Merry Christmas!

We celebrated your first Christmas last weekend...  Merry Christmas little love!

Your dad made us a delicious Indian dinner for Christmas eve.. but it might have been a bit spicy for you!  We thought it was the perfect time to offer you your first spoonfuls of a food other than milk, pureed butternut squash.  We think you liked it!  

You've Got the Wiggles!

Oh my goodness... you're actually four months and two weeks or so.  Just about five months old.  It's so cliche but time is really flying!  And you are changing every freakin' day.  Just the last couple of weeks you're so very eager to be sitting on your own.  Dad or I prop you up on our knee while sitting on the floor and you start bouncing around, wiggling and kicking off the ground like a cowboy on a bunking bronco... but you're in charge of all the movement!  I can also prop you up on the floor sitting by yourself and just keep my hands on your hips and watch you bob around and explore the sensation of sitting on your own.  You are so eager to get going and direct your own movement that I think it's leading to great frustration on your part.  I'm guessing that's why you've developed a constant grunting sound and a new high-pitched scream of sorts.  You are very clearly trying to express your displeasure!  But while you sometimes seem very frustrated, you also have moments of extreme giggles and silliness.  It is wonderful!  It's really one extreme or another these days.

Sleeping is crazy right now.  You are all over the board.  We used to have a bit of a schedule before Thanksgiving but now we're just kind of going with the flow.  You wake up at 5, 7, 9 a.m. and you're ready for your first nap usually an hour later.  I'm wondering if this is the consolidation of a first nap starting.  I need to reread some books on sleep that I've got on the kindle but seems like there's not time at all to read a book!  And of course when you (occasionally) take a nap on me in the rocking chair, the kindle is no where within reach.  Of course!  You are going through a squirmy phase again.  While you're taking about one nap a day in your crib, you're still sleeping at night with us in bed.  It is (mostly) so wonderful to go to sleep with your sweet breathing next to me and wake up to your peaceful face so close.  But in these squirmy phases I'm not sure who is keeping whom awake more but neither one of us is getting a whole lot of high-quality sleep.

Raspberries!  You are still all about throwing the spit.  You've developed a new method with your lower lip out pretty far and the spit flies upwards.  So... when you're sleeping next to me and you give this a go, I end up with a wet neck and chin!  It's definitely included in your expressive repertoire.  Grunt, grunt, grunt, raspberry, scream.  Well then little lady!

Four Months and Firsts

It seems like you've got the "firsts" rolling in steady now.  Today while I was rocking you to sleep you reached up and grabbed my chin.  Then you tried to pick my nose but it was so touching.  You must have been reading my mind because in one of our recent marathon rocking-to-sleep sessions, I fantasized about asking you to scratch my cheek where a piece of hair had fallen loose and was swaying back and forth tickling me.  These are the things I think about these days.  :)  You've also started some pretty determined grabbing with your feet.  You've gotten a pretty good grip on a forearm between your two little feet.. maybe in protest to actions taken on your changing table.  You're quite strong!

Oh, the talking!  I should say, "talking."  You will chatter on and on to us in very serious tones.  Oh how we wish we knew what you were trying to express exactly!  Frequently while nursing you stop, look up at me, and begin telling me a story or about your day or your plans for the weekend.  You've also been waking up earlier and while laying between us in bed, at 6 or 6:30 in the morning, your soliloquy begins.  It is truly a beautiful thing and we love the sound of your voice.  Well, in all honesty, we love just about everything about you.

You also rolled over today!  That was not exactly a first but a second.  The first time I saw you roll over was in Sacramento at Grandma Christine and Grandpa Terry's house.  You were on your tummy one minute and on your back the next.  I almost missed it!  But today you did the same in physical therapy and dad got to see you.  We all applauded your accomplishment and dad was particularly excited for you.  You looked a little confused!

While you have no teeth as of yet, it seems you might have started the process of working those little pearly whites up and out of your gums.  Anyone whose hand has come within striking distance of your mouth has experienced your newfound dexterity.  You are getting very good at grabbing and pulling things to your mouth!  And then you chomp down on a finger, wrist, knuckle, whatever.  Nom nom nom.  Actually, it's been really hard for all of us I think.  You seem pretty uncomfortable and unhappy on a regular basis these days.  It seems to come and go but just to make sure, we're heading in to see your doctor on Monday.  It will be your official four month appointment and of course more shots.  Ugh.  Never fun for anyone but hopefully you'll feel better quickly.

Another first was our flight to Sacramento and staying in a hotel.  You did AMAZING!  The flight was only one hour and twenty minutes or so.  Perfect for a first trip.  We had quite a day of traveling... bus to train to plane to car.  And you just rolled with it!  We are such lucky parents....  on the flight back you even let me rock you to sleep in the aisle.  I think dad and I did a good job of keeping things simple which is something we strive for.  But that was in part thanks to Grandma and Grandpa buying a carseat to use in their car when they picked us up at the airport and drove us around a bit.  Carseats are a tricky thing... no more just grabbing a cab to get home!

While in Sacramento we got to visit with friends and had some nice time with family members... some you  hadn't met yet!  My good friend Robin came with her daughter Rachel from San Francisco on the train and we had a nice lunch together.  Robin was a bridesmaid in my wedding and was so very eager to meet you!  My good friend Jessica recently had a son, Nathan, who also joined us for lunch.  Jessica and I went to high school together and she's one of my oldest friends.  It was such a nice time, visiting with friends and introducing you.

Thanksgiving was wonderful... you took several naps on Grandma and Grandpas bed including for the first part of Thanksgiving dinner.  Thanks sweetie!  I'm glad you didn't sleep through the whole thing but your well-timed nap allowed dad and I a little hands-free stuffing, er, eating of stuffing, and visiting.  Let's see... my step-sister Karen and her husband Jeff, my cousin Susan and her husband Matthieu and their son Leon.  Leon was a little old and you a little too young to be interested in playing with each other but maybe next year you'll be able to entertain each other a bit!  My cousin Brenda enjoyed meeting you and holding you.  She brought you some adorable little holiday socks!  Matthieu cooked a goose for dinner and we had ham as well.  Everyone wanted a turn holding you and you obliged.  It is fun to imagine what you will be next year at this time...

Baby Giggles

This doesn't do your it justice but this was my attempt to capture our horsing around and your beautiful giggle!

Three Months Old!

Well, little Violet, you don't feel so little any more!  You have a very solid feel to you now...  so it's just slightly less terrifying to carry and move you around.  I think there must be a name for the phenomenon that is the feeling you've doubled in weight when you're asleep in our arms.  But it is such an amazing feeling.  You'll never get a complaint out of us!  Ah, the first paragraph and we're already talking about sleep.  It's still pretty darn good in this house.  You still sleep with us and besides the occasional night during which you squirm and flail for a good portion of the wee morning hours, we are feeling rested.  My OBGYN had a warning that I think has been proven correct...  while pregnant I woke up at 1:30 a.m. frequently and sometimes had trouble sleeping for a few hours after that.  That was occasionally my time for a little snack!  She predicted that time might just be your waking hours and she was right.  You probably started waking me up around that time months before you were born!

So, these last few weeks I've been making more of an effort to identify your sleepy times and get you down for a nap.  It's working!  Today was a big leap in my view.  We had your usual 9:30 nap.  You slept in your carrier for awhile when we ran errand around 12:00 p.m.  AND I laid down with you for an afternoon nap!  That one is the tough one but you slept for about an hour and a half.  And now, I set you in your swing and you're out again.  It's around the earlier bedtime I was going to start trying for but you did it all on your own.  That swing is usually only good for about 10 minutes of entertainment but you're out.  That's my well-rested little girl!!

Your amazing development continues.  You are so into your hands right now!  You look at them and watch them explore whatever's within reach.  We love to lean over you so you can touch our faces or hold up our hands and you put yours against it.  I wonder if you can actually identify them as the same thing... just one much bigger!  You hold onto your rattle now and like to "pet" your softie.  I think that's what they're called.  We got several of these wonderful little blanket toys that also have a head.  What a strange description!  The one you seem to like the best right now is white and rattles.  It is super soft.  It was a gift to me from one of my 1st grade students when I told them I was pregnant.  I love thinking about those kids and imagining you at that age when you play with it.

Two Months Old!

We went to the pediatrician yesterday for your two month visit.  You have grown!  You're 12 lbs and 6 oz, in the 87th percentile and 22 inches long putting you in the 54th percentile.  Guess all that nursing is really doing something!  You also got your first shots... two of them.  We delayed a possible third to hopefully spare you some of the pain.  But boy, you did let us know about the pain.  I think it might be true that it's harder on the parents than on baby.. but of course I don't know that for sure.  It's so very hard to hear you cry and see you so upset!  You clearly felt bad the rest of the day but by evening your smile and bright eyes had returned.  Just when I was feeling the worst about how bad you seemed to feel... there comes that gorgeous smile.  Thanks babe!  Anyways, the doctor said you looked great...  you're doing all the developmentally appropriate activities like looking at us and following us with your eyes, starting to hold your head up, cooing and making all manner of adorable sounds, etc.

In fact, let's talk about those adorable sounds.  Adorable!  Sitting and "chatting" with you is simply my favorite thing to do.  You coo, ooh, ahh, squeak and squeal at times.  The squeal can be quite loud!  That's your newest sound.  You actually respond to mom and dad as we respond to you.  I wish we could understand what you want by some of your sounds but this is just the first step.  I'm sure you'll be telling us all about it soon enough!

We went to a BBQ on Saturday.  One of your dad's coworkers was visiting from San Francisco and had a bunch of people he used to work with there...  several of them had kids too so there was a healthy contingent.  You charmed several people with your big beautiful smile and lots of cooing.  You were great!  After a bit it may have gotten too noisy or you just got tired of all the stimulation...  eventually you fell asleep again and we stayed just a little while longer.  But we met a nice couple with a baby boy just a week or so older than you.  Maybe we'll get to see them again.

You're also making a lot more noise in your sleep.  Yikes!  You're not keeping us up all night with nursing or crying...  you sleep with mom and dad and it's been great.  But wow... the new grunting and squirming that goes on all night might be trouble!  I change you and try to nurse you but it seems like you're basically asleep through the whole thing.  Not mom or dad though!

Well, two months has flown by.  We're already wishing we'd taken more pictures to capture how small you were!  You have such a shining and curious personality revealing itself... we're so excited to see what's next.

Six Weeks!

On Wednesday last week you turned six weeks old.  I simply can't believe how quickly those six weeks have passed!  Not that they've been a breeze, lemmetellya.  But our rewards for making it this far are great.  Your smile is number one!  Sometimes I know what makes you smile (your mobile above the changing table, seeing dad, knowing you're about to nurse) but many times it's not entirely obvious.  I'm looking forward to making you smile... on purpose!

Other things that are happening now...  you're looking at things a lot more.  Your mobile is always fascinating unless you're really melting down and even then sometimes you pause in crying while staring at one of the geometric designs, maybe crack a smile, and then go right back to wailing.  (It really doesn't do much for your complaint case, kid!)  When I take you out in the BabyBjorn I leave the back folded down so you can really look around.  And you REALLY look around!  Left, right, left, right, left right.  You seem totally into the world.  Of course, I love taking you on walks and last week we went to Volunteer Park a few times.  I can't wait until you can see the beautiful Koi in the ponds.  I say that because while you love to look around, that's usually only during the first 10-20 minutes of our walk.  After that you're sound asleep with your face planted into my chest.

Your neck is getting so strong!  You can hold your head up more steadily for longer and longer periods of time.  It is amazing to see you grow!  You are very determined it seems.  I'm predicting that will translate into early crawling and walking.  But maybe that's just your mom talking.  This is also exciting because mom and dad love to go out to eat.  While we've eaten over your head while holding you in the Bjorn, it will be so fun to take you to a restaurant and put you in a booster seat!  Once you can sit, that is.

I bought the next size up in your diapers!!  No longer a newborn!!  Oh my goodness...  amazing.

Sleep.  Should we talk about sleep?  It is the topic all parents like to obsess upon.  Only because it is so different than it used to be.  I say different because it's not as though we don't get any.  It's just very disturbed!  Your daytime naps are not much to speak of.  You nap here and there and on occasion one will last an hour or more. At night you sleep until about 1 or 2 a.m. and from that point on it's rough.  Lots of nursing, pooping, diaper changing and nursing again.  You usually get a little more sleep between 8 and 9 a.m.  I'm still working out how to get more sleep for myself.  But when morning comes on a particularly rough night it doesn't take long for your smile and other antics to make it seem like a distant memory.  It's not until an afternoon nap sounds good (although impossible!) that I realize how tired I am.  And then we start all over again!  But at this moment you're sleeping with dad.  I got out of bed to get a little breakfast and came back to find you tucked close to him and both of you snoozing peacefully.  Beautiful!

Yesterday we visited a friend Cecile and her little boy Isaac.  He had the same due date as you but decided he wasn't ready to come out until a week later.  So, technically, he's a week younger than you but that seems strange.  Anyways, he's a sweet boy.  Cecile is French so she speaks French to him all day.  It will probably be his first language.  I often wish we could give you a bilingual house to grow up in but it's just not in the parents you picked.  :)  I suppose that's just one of many things I'll wish we could give you as parents.  We'll do our very best but some things just won't be possible.  That seems like one of those really rough parts of being a parent.

So excited to see what the next week holds! 

Lake Crescent Photos

Here is a selection of photos from our recent trip to Lake Crescent and the Olympic Peninsula:

Such a great weekend...  perfect way to celebrate our first anniversary.  :)  

Lake Crescent Lodge

Our first visit to the Olympic Peninsula!  What a beautiful, incredible place it is. We arrived Saturday in the late afternoon and checked out our little cottage complete with front deck facing the lake. Here was our amazing view:

Sunday morning we made the drive out to Neah Bay at the very Northwest tip of the peninsula.  While there we visited the Makah Cultural and Research Museum which gave us a great sense of the rich history of the area.  That night we had a nice dinner at the Lodge and watched the sun set from the lakeside chairs:

Monday morning we got up and did a short hike that started from the lake and followed a creek to the incredible Marymere Falls (walking along running water to 90 feet of falling water... really ideal for a pregnant woman, lemmetellya).

Once we got back in the afternoon we relaxed for awhile before heading out for some canoeing on the lake.  Canoeing!  We paddled around for almost two hours and loved getting a glimpse of the area from the water.  By the time we were heading back, the wind had picked up quite a bit and the water got a bit choppy.  Baby got a bit of a jostle on the paddle in!

It was a really lovely weekend and we both can't wait to get back to the area and continue exploring... with the little one!

More pictures to come soon...

Movement and Sofas and "Did you really just say that out loud?"

My goodness... she's moving around a lot now.  And the funny thing is I'm feeling it in a totally new place.  I was feeling all the movement on the left or right side of my belly and now it's all down low.  Lots of twisting, turning, and kicking.  Matt's finally able to really easily feel the movement which I think is exciting for him.  From my point of view, it feels very, very strange!

I know they shift positions a lot but it makes me wonder if she previously had enough room to hang around sideways but now she's too big and shifted to more consistently be top to bottom.  I still have a belly button so maybe this new position will pop me out round a bit more like the other ladies in our childbirth education class that have a similar due date.  Well...  maybe the shape of my belly was one thing that inspired the off-handed comment I got at the farmer's market the other day.  A woman asked me when I was due but followed that up with, "And... it's more than one...?"  Ha!  One of my first "Did you really just say that out loud?" moments.  She backtracked pretty quickly!  But I wasn't offended.  She was a little wacky anyways and clearly didn't think before she opened her mouth.  Ha!

Well, today's the day.  I'm heading BACK to that furniture store and that poor sales woman.  I'm making a purchase!  No slipcover sofa for us... we just couldn't pick a style that we agreed was a good one.  So the winner is (with two cushions instead of three):

It will be upholstered in a charcoal grey, fade- and stain-resistant, 100% acrylic fabric.  We poured some water on the swatch and watched it roll around, never actually soaking into the fabric.  Perfect!  :)

Folklife Festival 2011

I mentioned in a previous post that we spent some time with Bob and Lisa on Saturday.  We stopped by the Folklife Festival at Seattle Center.  I don't have much to say about Folklife as we didn't spend much time exploring or really feel really inspired by much of what we did see.  But Matt did manage to capture the best shot I've seen in awhile:

She was making her way through the crowd chatting with folks and handing out her flyers.  Although it was sure to be entertaining, we all managed to find somewhere else to look, "Hey, what's that up in the sky there?" when she came by our table.  Probably a golden opportunity lost!

That Face

Well, here it is.  Me making that ridiculous photo face again.  But I guess that's not the first thing you'll notice.  Maybe the bulging middle?  Thanks to Matt for making the attempt to capture an image.  Shame on me for not being able to just smile and enjoy the moment.

This was on our walk over to the Volunteer Park Cafe through one of the most beautiful neighborhoods around. Unfortunately, the cafe isn't open on Mondays, whether or not it's a holiday.  That's okay... it was a nice walk nevertheless.

Oh, and check out this adorable Goldendoodle hanging out with us at Victrola, the coffee shop we finally settled at on 15th Street.  Yes, that would be a Golden Retriever and Standard Poodle.  Poor guy, couldn't they give him a new name instead of something so ridiculous?  The owner said she has the goofiness of a Golden Retriever and the smarts of a Standard Poodle.  I guess that could all be true but she was also a real sweet companion for a few minutes there.  

Weekend

We had a really pleasant and productive weekend.  Spent some time with Bob and Lisa on Saturday ... went to the furniture store on Sunday ... and painted our hearts out today.  The living room is finally painted!!  And it looks fantastic.  We also managed to get a few pics of me not making my horrible "photo face" on a walk around the neighborhood today.  Those will be posted tomorrow!  

Week 30

Whoa!  That really snuck up on me.  I'm 30 weeks pregnant... so I guess technically I'm starting my 31st week now but whatever.  It means I'm definitely limited in some movement (lots of giraffe like splayed legs while trying to do any bending) and rolling over in bed is getting more complicated.

I saw my OBGYN today and everything looks good.  When I first got to the office we had to get the dreaded weight measure out of the way.  Wait, whoa!  I lost a couple pounds from the last appointment a month ago.  Nothing wrong with that but boy, was I surprised.  Especially when I've bought larger pants in the meantime.  Well, I also made an appointment for the afternoon with a general doctor.  When I got there I was almost looking forward to stepping on the scale.  And then, there!  I knew it.  Their scale showed ten pounds, TEN POUNDS heavier than the other office.  Ugh.  I went back to the OB's office and they reweighed me.  Hrm.  Defective scale.  Isn't that always the way?

This was the first appointment, and likely the only, that Matt wasn't able to join me for.  But from here on out, there will be plenty of appointments.  I'll see the OB every two weeks for the next month and then every week until my due date.  But today was a great opportunity to really chat with her and I'm feeling even more comfortable and confident that we have the right doctor.

And a photo for the day... the beautiful Seattle view from the OBGYN's office windows:

 

One Room, Finally Together

Well, while the living room is still complete upended, I have finally managed to make the office usable. Yay!  Matt is happy, lemmetellya.  We moved the rug upstairs and it make the room feel much more comfortable and cozy.  I've been in / used this room less than a total of 8 hours since we moved in (or something like that) even though I thought painting over the crazy eggplant color would make it perfect.  It's just not a habit yet to spend time in the office... instead I drag whatever papers or materials I need for whatever I'm working on down to the kitchen table and make a mess down there. Well, no more! I spent a good couple hours cleaning and organizing and here's what we have:

My side (as  if that wasn't obvious) above and Matt's side below.

This weekend the plan is to paint the living room together and put it all back together.  But that comes after a trip back out to the furniture store in West Seattle to hopefully actually purchase a sofa (and maybe a new rug!).  If we go with a regular old upholstered sofa, here's the style we're considering (although with two seat cushions and two back cushions instead of three):

But, we'll also look at fabric options for a slipcovered sofa now that Matt has expressed an inclination and this is the style we'd order in that case:

Again, it would be a two cushion vs. this three cushion.  The main difference is the taller legs (which the slipcover will not cover) and the rolled arms.  I like this sofa... it's a little girlier!  Still a little hesitant about the slipcovers.  They're not like they used to be though and we sat on one of their slipcovered sofas in Portland.  Very neat and tightly covered.  And if we pick a fabric that is machine washable, I hear it's the best thing if you have kids and/or dogs.  Hopefully we'll have both eventually!

Anyways, I'm sure my father is thrilled to read about room organization and sofa selection... certain he was going to find here only photos of my growing belly.  Those are coming!  But I'm also trying to recreate our phone conversations while you're a little out of reach... so instead of having to listen to me ramble on about this stuff, now you get to read about it.  Hey, it comes with pictures!

Visit to La Conner

This picture is from a visit to La Conner several weeks ago.  We were actually on our way to the Skagit Tulip Festival but while we were having lunch at the La Conner Brewing Company we noticed the foot traffic outside on First Street was increasing with lots of excited kids and adults carrying folding chairs.  Hmmm... a parade maybe?  Yes!  So we stuck around to watch the small town parade and decided that the drive and visit to La Conner was enough of an outing for the day and headed home.

Staying Active

I think one thing moving to a new city did for me, besides making me ridiculously happy, is getting me to walk, walk, walk! It's how I like to explore a new place and especially a new home. So Seattle's keeping me on the move.

Other than the walking, I'm taking a prenatal yoga class at Seattle Yoga Arts which has been the best yoga class I've taken since the yoga I did with my dear friend Julianna years and years ago.  It's relaxing and invigorating and taught by an OBGYN so I feel well taken care of.  I also took a shallow water aerobics class at a local community center and if that pool wasn't so darn packed full of little old ladies dodging each other as we criss-crossed the pool, I might have gone back.  It was good exercise!  Other than that, Matt and I have tried to keep up our routine of going to the gym together.  Our walk there and back together makes the whole gym-thing enjoyable.  Oh, and each machine has a personal television!  Ha ha ha.  I get my fix for junky morning television programs and can then go on with my day.  :)

Week 27

Don't think I have a problem with starting something and then moving right on to other things?  Well, take a look at this blog!  Besides the lame excuse of moving and settling into a new city, I think I just don't have a habit of writing any more.  Not in a journal, not on a blog, not letters or cards.  I also need to ratchet down the pressure to write something good, you know?  This blog is not a memoir or some grand novel.  It's a way to feel close to friends and family far away and record a bit of this journey.  Blogs are interesting things...

So, the Third Trimester!  Overall, I'm feeling great.  My belly is no longer disguised by black sweaters and scarves (or maybe it never was!).  It's out there!  But I can do this size belly.  I feel pretty good, pretty cute.  But  then I remember that our little girl is going to quadruple in weight in the next three months.  Wait.  WHAT??  So, of course, I'm nervous about the remaining changes my body is going to go through.  Currently, I feel only slightly limited in my movements and activity:  easily winded on hills, overwhelmingly tired on occasion, and finding myself making logistical ajustments as I go to tie my shoes.