My Valentines'

Happy Valentine's Day from our house to yours!

Fresh Beat Band Live in Concert

With all the anxiety of the past couple of weeks and everything surrounding Burke and his health, it was great to spend some quality time with just Brynn.  Grandma Sharon had gotten Brynn some tickets to a concert of her favorite band.  We left dad at home with Burke with some bottles and the three of us headed to downtown LA to see the Fresh Beat Band.  Brynn was very excited and such a good girl.  We got her a light up microphone that she used throughout the entire concert to sing into and perform along with the band.  She was a dancing machine and kept mimicking her “favorite band”.

Waiting for Fresh Beat Band Live in Concert

Getting into the Music

Welcome Home

Burke gave us a little scare while we were in the hospital causing him to get transferred to the Children’s Hospital of Orange County.  His 1 week birthday was spent in the hospital but we still celebrated in style. 

One Week Old

I'm a fighter!

Our little man is a fighter and took all of the tests in stride.  He only cried for a second when they did the spinal tap, he slept through both MRI’s, and barely flinched with each blood draw.   With every passing day more and more wires or tubes were removed and he continued to eat and eat.  After ten exhausting days and many tests he was cleared to go home.  This was a huge step and one of our family’s happiest days.  We had a welcome home party where we got to celebrate his one week birthday properly with a cupcake and a song.  We were all home, happy and healthy!  There is nothing better to celebrate.        

Going Home!

      

Welcome Home!  Happy Birthday Baby Burke!

B-Boy has Arrived!!

Burke James Belitz was born on January 22^nd at 11:09am.  He was a healthy 7lbs 12 oz. and 20.5 inches long.  He is a very sweet and happy baby who loves it when you sit and talk to him.  He rarely fusses so when he cries we jump to see what it wrong.   He looks more and more like his big sister every day.  He got the dominate “Woody” chin from his mother and curly brown hair and laid back attitude from his father.  And we still have not decided who he got his big hands and feet from.  Brynn is a fantastic big sister and loves to hold and sing to him to calm him down.  We are truly blessed and love being a family of four.    

Christmas in California

We celebrated our first Christmas in California this year.  Actually, this was the first Christmas we did not celebrate in Sioux Falls and the first Christmas I did not wake up in my parents’ house.  Let’s just say this was a Christmas of firsts. 

Christmas 2013 - 36 weeks pregnant

We made the most of Christmas and tried to get into the holiday spirit without snow on the ground and 75-80 degree days.  We started the week off with a boat ride to see all the boats and houses decorated with Christmas lights.  Christmas Eve was spent with close family and friends.  We had a great time and Ashley and Mom were great hostesses.  To try and add to the nostalgia of a California Christmas we had to have the fake fire going in the background all night. 

Keeping warm by the fire

Merry Christmas

Christmas Day was spent with the five of us.  We opened presents, had a surf and turf meal (in true California style), and spent the day playing with toys and watching movies.  We had to take a Christmas Day break half way through the day to spend a few minutes enjoying the sun by the pool as it was sunny and 85 degrees outside. 

Opening gifts

We continue to open presents.  Or should I say Brynn continues to open presents.  Just like at her birthday, she likes to open each gift one at a time and play with them before moving on.  So far there has not been a favorite present.  The train has given her hours of fun and I think we have assembled and reassemble it into different configurations a half a dozen times.  She got some new boots and a Sofia the First music player so we have also been getting daily performances by Miss Brynn.  

First performance of the day

Christmas Program

What a difference a year makes.  I was sitting at Brynn’s Christmas program this year trying to take it all in and realizing she is now a little girl.  She has developed in so many ways and her personality just shines.  I kept remembering back to last year’s program and thinking how she was just a baby back then. 

This year she sang along with the songs, got to play the bells and was thrilled to see us in the audience.  The funniest part was when some of the kids were pushing and shoving around her and she would just turn her back and ignore them and continue on with the song.  She is just a little performer…..more to come on that.  

Holiday Baking

I completed my usual holiday baking this past weekend.  This year was no exception to last year even though I claimed I was going to cut back.  However, the one big difference this year was that I had two elves to help me out.  One loved to stir and taste everything, while the other kept putting the ingredients together.  Can you pick out which elf is which? 

Stir Stir

Don't mind the cookie on my face!

In the end we made cookies, bread, dipped pretzels, party mix, and puppy chow.  Come on over if you are hungry or have a sweet tooth.  We have enough baked goods to feed an army.    

Break for a photo op!

Helping grandma with the tray of goodies!