamba Juices. It was nice to see that bits and pieces of the old Nut Tree still remain in the parking lot of the current Nut Tree strip mall.

Thank you so much, Papa and Gigi for all of your help! We love you.

Our New Baby Girl - Lacey Noelle Stevenson

We have a new baby!! Our little Lacey Noelle was due to be born on December 29th, but was so cozy inside her mommy's tummy that she needed a bit of encouragement to make her debut. My doctor scheduled an induction for Wednesday, January 4th at 7:00am. Bryce and I kicked off the morning with bagels and Jamba Juice before heading to John Muir Hospital in Walnut Creek.

At around 8:00AM, I was given Pitocin to jump start my labor. I let my nurse know that I wanted an epidural and she was able to snag the anesthesiologist for me before he went into the OR for back-to-back C-sections. Boy - do I LOVE epidurals!!! After receiving the epidural, I was able to completely relax and didn't feel a single contraction for the remainder of my labor. Bryce and I spent the afternoon playing card games, watching shows on Netflix and resting. At about 6:30pm, we received a call from my doctor with some surprising and disappointing news. She informed us that because I was not dilating as quickly as anticipated, I might need to have a C-section. The suggestion of having a C-section came as a complete shock, but Bryce and I both wanted to do what was best for me and for the baby. Bryce sent a text message to our family asking them to pray that a C-section might be avoided. Miraculously, I began to dilate from 4cm to 7cm and by 11:00pm, I had reached 10cm. Because of my amazing epidural, I was sleeping just 10 minutes before the nurses woke me up and told me to start pushing. Pushing began at 11:25 and at 11:50, I was holding Lacey on my chest. What an incredible feeling!

Lacey weighed 9 pounds 1 ounce and was 21 inches long - a healthy girl!

We know that Lacey is going to be a tall girl because her footprint barely fit inside the footprint box.

Daddy holding his little girl for the first time...

Little Lace had a mild case of jaundice and was put on a Billi Bed during our hospital stay. How cute is she in her little sunglasses?!

Our little princess on her way home from the hospital...

We arrived home at 5:30pm on Friday to a clean home and a scrumptious dinner prepared by my mom. Mom stayed with us for a full 10 days and we LOVED having her!! On Saturday, my brother James, his wife Heather and their two boys - Talmage and Everett came to see baby Lacey. Because of her jaundice, Lacey came home with a Billi Blanket that wrapped around her abdomen and attached to a tube and power source. It was a bit of a nuisance, but we were grateful to be able to take her home after two days instead of having to leave her in the hospital under lights.

Cousins!!! Everett, Lacey and Talmage.

Lacey on her way to her first checkup...

We sure do love our little angel!!