Weekends at Home

Pita bread and yogurt. Breakfast of champions?

2012-02-08T21:33:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I've posted photos of Judah. Things have been pretty busy around here, but, then again, when are they not? I definitely thought being a sahm would have a lot more down time. It feels like there is pretty much always something going on, and there are definitely always ten thousand things I need to do.

Anyway, Judah and I were down in Oregon last week visiting family. Bill couldn't come because he had to work. I had a consultation for an upcoming tattoo (my first! very exciting). It sure was handy having family around to babysit Judah. Thanks to them, I am now caught up on season two of Downton Abbey annnnd I was able to go shopping and out to lunch. Niiiiice.

Now we are back home and trying to catch up on all the house work. Laundry, and vacuuming, and bathrooms, oh my.

We watched the superbowl at a friend's house and I made hummus (my first attempt at homemade hummus, it was good, but there is definitely room for improvement). We had leftover pita bread from that and Judah is in love. Not really in love with the greek yogurt, though. That just made for good smearing.

this one makes me giggle

Kirk + Julia

2012-01-30T00:53:00.000-08:00

During the summer of 2010 I went to Wisconsin for the wedding of my friends, Kirk and Julia.

And just a few days ago I got Lightroom.

The two events came together to bring you this post.

I am trying to work on my editing skills. So, expect more posts like this where I go back and edit events that are loooong since past.

The full set is on Flickr. I just got an account today, so I'm not really familiar with how to best use Flickr. If anyone has advice on getting the most out of Flickr, please leave it in the comments. Thanks!

Swimming!

2012-01-28T21:43:00.000-08:00

We took Judah swimming at a local pool today. The only other time he was in a pool was this summer at our friend's house. That was a very short swimming experience as it was an unheated outdoor pool. We pretty much just dunked him twice and called it good since it was so chilly out.

This time around we were able to play for a quite a while. He pretty much loved it, which didn't surprise us because that kid is ca-ca-ca-crazzzzy about bath time.

We brought our underwater camera (of course we did). So, here are way too many pictures of Judah at the pool.

Our camera is the Canon Powershot D10 (in case you were wondering). It is our second underwater camera. The first one we had was a Fuji and it was a p.o.s. It took on water and died while in Hawaii. My DSLR camera is a canon so we went that route for underwater/point&shoot.

I edited these photos using Lightroom, which my friend recently recommended to me. I think I might be in love. Lightroom is great. I'm currently using Adobe's free trial, but will definitely be making it my own once the trial runs out.

Check me out

2012-01-28T19:36:00.000-08:00

Over at the boo and the boy today... Judah's nursery is being featured.

When planning Judah's nursery, I was constantly finding inspiring images on the boo and the boy.

So. Many. Great. Kid. Rooms.

I'm honored that I can join the ranks. So, get over there and show some love.

Yum, broccoli!

2012-01-25T20:49:00.000-08:00

Judah had broccoli for lunch today.

And loved it.

Even if most of the time he had the wrong end in his mouth.

Gotta love Baby Led Weaning!

Monkeyshines 2012: the year of the dragon

2012-01-23T10:53:00.001-08:00

It's Chinese New Year and in Tacoma that means magic is in the air... It's Monkeyshines time!

Not sure what I'm talking about? Here is Exit 133's article on them and here is my post on them from last year.

Judah enjoying his rabbit orb from last year and new dragon medallion

Last year, Bill found an orb during an early morning walk with the dogs. He found it outside the conservatory at Wright Park around 5:30 am. While he was doing that I was at home feeling sick and pregnant. Blech, no early morning searching for me last year.

The 2011 rabbit monkeyshines orb

This year, Bill was not inclined to get up early to walk the dogs. So, it was up to me. When Judah woke up I checked online and saw on Exit 133 that people had found some monkeyshines. I then quickly got dressed, changed Judah, and we were off. But, dammmn, it was icy! There was tons of black ice on the streets and sidewalks, so our progress was pretty slow going.

We first checked people's park and the planters around there on MLK. No luck (saw afterwards that some people reported finding marbles at peoples's , but there were out much earlier than us). We then (carefully) made our way over to Wright Park. We saw quite a few other hunters. I had been checking the landmarks in the park, but figured all the other hunters were probably doing the same. So we went off path and, wouldn't you know, we found a medallion sparklingly in the base of a tree trunk! Yay!

You can kind of see the swirls of color...

See the dragon?

That is now two years in a row that we have lucked out in Wright Park.

Judah really likes how the medallion tastes.

I am super glad we found a medallion, but, yowza, the photos I've seen so far of the orbs are crazy awesome. The artists outdid themselves.

Here is one that was posted on Exit 133

And one posted on the Exit 133's facebook page:

I'm posting this from my iPod while Judah naps in my arms. ~~Once he is awake I'll update and add better photos...~~ And now updated!

ipod photo

ipod photo of the medallion glowing when held in front of a light

7 Months

2012-01-22T20:56:00.000-08:00

Judah hit the 7 month mark on Saturday. It seems like he just turned 6 months the other day. This month sure has flown by what with the holidays and what not.

Some things going on at 7 months:

-Judah's bedtime is now at 6:30 (used to be 5:30).

-I have been using baby sign language more consistently this month. I have been signing for milk, book, more, & all done.

-Still no teeth (I'm fine with that).

-Still not crawling (again, I'm just fine with that. I'm not pumped to baby proof this old house). He gets up on his hands, then his knees, and thennnnn he moves backwards. He has all the right movements, but is kinda doing them in reverse. It is pretty funny to us and pretty frustrating to him.

-Judah eats dinner with us each night. This last week he has been loving it and eating anything we put on his tray. The week before he wasn't really interested, but would play with it a bit. With Baby Led Weaning you just let them eat what they want. The point is more that he is enjoying it than getting nutrition (BFing takes care of all his nutritional needs).

-He goes to pee (and sometimes even poo!) in his pot a couple times each day. He always goes after he takes his naps, but the rest of the day is kind of hit or miss.

-He is at the point where he can play with his toys on the floor for a few minutes on his own. It is very handy so I can do little jobs around the house (or at least start them).

-He enjoys helping me vacuum. We will usually do it near the end of the day when he is having a tough time. It will usually relax him and he will quiet down for a bit.

-Judah naps twice a day. The morning nap is about 2 hours after he wakes up and then his afternoon nap is two hours after he gets up from his first nap. We usually just nap in my bed (so that I can nap too). I'm still hopeful that he will take his naps in his crib someday.

-He has been waking up a lot at night lately. Last night his longest chunk was only 2 hours. Totally lame. So very lame. I just got The No Cry Sleep Solution... but I haven't been able to read it because it is a paper back and my normal reading time is when he naps, but the page turning wakes the little beast up! I really wish they had it for the kindle. I guess I need to sacrifice some of my precious internet time to read it. Lame (but so totally worth it if their strategies help him sleep better).

Ralph had to make sure the picture session was up to snuff.

I just can't believe how much he has changed in such a short time. Annnnd now I need to go upstairs, because he just woke up. Sigh.

A big day in the life of Judah

2012-01-15T21:57:00.000-08:00

Today was a big day for Judah. He had a some new experiences. One he really liked and one he really didn't.

He really liked eating buckwheat crepes.

Ralph has learned that being around a baby is the coolest. He is all about laying right next to Judah and hoping that he just might get some food.

Judah was thoroughly impressed with his meal of buckwheat crepes.

Today was the first time he wore that onesie. Sadly, it will also probably be his last. It is 12 month size, but is totally tight on him. The sleeves are too short as well, as evidenced by the sighting of chubby little wrist rolls. It is so annoying how all the different brands size things differently. I know that is how it is with all clothes and I am fine with that when it comes to clothes for me, because I can try stuff on. But there is no way I'm going to make Judah try stuff on ahead of times. Getting him dressed is not the most awesome part of my day. I have no desire to multiply that process.

Judah's second big new experience of the day was *playing* in the snow. He was not a fan. I think that was more about the fact that it was dangerously close to his afternoon nap-time and less about the actual snow. Weather allowing, we will try again tomorrow (maybe right after a nap, instead of right before).

There was only one part he enjoyed. Bouncing up and down on Bill's shoulders. He pretty much always enjoys that.

It was bright out today

2012-01-12T21:04:00.001-08:00

Judah's first Christmas

2012-01-05T21:42:00.000-08:00

Judah's first Christmas...

In photos.

Because I am too lazy to write it in words.

And I figure it is pretty self explanatory, what with it being Christmas and all.

Gert photo bomb!

Except for the last photo, these are all from Bill's family's Christmas. I forgot my camera at their house when we went over to my parents house, so my brother was in charge of taking photos and who knows when anyone will see those.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-05T21:20:00.000-08:00

I know most people like to post about the New Year on the 1st, but I like to mix things up.

I call this one 'Broken Wrist New Year's Baby'

Because we are the worst parents ever, we made Judah ring in the new year. It will probably be quite a few years before Judah sees the ball drop again. Of course, we also thought he wouldn't see it this year. So we shall just have to wait and see if our NYE parenting skills improve... or not.

What you see here are bad parents and a tired baby ringing in 2012

Here are my resolutions for 2012:

-Clean the house more often
-Cook meals which are more family friendly... and by that I mean Judah friendly. So, no added sugar or salt. Veggies and meat prepared in pieces that Judah can easily grasp and shove into his mouth.
-Be more mindful of my consumerism (not just because we are living off of one salary, but because we have just way too much stuff)

Here are Judah's resolutions for 2012:

-Walk
-Learn and use baby sign language
-Talk
-Routinely sleep through the night (this might just be wishful thinking on my part)
-Nap in crib (not in mom's lap)
-Go to bed when it is bedtime

Today I (kind of) got shit done

2012-01-05T20:59:00.000-08:00

Today was one of those days where I felt like I kind of maybe am getting a handle on this whole sahm thing. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that Judah can sit on his own and play with his toys for 2.5 minutes.

Today we went for a walk (and missed the down pour- what luck!), made the bed in the guest room, did laundry (the other stuff that always need to be done like blankets and spare towels and whatnot), cleared off the kitchen table, went through the mail (it tends to build up around here), went through & hung up my earrings, and took care of poor Gert (who is recuperating from her knee surgery).

However, in all honesty, none of these tasks were completed 100% (well, except for the walk). There are little piles of unfinished projects in pretty much every room of the house. Oh well, maybe tomorrow I can actually finish some of those tasks.

Btw, guess who is awake right this very second???

Yup, it's Judah. He has recently started boycotting his bedtime. We get all ready for bed, following the routine we have had since he was like a month old, but now instead of falling asleep after nursing... he wakes up! And stays up. For hours. Not sure if this is because we fucked with his schedule over the holidays or it is just one of those phases that babies go through.

Now, I will really feel accomplished if I can get out a couple more blog posts!

Half a year of crazzzzziness

2012-01-03T22:33:00.000-08:00

Judah is now 6 months old. Which is crazy business, if you ask me.

He his the 6 month mark on the 21st which was the same day we headed south for the holidays.

6 months is a pretty cute age.

He has started to really get into playing with toys. He loves to sit. Pretty much every toy goes into his mouth. And quite a few things that are not toys. He is also into pulling my hair and taking off my glasses (and shoving them into his mouth).

He is not crawling, but he does 'tread water,' which is what we call it when he lays on his belly and kicks his feat and flaps his arms. Definitely some pre crawling movements, but he still has quite a ways to go (I think). After all, he has a lot of girth to support; he needs to build up those muscles.

Judah has started eating food, but it is happening pretty sporadically. Sometimes he feels like trying things and other times he could care less.

Still no teeth, but I swear they are going to show up any day. You can see which teeth are going to make their appearance first, there is a like a ridge/bump thing in two spots for his lower teeth.

His hair has really gotten a lot thicker this last month. He still has a bit of a bald spot in the back of his head from where his head rest on his mattress. His hair in back is starting to get a bit coarser, but the top and front is still baby soft. Not sure when the curls are going to show up. I think, just maybe, I am seeing a wee bit of wave near his ears. He still has cradle cap, but thankfully his hair is thick enough that you can't see it (unless you are specifically looking for it... Or if he doesn't have a bath for a few days).

He goes to the doctor tomorrow for his 6 month check up and shots. My guess is that he weighs about 24 lbs or so. He is wearing mostly 12 month clothes at this point.

Hard to believe he is now closer to a year than a newborn. Wacky.

Thursday

2011-12-29T21:29:00.000-08:00

Uhh, here are some pictures from today...

These are all sooc... but I was messing with the white balance (which is why the first set is nice and warm). I also used the b&w setting on the camera which creates a muuuuch nicer black and white than post production manipulation- at least on the crappy photo editing program I have. *Sigh* my free photoshop trial has expired. That was fun while it lasted.

Chew toy

2011-12-28T17:41:00.000-08:00

I have posts to create about Christmas and Judah turning 6 months old. But those seem like just too much effort at the moment. Instead, enjoy Judah chewing on one of his toys.

That is all.

Double trouble

2011-12-19T23:28:00.000-08:00

My almost 4 year old niece is staying with us for a few days.

There she is, hanging an ornament she made on our tiny plastic tree

And, mannnnn, two kids create far more than double the exhaustion level of just one. I'd say quadruple. At least. And here I've been bitching about my lack of 'me' time lately. Today was just a wee taste of the amount of 'me' time I'll have once there are two kiddos permanently running around our house (I'm not implying that it will be happening any time soon, mind you). The thought is that we will eventually have 3 kids, so I'm guessing I'll get about an hour of 'me' time... per year.

In non-exhaustion related news, Judah tried bread today.

We learned from our mistake yesterday. No more plates for this guy.

Hope you are prepared to be inundated by daily photos of Judah eating food. It is just so novel that I can't help but take pictures of him eating. Like. A. Real. Person.

Avocado: The food of champions

2011-12-18T21:04:00.000-08:00

It is also the first food of Judah. Bill has been just dying for Judah to start eating. For the last two months or so he has been continually asking me if "Judah can eat the scone? Orange? Ice cream? Cookie? Pasta?" And I kept saying, "No." And then he would get all sad. But, alas, I had to cave sometime. We were planning on waiting until he hit 6 months (Wednesday), but we will be pretty busy that day so today was the day.

Ralph figured out that there was food that just might make it into his mouth. Gert figured out that shiz from the start.

We are doing baby led weaning. I first heard about it from the omnipotent Modg. I decided to look into it more so I downloaded the book for the kindle (but, have yet to read all of it). So much of the book is dedicated to trying to convince you to do it, and we had already decided this was what we wanted to do... I just need to read the how-to chapters. Baby led weaning is a way of babies feeding themselves. No mush, no purees, no hear-comes-the-airplane shenanigans. Judah will eat what we eat (within reason). He decides how much or how little to eat. He gets to play with it (which is how he learns). He gets all his real nutrition from BFing, the food it just for fun.

He loves sticking everything into his mouth and I'm pretty sure that avocado was a vast improvement over wooden or plastic toys (or paper, or hair, or noses, or knuckles, or dog fur). It was pretty entertaining for us too.

Sadly, the adventure ended with this:

He loves throwing things on the floor, so it should have come as no surprise that he would also love throwing (more of a push actually) a ceramic plate on the floor. Looks like it is time to invest in some plastic plates for the boy-o.

Hipster Baby, Take 2

2011-12-16T13:27:00.000-08:00

Today we went for more of the handlebar variety.

Sam Elliot would be proud.

Of course, it can also be worn 19th century evil villain style.

Hipster Baby

2011-12-15T14:11:00.000-08:00

I need to work on my mustache execution. This 'stache kind of looks like two sperm about to collide.

2 out of 3 things are better

2011-12-14T19:50:00.000-08:00

Better 1. Judah

His nose is definitely running less today. However, he is more boogery. Whatever. He sounds less congested overall. One of my girlfriends suggested that maybe he doesn't even a cold, but that the slime nose is a teething symptom. Maybe. Hell, if I know.
.
.
.
I started writing this post while Bill was giving Judah his bath and getting him ready for bed. Now, I'm back after unsuccessfully trying to get Judah to go to sleep for the last hour and a half. He is super sleepy, and will sleep when I'm holding him, but put him flat on his back in the crib and he instantly gets all congested sounding and wakes himself up. Sigh. I know a certain little boy who just might be sleeping in bed with me tonight (that way his head can be propped up on my arm and his sinuses can drain).

Notice the nose slime.

Oh well, he is still *somewhat* better than yesterday.

2. The boiler

The dude came back today and got everything squared away. Our radiators are now producing heat. All of them (a first!) and the house is slowly creeping back up to my ideal house temp (67 degrees). Yay, heat! It works for now (which is very important and I am verrrry thankful for) but I'm sure within the next 5 years or so we will need to install a new boiler that is better suited for our needs (and comes from a company that makes reliable products).

Not better 1. Gert

We heard back from the vet today. She is going to need surgery. And, get this, not just in one knee, but TWO! Both of her back knees have the messed up ligaments. Can't believe she already needs knee surgery, she is one a year and a half old. We don't have the surgery scheduled yet, my guess is it will probably happen after Christmas. That way she can take it easy at home and not have to deal with traveling right after getting cut open.

3 broken things

2011-12-13T22:06:00.000-08:00

There are three broken things in our house right now.

1. Judah

J's Auntie is visiting for a few days to spend time with the cuddly little snot machine

He is coming down with a cold (I think). His nose just started running today. Poor little guy has been leaking clear slime out the nose for most of the day. His breathing sounds really wet because of it and so far he has had a hard time sleeping (I think his little snores are waking him up). This is the first time Judah has ever gotten sick... At least, I think this qualifies as being sick. Those are his only symptoms though, so I'm not sure if this counts. Hopefully, he will wake up tomorrow feeling better.

2. Gert

Gert has a bum knee. She has been keeping her weight off her back leg since Thanksgiving time. We have been making her take it easy and limiting her walks and refusing to play with her (to which she fiercely objects). We assumed she had strained a muscle or something from playing (non-stop) with all of her Oregon doggy friends... But, she just hasn't gotten better. I took her into the vet yesterday to see what was what. The vet could feel her knee cap pop out of place, which can sometimes happen with little dogs. The bone that her knee cap is suppose to fit into might not be grooved deeply enough to keep the knee cap snug and in place. The vet also feared that she had injured the ligament between her upper and lower leg bones (right under the knee), so today she had to go back to the vet for X-rays. She was such a good little girl that they did not need to put her under to get the x-rays. She let them move her and manipulate her legs and hips into place while being awake. The X-rays have now been sent off to the surgeon, but it looks like that ligament is effed up, which means she will need to get knee surgery.

3. The boiler

We finally broke down and called a plumber/heat guy to come take a look at our heating system. The guy was at our place from 8am-6pm dealing with our boiler. Whenever he would get one thing fixed, it became apparent that there was an additional problem with another part. He has to come back tomorrow to keep working at it, but hopefully the end is in sight (at least with the boiler part, it turns out our thermostat is not communicating with the boiler which is yet another problem).

The boiler was put in by some of the previous owners. And, well, they didn't do the best job or put in the highest quality appliance (to put it mildly). The first year we lived here we had the radiators serviced and found out the engine to the boiler was installed UPSIDE DOWN. Oi. Looks like the boiler is not very good and there have been loooots of complaints about this particular model. Part of me wonders if getting it fixed is just throwing good money after bad. Is it just going to keep breaking down bit by bit? New boilers are expensive, but at least that would (hopefully) be a one time shot instead of constantly battling what appears to be quite a lemon of a boiler. Sigh.

I do love owning a house, but it sure was a hell of a lot easier when we were renters and the landlords had to take care of all that shit and they had to do it ASAP.

Pajama Party!

2011-12-11T21:48:00.000-08:00

Lately, everyday is a pajama party for Judah. Since our heating is on the fritz, J is sporting his soft and cozy fleece jammies nonstop. Sometimes there are even hidden layers for extra warmth.

We are having a heating/plumbing dude that we found on Angie's List come out on Tuesday and take a look at our system. Here's hoping they are able to identify the problem and remedy is asap. Bill described what is going on over the phone and the peeps said it could be any number of things, they won't know until them come take a look.

Lucky for me, I happen to think Judah looks extra cute and cuddly in his pajamas. So soft and snuggly.

Brrr

2011-12-07T22:26:00.000-08:00

Baby, it's cold ~~outside~~ inside.

Our heating system is a bit sub-par. It does great as long as the outside temperature is 50 and higher (which is most of the year), but once it drops to the 40s and lower it gets collllld in our house.

The priority is keeping Judah's room warm. So far, so good on that front. Although, I loath to think what is going to happen when is gets really cold out there (like 20 and teens).

Therefore, J and I spend a lot of time in his room during the day. When we venture downstairs it is with lots of layers on... and if we are settling in one spot then the heat dish is getting plugged in an blasting at us on high.

I fear that it is going to be spendy endeavor to overhaul our system to get it working efficiently. We have radiators and I'm think it will take a lot of plumbing work to get the steam a flowing. Right now our system can not maintain enough pressure in the pipes to get heat to all the radiators. We have to pick and choose which to use. We have been planning on having the exterior of the house painted next spring/summer, but maybe we should get the heat taken care of instead... but it is so hard to make that decision in summer when it is warm out and we are not feeling the effects of a poor heating system.

Annnnnd Judah just woke up, so off I go.

Eff this noise

2011-12-05T23:09:00.000-08:00

So you might remember that I was totally on top of holiday cards this year, right?

Well, that turned out to be a bust.

After the initial photo shoot, we decided to go with this as our Holiday Card 2011:

Awww, he's adorable. I know.

We ordered 125 of these bad boys from winkflash.

A week or so goes by and they arrive in the mail. Yay! So exciting! I'm very pumped with my with-it-ness in the card department.

And, then I opened them. And, they suck. The printing was waaaaay too dark and the colors are off. Sad panda. Thanks to their return policy I decide to just scrap card number one and get a refund (still need to do that btw, my 30 day return window is rapidly coming to an end).

Not to be discouraged, I decide to have a second photo shoot with the little dude and see if we can't get an image that I like better (that is also lighter and {hopefully} won't have the same printing issues).

Round dos of photos goes well. We pick a cute smiley pict of the little bugger and make it into our Holiday Card 2011 version 2.0

Yet again, we order from winkflash.

And wait. It is right around Thanksgiving at this point, so I figure the photos are just slow to arrive because of holiday and what not.

So I wait some more.

Then I finally think to check the order tracking and it says...

Are you ready for this?

THEY HAVE ALREADY BEEN DELIVERED. BEFORE THANKSGIVING.

Lies, I tell you.

I email winkflash and let them know that although the tracking says the cards were delivered I received no such package.

Their response was for me to bring it up with USPS. Oi.

Winkflash isn't going to do jack about it. Awesome.

I now have to repurchase the photos to get them sent asap so that I can get them out at least a few days before Christmas. And there went my whole being-on-top-of-at-least-one-thing this holiday season.

My guess is that:

A. The package was delivered to the wrong house (I'm seriously shocked how often I get other people's mail, especially for our corresponding address one block down).
-or-
B. Someone stole the package off our porch. Why the hell someone would want a package that was obviously photos is beyond me. Hope you are enjoying your 125 copies of Judah looking festive mystery criminal!

Either way? Lame.

Here's hoping the 3rd times the charm & the photos arrive promptly and look crisp.

Oh, whaddya know? Another post of a baby and a dog.

2011-12-04T15:44:00.000-08:00

I started off taking some photos of Bill holding Judah.

But, then along came Ralph.

True love

2011-12-03T14:12:00.000-08:00

I used to think Ralph merely tolerated Gert.

I now know that I was wrong. Clearly what we have here is a case of true love.

I'm too exhausted to think of a title

2011-12-02T22:55:00.000-08:00

I'm tired. Like beyond tired. Being a mom is hard bizness, some days it is harder than others. Last night was one of those days. Wait, what?

Judah woke up 2 hours after being put to bed and was up for for pretty much 4 straight hours last night. Just up. Wiiiide awake and wanting to hang out. Would squall if left alone, but perfectly content to just hang and gab and grab stuff. I was not down with that shit. But I had no choice. He wins. He always does. He finally went to sleep. Or so I thought. 45 minutes later he was up again. That time didn't last as long. Buuuuut, then at 5 he was up for another hour. And pretty much just stayed up. He hung out with Bill while Bill got ready for work, so I got a whopping 30 minutes or so more of sleep. I was in tears by the time Bill had to leave for work, because I was so effing tired and there was nothing I could do about it. There have only been a handful of times Judah has made me cry and they ALL relate to sleep deprivation. I like my sleep. Bill came home on his lunch hour so I could nap while he took care of Judah. After he went back to work J & I took his afternoon together.

I'm really excited that tomorrow is Saturday and I get to SLEEP. Bill will get up with J in the morning and I will sleep. It will be glorious. But of course I can't sleep right now because my sleep schedule is all effed from sleeping in the middle of the day. Sleep cycles, you are one nasty broad.

I don't know what I would have done if I had to go off to work this morning. I could barely function at home, I can't imagine having to go in to work all day. It would be one thing if I could have caffeine, but Judah barfs like a mofo if I have one teensy cup of french press.

Before, J came along I thought I would be able to get so much done as a ~~stay at home mom~~ house manager. I would be able to:

keep the house clean

not have a dirty dish in sight

cook dinner every night

wash and fold laundry at least once a week

run all the errands

go on nice long walks every day

finish up my Montessori credentials

finally crack out my sewing machine

join the local art co-op

work on home decor projects

do the ten thousands crafts and DIY stuff I have filed away (ahem, pinned nowadays)

oh &, you know, hang out with Judah

Boy, was I sorely mistaken. I don't know how some people do it. I am able to accomplish the hanging out with Judah part, the dinner part, and the laundry (which I was already pretty on top of, that seems to be the one chore I can routinely accomplish). The end. The rest seems to just be a pipe dream. I don't have the time or energy to do any of that other shit. When Judah finally goes to bed at night it is time to make and eat dinner. After that I have maybe an hour or two of me time. Well, it should only be an hour or two, but I often stay up way to late (like right now) because I just want to do some stuff for me, even if it just dicking around on the interwebs or watching tv or a movie with Bill.

I would really like to get a handle on the whole house thing. I clean it (but not as often as I should). It happens in spurts and stages. Right now the top priority is the upstairs bathroom. I just vacuumed upstairs a day (or two?) ago and cleaned the downstairs back a few days before that and vacuumed and mopped downstairs a bit before that. My goal was to get the whole house cleaned in increments within a week. I'm lucky if it happens in two. But, what I really want (need?) is just to go through everything and get it organized. We just have so much stuff. So much.

I want to use Morris' quote as my mantra and go through all the things. And get rid of the so many of the things. In general, I'm bad at getting rid of stuff. I feel bad throwing it out or donating it if I spent money on it (even if I don't use it) or if it was a gift (even if I think it's fug) or I never use it (because, one day I might, right?). So I keep it. I keep all the things. And that needs to stop. At the very least I need to get organized and put the things Ijustmightusepossiblysomeday away. For an old house we have quite a bit of (underutilized) storage. The entryway has a bench seat with hidden storage, there is a built in hutch in the dining room, built in cabinets the laundry room, and more built in storage in the upstairs hallway. Plus, two guest bedroom closets and the attic... and the basement... and a damp garage. The closets in the master bedroom and the nursery also could benefit from a massive overhaul. The closets are not huge, but the space could be used so much more efficiently.

If anyone wants to come over and organize all the things for me, have at it. I'll even cook you dinner and give you beer. I just won't clean up after.

Because I am super ~~lazy~~ tired, here are some inspirations decor photos... that are all just things I pinned. Check out the lack of clutter. That is what I want. Less of all the things. More of a few awesome nice things.

See what I mean? I totally need to pare down all the things.

Pups

2011-12-01T22:47:00.000-08:00

Today you only get photos. No words. No time. Too busy. My 'me time' is in serrrrrriously short supply at the moment. Even right now, Bill is upstairs singing and rocking Judah. BECAUSE HE IS AWAKE. And it is almost 11. AND HE IS AWAKE. I really should go up and take over, since Bill needs to get up for work in the morning. Sigh. I miss my precious few evening hours of me time.

Anyway, on with the pictures from this morning of Judah with his two favorite pups.

What you are going to see may shock you

2011-11-26T23:36:00.000-08:00

It's a baby playing while NOT wearing a diaper. It's crazy. I know.

And, yes, he is laying on top of a puppy piddle pad (they are Gert's left over ones).

At our last La Leche League meeting one of the other moms mentioned how she practiced EC with her daughter.

Me: Huh? What is eecey?

Her: Elimination Communication.

Me: Huh? Like when you let a baby cry it out?

Her: Elimination as in poop and pee.

Me: Hmmmm...

I was curious what the hell she was talking about, so I looked into it and downloaded The Diaper Free Baby onto my kindle.

It was a quick and easy read (okay, I didn't real alllll of it. I skipped the chapters that pertained to older babies). EC is sometimes called infant potty training, although the hard-core ECers refrain from the word training, because it is not about training it is about increasing communication with your baby. Whatever.

The idea is full on hippie shit- so you know I am down with that. The basic idea is all babies are born with the innate desire not to to soil themselves and some control of their bladder/bowels. That's why newborns ALWAYS pee as soon as you take of their diaper. However, we train them to soil themselves and go in their diapers.

Then two years later we pull the rug out from under them and tell them to reverse everything they have been taught and now to not go in their diaper. Understandably, they have a hard time with that. Why deal with that business when they are two and are on principle super a-holes? At 2 they are all about asserting themselves and the word NO. So instead of dealing with that shiz then, you just kind of work on in from the beginning (or whenever you get around to starting it).

We started about two weeks ago with Judah. We put him on his tiny pot at times when he is most likely to need to go, like after a nap or nursing. Eventually we should start picking up on his cues that he needs to go (hence the communication aspect). Sometimes he starts getting fussy and we know he is not hungry or sleepy so on the pot he goes. And it works (not always). He goes pee. It is pretty neat.

We don't do it all the time. He still wears a diaper quite a bit. We are doing EC part time (as opposed to full time or occasional). We are going through less diapers and it is really is less work to dump his pee in the toilet and swipe the pot with a disinfecting wipe than it is to go through the whole diaper change and wipe thing. Plus, it is pretty novel to watch a baby pee on command (we make a Psssst noise to cue him to go).

5 months

2011-11-25T23:18:00.000-08:00

Judah had his 5 month birthday this last Monday while down in Oregon. This is his second in a row month birthday where he was in a state other than his own. This photo session took place at my parents' house. We were down there for Thanksgiving. Judah and I went down early to spend extra time with friends and family.

He is sitting up so much better these days. He is even able to sit without both hands on the ground for short periods of time. He looooves grabbing stuff. He is constantly reaching for things. His little hands are always feeling and touching. He clasps and unclasps those pudgy little fingers all day long.

He continues to get bigger and bigger. I think his chunk-a-dunk growth is outpacing my arm muscle growth. That kid is heavy! My arms get tired after lugging him around for an extended period. He weighs about 20 and half pounds.

He giggles and laughs more and more. Bonus, I can finally make him laugh, which used to be a daddy only domain. He giggles and squeals when I hold him up and blow raspberries on his belly. He is also learning how to blow raspberries himself. Sometimes he will copy us when we do them to him. Bill can still make him laugh in about a million different ways (basically because his face is so ~~stupid~~ full of expression).

Love him!

Can't believe he is going to be half-a-freaking-year next month.

*Noticed that the photos look a little different this month? That's because I'm using the trial version of photoshop and trying to get a handle on it. Luckily, I have discovered the magic that is free online ps actions.*

Sneak Peak: Elizabeth

2011-11-14T23:25:00.000-08:00

Today we took more holiday photos.

But they weren't of Judah. He was just helping by being my test subject while I adjusted my camera settings.

He was also shoving lights in his mouth. Stupid baby. Lights don't go in mouths. Duh.

I took pictures of my friend's baby, Elizabeth. She is almost 4 months, while Judah is almost 5 months. They are on total opposite ends of the size spectrum. Judah is a giant and Elizabeth is quite dainty. It was like lifting a sack of cotton balls when I picked her up.

Here is a little sneak peak at some of her photos. These are still SOOC. I will do the edits on them later. Enjoy!

The results are in

2011-11-13T23:18:00.001-08:00

Me: "Hey, Judah."

"What?"

Me: "What do you think of your amber teething necklace? Does it work? Is it helping?"

"Gooo! Grrrabbble! Bbbbarrr! Goo!"

Me: "I'll take that as a yes."

Happy Holidays!

2011-11-09T21:25:00.000-08:00

Guess what I did today?
.
.
.
.
.
I got out our Christmas decorations! What is that you say? It's not even Thanksgiving? Bah humbug, I say to you.

Okay, I only go them out because, while it might not be the holiday season quite yet, it is time to get a move on with our holiday cards. Last year I didn't get a photo taken in time (what with all the puking) so our cards were pretty lack luster and late getting out. This year that was not going to happen. After all, I'm not puking, so no excuses (suck on that, morning-noon-&night sickness, you can't stop me this year!).

We hauled out our decorations, so we could create festive poses for Judah. And I figure there is now really no point in putting the tree away again, just to haul it back out in two weeks. So it is up. But, I'm not turning on the lights on it, dagnabbit! That can wait for two weeks.

I was thinking taking the picture would be a walk in the park. After all, I take photos of the kid on a near daily basis. Ahh, but notsomuch. Trying to get the lighting right was tricky and getting him to sit and getting him to maybe look not pissed and getting the dogs out of my face and and and. It was a pain. I think it was mostly because I was putting pressure on myself. Most days I could care less about the photos and they are breeze, but today I wanted them to be perrrrfect, so of course they weren't. Same goes for the other day when we took family photos in the park.

In the end it is all fine and dandy. I get all pissed because there are so many that didn't turn out, but that doesn't really matter since you only really need one, you know? And we have one. We have more than one, but we decided on THE ONE together (Bill and I, that is. Judah got no say in the matter).

Here are some that are not THE ONE:

Funny thing- he totally IS wearing his necklace in this picture, you just can't tell because it is hidden in his neck folds

Now I just need to finalize my edits on THE ONE and figure out how many I need to order...

Amber waves of... Necklace

2011-11-08T20:24:00.000-08:00

Judah is modelling the latest in teething fashion.

We went to Best Loved Baby today and picked up this necklace. I can't say yet if it is working its hippie magic or not. I heard about the necklaces from other moms. Here's hoping the fussing will return to pre-teething levels.

Bill and I were looking through the teething necklace photos of Judah together. We each picked our favorite shot of him sitting.

1. mine

2. bill's

The necklaces are also sold on Etsy, by Spiral Mama. There are lots of other people who make them as well, but this just happens to be whose they carry at Best Loved Baby.

While shopping, something else caught my eye.

Me thinks I just might have to pick one up next time I go there (which will be in a few weeks, I'm almost out of diaper detergent). The necklace is by Chewbeads- it's made out of silicone and designed to be chewed on by babies. The real question is what color to get. They come in a rainbow of options, but, of course, I'm trying to decide between the boring colors: black, gray, white, or ivory.

images come from the Chewbeads site

Judah Bear

2011-11-07T21:12:00.000-08:00

Today, he lived up to his nickname.

And, yes, I do realize Halloween was LAST week. However, last night our furnace went on the fritz and the warmness that was our house said, "Adios, sucka-face!" So it was coooold today. Bill was able to restart the thing and get the pressure and water temperature back up (we have radiators). But radiators are not super fast about heating the house, so the temperature has been creeping up at minuscule increments throughout the day. By tomorrow it should all be back to normal.

You also might notice his chin looks a little wet. No, that isn't photoshopped. That is real life, baby. He is teething. And it is not fun. Not even a little bit. Not at all.

He has been cranky the last couple of days.

And crying. Way more than usual.

And sleeping. Way less than usual.

Tomorrow, I am going out and buying some hippie magic.

It's an amber teething necklace- and I know some moms who swear by them. Hopefully, I soon will too.

On a note unrelated to cold houses or teething, I am drinking (by weee tiny sips) the kool-aide (which, according to wikipedia was actually flavor-aid). I am taking up running. Or at least I am trying to. I have never liked to run just to run. I did it for sports growing up, but that was it.

I'm really hoping that I will learn to like it (or, at least, tolerate it). I wanna get the rest of the baby weight (plus some) off. I've lost about half of my pregnancy poundage, but would like it all to go. Now. I have boxes of pre-pregnancy clothes up in the attic that I can't wear yet. I miss them. I want them back in my life.

Usually, when Bill or I feel the kick to start exercising we joining the Y, but on one salary that is not as feasible. We are trying to cut down on monthly expenses, not add more. Plus, it would just be tough to make happen with Judah. I know they have a child care option, but it is a couple of extra bucks each time you go, plus, he is just soo little. But running is free and he gets to go too (all adorably bundled up in the jogging stroller).

My plan is that I'm starting slow to build up endurance and strength (and to not burn-out). I'm alternating walking and jogging by blocks. Then I plan on stepping it up to jogging two, walking one, and so forth. Fingers crossed that one day I will feel that addiction that runners 'claim' they have. Although, I'm pretty sure they are all liars.

This meme has been popping up all over my FB feed and on pinterest. I don't agree. I definitely don't feel like the top image, hell, I don't even feel like the bottom image. That kid looks like she is having a ton of fun. She even has bubbles. Bubbles! Now those are fun. Running is not fun. More of a necessary evil.

At long last- It's Judah's Nursery!

2011-11-06T22:09:00.000-08:00

Before I show you what baby Judah's nursery looks like today, let's take a trip down memory lane.

Here was the room when we bought the place:

Isn't that color hideous? So we changed it to a creamy yellow.

And is was used as my 'office,' or more accurately- where I dump all my school things in giant piles and leave them. That, and it was my where I kept my clothes- since the master only has one closet. The room was a bit ridiculous, as you can see.

Then you may remember we ripped up that nasty gray carpet and found this underneath. Clearly, we had our work cut out for us.

But after lots of time (really far more than it should have taken), we now have a gray and aqua nursery:

Definitely an improvement. Of course, there is still things that need to be done (isn't there always?). I still need to touch up the molding where Bill got floor stain on it. We also are (someday) going to add quarter rounds to where the molding (does NOT) meet the floor (there is a gap from where the carpet pad was). Also, the floor in the closet still needs to be finished. And I need to paint the door to the hall. And the inner part of said door frame.

This was the first nursing chair we got. I found it on Craigslist. I would love to one day make a slip cover for it (step one: take sewing machine out of box).

And this is the second nursing chair we got. I decided I wanted a glider (the other is a rocker) and we ended up getting quite a lot of Target giftcards, so we put them all together and bought this guy (and matching ottoman). Turns out I actually like the Craigslist rocker better. I usually nurse in the rocker (the arm rests are at just the right height for the baby on the boppy). We generally use the glider as the reading chair. It is pretty handy having two chairs in the nursery. That way Bill and I can both be in there at the same time and be comfy.

There are two windows in the room- one southern exposure and one western. Therefore, the room gets a good amount of light. We have roller black out shades, but the freaking things are already broken. They only roll up on their own about half way and then we have to manually spin/wrap them the rest of the way. Once that good old sewing machine makes its way out of the box I would like to make black out roman shades. Until then we will use (and curse) the roller shades.

I realized while taking these pictures that a regular lens just doesn't cut it for shooting a room. I need a wide angle lens to be able to capture the room so that you can really get a sense of where things are in relation to one another and to get an idea of scale.

Judah was very patient with me while I took pictures of his room.

We interrupt this program...

2011-11-03T21:40:00.000-07:00

Judah and I were hanging in his room taking some photos.

Sadly, with my point and shoot, because I still can't get my SLR to work. Sigh. It looks like I am gonna have to take it in (step one: find a place to take it in to...).

I was actually taking photos of the nursery so I can (finally) show the 'after' to all those 'before' posts I was doing as we were working on the nursery last winter and spring.

But there are only so many picts I can take of the room, while there are seemingly endless picts I can take of Judah. But, then....

We were interrupted by Gert. Who decided Judah needed his his feet licked. Then his calves. Then his knees.

Judah didn't mind.

When Gert finished licking his legs she decided to sit on the blanket next to him.

Which soon turned into laying next to him. Gazing adoringly into his eyes.

Then came laying on her back next to him.

Again, Judah didn't mind. He's cool with this development.

But then she starts squirming around.

Judah is not so sure about the squirming. When all of sudden...

BLAM-O! Face punch! And that was the end of that. Not our first photo session to end in tears. Probably not our last.

P.S. I will post the nursery photos any day now. I just need to track down the photos of the room when we moved in and what not.

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Lets all pretend to be happy

2011-11-02T20:53:00.000-07:00

We went to the park this morning to get pictures with all the pretty fall leaves. It, well, didn't go exactly according to plan.

1. I wanted to go in the morning, before Judah gets all cranky because he is ready for his afternoon nap. That didn't happen. Judah and I woke up at 8 (glorious! but, btw, I guess the waking up once per night was suppose to be a secret, because the freaking day after I posted it stopped happening. Oh well, I enjoyed it while it lasted). Bill, however, did not wake up until after 11. By the time we were all ready to head down to the park it was noon. That gave us a pretty short window to get shit done.

2. I was planning on taking all these cute photos of Judah gorilla sitting in the leaves. He was having none of it. The boy did not want to sit! He wanted to stand, which fyi is not possible when you are four months old. Duh, kid. So I had to settle for some laying down photos.

Which are still cute and all, but not what I was planning on.

3. The park was pretty empty, being that it was the middle of the day on a Wednesday, but we were being photo stalked by two girls and their photographer. I was thinking they were taking senior pictures, but it was the middle of the school day, so who knows. Anywho, we would find a spot we wanted to take photos. Get all set up (we were using a tripod and a timer) and this crew would roll up on our spot and stand DIRECTLY BEHIND where we were obviously taking pictures. And then they would just stand their talking. We would then leave that location, and they would move right in and take their pictures. The first time that happened, I thought it was pretty annoying but figured they were just kinda clueless. But when they did it the second time I figured out that they were just plan a-holes. Seriously, dudes, it is a big park with LOTS of leaves. You could pick any other spot. There are about ten thousand out there WITHOUT people already taking pictures there. Oi.

So these smiles are all tinged with annoyance and frustration. At least mine are, Bill's are flavored with exhaustion and waning patience.

I really need to invest in an remote trigger for the camera. It got a bit old pressing the button and then trying to run and get into place while simultaneously fixing my hair, scarf, shirt, and pants.

4. MY CAMERA STOPPED WORKING! That is definitely the worst thing of all. My poor poor camera. It will turn on, it just won't take the picture. Hopefully I will be able to get it fixed quickly and inexpensively. So now I am without my SLR camera, I only have my point and shoot. Sad panda.

Reading is for nerds

2011-11-01T18:28:00.000-07:00

Like these two nerd bombers. What a bunch of losers.

We read to Judah at least once everyday. Bill reads to him as part of his going to bed routine and I read to him throughout the day. Goodnight Moon is always on the evening reading list. We read as many books as he can handle. Some days it is just Goodnight Moon, but usually we are able to read more.

When we first started reading to him, he wasn't that into it. We could rarely could even make it through the shortest of board books. Nowadays he is pretty into them. He looks at the pages and grabs at them. Sometimes he helps turn the page, sometimes he tries to close the book (while we are trying to keep the book open).

As a elementary age teacher, I have tons of books for when he is older, but our baby board book retinue is pretty slim. Hopefully, his board book collection will grow this holiday season. Hint, hint, family members.

Why is everyone dressing up today?

2011-10-31T16:33:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween! Here is our little panda bear. The costume used to belong to his cousin.

Me thinks she was a bit older when she was wearing it. What with the standing and all.

Lucky for us, it fit right in time for Halloween. He wore the outfit to the doctor's this morning (4 month check-up). And when we got home he promptly barfed on it. Twice.

So we made sure to get some photos of him in it and then into the hamper it went.

Gert went as an alien for Halloween. Ralph is going as Kujo (always).

Besides barfing in the costume, Judah also sneezed. It went a little something like this:

Oh, Give Me a Home

2011-10-28T22:21:00.000-07:00

Where the buffalo roam...

We actually did see buffalo.

But they weren't roaming. They were penned up at a farm.

Well, you guessed it. We were in Kansas last week.

They have some pretty big crickets and grasshoppers out there.

That's way bigger than we grow them out west!

You might be wondering why we picked the Mid West as our vacation destination. Were we drawn by the amber waves of grain? The skies that are not cloudy all day? Or maybe we are storm hunters just hoping to be lifted off to Oz? Well, if you thought any of those things you would be wrong.

The real story is that Bill's mom's family is from Kansas and we went out so they could meet Judah.

Specifically, so his Great-grandma could meet him. This lucky little dude has 2 great-grandmas. When I was born I only had two grandmas. Period. He has a whole gaggle of family to ooh and aah over him.

That's four generations right there. Crazy, no?

Even the smaller cousins were all about Judah. Piper (pictured) was completely enamored with him. She kept wanting to hold him and hug him and touch him and just watch him. The holding was pretty funny, since she had maybe 2lbs on him. Maybe.

During our vacation we mostly just hung out with family and carted Judah around to various activities.

Like a little cousin's soccer game.

And a little cousin's football game.

He got a bit sleepy with all the games so we snuggled up for the duration.

We visited the town Bill's mom grew up in (and where her mom has lived her entire life). This is their town church (which happens to be where Bill's parents got married. In December. In a blizzard.)

It was a really good looking church. It is crazy how large and nice it is being that it is in a tiny ass town in the middle of Kansas.

Judah gabbed quite a bit while we were there. I think he enjoyed the echo.

Who doesn't enjoy a blue ceiling? No one. That's who.

Judah is barely tolerating us at this point.

We also spent a couple of days in Kansas City.

Which I had no clue that it was in both Missouri and Kansas. It is partially separated by the Missouri River, but mostly by State Line Road. I was pleasantly surprised with Kansas City. It was much nicer than I was anticipating There are actually a lot of (deciduous) trees and tons of fountains. We spent one day at the zoo and another one walking around the Plaza (a shopping area).

It was a nice trip and I am now able to put faces to all the names I hear. Judah did better than expected. We were able to keep his bed time the same (6pm Pacific Time, 8pm Kansas Time), but his naps were totally haphazard if they even happened at all. He was a champ though. He did well on the flight there, but was a bit cranky on the flight back. I'm not sure if his ears were bugging him (mine were killing me and I wasn't congested or anything). It might have just been because he was tired (from the lack of naps and we had to wake his ass up early to catch out flight). Still, he was a rock-star.

Sadly, now he is awake and I have no idea why. He shouldn't be up for another 3 hours at least. Bill is up in the nursery rocking him and singing Bob Marley, but that doesn't seem to be doing the trick. So, peace out. I need to go get that kid back to sleep.

Judah at four months

2011-10-27T18:32:00.000-07:00

Our little dude turned four months on October 21st. How time flies. Soon he will be 6 months. Before you know it, he will be a year! Then two! And on and on and on.

He is just getting so big- as you can see from the excess of rolls on his arms. It makes him look like he has a few extra joints in there. He doesn't.

This was the first monthly photo session where it wasn't just me and him. We had a whole entourage: dad, grandma, a great aunt, and two cousins. There are only one or two photos where he is actually looking at me and the camera. Mostly he was staring at his adoring fans.

At four months Judah is:

- only waking up once per night (I'm sure this is only temporary and I sure am enjoying it while it lasts! I think this is because he finally is NOT going through a growth spurt)
- grabbing things like crazy (fingers, shirts, my hair, books, toys, noses, and mouths)
- has found his dingle (which is hilarious. I can't believe how hard he pulls on it!)
- has found his feet (but they have yet to connect with his mouth)
- putting everything in his mouth (except his feet. He is especially his thumb and index finger into his mouth- it looks like he is trying to wolf whistle)
- enjoying the hell out of his baths (he is such a water baby)
- loving listening to us sing 'Twinkle, Twinkle', 'Row, Row, Row your Boat', and 'Hush Little Baby'
- laughing more and more everyday. Such a fantastic sound.
- becoming more interested in the dogs. He even sort of pet Gert the other day. Okay. He grabbed her ear and tried to shove it into his mouth, but that counts, right?
- drooling up a store. His chin is all red and raw from all that slime. I've started putting Cetaphil moisturizer on it and that seems to be helping.

Happy quarter of year birthday, son!

Babies, and pumpkins, and aliens. Oh, my!

2011-10-26T20:53:00.000-07:00

We were down in Oregon and carved pumpkins with the fam. Judah was pretty amazed by his mom's and dad's mad jack-o-lantern skillz.

Oregon was just the beginning of our travels. We went somewhere else for a week. The title of this post is a hint.

Any guesses?

While we were in this mystery location Judah turned 4 months old. Expect his four month photo forthwith.

Hey, hey, good looking

2011-10-20T21:13:00.001-07:00

Whatcha got cooking?

A big bowl of baby!

We were at Judah's grandma & grandpa's house the other night and we didn't have a proper baby tub. So, we made due with the bathroom sink.

The results?
Adorable.

Quick! Someone call a plumber.

2011-10-18T10:08:00.000-07:00

I think the faucet is broken.

It keeps leaking!

Judah doesn't think I am very funny.

He also questions your sense of humor.

If you have a giant baby, then you need a giant swaddle

2011-10-17T12:17:00.000-07:00

Raise your pudgy hand if you are giant sized.

When you are the size of a nine month old, but have the needs of a three month old, a regular old swaddle or receiving blanket just won't do the trick.

Those puny blankets can't contain all that chub.

So when you are this big:

You need this:

aden and anais for Target

Summer Infant

They are made of light weight muslin and are both larger than regular flannel swaddling blankets. The aden and anais is 44" square and Summer Infant is 40" square. When the nights are chilly we layer a flannel blanket underneath the muslin ones. The muslin keeps the flannel in place. I definitely recommend them.

So does Judah.

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Judah's BFFs

2011-10-16T17:55:00.000-07:00

Two of Judah's (many) aunties came to visit and love on him this weekend. Despite how it appears in the picture, he was really a happy baby and enjoyed being the recipient of all that lovin'.

After they headed back down to Oregon today, Judah took his nap... And after nap time he got to hang with his two bestest BFFs (of the canine persuasion, that is).

Ralph:

And Gert:

Gert is probably his number one BFF. He loves to stare at her and she loves to lick his feet. She is just the right size for kids (meanwhile, Ralph is just the right size for no one. ha). Gert is almost a year and a half old, which puts her at a perfect age to grow up with Judah. We just know she is going to be his special buddy. We look forward to watching them play and run around together.

I really would have dressed Judah in cuter jammies for his nap if I had anticipated the doggie photo sesh. Oh, well.

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Judah has a new trick. Hint: It's adorable

2011-10-15T10:57:00.000-07:00

Look at what Judah can now do:

That's right, he can sit like a gorilla.

It only last for a little bit though. It usually ends with a face plant.

nanoseconds away from his face connecting with the floor

Judah isn't the only member of our household who enjoys the gorilla sit. Gert is a fan, too.

After all, who do you think taught him?

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Good morning, starshine, the earth says, "Hello"

2011-10-14T08:58:00.000-07:00

He is such a morning person.

I am not.

Sure does make it a lot easier to get up to this than if he was screaming and wailing first thing in the morning.

But, you know what would be even better? Sleeping for another hour and then waking up to that smiley face.

Sounds like somebody has a case of the Mondays.

2011-10-13T09:16:00.000-07:00

But isn't it Thursday?

Judah cares not for your arbitrary day of the week designations. It's been one of those mornings where all his regular activities just aren't cutting it.

His activity center occupied him for, oh, about a minute. He started out like this:

those cheeks!

But rapidly deteriorated to this:

Sorry, little dude. I hope your day improves.

You know what makes me feel better when I'm grouchy? TAKING A NAP.

Why don't you try it sometime?

P.S. like us on facebook.

How did I go almost 4 months without taking pictures of baby feet?

2011-10-12T08:44:00.000-07:00

I have a bit of an obsession with taking face shots of Judah. While this is all great and dandy (because I do love his face), it means I am lacking in the area of, well, everything else. I keep seeing all these adorable shots focusing on baby feet, or ears, or hands, or rolls, or... you get the idea.

I definitely missed the boat on newborn feet, but nearly 4 month feet are pretty good too.

Thankfully, the hospital did feet-prints when he was born.

However, they didn't do hand-prints which I thought was kinda odd.

And I haven't quite gotten around to doing any hand prints on our own. Luckily, Christmas is coming up here shortly and I plan on doing this:

Blood. Not funny. Not funny.

2011-10-11T10:28:00.000-07:00

Someone scratched himself last night while sleeping. Seriously, kid. I just filed your nails yesterday.

Asian eyes.

So, I'm going to attempt doing a daily photo. More like photos as I can never seem to pick just one. What can I say? I think the kid is pretty cute.

Oh, and in case the title left you scratching your head:

A monster at play

2011-10-10T21:47:00.000-07:00

That boy is a monster (sang Gaga style)

He's such a good little monster, playing with his toys while I eat breakfast.

Why are ears (and horns) on hoods so freakin' adorable? It ups the cuteness factor, oh, about 1000%.

It's amazing how after a week of playing with his spinner toy how much his accuracy has improved for getting it to spin.

Look at him. Holding stuff. Sheesh, who knew I would get so excited about the ability to grasp objects.

He is trying to figure out how to get that into his mouth.

Judah says, "Enough with the paparazzi."

For realsies, this is the last birth story post. This time with pictures!

2011-10-09T22:06:00.000-07:00

At long last, photos from Judah's birth!

In case you missed it here is the first, second, and third part of his birth story.

This is the one and only picture from The Birthing Inn. What a pretty room. And look at that nice big tub for a water birth. Sigh, if only, if only. Hopefully when it comes time for baby number two my blood pressure can not freak out on me. The other two women in the room are my doula and my midwife. The waste basket on the bed would be my barf bucket. Awesome.

Goodbye, cute comfortable room. Hello, hospital room and gown. And this would be where my ideal birth plan said, "adios, suckers!" Still went all natural though, boo-ya!

A very new Judah. Still all purple and covered in meconium and all sorts of gross birth goo. Bill and I both really enjoyed how he had one continual crease from one eye over the bridge of the nose and along the other eye. He reminded us of:

They could be long lost twins, right?

I got to have skin to skin with Judah right away. Unfortunately, it didn't last very long. His temperature was a bit low. So they put him under a heat lamp and did a quick once over to get rid of his poo coating. Thankfully they were able to do it right in the room. Not once at the hospital was Judah taken out of my room.

Bill was a bit emotional (of course he was).

After I was stitched back together we were moved from the labor and delivery room to our postpartum room two floors down. Judah's little bassinet thing was right next to my bed. Even with having him so close it was hard for me to get him in and out of his bassinet. I couldn't do it from my bed and moving around was still very difficult and painful for me. The nurses were a big help and during the day Bill was as well. At night, not so much. He slept in a cot in the room, but he might as well have been back at our house. He was out cold during the night. I tried waking him up when I needed help either with Judah or getting myself to the restroom, but I was out of luck. Good thing the nurses were just a buzzer away.

He was so little (although, he sure didn't feel like when I was pushing him out).

I made it the entire first day with out changing Judah's diaper. Not on purpose, just happened to work that way between the nurses doing tests or monitoring (and changing him while they were at it) and Bill also changed him once of twice. As you can see, Judah found my execution somewhat lacking.

All ready to go home after an overnighter in the hospital.

I was so glad that we only had to stay 24 hours at the hospital. The nurses were very helpful, but it was so much nicer once we were at home. I think I only slept a few hours at most while at the hospital. Once we got home a nap was in order asap. It was so much more restful to sleep in my own bed than the hospital bed that would shift its alignment as to prevent bedsores (because, you know, bedsores happen in 24 hrs or less. Right.). It did it constantly and always with a not so pleasant mechanical whirring. Nothing like being thiiiiiis close to falling asleep only to be awakened by your bed. moving. on its own.

Bill was a natural. But I never had any doubts that he wouldn't be.

Somehow is three and a half months Judah went from this:

To this:

He's not so modest these days.

He's a wee bit bigger now.

Pregnant? Get a doula!

2011-10-08T23:56:00.000-07:00

Part way through our pregnancy Bill and I decided to get a doula. Boy, was that the right decision.

Super early in the pregnancy we interviewed a few local Tacoma doulas, but weren't sure if we really wanted one or not, so we put the whole thing on hold. Then a few months later we revisited the reasons to get or not get a doula.

We decided to go for it because:
-we found out that at The Birthing Inn that the birth assistant is not there for the whole birth and there is only one birth assistant on duty even if there are two births going on.
-we figured that if we something ended up going wrong (which it did) we would want a doula to go with us to the hospital
-there might have been other reasons too, but those were the main two that convinced us that it was the right choice.

We hired Jessica, who we had interviewed in the beginning. We liked Jessica from the start because she was very down to earth and chill.

During the pregnancy we met up a few times, talked or went for walks. Then near the end we were in daily contact. It was so great having her to ask all these questions. I would share with her what was happening with my body and she would let me know what it meant and what to do. She was very knowledgeable and I alleviated my nerves on a daily basis.

The day I went into labor we were in contact pretty much constantly. She met us at the Birthing Inn and came prepared with a whole bag of tricks and drinks and the whole shebang. Too bad my labor went so quickly we didn't get to use them! Although, the drinks came in very handy. I downed those Gatorades after I finished pushing that baby out.

Jessica was super great during labor. She was such a calming and peaceful presence. Not only did I appreciate all her help and soothing words and actions, but so did Bill. He definitely felt more at ease with her there. When we had to transfer to the hospital she was right there with us every step of the way. She stayed with us throughout labor and hung out with us in postpartum until we were ready to be on our own. She also came and checked in with us after we brought baby Judah home to go over everything and see if there was anything we needed.

When it comes time for baby number two, there will be no hesitation. Jessica will be our doula from day one (or, you know, week 4)!

Wait, so if I don't go back to school I don't get to go back to school shopping? Ridiculous

2011-10-06T23:43:00.000-07:00

Fall is in the air, which bring back found memories of... shopping! Back to school shopping has been going on for over two decades, what with school, and college, and school again (as work). Which meant that around this time of year I went shopping. It is just a great time to go with the seasons changing and it getting cooler. Nothing like a new sweater and a pair of boots to great a crisp fall day.

Apparently, if you are not working you don't get a paycheck. Who knew, right? And if you don't get a paycheck you can't really justify buying new clothes. Again, who knew? It's not like I want to go on a crazy mad shopping spree, just a little refresher of the old closet. A new cardigan or two, maybe replace some worn t-shirts, a new pair of jeans (to wear with boots), and a couple of scarves. Oh, and shoes. When working I pretty much sported dansko clogs throughout the school year. Which are fabulous for work and being on your feet all. day. long. But, pretty lame for just being cute and wearing out and about.

What I'd like to get is some of these:

Oooh, shiny

Or maybe these instead:

The basic model, probably the more versatile of the two. Read: boring (yet, still cute)

And I definitely want to try these and see if they look awesome or like I don't know how to wrap a sports injury. I'm pretty sure they could go either way:

Ace bandage gone wrong, or genius design that will fit over jeans with ease?

I've also been all about a nice cognac leather boot for winter. Instead, totally by chance, I wound up with these today:

Cuter in person. Swearsies.

I promise they don't look all plastic and shiny in real life. They look much more leather-ish. They are all man-made materials. Back when I was a little kid I couldn't wear shoes that weren't leather without my feet getting all nasty (I honestly don't remember exactly what they would do, but I know my mom always got me leather shoes because of it). While, I would love it if these were real leather that would make that far out of my price range. What with my price range being zero and all that is not hard to do.

Anyway, I stumbled upon these boots while I was at Target getting Judah some sweatshirts. He is now sporting 9 month clothing, and it turns out the babies we inherited the bulk of his clothing from must have been 9 months during the summer. Almost all his onesies in this size are short sleeved, which is not cutting it. Btw, why the hell do baby sweatshirts pretty much cost the same as a grown up sweatshirt? Side eye to you, Carters. The amount of fabric that goes into that little thing is probably the equivalent of the fabric in just the actual hood of my hoodie.

Originally 28 bucks. Seriously. 28 bucks for a baby sweatshirt.

Sorry, I got sidetracked there. So I see the boots at Target, think they are pretty cute. But I talk myself out of even trying them on since A. They are not real leather and B. The whole no paycheck thing. After Target Judah and I stopped at Goodwill to find a picture frame so I could actual create one of the many things I pinned.

On my way to the back of the store (where the frames are) I can't help but notice a pair of cognac boots in the shoe section. Low and behold they were the exact same ones from Target with the tags still on and everything. And they were in my size. And they were like half the price they were at Target. I didn't even try them on. I figured it was meant to be. That, and, it would have been a real bitch to try them on while having Judah beco-ed to me (and I didn't have socks). So that is how I ended up with a new pair of boots today.

But now that I have the boots, I really do need a new pair of jeans that will tuck into them nicely. And a new cardigan (or two, or three) sure would look nice with those new jeans and boots. And, boy oh boy, wouldn't a new scarf just be the finishing touch on that autumnal outfit?

Oh, paycheck, you were nice to get every other week. Still, Judah wins every time if the choice is between the paycheck or the baby (which, you know, it kinda was back when were thinking about getting pregnant).

Anyone out there want to sponsor some fall shopping? Anyone? Anyone?

*crickets*

Sigh.

A day in the life of Judah

2011-10-05T20:00:00.000-07:00

At this point a normal day goes a little something like this:

-5:00 am Get Judah from his crib, change him out of his overnight diaper and into a cloth diaper. Bring him to bed with me to nurse and get some more sleep.

-7:00 am Wake up time! Judah gets changed and dressed for the day. Then he kicks it in his crib while being entertained by his mobile (which he freakin' loves). That thing is awesome. While he is entertained by that I deal with the doggos, get dressed, and maybe even start a load of laundry.

-8:00 am Bring Judah Bear downstairs so I can have breakfast. He hangs in his bumbo playing with toys while I eat. After that it is entertain Judah time. We read books, sing songs, play with toys, kick it on his play mat, play with the mirror (so cute to watch him smile and coo at his reflection). We also take Gert for walk. The first month or so we used a stroller to take Judah for walks, but now it sits collecting dust. I wear him and it is soo much nicer (I just didn't feel comfortable doing it when he was super little and didn't have the head support down). Sometimes Judah takes a nap from 9:30-10. I looove it when he does because then I have time to do a few chores, or at the very least do the dishes.

- Noon to 1:00pm I try to cram some quick food in my face before it is time for Judah's afternoon nap. To get ready for nap time, we read a few books. We always read Good Night Moon, that also gets read before we put him to bed in the evening too. I just wish Good Night Dune existed as a board book and not just a website. That. Would. Be. Bad-ass. We take the afternoon nap in my bed. We nurse (for a freaking hour) and then sleep together. I've found that he naps a whole lot more if he is laying with me and can nurse and sleep simultaneously. He will sleep anywhere from 2 and a half hours to 3 and half hours. It is a good long nap. And he is a happy baby because of it. I nap for part of the time as well. The rest of the time I'm reading books on my ipod using the kindle app.

-4:00 to 5:00pm Get up from our nap and start making dinner. Bill gets home around 5ish. Sometimes we just hang out and play with Judah together and sometimes we take both dogs for a walk and sometimes we have an early dinner.

-6:00 pm Time to get ready for bed! Bill reads to Judah and gives him a bath (just a water and washcloth wipe down, he only has a full immersion soap bath once or twice a week). He then gets him jammies on and swaddled up nice and tight. Then I am up and it is time to nurse. We nurse for about an hour (I read on the ipod). He is in asleep and in his crib by 7:30 at the latest.

-7:30pm Bill and I have dinner (if it didn't happen earlier), watch TV, and I internet (mostly I just pinterest- seriously sooo addicting).

During the night Judah wakes up to nurse 2-3 times. Usually he wakes up sometime around midnight, 2am, and then 5am.

Somehow Judah is already over 3 months old.

2011-10-04T21:41:00.001-07:00

I keep meaning to post... but then I don't. Obviously.

Judah has just grown and changed so much that I don't know quite where to start. I want to write down all the little things to track his development before they slip away. The last few months have flown by. But I need to start somewhere. So I will start here, with a super brief recap of the last few months.

Here is our boy as a newborn (well, a 4 day old):

He was so small. Just a tiny little guy. He would sleep and nurse and sleep and nurse. He made the most adorable little sound. I wish I had recorded it. It sounded like a soft little, "ef, ef, ef, eff".

Here he is at one month:

As you can see, he chunked up quite a bit that first month. He went from 8lbs to almost 11. Sometime between the first and second month he got big enough to wear his cloth diapers. He also began to do social smiles, which just melt your heart. Well, mine at least. Before he turned two months we took our first real family vacation. We took the babe to the Olympic Peninsula. We stayed in Forks and used that as a base to explore and hike around the area. The trip was easier than we expected it to be. The boy did pretty damn well.

Two months:

Bill had to go back to work when Judah hit two months. It was wonderful having him home. It made the transition to parenthood that much easier. It was also great bonding time for Bill and Judah. He is an awesome dad, but I always knew he would be. At two months we transitioned Judah from sleeping in our room (in his playard right next to my side of the bed) to sleeping in his own room. It was a totally easy transition. He rolled with it like a champ.

And here we are at 3 months:

He continues to grow and grow. He is well over 16lbs at this point and wears 9 month clothing. This kid has so much clothing he didn't even get a chance to wear once. He just grew too fast! Not that I'm complaining, I think chunky babies are the cutest (and cuddliest). He is such a happy little dude. The only time he really cries is when he is tired and fighting it. He loves to smile and babble.

His hand coordination has improved a ton these last few weeks. He can hold his hands now (ad you can see in the picture). He can grab and hold his toys and hit a spinner toy with pretty decent accuracy.

He has also started rolling over from his tummy to his back. Sometimes he will flip over super quick like it ain't no thang. Sometimes he fusses and works really hard at it but can still get it. And sometimes he gives up, buries his face in the blanket or mat and wales. You just never know what you are going to get. It was pretty cool that the first time he flipped over was the morning he turned 3 months. When he first did it I didn't quite believe it had just happened. I thought maybe I put him down at an angle or something, because he did it so fast and I hadn't noticed and build up to it in the preceding weeks.

He really is a great kid. I am so lucky that I get to stay home with him. I'm really thankful that we are able to make that happen. He is amazing. And I love him lots.

OMG, I have a laptop

2011-09-17T21:55:00.000-07:00

That's right. I, once again, have a laptop. I had to return my old one (because it was my work comp) back in May. And now, finally, I have a laptop!

I have been using my ipod all summer for internet access, which has been handy for lots of things (email, fb, and what not), but not so handy for writing blog posts. I tried finger tapping one or two out on the little guy, but, damn, that was a lot of work. Too much work. Hence, only three posts all summer. And by three, I mean what should have only been one. Judah's birth story definitely only needed to be one post, but limited computer access made that shiz dif-i-cult.

So now that I get to internet is up in the evening, after the kiddo goes to bed, expect some blog posts, yo.

Be excited. There are adorable baby pictures coming your way.

Judah's Birth Story: part three (the final installment! sort of)

2011-07-28T19:15:00.000-07:00

So, there I was pushing away (in case you missed it- part one & two)...

Pushing. Screaming. Crying. Overheating. Pushing some more.

This goes on for some time (well, it felt like forever, but in reality wasn't actually that long).
I am minimally aware of my surroundings at this point. Every now and then I hear people telling me I'm doing a good job. Or to take deep breaths.

Then I hear the midwife saying that he's going to come out on the next push. Hallelujah! That is what I wanted to hear. What I didn't hear is that he HAD to come out on the next push because he heart rate was dropping. I must say, I'm pretty glad I didn't hear that part.

The next contraction comes and I PUSH and I feel a little release of pressure and then BLAM-O a big release of pressure. Judah was out. Next thing I now he is on my chest and I just cannot believe I now have a baby. What I missed in my daze was that I had an episiotomy at the last second (the first little release of pressure) because Judah was coming out with his hand up by his face (superman style, if you will). I also was unaware that when he first came out he was super purple and not moving/making noise. Bill was all too aware of all these things. It felt like forever to him from the time Judah came out to the time he took his first breath. That was a very scary time for Bill. When Judah started to wail, Bill started to cry and collapsed onto the floor (which was all gross with my blood and guts- according to him anyway). From that position on the floor he called his parents and tearfully told them Judah was here and it was all alright.

With Judah on my chest we let the cord pulse out before Bill cut it. I was surprised that his cut was made pretty far down. Someone else (the midwife? a nurse?) made the cut close to his body. I was able to hold Judah for a little while, but his body temperature was low so they had to take him away and put him under a heat light. Bill went with him (this all happened in the labor and delivery room, just a few feet from the foot of my bed). They also cleaned the meconium out of his orifices and did a preliminary cleaning of the rest of him (there was definitely still poo stuck in his hair, ears, fingers, whathaveyou).

While Judah was warming up and getting cleaned, they gave me a shot of pitocin, a drug used to induce labor in most cases. I was receiving it so that my contractions would keep going and I could get my placenta out quickly. It needed to come out asap, because I was bleeding quite a bit and my midwife wanted to stitch me up. Not only was I bleeding from the episiotomy, but I also tore. In several places. Inside and out. They gave me shots of local anesthesia to numb me up, but I gotta say, that shit still hurt. I definitely could feel her sewing me back together.

Judah was born at 5:37am after only 24 minutes of pushing. My blood pressure returned to normal as soon as delivery was over. It was a pretty quick and intense labor (well, I think so anyway). All in all, I spent about an hour at the Birthing Inn and an hour at the hospital (half of that in the freaking waiting room of the freaking ER). We stayed at the hospital until 11am the next day (it's hospital policy that you stay at least 24 hours).

Although things did not go according to our birth-plan, at least they went quickly. There was no time to debate our choices, or mourn that this wasn't what we had wanted. It all happened so fast that we just went with it. And, in the end, we did get what we wanted: Judah.

Oh, did I mention that when we first found out we were pregnant Bill and I talked about how cool it would be if Judah was born on the solstice? Looks like he was listening. Of course, later on in the game we definitely took back that wish and instead were hoping for before the due date rather than after. But our boy wasn't having it. He waited until the solstice and was born with the sun. I started pushing at 5:13, the exact time of the sunrise on the longest day of the year. Pretty crazy, no?

Hmmm, well I think that might be it. Except for pictures (no gross ones, I promise). Those will come another day. And, with that, I guess I finally have finished Judah's birth story (5 weeks and 2 days later).

Judah's Birth Story: part duex

2011-07-13T11:24:00.000-07:00

When I left you I had been having bloody show all day Monday (part 1).

I was also having some contractions throughout the day, but that was pretty much par for the course. However, around 9pm I started having more and more contractions. They were a bit stronger than the ones I had been having previously, but still didn't feel distinct enough to time. Still, I was getting a bit excited and hopeful that it was really starting to happen. I had been in contact with my doula all day about what was going on. She encouraged me to try to get some sleep, because as the contractions intensified I would not be able to sleep... But, I was a bit too amped up to sleep (Bill was able to snooze for a bit). I tried to sleep, I really did, but I kept feeling contractions and they were just a bit too intense to really sleep through (and like I said- I was pretty amped up).

Around 11 pm I completely gave up on sleep and decided to go downstairs and try to watch a movie. Bill went downstairs with me. We got all set up for a movie, but it never happened. By that time the contractions were coming on stronger and we were timing them. At birth class they tell you how at first they are like 15 min apart, then 10, and on down, and then when they are 4 (or 5) minutes apart and lasting for a minute each it is time to go in. I never so much had that nice clear countdown. When we started timing them they were anywhere from 2 minutes to 6 minutes apart and lasting anywhere from 30 seconds to a minute and a half. They still weren't super duper intense as I was able to facebook and play Words with Friends on my ipod. Still, we decided to call the midwives and check in. She advised us to wait until they were averaging a minute in length and then call her again. So we kept going.

By 2 am they were really starting to come on strong. And then I started barfing during contractions. So much fun! About that time they were averaging a minutes in durations, so Bill called back the midwife. It was 2:45 by that time. She said for us to meet her at the Birthing Inn at 3:30. Bill let my mom know we would be going soon and I let our doula know. We didn't quite get out of the house when we hoped, because I was too busy having contractions and barfing to get going. We ended up leaving the house a little past 3:30 and got to the Birthing inn about 3:45am.

I was checked as soon as we got there. I was at 5cm and 90% effaced. So I still had 5 more cm to go... The midwife also listened to Judah's heartbeat, which was right where it should be, and took my blood pressure, which was not where it should be. It was high. Which is definitely not normal for me. Throughout the pregnancy I maintained pretty low blood pressure. High blood pressure is something you get booted from the Birthing Inn for, because it can require medicine and whatnot that they don't have there. My midwife decided we would keep laboring (and barfing) at the Birthing Inn continue to monitor my blood pressure to see if it would go back down. It didn't. Which meant I had to transfer to St. Joe's, a local hospital.

So we all piled back into our cars to drive to St. Joe's. It is only about a 10 minute drive, but that was the longest 10 minute drive I have ever experienced. It sucks balls to have contractions in the car. You can't really move around, you are just stuck there in your seat. It is lame. During the ride I talked to Bill about how I wanted to have some drugs when we got to St. Joe's. Our birth plan had been to be drug free, but dammmn it hurt. And I was envisioning that I still had a whole day ahead of me of these contractions. I didn't want an epidural, just something to take the edge off a bit.

When we got to St. Joe's we went to the ER to check in (as we had been instucted by our midwife. She had sent over our info and said we would check in and they would send us right up). They did not. We checked in and they are asking us all these questions. Bill is trying to explain that we are from the Birthing Inn and they should have our info. But they are still asking all these gd questions. And I am leaning on the counter, barfing into my bucket, trying to recite my social security number. The check in ladies tell us the labor and delivery people are on their way. But they sure seemed to be taking their sweet ass time. I'm telling them that it hurts and are they absolutely sure they are on their way? They tell me they are and ask me if I think the baby is coming. I tell them I have no idea (since I've never had a baby before) but that it hurrrrrrts. After at least 15 minutes a nurse finally appears to wheel me up (labor and delivery is on the 14th floor).

We get up to my labor and delivery room and they begin to hook me up to a machine to monitor my blood pressure and the fetal monitors (the belt kind) that measure Judah's heart rate and my contractions. At that point I have to pee (I had been doing a lot of my contractions on the toilet, because all that pressure just made me feel like I had to pee). So I go into the bathroom, pee, have another contraction and hear a *POP*. That pop would be my water breaking- pretty convenient that I was sitting on the toilet, eh? It turned out there was meconium in my water, which can mean the baby is in distress, but it can also be pretty common for babies that are late (Judah was 5 days late). At that point they had me get onto the bed and checked me again. Boom! I was at 10 cm and fully dilated. It was go time! It was 5:13am, which happens to also be the exact time of the sunrise on the longest day of the year. Pretty cosmic, huh?

Anyway, I'm asking for drugs. But my midwife is telling me there is no time for drugs. I guess it is somewhat common to think you really do need those drugs while you are in transition (that time when you are fully ready to go, but not pushing yet- as in the entire time I was in the car and standing downstairs in the ER). It is a pretty intense time. But, yeah, as it turned out there was no time for drugs. I did not have hours and hours and hours of contractions to work through. I was ready. It was pushing time.

I was screaming and grunting and yelling about how it hurrrrrts. I kept asking if they could see his head yet, and they had to keep saying no. Sad panda. The midwife asked me if I wanted to her to position a mirror down there so I could watch. I did not. I just wanted to have my eyes closed. It just seemed so bright in that room. I couldn't handle all the light. I'm sure it was a totally normal amount, I was just really sensitive to it. I was also super hot. Whenever I had a contraction I started overheating. I had been having ice packs and cool wash clothes on me for hours. I was able to stay well hydrated despite all my barfing, so I did not have to be hooked up to an IV. So, there I am pushing away. Screaming. Crying. Pushing. The nurses, my mom, Bill, the midwife, and my doula are all offering words of encouragement but I don't really hear any of it. However, I did hear one thing. A nurse saying, "Okay, we are all ready for the cesarian!" I lose it. I say, "WHAT?!? I'm having a c-section?!?" My midwife reassures me that that is not for me. They couldn't cut that baby out of me if they wanted to- he was almost here. I guess that stupid nurse had not been in my room, but just talking super loudly right outside me door.

Coming soon: part three...

Judah's Birth Story: part 1

2011-07-09T20:24:00.000-07:00

Judah's birth story is getting broken into parts, because if it didn't I would never get around to writing it. Even now, I am writing while Judah is nursing. Blogger has a setting where you can email a special address and it will be the post. So that what is I am trying today. Here's hoping it works. I'm typing this out with my thumb on my iPod- so if there are more errors than usual let's blame autocorrect. Also, since this post is an email that means no photos. Later, I swear.

Part one of the story will last as long as breastfeeding Judah does. Anyones guess how long that might be, we have already nursed over five and a half hours today and its only 8:15.

So anyway, on Monday, June 20th, things started to happen for reals. But, of course, I had no way of knowing it was for real since I been having pre-labor signs for over two weeks at that point. Still, I was hopeful. I started the day by having bloody show, which only increased during the day instead of dissipating like it had in the past. Bloody show can mean labor will start imminently or it could still be days away. So, I went through my day as usual. My mom and I ran a bunch of errands around town. Sadly, I never took a nap. Something I would come to regret later.

And... Judah is done. Which means so is this post.

Sent from my iPod

Part 2
Part 3

Welcome to the world, Judah!

2011-06-27T11:55:00.000-07:00

Turns out Judah was waiting to be a summer solstice baby. He was born as the sun was coming up at 5:37 am on June 21st. He was 8 lbs and 21 inches at birth.

He is fantastic!

Eventually, I'll write up the birth story. But right now I'm going to go hang out with the most wonderful baby ever.

40 Weeks

2011-06-19T11:53:00.000-07:00

Judah's due date was this last Thursday, June 16th, 2011. Needless to say, he did not think much of that. The photo above was taken on his due date while my mom and and I were walking around downtown Tacoma trying to inspire him to make his move. My regular photographer (Bill) was at work, so this one was taken by mom. I've given her the task of photo taker during birth and I'm a wee bit nervous about her skills. She is not what you would call handy with a digital camera.

We had our 40 week check up on Wednesday. There was (some) progress. I was dilated up to 2 cm and effaced 20%. The midwives will let us go up to 41 weeks, 5 days, and then after that it is time to induce. That gives Judah until June 28th to make his move (but hopefully sooner!). If I do end up having to be induced then I do not get to deliver at the Birthing Inn. I will have to be at the hospital. At least I would still have my same midwives and there is still a water birth option (the hospital has 2 rooms equipped for water births).

I am still having all the same pre labor signs that I was two weeks ago, although they no longer get us all excited. The signs are just part of the routine now. We are just waiting. And waiting. And waiting. And hoping my boy will make his move.

Our next appointment with the midwives is for Thursday, when I hit 41 weeks. We have the non-stress test scheduled, as well as, our regular appointment. The non-stress test is where they hook up two big belt like things to my abdomen, one to measure Judah's heart-rate and the other to measure my contractions. They measure those for 30 minutes. After I hit 41 weeks then I have to come in every three days. But, of course, here's hoping I won't make it to 41 weeks... We really were convinced he was going to be early, but alas, we were wrong. Now we are just hoping that he won't be forcefully evicted after the 28th.

Come on, Judah! Come meet the world. We are all very excited to meet you!

39 Weeks

2011-06-13T10:05:00.000-07:00

39 weeks. Otherwise known as, LETS GO, BABY week. Everyday we think, "Ok, this is it. Today is the day. If not, then most definitely it will happen tomorrow." And, you know what? It hasn't happened. I am still very much pregnant. I have had so many early labor signs over this last week or so. Judah is such a tease. He must have gotten his sense of humor from his mom.

Here are some super awesome (read: gross and disgusting) pre labor signs I have had:

the poops
nausea
lost my mucus plug
pressure in my pelvis from his head dropping low
some bloody show... well, maybe. It happened the day after having a cervical check- so I thought it was because of the check, but then I had some the next day too... Which made me think it was bloody show. But now I'm not sure since I'm still freaking pregnant.
dilated at 1 cm as of last Thursday and partially effaced (didn't catch what percentage).
lots of Braxton-Hicks contractions (where as I hadn't been feeling any at all as of a week ago).

Now we are just playing the waiting game. Luckily, my mom is now here. So she is keeping me entertained during the day while Bill is at work. Otherwise, I would just be sitting (on my birth ball) or laying (on the couch) waiting for labor to really start.

Also, turns out my due date is June 16th, not the 18th. I think what happened was at the beginning of the pregnancy there were quite a few dates being thrown around (since I don't track my period). I believe the 15th, 16th, and 18th were all on the table at some point. We started telling people the 18th and just kind of went with it, even though later ultrasounds determined the 16th as the actual due date. So, yeah, Judah is due on Thursday. Not like it matters though, something like only 2% of babies actually arrive on their due date.

This last week of pregnancy has been the longest week of them all. It is just so hard to be patient knowing he could arrive anytime. Labor could (potentially) start in 15 minutes!... Or... it could still be over 2 weeks. Only Judah knows when he's coming. And he is not telling.

Keep your fingers crossed he decides to come today. And, if not, then definitely tomorrow ;)

Could it be? An actual real contraction? Huzzah!

2011-06-04T10:28:00.000-07:00

This morning, around 4 am, I went pee. Nothing new and exciting there. That happens pretty much every morning at 4 am (and 2 am, and midnight, and you get the idea). But, then... When I came back to bed and laid down I felt something a bit funny. I think it just might have been the first contraction I have actually felt. My midwives say I've probably been having them, just not noticing them (which is a nice thing). This time, though, I did notice it. Yay, progress! I have heard that contractions kind of feel like cramps when you are on your period. Not so much for me. That probably has something to do with the fact that my period cramps make me feel like I'm dying for about 10 minutes straight. This was more what I wish period cramps feel like. Of course, this was just one and I'm sure they will get about a septillion times worse. After it was over Judah started moving around like cray-zee! There were fists and elbows and knees and feet flying everywhere.

I think maybe I've felt one or two more besides that, but that 4am one was definitely the most noticeable. Makes me realize, I really need to get my butt in gear! Report cards need to get done- NOW. Hospital bag needs to get packed- NOW (even though it is really The Birthing Inn bag, but that doesn't have the same ring to it). Car seat needs to be put in the car- NOW.

Shit could really get serious here. At. Any. Time.

Of course, watch, now that I have written all this, Judah won't show up for another month.
Knock on wood. No one wants that to happen.

I promise I am go, go, going on report cards and he's going to promise to wait until I'm done. Right? Right??

38 Weeks

2011-06-03T20:33:00.000-07:00

My first week of maternity leave has been pretty busy. I would like to say that I have finished up with school stuff (like report cards), but, alas, that is not the case. I made a serious dent in report cards, but still have quite a bit of work to do on them this weekend. They are due Tuesday, so I know I will get them done before that. Nothing like a deadline to get butt into gear.

Other than plodding away on report cards, this week I have:

finished getting stuff ready for my sub
thank you cards to my kids for their sweet gifts
met with our future pediatrician
weekly midwife appointment (everything is still looking good)
met with my doula and went for a nice walk by the water
attended my first La Leche League meeting
Lunch with coworkers
been working on the nursery
and a bunch of other stuff too

My hope is that Judah will be ready to come next week. Maybe Thursday or so? That would be perf with me. And we all knows that is what matters: my timeline. Ha!

House Tour- downstairs

2011-05-31T09:47:00.000-07:00

So, I realize I said, oh, about a year ago, that I would post photos of the inside of the house... and I never did. If you have been waiting and waiting for that day to come, you are in luck, my friend. At least sort of. I snapped some quick photos of downstairs before our bbq/shower the other weekend. I totally broke all the cardinal rules of home photography. I used a flash, the lights are on (it was pretty dark and dreary outside, so natural lighting was not working), and I did not style anything... It is definitely set up for the shower- with random extra seats in the living room, onesie decorating set up in the dining room, and tables set up for buffet style grub in the kitchen. But, you know, you at least get an idea of what our house looks like. Also, I only took pictures of the 4 main rooms: the foyer, living room, dining room, and kitchen. I did not take any pictures of the guest bathroom, Bill's office, or awkwardly large hallway (some day I would like to combine the weird hallway with Bill's office to make a family room/media room type thing. Some day.)

Our first stop is the foyer. You can see the main entrance to the house along with the little entryway (with a bench seat) in the bottom photo. You can also see our coat/shoe closet to the left. When we bought the house this room was already yellow. We like the color. It is very low on our priority list of rooms to paint. It definitely could use some touch ups and plaster work, but, like I said, we like the color so it stays.

Next stop is the living room. The first photo is looking in from the foyer, the second is from the dining room. This room is top priority on the painting list. The beige overload is killing me. We have the colors all picked out (a muted turquoise for the below the picture molding and a light version for above the molding and the ceiling). Only issue is, we need the plaster (yep, lots of our walls are good old lathe and plaster) repaired before we can paint. There is damage on the ceiling from an old water leak (from before we bought the place) and there are various cracks and holes that need to be fixed.

And, now we come to the dining room. In the top photo you can see the door on the left leading to the kitchen and the door on the right leading to the weird hallway. The second photo is looking to the living room. You can see part of the framework for the giant pocket doors that can separate the dining room from the living room. Like I said before the dining room is all set up for onesie crafting, not so much dining.

Last up is our kitchen. The kitchen was an add on. From what we can tell is was originally a galley kitchen that took up the area of the funny hallway and maybe 1/4 of the current kitchen. The first photo is from the doorway to the dining room, the second is from the back door. I hate the red walls. Hate. And, if you'll notice we have no drawer or cabinet pulls. There is a lot I would like to do to this kitchen. A lot. The space is really big, but the layout is really poor. This project will wind up being such a big one that I think it will probably be years until we actually get around to fixing it up.

That, my friends, is (most of) the downstairs of our house.

37 Weeks

2011-05-30T12:08:00.000-07:00

Full term! Wah-hoo! We are all registered at the Birthing Inn. And... here is the most exciting part: I am now on leave! Yay! So far the best part of leave is being able to take naps in the middle of the day. It is a glorious thing, I am telling you. My last day was Thursday and we had a little going away party in my class. My students decided it was my 4th baby shower and they were very excited since they got to go to this one. They didn't think it was quite fair that they were not allowed to attend the work baby shower. It was a very nice way to end our time together.

Actually, since it it Memorial day weekend my leave has not yet officially started, since school is out anyway. But, tomorrow, the kids will all go back to school and I will stay at home. Well, I actually will need to go in after school to drop off a few things for the sub, but you know, whatever. Also, in exciting maternity leave news- I have been approved to take a full year leave of absence. So I will be a SAHM for the next school year. Even though I am now on leave, I am not quite done with work. I still have to complete the end of year report cards. Judah and I have a deal- he is not going to arrive until after I have finished report cards. Good deal, right? I should really get on that report card thing then, because he could come at any time...

That being said, I still have yet to experience any Braxton-Hicks contractions. I have had lots of dreams about having contractions, my water breaking, and general going into labor stuff... Every now and then I think maybe I am having a contraction, but then I realize it is just Judah changing position (so there is pressure in just one area not across my whole uterus) or it is just that I have to poop (because contractions are said to kinda feel like period cramps, so you know...).

We had our 36 week ultrasound the other week to check size and position. Everything looks good. He is right where he should be. He looked to be about 6 lbs, and they said to anticipate an 8lb baby at birth. Of course, ultrasounds are not super accurate on weight, so give or take a pound. He continues to be very responsive to getting poked and prodded, which is a good thing. Being able to raise and lower his heartbeat shows that he should be able to handle the stress of being born well. Way to go, little buddy.

Here are some photos from the ultrasound. I actually found it harder to tell what everything was this time around than at week 20. He is just so much bigger that you only get bits and pieces on the screen at one time as opposed to the whole shebang. We couldn't get any super clear shots of his face because he had the umbilical cord right in front of his nose and his face was pressed right into my hip bones. Oh well, soon enough we will see his face clear enough :)

He has gotten so big at this point that when he moves it kinda hurts (especially up in my ribs). It is like someone slowly punching me on the inside. There is just no more room for the little guy. His head is also pressed into my pelvic bones constantly, so there is always a dull pressure down there. I have also had crazy heart burn these last few days. I have had it quite a bit throughout the pregnancy, but these last couple days have been insane. It used to be just after eating I would feel heartburn, but now it just comes on whenever it damn well pleases. So much acid. Blech.

We continue to work on the nursery. It is still a mess with baby stuff everywhere. We are making little dents in the piles each day, but there is just So Much Stuff. It is crazy times how many material goods this baby has.

35 Weeks

2011-05-15T12:00:00.000-07:00

We had an appointment with our midwives at week 34 and our next one is this upcoming week at 36.

At our last appointment we listened to Judah's heartbeat and the midwife poked around to feel where his butt, back, and head were located. Usually we do the heartbeat first and feel around for him second. However, this time they did the poking first. There was a lot of head poking because he has begun settling pretty low down. Then, when we listened to the heartbeat it was racing. Baby boy was pissed! He was not a fan of getting poked in the head while trying to sleep (aw, he is just like his mom). It took about a minute for his heart rate to come back down. Not even out of the womb and he already has a temper. Great.

This week we get another ultrasound (yay!). It is to check his position and size. I'm pretty sure his position is good. He has gotten so big that he can't really drastically change his position a lot at this point. He usually has his butt up in my right ribs and his back then goes down my right side to end with his head down low. I think he has dropped as of last week or so. I have started feeling a kind of dull pressure in my groin. All of the time. He is pushing down on my bladder, so I always feel like I have to pee. But, then, I try to and it is just this tiny little trickle because his head is pushing on my urethra. So, yeah. We are really getting close to go time here.

Some other changes: I can no longer wear my wedding ring (it was getting too tight) and I only wear sandals. My feet are not swollen, they have just spread a but wider. Here's hoping that goes away after he is born, amIright? Thankfully, it is May and sandals are appropriate to wear (at least some of the time). I don't know what I would do if he was a winter baby. Sandals would not work so well then.

Rolling over in bed is now quite the production. I have to make like a 5 point turn to get from one side to the other. There is no smooth rolling. It happens in stages and is definitely accompanied by grunts. If I move to fast I get a sharp pain in one side- movements just don't quite happen like they used to. I have also started getting leg cramps at night. So, that's fun.

Last week, my good friend and my neighbor both had their babies. It is pretty crazy. It just makes it that much more real for me. We have all been pregnant at the same time, but now they are not pregnant. They have newborns! That means, very soon I will too! Crazy!

The nursery is still not done- but major progress has been made. Bill finished the floors. We bought a rug, moved up the crib (and assembled it), moved in the rocker and the bins of clothing and whatnot. Bill tried to assemble our dresser/changing table, but we are freaking missing a part (one of the guide rails to a drawer). Bill called the manufacturer and they are sending out a new part, but that will take anywhere from 2-3 weeks. Lame. So the dresser isn't quite usable yet. We still need to reattach the closet door and I need to touch up the trim (where is got floor stain on it) and paint the inner part of the door. We also want to attach quarter rounds to the trim to cover the gap between the floor and the trim (from where the carpet was). We will see when we get it that. It definitely feels more like a nursery now. It is not finished, but is much closer than it was... And may I say, it is very nice to no longer have a crib in the dining room, clothes in the living room, and toys/gear in the kitchen. So very nice.

Next weekend we are having a shower/bbq at our house. Here's hoping the weather is decent! Most of our free time lately has been dedicated to getting ready for Judah and getting ready to host a party. Just like the nursery, there has been serious progress but we still have quite a ways to go!

Oh, our porch restoration project is almost finished. Our contractor anticipates Tuesday being the last day. Next up, getting the exterior painted!

32 Weeks

2011-04-21T15:54:00.000-07:00

We had our 32 week appointment today. Everything went well. A boring pregnancy is a good pregnancy, right? We now have appointments every 2 weeks.

My cravings have switched from Mexican to Pizza. Mmmm, pizza.

The legendary pregnancy brain is definitely going strong. I can't seem to keep track of everything, and feel like a bit of a space cadet. Ah, well. Post-its are a godsend, if it wasn't for them I really wouldn't keep track of anything! The lack of continuity in this post is a good example of pregnancy brain operating at its finest.

Judah has been kicking me a lot in the ribs lately. I can feel him move around (like switching positions) as opposed to just punches and kicks,.

I'm still getting over my cold from last week. It is fading, but I'm still really congested. And, of course, I'm tired. But that is a constant, so I don't know how much I can blame that on the cold.

Ummm, what else? Work has started on our front porch. It is pretty crazy to come home after work and see what is new out there (or what is missing- like all the columns at the moment). Our contractor's estimate is the work should take about 2 weeks.

Bill is still working on sanding the floor in Judah's room. He was feeling pretty discouraged this weekend while working on it. I think he kind of hit a wall, but that has past. Now he is back to feeling pretty pumped about the project. He just has a bit more sanding to do (he is actually working on it right now). Then we are going to check out EcoHaus to find non toxic stain and finish. Then.... the floors will be done! Yay! I will have to do some touch up painting on the trim where the sander has scraped off spots... oh, and I still haven't painted the closet or the inner bit of the door frame (b/c the door needs to be removed for me to have access it).

It is pretty crazy that Judah could be here as soon as 5 weeks... Or as long as 10 weeks. I'm really not trying to focus on the due date, since something like only 3% of babies actually arrive on their due date. I'm thinking more of the due range. Here's hoping he won't be on either side of the range. If he is here in 5 weeks, I won't quite have report cards done and my mom won't be here yet, if he waits until 10 then my mom will only get to be here for a few days before she has to head back down to Oregon.

And... here are some pictures of me and the pups enjoying the fact that is is not raining! Goooo Spring!

My Baby Shower

2011-04-17T11:27:00.000-07:00

... happened 2 weeks ago, but I'm just now getting around to blogging about it.

This was from the baby shower- I am now at 31 weeks and even larger.

I feel like our lives have been pretty busy lately. Most nights we have something going after work- be it our bowling league, birth class, appointments with the midwives, getting together with friends, or just having to stay at work late for meetings... Weekends seem to be similarly busy. Our weekends are pretty much booked up until almost baby time. This weekend we had been planning a getaway to Ocean Shores, WA with friends, but we had to postpone it because there was the chance Bill was going to have to work Saturday. He didn't end up having to work, but I'm definitely glad it got pushed back because my kiddos at work gave me a nasty cold. After I finish writing this post, it is back to bed for a nap. Even though I have sooo many things I need to do. Oh well, getting healthy comes first.

We ended up having out last birth class on Saturday morning. They have normally been on Wednesday evenings, but we had to cancel a week or two because our instructor is also a doula and she needed to go deliver some babies. So... we help our last class yesterday since it worked with everyones schedule. The class was nice. We definitely learned a lot and the classes we always very engaging. Our last class focused on the newborn. It is funny we have spent so much time preparing for the birth, but really haven't done anything about learning what to do once Judah is actually here. Of course, the material things are being taken care of- but the how to stuff is still kind of mystifying. I'm really happy that Bill will be able to have some paternity leave and be home with me. I'm also glad my mom will be able to be up here to help for at least part of the time.

Anyway- the shower:
My guess is there were somewhere between 30-40 women there (plus some kids). It was nice getting to visit with everyone. It was a definite mix of people- some girls that I had grown up with, some from college, some from post college, my mom's friends, my mother-in-laws friends, and... my dad. That's right. He was there too. He wasn't planning on it, he was just going to drop my off, but then he decided to stay to chat with some people. And... then he just never left.

We had really super yummy cupcakes from Sweet Cakes to Go. We had the mini cupcakes in four flavors: Oreo Black Bottom, Red Velvet, Boston Cream Pie, and Vanilla Bean. I (ahem) sampled them all and can attest for their tastiness. I definitely recommend them. There are about ten thousand flavors to choose from- it was very difficult to narrow them down to just four. Sadly, I don't have any photos to show you of them, but trust me, they were cute.

The other food to nosh on was a mix of fruits, veggies, crackers, and cheeses. Simple, but tasty. My sisters-in-law prepared Blue Hawaiian; there was also wine and some non-alcoholic drinks for me, my other pregnant friends (2 in attendance), and the kiddos.

The atmosphere was very casual and relaxed. People had fun crafting onesies. Which I swear I will eventually write a post all about. There was lots of good conversation and more than enough good things to eat.

A big thanks to my mother-in-law and mom for putting it all together!

I had lots of little helpers to bring me presents and haul away wrapping paper. Sometimes they got a bit overzealous and just opened the presents themselves. :)

My crafty friend Joy made me the button J. I had posted a link to it on her FB not two days before the shower. Girl is on it (she also took over gift recording and organizing duty- Thanks Joy!).

This gives you an idea of the amount of people... except there was actually way more than this because there is another level behind this with a bunch of people...

Our sons are going to be BFFs, whether they like it or not.

Me with my Mother-in-law and sisters-in-law.

Me and my mom

And now with my dad as well. Isn't it funny how at this angle you can't really tell that there is this huge protrusion in the belly area? It just kinda looks like I am doing ballerina hands.

Bill and I went through the piles and piles of gifts yesterday in an attempt to become organized (and get our kitchen back- which is where we had been storing everything). It is just amazing how much stuff this little guy has and he isn't even born yet! I know I've said it before, but I will say it again: I cannot wait for the floors in the nursery to be finished (side eye to Bill) so I can put all of his stuff in his room! And get the gd crib out of the dining room.

Now I need to get Thank-You cards out. But... first I have to make them. Which requires me to not have a cold. Hopefully, I can get the cards made by doing a bit of work on them each evening this week. So, if you came to the shower- know that you will get a thank-you card. You will. I'm just not sure when.

Nap Time

2011-04-10T17:00:00.000-07:00

Like now. I am sleepy. I had plans to write posts today. But I am far too tired to actually write the ones I had planned out in my head. So, instead, this is what you get:

Suffice to say that last weekend I had my first baby-shower down in Oregon. It went really well. There was booze and there was not baby shower games. Success! There was lots of onesie decorating. I will post photos of the shower and the oneseis once I get them on my computer along with how-to directions for the onesies.

Also, had an ultrasound with the midwives this week. Judah is right on track size-wise. He is in the 50% range for size. Perfection. Alas, they didn't give us a cd this time, just a couple printed out photos. We didn't really get any clear face shots anyway, because he had both hands, feet, and his umbilical cord all up by his face. However, we did see hair on the ultrasound. Pretty crazy, I wasn't really expecting that to show up. I'm guessing he is going to have quite a head full of hair when he pops out.

Another update: we decided to get a doula after all.

And... here is a something pretty to look at.

Sorry, I didn't mark down the source.

29 Weeks

2011-03-30T09:42:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm now at 29 weeks and, according to The Bump, Judah is the size of a squash.

Actually, Judah might be bigger than that. The midwives tell me that I'm measuring big. At my appointment last week, I was at 28 weeks but measuring 31. Therefore, next week we have another ultrasound to check his size. Here's hoping the little guy isn't too big, because if he ends up being a gigant-o baby, then I can't deliver at the Birthing Inn! Sigh. Come on, little buddy, don't put on the tons of adorable baby fat until you are out of the womb. Please?

Even though the reason I'm getting a third ultrasound isn't super awesome, I'm still really excited to get one. It is just so cool to see him in there and watch him move around. I hope they give us a dvd of it again.

Some good pregnancy news- No gestational diabetes! Yay! I had my second glucose tolerance test last week. Usually, you only take one test (just week 28), but I had to take two (one at 20 and then again at 28). My asthma medication put me at a higher risk of developing gestational diabetes, so they wanted to test me twice. I'm happy that I don't have it... if I did, I couldn't deliver at the Birthing Inn. So, I'm clear on that front. Now Judah just has to say fetus sized and not 3 month old baby sized and I'm really in the clear. Well, that and I have to deliver between weeks 37-42.

Having work off this week (Spring Break) is just getting me that much more excited to start my maternity leave. It it so nice to be home and getting things done around here. Plus, I am able to work as my energy level allows- which is not-so-much true about teaching. It is nice to still have energy in the evening, as opposed to being completely and utterly drained and not being able to do anything but chill on the couch.

Awesome pregnancy symptom of the week: Stretch marks! So awesome! Yay! Every little girl's dream come true! They are all over my belly. There are a few starting to crop up on my hips. And, inexplicably, one little one on my arm. Wtf, stretch marks? Of course, if puberty taught me anything, it is that my skin is not so elastic. I shouldn't have been surprised to see these angry red tears appear, but, still, I had hoped maybe they wouldn't. And, damn, are they visible on my (porcelain- if you're feeling nice, pasty- if you're not) skin. Oh well, it is all part of the process.

P.S. If you are confused about the 3 year on the photo- it is written over one of our wedding pictures... which happened (duh) 3 years ago.

3 Years Ago...

2011-03-29T15:27:00.000-07:00

I married my best friend.

It's been a great three years and I look forward to many, many, many more to come.

Fabric Fun

2011-03-29T15:18:00.000-07:00

I spent far too much time (and money) at Joanne's today picking out fabrics to decorate onesies. My first baby shower is down in Oregon this weekend and my mom (who is throwing it along with my MIL) estimates that there will be about 40 people there. That's a lot of people, right? So, I feel totally validated in my buying of a lot of fabrics, right? Of course, not everyone will decorate (or if your feeling fancy- appliqué) a onesie and others will make multiples. Annnnd... this is just shower number one. I will have another one here in Tacoma in May- that one will be a casual co-ed bbq type thing, but decorating onesies will still be available for all! I'll also have a shower at work- which brings the grand total of showers for me (and Judah) to three. Yowza. That is a lot. Of course, the work one will not have onesie decorating- just fruit, cake, and presents. I cannot even imagine what we are going to do with all the stuff we are bound to get, let alone, where we are going to store it all until the nursery is ready (which better be before shower numero dos!).

Can you tell I have a thing for blues and greens?

I bought nearly 30 different fabrics. Overkill, no? I'm thinking maybe with the leftover bits (because there are bound to be some) I could maybe make a patchwork blanket or pillow for Judah. I got a quarter yard of each fabric, so there will be lots of options for all the designers-to-be at the shower(s).

If Judah was not a Judah but a Lilly, I think there would be twice as many fabrics in the pile. There were sooo many cute girly fabrics. I love me some florals and there were tons of cheery graphic florals.

After Joanne's I hit up Costco. Now I am home. And tired. All that shopping really drained the energy supply. I would like to take a nap... buuut I have to pick up Bill from work in an hour. So that won't work. This morning I envisioned getting back from running errands and then starting in on housework. However, it doesn't so much look like that is going to happen. Oh well.

Accomplished: Stair Treads!

2011-03-28T16:15:00.000-07:00

I am happy to report I have been able to check off a few things from my to-do list.

Today I:

did the dishes
am doing the laundry
cleaned off the desk in the guest room
and attached the stair treads

And I still plan on:

taking a nap
making dinner

Oh, yeah.

Also, floors and bathrooms are clean. I can't take credit for this one. It all goes to our lovely and eco-friendly house-cleaners, Brilliant Cleaning.

Here are the stairs before:

And after:

We bought the stair treads on ebay from this guy. We bought the adhesive from Home Depot... or maybe Lowe's. I'm actually not sure, because Bill picked it up when he brought all the nasty old carpet from the nursery to the dump. Anyway, we used Rhino Grip, which is VOC free, so I was able to tackle the job of applying it.

We have been meaning to get stair treads (or a runner) pretty much since we moved in (2 years ago this May). Wood stairs are a bit treacherous. Within a week or two of moving in I definitely slipped going down them and sprained my ankle. Lesson learned: no socks on wood stairs! And poor Ralph- he falls down the stairs about once a month. He is not the most agile beast, and sometimes his giant paws just don't find purchase. He had a tough time learning how to go up and down the stairs when we first got him. It was pretty hilarious to watch him try to figure out when to move which paw where. But, the stair treads should now eliminate any future falls for the big guy. And, with the baby coming we figured the time was now to get this job done.

Here's Ralph demonstrating going up the stairs (and Gert already at the top):

And going down (the trickier of the two for him):

To Do

2011-03-27T14:48:00.000-07:00

Things I'm going to get done over spring break:

Laundry (easy)
Clean out desk (hopefully get menfolk to move desks around)
Clean off dining table
Clean off kitchen table #1
Clean off kitchen table #2
Move board games to book shelf/display case thing
Adhere stair treads to stairs
Clean off coffee table
Clean off side table in foyer
Go through the piled up mail (remember when you were little and it was sooo exciting to get an item of mail?)
Go through shoes (donate unwanted pairs to Goodwill)
Cook dinner- as opposed to having Bill cook. I've got no excuses since I'm not at work this week
And if (big IF here) it is dry out I will work on my sad neglected flower garden

Eh, that is probably more than enough. I'm sure I could make the list longer, but I will feel pretty damned accomplished if I get to check all these bad boys off the list.

Good news- the sanders we already have seem to be doing the trick on the floor in the nursery. We might need to rent an edger though, since it is hard (impossible?) to get in those corners and right flush next to the trim. When the sanding is done we are gonna need to do some mad wiping down in there. There is dust coating the walls and trim- my nice new paint job now looks super dingy and gross. Luckily, it will come right off with no problems. But, man, is it everywhere! The new light fixture looks like it has been in place for half a century with the amount of dust coating it.

I sure hope we can find a stain/finish that will match the finish in the hall. I know you can get paint samples- can you get stain samples?

Here a pretty picture to finish up the post:

Here

Oh, would you look at that- it's blue! Shocking, I know.

Pretty Blue Things

2011-03-26T13:13:00.000-07:00

It's spring break, y'all! Wah-hoo! I am so happy to have a week off to decompress and rest. It is going to be a pretty low key week. I'm going down to Oregon at the end of the week for my baby shower, but other than that I will just be doing stuff around the house (like napping). Hopefully, I will also be doing things like de-cluttering and cleaning off the desk in the guest room so we can do some desk swapping. The one that is currently taking up space in the foyer will go to the guest room, that one will then go to Bill's office, and the one in there is actually a folding table that will go... uhh, somewhere. We have a pretty decent amount of storage space for an old house, but it is not used effectively. Maybe I will get at least a few of the storage spaces organized. Maybe.

Did I mention I'm going to nap? Because I sooo am.

Right now Bill is getting ready to test our sanders on the floor of the nursery. We have a couple of smaller models that we hope will be sufficient, but if not then we will need to rent a larger model.

While he is doing that I will share with you some pretty blue pictures.

All of the above images I found on this blog.

And those two are from here.

Go here.

Here.

And I don't remember where this one is from. Oops.

Ahhh, pretty things...

Bring It, Third Trimester!

2011-03-19T23:08:00.000-07:00

Judah's due date was three months from Friday. Cray-Zee. It seems books and websites cannot agree on when exactly the 3rd trimester starts, but I say 3 months until the due date seems like a fair beginning. So with that, I am declaring myself to be in my 3d trimester!

I certainly am feeling pregnant these days. My belly seems huge and has started getting in the way of things... like bending over. When I eat, I inevitably spill things on it because I have to lean back while eating. I also noticed I have started making little noises (dare I call them grunts?) when I have to get up from sitting or in/out of a car. Awesome, right?

It is hard to believe that Judah will be here in about 3 months. Bill said that he hopes he comes a little early, but bets that he will be super late (Gee... thanks, Bill.). I'm also hoping he comes a bit early. You have to be at 37 weeks to deliver at the Birthing Inn, so anytime after that would be great. My maternity leave starts May 26th (that would be 2 months and 1 week from today, not that I am counting or anything...). I will need to get my report cards all squared away for the end of the year and after that I am ready. Game on, Judah! I just hope the nursery will be ready before he is (hint, hint, Bill).

I realize that I do not have the best follow through. So here are some updates on previous posts:

We decided not to hire a personal doula since we will get one at the Birthing Inn anyway.
Natural Childbirth Class is going well. It is actually super small- only us and one other couple, who are also due in June and plan on going to the Birthing Inn.
We had two contractors come out the house to look at the porch so far- another one is coming tomorrow.
My itouch is still not freaking uploading photos to my computer. Which pisses me off.
I mentioned at one point that we got carpet treads. I did not lie. We have them... And they are sitting in a pile on a chair in the foyer until we get carpet tape to adhere them to the stairs.
I finally did the last coat of white paint on the trim (well, except for in the closet, because we ran out of frog tape and the inner part of the doorway to the hall, because the door has to be removed for me to do that). Bill is now up on project nursery with the task of refinishing the floor.
I still craze Mexican food and still miss sushi. I also cannot get enough donuts.
Also, I have not puked again (yay!) but I did have to leave work early last week because I felt lightheaded (Not cool, but once home I just laid down took it easy- and a nap- and when I got up that evening everything was kosher.).
Ummm... I think that is it. But I could be totally wrong. Baby brain is a bitch.

Oh, and here is a picture of my cute dogs (and me). Ralph has been totally needy lately. Not sure why. Maybe he knows that baby is on the way and the percentage of my time that is dedicated to him will take a drastic hit. He is getting in all the loving he can now. And Gert? Well, she is still a monster (a poop eating monster at that. So gross.).

Porch Restoration- a starting point

2011-03-13T13:48:00.000-07:00

We joined Angie's List today. Thanks to their pretty much constant adds on NPR we decided to give them a shot. It is time for us to get serious about hiring contractors to do work on the house. We have felt so lost on where to start and how to find a good contractor, which is where Angie's List comes in. Here is their description for what they are:

Angie's List is where you'll find thousands of unbiased reports and reviews about service companies in your area. Our members share their experiences with each other so that you can choose the service company that's right for your job the first time around.

Whenever you need a plumber, roofer, dentist, electrician, auto mechanic, physician, dermatologist, landscaper (or anyone from our 500+ categories), search Angie's List online, by phone or via fax.

You'll receive ratings and reviews of local professionals who've done work for other members in your area, plus important details about the type of work they've done, prices, professionalism and timeliness.

Once your choice is made, circle back with Angie's List to share your feedback. Your input on any service or health provider will become part of their rating on Angie's List

So, we joined. You have to pay a membership fee, but it is nothing crazy. We payed for the year membership and they had a special going that you saved 20% is payed with paypal, which meant our total for the year was $31. Not a bad price as long as you make good use of their services. I think it will be a good first step for us in taking care of some of the restoration work around the house.

The project we are looking into is having our front deck restored to it's original condition. That involves work on about half of our columns, replacing some floor boards, and some of the railing either needs to be repaired or replaced. Also, the cement steps leading up to the porch need some work, one of the side supports is at an angle and the other side's corner has crumbled a bit. Oh, and I think to be up to code there should be a railing on at least one side of the steps. Ah, and one more thing that I just remembered. The overhead light needs to be redone since it is currently tube and knob wiring.

Humph, I took some (grainy) photos with my itouch of the porch, but for unknown reasons it is having issues uploading the photos onto my computer. I guess you will just have to imagine what out of alignment columns look like, as well, as rotting floor boards.

I researched contractors this morning and was somewhat pleasantly surprised by the member reviews. In the reviews the members give a description of the work and the approximate cost. More often than not the costs were lower than what I would anticipate for the work done. I know that now is a good time to get work done on your house, since the recessions has really affected contractors and they need to be very competitive in their pricing. I'm hoping that we will have the companies come out over spring break to put in their bids and we will find one that is just right.

The porch project is just one thing in a very long list. After the porch is done, we plan on looking into getting the exterior of the house painted; we are hoping to tack onto that job getting our living room painted. Normally we would like to do interior painting on our own, but some of the lathe and plaster needs to be repaired and there is some water damage that also needs to fixed- all of which puts painting the living room above our expertise level. We are hoping we can get the house painted this summer...

We also need a dormer window replaced. Our fencing needs to be extended and the gates need to replaced. The garage needs works- specifically a new roof, but there is a ton of other things that could be done too- like some siding needs to be replaced and it would be nice to have electricity out there. I could go on and on and on and on about all the things we need done (but who couldn't, right?).

For now, we are focusing on the front porch. Hopefully, before too long I will be able share with you our beautifully restored porch!

I'm happy to report that our crocuses are up! The poor little guys have had quite the beat down by the heavy rains the last few days, but they are looking pretty cheery when it is a bit drier. The daffodils are almost ready to bloom and there are tons of tulips just starting to get their leaves out. We planted a lot last fall, so I am excited to see what all took.

I'm still feeling pretty blah today. I haven't throw up (winning!), but I have had a few waves of nausea. I'm at least being semi-productive- what with contacting contractors and doing laundry. But... mostly I'm hanging out on the couch watch the BBC series Monarch of the Glen on Netflix Watch Instantly. Honestly, I'm not really being sucked into the story or the characters, but the setting... oh, the setting... It takes place in the Scottish Highlands in the fictional town of Glenbogle. It is filmed a the Ardverikie Estate which is actually in the Scottish Highlands and. It. Is. Gorgeous. I want to go to there.

Barf

2011-03-12T19:21:00.000-08:00

As in what I did today. Very. Lame. So, if you are not into reading about puke and gross pregnant lady stuff, I would suggest you stop reading now.

Before today I hadn't thrown up in at least 2 months. I thought I was done with all that. After all, barfing is suppose to go along with your first trimester and I am just two weeks shy of being in my third trimester. But, nooooo. At first, I felt kinda off, then I felt kinda nauseous, then I felt REALLY nauseous, then I ran to the bathroom and yelled at the porcelain. There went all my breakfast. I was sad to see it go. Bonus, because the whole baby business presses on your bladder I also peed while puking. Never mind the fact that I have been Kegel-ing like crazy. All in all, a really great way to get my day going.

I still felt pretty blah after that, so I have had done little to zero today. I napped. I played Angry Birds. I read. I pet the dogs. I watched the crazy online footage of the tsunami and earthquake in Japan. Umm, I think that pretty much covers it. Oh, and I pooped. Because that is what pregnant women do. Although, as of yet, I am very happy to announce that I have NOT gotten any hemorrhoids. I know that the vast majority of pregnant ladies get them, either while preggo or during labor. So far I am in clear, and here is hoping it stays that way. At least until labor. I think I could deal with them a bit better then, because at that time everything hurts, so a hemorrhoid would just be part of the general pain and unpleasantness down there... but, if you got them while pregnant it would be the only thing hurting down there. I'll take the barfing over the 'rhoid, I guess.

Pretty awesome day, huh?

Also, I've noticed the simple things are starting to get a bit more difficult. Like getting out of low slung chairs, or rearranging my position on the couch or being in any one position for an extended period of time, And, of course, these things are just going to get harder to do. I suppose that is why the third trimester is the weary one (from the saying that the trimesters are dreary, cheery, and weary). Another thing I have going on pretty much constantly is indigestion. Which is something I had never experienced before being pregnant. Oh, and I can't wear earrings. I talked to my midwives about it and it has to do with all the hormones that go along with pregnancy. They can do funny things to the skin, but hopefully the sensitivity will go away after I give birth. I am glad that my wedding band and nose ring are not irritating my skin though. I guess titanium and platinum get the thumbs up of approval from my pregnancy hormones.

Wiggle and a Wobble

2011-03-07T19:14:00.000-08:00

This weekend marks the first time Bill got to feel Judah move. He probably would have been able to feel it for at least all of last week, but the times Judah is awake and moving hadn't been very convenient for Bill to feel it- like in the middle of the night or right when I wake up in the morning. He is usually also up and about on my morning walk to school. I'm so busy during the day at work I'm not really sure if he is moving and I'm just too preoccupied to notice or if he just kind of snoozes all day. I know he is up more on the weekends (or at least I feel it more), but I think he is moving more because I am usually moving less and relaxing- and taking glorious naps.

Anywho, the real news is Bill feeling it. It took a couple of kicks before Bill could tell that it was what it was. The movement still feels pretty subtle, thanks to my placenta being in the front of my uterus and therefore muffling some movement.
I'm trying to do my daily exercises to prepare for labor (given to us by our natural birth teacher). I usually manage to do at least some of each exercise, but don't manage to complete them all, since you are suppose to do them throughout the day and usually just do them at night before bed.

We look forward to Judah's movement getting stronger and easier to feel.

A Not Lame Shower Idea- Decorating Onesies

2011-03-05T18:51:00.000-08:00

Two weekends ago I went down to Oregon for my good friend's baby shower. She is also having a boy. She's due just a mere 6 weeks before I am. We are both very excited for the serendipitous timing. Our boys are gonna grow up as forced bffs. At the very least they will have a cousin like friendship. They really don't get a choice in the matter. They will love each other, because we say so, dammit! I ~~think~~ know Katy was more emotional than I was when I found out that I was having a boy. I was excited and all, don't get me wrong, but good ole Kates was in tears. hehe

Anyway, at her shower we decorated onesies. And it was super cute. Not cheesy. Seriously, cute. I promise. Her sister-in-law (who is super crafty) executed the whole operation. There was a large supply of onesies in different colors and sizes (some long sleeve, some short, some patterned, some plain, you get the gist). There was also a lot of cute fabric squares and decal templates (as in pictures printed out of the interwebs with a strong outline- think peace signs, animals, stars, et certera). After you picked out your fabric and your design template you pin them together along with fabric interfacing. Then, cut them all out, and boom, you have your decal. Next, iron it on to the onesies. And, there you have it. Cute, individualized, onesies.

I didn't bring my camera (because, I am a loser like that... well, actually it is because I dropped my point and shoot into a lake this summer and hate to lug around my big slr camera. I really need to get a little point and shoot... would it be wrong to add that to my baby registry? Me thinks, not.). Anywho, here are some photos other people took and I have stolen.

Here I am, crafting away.

Ames, free-styling her cutouts.

Some other guests, working hard on creating cuteness.

See how cute?

A handful of onesies on display.

I'm totally stealing the idea for my upcoming shower. I would like to add t-shirts to the mix as well. We plan on doing cloth diapers from bum genius, which are pretty darn cute all on their own. It would be a pretty sweet baby outfit to have the colorful cloth diaper topped with a homemade t-shirt. I've registered for a bunch of baby legs, which would really just take the outfit to a whole other level. Bonus? Easiest outfit to change a diaper in (at least, I think it should be, but what do I know?).

Here are some links to similar onesies decorating... They didn't do exactly the same thing as we did, but pretty close. Check it out: here, here, and here.

25 Weeks

2011-03-02T17:40:00.000-08:00

Here I am at 25 weeks. Somehow I've started to get really quite big. And, of course, this is nothing to what it will be in another 3 months. It is starting to get a bit tougher to get up and down (I sit on the floor a lot for my job). I need to kind of give myself a boost, as opposed to just popping right up.

We had an appointment with the midwives last week. Everything is going fine and dandy. So far it has been a nice boring pregnancy, and I'm hoping it stays that way!

Exciting news from the midwives: we get another ultrasound! Yay! We will have it at week 30. My next appointment is my last monthly appointment (at week 28), then I go to every 2 weeks, then during the last month it is an appointment every week. Luckily, we have been able to schedule our appointments pretty late in the day so neither of us has to take work off (or at least not a lot of work off).

Tonight, we start our natural birthing class. The woman teaching it is actually an assistant/doula at the Birthing Inn, so there is always the off chance that she could wind up as the assistant at our birth. That would be pretty cosmic...

Well, here is hoping the class is interesting and fast paced (it will need to be to keep me awake in the evening after a full day of work). Also, I'm hoping the other couples are cool (but, I mean, duh, right? Who hopes for lame classmates?).

Ok. Time to get the dogs in, coats on, and out the door. Wish us luck!