Daddy's Girl

Aunt Shayla and Uncle Curtis know how to make Riley happy. They got Jaylee a pink Cubs hat. I guess we have to make a trip to Wrigley Field now!

We have moved!!!

When we found out I was pregnant with Jaylee we knew things were going to change. We just didn't know how much. This past March we decided to move back to Indiana! We wanted to be closer to our family and have our children raised in the country. Riley has also always wanted to run his own business, so we decided that now is the best time to do that. We have moved back to Indiana and Riley will be starting a marketing and graphic design business. We are excited to be back in Indiana, but will miss Cincinnati. This is the last picture taken of our family in front of our house in Cincinnati. Riley and I came to Cincinnati right out of college. While there we accumulated 3 kids, a dog, and an MBA. We also bought our first house and made really great friends. We are so glad we spent the last 6 years growing up in Cincinnati, but are happy to be back home.

Family of 5 and a Dog

Jaylee - One Month

Jaylee is one month old! She now weighs 11lbs 2 ozs and she is 21 7/8 inches long. She is the prettiest thing I have ever seen. Riley thinks she is going to get a complex because of how often I tell her she is pretty. She is such a sweetheart and absolutely gorgeous.

Jaylee and Mom

Jaylee and Dad

Jaylee, Easton, and Brady

New pics

Here are a couple pics of Jaylee sent from the Family's "Vacation"

Why the name Jaylee Adolene?

We had a difficult time deciding on Jaylee's name. Jaylee has a long legacy of strong, independent, feisty, and fun women. I really wanted a name that would remind her of her heritage. All of her grandmothers, great-grandmothers, and great-great-grandmothers are amazing women and I feel lucky to have been given another woman to raise up to become like them. (This baby crib has history as well. Jaylee's Great-grandpa Waterbury was first put in it as a baby, then my mother, then me and my siblings, and now Jaylee.)

Jaylee

A few months ago Riley and I sent out an e-mail to family asking for name suggestions. My mom actually came up with the idea of Jaylee by combining my name with Riley's. I normally think combining names is a little silly, but somehow the name stuck out in my mind. When I said it out loud I immediately thought of my sister and myself. Both my sister's and my name start with a "J" and so the "Jay" part of her name made me think of my sister and the relationship she and I have. My sister and I are best friends and can always make each other laugh and feel better when we are having a bad day. We have had so many good times. I love that Jaylee's name can be a reminder of my sister and I at all times. My sister has three boys and no daughters so hopefully this niece can have a piece of her personality and heart as well.

Adolene

During our first year of marriage Riley and I took a trip to Canada to celebrate his great-grandmother Adolene's 100th birthday. I was really impressed with the spirit around her and the legacy that she had created. She also had a large part in helping to raise Riley's dad, who in turn raised Riley. Riley is a better husband and father than I ever even dreamed of having. Ever since then I knew that if we ever had a daughter that I wanted to name her Adolene. Adolene was an amazing woman and I feel like she is an all around representation of the qualities that I hope Jaylee takes from the many women in her family history.

First Family Photos

This morning we attempted to take a few photos with our new family! Riley and I have both noticed over these past few days that it just feels right to have Jaylee here with us. We knew when we had our little surprise last fall that she was meant to be here. Now that she has arrived we feel even more like that is true.

Here is the last picture taken of me (by easton, he is getting pretty good with the camera) before Jaylee's birth. I am 38 weeks pregnant in this picture. Jaylee arrived at 8lbs and 13 ozs. Had she waited until 40 weeks to arrive I think she would have been pushing to pass Brady's birth weight!

Random Shots from Jaylee's First Few Days

I have never considered myself much of a girlie - girl, but I am having a lot of fun dressing Jaylee up. I get so excited to pick out her clothes and accessories in the morning!

Easton has been a really sweet big brother.

Hanging out and looking at grandma.

Grandma took Easton to see Shrek 3-d in the movie theatre yesterday. He had a lot of fun and wanted to keep wearing his 3-d glasses.

Brady's Blue Eyes

As you can see, Jaylee has plenty of headbands. There is actually a good story to go along with all of the headbands. When I was younger I thought that babies in headbands seemed pretty stupid. One night during and institute class when we had been dating just a few months, I leaned over to Riley and said, "If we ever have a little girl we are not putting one of those stupid headbands on her." Well, he looked a little panicked and just said, "OK." He must have already known he wanted to marry me or I am sure he would have walked away right then. Anyway, I was wrong. Headbands are adorable and Jaylee has one in every color!

Easton checking out his little sister.