A baby and her giraffe

Lena Mae loves to play with her giraffe. We call hers Dobby after the baby giraffe that was born the same day as her at the Denver Zoo. Someday we will take her there to meet him!

This Mae can play!!

Lena Mae is learning to interact more and more with the world around her!

Here she is rolling on her side!! 

Nana and Pap

Lena Mae was very lucky to spend lots of time with Nana and Pap in North Carolina!

Happy Mother's Day!

Lena Mae and mommy flew back from NC to CO early in the morning on Mother's Day. Lena gave mommy a special present by sleeping the entire flight and barely making a peep.

Daddy met us inside the airport to help with our heavy bag and brought mommy yummy brunch from one of her favorite restaurants. We are so lucky to have each other and be a happy family together!

(Thank you Uncle Alex for the beautiful photo)

A big Mae meets a little Mae

Lena Mae's cousin Bridget Mae has been so excited to meet her! Bridget was so happy to meet Lena she played with her, sang to her and read her books.

(Thank you Uncle Alex for all the photos in this post we are lucky he is such a great photographer.)

Lena in NC

Lena is so lucky her Grandma and Grandpa drove from York, SC to Cary, NC to visit her while she was in NC. This was Lena's first time meeting Grandpa!

This little lady is so lucky to have so many people who love her dearly!

3 Cousins, a poem

Benjamin and Bridget have a new baby cousin, Lena Mae is her name
They wanted to meet her so all the way from Colorado she came

They all got to play at Nana and Pap's house
Benjamin, Lena, and Bridget who we call Miss Mouse

All three cousins got with Nana in the car

they were ready to pick enough strawberries to fill up a jar

Pap followed close, in his truck, as the cousins went on their way
The oldest cousin a boy and two little girl cousins who share the middle name Mae

They picked so many strawberries in a field that was hot
So they climbed back into the car with the berries they sought

Their adventure was so special despite the heat
so they headed back home to eat the berries so sweet

They climbed back in the car after all of their fun
and asleep they fell after their time in the sun

 These cousins are lucky to have a family so full of love that is happy
with aunts, uncles, mommies, daddies a nana and a pappy!

(thank you Alex for the photo)

Stay tuned as there are more adventures to come
what else should you expect from three cousins so awesome?!

(Thank you Uncle Alex for yet another great photo!!)

Lena Mae's first trip on an airplane

Lena Mae and Mommy were lucky to get to go to NC and visit family. We were so sad to leave Daddy behind.

(Thank you Alex for this any many other beautiful photos!)

Happy Girl in Carolina! 

Bouncy bouncy fun fun fun!

Mommy's personal hygiene has improved since our friends Sonja and Keagan (7 months) lent us the only baby device that fits in our bathroom. Happy baby = happy mama!!

Dada and Lena

Daddy's girl is an understatement for the closeness between Lena and her daddy. Lena lights up the second she sees or hears her dad!

Some Carpenters play with some Cheathams

Aunt Jackie and Uncle Nolan came from Boston to meet Lena Mae! Uncle Nolan is a brewer so Lena took many naps in some local Colorado Breweries while Uncle Nolan sampled our local fare. Aunt Jackie was so helpful with cleaning and laundry, and Lena LOVED playing with her! Uncle Nolan and Aunt Jackie cooked some yummy meals for us all! Lena loved playing with both of them. We are so grateful they came to visit!

Crocked Stave in Denver 

 

New Belgium in Fort Collins

 River North in Denver

Mama and Lena

Mommy and Lena are loving maternity leave!! We go to mommy baby yoga class and two different mommy and baby hang out groups. We frequently walk around waneka lake near our house and around our town of Lafayette. We love our snuggle time and nursing whenever Lena wants. We enjoy books and songs and every minute we share together. Nobody wants mommy to go back to work!

2 months!

Lena Mae is growing fast! She is already 2 months old. Lena is smiling even more especially when she sees mommy and daddy's faces. She is grabbing toys and staring more intently at books. She coos and caas and tries to speak to anyone who will listen. She has slept as long as 7 consecutive hours (it only happened once but we are ok if it becomes a more regular thing.) Lena laughs and giggles and fills our hearts with love! We cannot wait to see what's in store for the next month of life!

The Cheathams visit the Cheathams

Uncle David, Aunt Laura and cousin Calla all came to visit baby Lena! They were here for Easter and we all got to celebrate together with our friends the Palazzolas and Katie! We enjoyed walks to Waneka Lake near our house. We shared many delicious meals! Thank you to Aunt Laura and Uncle David for all their help with Lena and the cooking, cleaning and laundry. We need to improve our picture taking skills and get the camera out more often so we regretfully don't have many pictures from their visit.We are so lucky they came to visit us and we can't wait for all of us to get together again.

 

Calla enjoyed helping to take care of baby Lena Mae. She had her own baby to take care of as well. She nursed her baby, soothed it to sleep and snuggled it closely just like Aunt Colleen does with Lena Mae.