For her first Halloween, Brittain chose to be a Red Hot Chili Pepper which her parents thought was very fitting.

Brittain asked us if we would take her to her friend, Emma Kate Kirkland’s house for the picture taking. As you will see, she thoroughly enjoyed it for the first few minutes, but then got very tired of her costume and longed to have her comfy sleeper back on.

Brittain proves she is a Red Hot Chili Pepper while Emma Kate continues to be her normal, innocent self:

We’re not sure if Brittain was still in character, of if she was upset that Emma Kate was being able to get out of her costume before her:

I am so thankful for my friends. As I’ve said many times before, having a baby has been the most wonderful change in my life. But, along with that, it has also caused a lot of feelings and emotions that have been stressful. The changes that your body goes through is such a huge part of it that many people don’t think about. Then, there’s the added stress of just learning to be parents. I believe the thing that has helped me the most have been my friends, especially the ones I have who have just had children.

My church has always been an important part of my life. Being involved in music there is one of the most enjoyable things I do with my time. There are 3 couples in the adult choir with me that Dan and I have become close with. All have children, 2 of them had babies within a month of Brittain’s birth. The other one is having a baby in February. Being able to spend time with these other couples is therapeutic for me. Being around others with as much sleep deprivation helps me to know that we all experience it…and all come out of it being semi-normal humans. It’s nice to know that we all have each other to call on no matter what we need or what we want to talk about. Again, it’s wonderful having good friends.

Last weekend we all got together at Kate and Justin’s house. Kate made some scrumptious food. We all hung out with the children and played Cranium. It was a great time and I look forward to more of these evenings together.

Leah Evans welcomes Brittain to her home:

Emma Kate Kirkland and her mommy:

Kate Evans takes time out from munching to pose with Robert for a quick picture:

Will Mulder sings a fight song (ring tone from his daddy’s cell phone)…um…can’t remember which one.

A candid shot of Will playing:

Brittain and I smile for the camera:

The three new mommies:

And the whole group:

I love it that everyone in Brittain’s life has a special role. I love the fact that both mine and Dan’s families live within a few of miles of us. I grew up around all of my family and it’s something that I want Brittain to experience as well. The love that family can give her is different from the love that anyone else can.

This past Saturday was a special day for me. Cecilia is getting married next June and we went wedding gown shopping for her. Knowing that the trip wouldn’t be the same with a 3-month old attending, we called in the troops and asked for Dan’s parents to keep her. I knew it was going to be a LONG day. We were leaving at about 8:30 in the morning and wouldn’t be returning until close to 10:00 that night.

Dan had made the call to his parents to ask them if they would be willing to take on this task. They agreed and were thrilled about doing it. Dan told me that his mom was going to be sewing Brittain’s baptism gown that day. I couldn’t imagine how that was going to happen. I’m with Brittain every day and at the end of the day when I look at what I’ve done, I realize that it’s all been spent on her. This is certainly okay with me. She’s so much fun, but she’s a high maintenance child…wanting my attention every second. If I’m singing…or dancing…or bouncing…or walking with her…or reading to her…then she’s fine. Entertaining herself is just not an option. I refrained from telling Connie (Dan’s mom) that I didn’t think she was going to have much opportunity for sewing…or anything else, for that matter. For all I knew, she would be a perfect angel for them. (I don’t doubt that Brittain knows that I’m a sucker when it comes to her.)

I dropped her off that morning with all the instructions that I had…which was basically her eating schedule and the information that hey, I’m sorry, but she doesn’t take real naps. I was gone ALL DAY and didn’t once pick up the phone to call and check up (which took a lot). When I returned that night to pick her up, hearing the recap of the day was hysterical. The grandparents had met their match in Brittain. They experienced all the same stuff that I experience every day. The good thing about it was that they loved every minute of it. This is good since I’d like to continue to have willing babysitters when we need one!

Brittain enjoyed her time with her grandparents. Not much progress was made on the baptism gown, but the time spent was priceless.

Connie sent a couple of pictures during the time when Brittain was being pleasant. This one was watching “The Little Mermaid”. She thoroughly enjoyed this…for about 10 minutes:

This one made me laugh so hard. Here is Brittain with her papa making it all look so easy: