Lil' Water Baby

We had our first water babies class with Blythe today, and she absolutely loved being in the pool! We were a little nervous that she might get too cold or that all that water would scare her. Not our girl. She splashed and she kicked. She squealed and she laughed. All in all - a great success! It was even more special because Matt got to go with us. He usually has to work during all the fun classes and activities we do during the week days, but because this class is on Saturday we had Dad with us to enjoy the warm pool water with us. A fabulous time was had all!

We also want to wish Grammy Marilyn a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! We love you!

Time For a New Post!

I know some of you are thinking "Yes! About time!", but things around the Fain household are quite busy. It's also nice *hint* to get some comments to let me know that people are actually reading this thing. :) To my loyal comment-makers, MUCH thanks for the great comments! On to the pictures!

One never knows what will happen when Daddy is in charge of...anything. So, the following photos can be attributed to my husband and his bizarre, but I have to admit, funny sense of humor.

After Miss B's bath we lotion her up so she has beautifully scented baby-soft skin. I usually run my hand through her hair so that she radiates Johnson's Baby smell all day. Here's what happens when Matt's in charge of lotioning the baby. (I promise she did not put her fingers in any outlets.)

From these pictures one might gather that our place is climate challenged. Not so. In fact, it was 86 degrees today. But, the hat was within Matt's reach and so on Blythe's head it went. It was hilarious!


The next one is just a cute picture of our sweet girl who will be ONE on July 11th!!! Talk about surreal. Cute top compliments of Mommy Susan and Auntie Liz - we love it!

Chocolate Kisses, Part 2

Blythie is a born chocolate lover, this we know. What we did not know, however, is that she will not let anything get in her way of having chocolate in her belly! Matt sat down with a nice bowl of sugar free chocolate pudding, and she went straight for him. Not content to sit in front of him patiently and wait for the chocolate to come to her, she made the move to get closer to the chocolate. The chocolate frenzy ensued - chocolate on Dad's shirt, chocolate on her sock, chocolate on the carpet, chocolate on Mom's shirt, chocolate all over! The girl was only content when she scored her desired seat - close to the spoon on Dad's lap with the pudding within reach. Did we mention she likes chocolate? (One of the pictures is a bit blurry - she won't keep still!)

Up Close and Personal

Blythe has been able to pull herself to a standing position for some time now, but I realized this morning that I had not captured this incredible feat on film! So, as she was making her way along the laundry basket I snapped a few photos. Then, the camera "captured" (pun intended - my attempt at humor this morning) her abandoning the laundry basket and crawling closer and closer to the shiny silver camera Mom was holding. Without further ado, here is Miss B - up close and personal!

More Fun with Dan and Katie

On Saturday we headed out to Coeur d'Alene to have some fun with a group of my buddies at the local KOA. Blythe loved being on the swing with her uncle Dan. Pardon my startled expression - she almost grabbed a bee!

Here she is with her little flirty smile!

Amongst the Lilacs

Today was a perfect day for a walk in the park. The Lilac Garden is in bloom right now, and the varying colors of white and purple were a treasure to behold. A photo opportunity was a must!



Matt's brother and his girlfriend are visiting this week. Blythe loves having them around, and they seem to be just as enamored with her. Here they are in the Japanese Garden!

10 Months!

That's right folks, in two short months Blythe will be 1 year old! When did that happen?! She is slowly becoming more a toddler than an infant in front of my very own eyes. She now says "Uh oh" and "Hi" and "Da Da" back to us when we speak to her. It's so fantastic to see this little person evolving and maturing, but also slightly bittersweet to know she's growing out of the baby phase.

She loves to play with the ceiling fan switches. She squeals with delight when she's in range of being able to grasp them.


This was taken on her 10 month date. It's blurry because this child is never still!

Chocolate Kisses

There is something about the spring time that makes me want to bake pies. I picture myself wearing a blue and white waist apron and having a cherry pie cooling in the window. Think 50's housewife. I have neither an apron nor a window sill to cool the pies on, but I can bake! I set out to make a fudge pie today, and Blythe was my ever-vigilant helper in the kitchen. Of course, part of baking is taste-testing, so we both sampled a bit of the chocolate batter. I know there will be people that say babies shouldn't eat chocolate, but she's a product of some serious chocolate lovers. So chocolate she will have!

Little Jail Baby

We have been a busy family these last few weeks, and time for posting updates has been sparse! I traveled to San Francisco this past weekend, Blythe had a doosy of a diaper rash, and we are in the process of trying to find our first home. Busy, busy, busy!

Blythe is growing up fast - she'll be one year old in just two-and-a-half months. As most mothers utter over the years, "She's just growing up so fast!" Every week she shows more and more of her personality, and she's just an astounding little girl. She did her first sign for "milk" a few days ago, and she "talks" incessantly.

When she is in her crib waiting to be picked up she has started to pull down the bumper to see what curious things are on her bedroom floor. As soon as she hears someone come in, she pulls down the bumper and flashes a big smile. Here's a picture of our little jailbaby!

Peanut Pictures

Blythe is now 9 months old, and we can hardly believe it! To think that in three months we will have a 1 year old is somewhat surreal. She now has three teeth and weighs roughly 18 pounds. Our girl is long and lean! The following are a few photos we've taken over the last few weeks.

Here she is trying pancakes with syrup for the first time. She adores pancakes!

Playing on Dad's shoulders at Riverfront State Park near to our house.

Swinging Sweetie

Wednesday was such a nice day here that Blythe and I met my friend, Sarah, and her kids at the park for lunch. It was so fun, and so nice to see spring coming around! I spotted a baby swing at the playground, and was curious to see how Blythe would do on the swing. Well, she loved it! Smiles and squeals abounded!

Here is my dear friend, Sarah.

Her little boy, Ashton.

Hannah and Ashton swinging and having a blast!

Mohawks are Totally Awesome!

Blythe's hair is getting longer and thicker by the day. Her first curl is starting to appear (behind her right ear), and her hair is becoming the most beautiful shade of sandy blonde. This also means she has enough hair to sport a bathtub mohawk, so wouldn't you know I just had to try! Moments after this picture was taken she gave the fist-of-rock sign. Rock on, baby!

Crawling?

Blythe has become mobile, but we're not sure if you can call it crawling. It's more of a boot-scoot-butt-in-the-air-boogy. Say goodbye to the days of a baby that stays put where you put her!

Fun at the Park

It was such a beautiful day today that we decided to go to Manito Park and have a walk around. Blythe had a grand time hooting at the ducks, and she was all smiles. Our girl loves being outside!

Blythe is eight months old now and changing everyday! She is almost crawling, and she sports two shiny teeth. Her personality couldn't be better, and we feel so unbelievably blessed to have her as our baby. She's absolutely stunning in every way imaginable!

Here we are at the park enjoying the gorgeous sunset.

Ready to go home after a fun outing.

The Sweetest Sound

Becky (read below) showed me how to upload video onto the blog. She gives me so many great ideas all the time from babies to blogging. Thanks, Becky!

California Girls

This past weekend Blythe and I traveled to the Bay area for a girls weekend and some fun-in-the-sun! My good friend, Becky, and her little girl, Coralyn, flew up from Lubbock, TX to meet us there . My mom was the best travel guide two girls (make that four!) could ask for, and we all had a blast together. We walked in the city, strolled through Pier 39, shopped, and ate yummy food. It was a blast!

Even tho the girls have a 3+ month age difference, we got asked if they were twins practically everywhere we went.

The girls played really well together except for the occasional "I want that toy!"

We bought the babies matching t-shirts to mark our first girls trip together. You'll notice the pictures are a bit blurry. Getting two babies to look at the same camera at the same time in an airport full of many, new faces is...well....really hard!

"Happy Trails To You.."

Matt starts his new job on March 1st, and as a going away present some folks at his old office pitched in and bought us this super neat Kelty backpack! We are thrilled at our new present as our little one is now too big for the Baby Bjourn. I'd say she's ready to hit the dusty trails, wouldn't you?

Grizzly Cub

GO GRIZ! This one's for you, Grandpa Beecher!

Weekend of Fun

This past weekend was packed full of family and fun activities! Grandpa Beecher met Matt and I for some skiing on Friday, and treated us to a wonderful dinner and play on Saturday. We all went to see Annie, and a great time was had by all of us. Blythe loved seeing her Grandpa Beecher again, and they had too much fun! We snapped this cute picture - definitely a keeper!

On Sunday we packed Blythe in the car and headed over to the western side of Washington state. We're looking into building a barn (we like the Great Western!) that can be converted into a house, and we wanted to talk with the sales rep in person and view an actual structure. Ten hours in two days is a lot for a little critter to spend in the car, but she was once again the intrepid traveler. We were really excited by what we saw in Rochester, and we're thinking very seriously about building one. It's so thrilling!

Here's a picture of us having some down time in the hotel room. Our girl is just so much fun!

Happy Valentine's Day!

We wish you lots of love and happiness on this special day. Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!!