Turns out that Amber and baby had quite a rough journey. Amber was “super woman” and endured a 30+ hour labor. And baby Hudson had some complications and had to stay in the NICU. All around, it was a rough couple of weeks for this brand new family.

Fast forward 2 weeks and I was in no place to conduct a full newborn session. I have been exhausted nursing baby Cruz and tending to my other two kids while trying to maintain some sense of normalcy for them. So I invited Amber to come down for a “play” session at my house with Hudson and Cruz.

Hudson was so sweet and cuddly and perfect in every way. He didn’t cry even once while I had him on the bean bag. He was awake and alert and flashed his baby blues to my lens. What a sweetheart!

Congratulations Amber and Rob on your beautiful new addition!!

The swirl on the back of his head

His beautiful eyes

We attempted a photo shoot yesterday but Cruz had other plans. He wouldn’t sleep for his mama. So we’ll try it again soon.

Peter and I are thrilled to announce our new little man

Cruz Nico Ka’ehukai Florencio Dagupion!

It was a long day yesterday and we were discharged from the birth center at 5am this morning. Little man weighed 8lbs, 15oz and was 21.75 inches long. He is beautiful and has been welcomed home by his big sister Ryenne and big brother Kai. We’re all great (but very tired!).

I’m hoping to do his real newborn session on Tuesday… we’ll see if mama and baby are up for it!

Speaking of this mirror…. this is quite a special mirror. It was gifted to me by my parents and it has made its way from Mexico to Maui and finally to Texas. It finally found it’s home on my living room wall just a few short weeks ago. I adore it. It has “flutterbies” as Ryenne calls them.

Today is Kai’s 17 month birthday. He is such a big boy – well big on personality – not quite big on size. He is sweet as can be. I was so lucky when he wanted to see himself in our mirror and  he decided to try to kiss me just as I hit the shutter. I realize this is not in focus, but so very special nonetheless!

The boy and girl snuggling is a rarity. But I love it.

And lastly…. my little boy Kai – so big 17 months today. No more pacifier – all smiles.

It was pretty chilly today, so it was filled with lots of cuddling Kai and just “being”.

Once Ry got home from school, we ventured out (for just a little bit). We were freezing!!

Kai’s first time in the snow… ever.

Big sister Ryenne

And lastly I leave you today with a boy and his dog. He loves this spot between our fence and the neighborhood fence. A good spot for little boys imaginations, don’t you think?

It’s been a rough couple of weeks in the Dagupion household. I had a false labor and got a nasty virus, then passed it on to Ryenne, and finally Kai got it. Poor baby. Then we learned he is allergic to Tylenol after crazy hives. Definitely been a rough one!

But he remains in good spirits and is on the mend. He has a full set of baby teeth now. I keep trying to get a good smile out of him, but it’s proving challenging and when I took out the camera he wanted me to take a picture of his belly  button. He loves his belly button – and I will admit that it gets kissed by his mama (me) a lot!

A few changes are coming to the blog! While I am just waiting for Baby #3 (who we call “P3″) I figured I’d update things when I get the chance. A girl can always change her mind on the look of something, right? So stay tuned for more fine tuning and thanks for following along on this ride!

XO,

Mariah

It was just getting a little bit too “mad scientist” and it was getting in his eyes. But it was so wispy and sweet. Here’s the before and “after” – It looks shorter than it really is in the after shot just because he was mad at me. I’ll have to do a follow up after shot soon. He is so dang adorable….

Peter and I had planned to get donuts for the kids this morning (with red sprinkles of course) and surprise our little Valentines. But the last few days have really taken their toll and we’re both pretty exhausted.

So we had a pretty normal morning but colored Valentines. Ryenne is dressed in her heart shirt and Kai is clueless but is having a great day none-the-less. This is his first year of coloring his own Valentine!

She abandoned the red hearts for some good ole white paper.

Wishing everyone a wonderful Valentines Day and also Happy Chinese New Year!

XOXO, the Dagupion fam

She’s been fetching diapers for me when changing Kai, asking how I’m doing, and giving me extra hugs, kisses, and love when I’m feeling lethargic. She has gone to just about every pre-natal appointment with me and enjoys hearing the heartbeat and talking about how the baby is growing. I just love her curiosity!

I promised her we’d be taking valentine’s pictures for her pre-school card exchange. She is really excited. Maybe today is the day since it finally stopped raining?

The thermometer this morning. Could barely get the dogs to go outside!