Happy 4th of July!

We spent our 4th of July at the Hyatt Regency hotel. The girls were so excited to pack and enjoy all the festivities that accompany the joys of hotel living.

 

Connections to Kira

If someone told me a year ago that I would be holding a 3rd daughter in my arms with red hair, bright blue eyes, and skin as white as snow; I would never have believed them. But here you are.  You rock my whole world. You are undeniably the most shocking and amazing addition to our family. I can’t get over how much your sisters adore you. They treat you like you are a celebrity in our house and I am in awe that the 3 of you girls are so in love with each other.  It’s the most incredible thing to watch the transformation you have made in our house. It’s as if you bring us even closer together as a family.

When I brought you home from the birth center a couple hours after you were born, I knew right then and there how much I needed you. You never gave me any reason to worry or question my parenting. You fit into our family like a glove; in fact I wondered how in the world I lived without you.  It was after our San Diego trip when you were about 5 months old that you gave up on taking milk from a bottle.  I think that was the “ginger” in you making its’ appearance. You were strong-willed and adamant that you were going to wait until I came home from work to eat. This did make the babysitters nervous since you would go atleast 10 hours without food, holding out for the real deal.  I remember you didn’t cry all day, but you were sad. It was during this time period that I learned my greatest lesson, a lesson I should have learned long ago. You single-handedly taught me how to be a mother of an infant. In the past I would expect my child to adhere to the schedule of a mother working full-time outside the home.  You enlightened me. The mother of a 5 month old should be available to “mother”. The babysitter, a father, or a family member can not replace the place of a mother; just like I cannot delegate another person to bear the work of the pregnancy or be the one to nurse you, I also should not delegate the responsibility and pleasure of raising my own infant. With this deep revelation, I quit my job at Oasis and began a new job working part-time at a hospital 1 mile away. This way I was available all hours of the day to serve your needs.  Because of you I became a better mother, both to you and your sisters. I had the pleasure of leaving work to take Leia to preschool and be home to nurse you any time you needed.  I will never forget those days. I will always be grateful to you for teaching me how to be a better Mommy.  Thank you for your courage, your patience, and your unending dedication to this cause.  

You are now 10 months old and are out of the infant stage.  I am sad that this stage only lasts but a blink of an eye, but I am excited to see the person that you have become.  You are so happy all the time, you love to laugh and play with your sisters. You have become such a Daddy’s girl and for that I am extremely grateful. You are crawling now, almost walking. Your favorite moments are spent playing in the water.  You even float on your back by yourself. Your comfort in the water was something I witnessed since your birth. I always wonder if it was because I delivered you in the bath at the birth center.  The words that I hear the most from you these days is “Da da” and “Uh oh”.  You are the most calm baby and are happy to jump into anybody’s arms. Daddy and I just took you on our trip to New Orleans and I think you smiled the entire 4 days. You even sat still on my lap for the entire flight without uttering a sound of complaint. Your daddy was extremely impressed by your calm, secure and happy nature.  I firmly believe that your easy-going attitude now-a-days has a lot to do with the fact that we all listened to your needs and made every attempt to meet your essential requirements as an infant. Simply put: we have earned your trust and for that I am forever grateful for building this foundation of comfort. You are our greatest teacher. You still take my breath away when you look up at me with your bright blue eyes while I am nursing you.  Thank you my sweet red-headed baby girl for completing us.  And despite any comments you hear from others about you being switched at birth, don’t believe them. You are mine.  We may not look alike, but our souls are connected forever.    Love, Mommy 06.2015

At gymnastics class on the balance beam

 

Helping Mommy in the kitchen

 

A Father's Day Surprise

I am creating a gallery of photos and Daddy's girl quotes to cover an entire wall in our house in dedication to James. Here are the photos that we took last week. I will post pictures of the dedication wall when it is complete.

Trip to New Orleans

Life has been so exciting these days with the girls growing up so fast. Leia graduated from preschool, I have started my new job at Phoenix Children's Hospital and James is moving mountains in his job at RH20 engineering. James and I recently took a trip to New Orleans for his work conference. Grandma Sandra watched Leia and Nora during the 4 day trip and we took Kira with us. We had such an amazing time. Kira was an angel the entire time and the girls were able to truly enjoy their Grandma Sandra. Grandma Audrey unfortunately passed away last month so our hearts are heavy but she has left a legacy indeed that we will never forget.

A GRANDSON'S REFLECTION:
James said this coffee reminds
him of the smell of Grandma Audrey's
 coffee she used to make for him.

Kira and her Uncle John laughing together

A night out without the babies. We had a friend
watch Kira while we enjoyed adult time together

The beautiful couple: John and Bianca

Kira enjoying her Auntie Bianca on the streets of New Orleans

Grandma Sandra and Leia spent hours together in the pool

She was a pro on the plane!

Happy May Birthdays!

We had the pleasure of taking our annual trip to Disneyland to celebrate Mother's Day and the Leia and Nora's birthday. My mom and us girls had the most incredible trip together. We first went to LEGOLAND and spent a few days in San Diego where we were able to catch up with Diana, Erin, and John and Bianca. Then we headed to Disneyland for the most incredible adventure. Those are the moments that last a lifetime. My mom and I are such great travel partners. We laugh and enjoy every passing moment together. I am so blessed that we are able to take these trips every year.

Nora with her best friends on her actual birthday at Peter Piper

On Mother's Day, the girls wanted me to look like a queen.
I am sure I was a sight to see dressed like this at the train park!

We went to Dave & Busters on Leia's actual b-day

This is how an 8 month old enjoys Disneyland

 

Raising money for our Disneyland trip

Bumper cars with Grandma

College best friends and our ginger babies

This is how we sleep in our house. Every inch of our
body has be touching each other

 

Moments that last a lifetime

It seems lately it's been difficult just to go to the restroom in peace, never mind updating a blog page. Hence, here we are months later and I finally have a couple of minutes to myself to update this blog with pictures. Actually Instagram has become my new platform to post images and updates of the family, but I feel sad that I spent so much time describing the small beautiful details of Leia's early moment's, a little bit about Nora, and hardly any about Kira. So this post is dedicated to highlighting life with Kira.

I think I am still in a state of awe to see how much love and excitement Kira has brought to our family. Her sisters are so incredibly in love that it still intrigues me the level of unconditional love they have for her. Even though their needs now sometimes come after Kira's, they never get upset with me or Kira but instead offer her more love. The power of these siblings is astonishing to both James and I.

Kira decided to stop taking a bottle after our vacation to San Diego. It has been her passive aggressive way of going on strike. So she waits patiently until I return from work to get her milk from the source. She is such a beautiful little baby. She is extremely calm with me and is very go-with-the-flow. However, I think she has the tendency to be more stubborn and fussy when the Momma is gone.  I have been able to stay at home with her much more than I did with the other two. That may have contributed to her being more attached to me, or it could just be her personality. Kira is now 7.5 months and is sitting up now (which she started at 1 month) and learning to crawl. She adores her sisters and loves playing with them. I would say her happiest moments are spent in the pool. This is definitely my water baby. She calmly floats on her back while I have one finger on her head and one finger on her back.  She has 2 teeth on the bottom coming in and boy has she made it known in the house that teething is taking place.

James has been extremely busy with work and I have been busy balancing my consulting company and working PRN at local hospitals. Leia is enjoying preschool and Chely, our babysitter for Nora and Kira is our biggest blessing.

We have been able to enjoy many wonderful visits from family and friends who try to come see us before the weather jumps to triple digits. We do still love living in the desert and are looking forward to expanding and updating our home in the coming months/years. 

Funny Videos:
Nora reading to her friends: https://youtu.be/NEPWlJpC4pM

Brave Robertson girls: https://youtu.be/RN4zF5Pap7c

Robertson Love: https://youtu.be/MmA3qJigeJ8

A day in the Life of a Toddler: https://youtu.be/Zqb7qkpuuG8

My days off with Nora: https://youtu.be/46vXtvwuB_Q

Funny Comments:

Leia tells people that the reason Kira has red hair, blue eyes, and white skin is because she was born on the brightest star where sweet strawberries fell on her head, blueberries fell in her eyes and vanilla milk covered her body.

When I ask Leia if we should have any more babies, Leia's prompt reply "no. please--me and Daddy are at saturation and when Daddy married you he begged you to have 3 girls".