Here is a little picture of our Easter bunny...

(thanks to Betsy Fladung for taking these great pix!!!)

I've been thinking lately... maybe I'm overthinking this (I know, me??? overthink something???), but it's been interesting to see the way that Soren responds to family members/friends differently and to see that each person really brings out a side of her that he/she brings out in others as well. How could a tiny baby (well, tiny if you aren't counting her chubby self... rubber band disease as my Aunt Dana affectionately calls it) pick up on these character traits?

With Jeff, Soren is calmed and peaceful. She smiles bunches at him. I see this beautiful quality in him as he brings this out in so many around him. He seems to put people at ease and help them to look at the world with wonder and joy. I love that about him. I notice with my Mom that Soren likes to cuddle a lot. My mom loves hugs and kisses and is a beautifully warm soul. She knows no strangers and I see Soren offer affection so freely with her. With Jeff's mom, Soren is a talker. Probably more than with anyone else, Soren babbles and coos. My mother-in-law has a knack for listening to the words and the hearts of others. With my dad, Soren stares intently at him. She stares intently at the world around her. My dad is so observant and aware of his surroundings. If you glance at him out of the corner of your eye, he almost always looks back. He is perceptive and I see Soren become that way as well. With Jeff's dad, Soren lets her guard down. It's interesting that if Soren is fussy, my father-in-law isn't afraid to let her cry for a minute and this is because he knows that it's okay to vent. He isn't in the least phased by a little fuss and I appreciate that he knows how to keep his cool and that he allows Soren to know that's okay to be yourself around him. This is something he offers to so many with whom he's offered friendship.
I am a big question asker. Everyone knows this about me and for ages I've driven my parents, family, friends, and co-workers crazy with my many questions and "what-if-ing". I see Soren come to me with this quality at the forefront. When she was born, 2 different nurses commented on how inquisitive she was - alert from her very birth and seeking out how things worked. I love to watch her look from side to side when I hold her, a safe place to try to figure things out.
With Stephen (my bro), she is silly and joyful - a trait he brings out in those in his presence - people want to laugh with Stephen. (She also poops a lot with him... I can't really explain that...) With Emily (Stephen's girlfriend), Soren sighs outloud often - this speaks to the fact that being around Emily is like a sweet breath of fresh air. With Zan (my sis), she is often asleep or will fall asleep - she is comfy to veg out and chill. Zan makes people feel like they can let down and live in the moment. With Jon (Zan's boyfriend), Soren makes expressions and smiles. Jon has a contagious smile - his face radiates with it and his eyes light up, Soren responds in suit. With Jon (Jeff's bro), Soren is so cuddly and Jon always bring out affection in people - offering embraces and true concern. With Amy (Jon's wife), Soren also enjoys kisses and kicking her legs a ton. Amy is so fun and I think people always feel befriended and Soren responds with excitement! With Maigen (Jeff's sis), Soren talked a lot and responded verbally at Maigen's cues. I think this is because Maigen has an amazing gift for language and is so aware of the meaning behind people's words - so perceptive. We await Jim's (Maigen's hubby) interaction!

What a gift it is for Soren to learn these lovely qualities from her loving family...

Are we terrible or what? This is our little rap star daughter. :) Last night, we had a dress-like-your-favorite-celebrity OSCARS party at our house and we watched Uncle Jon (Jeff's bro) perform at the Oscars. How exciting! Soren was a baby rapper. Jeff was Forrest Gump, suited with his box of chocolates and I was Nicole/Paris/Lindsay with jewelry on and a doggie in my purse. What fun!

I just LOVE this picture. In the middle is Baby Shelton and on the right is Baby Miller. Monday night was girls' night as my girlfriends brought their little girls over and we watched a chick flick. Judging by this pic, I think our babies would do it again. :) It was so sweet to watch them interact and we laughed our heads off at their expressions.

We are spoiling Soren with attention... she is returning the favor now with kisses and talking. She is cracking us up with her many expressions and sounds. If the TV exploded, by i-pod shattered, my car died, and I was stuck with nothing to do but sit with Jeff and stare at her precious face, I'd never get bored. I've been thinking lately what a great thing it is that God created life to perpetuate itself in the form of babies. As messy as she is, I think it's good that she's also small and cute. If suddenly we had a child and it came to us as a full-sized adult human and it needed diapers changed, constand food, it made strange babbling noises, kicked it's feet, dropped it's binky constantly, cried in the evening, and whose face and neck often reeked of spit-up, I think this would be very hard. Fortunately, when I see this little bundle, I am blown away with how cute it all is! Here are some pix of being with my parents yesterday...

Life...

Hi there... so, she's pretty cute, eh??? That's my completely objective take on things. :) The pic on the left is during story time; daddy is an awesome story teller. The pic on the right is me bundling Soren up in the hat and gloves we got her while we were in Scotland this summer. I LOVE winter and the snow more specifically. I'm trying to instill a love in her so someday she'll hopefully want to trek through snow mounds, visit the tops of mountains, and have fun skiing. It's hard to believe that we bought these gloves when I was only 13 weeks pregnant and now we have a real-life baby girl to fill them.

Well, Soren survived her first round of shots at the doc's office last week. She was laying naked on the table happy as a lark giggling and cooing and then - BOOM! - comes a shot in both legs. Poor little angel. She almost cried as much as I did... We felt kinda helpless but know that we're trying to do what's best for her! (This only helped a little.) I couldn't help but think that this was a rude introduction to the way that life works sometimes. You're happily going along and then out of nowhere something hits you by surprise. You don't see it coming. While I mourn that I can't take this away for Soren, I choose to trust that God has a plan in it all and that somehow He comforts and shows us beauty even in the midst of that.

Soren's 2 month b-day CELEBRATION!!!

Overflowing laundry baskets line my living room. Not sure which are clean and which are dirty. You could grow an allergy from the settlement of dust on the piano. My Christmas tree is still up, an overgrown fire hazard. Enough maternity clothes to start my own consignment shop weigh down the guest room bed. I've learned to both eat and write with my left hand. And I've never been happier. This is the proof that my baby is being held, kissed, cuddled, and we rejoice and marvel at her every breath. She is laying here next to me sleeping peacefully and I am in complete awe of this tiny miracle.

Here is a video of her 2 month birthday celebration yesterday... how time flies!!!