We have our work cut out for us with this little naughty girl. She recently discovered the bag of markers and decided to have her way with the front door. She was pretty proud of herself. After drawing on the door, we put her at the table to draw but then of course she was more interested in tearing the paper off the table. Delaney's punishment was swift, which is obvious from the blue M&M stains on her face....

Despite the snow in our front yard yesterday morning, spring seems to have sprung in the Gunnison Basin. The three blonds are out and about these days, and it's always fun to get a visit from them at the office. Delaney thinks everything with four legs is a dog, so she didn't have any reservations about her first ride on a black bear.

Check out the difference between her preemie diaper and what she's in these days. The picture doesn't do that little diaper justice- it is impossible to believe she actually fit in those at one point.

More Meredith Adventures

Trapping season has finally come to a close this year for Brandon, and of course Meredith had to get in one last hoorah with her dad. Wild turkey trapping is a lot of fun- even if it does make little girls kind of nervous. Meredith was a great helper, and was in charge of turkey tags while we worked up birds for transplant. She is intrigued by turkeys and is ready to go hunt one someday. Her dad tries to tell her that turkey hunting is a little bit different than catching birds with bait...

Delaney continues to grow and has quite a personality. She is very different than her sister was; way more adventurous and defiant. She loves to test her parents, and definitely loves to be outside. She continues to work on her teeth, which has made her a little testy and also seems to be impacting her sleep (it's either that or reflux still).

Walking Update

If you come to our house these days, you may encounter a little girl exploring every nook and cranny on her two shaky legs (which grow stronger every day). Delaney has really become interested in walking now and seems to prefer it over crawling- unless she's in a hurry. Can't wait to get her out into the woods this spring so she can walk around and do some serious exploring.

Mommy's birthday has come and gone, and I wish we could have all spent it together. Daddy had to go out of town, and Mommy had a meeting. Grown up work always gets in the way. I know Mommy's birthday is a special day, so I need to remind her how special she is to us. Here are a few reasons my Mommy is special...

-She's given up sleep for over a year so that I can grow and stay healthy

-She's been trapped in our house and is half crazy--all to keep me away from germs

-She takes care of my big sister and my daddy (sort of like having three kids)

-She always puts others before herself

It makes me tired thinking about it, but I hope someday I grow up to be just like my mommy...we love her.

It's birthday time around here again...HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMY!!!!!!!!!

Jennifer's birthday is actually on Tuesday (March 1st), but Brandon has to be out of town so we decided to celebrate early. Please call her and give her a hard time about how old she is....

Daddy's Birthday and Something Special...

Happy Birthday Daddy...

Look what I did just for your special day!

Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!

We've had a busy few weeks around here. Last Wednesday, we made a trip to Grand Junction to see various doctors. Delaney's eyes are still on track, but we were extremely grateful to hear that her heart is in good shape and her blood pressure is now within normal range. For peace of mind we decided it was in our best interest to visit our NICU cardiologist and tie up one of our lingering loose ends. So for now, Delaney has a clean bill of health. If it wasn't for her small size one would never know how rough her life started.

It got bitterly cold recently which brought one of Brandon's bighorn sheep herds back to bait. This winter he and his co-workers have put forth considerable effort to trap and medicate these sheep in an effort to improve their health and increase lamb survival. Most of the sheep were caught using a drop net in January, but several animals eluded capture. The cold and snowy weather brought the sheep back to the bait site where they could be darted and treated individually. This morning they were able to dart and treat the last ewe, and she provided some unique photo opportunities. In the photos, the sheep has been given a reversal to the capture drugs and is still in a disoriented state. She was slow to leave, but finally walked up the hillside. Brandon's technician was able to take a few pictures before the animal left. It's always an amazing experience to work with wildlife, but it's equally memorable to share those experiences with your children. Our family is very fortunate.

Delaney's first birthday was certainly a big milestone for all of us. Those of you that lived through our "Delaney experience" know that we are in debt to a lot of people. In the spirit of thanks, Jennifer took Delaney's birthday as an opportunity to write an article in our community newsletter, which the editor graciously published. We received quite a bit of feedback from folks around town about the article and quite unexpectedly have made some new friends through our blog. Even more unexpected, have been the offers to contribute to the Delaney fund. Our intent wasn't to solicit donations through the newsletter; however the account is still in place. For folks that want to contribute the address is:

Delaney Rose Diamond Fund
Gunnison Savings and Loan
303 N. Main St.
Gunnison, CO 81230

Thank you for your kindness.

Saggy Diaper Dance