Mother's Day

It was a joy celebrating my first Mother's Day this past Sunday. I am thankful for my mom and mother in law and the wonderful women they are. It is so fun seeing them as grandmas with Muira. I am so grateful to have mothers that enjoy each other. Put these two together and some extraordinary adventure is bound to happen.

Muira spoiled me for my special day (she's quite advanced). I woke up to blueberry pancakes and coffee and this fun surprise for me on the table.

I have loved being a mom so far with all its challenges and sleepless nights. It is still hard to believe that we have a beautiful daughter and that I am entrusted to raise her (thankfully with God's and Mark's help). I love seeing her sleep peacefully after a feeding. I love her little smile that has emerged. I look forward to the many years ahead of mommihood and all that I know I will learn.

Muira- One Month

It is hard to believe that Muira is over a month now. All those cliche things parents tell you like, "they grow up so fast", "enjoy this time while you have it" have fully been experienced as I watch our precious daughter grow right before our eyes. There are clothes she has already outgrown. We're moving past the newborn outfits and into the 0-3 months. Way to eat Muira! It has been a joy to see little changes in her personality as well. She loves (as most babies do) to be held, whether sleeping, eating, changing, you name it, she would prefer to be in the arms of a loved one. She is a grunter and thoroughly enjoys making noises while she sleeps. This at first startled me as a first time mom and I checked on her every time she stirred. Thankfully I've adapted and don't pick her up with every mumble. Muira has started to recognize and track things and even has given us a few smiles. We are so excited for the next phase of interaction as our little girl develops!

Do not be fooled by this serene look... It's only there if she is sleeping in your arms, which is my favorite by the way:)! She is so cuddly.

Her favorite non carrier sleep position

We're still undecided as to who she looks like. Any thoughts??

We adore our little Muira Alicen!

Why the name Muira?

The heavens are telling of the glory of God;
And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
Day to day pours forth speech,
And night to night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words;
Their voice is not heard.
Their line has gone out through all the earth,
And their utterances to the end of the world.
In them He has placed a tent for the sun,
Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber;
It rejoices as a strong man to run his course.
Its rising is from one end of the heavens,
And its circuit to the other end of them;
And there is nothing hidden from its heat.
Psalm 19:1-6

Have you ever gotten up into some beautiful mountain wilderness? The kind of wilderness where you find a spot way up high and sit on a rock for a couple of hours and take it all in. The kind of place where you can see the jagged mountain peaks jetting up from the valley floor hundreds or even thousands of feet. A pine forest below that looks like a soft green carpet from the height where you are. The wind carries with it their scent as it makes you snuggle a little more into your down jacket. The sunshine glistens off of the glacier shaved rock faces of the cliffs below and you get a profound feeling that you are so very small. As you sit longer and gaze at the beauty you begin to have the awakening that not only are you very small, but that God is very big. His creation speaks of him. It’s grandeur is nothing more than a token of who he is, it’s majesty had it’s birth in his splendor.

For 19 days Lina and I walked through this wilderness. In many ways it was a cathedral of natural beauty, a spiritual experience of communion with the Father through the beauty he had made. In Muira’s name we try to hearken back to that interaction of the soul with it’s creator in the cathedral of his natural creation. Those moments were so rich for us and our prayer for our little one is that she too would find that quiet place of nurture with the Father.

More baby B

baby pics

Muira Alicen Bornstein

So... from week 18 of our pregnancy believed that we were having a little boy. But, when the doctor pulled our little baby out we floored, and blessed, with a beautiful little girl... the ultrasonographer was wrong! Here is how our moms reacted at the news.

Valentine's day 2011

So, we decided to celebrate Valentine's Day a day early. The Sunday before just seemed like the right time for us to do it. After church we grabbed a sandwich at Subway and then headed off for the first part of our day...






















Our deal was that we would both plan part of the day with the other in mind. Lina is a big quality time love language girl so mine was an easy one. A good long sit on a bluff overlooking the coast with guitar in tow for some romantic lullabies. It was a hit!


















I actually enjoyed it quit a bit as well as I sang Lina some of the early songs that I had written on college. It is amazing what comes out when you just sit and spend time together.
























After packing it up at the beach it was Lina's turn to run the show. We headed up to Sur Le Table for a little shopping spree for some new measuring spoons. Some folks will say that sounds a bit odd for a Valentine's date, but it was a home run for me. Kitchen tools!.... arh ...arh...arh... arh..






















After some yogurt and a stop at the store we came home and made an incredible dinner of seared filet mignon, squash and some incredible sour dough bread. It was a day to remember!