More Starbucks Hilarity

I'm at Starbucks picking up a frappachino for Caitlin. The guy in front of me in line orders a latte. A gingerbread spice latte, if I recall correctly.

When he gets his drink, he takes the lid off, pours a shot or two of it into the garbage can next to the register, and says, "Here's one for my homies!"

Really? REALLY? Do people actually do that in real life? With STARBUCKS LATTES??

Rough Around the Edges

I can almost always count on my mom to give me an honest opinion, and I respect that. Yesterday before heading to Allison's daycare Christmas party I asked her, "Do I look OK for a party?". She replied "You look OK, just a little rough around the edges". I quickly changed from my frumpy t-shirt into a slightly less frumpy sweater. No time for makeup or jewelry or contacts as Allison was hungry, needed to be dressed in her Christmas dress, etc, etc. Allison looked absolutely darling in her little red velvet dress which is good, because I do look more than a little rough around the edges. I suppose the way you look and present yourself reflects a lot about the way you're feeling. Since having Allison I've gotten into the swing of caring for her and being a parent but honestly at this point it's left me a bit rough around the edges. I've put off the all almost any and all things related to taking care of myself and it's quite apparent. I haven't even been eating healthy or exercising which is, well, unlike me. My new resolution is to try and take care of myself too so that I at least feel and maybe even look halfway as healthy as I did before getting pregnant.

I still haven't uploaded new photos, so for all you photo hounds, here's a another blast from the past. Well, I guess it really is only a little more than a year ago, but it feels like AGES ago:

Some Updates

No we haven't fallen off the face of the earth. Time is scarce and I'm constantly tired/sick and or trying to keep up with everything. Allison is such a little person these days. She cracks herself up (errupting into giggles) when she bounces in her jumperoo. It is quite the scene! When she was born and I heard her cry it was a feeling of happiness and relief she was OK. Hearing her giggle is THE BEST sound. Pure joy. Even better than the first little squaking cry in the delivery room. She is still erratic about her sleep, but I've decided to go with the flow. I absolutely do not agree with crying it out, so if my baby doesn't want to sleep in her crib or carseat (one of her fav places, esp with a cold) she sleeps in bed with me. There I said it, on the Internets!! I am a big fan of co-sleeping and the family bed. I don't agree that it's dangerous (there are actual reputable studies that show it's twice as safe as crib sleep) and I don't agree that it's a bad habit. When she's ready to sleep alone she'll let us know. I'm tired of people telling me I shouldn't have her in bed. She should be where she's the most happy and secure feeling. If that's the carseat, so be it, if that's cuddled up next to mommy all night, so be it. The best feeling in the world is when she wakes up in the morning, opens her eyes, smiles and coos. No crying, no fussing, just a happy baby!

Ian's out of town this weekend (Thurs-Mon) to referee a national fencing tournament. He loves doing it but claims it's not a vacation. But I digress.... Allison and I are having a girl's weekend complete with a party with Santa, craft and wine day with the girls, mama's brunch and shopping!

I'll hopefully upload some recent pics soon!

Another reason I'm glad I breastfeed!

http://cbs2chicago.com/video/?id=51358@wbbm.dayport.com&cid=48

Note to self

Don't jinx the sleeping by posting on the blog too soon :(

Stop the Presses

Stop the freaking presses! She's asleep

In her crib

Before midnight

Without nursing to sleep

and

Without falling asleep in Daddy's arms

Thank the lord.

Okay, nuf said

- One tired mama

Fall

Blast From the Past

I just downloaded the fabulous Picasa 3 and was sifting through my massive amount of photos. This one caught my breath. That was the Colonnade Ball many moons ago, my good old cat Simon (who we had to put to sleep this past Feb, and guess who???

Obama Rally in Manassas!

Obama held his last campaign rally last night in Manassas. Since it's only 25 minutes from our house, Caitlin and I decided to go. We arrived at 4 PM (for a 9 PM event start time), with Allison all bundled up and us ready to wait in line for hours. But, apparently, when you bring a three month old baby to a campaign event, you get to skip the entire line and go sit in the handicap seating THIRTY FEET FROM THE STAGE.

There's the press box on the left, the podium on the right, and our handicap seats in between. And that big hill in the background? That's 100,000 people. This was Gov. Tim Kaine and former Gov. Mark Warner warming up the crowd.









Caitlin and Allison. Note the ginormous American flag and the "TV bleachers" in the background.

















The Man Himself. I think that Secret Service dude was keeping an eye on me.













Obama worked the shook hands at the front of the crowd for a few minutes after his speech. You can see Caitlin and Allison (her pink hat, anyway) in the lower left.










I WAS THIS CLOSE.

Baby+Halloween =

many reasons to get together, dress babies up in costume, and have a glass of wine.


Halloween Party #1

(left to right)
Allison as Ladybug, Ritva as Eggplant, Reagan as Butterfly, Sabine as Lamb, Paige as Minnie Mouse






Baby dominoes

For you Moms

This is a fun site! They have a lot of good stuff. You have to get on right when they list the item though, they sell out fast

http://www.babysteals.com/

You Know it's Bad When

.. a house on your street sells for exactly $100,000 less than you bought yours for 2 years ago.

Thank goodness we had a nice down payment and we didn't borrow the whole amount.

We will be living here FOREVER.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Having a baby in this day and age means an onslaught of STUFF. There are lots of books, websites and people out there who want to tell you want STUFF you need for your baby. I've read and listened to lots of them, and I'm now 3.5 months into this first time parent experience. I'm going to try and give you some reviews over the next few days of what I liked/didn't like and why. What I have figured out is that you really don't need a ton of STUFF to keep baby safe and happy. But, as all first times moms can attest to it's fun to look and shop. So here are my thoughts:

Arm's Reach Co Sleeper.
This is by far the thing we use most often. It attaches to the side of your bed so you have all the benefits of co-sleeping while you and baby still have your own space. When she was itty bitty she always slept in here, until I got less paranoid of rolling over on her. Now she sleeps in here the first half of the night until she wakes to nurse. After that she sleeps in bed with me. It's great because you don't even have to sit up to get them out of the co-sleeper. This is especially nice for those nights in the beginning when they wake up a lot to nurse. I just reached over, pulled her in next to me (laying down) let her nurse, then when she was done I'd just set her back in. You get much better sleep this way! If your into saving money, look on Craigslist for one of these, we found a almost brand new one for half the retail price. Buying used is more eco-friendly too if you feel comfortable doing that. The only annoying thing with the co-sleeper are the sheets. They are not a standard size, so you have to buy their sheets. Overall, one of my favorite things!



The Miracle Blanket (and other swaddle blankets)

We love the swaddle blankets. Swaddling works great for Allison. Most babies, but not all like to be swaddled, so I wouldn't buy a ton of these before baby was born. We are still using the swaddle at 3.5 months. She sleeps longer and more peacefully when she's swaddled, and these blankets are SO much easier than swaddling with a blanket. Allison was a big and freakishly strong baby from day one, so swaddling in a regular blanket didn't work. The Miracle blanket is the best for babies who bust out of their swaddle quickly becuase it has the arm flaps that pin her arms to her body. We've also used the SwaddleMe's (Kiddopotomus) and these work well too. Unfortunately Allison is too long for the Miracle Blanket now, so we are back to Swaddle Me's (which come in a larger size). I highly recommend a Miracle or Swaddle me for any newborn!



More to come later!

A Week of Firsts

Allison started holding herself up on her elbows.
She took her first trip to the pumpkin patch.





And we survived week one of daycare!

So long, and thanks for all the hairballs

We put Macks to sleep earlier today. He was seventeen. Caitlin got him as a Christmas present...in 3rd grade.

Three years ago, my old vet in Gaithersburg basically gave Macks six months to live. He was fourteen years old at the time and the vet noted some bad tooth and gum infections in his mouth. He was too fat and old to operate on, so there was pretty much nothing we could do. Remarkably, aside from looking snaggletoothed, he was perfectly fine for the next three years.

When we got back from our vacation in NY last week, it looked like someone had set off a hand grenade in his mouth. He'd constantly drool and bleed; we'd try cleaning him up but it would be just as bad the next day. I took him to our vet today and he was diagnosed with a bone tumor in his jaw the size of my thumb. We had figured as much, and were prepared (as prepared as you can be, anyway) to say goodbye.

The picture below is probably how I'll remember Macks. My parents and grandparents were in town visiting us in August, and Macks introduced himself to my grandmother thusly:

First Day

Well, we survived the first day of work/daycare. I picked Allison up and she immediately fell asleep in the car and is out COLD. I was hoping for some play/cuddle time, but I think she had a long day too. I made it until 2:00 without crying, at that point the novelty of adult time wore off. The lady in Starbucks asked if I was OK, and I started crying at her. She said it was just as hard when she went back to work 30 years ago with her daughter. The more things change, the more they stay the same huh?

Hello Reality

Well, Allison just fell asleep. I should be getting ready for work tomorrow. Going to work gets a lot more complicated with a baby. Tomorrow starts the alarm clocks, dashing off to daycare, coffee breaks, long commutes, coworkers, and new routines. Goodbye lazy summer days cuddling all day with my brand new baby Allison. Back to reality (I have some Eminem song running through my head). Here is my silver lining (albeit small)... I am looking forward to some adult conversations that don't involve the following topics: breastfeeding, diapers, favorite baby carriers, vaccines, sleeping patterns, and birth stories. I am looking forward to drinking my daily cup of joe with TWO hands and only having to focus on my computer screen while doing so. I'm looking forward to getting dressed and putting on makeup. My heart is breaking over having to leave behind my daughter for 11 hours a day.

In happy news, we now completely own both of our cars! Yay for be resposible and paying off loans.

Last Week of Fantasy Land

Allison,

This is our last week "together". Next week I go back to the daily grind of working.... well kind of. I've managed to be able to work three days a week, so I get the other two with you! I should feel like the luckiest mom to be able to spend quantity time with her babe AND provide for her, but I just feel terrible about leaving you. You have a wonderful daycare lady who will cuddle and love on you, but I wish with all my heart it could be me. We have been "practicing" daycare this week, because with your bottle hatred, we thought it would be a good idea. You have been doing great, and even drank 6 oz of milk this morning at your daycare practice.

We've been reading more together, your favorite book right now is The Rainbow Fish. You must like shiny objects, all the pictures have sparkly fish scales in them! You still freak out when Annabelle barks loudly, and you still love your daddy to walk you around to sleep. So, as much as things are changing now, they will still stay the same. I will still be your mommy, and you'll still be my happy, stubborn little baby. Life will go on after maternity leave ends. This too shall pass.

Love,

Mommy

A Letter to my Daughter

Allison,

This may seem a little (okay maybe a lot) cheesy, but I love reading these kinds of letters.. so I am writing you your first letter.

Today you are two months and 4 days old, almost 9 weeks! I can't believe it's been two months since you entered this world. The moment you were born was one of the most amazing, surreal moments of my life. At first I thought, thank GOD she's out (you didn't make it easy by any stretch of the imagination) !! Then, I just started crying happy tears, because I was so grateful you were here. The minutes it took before I got to see you seemed like an hour. Daddy handed you to me and you were so alert looking right at me. You just wanted to snuggle your mommy, and that hasn't changed in the last two months.

You are really the most beautiful baby I have ever seen. You have these sharp blue gray eyes that you stare very intently with. You have long eyelashes and when you're sleeping I just stare at your eyelashes and hold you and am so glad you are my sweet little baby. You are so curious, and so serious at times. I have half photos of you grinning, half photos of you frowning and staring. If this is any indication of your personality, I think you'll fit right into our family.

My favorite time of the day is right after you wake up. You are so happy to see me you keep smiling even while you're trying to nurse - it's quite cute! Then we lay on the bed and make faces at each other and you tell me some story in baby coos and I tell you a story in English. One day we can talk to each other in the same language. For now though, I am thrilled to hear your little coos. Sometimes you coo at your mobile more than me, and I have to come in and interrupt. Is the frog really more interesting than your mommy?

You love to be snuggled so I wrap you up in your moby, and carry you around on my chest while you nap during the day. We really have a great routine. We eat, snuggle, nap, coo, talk, smile and repeat. When Daddy comes home you always manage to crack another smile and come coos for him. Even if you are in a fussy mood at the time, seeing Daddy usually makes you break into a smile. Daddy sings Billy Joel songs to you and walks all around the house bouncing you, because you like it. Not sure why you like Billy Joel, but you do!

You have a big canine sister Annabelle, and she's quickly become the second fiddle. She does like you and comes running to your side when you're crying and sniffs you and stares at me as if she's say "Fix it please!". I think you'll be good friends as you become a crazy little toddler. When Annabelle barks really loudly out the window you get startled and throw your arms up and cry a little. I have told Annabelle you are going to get her back in a year or so when you start pulling her ears and tail and feet.

You have really shown a side of me that I've never seen before. I am patient, and don't need instant gratification all the time. I don't feel in such a rush anymore. I can just sit back and enjoy the present, enjoy every moment with you because they are going by so quickly. When Daddy, you and I sit together in your room at night reading you a story and rocking you to sleep I feel like this is what it's all about. This is a wonderful life.

I love you Allison,

Love,

Mommy

Starbucks cup sizes

Caitlin and I took an excursion to the mall a few days ago with Allison to get out of the house and walk around. At the food court, we made a pit stop at Starbucks and I had two revelations:

1. Starbucks' small drinks ("Tall") are 12 ounces each and cost $3.80. Their large drinks ("Venti") are 20 ounces each and cost $4.80. So, the large is about twice as big as the small. If you went to Starbucks every single day for a year (not a giant leap, for some people I could name) and bought a small drink each day, it would cost you $1,387. If you went every other day instead, bought a large drink, and had the willpower to save half the drink for the following day, it would cost you only $876 and save you $511 a year.
   
   
2. Just when I thought I couldn't hate their drink size names any more, I asked for some ice water and they cheerfully exclaimed "One Venti Ice Water!" when handing me my beverage. Call the coffee whatever you want, but please, please, please don't rename my tap water.
   

Lil' Cheney

Let's be clear up front: Allison is an awesome baby. 98% of the time, anyway. She sleeps enough, cries infrequently, and is generally calm and happy.

The other 2% of the time, as babies are wont to do from time to time, she screams her little head off. That in and of itself would not be noteworthy. When she is extremely upset, however, her cries sound terrifyingly like Dick Cheney. Or, more specifically, like Jon Stewart imitating Dick Cheney.

Our neighbors nicknamed their daughter Tiny Dictator (TD) due to her small size and big demands. Well, we've got them beat.

We've got Lil' Cheney.

Allison's Birth Story (edited version)

Allison Claire was born at 11:42 a.m. July 15, 2008 after 32 hours of labor. She weighed 9 lb 13 0z and is tall like mommy at 22.25 inches long. She is very healthy and doing well!

As most of you know we were hoping for a natural birth, but things don't always go as you planned. We are so happy to have baby and mom healthy and doing well.

June 14th, 3:15 AM: I started having real contractions at 3:15 in the morning. I woke up and said, Oh that's what real contractions feel like! I tried to sleep after waking up, but each time I dozed off the contraction would wake me up again. So, I decided to wake up. Ian, being dazed and confused asked if we could go back to sleep until 7:00 when he normally wakes up. Since I was already almost 2 weeks past my due date, it didn't quite register that I was actually in labor. At that point, we had both resigned to the fact that I'd need to be induced (starting that Monday afternoon). So, after waking up we were both really excited my body went into labor before I had to be induced. We labored at home until around 1 PM when I had a pre-inducement appointment at the hospital. They wanted me to still come in so they could decide if I was actually in labor. Well, I had been having contractions all morning that ranged between 5-8 minutes apart and were about a minute long. We did a lot of things to distract ourselves (walked, TV, eating) just pausing as needed for the contractions.

1 PM: When we went into the hospital for the cervadil appointment the contractions became a little more intense, and I must have freaked out the registration lady because I was breathing through one while she kept asking stupid questions like our phone numbers (I was a little PO'd b/c I had preregistered, but they didn't seem to care). She kind of stopped in mid sentence and said she'd get a wheelchair for me. I think I snapped back that I did not need a wheelchair and that I was completely capable of walking. Anyway, at the appointment they hooked me up to the EFM to see my contractions and the heartrate. Since I was having decent contractions every 3-4 mins the doctor said I could go over to labor and delivery and they'd break my water. At this point I was 4 cm dialated. I did not like the idea of them trying to break my water early, so we said we'd go home and come back after things progressed more. They had me go over to labor and delivery to be discharged and I met my favorite nurse who was totally on board with the natural childbirth process. She said she'd be on until 7, but when I came back she'd try and get me with a nurse that would be good in that area too.

5 PM: We went home and labored there some more. I was sitting at the dining room table (it was way more comfy to sit than lay down for some reason) and in the middle of a contraction my water broke. It was the best (and weirdest) feeling ever. We loaded up the car, drove back to the hospital and settled in for the long haul. I got there and had the awesome nurse for an hour or so. Then, the night shift came in and the nurse I had was fine, but not as awesome and the first one. Ian called her Nurse Barbie.

7 PM: I got checked at and unfortunately was still 4 c.m. (same as at 1 PM).

10 PM: I got checked again and was still only 4 c.m. Since it had been 9 hours at 4 cm. and 5 hours since my water broke the doctor basically said I need to get on pitocin to progress my labor. He told me the why and I agreed. I thought that laboring with pitocin would be better than continuing not to progress and running out of time since my water had already broken. I got on pitocin around 10:00/10:30. I could very quickly tell the difference in the types of contractions between natural and pitocin induced. Regular contractions have this nice wave, and peak with a break in between. It was so much easier to manage those because of the gradual increase and dropoff. With pitocin I could feel it starting b/c it took my breath away, then it was like running into a brick wall immediately very painful, it would stay very painful then drop away. Another contraction would quickly start up again without much of a break inbetween. I can definitely say our bodies know how to do it much better than the drugs do!! Most of the time I was on pitocin I don't remember, so this is what Ian tells me:

From 10:30 until midnight the contractions seemed painful but bearable. From midnight until about 2 a.m. the contractions seemed horrible, but far enough apart where she could recover inbetween. Going to the bathroom was an ordeal b/c she was hooked up the the IV and machines, but once we got there it really helped her be able to manage the contractions. I wanted her to stay sitting on the toilet b/c she was doing so much better there, but it was too cold and she really wanted to go back to the bed. 2 a.m. to 5 a.m. it was unbearable. She was in and out of conciousness and one contraction started immediately after the last one and she kept begging me to make it stop. There wasn't much I could do because any touch or sound was too much. The doctor wasn' t there overnight, and so at 4:30 we got the nurse to check Caitlin so we could get some frame of reference. At this point she was 6 cm.

June 15th, 5 AM: I gained some lucidity and told Ian I couldn't do it anymore without some relief, and that I needed the epidural. The anesthesiologist came in around 5:30 and gave me the epi without any problems. I was scared, but so desperate that I didn't mind it. It actually wasn't that bad getting the epidural and after 15 minutes or so I felt so much better. As soon as I felt that relief I feel asleep for an hour. After an hour the epi stopped working b/c the line was blocked and I started feeling the pit contractions again. I started panicking because I just didn't think I could deal with those contractions again and I kept buzzing the nurse until the realized I wasn't kidding that the epi wasn't working. A different anethisologist came in and flushed the line and fixed it. I rested for about another hour.

7 AM: My favorite nurse came back, and a different doctor was on call! They both came in and the nurse helped make me comfortable and the different doctor checked me. I was 7 cm dilated, yay! He said the pitocin dose wasn't correct anymore since I had an epidural, so they turned it up and after about 2 hours I was complete. I knew when I was because I started to feel a ton of pressure with each contraction. They had me labor down for a while since she was still up so high.

9:15 AM: They had me start pushing. I starting running a fever at this point, which I guess happens if your water breaks early and you're in labor a long time. Pushing was weird because at first I didn't feel like I was doing anything. They turned the epi off when I started pushing. Eventually, I could feel more of what I was doing. It was hard work, but it felt good to push. I pushed her far enough down that I could see the top of her head in a mirror that they held up for me, but at that point my pushes weren't getting her any further down. My awesome nurse decided I needed someone really motivating in the room, so she went and got the nurse that she called The Pushinator. When this nurse came in, she really got things going fast. We tried a bunch of different positions, and the one that worked the best was a modified squat with Ian holding my arms at the end of the bed and pulling me up. I got her further down but it wasn't moving along fast enough and I had literally run out of steam after two hours (!!) of pushing.

11:30 AM: The doctor said he was going to have to give a little help getting her out, and he started suctioning her head. After just two contractions of pushing with the suction, her head was out. After one more contraction, her whole body was out!

They immediately cut her cord and the NICU doctors started working furiously on her to clean her off. She didn't appear to be in any distress, so they didn't have to take her off to the NICU. I watched her little feet kicking from across the room while they were cleaning her off. I was so happy I was crying...I kept asking Ian what she looked like, and he said that she was perfect. After what seemed like an eternity (but was more like 5 minutes) Ian brought her over to me. I held her; she was very lucid and staring at me. She was awake and lucid, and we just snuggled skin-to-skin until she went to the nursery.

Even though we ended up with a medicated labor, we feel like we did everything we could and we were really involved in our birth as opposed to just being bystanders. She was very lucid when she was born, in the quiet alert state and very healthy. Going through seven unmedicated hours of pitocin contractions before getting an epidural was one of the hardest experiences of my life, but we feel that doing everything we could to reduce the amount of drugs in our system made for a healthier birth and a healthy baby.

Going through the experience of birth together with Ian was an amazing, surreal experience and the end result is just perfect. We're now just enjoying life as a family and Allison can't wait to meet all of you!

Caitlin, Ian, and Allison

Dear Baby (I'm not going to call you Allison yet.. until you're actually born, especially since this last week I've been toying with flipping your middle name for your first name... yes Daddy thinks I'm crazy) ,

Tomorrow is your due date! The day I've been repeating over and over for the last 9 months. It could quite possibly be anti-climatic, unless you really are like your dad and you show up precisely on time tomorrow on your due date. If you're like your mom you won't be here for another week. I sure can't wait for you to join our world. My heart aches just thinking about meeting you and holding you. You can stay inside as long as you need to, but baby we miss you and we haven't even met you yet! Daddy talks about how he's going to teach you to read and fence and hopefully pass to you a sense of humor (ask Uncle James about this... apparently Mommy doesn't have one). I told Daddy that I just want to enjoy your baby stage, then we can talk about all that grown up stuff like reading and cracking jokes.

Patiently waiting, love,

Mommy

Come out, come out, wherever you are...

Dear Allison,

Hi. We would very much like it if you would come out now. Your room is ready. Our bags are packed for the hospital. We've pretty much run out of things we can do to prepare. Your mom's been carrying you around for nine months now and I think she's ready to have her whole body back. Anything you can do to speed things up in there would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

P.S. We have presents for you if you hurry.

I'm done with training

...and I am tired.

Shower, Pupcakes, and Floors oh my!

We recently had new floors put in our house. Here they are modeled by those furry friends who enjoy them the most!
Two weeks ago my Tracey and Jenni threw me a fabulous baby shower! It was complete with good food, good friends, PUPCAKES and and of course you can't forget the diaper cake !

UVA Gals

They had a puppy theme for the shower! I think Allison is going to be an animal lover too.
With Mom and Jenni (the famous pupcakes baker)


A different kind of cake!

Thanks Jenni and Tracey, it was a great shower!

In similar news... 8 months pregnant apparently means every random stranger you meet asks if you're about to deliver ANY DAY now?? At least 3-4 times a day I get a random person telling me the baby looks like she's about to drop out that instant. Really though, it should be about 5 more weeks give or take :) Ian's being artsy w/ the camera here.

A difference in styles

Hers:

Mine:

7.5 months

Goodbye Corporate Overlords...Hello Corporate Overlords

I've decided to leave Lockheed Martin after nearly 10 years of employment there. I started in the summer of '99 as an intern during college, and I've pretty much worked for them ever since.
I love the group that I've worked in for the past two years, but the business development chain in our larger operating unit is completely broken--there's no new business coming in and no one doing anything about it. There are (many) other contributing factors as well, but that's the biggie. My last day with Lockheed is May 16th.

May 19th will be my first day at the Appian Corporation. It's a software/BPM company with around 200 employees. My official job title will be "Technical Account Manager"; I'm basically going to be doing what I'm doing now--managing teams of software developers and consultants. My client portfolio won't be determined until I start, although there's a good chance it'll involve working with the Army at Ft. Belvoir.

I'm pretty excited. I interviewed with most of the owners of the company, and they know their stuff. The benefits are better than I have now, too...including a week of paternity leave, which will come in handy in July!

Part of the Pack

Our friends Jenni and Scott got a new dog last weekend, a 2 yr old lab mix, and he's only 30 lbs, the perfect size. Welcome Cash - Annabelle is excited to have another friend who will wrestle with her!

Crazy Nesting Instinct

Tonight, as Caitlin was browsing random stuff for the house online, I asked her to name 20 house improvement projects she wanted us to do.

She was able to rattle off 14 without taking a breath. The remaining six took her a few more moments. Pregnancy is crazy.

(Oh, and #20 on the list was to make a detailed list of more house improvement projects.)

Random Tuesday Vacation

I'm sitting at home now with my french press coffee and my dog laying at my feet. Enjoying the peace and quiet and glad I'm not sitting on 95 this morning. Ian and I are taking the day to get things done (pick out our favorite daycare, visit the pediatrician, going to my 31 week appt and let in the contractors who are finishing our floors!). You know how relieved I'll be when I can cross these things off my list! Speaking of lists... no one ever mentioned pregnancy turns you into a list maniac. I even have a list of lists..... but I digress. We also have Bradley class tonight (to learn more about Bradley go here: http://www.bradleybirth.com/), which is always a welcome break to the week. Just thinking about the birth and our sweet baby for two hours each week always makes me take a step back and relax.

I've been doing a lot of baby/parenting related reading lately. For all you moms to be out there who also have a canine baby, check out this book (well not from the library, I already have that copy) I am finding this book very helpful! http://www.livingwithkidsanddogs.com/

Enjoy the day, I'm off to work on my lists!

Baby Jedi

I may have found the best baby T-shirt ever:

(It's available here.)

Quote of the Night

Tom, Cyndi, Caitlin and I went to the Nationals-Mets game last night in the new ballpark. The seats were even better than in the old park. Before the game there was a buffet--not free like the old one at RFK, but there was a certain amount of money included on each Diamond Club ticket that could be used towards food and drink at the ballpark. So as we approached the buffet:

Server: "Are you guys having the buffet?"

Then she stops and looks at Caitlin's baby belly.

Server: "Oh, YOU'RE having the buffet!"

Crabby and Large

I am in a terrible mood today, sorry to anyone that crossed paths with me after about 4:00 today. Ian was a good sport and after we went to meet yet another daycare provider, he traipsed with me to the mall. Yes, Ian at the MALL. Well in the last week I have magically grown out of all my nice cute size medium maternity clothes, as today my shirt kept riding up and exposing my belly, AND the buttons on my maternity pants popped off (I'm not joking they're safety pinned!). So, Ian ran around the Motherhood store grabbing me size larges in short sleeve shirts (did I mention how hot you get in the 3rd trimester) and I frantically tried stuff on. I now have two new pairs of pants and 4 short sleeve shirts. I don't care that the shirts are probably too casual for work. They are cotton and comfy and they fit.

Okay, now that I've complained I'll give you a cute photo to end the post with. This was from when Annabelle was just a baby puppy! This photo always makes me smile.

Well yesterday the dr said I had a "very active baby". I guess all her activity makes me a "very sleepy mommy" b/c that's all I want to do :) If you want to look at some adorable baby photos go here:
http://bludomain24.com/~little/#

This photographer is taking pics of baby Allison when she's a newborn. I can't wait to see her.

Pregnancy Induced Idiocy

Until recently I've laughed to myself when someone made a comment about "pregnancy brain". I thought there was no way I'd become that forgetful! Never say never! Today after a regular prenatal dr's appt (that was more than an hour late) I came home to get my work stuff, let the dog out and head up to work. Well apparently I let the dog out, packed my work stuff and left.... without letting the dog back in! What a terrible mother I am! Not to mention, my neighbors may have had to listen to 5 hours of barking. Sorry Annabelle. After talking to Ian I realized I do have full blown pregnancy brain. I make two separate to do lists, in addition to post it notes on everything at work so I don't forget anything. I often pack my lunch (yay for saving $$) and then promptly leave it on the kitchen counter and leave for work. Ian says, hey remember that _____ we saw last week/did last week/etc. No.. I don't remember!

So if I've been forgetful around you lately, sorry :) My brain will return one of these days.

Apparently Thomas Jefferson was of some importance

My parents visited us this weekend. Today, we went on a whirlwind day trip to Monticello (Thomas Jefferson's home) and Charlottesville.


Here's Monticello. It's amazing how differently large houses were constructed before modern amenities--most of the service rooms (kitchen, charcoal heater, etc.) were built under the main levels, to allow the servants and slaves to be out of sight. Some of the intricate dumbwaiters and pulley systems used to "effortlessly" prepare meals were quite ingenious.





They plant 8,000 tulips on the Monticello grounds each spring. Only half that number had bloomed when we visited--hard to believe, as the grounds seemed to already be covered with them!
















After Monticello, we visited Caitlin's alma mater in the afternoon--the University of Virginia. We took a tour of the Rotunda (pictured) and the Lawn, which is the central and oldest part of the campus. After that we grabbed some frozen yogurt at Arch's and briefly walked around Charlotteville's downtown district (the Mall).

A good time was had by all!

Materialistic and Hungry

I think our baby needs (yes NEEDS) this shirt.

I was making our list of things to do in Charlottesville this weekend and 75% of them revolved around food, haha. That's what happens when the preg lady is in charge! For all my UVA friends... this is the Cville food I'm daydreaming of:

Arches, Bodos, Carmellos, Java Java, La Taza, Little Johns and the wine at Oakencroft. Mmmm!

Springtime!

Two weekends ago my mom came to visit. We made the trek downtown to see the cherry blossoms. It was extremely crowded, but neat to see regardless! I think every new parent must take their babies to the Cherry Blossom festival because I have never in my life seen a higher stroller to adult ratio in one place before. Maybe next year we'll be one of those couples with a stroller taking precious photos of their child in the blossoms.

It's finally starting to feel a bit like spring, and look like spring, and my pansies I planted last fall are going nuts! That's one thing I love about having a house, you can plant stuff! I'm looking forward to this summer when the shastas, roses and other perrinneals I planted last fall bloom.

The IL's are coming this weekend and we're going to Charlottesville! Wahoo :) After this weekend, and Passover weekend in NY we'll be done traveling, and stay put until baby S arrives. Exciting huh?

Rainy Days, Fun Packages

Allison, your great-grandma loves you! I came home in the rain today and there was a package of beautiful hand knits just for you. Here are some photos of a few of the things.





For those cold days!

Your first doll

3 to Go

Well, exactly three months from today is Allison's due date. Sometimes it seems so far away, like when I get in the elevator at the office after walking up three (yes only three) stairs and am completely out of breath. Other times it seems like 3 months is so soon! My mind races with the million and one things I want to do before our baby girl joins this world including finding her the perfect childcare, getting the house perfectly clean and ready and having read and thought about every childbirth, parenting, infant book I can get my hands on. Not to mention trying to figure out how we want to raise her (will I tell her Santa isn't real? will I only let her eat organic foods? how to you get your child to love learning? ).

I find it quite humorous when people ask me my due date and realize it's still 3 months away and just say "oh wow!". I interpret that as "you are huge, it looks like you're ready now!" That's okay though, I love my huge kicking belly. She has a good side kick already.

Nursery

The furniture for the nursery was delivered on Friday night:

Home Is Where My Dog Is

Annabelle is growing up. In February she had her 2nd birthday. It wasn't quite the event her first birthday was, with cake and friends, but she quietly slipped into her 2nd year. Her nose has gradually started turning brown, instead of the jet black puppy nose she used to have. She's also beginning to get a little of the "gray face" adult goldens often get. I do miss the puppy days, but I wouldn't trade these adult dog days for anything right now! I love how in the middle of the night if she hears something outside she growls at the window then promptly jumps up and lays across me. I love how she is always lounging on the couch and yawns at me when we get home. And I love that somehow no matter how long it's been since it rained she always manages to find a puddle in the dog park. As an adult dog she even peacefully will sit near the cats. Here's a "family" photo.

In baby news - Ian and I worked on the nursery this weekend. Our furniture is being delivered Friday. We added more bars, and storage to the closet:We hung up curtains (I still need to hem these) and put together the table that will sit next to the glider.


Today is 26 weeks, and here is the belly!