Happy Easter!

Kira's first Easter was lots of fun... or maybe more fun for me because I had an excuse to put her in a basket and try out the bunny ears. She seemed to enjoy herself (for the most part!)

Kira is wearing the sweater and blanket my grandmother (Omi) knitted for my birth 30 years ago! :) Then we went outside to pose in the front yard with the beautiful daffodils.







































We also went to Omi and Opa's house during spring break, but Kira fell asleep. Here are the Easter baskets at our house. Can you guess which one I made for Jon? :)

Dancing feet!

At 14 weeks old, Kira loves to lay on her back and dance. I just need to find some music to add to this video! :)

Happy 30th Jon!

Well... no wild and craziness here! Just a little silliness! We went out to lunch at Alexander's in Buckeystown, then returned home for my mom's homemade German apple cake to celebrate her 65th birthday (on March 19) and Jon's 30th birthday (on March 20). The birthday boy wouldn't have been complete without his birthday hat, burp cloth and baby. :)

Lasses in Sunglasses

Like mother, like daughter. Just couldn't resist! Best $1 accessory ever!

Snowsuit and sass

Now that we are nearing the end of March, the chill is starting to disappear and most afternoons are warm enough to go for a daily walk around the neighborhood. Kira gets snuggled into her bear snowsuit and we grab the music toy, pacifier, and froggie blanket to get buckled into her carseat stroller for 30mins to an hour. When I'm not breaking a sweat at a quick pace, Kira puts up with my desire to put sunglasses on her and snap photos.

2 months old!

Kira is 2 months old today and I can never get enough of her smiles! :)

Terps and Bubble Tea

So today was a special occasion. First, I went to the Terps basketball game with Donna and had a great time. Even though they lost in the end, it was a good game for the first half and it was my first time being away from Kira for more than 2 hours. I did it! I was little worried about not being able to pump/breastfeed, but I was able to manage.

Then, before driving home, I thought I remembered a restaurant in College Park that served bubble tea. I was right!!! Oh bubble tea, how I have missed thee. This was my beverage of choice in China and I had been dreaming of it ever since.

When I got home, I gushed to Jon about my love of bubble tea and he told me that he thought he had seen a sign for a new bubble tea and frozen yogurt place very close to home in Urbana. Eureka! What a great day! :)

Kira is 8 weeks!

So today I was able to catch some video of Kira one day before she turns 8 weeks old! Time has just flown! I am very thankful to be taking 12 weeks of maternity leave (even though I'm not getting paid) because I couldn't even fathom being able to go back after these 8 weeks. I'm simply not ready -- and I don't think she is either!

This video has a little something for everyone... some smiling, squirming, talking, grunting, tongue sticking out, blowing bubbles, rattle shaking, baby kung fu poses, and my personal favorite: baby sneezes. The little ham even gave me a beautiful smile at the end. I couldn't believe that Kira was able to show all her little talents in 1:30. Well... I guess she didn't show off her amazing diaper explosions... she decided to spare you that one. :) Hope you enjoy!

Fast asleep

There's something so beautiful about seeing your two loves sleeping peacefully.

Happy Birthday Opa!

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day from 1 month and 1 week old Kira!
We have to say... Kiraline is the best Valentine! :)
XOXOXO

Kiss me, I'm cute!

I'm one month old today! I deserve kisses!

Happy Birthday Grandma!

From Sweet Sixteen

Sleep is beautiful!

Like father, like daughter. Some late morning naps in the co-sleeper. (Genius!)

Resting in a bassinet. (Another life-saver!)

Grandmas are the greatest!

Motherhood is an amazing thing: both for first time moms and for grandmothers whose natural instincts spring into action when a new baby comes into the world. Quite simply, I have no idea what I would have done without my mom and Jon's mom during the first month. My mom came and stayed with us for a week to help and returned every weekend she was able. Jon and I even went out for a dinner date when Kira was 6 days old while my mom watched her. It was so great to get out since we had no idea the eve of Jan 7 that we would not have another weekend just the two of us to get ready and spend time together!

Jon's mom was also happy to come up during the week and give me some much needed relief and assistance after Jon went back to work. Obviously, I love Kira dearly and want to spend plenty of time with her, but it was so relaxing to get out of the house and have some "me" time to run errands and pick up groceries for an hour or two by myself.

Perhaps what I find most remarkable is that by watching my mom and Jon's mom is almost like viewing a glimpse into the past. It allows me to see what we as infants never got to appreciate: the way our mothers cared for us.

Kira definitely loves her grandmas (and we do too)! We can never say thank you enough...

5 days old

Smiling already! Ok, ok... I'm sure it's actually just gas, but I'd like to think that Kira is smiling just thinking about going to the doctor's and finding out that the jaundice is gone and her weight is increasing again. Yay!

Little Kirabug

At Kira's first appointment with the pediatrician, we discovered that she lost a few pounds and has jaundice. To help her gain weight, we will be supplementing with a few mL of formula.

The solution for the jaundice is to go home and have Kira rest on the "bili-blanket," which makes her glow like a little lightning bug. It does not seem very pleasant to lay on, but she is a good sport and it seems to be helping.

Luckily, with the help of my mom and the boppy pillow, Kira is more comfortable.

Chillin with her feet up.

Beautiful big eyes.

Welcome Kiraline Grace!

At 4am on Friday January 7, 2011, the 25.5 hour journey began and on January 8, 2011, our lives were forever changed for the better. Born at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring MD, Kiraline Grace was delivered by Nurse Candice and Dr. Anderson. Kiraline, which means "little lady," was born at 5:21 am weighing 7 lbs 5 oz and measuring 21.5 inches "tall." My parents, who will probably be called Omi and Opa, were Kira's first visitors. She is the first grandchild for my parents, and the 16th grandchild for Jon's parents.

I was so tired, that we never took an actual family photo in the hospital. :( Then on Monday, I guess we looked like we knew what we were doing, and they sent us home. We left during rush hour and Kira slept the whole way. It is a pretty amazing thing that just a few days earlier, we left the house just the two of us, and now we are a family of three. :)

So for the first time I can say...

Love, Kirsten, Jon, and Kira Tippets

Fun Fall Drive around Frederick! (Say that 3 times fast!)

So Jon and I have enjoyed a 4 day weekend together... it didn't turn out to be one last weekend away before the baby arrives (as we had hoped) but it ended up being even better! We were able to take off an extra day of work, relax all weekend together, accomplish some things around the house, and then we enjoyed a day trip around Frederick county on a gorgeous fall day.

We drove north on the "Covered Bridge Tour" to see scenic roads and all 3 beautiful red historic bridges, admiring the changing fall leaves along the way. Gosh I love fall! The colors are gorgeous! While the bridges are all quite similar, they each have a different story. Plus, check out Jon's beard!

Bridge #1 (the largest)

Bridge #2 (the oldest)
Bridge #3 (the most remote)

Each one is still a one-lane bridge over a creek or stream and I found the inside of each one to also be quite beautiful. Sadly, these bridges attract admirers as well as vandals, and in many places the woodwork is scarred with carvings.

From here, we drove to Cunningham Falls, where my endurance was definitely tested! While it is not a difficult hike, the slightest incline caused me to get winded and I was happy to have Jon help pull or push me ahead at times. However, the walk was definitely worth the view!

We also stopped at Catoctin Mountain Orchards (a place we will definitely have to visit annually) and bought some tasty fall treats: Apple Cider, Apple Walnut cookies, Apricot-Pinapple Preserves and Blackberry Jam. Yum! Next year, we will have to return with our baby girl to visit the pumpkin patch and take more fun photos. She will definitely look different in a year! =)

Happy Halloween!

So today we celebrated our first holiday in our new house that involved putting up decorations. We enjoyed about 60-70 trick-or-treaters of all ages and luckily did not end up with too much halloween candy for me to overindulge myself. We met a few neighbors and they were delighted to learn that we are expecting a baby. One of the boys who used to live in our house came back to the neighborhood to trick-or-treat with his friends and when we opened the door he and his friend said, "Whoa!! Your house looks so different!" I happily consider this a compliment, although I was a bit surprised that they had this reaction just from the entryway. Then, I realized that yes, it really was noticeably different: gone are the powder blue walls and the bright teal carpet that used to line the entryway and stairs. Plus, I think our decorations were pretty cute, if I do so say so myself (pregnant belly included).

Hellos and Goodbyes

Happily and sadly, with many smiles and tears, we said "Auf Weidersein" to Jenny and Greg this month as they begin their adventure living in Munich Germany for the next few years. I'm excited that they will have this experience (and we will get to visit them soon!) but sad that they will be so far away and not able to visit when our baby girl is born. We celebrated together at Dawn and Chris's with one last dinner to wish them well and had fun telling stories and taking goofy pictures. We will "see them again soon" via skype, so this is not truly goodbye!

The girls rub my belly for luck.

The boys imagine life without each other.

On the "hello" side...We have been welcoming my parents more often to our new house in Adamstown. They keep reminding us that it is SO FAR away (a little under an hour) but I think they will soon come around to the fact that we made a great decision to move to Frederick County and we would never have found our dream home (or afforded it) in Montgomery County. They seem to be very impressed with what we have done with the house so far (and I promise to post before and after photos soon), but I think they are most proud of becoming grandparents...and I can't blame them!