Introducing...

Danica Jane Manchan
Born: October 10, 2011
7lbs. 9oz.
20 1/4"


She was nine days late, but well worth the wait. We are so happy to have Danica with us. Labor and delivery went quickly- we arrived at the hospital shortly after midnight, and she was born at 2:42AM. I think that she was born so fast because I was motivated by the pain and terrible heartburn to push her out as soon as possible. I am a strong advocate for drug-free deliveries, but they HURT A LOT! It is worth it, though. I was ready to come home later that day, but the pediatrician wanted her to stay until she ate a little more and pooped in her diaper. Apparently, Danica had a lot of amniotic fluid in her stomach, which kept her from wanting to eat. By the next morning, she was ready to come home.
She is a very sweet baby and cries only when hungry or getting her diaper changed. Smiles come easily to her. Caden and Vance are so good to her. Caden helps feed and burp her, and Vance brings over toys to "make her relax." I can't get them to change her diaper, though...ha ha! Tevye has been so helpful, and Danica adores him. I love sitting and snuggling with her. She is a lot tinier than I expected, but she has a healthy appetite.
I have recovered very quickly, which is good since Tevye was out of town last week. It feels so good to be able to move around and do things again. I was such a lump on the couch by the end of the pregnancy! Also, it is nice not to feel sick every day- not that I felt very sick, but I didn't feel 100%.
We want to say a big THANK YOU to Calee and my mom for helping with the boys when I was too big to do anything and when Danica was born!

A Favorite Moment

I love my husband! He is such a fantastic father. Every now and then, he helps the boys make brownies, and I thought I would grad a few photos of that today. He is so patient with them and understands exactly what they can or cannot handle. These are great memories for the boys to have.

Mom's Birthday/ Baby Showers

Mom didn't eat that big dessert by herself.
On September 23rd, my mom celebrated her birthday. We were supposed to gather for a birthday lunch the next day with my sister and sis-in-law, but they changed it to a surprise baby shower instead. Some of you know that I have been avoiding having a shower, simply because we have no room for any more things. So, I am grateful that they kept it to just us. The four of us had a really nice lunch, and I enjoyed spending time with Emilia and Kim, which I don't get to do often. I made sure that we sang "Happy Birthday" to Mom, since it was supposed to be all about her.

Kim supplied our daughter with a good amount of animal print.

Emilia also spoiled her with adorable outfits, including this purple corduroy dress- I wish they made them in my size.

Mom was finally able to break out the "for my granddaughter" box. She also gave us a portable bassinet, which was a relief to have something for the baby to sleep in.
The other day, my sweet friend, Katrina, called me up and told me that she wanted to throw me a shower. She is so kind. I requested that we make it a party without gifts, and she readily obliged me by making a note of it on the invitations. Well, my wonderful ward sisters wouldn't have any of that, and they so generously delivered. Thank you to everyone for your kindness!

Rayanne, in the pink shirt, provided the cute and delicious baby cake.

I am so sad that I didn't get a picture of me with Katrina!

Soccer

The boys started the soccer season last month. This is Caden's third year of playing and Vance's first. We are so lucky to have Aunt Calee help coach Vance this year. He loves playing soccer with her! At his age, there are no teams. Caden's team is called the "Dark Knights," and though they haven't been very successful at the games, each of them seems to enjoy playing.

Vance working with Aunt Calee

I love the determined look on Caden's face.

Our Cute Cub

I can't believe that Caden is old enough to be a Cub Scout already! Look how cute he is in the slightly over-sized uniform! Tevye is loving this. He took Caden to register and buy his uniform at the scout shop last week. I only drew my own blood twice while trying to sew on his patches (I wish that Tevye would let me iron them on, but it makes more sense to sew them). Today, Tevye took Caden out to sell popcorn in order to raise money for scout camp, etc.. Before they left, Caden practiced selling popcorn to me and did a great job. By the way, if anyone who reads this wants to help Caden by purchasing popcorn, just let me know.

Caden selling to the neighbor. He has way more courage than I ever did at his age. In fact, it is a good thing that Tevye is taking him out, because I still don't feel comfortable doing stuff like that.

Unfortunately, not many people were home today, but he did sell to three people, and two others said to come back later. Tevye said that Caden did "really good."

New Smile

Before

After

Father and Sons Camping

This post is a bit late (from last May). Every year, our church has a Father and Sons camp out. The boys really enjoy attending with Tevye. I, however, dislike being left alone. I guess that it is a good thing that I will have a daughter at home with me next year! The camp out lasts just one night, but they come home covered in about a week's worth of dirt. Judging from the pictures, the boys got to run through an obstacle course.

Here comes Vance's friend, Jacob!

Wrestling fun!

Yum- burnt marshmallows.