[Random Thoughts] Grandpa Randy

Whitney has three Grandpas, and she couldn't be more lucky. Grandpa Faust beams with pride when he picks her up, and Papa (Roy) captivates her with his baritone voice and fun songs.

Grandpa Randy, however, is her guardian angel. Yesterday marked 22 years since my dad passed away, and I think it's the first May 29th since 1990 that I haven't shed a tear. And I know exactly why... this precious baby has her guardian angel in my dad. She has brought more joy to my life than I could ever have imagined, and while I'm saddened my dad isn't here to witness it, I am comforted by the legacy he left. Whitney will always know about her Grandpa Randy.

At an Alpha Gam function last week I saw a recent graduate from Chapman who works for Disney, and she mentioned, "I saw your dad's Legend plaque the other day." Her name is Kelly, and she's one of the most outstanding young women I've ever come across. She was a Disneyland tour guide for years, and now works in archives at the studios. I told her I'd never seen my dad's plaque - it's from being named a Disney Legend in 2005. She got home that night and sent me a photo of it:

I'm reminded of the numerous memories I have of my dad - from teaching me to ride a bike, to awesome slideshows for every sports team my brother and I played on; from watching Disney movies on reels at my birthday parties, to his Paul Newman smile that could brighten anyone's day - and while the sadness I feel will never go away, it's somehow lessened when I see Whitney with her daddy. I can't wait for them to make these kinds of memories together.

And so, while May 29-June 29 is a month that is always hard for me (May 29 - anniversary of dad's death; June is Father's Day; June 29 - dad's birthday), it's also such an exciting time as Wes gets ready to celebrate his first Father's Day - the first of many to come.

(Sidenote: as I Googled to find the link to my dad's Legend profile, this YouTube video popped up... and now I sit here in tears as it's only the second time I've seen him on video/heard his voice in 22 years. How amazing to have this video... and it just reminds me of the feeling I get every time I step foot in Disneyland, knowing my dad walked those same steps thousands of times as he helped create memories for everyone to enjoy.)

[Fun] Trips to the beach!

Baby toes in the sand for the first time!

All in one fell swoop, Whitney had her first and second trips to the beach! My Mother's Day present every year will be family pictures, so we scheduled time with a photographer to do portraits on the beach Friday night. At first we thought we would have to cancel because the weather was yucky, but it cleared up and turned out to be a gorgeous night.

We met with the photographer on Saturday to select our pictures, and got a great one of the three of us, and a fun one he took of our feet in the sand. We should have the "real" pictures in a few weeks! Here's one of Whitney and Daddy when we were done with photos - her little nose looks so pink because it was COLD! Thankfully Wes kept her snuggled and warm! She smiled and looked absolutely adorable in all of the pictures!

Then on Sunday, we took a family trip to the Huntington Dog Beach! The dogs were in seventh heaven, and Whitney slept nearly the whole time. Here's a cute photo of her in her sun hat as we were headed to the beach (Wes thinks she looks dorky in the hat, and I think she looks adorable!):

[Whitney] First flight!

Whitney enjoyed a little weekend getaway with us, and went on her first plane trip! She was a complete and total champ, too! I have been planning this trip for months to go up to Sonoma County for my dear friend Kelly's bridal shower, and was going to only be gone from Saturday morning until Sunday afternoon. Whitney was going to stay home with Wes.

After the craziness of going back to work for a full week to help with a big event, it was evident that my milk supply took a big hit, so we went through nearly all of the frozen milk we'd been able to save up. It was clear that I wasn't going to be able to be away for the trip, and thankfully we were able to use miles to have Wes and Whitney go with me! 

The flight up to Sonoma County was great - Whitney was asleep when the plane took off, and very happy and smiley during the entire flight. Here's a video:

The way back was a little bit more eventful... I had gotten her to sleep just before we boarded the plane, and she was in the Ergo carrier. Just before takeoff, the flight attendant informed me that I'd have to take her out of the Ergo, as FAA regulations stated it was safer to have me holding her. Uhh, interesting. Everyone seated around us was appalled that: 1) they were going to make me wake her up, and 2) that being in the carrier wasn't safer! As soon as I tried to get the straps of the Ergo loose she woke up and started crying... grr! I ended up nursing her most of the flight, so she was happy then. 

We had a great weekend, and it was fun for my Sonoma friends to get to meet her!

[Worldless Wednesday] On a walk with Grandma!

[Whitney] Weighing in

Whitney is up to 11 pounds, 9 ounces! She was 11 pounds last week, and there were some concerns with the decrease in my milk production after I went back to work. After a week of diligently nursing, pumping, and drinking LOTS of water, it's comforting to know that it's back up! 

[Whitney] Two months old!

Whitney is two months old today! As I started looking back on the past few weeks, I realized how much has happened and wanted to be sure to document it. Every morning is full of smiles, and Whitney is still sleeping through the night (hoorah - nine out of the last 11 nights!). Here are a few other fun things we want to remember about this month:

Two Month Milestones

• Mimicking facial expressions - smiles, sticking out tongue, open mouth
• Holding onto toys

• Favorites:
• Staring at the birdies on the bouncer

• Hanging out on the changing table (may have something to do with a clean diaper!)
• Mommy singing "Patty Cake" and playing with feet
• Daddy walking around while she faces out to the world
• Firsts:
• Vacation - a trip to the Central Coast of California
• Bottle - she'll take pumped milk from anybody (including mommy!), and doesn't even mind when it's cold!
• Grandma Faust babysat while mommy and daddy were out on a weekend day
• Slept through the night! From 10 p.m. until 7 a.m. on the night of April 23rd
• Grandma Patty babysat when mommy returned to work one day a week
• Met another baby - Julie's daughter, Taylor (i n this picture Taylor is 2.5 weeks old, and weighs 8 pounds, 5 ounces... what Whit weighed when she was born! Crazy to see how much she's grown!); contrary to the crying, she had a blast!

• Size:
• Diapers - newborn (but officially needing a 1 today... we've gone through several outfits!)
• Clothes - newborn and 0-3 months; the pants in both sizes fit more like capris (welcome to mommy's world!), but the newborn are perfect size wise (just not length)
• Weight: 10 pounds, 8 ounces on April 30th

As I started writing these I realized I should do it for the first month, too!

One Month Milestones

• Being born!
• Showing us her moves as "Baby Houdini" and unraveling the swaddle no matter how tight
• Daddy gave her the nickname "Booger," and it seems to have stuck... it comes in various forms of "Boog," "Boogie," etc., but she's called that more often than Whitney, so I think it's a keeper :)
• Firsts:
• Trip to the pediatrician - passed the two week checkup with flying colors!
• Birthday party - for Alicia's daughter Layla's 2nd birthday
• Baby shower - for Julie
• Size:
• Diapers - newborn
• Clothes - newborn (even though they say they're only up to 8.5 pounds, they fit well, and there's even some room to grow into them more!)
• Weight: 8 pounds, 14 ounces on April 2nd

We spent her two month birthday at work for a few hours, and Whitney got to hang out with mommy's colleague and sorority sister, Marybeth. Whitney mostly napped, and was a perfect angel while mommy was in a two hour meeting!

And, of course, we took her monthly photos:

For our month-by-month picture frame

To watch her grow next to the elephant

Two month sticker!

It's crazy to look at the pictures from last month and see how much she's changed! Since we see her every day, I don't think we notice as much! So excited for what this upcoming month will bring for our little girl! <3

[Whitney] Weighing in

Whitney is now 10 pounds, 8 ounces! In one week we'll have her measured at her two month appointment, so we'll get to see how long she is. Can't wait! Her weight puts her right in the 50th percentile for her age, so it will be interesting to see where she is height wise!