The Biederman Bunch

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Super Soph....

Sophia is three months!! Crazy how time flies. We are doing well and starting to settle into good sleeping routines and patterns throughout the day AND night!! :)

We love our little Soph sooo much. It's amazing how much capacity for love your heart has...

I'm not sure if it's because I know this season will pass so quickly and feel like it is! OR if Sophia is really just a bit ahead of the curve, or at any rate, at least ahead of her sister...but man...she has certainly earned the nickname of SUPER SOPHIA around our house....

Sophia actually rolled over before she was even 12 weeks old!

I thought maybe it was a fluke, but then she just kept doing it!! She is a strong little lady, and at 2 weeks old, at an ultrasound of her hips, the technician claimed that Sophia was stronger than many 4 month old babies she'd seen!!! YIKES!! Perhaps she'll be the athlete in the family!

Sophia also took to sitting in her bumbo chair very early! I thought it was typically introduced around 3 months...she's been sitting in it for weeks...well sort of!

I feel like Sophia has SO much to say! She is always talking and cooing. It is the sweetest sound for sure. After she's had a good nap and full tummy...she is just the happiest little girl to be around. So sweet!

Goin' for a ride!

and P.S.....I finally know why little baby swings and bouncer seats have 5-point harnesses!! Madelyn was so calm and tiny, that I NEVER used the harness. She was always fine! Oh dear...Soph is still straining forward with the harness tightened right up!!!

Just love this sweet picture. Look at those delicious little chubby cheeks.

YUM!

And a happy picture of Madelyn!

She loves her swing and outdoor playtime! She is doing well, too. She is taking gymnastics classes once a week and we recently started a MOPS program as well. She is our little buddy and we think she's hilarious. Quite the little humorous personality coming out!

And yes...she still loves PINK..........LOVES it......

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Sophia Carol Joins our Bunch...

We welcomed Sophia Carol into our family on July 9, 2010 at 11:18pm. Sophia means "wisdom from God" and Carol was my mom's middle name. I had thought about using Carol as a middle name for Madelyn and decided at the last minute not to. I think my mom would be embarassed to be honest. She never wanted any sort of attention. So I felt that that was the right decision at that time. Though, since then, I have often thought about how it would have been nice. Having a second girl, gave me that opportunity back. It wasn't even a discussion. Carol was the middle name right from the start. I just wish my mom could meet her.

It certainly is an adjustment going from only one child to two! We are back to sleepless nights and familiar crying and poopy diapers. What we aren't familiar with this time around is how to handle having a toddler, a very active toddler who likes to wake up at 6:15am, at the same time!! I think it is safe to say, nearly 7 weeks in, we are much more sleep-deprived this time around! hah. But our love of course is abounding for both of our precious girls.

The story of how Sophia came into the world started back in June....Her due date was June 30th, and for some un-founded reason, Kurt and I were SO SURE that she would be early!! So we sat, fairly immobilized, all of June....waiting........and waiting.........My due date came and went and there really was no progress at all! I had a c-section with Madelyn and hoped to have a v-bac with Sophia, but as time passed we wondered if my body would go into labor naturally or if my doctor would have to perform another c-section, because she didn't want me to go too past my due date. So anyway, we prayed and waited, hoping some 4th of July fireworks might get things going....Nope. On July 6th we went in for a check and were told there was no progress. We were going to have a semi-induction on July 9th. It was a "semi" induction, because my doctor did not want to put me on pitocen with a prior c-section. So she was going to break my water and I was going to walk, walk, walk all around the hospital so as to start up labor! It worked! And long story short....I was in labor for about 12 hours total, but everything progressed well and I had a successful V-Bac! Yay! I felt what it was like to labor. Ouch.

Annnndd....enough about that. We have a beautiful and very big baby to show for it. Here are some photos of our first weeks.....

Welcome to the world...sweet girl!

And ohh, was she healthy...9 lbs 11 oz!!!

Proud big sis meeting Sophia for the first time...

Lots of precious sister moments already....

My dear friend, Lindsey, served as my doula through the entire labor. Having both her and Kurt by my side was a huge blessing! Thank you, Lindsey. Thank you, Kurt.

Pondering what this life is all about!

tiny toes

lots of rolls to love and squeeze!

Proud papa.

Sophia has to wear a Pavlik Harness, like Madelyn, to help one of her hips that is slightly dislocated. Should be just a few weeks...

doesn't seem to bother her much ;)

baby bathtime :)

Madelyn passing on her love of books....

My suddenly very big girl!!

What happened?!

lots of dots

at 5 weeks, Sophia started grinning at us! We haven't been able to catch it on camera yet. Here is a smile in her sleep at 2 weeks! :) :)

Looking up to sister already!

loves...

bonding with Aunt Colleen.

ohh...how I love my girls!

Just this last week, we had a friend's sister take some prof. pictures of our family of four! These are just a few of our favorites....

I sure do love where we live. Seattle is beautiful in the summer!

I think this one was the all-time favorite of the day. Those rolls look so yummy. Those eyes are deep and beautiful. And that grin is priceless.

Welcome to our crazy family, Sophia. We are honored and blessed that the Lord would entrust you to us. We pray for you and your sister, every day.

We love you so much!!

Friday, June 25, 2010

Celebrating 3 years of Madelyn Grace!

We are just days, even hours away from becoming a family of four! In these last weeks as we wait, not so patiently, for our second little lady, I have found myself very nostalgic, thinking back on the last three wonderful years. Madelyn Grace, forever our first-born child, was welcomed into the world on June 27, 2007. Though our girls won't share a birthday, they sure are close! Being a mother and a parent with Kurt has been the best experience of my life. Those of you that have known me throughout my life, know that motherhood was something that I anticipated with extreme excitement. I loved my teaching job, and I've loved other things in my life, but I truly feel that I was made for motherhood. It is such an indescribable feeling of love that overwhelms you when you hold your first child for the very first time. You really never knew that you could LOVE that deeply. I have learned so much about Christ's love for me and his patient and forgiving nature toward me as I have stumbled along this journey of parenting. Madelyn is a sweet sweet natured little girl. She has a sensitive heart to do what is right and she exudes love, laughter, and excitement wherever she goes. She can be quiet and reserved in some social settings, perhaps a bit introverted, but when she is with her family and her closest friends, she comes alive and simply "loves to talk", as she will tell you herself. She is nurturing beyond anything I could imagine a 3-year-old to be, and takes care of her "baby doe" with crazy love, and tries (unsuccessfully) to love our dog that much as well. As any parent out there, I have found myself trying to not boast so much in my little girl. It is a humbling role, to show love to your child and think that they are the absolute BEST, and yet not become too proud! I can already see what it will feel like the first time some little kid in school tries to bully Madelyn. Oh dear. Hold me back. I could go on and on about my daughter, but I'll stop here. You understand :) But in all the looking back, I looked through hundreds of pictures I've taken and have tried to compile some of my favorites for your viewing! Life for Madelyn will look different when she's not the only little lady in the house, and that will bring many new adventures and lessons for us all!! So, for my girl, one last post, just for her! And stay tuned....in just days we'll have some snapshots of her little sister up here too....

Where it all began! I think I was about 5 months pregnant here!

So excited :)

And we've made it full-term!

First shot of our family of THREE!

First bath!

So tiny when they're born!

Like a little bird

A little more tired than anticipated....

So much sleep in the beginning!

Back in the days of the harness. Madelyn was born with her hips displaced. It seemed so devastating at the time that she would have to wear a harness for 6 weeks. So minor when you look back!! Certainly glad for it though, now she runs around so easily!