BYU...BYU...

Adele at 2 months

9 lbs. 7 oz. (9th percentile)

22.5 in. long (50th percentile)

15.35 in. circumference (50th percentile)

As you can see, being sick really took a toll on her weight.  :(  When she was born, she was at 22nd percentile (yep, my body kept fighting her off), by 2 weeks she was at the 65th percentile (my milk is cream, basically), and then 6 weeks later she dropped all the way to the 9th (dang mucus).  We're trying to fatten her up a little so that her weight check in 2 weeks will bring happier news...despite this dang cold she has again.  Can a girl get a break?!?!

Adele is the easiest baby. Strangely, she doesn't really like to be held.  She's super content just sitting on the floor as you talk to her.  The best part is that she doesn't like to be rocked to sleep.  You just wrap her up, lay her down, and boom...out like a light!

When Adele's not awake and smiling/talking at you, she's asleep.  But then again...sometimes she's asleep and smiling at you.  :)  Anyone recognize this pose while sleeping??  Yep, she's a Brown!

My little Miss Emma is such a great big sis!  Here she is entertaining Adele while getting ready for dance.

 ...And when we're sitting in the parking lot feeding sister during our errands, she's content to play with my phone while we wait. :)

Mountain Dew sponsored a ski/snowboarding event in Flagstaff a few weekends ago.  They laid snow down San Francisco street (main street).  The courthouse that Ammon works at is on the right.

Here they are digging to put in rails...

 ...here is a box and stairs...

...holy rail!  I would be surprised if they got going fast enough to really do it.

Most of our nights are spent like this.

Ammon was recruiting at BYU and UofU for his work, so the girls and I tagged along so his family could meet Adele.  Thanks Gramma Mommy for all the adorable matching outfits in the subsequent pics.  :)

Here is Aunt Becki with the girls' only cousins on the Barker side: Sabrina (pink?) and Fiona (purple?).  I can only guess at which one is which, so Becki & Dallin will have to correct me in the comments.  :)

While Ammon was at BYU one day, I decided to take the girls on a walk down memory lane.  Here they are SO excited about it.  :)

Walking into the Wilk...

 Hitting up the bookstore...

Eyring Science Center...Emma's FAVORITE place!  Looks like we have a science major on our hands.  :)

Emma loved the JSB.  She was super reverent and spent forever looking at the statue of Joseph Smith.

Eating snacks by the JFSB.

MATH LAB!!!  hahaha I was so excited about this!  I spent my entire last 2 years here.  I wanted to take a pic of Emma holding up a stick (that we used to do if we had a question), but sadly they got rid of that ridiculous system.

Adele loved the math lab!  :)

LRC (now "Media Center"...lame) was BARE!  Apparently once everyone decided to take their laptops around with them, there was no need to socialize by computers.

If only they had this 8 years ago.  It would have made me very happy!

Once we got the girls some t-shirts, Emma went all over campus chanting "BYU...BYU...".  I made sure to ask her where she was going to go to school every 5 seconds.  Look, Gramma Mommy, we found a BYU pez to add to her collection!!

This is how I would find Ammon every time he wasn't answering his cell when we were dating.  He would be sleeping in the atrium at the bottom of the library.  No, not with his hand up...he would have a book on his chest.

Here's Adele glowing and talking to her only great-grandma still alive.

Emma's head exploded when great-grandpa showed her the trains!

Here is the princess castle they built together.  Great-Grandma & Great-Grandpa were so good to sit on the floor and play with Emma the entire 2 hours we were there.  She loved every second of it!

Grandma Zoom and Grandpa Bike got Emma a...bike...naturally.  :)  It's one of those crazy no-pedal ones that's supposed to teach you how to balance first.  Everyone in Flagstaff has one.  Hoping it'll work with a little (a lot of) practice!  :)

stinky cute

Emma is notorious for making phrases her own.  She constantly calls Adele "so stinky cute" as she grits her teeth and plays with her ears.  Yes, she gets that from me, so I have a hard time reprimanding her.  :)  Poor Adele!

Major update:
Adele has been sick for 4 out of the 6 weeks she's been alive.  (Is breast really best?  That's an entirely different post).  This last cold she's gotten has made her cough so hard that she throws up an entire feeding.  The only good thing about this is that I've pumped a lot and now have a freezer full of milk...just in case I decide to sell it someday (since Adele isn't a bottle fan).  The last day or so she is finally doing much better, which has allowed me to start sleeping at least a few hours at a time.  I no longer have to jump up every time she coughs to see if she's still breathing or needing a wardrobe change.

Adele has started smiling more than a gas bubble smile.  Although I wouldn't say she's entirely aware she's doing it, it still melts our hearts.  She is also trying to make noises, which is completely adorable!  Emma is a tough teacher, though.  She gets frustrated when Adele doesn't mimic her back OR doesn't cover her mouth when she sneezes and coughs. :)

Adele has also acquired some interesting nicknames:  button nose, baby seeter, master turtle, and monkey.  They all mainly refer to the face she is making at that moment.

Adele has actual ROLLS!  At her 2-week check-up, she had already gained 2 pounds.  She then, she's started getting rolls on her legs, which is completely adorable!  Since she's been throwing up a lot lately, she probably is losing some weight, but I'm hoping to fatten her back up in time for her 2-month check.

First real tub time...

...wouldn't be complete without sister.  :)

One Month Old!

I missed her "smile", but here is the ending of it.

Finally got some light on that adorable face!

Emma sporting her booty she got from a friend's birthday party.  She's been watching too much "Hook".

Prepping for their snowball fight

Emma's first snowman of the season...we finally got enough snow!  Thanks, Aunt Jess for the snowman accessory kit...it was PERFECT!

We decided to take a trip to the Grand Canyon since admission was free.  Here we are eating at the Wendy's before the park.  We also ran into a family from our ward...small world?  :)

Beautiful!

It was FRIGID, but that only made it more fun!

Don't worry...Adele was warmer than we were.  She had a onesie, fleece jammies, a winter bodysuit, a wool carseat cover, the sunshades for both the car seat and stroller (forming a tent), and 2 blankets on top.  She was toasty!

Warming up in the observation room...Emma loved the binocs!

At 6 weeks old, we took Emma to Hawaii.  At 6 weeks old, Adele gets to go to the snowy Grand Canyon. Good thing neither kid will remember any of it.  At least we have pics!  :)

Adele's monkey toes that she gets from Mom.  If you put your finger under her toes, she will literally grip them.

Aunt Jenn made this adorable Candy Cane outfit for my December baby.  It's a 0-3 months outfit, and NOW just barely fits.  :)  Thanks again, Jenn...we love it!

 Emma thought Adele's outfit looked like Strawberry Shortcake, so she had to throw on her Halloween costume from last year to match baby sister.

My gorgeous model

LOVE HER!

Turtle tongue...look how long that thing is!

  CUTEST picture!  Yes, they both have their hands like that.  I'm totally blowing this up and hanging it in Ammon's office with the sign, "This is why I have kids".

Peer Pressure

1.  Emma has been wanting to bear her testimony in Sacrament Meeting for several months now after she saw her friend do it.  The rule in our ward, though, is that the kids have to do it themselves without their parents feeding them their testimony.  So, I asked the mom of Emma's friend that goes up every Fast Sunday how she get her son to do it.  She said they just practice at home.  For FHE last week, we learned about testimonies and took turns bearing our testimonies.

When the bishop stood up to bear his testimony right after the Sacrament, Emma said she wanted to go next.  I told her she had to wait for him to sit down.  Halfway through his testimony, she said she was too scared to go.  I told her that was fine...she didn't have to bear her testimony in Sacrament Meeting if she didn't want to.  Then her friend Caleb bore his testimony, and her friend Bethanie went up (even though she was too scared to bear her testimony).  I decided to bear my own testimony, and Emma said she wanted to go with me.  I had her sit up at the stand next to the Stake President (our ward is his home ward) while I went first.  After I went, she stood up at the podium.  She said, "I want to bear my testimony.  I know Jesus loves me.  In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."  Precious!

2.  Last week, Emma was assigned to give a talk this week in Primary.  Yes, it happened to be only her second week in Primary.  I asked Caleb's mom (who makes all her kids--no matter what age--memorize their talks) for any tips on how to make a talk age appropriate.  I asked her preschool teacher for any tips on how to specifically help Emma be successful.  After gathering lots of information, we finally designed a talk that was right for Emma.  We practiced her talk (or tried to) all week long.  I was SO nervous for her!  I didn't want her to have a bad experience since public speaking is a big deal in life.

When we got into Primary today, Emma was visibly nervous.  When it was her turn to give her talk, she jumped up, and ran to the front.  She quietly said:

"Agency is choosing.

I chose to come to earth (holding a picture of the earth).

I can choose to pray (holding a picture of someone praying).

I can choose to read my scriptures (holding a picture of someone reading their scriptures).

I can choose to be baptized (holding a picture of someone being baptized).

I can choose to be married in the temple (holding a picture of a couple in front of the temple).

I know Jesus loves me.

I love to read the scriptures.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen"

Flawless!  I was SOO proud of my little Sunbeam!  She was so proud of herself, too.  Success!!

Peer pressure works really well for Emma.  She's competitive enough that when she knows that her peers are watching, she wants to do a good job (or a better job than they did).  Hopefully that will only help her in life and not make her lose friends.  :)  Love you, Emma-bean!

P.S...Happy 1-month to my lil Miss Adele!

Adele's Baby Blessing

We were very fortunate to have both sets of Adele's grandparents (and her favorite Aunt Mads) join us for her baby blessing despite the fact that it was on New Year's Day.  It was a gorgeous Flagstaff day, an emotionally beautiful blessing, and a super yummy meal afterwards.

The blessing was totally fitting for our sweet Adele.  It reminded me that the Lord is mindful of each of His children.  He knows all His children and what they are in need of.  I am so grateful that Ammon is a worthy priesthood holder and able to be in tune with the Spirit.

Taking a break from the scratchy dress

<3 Sisterly Love <3

First Family of Four pic

with Gramma and Grampa Brown

with Gramma Zoom and Grampa Bike

She ADORES her Daddy

...and for the million pics of the girl of the day in her gorgeous dress :)...

We love you, our precious Adele!