Dear Mr. Dill,

 february delights at the pond

I seriously feel like I just came back from an aviary.


Or at least like I was just in some cheesy reprise of a movie where nature is just wonderful
and the camera circles around the main character zooming out to a bird's-eye-view.

One of the two.

But actually my little one and I just returned from a "pond round" out back.


I wish I'd had a mini Mr. Webb or other birdmaster on my shoulder to whisper the names of all the bird calls I was hearing.
(There were at least 10 distinct whistles!)

I felt like so many birds were all flying around us as if we weren't there. They were having some kind of party.

Really. These photos aren't doing it justice at all.

There was a beautiful state bird out there too but I didn't catch her on the camera.
I thought I was hearing a cardinal call for the first time, but then she flew away and the cool bird was still calling.
It's only been 30 minutes but of course I can't even remember exactly what it sounded like.

Cohen didn't protest even though all he could probably see was my chest from his perch in the BabyBjörn.

He was calm and quiet and awake. I think he sensed my euphoria and maybe felt a bit of it too?

It was the honking of these geese that initially called me outside in the first place.

They were so loud I could hear them while nursing on my bed even though all the windows were closed.

Oh, and then to top it all off, the biggest flock of starlings flew overhead as we walked back to the house. This is just like one tenth of the total chirping birds. Not only could we hear their occasional chirp but the flapping of all their wings was audible too.

In Ben's words, this is when I'm glad we don't live on campus.

heaven in n.c.

Pardon my absence, I was just having a baby is all.

I feel like it's taken me ages to stumble back into blogland/the online social community—
even though another part of me feels like one week's absence is really not that long.
A week is a quick comeback, but I think it's a good sign that it feels like years: it's a sign of feeling super loved.
Much thanks to all of you that have expressed such interest—and a need even—for pictures & updates.
Sheesh, as if I'm not blessed enough with a perfect baby boy, we've got the best friends and family to boot.

Also, special thanks to my close Knudsen kin
for your love & interest* in this boy of mine—er, your Baby Ben's baby.

*read: posting photos online—see the following links—
He came!    Photoshoot!    Snapshot!    My boys!    He's home!    We're a family!

And now, as graciously requested—more photos and a little update:

Sunday, 23 January 2011 — "the duedate" — still a family of two

Thursday, 27 January 2011 — "the moment" we concluded I was really showing signs of labor.

Friday, 28 January 2011 — "our final date" — labor signs faded, but Ben and I distracted ourselves with an outing.
He skipped his last class and we had the best Mexican downtown, saw a matineé at the dollar theater,
and stopped for popsicles at a little joint a-la-Provo Center Street entrepreneur shops.

Saturday, 29 January 2011 — labor "for reals" — not until dinnertime, but  contractions started all at once, 5 minutes apart,
and didn't stop. Called the doctor who basically said, "come in whenever you want." We rolled into the hospital at 9:15pm.

Sunday, 30 January 2011 — "He's really coming" — past midnight, fully dilated, fully effaced, and I could smile between contractions. How could I not? Baby K was nearly here, Ben was by my side, Mom & Becky were at my beck and call, and Parisa, my nurse, was calling me a rockstar.

2:56am — We have a son.



His name is Cohen Juárez Knudsen.

He weighed 8 pounds and 12 ounces.



He measured 21 inches long.

 
And he is

HEAVEN.

*more photos and stories to be told—most will continue over at the 'online baby book.' Hopefully soon.

as you complete 27 years

still celebrating stellar souls

*Linen design by Michelle Engel Bencsko of Cicada Studios.

your turn, jacob

january in the south

{Thank goodness for birthdays that keep me blogging, eh? Eventually I will attempt a blog catch-up marathon because our Southern holidays deserve a little recognition. In the meantime, you can read my catch-up marathon on pregnancy here if you like.}

On 1/11/11,
we woke to a world dipped in ice...

Ice is like glass. It's clear. So maybe you can't see it, but look close, because it's awesome.

View out the window—the ice weighed down the bamboo and all of the sudden we could see the pond and road on the other side!

...or what most people call an ice storm.
Schools were canceled. Including Ben's university. I know.

* I was fascinated. *

Maybe the woodpecker was fascinated too?

In the afternoon, I decided to "venture" out to the post office.

But the car needed to be freed from its shell of glass first.

This is where I turned into a little kid—
was it just because it was my first time experiencing this,
or was it because this glass-like ice really is that fun?



Either way, I knew my siblings would love it as much as I did.
So I took videos for them. You can see them too, even if you're not my sibling.

*let the record show that this is my first ever attempt at creating a video. thank you.

Even the next day was fun. Sun was out. All the bare trees were sparkling because it was still cold enough that they were all magical glass-dipped trees...

Each pine needle had its own sheath of ice... and the grass in the yard was a riot to crunch through... Even with puffy feet.

Another riot: walking under the giant Magnolia tree out front; it would occasionally shed the glass sheets off the leaves and they'd crash to the ground. Some even stayed intact... little leaf-shaped pieces of ice all over... Almost like Fall all over again?

Still loving NC seasons...
But can I just add that Ben and I could not believe our eyes that night when we got to the mall to do some birthday shopping... and it was CLOSED at 6:30. Well, it was open somehow, but every store inside was closed. Empty parking lot. Weird, yes?

Yes. Fun weird.

 

happy day to jordan
 

 

*for reference, HERE are the 5 traits I loved last year*

to josefinaangelicaclairejuarez

happy birthday, sean-y

if you're in Utah...

 

decembertime

So far, NC seasons are right on.
Fall lasted right up to Thanksgiving and through November. Perfect, right?
Thanksgiving is all autumn-y if you think about it.
I missed capturing the Japanese Maples around the house—
the last to turn colors (and they turned a stunning lipstick red!)

Just four days into December, and NC was ready for Christmas.
So were we—ringing in the season with a Christmas train ride, thanks to Mangums!

A real-deal steam engine, guys. And a diesel engine at one point.
And these tickets! Love tickets...

 These are all the smart people that knew it was going to be just a few degrees over freezing and that the train was an outside deal.

This marked my first time being COLD in North Carolina.
{Even through Fall, it was not often sweater-weather for me and the self-heating system that comes with the growing belly. I spent much of November with the windows open to counter the heat.}
So perhaps you can envision my get-up.
Chacos? Yes. I promise I was fine until the train started moving and wind became a factor...

 One lovely boy captivated by the Christmas NC woods.

 Another lovely boy captivated by the dark smoke of the engine.

(I couldn't help but drift back to memories circa 2002 when Ashton was smitten by trains
so much that he'd hear the engine miles away and request that we stop everything to go watch it.)

* * *

And later that day?
THIS!

 
RIGHT outside our back door. Seriously, is there anything more Christmasy?

OK, snow on bamboo is not more Christmasy, but I couldn't get enough of the snow.
This was the view out all our windows. It seemed more snowy in real life, of course.
Visiting the grocery store that day was a hoot too. I guess it wasn't just a joke that
"everybody freaks out here when it snows." I was there for a few things in the afternoon—
in the thick of the snowfall. People were filling double-carts and the line at the register
took as long as my shopping. The cashier was an hour overdue for her break and said the store had been that crazy since 6am!

Bottom line: I'm loving Christmas in NC. Maybe it's just the fact that I'm not in the thick of finals and I can DO any Christmas-y thing I want. But maybe it's just NC...