Aria and Grandpa Christensen

There's no better place to sleep then on a nice, warm tummy!

The magical elf child

I like to think of Aria as my little elf child who possess magical powers. She was sent to me by a great king in the hopes that I would raise her and teach her about her magical powers. Someday she will do amazing things for the earth and it is my job to help unleash her potential.

Chubby-cheeked Aria

Little Aria loves to eat!....as you can probably tell by her churubic face. I swear I just woke up one morning a few weeks ago and her face had entirely filled out. I thought to myself, "Wow, when did that double chin get there?" She's a calm and mellow baby, except for when she wants to eat. Dane calls it "code red!" Nobody better stop her, or get in her way of food, and you better not pull that bottle away for more than 2 seconds or she'll let you know what she thinks about it. Recently I haven't had enough milk to fill her so I supplement with milk that I pump in the morning. Unfortunately, she's starting to prefer the bottle over the breast and is increasingly less effective at nursing at the breast. I'm about ready to give up because it seems so much easier to just pump and give her a bottle, rather than fight her at the breast. It only takes me about 10 minutes to pump so it's not that much of an additional hassle. Recently Dane has been taking the 1:00 AM or 2:00 AM feeding shift so that I can get more sleep. It has helped incredibly! I feel like a new woman! Now I can actually sleep 4-5 hours in a row! To the average person this wouldn't sound that great, but to a new, sleep-deprived mom, 4-5 hours in a row is heaven sent! Unfortunately, Aria has developed a rash, or "baby acne" as some like to put it, all over her face. I feel bad seeing those red bumps all over my beautiful baby's face. Sadly, there's not really anything that can be done about it, except wait for them to go away.

Thoughts on Motherhood

Being a mother is very challenging, yet infinetly rewarding. I guess that's what everyone says, but it's true. It's all quite overwhelming, that this little being depends entirely on me for survival, that I will shape how she sees and experiences the world. I thought when I became a mother that I'd have all this extra time for creative projects. It turns out that motherhood is quite time consuming- at least, it is so far. Between feeding, burping, diapers, spit up, soothing, bathing and then just general playing- a lot of time is used up. But I suppose that time couldn't be used for a better purpose than to raise and love my own child. Aria has such a mild temperment. I really can't complain, even if she does wake up every 2 1/2 hours from the time I started feeding her. Getting enough sleep is probably the hardest part about being a mother so far.

Tara's Parents come to visit

Tara's parents came to visit in order to see the new baby and help out. Tara thoroughly enjoyed having them stay as they kept her company during the day and allowed her to get out of the house. Together they went to the Chinese gardens downtown, to Multnomah falls, Blue Lake park, visited friends and relatives, went for long walks, cooked delicious meals, and just enjoyed each other's company. Tara was very sad to see them go. She wishes that Dane and her were moving back to Utah instead of Arizona. Nonetheless, Tara consoles herself with the knowledge that she'll be flying to Utah in July, and her sister, Sharalee, will be coming to visit in only two weeks.

Aria's Baby Blessing

Aria was given a blessing by her father in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on Sunday, May 4th. We chose this day because Tara's parents were in town visiting from Utah. Of the many blessings Aria was given, Dane made particular mention that she would know who she is, her purpose in life, that she would gain a testimony of the gospel and have the spirit to guide her throughout her life. Normally Aria is calm and mellow, but it so happened that on this parituclar day she was rather fussy right before she was to be blessed. Despite the fact that Dane ended the blessing when she began to cry, Aria was still blessed with many beautiful things. After church, both families had dinner and spent the evening admiring the beautiful baby and discussing history, health and politics.

Little Grunt Grunt

Little Aria's appears to take after daddy, since her favorite past time is grunting. All her little noises have earned her the nickname "grunt grunt." Here's a small taste:

Aria's three week check-up and nursing

Aria went for her three week check-up on Wednesday. She now weighs 7 lbs 6 oz and is 21 inches long. That means that she has gained over a pound since birth and an inch in length! Our little girl is growing fast!

Aria loves to suck, especially on pinky fingers. We've tried introducing a binky in order to free up our hands. She's gotten better at taking one, but still she prefers the pinky finger. She just can't seem to keep the binky in her mouth, and becomes very frustrated when the binky falls out, which is usually after about 1-2 minutes from the time it was inserted.

Since I spend about 7 hours of every day sitting in a chair and nursing a child, I decided that I need something to occupy my mind. Of course, I love staring at my beautiful baby girl, but seven hours a day does get a little old. Thus, I've begun listening to books on CD. Currently I'm listening to a CD about the teachings of Mother Theresea. Next I plan to listen to a book about parenting called Love and Logic. I've even got a course on how to speak German since Dane has wanted me to learn German since the day he met me. Who said that you can't become more educated while being a mother?