Green Bluebirds: QUICK! We're Running out of Red Pigment...and...It's a GIRL!!!!

Monday, July 12, 2010

QUICK! We're Running out of Red Pigment...and...It's a GIRL!!!!

Well, I know the only question people really care about is, "does she have red hair?" The answer is...sort of. With Benjamin it was, "WOW! Look at that RED HAIR!" With Peter, the nursery nurses asked us where the red(ish) hair came from with quiet curiosity, no dramatic emphasis. With Leonora Taylor, no comments about red hair, but she definitely has a reddish hue. I guess we're just running out of red pigment.

Now the details: Leonora Taylor healthy and strong. She weighs 7 lbs 5 oz and I still have yet to hear how long. She is absolutely perfect.

Sarah was a Rock Star! And while that is nothing new to me, it is still astonishing to see just how serene she is even when walking the shadowed valley.

We recently watched a couple of seasons of 24, a bit of a guilty pleasure. When they put us in delivery room 24 with this clock it was really hard not to make the occasional doo, dew, doo, dew. It made for a laugh or two, but mainly made us want to cover that blasted second hand.

Benjamin and Peter spent the day with some good friends and were really excited to see their new baby sister. At first Benjamin was interested in holding her, but he got it out of his system pretty quickly. Once he saw the Amazing Spider Man puzzle that Leonora got for him he was off in his own little world.

Peter on the other hand would take a few minutes holding the baby, gently touching her soft, delicate head and putting his cheek to hers. He would then abruptly request to be put down on the ground only to demand to be picked back up a few minutes later. He would run back to the bed, reach his arms toward the baby and repeat, "Holt, holt, holt."

While I remember wanting to hold Benjamin and Peter as newbies, when they took Leonora away after the delivery for two agonizing (for me) hours I nearly became irate at what seemed an unnecessary separation. I can't stand not being able to hold her and can't wait to see her tomorrow. Peter is now in bed, and Benjamin is sleeping over at a friends house (we'll see how that goes.)

It was a truly blessed day. Thank you for your prayers.

19 comments:

Melanie said...: What a sweet post.

Congratulations to your whole family! Leonora looks as serene as Sarah.; 10:30 PM
Liz said...: I'm so not surprised Sarah was such a champ. She's a fighter!
What a beautiful little girl. I am so happy for all of you!; 10:37 PM
The Dahle Family said...: Oh, I am so glad to hear that all is well!! What an adorable little bundle--we're so happy for you guys!; 10:50 PM
Nicole said...: Congratulations!! Those are some really cute cheeks!; 11:00 PM
Momo Cannon said...: She is really beautiful! Good Job Sarah. We are thankful all is well.; 12:19 AM
Sarah said...: Congratulations! She is adorable!; 12:20 AM
Stacy said...: She's a keeper ;) Congratulations!!; 8:18 AM
Thora said...: Congratulations! I love your comment about Sarah's serenity in the shadowed valley - almost poetical.

Maybe Leonora will have auburn hair? She's beautiful, and it's cute that Peter was so interested in her. I love her name! What's the Taylor from? (I ask, because on my Mom's side we're Taylors back aways- hey, maybe we're related).; 8:19 AM
Rachel Sorber said...: Congratulations!!! I'm so proud of you. She's adorable, and I'm grateful that everything went smoothly and that Peter and Benjamin had a good first encounter with her. Wish I could give her a kiss in person!; 9:00 AM
Karey said...: Congratulations! Leonora is just beautiful! So happy for you!; 11:21 AM
Becky Lowe said...: She's just adorable! And what a noble name! I think those cheeks are just hanging out there waiting to be kissed. Can't wait to hold her and smell the heavenly baby smell. Peter sounds like you at age 2, Sarah - "Can I hold your Beebee?!" Very clever to have had Leonora 'give' Benjamin and Peter gifts. Smart parents!; 12:32 PM
Tracy said...: We're so happy for you! Congratulations!!; 12:39 PM
Calley said...: Oh my goodness what a gorgeous baby. Congtrats you guys! I hope you feed her some red Kool Aid or something, we need to keep a good thing going here!; 9:54 PM
Katie Cannon said...: She is so adorable I'm so excited that I will be able to see her this fall in person!! It's going to be so great! I love you guys.; 10:14 PM
Marc and Miriam Deru said...: Hooray for pictures! Thanks Paul. I just love her already. What a beautiful, sweet girl. Sarah, the reason I called again-- sorry to catch you at a bad time-- is because the day you had her I was reading an article about John Taylor that highlighted his wife, Leonora Cannon (never knew her name before). It was with Leonora that they searched for and joined the church (and then look what happened!) I thought wow-- what a beautiful name, and of course I can see why it would be so significant and special to name your daughter the same. It really suits her, too!; 8:58 AM
Henry Parents said...: Sarah - you look great, and Leonora is so sweet! I love the picture of Peter and Leonora, so cute. We can't wait to meet her, congrats!!; 9:48 AM
stefanie said...: She is beautiful. Congrats! I love, love her name.; 12:50 PM
McKenna said...: CONGRATS! She is just a doll and I love her name. Glad to hear you are doing well. Give her a hug for me. Thanks for putting up pictures!; 11:27 AM
Marliese said...: Congratulations! There is nothing better than welcoming a new person into the world. She is precious, and has a lovely name. Enjoy!; 11:58 AM

Noraisms

1/19/14
"Why you like Daddy's germs? Because why do you kiss him on the lips at home?"

6/20/13
Nora randomly asks if she can say a prayer in my presence: "...and bless that Benjamin can get on the school bus and go to school and that we can go to the Butterfly House..."

6/10/13

While Paul was bouncing her around, Nora tooted and sheepishly said, "That's not propriate!"

6/10/13

Mom: Nora, tell Lydia a happy story.

Nora: Unicorns and pink trees!

6/08/13

While Paul was spinning Nora around, she started aggressively rubbing his cheeks and gleefully said, "You a SCRATCHY lil man!"

5/8/13
Observing from her car window a random female adult without any children: "Look, a Mommy! Poor Mommy, she doesn't have a girl."

4/28/13
At my mention of George Washington: "George WASHING MACHINE!?!"

3/27/13
Referring to Lydia's fuzzy newborn head, "Oh, she's so cozy!"

12/21/12
Nora often says, "I can't need that!" when explaining that she doesn't want something as in "No. I can't need broccoli."

12/20/12
Dad: "Nora, do you want me to buckle you in?"
Nora: "Yeah...actually no, Mommy!"

She uses "actually no" surprisingly often. When Dad goes to get her out of her crib in the morning, "Actually No! Mommy!"

Mom: Do you want jam on your toast?
Nora: Yes. Actually, no.

Peter Prattle

6/20/13
"I'm glad Daddy decided to marry you mom....I'm glad that I grew inside your tummy. Because I LOVE being ME!"

6/10/13

Peter: I wish I was a cheetah, because I could eat anything!

Mom: What would you eat?

Peter: EVERYTHING!

5/21/13
Referring to the voice-over narration in the Tale of Despereaux, "I don't like people talking about the movie!"
I think he's his Dad's son.

3/27/13
Referring to Lydia's newborn ears, "Her ears look like ham!"

12/30/12
After spending a few minutes playing with an interactive coloring display at the LA Temple's visitors center, a befuddled Peter asked, "Why does God's home have crayons for us to draw on?"

12/07/12
Dad: "Aaron was Moses's brother."
Peter: "Oh! Just like the 'Aaron' Space Museum!!"

12/03/12
Dad: "Peter, I love who you are; you make me so happy."
Peter: "...and you don't want any more of me."

11/29/12
"I'm not someone who turns bad dreams into good dreams; I'm just a PERSON!"

10/29/12
Mom: If you grow up to be a doctor you can learn how to fix people.
Peter: I just want to be a chef. Actually! I want to be a doctor, a BOY doctor when I grow up because there aren't many BOY doctors in this land.

10/8/12
After Peter read Red Hen six times in half an hour:
Dad: "You can do anything you put your mind to."
Peter: "Like when I'm a chef I could learn how to not get my hands burned?"

8/24/12
"I'm the SWEET-Heart of the Family!"

8/24/12
Playing Scrabble with the boys:
Peter: "s-e-k-x. What's sekx?"
Mom: ?!...
Peter: "What's sekx?"
Mom: "It's whether you're a boy or a girl."
Peter: "Ohhhh. Sekx."

3/7/12

Ben: "Guess what I'm going to ask for for my birthday?"

Me: "What?"

Ben: "An Ipod."

Me: ".....?!"

Peter: "Guess what I'm going to ask for for MY birthday? An escape pod. It's from Star Wars."

3/6/12

Butterflies have butter in them, but we don't eat butterflies."

2/14/12

Peter, who has a cold complained during lunch that his "breath hurt." I'm pretty sure he meant his throat.

1/9/12

After recovering from a dinnertime tantrum, "I have an angry face on my smiley."

11/10/11

Very matter-of-factly, after observing some windblown black and white garbage in a neighbor's yard, "Looks like a penguin is dead."

10/14/11

"I'm just tipping on my toes."

10/13/11

"I'm just raking the inside of my mouth...because I have a bun stuck inside my teeth."

8/10/11

Peter: "Mmmm...this is yummy!"

Me: "You like caramels?"

Peter: "No, car-di-NALS! ...you don't chew on the cardinals or you won't have any teeth, and you'll be a baby and I'll say, 'where's my teeth?'"

8/2/11

After feeling my legs, "Your knees are so scratchy! You better go scratch them."

7/29/11

Peter picked up a pretty rock and exclaimed, "A Julian! I found my own Julian! it's white and black and blue!"

7/18/11

Referring to a dandelion that his cousin found, "She found a dandy land!"

7/15/11

Not wanting to take any pain medication after landing on his head, Peter cried, "I want to have a hurt head!"

5/12/11

Peter: "It's the weekend?"

Dad: "No."

Peter: "It's the work-end?"

4/25/11

Benjamin: "Where's my orange?"

Peter: "In my throat."

4/17/11

Mom: "Pick a Sunday movie. It's Sunday."

Peter: "NO! A COOL movie! Not a nice movie."

4/16/1

After making a mess, "I'm a natural."

4/15/11

"I'm NOT a baby! I'm a JOKE!"

2/23/11

Mom: "Thank you for being the peacemaker, Peter!"

Peter: "No, Coolmaker!"

1/26/11

"I need a towel. NOT the flower one. That'd be gross."

Benjaminisms

3/8/12

Peter, referring to a Jeep: "That car has a wheel on the back of it!"

Benjamin: "That's called a GPS."

1/10/12

"If I ever catch a Leprechaun, I will wish to be an angel or a prophet."

8/8/11

Referring to the Boppy, "Nora's milking pillow is on my bed."

6/5/11

Peter: "I'm going to be an astronaut when I grow up."

Benjamin: "But be careful! An asteroid might come and break your rocket!"

5/1/11

Benjamin recently watched the entire first season of the original Transformers animated series. This morning while piling into the van Benjamin said, "Let's get ready to go IronHive!" thus aptly naming our family transport.

3/4/11

"I don't know why all the days are called tomorrow."

12/13/10

Benjamin, in response to Peter's moaning: "Peter, that freaks me out!"

11/20/10

Someday soon, I'll have hairs in my nose like Daddy...then I won't have to pick it with my finger."

11/12/10

Measuring Nora with a ruler: "Looks like you're one and a forty half. That means you're a little bit big...."

Measuring Peter with a ruler: "Looks like you're one and a fifty half. That means you're a little bit chunky big."

8/23/10

Paul, packing up our suitcase: "Zip it up!"

Benjamin's quick response: "Zip it up, fuzz ball!"

6/6/10

"I can't wait to meet the new baby! Your tummy is getting REALLY big...are there two babies in there?"

5/1/10

Sarah, making a dumb joke: "We're going to feed the koi fish. They're very coy."

Benjamin: "Are they shy?"

2/23/10
"You have to be careful! You don't want to fall and break your leg skeletons!"

12/11/09
"Mmmm! That bagel was so, so, SO plain!" (describing to us just how delicious his plain bagel with plain cream cheese was)

11/2/09
Sarah: "Tell Peter about Santa Clause."
Benjamin, to Peter: "Santa Clause is...he's kind of like a wizard."

10/24/09
"Butter is the new toast."

10/22/09
Benjamin: "Hey Mom! Have you ever heard of penguin squash?"
Sarah: "Nope..."
Benjamin: "That's the squash that penguins eat."

10/13/09
Sarah: "Daddy's not coming home tonight. He's on a business trip."
Benjamin: "Oh! Kind of like Business on Ice?"

10/7/09
Peter: "Bababa...shriek!"
Benjamin: "Peter said 'Gandalf!'"

10/6/09
"I was in my room and I heard the rain, and the thunder was taking some pictures."

9/25/09
Sarah: "Why are you so happy?"
Benjamin: "I'm so happy because I'm excited to be your kid!"

9/24/09
"I just played "Hot Cross Buns" with my mouth!"

8/23/09
"Let me take off my pants so I can shake out all my nickels and diamonds."

8/12/09
After sneezing he called out, "Hey! I just made some bless-shoos!"

8/8/09
"After dinner, I get to have a very special treat...it's called oatmeal!"

6/22/09
"NOOO, Mommy! Don't go outside by yourself. The big, scary bugs might come and take you!"

6/13/09
Paul: "Can I have a bite of your strawberry custard?" Ben: "OK! Oh...you should take smaller bites, Daddy."

5/15/09
"Oh! Rodents are my best buddies!"

5/3/09
"Wake up, Daddy! We don't sleep at church. That's not the place we go to sleep!"

4/29/09
While "huffing and puffing" and blowing on his hot dinner, Benjamin said, "Not by the hair of my chimi-chimi-changa!"

4/28/09
"Mommy, can I marry you in the Salt Lake City Temple?"

4/17/09
While taking off his favorite "Thomas Toy Train" shirt during his bedtime routine, Benjamin assured us he could put it away in the drawer. "It's ok. It's a little bit clean." He was probably right. I'm sure there were clean spots!

4/1/09
Benjamin yelled this from the bathroom: "Sawah! Take that thing off your hair! That's yucky! We don't put things in our hair!"
What I want to know is how did he know? He hates it when I put my hair up, and I had just put it in a clip.

3/11/09
"Might Mommy will fall on you, and you will bleed a lot." Hmmm...not sure where that came from, but apparently I have a lethal mass.

2/26/09
Benjamin refers to himself as "Little Tiger" these days, but this morning he said, "I'm not Little Tiger. I'm Baby Tiger. And Mommy is Mommy Tiger and Daddy is Daddy Tiger, and Peter is a dog."

2/12/09
After clipping Benjamin's fingernails, he said to me, "Now I never scratch Peter again when he cries. Now I never get a time out!"

1/27/09
Paul: "Who's that?" (referring to Abinadai).

Benjamin: "I can't say it. I'm too sick."

Sarah: "Do you need to go potty?"

Benjamin: "No, I already did last week at the library."

1/4/09
As we drove past Salt Lake, I pointed to the city and told Benjamin "That's Salt Lake City." He replied, "No, we only put salt on eggs. Not on buildings and mountains."