Week of Firsts!

Hello World!!!

It's week 2, and she is hitting a growth spurt, but still smaller than her rabbit.

A week ago Annika didn't even come close to fitting this outfit, now... it fits perfectly.

Hanging out with the ladies... Wanida and Ang were a huge help for us when we were finishing our move... oh yes, I forgot to mention, we decided to move to another unit in our complex to actually have rooms (we were in a two story loft). As much as we loved the place it was a bit noisy and for all three of us to be there together throughout the day, we needed some walls. Luckily our friends are awesome and we had a bunch of help getting us in our new place. Thanks everyone, we couldn't have done it without you!

Annika is beginning to enjoy the animals 0n her chair more, she is especially fond of the monkey, I am convinced it reminds her of me.

Ok, on to the firsts, our first trip to church was yesterday. KJ looked beautiful with the baby, they were both in white and everyone wanted a peek at the baby. She made it through the church service great and then was ready to eat but people were not ready to stop holding her. All in all, it was a great day.

Her first bath, she cried for about 1.3 seconds and then loved it.

We will keep you posted...

She's kind of a big deal!

You asked for more pics, you got them!


Our baby girl is changing her looks quite often. Kara and I agree when she is asleep she still looks like me, but when she is awake she is looking more like her mom, especially with her expressions. (Yes, she definitely has the Van Essen look and is not afraid to use it!)

Annika is getting used to traveling and is liking her car seat more and more... as long as she is well fed.

Kara took Annika to see our good friends Steve and Leeana and their new twins. It was Annika's first interaction with another kid, but it looks like her and Lane will get along just fine. (I know what you are all thinking, yes, Annika is one month younger than Lane and she has a bigger head, thanks for noticing!)


We will take a picture every Wednesday with the bunny so we can watch Annika grow for the first year. Pretty soon she will be towering over the bunny (but we won't tell mommy that, it just makes her sad).


If you can't read the shirt, it says "I'm kind of a big deal." Kara and I agree this is an outfit she will wear more when hanging out with dad. My cousin Nicole got it for her and it is a line out of the movie "Anchorman."

Just in case you hadn't had enough...

Ok, I know we are obsessed, 3 postings in the first week. But, for those of you who haven't had the chance to officially meet our little bundle of joy, these are for you.


Kara's sister Lyndsay got us this chair, we put her in it everyday and she is getting more used to it. We are realizing we need to not hold her 24/7, because we sometimes want to.




This is our first day of trying to work and study with the baby at home. It takes some creativity but we are all adjusting.

May we introduce to you officially...

Annika Lanae Jung

Our little girl is pretty alert, she sleeps hard but is awake a decent amount. She already has staring contests with us... and wins... she always does.

She loves being swaddled.
As our nephew Ethan would say, "Those are baby tiny feet!"
My Growth Group made a drop by visit on Wednesday, it was awesome to have them all there together and to celebrate.
Our first few moments home. She loves being home and is much more calm then she was at the hospital.
She learned how to nap like her mother. My favorite moment of the past few days was the three of us taking a nap together and having Annika lay on my chest. Nothing really compares.

New Baby Girl!!!

Our little girl arrived this morning at 10:30 am. Her momma was a rock star and the delivery was extremely smooth. She is weighing in at 8 pounds, 7 ounces and is 19.5 inches long. Everyone is doing well. We will be moving to our room this afternoon at Sharp Mary Birch and anyone can come and visit starting after 2.
Thanks for all the prayers and support, we will post more soon.



She already had a solid grip at 5 minutes old! Just chillin'!

The new addition to the family... and mom is looking great.





Aunt Heather with her new niece.


One of the little answers to prayer was being able to have a friend of ours, Michelle (who I went to college with) be on call last night. When we arrived we asked if she was working and she just happened to be here and was able to be switched to our room! It was a HUGE blessing to have her with us all night and taking care of us. Thanks Michelle. Sonya our Nurse and Dr. Barmeyer were amazing as well. It was a great experience.

Last Christmas without Kids

The holidays for us this year were different than years past. The first was that the majority of gifts we received didn't fit either of us and were mostly some variation of pink. The second was that we took the time Kara had off school as an excuse to spend some extra time away from San Diego and have an extended time with family. From the Arizona mountains to north of the Golden Gate to Dublin, Ripon, and Pebble Beach, the trip was a lot of fun and a lot of travel. We slept in 7 beds in 14 days. As we reflected on our time, we were glad we took the opportunity to do so much and know that traveling from now on will be a little more chaotic, yet doable. (This last part is to assure my wife that yes, we will travel with kids!)


My boy Eric Yates' b-day gathering... with Katey and Ryan and Judi.


A little pre Christmas B-day party for Steve, the final days before the two tiny tanks made their appearance into the world.

KJ had never been to Sausalito (just north of San Francisco) so we took a day trip and had lunch on the bay. The City rarely has such great weather, especially around Christmas. The town is extremely quaint and it was a perfect day for a gettaway for the two of us.

Our niece Morgan has the sweetest personality, all you want to do is hold her... then you find out her little secret... her nickname is the vomit comet... but we still love her dearly.

This one needs no explanation, it is Ethan in all of his glory. The little stud is more and more fun to be around as he gets older, his sense of humor is pretty phenomenal for a 2 year old.

Two weeks and counting

Ok, two weeks and two days, but who is actually counting? (Answer: Kara & Eric).
Kara is ready for this baby to be out, and we wish she would come today. I am not sure if you are ever "ready" for something like this, but I think we are as ready as we are going to be. We will update everyone on this when the baby is here.
Happy New Year to you!