Almost 1 month

Took a walk along the water at Vasona Park near our house in hopes of taking our Christmas family photo.

Thanksgiving at the Murphy's

Kate's first Thanksgiving!

Owl Hat

I bought Kate's owl hat from a maker on etsy.com. We love it and Kate seems to like it too. Wanted to have a photo shoot before she grew out of it. She's about 3 weeks old here. Going without a diaper was risky, but definitely worth it despite the presents she delivered. :)

3 weeks

Bath time at nearly 3 weeks old.

Gotta cover my girly parts.

2 weeks

Kate at 2 weeks old.

My two kids Walter and Kate.

Umbilical cord fell off. Bath time is on. 

Love my duck bath towel.

Still getting used to mommy's driving.

Nap time with dad.

My personal body guard.

1 1/2 weeks

Having a new baby sister is exhausting!

1.5 weeks old

9 days

"Tummy Time" at 9 days old.

3 days

Being 3 days old is tough!

Already teasing my big brother Walter.

Proud papa!

Plugged into the matrix aka "billy blanket." Aunt Wendy and I are taking another nap.

We visited the Kaiser Newborn Club where the nurses weighed Kate. She lost weight from 7 lbs. 3 oz. to 6 lbs. 9 oz. After receiving the results from her blood draw that morning, we had to order a "billy blanket" for her jaundice. Her levels were in the safe zone after about 3.5 days on the "light."

Well hello there!  My name is Kate.  I'm in the middle of this amazing dream right now as you can see.  The owl allows me to write this email while I'm dreaming.  My parents are really busy right now and I was anxious to say hi to you, so I figured out how to do this all by myself :-)   

You see, I've been cramped up in my mom's tummy for 9 months.  I wanted to send you a little note to tell you about myself so when I'm awake and we're staring at each other, we are on the same page, okay?  

My full name is Kate Qilin Stickle.  How do you pronounce my middle name you ask?  It's easy, "chee-lin."  I was born 48 hours ago on my due date, November 2nd at 12:21am.  I weigh 7lb 3oz and am 20.5 inches long.  

I heard everything going on from the inside and let me tell you, things couldn't have gone any better.  For reals.  I'm new.  I don't know how to lie yet.  My mom did such an awesome job, I'm so proud of her.  She was calm and persevered through all of the hard bits.  She rocked it.  All of the pilates and yoga classes paid off big time.  I think she was only doing the real pushing thing for 1.5 hours.  I heard her entertaining the rest of the pit crew with her highly amusing questions, trying to master the most effective way to push during contractions.  I was laughing from the inside.  She takes good care of me.  I can already tell she's going to be a wonderful mom.  I sensed my dad standing by her side the entire time, comparing our progress to the rest of the mothers in labor next door.  I couldn't stop staring at him when I came out.  He loves me so much, I can already tell :-)  Oh and my Aunt Lisa delivered me!  She was the perfect coach for my mom and was clearly an expert in getting me out!    It was so special to be held by her as I came into this world.  So far, I am a  very calm and happy baby.  

If you want to see more of my journey, click on this link for pictures of me and my new family!
https://plus.google.com/photos/111791184295784844166/albums/5670630070346380417?authkey=CKqjh8DXyrDTJg&banner=pwa

I have to get back to my dreams now.  I can't wait to meet all of you! 

Love,
Kate

Water broke!

Water broke this morning! Had my 40 week appointment which was convenient. Haven't had any heavy contractions yet, just light cramping and more leakage. Fun! Will check into the hospital later today. Excited and nervous at the same time. Baby's heartbeat sounds good at 145.

More news and pics to come!