The Wharff Network

Peter Comes Home

2010-03-03T17:01:00.000-08:00

Peter was 5 weeks and 2 days early, so as soon as he was born, he went to the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit). We asked them how long he would be there and they said 12-14 days. Well... he come home today, only being there for 8 days! We're are so blessed for answered prayers and blessings. It's so wonderful to have him home. We kept telling Kaylene that he was coming home and when she finally met Peter, she was all smiles all the time! She's also been very careful with him and started to sing to him as soon as he was home. Check out the pics.

First Moments with Peter - Video

2010-02-28T23:52:00.000-08:00

Here is a collection of video clips put together of Peter's first moments. What's great about these, is I was able to catch on film both Jen and I's first moments meeting Peter for the first time, amongst other great moments. Enjoy!

5 Days Old

2010-02-27T20:40:00.000-08:00

Peter is now 5 days old and has met or beaten all the numbers by which they gauge a babies health, which ultimately will determine when he goes home. He had a hearing test today and past with flying colors. He's never had to undergo any special meds or even no lights for jaundice. We are so happy with his progress and hope to have him home soon. Here are pictures of him at 5 days old, enjoy!

Peter's Miracle Story

2010-02-25T15:00:00.000-08:00

I know this is long, but you've got to read every part for it to make sense:

Jen had been meeting her perinatologist every monday at 10am to monitor the progress of our baby son. Well this monday, a miracle happened! After her perinatologist reviewed the ultrasound, she told Jen that she noticed a small anomaly with our baby's heart that hadn't previously been there on other ultrasounds. She told Jen they were going to admit her to labor/delivery and have the baby looked at closer by a special baby heart doctor. Jen was flustered because she had the car and didn't know how I'd get there (20 miles away). She called me, told me of the situation and told me that she was scared. Fortunately our neighbor Joyce was home and was lovingly ready to help. She took me to the hospital and watched Kaylene for the rest of the day and night.

After many hours of waiting, a doctor came into our room, sat down in a chair with a very serious look on her face and this is what she said and I quote: "What I'm about to tell you, you usually only hear on TV shows or in the movies, your perinatologist saved your sons life!" WHOA! Jen and I were in tears. She explained that our son had an extremely rare disorder called "premature ductus arteriosus closure", happens in 0.006% of children in the US and cannot be caused or prevented by anything the Mother had/is doing. Every baby has this duct in the heart that closes after birth and signals for the baby to start breathing using it's lungs, instead of through the heart. Which means if it does close early, the baby starts to breathe and drowns in the amniotic fluids. She also explained that this disorder slowly closes this duct over a 24-48 hour period while in the womb.

SO HERE'S THE MIRACLE, the doctor told us she was amazed that our perinatologist saw this with her limited knowledge on this subject and with the equipment that is not intended to see this kind of thing. She also said that if Jen had been seen a day before, no one would have seen it and if it were a day after, our baby would have been a still born. SO... since the baby's duct was already in the process of closing, they had to rush her into the O.R. and get our son out ASAP. I am just amazed that this was not only discovered by someone who was definitely inspired, but that it was done at the very right moment, not too soon and not too late. All the odds were against us and God looked over us! Thank you Heavenly Father for this amazing miracle!

We named him after my younger brother Peter, who passed away at 5 months from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

I will never forget the woman who saved my sons life! Dr. Katherine Gesteland.

Peter Paul Wharff Arrives

2010-02-22T19:23:00.000-08:00

Peter Paul Wharff arrives into this world February 22, 2010 (four 2's in his b-day 2/22/2010) at 7:23 pm, weighing in at 4 pounds 14 ounces and 17 inches long. There's a longer story regarding how Peter came into our life which I will post later, but for now here are some more pictures.

Kaylene Visits a Fire Station

2010-02-21T23:26:00.000-08:00

Kaylene has always been amazed and has loved fire trucks and fireman. So when Jen and I found out that the Church was having an activity (for kids that aren't in school yet) to visit a Fire Station, we knew we had to take Kaylene. And boy did she love it. We had been telling her and as soon as we entered the fire station garage, she gave out a really big "WOW" with a smile on her face that couldn't be removed. So wasn't too interested in what the fireman/firewoman had to say, but when a fireman actually suited up, she got so excited and started jumping up and down. Then they let each kid a turn in the drivers seat and I don't think I've ever seen Kaylene so happy in my life! She loved it when a fireman slid down the fire pole and wanted to do also, but we explained that it was for fireman/firewoman only. And if things couldn't get any better, she was super excited to get her very own fire helmet and badge. So excited that she gave one of the fireman a hug and said "Thank You Fireman". Check out the pics to see all her excitement.

Kaylene's first talk in Church

2010-02-03T11:36:00.000-08:00

Kaylene transitioned from Nursery to Primary in the Sun Beams several weeks ago. A couple weeks ago she was given her first assignment in Church to give the scripture in Primary. We practiced at home and when it came time to give the scripture (Articles of Faith 1:1) she was really excited to do so. Take a look at the video.

3D Ultrasound Pics of our Son

2010-01-30T13:37:00.000-08:00

It was really really cool to be able to see our son 3-dimensionally. Unfortunately because of his position and other stuff in the way, it was hard to get a really good picture, but this is pretty amazing technology to say the least! Jen says that he has my nose, but what's for sure is that he's turning out to be one dang cutie pie.

Kaylene Meets Molly Video

2010-01-14T11:00:00.000-08:00

Here's a cute video of Kaylene holding Molly for the first time. Without anyone telling her to do so, she just automatically started singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" to Molly.

New Years 2010

2010-01-12T17:58:00.000-08:00

We spent New Years at Jennifer's parents cabin, up by Yosemite. Kaylene particularly enjoyed herself amongst all the nature. Everyday we would go outside for a walk and on one particular walk, a dog kept following us around. We found out his name is "Buddy" and the owner told us that he loves to be part of everyones business, yet Kaylene really loved and even looked forward to having him with us on our walks. Another one of Kaylene's favorite things to do was going to the lake to dig up rocks and throw them off the dock and into the water! One particular rock was just a tad bit too big and she spent several minutes digging it up, just to throw into the water. It was hilarious and you should check out that pic and the others too. I think Kaylene will grow up loving nature just as her mother does.

Christmas 2009

2010-01-12T16:22:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas this year with all of our family. Kaylene got her very first bicycle from Santa and was super excited. This was our first year at Sherry's home for Christmas. It was also special because Molly had arrived early and we all got to get our fair share of snuggles with this cute little tot! Enjoy the pictures.

Molly is Here

2010-01-10T16:17:00.000-08:00

Baby Molly has finally arrived. Jennifer and I are very excited for Tony and Heather. We know their lives will be forever blessed with this new wonderful spirit. We love you guys! Enjoy the pictures.

Christmas Party with Kaylene's Friends

2009-12-15T15:17:00.000-08:00

Kaylene was invited to a special Christmas party at one of her friends house. They had lunch with lots of yummy things to eat and even cupcakes for desert, which Kaylene got all over her face (it was hilarious, you'll see). They also had a special visitor drop by: Santa Claus! Kaylene talks about Santa Claus all the time, but everytime sees him, she's not exactly sure what to think. Fortunately no crying this time.

Christmas Tree Hunting

2009-12-09T22:08:00.000-08:00

One of the main reasons for our trip back to California was to participate in a big Wharff family tradition that has taken place at the "Black Road" tree farm for many years: Christmas Tree Hunting! This year was particularly cold, but we all had a lot of fun searching for trees. Since we still live in WA, we didn't get a tree, but Kaylene still ran everywhere and pointing at lots of "Christmas Trees". Afterwards we had a little "Togo's" picnic and some time to mingle with the family, with Christmas music playing in the background. Jennifer has always been heart broken since her family stopped the very same tradition, but told me with the most sincerest emotions how thankful she was that we still make the effort to keep the tradition alive. Make sure to check out all the fun we had by taking a peek at the photos.

To the Beach

2009-12-08T20:28:00.000-08:00

Here is the video of Kaylene's first experience at the beach. She had fun while it lasted. Enjoy!

Roaring Camp and Beach

2009-12-08T17:56:00.000-08:00

While spending time with Kaylene's Maminou and Papa, one day we decided to go to Santa Cruz. First stop was Roaring Camp, a family tradition and Kaylene had never been there. She really enjoyed all the Trains and Trees. Most everything was closed, but I think it was better that way because she doesn't care much for the shops and this way she was able to roam free and run everywhere. Too bad we couldn't take her on a train ride, but we'll save that for a future visit. Second stop was the beach and Kaylene's first also, which was unfortunate because it was late and cold, so we couldn't spend too much time there. She was super super excited. All this time she had seen, heard of the beach and finally was able to see it for herself. She did the usual run up to the water as they were receding and run back as the waves came. I said unfortunate earlier because when it was time to go, she was DEVASTATED, probably the worst I had seen her. I promised her that some day we'll come back, maybe with her cousins and really have fun! Check out the pics.

Kaylene's 3rd Birthday

2009-11-16T10:56:00.000-08:00

This birthday for Kaylene was really her first that she could really enjoy. This time around, she knew what a birthday is and what to do with the presents and cake. She really had a blast and loved having all her friends over for her special occasion. Enjoy the pictures.

Kaylene's 3rd Birthday Video

2009-11-15T22:19:00.000-08:00

Kaylene totally had a blast this year with her birthday. Check out the video, pictures are on the way.

Family Pics

2009-11-10T13:15:00.000-08:00

One of Kaylene's friends decided to have a full blown formal "tea party" (all herbal teas) with fancy dress and all. So I decided to take some family pics beforehand. Which is your favorite?

Kaylene goes to Krispy Kreme

2009-11-07T15:33:00.000-08:00

Kaylene really loves donuts lately, so we decided to take her to Krispy Kreme and show her how they're made!

The Bumble Bee Princess Video

2009-11-05T12:37:00.000-08:00

Here's the video from Kaylene's Halloween adventure. She really enjoyed herself this Halloween.

Halloween 2009

2009-11-03T20:12:00.000-08:00

This year Kaylene was (as Kaylene puts it) a "Bumble Bee Princess". Her cousin Amanda was nice enough to give her this costume from her last Halloween. Hours before trick or treating, I asked Kaylene "are you ready for your Halloween costume?" and immediately she said "no costume, no costume". However as soon as she saw WHAT a costume really is, she was super super excited and couldn't wait to get it on. I told her it was a Bumble Bee costume and she replied, "I'm a Bumble Bee Princess" and continued to repeat those words about a hundred more times throughout the night. Later, I told her it was time to go trick or treating with her friends and she was a little worried at first. Finally after about the 3rd house, she got really overjoyed and ran to each house, saying over and over "next house, next house"! She was also very courteous at each house, with a "trick or treat", then a "thank you", then a "happy halloween", like clock work, it was very cute. After we toured the neighborhood and asked her if she was ready to go home, she got all emotional and said "no, no... next house, next house". So we continued on for another row of houses. I knew she was tired when she wouldn't walk anymore and wanted me to hold her. This year she really got into it and totally enjoyed herself and that night she slept like a rock. Jen was especially happy to be a part of this years trick or treating, as she was put up in a hospital bed last year, crying that she couldn't be there with her family. I too was very happy that Jen was able to be with us this year! Make sure to check out the pics, video coming later.

Trip to DC Video

2009-10-25T13:32:00.000-07:00

As mentioned earlier in this post, Nancy surprised me with a trip to DC. We had tons of fun and took many pictures and some video too. Enjoy.

Trip to Washington DC

2009-10-21T23:29:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago my sister Nancy called me and gave me a surprise for my birthday, a trip to Washington DC with her. I was blown away (to put it lightly) for such an amazing gift! We had 3 days to see as many sights as possible and probably saw 1 weeks worth in that time. After arriving really really late in DC, Nancy and I picked up our rental car and we were off to the hotel, however it was impossible to miss any monuments while driving there. I was like a little kid on christmas day. But it was late and we needed to get rest for the next day. Nancy asked me a very important question: "What sights do you HAVE TO see?" My list of "must see" sights was pretty small: The Washington Monument, The Lincoln Memorial, The White House, The Capital and The Vietnam Memorial. I'm glad to report that we were able to see all of the "must see" sights and even more! In fact, we got to see 4 different Smithsonian museums and the National Gallery of Art was probably one of the highlights of my trip. It's not every day you get to be "inches" away from Manet, Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh and even Da Vinci!!! Even though the weather was a little dampening at times, this was one of the best, if not thee best vacation of my life. Thanks Nancy, you've given me a gift I'll never forget! Pictures here.

Library and Park

2009-10-13T23:32:00.000-07:00

Kaylene loves books, just like her Mommy, but the funny thing is that we had never taken her to the Library and probably on the account that we practically have one in our house already (from Jen's teaching). So we finally took the trip to the public library and Kaylene just loved it! She immediately fit in and had the problem of too much to look at. She would grab a book and quickly look at it and then onto another and another and another. She really was having a blast. Since the park was right next door, we also decided to let her run around for a bit, since the weather up here is starting to become a little worse by the day. And yes, she loved the park as she always does. Be sure to check out the pics!