5 weeks left!

We’ve been in preparation mode around here! This last weekend we got the baby’s room all together for her. The crib is re-adjusted and clean. All of her clothes and toys are washed and ready for her. Now we just need baby sister. Maisy keeps getting more and more excited about her arrival. We think she’ll be the sweetest older sister there ever was. All that’s left to do is to get all the cloth diaper gear ordered and ready and to pack the hospital bag. Oh and a name- we’ll have to for sure decide on a name. We are working on that and hope to have a for sure name prior to bringing her home from the hospital. I know the suspense was just too much for some last time, if you remember we didn’t decide on Maisy’s name until she’d been home from the hospital for 5 days!

I had my last routine OB appointment today. My weight is good- I’m actually below what I was at this same point with Maisy- although, one might never know by that bootylicious picture above!

The doctor says baby girl is still measuring about a week behind and guesses she’ll be a smaller, although healthy, baby. She thinks she’ll be below what Maisy (7lbs 7oz) was- YAY!! I go back in two weeks (8/10) for an ultrasound and my Group B strep test. Then I go every Monday after that until the baby is born (8/23 and 8/30).

It is amazing how quickly this pregnancy has gone. It really has been a breeze and much smoother than Maisy’s. Just this week I decided that I was ready to go ahead and get this baby going! Prior to that, I was happy to leave her inside for as long as she wanted, but now that we are ready and I’m getting slightly more uncomfortable, worn out and am not sleeping well anyway- I figure we might as well get to meet her!

Maisy continues to do well at her afternoon learning sessions. Her retention on what she has learned is pretty good too! We are up to letter P today. Below are some pictures of past Letter days. I was surprised at how much she enjoys her lessons and looks forward to them. Often when we are done, she still wants to keep going.

Maisy and her Kite on “K” day

Addressing Envelopes for “M” Day for our Mail Carrier Activity

Getting ready for our mail route

Mail Delivered!

A "N"est made with Dada

More later!

Much love, Todd, Becky, Maisy and baby girl

In the aquarium tunnel

Lots of fun stuff happened in March. Kim (my sister- also pregnant due end of Sept.), Rigo and Elijah came for a long weekend and we had great trips to the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco and to Children’s Fairy Land in Oakland. We were so happy they could come. We miss them lots!

Maisy meets Snow White

Maisy and Elijah got along really well. Maisy looks up to Elijah very much and now knows who Michael Jackson is and asks about him (MJ) often.

Kissing cousins

Since the weather has been more pleasant we took a trip to Tilden Park to ride the steam trains. Maisy is a big fan!

Steam Trains in Tilden Park

Waiting to take off

We celebrated Uncle Steven’s 30th birthday as well! Maisy was very excited to show off her “Happy Birthday” singing skills and especially enjoyed the happy birthday cake. She wishes every day was Uncle Steven’s Birthday.

Happy Birthday Uncle Steven!!

Maisy and I are doing a lot more fun projects at home. We’ve done maps, play doh, wand making (out of a stick and yarn) and baking. She is learning and learning- She can now confidently count to 3 and can pick out about 5 letters. She got her last two canine teeth as well. So now she has a full set of chompers. She is very into “baby” and loves reading books about babies and older sisters. It’s adorable- if you ask her how old she is, she replies, “Older sister.” Also a cute Maisyism- we have a Buddha on our window sill in our kitchen. She likes to kiss the “baby Buddha”. One day Maisy and Todd were dancing to some music and Todd said, “Yeah, shake your booty!”. Maisy said, “Yeah, shake the Buddha!” So she now refers to dancing as, “Shaking the Buddha.”

Little Geographer

And last but not least update on the baby to be news. We had two appointments in March, the last one being today and they have both gone very well. They had to up my thyroid medicine because my levels were a bit high. The doctor will have to test me every 6 weeks to make sure my levels stay within the normal range. Maisy comes to the appointments with me in her stroller and is a very good girl. She wants to know exactly what everyone is doing and where they are going, usually saying, “Who is that guy?”. That’s her statement for pretty much anything, (What is that? Who is that? Why?). So, we are working on that. Maisy holds the doppler for the doctor while we listen to the baby’s nice strong heartbeat. She is a very proud big sister helper! We go on April 15 for our big ultrasound, where we will find out the sex of the baby. So more then!

Here is a picture taken today at 18 weeks. I’m finally starting to look a little big pregnant and a little bit less like I ate February.

Self Portrait (the best I could do) at 18 weeks pregnant

Much love, Todd, Becky and Maisy

Side view of new baby at 12 days 6 weeks

We had our nuchal translucency (NT) ultrasound on Friday, Feb. 25. The appointment was bright and early. Todd and Maisy were both able to come. Maisy was a perfect big sister and just hung out with Todd on the couch while we all watched the baby TV. It was a long appointment because the baby was being quite active, so it took a while to get the right measurements. It was fine with us, it meant we got a longer peek at the baby. The tests all came back fine and the baby is doing perfectly well. The baby’s heart rate was 140 beats per minute (BPM). I have another regular appointment on Monday and we find out the gender on April 15th!

Face shot of the new baby- I’m told the baby will get cuter

In other news, we ventured up to the mountains to visit Todd’s parents who had a vacation spot there. We made a long weekend of it. Unfortunately, it took us 8 and a half hours to get there (it should only take 3 and a half). There was a huge storm and we had to put chains on (ok TODD had to put chains on) and I could only drive about 15 MPH up the mountain. Slow going! Boy were we glad to finally get there, especially after a few slippery slidey times trying to get up some steep snowy passes. Todd was happy to get some ski days in with the boys and Maisy was happy to get to visit with her Mimi and Papa J. She got to play in the snow and go swimming at the pool.

Maisy all giggles with Mimi on the swing

Papa J and Maisy swinging

Maisy’s language skills are really blossoming. She understands pretty much everything and can speak in sentences. Her vocabulary is growing each day. She is becoming much more assertive and she will let you know exactly what she wants and how she wants it! We are working on “please”, “thank you” and “no, thank you”. She has suddenly become EXTRA picky about food. (No idea where that would have come from)! She pretty much just wants to eat waffles, fruit, PB&Js, applesauce and yogurt. I suppose she could want worse things. We still encourage her to eat other things, but if you aren’t careful or quick enough- she’ll send the plate sailing to the floor. We are not pleased with this trick at all. We are working on breaking this horrible habit.

Way messy yogurt face

Just today I also noticed two more teeth coming in (the canines). After she gets these two, she’ll have only two more canines to come in and then the big molars.

Maisy has now gone potty on her potty training toilet 3 times. Each time has been right before bath time, but she’s really good at letting us know when she needs a new diaper, so we are hoping it may be possible to get her good and potty trained by the time the baby arrives.

Today we turned Maisy’s car seat from rear facing to front facing. Although technically we could have turned her at a year old. There is mounting evidence that keeping a child rear facing for as long as you can is most safe for a baby. We decided that Maisy would like to see the world- her legs were also getting pretty cramped!

Family driving home from Tahoe with a big girl!

More next time!

Much love, Todd, Becky and Maisy

Big sister in training

We are lucky enough to be adding another member to our family. The new little bean should arrive around September 5th.

New Baby’s first photo shoot

Our first ultrasound was Monday and it was very exciting to get to see the baby on the “baby tv”. Everything looked good and the baby is growing on schedule. Maisy and Todd were there for the visit. We kept trying to explain to Maisy that it was a picture of the baby in Mommy’s tummy. She looked at us like we had obviously lost it. She did take an interest in the baby on the tv screen and wanted to kiss and hug it. Then she pointed to my belly and wanted said, “Oten”- which in Maisy language means open. We explained that the baby had to stay inside for a long long time to get bigger then it would be ready to come out.

Maisy giving the baby kisses

We asked her if she liked the baby and if she could point to the baby and she did, then she quickly named it, Nemo. I doubt that name will be on the birth certificate.

Maisy and Todd find Nemo

We have our next ultrasound, the NT scan, on February 25. Other than that, I’m just tired and feel kind of nauseated a good portion of the time- but that should all resolve in a couple of weeks.

More next time!

Much love, Todd, Becky and Maisy

let’s roll, dad!

A fter a short trip to REI and local bike shop, the Missing Link, I returned hands full with a child carrier, bike rack and helmet for little miss. It’s about time.

You can’t hear it in the video, but Maisy was laughing almost the whole time we were riding. She loved it, and I can’t wait to go on a longer ride – next time as a family. :)

A nother milestone!

Maisy did her first wave March 8th to Grandma J- at lunch! We were all pretty impressed. Her wave is a simple very “royal” wave. I’m so happy that Maisy was able to share her first wave with Grandma J. It’s so special especially because they live so far away! We are hoping that this means Maisy will finally start to use baby sign language with us. We have been signing to her since she was only 4 months old. So far- the fancy royal wave is the only “sign” we’ve gotten.

“Howdy-do”

We’ve had a great 9th month. Maisy is cruising all over and getting more and more sure footed. We were lucky enough to have Todd’s parents come stay with us for the second week of March. We did lots of fun things! We all went on a fun trip to the Steam Trains in Tilden park to ride on a train. I think I may have been more excited than Maisy- but we all had a good time!

Choo-chooo!

Just in the last day Maisy has really started babbling and babbling. It’s like she’s actually speaking complex words- it’s just not from any language we have heard of. It is adorable to listen to. She has also become very excited by dogs and bigger walking kids. She SQUEALS in delight on walks at dogs from down the street. So, I take her to meet the doggie and she squeals gleefully the whole time until the dog is out of site. It is just hilarious!

Because she’s taken such an interest in dogs, we thought she’d dig some big farm animals, so we took her to Little Farm again. We started off with a fun picnic in the grass.

“Lunch outside always tastes better”

“uh- not so sure about this huge Moo Cow!”

“Yay- Daddy!”

The day was so warm and nice that we finished it off with a walk to Berkeley Bowl with Abby and Evan and topped that off with a burger and dining out in their backyard.

As for other updates, Maisy’s next doctor’s appointment is Monday for her 9 month well baby check up. After that visit we’ll know her new stats.

She is eating all sorts of table food now. There really isn’t anything she refuses to eat. She eats, deli turkey, plain grilled chicken, broccoli, grapes, potatoes, peas, all cheeses, egg yolk omelettes, bread, cheerios- it’s really cool. She is also sleeping through the night regularly, which means a whole new world to both Todd and I. Maisy has turned into such a happy girl, providing we keep to her schedule of sleeping and eating.

Ballerina Maisy

We can’t wait for all the fun new things she’ll do in her next month!

Love,
Todd, Becky and Maisy

“Hello There!”

We have had a major break through this week. Maisy slept through the night for the very first time. She didn’t do it the next night or the next, but we are working on it! We are doing what is called “sleep training”. We are no longer reinforcing night time waking with picking her up or with milk and the theory is that she will realize there is no need to get mom and dad up in the middle of the night because they can’t do anything for me anyway- and then she will just fall back to sleep and sleep like a little baby. Right?

Nap times have gotten a little bit more difficult now that Maisy can stand. She thinks it’s much more fun to have a standing party than to nap. She has also discovered the blinds that we had custom made for her room. She thinks they are perfect for sharpening her two tiny teeth on!

We had a very lovely first family Valentine’s Day together. Maisy made Todd a card. It was her first art piece.

Baby Painter

Maisy and Todd started the day with a nice book on the couch.

Reading time!

As Todd got laid off at the beginning of January, he is now working a temporary job in the city through the end of February. We hope that a full time position will come along soon! Maisy and I ventured into the city today to meet him for lunch. Meeting for lunch was such a treat. Todd doesn’t always get home before Maisy is in bed for the night, so it was good to give them a bit more time together. It helped that it was a beautiful day in the city and a fun day for a walk.

Later in the day Maisy and I met with Angie and Rowan at Lake Merritt for some play time in the park. It was the first time Maisy had been involved with duck and geese feeding. She thought it was okay, but then that one goose got a little too close and she started to get nervous.

hmm birds eating bread… interesting.

Tell that silly goose to back the duck up!

Maisy is a swing fiend- which is so adorable.

This is Maisy’s happy place

Maisy continues to become more steady when she pulls up on EVERYTHING. She is doing very well eating larger chunks of food and is feeding herself like a champ even though she only has her bottom two teeth. She’s gotten very quick too! It’s difficult to expect her to stay in one place these days. The good thing is that she understands when we tell her not to touch something and she so far respects that. We’ll see how that progresses.

She goes for her 9 month appointment the second week of March, so we’ll have more height and weight updates then.

Much love-
Todd, Becky and Maisy

“I loooove bath time- hey check out my two bottom teeth!”

Maisy has been growing by leaps and bounds before our eyes. It truly is amazing.

Last Tuesday January 27th, Maisy learned to do the big girl crawl instead of a an army scoot.

Finally crawling with belly off the floor!

She’s moved onto bigger people finger foods like, small pieces of cheese, whole wheat bread and very cooked carrots. This week she managed to feed herself her first zweiback toast-mmm.

Okay, but how do I eat this?

1st Zweiback down

We knew she was getting close to being able to pull herself up on things, but yesterday when I went to get her from a nap, she was standing in her crib and holding onto the side. She now tries to pull up on everything- which means, we really can’t take our eyes off of her- as she is really not that skilled at this new trick.

Our standing Maisy

Happy girl

This week Maisy has actually shown interest in a book that you read to her- by responding to the pictures and trying to touch the images. This is much more than the tactic of eating the book she was so fond of just a week ago.

Maisy likes to go to the park and swing. Last week we met a little friend there. We are completely taking advantage of this amazingly warm January!

Maisy having a laughing good time!

Today, she mastered putting cereal in her mouth without our help. This has been such a crazy developmental week for her! She has mastered eating out at restaurants. We have to go early- but she sits in her highchair and eats her dinner, just happy as a clam.

Out for a steak dinner with Mike, Angie and Rowan mmmm tasty!

Today was a beautiful day out. We took a nice walk before heading over to Matt, Abby and Evan’s for the big game.

Todd and Maisy getting their shades on for a sunny stroll

Just too cute not to share!

We are loving all of the new stages Maisy is going though- If this is this much fun, I can’t even imagine what the future has in store for us.

Much love-
Todd, Becky and Maisy

Happy Maisy watching Obama’s inauguration

Maisy and I woke up and headed straight for the television to watch the big event! I was so proud and utterly pleased to share this moment with Maisy. I know she is way too young to understand what a huge moment in history this is, but it made me feel good and gave me such a feeling of hope for the country and for Maisy’s future.

Proud mini American

Much love and happy new President to all-

Todd, Becky and Maisy

Happy Maisy sitting in our livingroom- better known as Maisy play world- Do you think she has enough toys?

M aisy just keeps on growing- faster than we can even fathom. She is already outgrowing her 9 month old clothes even though she’s only 7 1/2 months old.

She had her two bottom front teeth break through on Sunday, so she’s very busy with all the teething. She’s also busy with all the new foods to try, some she likes and some she has to get used to.

Yogurt was a bit of a shocking flavor to her at first. She’s used to it now and even likes it.

Cottage cheese had a rocky beginning, but now she’s cool with it.

Ew…cheese that comes from a little cottage!?

Maisy got her last flu shot a couple of weeks ago and now she’s all up to speed with her shots. She doesn’t love them, but does pretty well with them. (It’s getting easier on me too!)

Maisy post shot

Maisy took it out on the informational pamphlet

Not much else is going on here. We’ve had strange and unseasonably warm weather, so Maisy and I have resumed our walks to the park and strolls to the grocery store. Gotta love winter in California!!

More next time.

Much love to all-

Todd, Becky and Maisy

Maisy’s First Haircut from seaofclouds on Vimeo.

L ittle Maisy is growing up. Here she is, seated in her Bumbo, and getting her bangs trimmed. :( Her poor hair. I’ll miss her cute little bows. Enjoy a quick, four minute video of this first.

Maisy taking her first ride in a wagon

M aisy had her 6 month doctor appointment at the beginning of December. She got all her 6 months shots including her first dose of her flu shot. We are trying to stay as healthy as we can! She now weighs 15 pounds 6 ounces and she is 2 feet and 1.75 inches tall.

Maisy has lots of new tricks! She can roll over both ways, grab toys and move them from one hand to the other, she can grab anything and everything within reach and shove them with confidence into her mouth. She is eating like a pro now and the variety of foods she is eating just keeps growing. So far there is nothing that she refuses to eat. Pears are definitely her favorite.

Maisy is close to sitting, she just has to get that whole balance thing down. There is no stopping her though when Maisy is on the ground! She scoots all over, forward and backward. She gets up on her knees and rocks back and forth. It’s just a matter of time before she’s off and crawling. Maisy has a bunch of sounds she likes to practice vocalizing. La-la-la-la seems to be her favorite sound at the moment.

On Dec. 11 we flew down to LA for the first part of the Christmas celebration. We all had a great time seeing many family and friends and staying at Mom and Charlie’s.

Auntie and Maisy

Kim, Rigo and Elijah were able to spend a couple of days and a night with us there too for a fun sleep over. Elijah is a constant source of hilarious entertainment!

Cousin Elijah and Maisy playing in the “extra-saucer”

We were so thankful and lucky to get to visit with Perla and James at Perla’s for lunch, it was delicious! We had a great time on Sunday with the whole family at a large family photo shoot and our family Christmas celebration. It took months to plan to get everyone the day off and to try to figure out what to wear, but the pictures came back and they look wonderful and it was all worth it.

Maisy opening her first Christmas presents

On Monday we had the chance to go visit with Auntie Pam, Uncle Bob and Cousin Sarah. It was so good to catch up and have a visit. Then on Tuesday we got to go out to lunch with Aunt Diane and Jim. It’s always a pleasure to see them! Maisy was a trooper through all of our outings. Unfortunately upon our return home, we all came down with colds and we think Maisy is cutting her 2 bottom teeth, so she has been especially touchy. Poor baby!

Next Tuesday we head back east for the Christmas holiday to Todd’s hometown. We can’t wait to see everyone and have a white Christmas! We have 3 connecting flights out there- we are just hoping the weather cooperates and we don’t get stuck anywhere in airports along the way! We also are hoping that we are all nice and healthy by then.

Much love to all- we hope your holiday season is off to a great start!

Todd, Becky and Maisy

Maisy’s maiden voyage on a merry go round

T ilden Park in Berkeley has a merry go round that they do all up for Christmas. We took Maisy there on Saturday for a spin. She seemed a bit concerned about all of the lights. There was so much going on and she spent most of her time just trying to take it all in.

The wild wild west tree

All in all, we had a wonderful first Merry Christmas Go Round and hope to make it a family tradition!

Lights!

Much love to all- we hope your holiday season is off to a great start!

Todd, Becky and Maisy

Lasers in the eyes kinda hurt

F or those of you who haven’t heard, Todd took the plunge and got himself some bionic laser eyes. He is recovering well and can see almost perfectly. His vision should continue to improve. Right now his newest hobby is putting eye drops in his eyes and being amazed at all the stuff he can see unaided. He is especially thrilled about peripheral vision.

Maisy helped Daddy recover on Thursday when he got home from the eye zapper, uh I mean, doctor.

Daddy and Maisy hanging out

She seems to have noticed there is something just a bit off.

Where’s all that face jewelry?!!

Much love to all and more later!

Todd, Becky and Maisy

Get in Shape Girl

M aisy decided to start early on her new years resolution to get out and take better care of herself! The day after Thanksgiving- she put on a track suit, pulled back her hair and put her sneakers on. She grabbed Nana and headed to the front yard for some walking exercises.

Maisy was so happy to have Nana help her out in the yard! (notice Lilly in the background again- it’s hilarious. She’s like a little picture crasher!)

Happy Maisy and Nana

She became quite confident and later in the evening was showing off her sitting abilities, when all of a sudden she took a head dive right into the alphabet work bench. OUCH! Maisy got her very first bump on the head. She recovered quickly and I think Todd and I were more shaken up than she was. By the next morning the bump was gone and she now only has the tiniest bruise.

I’m a tough girl!

Much love to all and more later!

Todd, Becky and Maisy

Maisy’s first Thanksgiving!!

W e all had a lot to be thankful for this year and it was very nice to share that with friends and family. Unfortunately not everyone could make it, we still had a super tasty feast with a deep fried turkey, bacon stuffing, mashed potatoes, mini macs, candied sweet potatoes, bacon green beans, salad and gravy….mmmmm. I’m full just thinking about it. Todd has the turkey bones in the crock pot to make a super turkey stock for yummy soup and we are waiting to have lunch of left over turkey!!

Fried Turkey

We were so lucky to have Mom and Charlie, Steven, Erik, Mike, Angie and Rowan over for Thanksgiving this year. Everyone really pitched in to help to make it a very enjoyable day and evening. Thank goodness my mom was here- it’s not as easy to multitask things in the kitchen with a Maisy.

The Thanksgivingers

We were so lucky to have Mom and Charlie, Steven, Erik, Mike, Angie and Rowan over for Thanksgiving this year. Everyone really pitched in to help to make it a very enjoyable day and evening. Thank goodness my mom was here- it’s not as easy to multitask things in the kitchen with a Maisy.

We thank you all for being in our lives and are so lucky to have wonderful family and friends.

Much love,
Becky, Todd and Maisy

mmmm milk….

T odd snapped this photo while feeding Maisy before an outing on Sunday.

It was just too precious not to share.

Enjoy,
Becky, Todd and Maisy

I went out to run an errand while Todd was at home and Maisy was taking a nap. This is a wonderful opportunity for me to cross some tasks off my list and usually I come home to a still sleeping Maisy. Today, Maisy must have not been all that tired, because I walk in the door and find- SUPER MAISY!

Todd had tucked Maisy’s purple blankie in the back of her pajamas and was flying her around. I was greeted at the door with giggles from Todd and big smiles from Maisy. It was too cute and I had to grab the camera.

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s Super Maisy!!

On another note, Maisy has broadened her horizons in the food department. She has now had butternut squash, pear, sweet potato and apple. So far I’ve been making all of her food and freezing the food in cubes to be defrosted before meal time. Just today we started her on three meals a day. She’s getting the hang of eating, but still seems as if she could take it or leave it. She’s definitely not one of those kids that screams for more and more, faster and faster.

While Maisy was taking her next “nap” (I use the term nap loosely because she actually did not sleep at all, but ended up playing with daddy), I was lucky enough to get to visit Alison, Maynard and new beautiful baby Mila in the hospital. Alison is doing amazingly well and Mila is a precious adorable little girl!

Sleeping baby Mila

Maisy is so excited to meet baby Mila. It’s so amazing to think that Maisy was this small just 6 months ago!!

She’s so tiny and sweet

It’s so fun to see all of our friends get married, have children and watch all the kids grow up together. It’s great to get to share the experience of parenthood with so many wonderful people.

Much love to all- Todd, Becky and Maisy

Maisy on a walk with Daddy showing off her cute pony!!

H appy Veteran’s day everyone!

Today was also the first day that Maisy sported a pony tail, not any normal pony tail, but a sassy side pony tail! She’s bringing the 80’s back! Just wait til you see her in her leg warmers (seriously she has them!) ha ha. Todd and I think it’s just the cutest. She doesn’t love that every time she goes down for a nap I take it out and then put the pony in again when she wakes up, but I’m slightly paranoid about leaving it in unattended.

We also have started giving Maisy her special lovey (named Froggy) that a family friend gave her when she goes to sleep. Maisy loves it and goes to sleep with it day and night. She likes to hold on to it while she sucks her right index finger. Thank goodness we have 2 other loveys given to us as gifts that we can trade out when Froggy needs to take a bath.

This morning we tried bananas alone, without the cereal, following Nana’s suggestion, and she liked them more but still didn’t like them. I made her a sweet potato today and froze most, but fed her a few teaspoons for dinner. She ate a few bites, let me rephrase, she tolerated a few bites. We’ll just have to keep on trying- she’ll eventually have to eat I imagine, because, dang, those kids at school are really going to be making fun of her if she’s still breastfeeding in kindergarten!

Speaking of eating, Maisy and I went to meet Angie and Rowan for lunch today. I’m glad we were in loud California Pizza Kitchen, because as soon as the food showed up Maisy started fussing/yelling. I’ve never been out to a restaurant with Maisy without Todd. I can guarantee I won’t be taking her out alone without my tag team partner Todd again anytime soon! Despite Maisy’s protest, it was still good to catch up with Angie and see Rowan, who was perfectly behaved and a coloring genius, by the way.

I see you!!

Maisy is still not sleeping through the night. She usually goes to bed between 6:30 and 7 and wakes up between 10:30 and 11:30, then again between 3 and 4 then is up for the day between 7 and 8:30 (I prefer 8:30). So I usually only have to get up once between 3 and 4, so it’s not so bad, but not so perfect either- but we are getting better.

I seriously cannot believe how time is flying. I love every day and every moment I get to spend with her and just immensely enjoy watching her as she does anything!

Much love to all- Todd, Becky and Maisy

Hooray for OBAMA!!

I took Maisy with me on this historic voting day down to our polling location at the elementary school down on the corner. She was very good while I was voting. She was so nice to even hold my voting receipt.

Todd and I are so happy to have Maisy be there to witness a real movement toward change in our country. We are so proud and hopeful for her future- that anything can happen- anything is now possible! We are a bit saddened though- it looks like Prop 8 (ban on gay marriage) is going to pass in California. It’s heartbreaking that there are people out there who believe that it is okay to deny anyone the right to get married- deny anyone the right to love who they want. We are beside ourselves wondering how you can put discrimination into law like that. Yesterday’s elections have shown how far we have come and still how far we still have to go.

On a different note, Maisy still does not like rice cereal, even if the deal is sweetened with bananas.

This shh is bananas B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

Much love to all- Todd, Becky and Maisy

O ver the weekend Maisy expanded her travels from LA, Portland, Santa Barbara and New York to include Las Vegas. We went to celebrate my cousin Sarah’s wedding. Congratulations Sarah and Tim!

Becky with cousins Sarah and Stephanie

So here’s how it went in Maisy’s words:

Mom and Dad woke me up so early at like 6 am and then we went in the car and to this very busy place where they made me and Mom walk through this huge scanner thing. Then we got into this big tube with wings that flies. I slept pretty well on that thing. Then we got out of the tube and got into another car. We ended up at this HUGE green hotel called the MGM. My Mom and Dad were hungry so they took me out into the casino and to the shops and restaurants to get food. I wasn’t interested in them eating so I just yelled and yelled and told them I wanted to go home. Everything was so loud and blinky. I just didn’t know what to do. Mom and Dad took me back to our hotel room and put me in this really cool short little crib and I played for quite a while and then took a little nap. As I was just getting so comfy Mom and Dad woke me up to go to a church and watch cousin Sarah get married.

After the wedding we went to cousin Steph’s house. There were so many people there and everyone wanted to say hi to me, but I just wanted to sleep, but couldn’t relax! So Mom put me in the baby carrier and I finally fell asleep while she was wearing me. I got to sleep for a couple of hours and my Mom and Dad got to do that eating thing again. I woke up and smiled, cooed and visited with family for a little bit, then I got tired again and I decided it was time to go. Luckily Mom and Dad were listening to me and we left promptly.

Back at the hotel we walked through more and more blinky lights and many sounds. I didn’t like this. We got back to our room and I went to sleep right away. At about 4 am after my feeding I decided I was not tired anymore, so I just talked and talked and talked for about 3 hours. My Mom and Dad thought I was saying, “Ahhh, Ahhh, OOoh, ummm”, but they can’t quite understand me yet. I was really saying, “And the lights they were, blinking and blinking and blinking and blinking and those machines were dinging and dinging and dinging and dinging”. Finally at 7am I fell asleep again, but Mom and Dad woke me up at 8:30am because we had to go back on that tube with wings! I really don’t like that tube! I screamed almost all the way home. Mom looked really frazzled too. But we finally got back to our house and I was so happy to take a nap in my own bed and now I’m all happy, but I still don’t like rice cereal.

Much love to all- Todd, Becky and Maisy

M aisy enjoyed her first Halloween with a few friends and a bit of Trick or Treating. Halloween kicked off with pumpkin carving on Wednesday when Uncle Steven came over. Maisy was unfortunately in bed by then, so Todd and I helped her carve her pumpkin on Thursday. Maisy liked to play with the squishy inside of the pumpkin.

Maisy was a bunny for Halloween. Here we all are dressed up for the tour of the neighborhood on Friday. Maisy was joined by two pals, Evan and Satya. I’ll post those pictures when I get them (those pictures are on our friend’s camera). Maisy likes walks so she enjoyed the tour of the neighborhood in the dark. She didn’t quite like having to stop to chat on neighbors’ doorsteps though. We didn’t have too many Trick or Treaters at our house as the weather was rainy.

This is a picture of our very spooky front yard. It was really fun to put together. Tomorrow will be graveyard demolition day.

We had a wonderful first Halloween and cannot wait for next year!

Much love to all- Todd, Becky and Maisy

Maisy had seemed to be slightly interested in what Todd and I drink and eat lately- so we decided it may be time to start some rice cereal. We were hoping this would have the added benefit of helping her sleep all night as well.

As you will see from the video below, Maisy does not concur.

We tried for a second time tonight- this time in her bumbo chair thinking it was really the high chair that she had a dislike for, but she didn’t seem to love it anymore. We think we’ll keep trying for another couple of days and if she doesn’t take to it, we’ll give it a couple of weeks and try it again.

Have a great week,
Becky, Todd and Maisy

T oday was an amazing really warm day here in Berkeley. We took the opportunity to take a couple of trips outdoors. I took Maisy to the park in the middle of the day where she sat on my lap while we went swinging and sliding down the slide. She seemed to have a good time, but was good and tuckered out when we got home. Maisy went down for a nap.

When Maisy woke up we decided to take an evening stroll and did some geocaching. This is where people hide things in public places and post their coordinates online by GPS. So it’s like a big treasure hunt that anyone can partake in. We found two! It was really fun. Here we are after our second find of the day.

As we were walking back home Maisy found a lovely orange flower that she had to investigate.

After we got home, Maisy was just about ready for bed and Todd fired up the grill. We had yummy grilled chicken and fresh steamed veggies for dinner. A perfect end to a warm and fabulous day.

Much love to all- Todd, Becky and Maisy

A s Halloween is approaching, we decided to take Maisy to the pumpkin patch today. Uncle Steven joined us on our adventure! Here are some pictures from our day.

We went to a little cute pumpkin patch in Oakland/Piedmont just down the street from the old and beautiful Mountain View Cemetary- which we took a tour of before the pumpkin patch, just to get in the mood!

Maisy really seemed to enjoy pumpkin hunting and picked a very cute little pumpkin all for herself.

We were so inspired that when we got home we got to work on our very own graveyard and body guard “Jake” to sit on our porch.

Maisy is going to be a bunny this year for Halloween. We are going to go trick or treating with friends Rowan and Evan (both monkeys). We’ll be sure to post pictures of the big night!

Have a happy Halloween season!

Much love to all- Todd, Becky and Maisy

M aisy continues to grow and become more and more aware of her surroundings. Last week she discovered her voice and now squeals and yells – often! It’s kinda funny and kinda weird to have your 4 month old child yelling at you. The pictures here were taken today in our front yard. For some reason whenever we are outside in the front taking pictures, Lilly our nutty cat, decides to slip into the back groud.

We had quite a night last night. Maisy had woken from a 5 hour sleep stretch from 12am to 5am (good)! I went in to get her and realized she had pooed through her clothes, even though I had changed her at 12am (bad). So I changed her diaper, put some nice clean jammies on her and fixed up her crib. I began feeding her (good). She was almost done with a long 15 minute feeding when she started to cough like something had “gone down the wrong pipe”. I sat her up and gently rubbed her back waiting for her to clear her throat. Well she cleared it alright- all the way down from her toes- everything came up in a nice warm projectile fashion IN THE DARK (bad!) So after I got over the moment of shock (what the heck just happened!?) I decided I needed Todd for this. I went and got him up and he was in charge of changing her jammies AGAIN- and I went down to make a bottle for her- as my milk was all over me, her, the glider and the floor. The good news is, that I came back upstairs with the bottle, fed her and put her right back down without a hitch and she slept until 9am with no further incident (good).

That’s all for now.

Much love to all- Todd, Becky and Maisy

M aisy enjoyed her first trip to the Berkeley Botanic Gardens last Saturday in Tilden Park. She seemed to enjoy looking at all the trees and what was left of flowers. We went a couple of days after it had rained, so the smell in the wooded garden was just fantastic and earthy!

Not much else to report, no further chuckling moments- a few more roll overs and definitely a ton more smiles!

Just wanted to share a couple of pictures.

More later!

Much love to all- Todd, Becky and Maisy

Maisy’s name in concrete corner of Ellis and Woolsey

Maisy has made her mark

I n our neighborhood they are putting in roundabouts in our “intersections”. Yesterday the men were working hard at creating this roundabout and they were pouring concrete. I wondered if they would let Maisy leave her mark. So she and I walked down there, looking ever so cute and asked very nicely. At first they were reluctant and then they agreed saying, “It’s like Hollywood!”. So Maisy left her mark for ever and ever and ever. We think it’s so cool that years from now we can come back and see Maisy’s little handprint from when she had just turned 4 months old.

Yesterday was also a big day for all of us… we got to hear the first hint of a laugh. The video below is Maisy’s first chuckle. We hope to keep practicing to get a full belly laugh going soon.

Everyday is such a new adventure and she is getting so much more interactive and responsive. I LOVE to see her staring back at me, just smiling as if I’m the only person in the universe…. just melts my heart.

Much love-
Todd, Becky and Maisy

M aisy is now 4 months old. She continues to amaze us everyday with her new tricks and her ability to connect with us. She is smiling a lot these days, but we have yet to hear the sweet sound of baby giggles. Maisy is getting to be a pro at grabbing at toys and has even rolled over a couple of times (both front to back and back to front) but I think they are just “accidents”.

Maisy took her first very big trip last week. We unexpectedly decided to head out to Lake George, where Todd grew up, to visit the grandparents and very importantly Todd’s amazing 98 year old grandmother, Alice. Maisy took to Grandma wonderfully. It was such a happy moment to see them together. On the trip Maisy also had her first boat ride down Lake George. The sound of the motor, water and the rocking of the boat put her right to sleep.



Being 4 months old also means more shots. Maisy had her 4 month old appointment today and she got a clean bill of health. She weighs 12 lbs and 14.8 oz and her length is 23.75 inches. She did not like her shots at all and she screamed and cried (and broke my heart). These round of shots seemed to hurt more than her last. However, by bedtime, she was smiling and kicking her cute little legs again.

More later!

Much love to all- Todd, Becky and Maisy

M aisy is now 3 months old and as everyone said- it is getting easier and she is getting less fussy. I think this is probably due to a couple different factors. #1 She’s sort of just getting used to life #2 I’ve actually read some books on how to give an infant what they need.

If there were only two books on babies to get you through the first few months I would have to highly recommend, “The Happiest Baby on the Block” by Harvey Karp which got us through all of the colicky moments and “Secrets of the Baby Whisperer” by Tracy Hogg. This second book we have been loosely following for a week and it has taught us how to spot Maisy’s sleepy cues and to get her to a nap ASAP. Further, it taught us how to get her to settle down in her crib to actually sleep. It’s really amazing- I put Maisy down in her crib sleepy, but awake and sometimes she just goes to sleep silently and other times she’ll cry for a few minutes while we soothe her saying “Shhhh….shhhhh…shhh” and brushing her hair. This soothing never takes longer than 4 minutes. So Maisy is now napping regularly in her crib and is actually happy when she is awake. It has made all the difference. Maisy isn’t yet sleeping through the night, but she is easy at night. I get up feed her and put her back in her crib and she just goes back to sleep. I’m hoping these sleep habits form now and will stick with her through childhood. (We’ll see!) I hear kids can throw you curve balls just when you think you have it down!

Maisy is now liking to look at the world from an upright position. So Angie was kind enough to let us borrow Rowan’s Bumbo chair. This is Maisy’s first ride in the chair and she seemed pretty happy with it! I’m excited to have somewhere other than the swing to put Maisy down for a bit.



We also took pictures of Maisy to commemorate her 3 months. They can be found at: http://www.flickr.com/gp/33005083@N00/a896n2

Much love to all- Todd, Becky and Maisy

M aisy went for her first set of shots on Aug. 5th at her 2 month old appointment. The doctor gave her a clean bill of health. She weighed 10 pounds 11 ounces and was 23 1/2 inches long. Maisy has been quite colicky since about 5 and a half weeks of age. The doctor said it was possible it could be acid reflux- although she doubted it because she seems to get fussy most only in the evening- but just in case she prescribed baby Zantac. Maisy hates taking it, but it does seem to be helping (I think). Maisy slept like a champ and was a model child the day of her shots. She handled actually getting the shots like a tough little girl. It was harder on Todd and I than I think it was on her. I literally had to hold back tears to be strong for Maisy- I’m such a softy now!

The next day Maisy was back to her cranky self- however she seems to be out growing her fussiness just a bit. We have discovered naps and Maisy seems much happier now. We are continuing to give her the baby Zantac drops because it seems to help her out in the evenings.



The above picture is Todd and Maisy after she was all healed from her shots.



The above picture is of Maisy just last week. She is growing each day. Her newest trick is putting her hands in her mouth and then making a face like she doesn’t like the way they taste and then doing it all over again.

Maisy and I are now down in LA at Nana and Papa’s house and Todd is in Munich for work. Maisy and I both miss Todd very much and are excited for him to come home on Friday. We will stay here a bit longer to celebrate Elijah’s birthday and visit and then drive back to the bay.



While Maisy and I are in LA we are busy catching up and visiting. On Sunday we had a chance to visit with James (not pictured) Sarah and baby Marly who is about 3 weeks older than Maisy (Maisy is now 10 weeks old).

More later……….

Much love to all- Todd, Becky and Maisy

Our first trip on an airplane as a family

W e went up to Portland to attend a wedding and visit some family. The above picture is of Maisy as we de-planed in Oakland after we had returned from our trip. We think she knew we were on our way home.

We had a lovely time, rented a house and stayed together with Grandma and Grandpa (Still working on a name?) Matthews and Uncle Steve-O.



We were up in the Portland area to celebrate the wedding of Todd’s cousin Jason to Laura- Congratulations! While we were up there we had the chance to re-connect with my cousin Sean and his wonderful family (Debbie, Austin and Dylan). There we met with Grandpa Steve who was very happy to see Maisy for the first time.



During our first night in Portland, we visited with our friend Lisa in the Hawthorne neighborhood where she lives. Though I saw her a few months ago, it’s been nearly a year since Todd saw her last. It was great to catch up!



Maisy did great on the plane. She loved the sound and the movement. She did not do so well with driving around and meeting lots of new people. Poor Maisy is having a bout of colic! We hope it resolves soon. Maisy is pretty happy until about 6 or 7pm and then it’s a 3 hour soothe fest until we can get her settled for bed time.

All in all we had a great trip!

Much love to all- Todd, Becky and Maisy

The family at Kehoe Beach

The day was beautiful and warm so we decided to take a drive to the coast.

W e drove for more than two hours to a beach just north of Point Reyes named Kehoe Beach.

We had to hike in, which is just what we were looking for- a good walk and a bit of time to relax.

What kind of kid doesn’t love the beach- sand, sun and waves? Well the kind of kid like Maisy- that’s who! (Okay, granted she’s only an infant- but come on!) We walked 25 minutes to reach the beach from where we’d parked. We scouted out the perfect spot after 10 more minutes of walking and set ourselves up. Within seconds Maisy was protesting. We tried feeding her, distracting her, making her warmer and bouncing her. The only thing that worked was for me to stand half bouncing half dancing on the beach. Thank goodness I was holding a baby otherwise I would have looked like some strung out love child on the beach with horrible rhythm. We quickly realized this was going to be relaxing for no one. After about 10 minutes we decided we should pack up. So we packed up our goods we hiked in and set out for another 25 minutes back to the car and another 2 hours home.

Our outing didn’t go quite as planned- but we think it’s important to keep trying!

She’s been a bit grumpy since we’ve gotten home and the only two things that sooth her are me holding her in my arms while dancing to inappropriate hip-hop in the living room, or todd sitting in the glider rocking Maisy to the wonderful tune of purchased vacuum cleaner noise (thank you itunes!!).

So I type from Maisy’s room in the dark with vacuum sounds blasting in my left ear.

At least Maisy is happy!

Maisy in her Rain Forest

Life is starting to return to “normal”

W e have had a couple more weeks with many new adventures and firsts!

Since I’ve had a couple of questions about the pronunciation of Maisy- it’s said Mazey. Now that that’s out of the way- here is our update and some pictures.

Grandma and Grandpa J came to visit from New York when Maisy was 2 weeks old and that was a very exciting adventure. It was the first time Maisy had ever been to a restaurant. Jupiter in Berkeley was her very first dining experience. She did pretty darn well if you ask me!

The following week we drove down to LA to attend a baby shower. It was hot as heck in LA. The car ride both on the way there and on the way back went super smoothly. Luckily she just slept the whole way. While we were there Maisy was able to meet lots of new people. She had her first trip to Santa Monica 3rd street promenade and the boardwalk. She liked it. She also really enjoyed meeting Elijah, her big boy cousin, Uncle Rigo and Papa. She also loved to see Nana and Auntie again.

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top left: Maisy and big boy cousin Elijah, top right: Todd attempting to take Maisy swimming on July 12th, bottom left: On the boardwalk in Santa Monica, bottom right: Out to lunch on July 11th

Becky and Maisy at the pool- it’s her first bathing suit!

Last week we just got more into our “routine” if we can call it that. We have started to try to ensure she is awake for at least a half hour after each feeding during the day and Todd gives Maisy a bottle of milk every evening around 8 which is the beginning of her bedtime routine. She’s been sleeping for a good four hour stretch after we first put her down- then she wakes to feed again. It’s sometimes hard to get her back to sleep after that, so she often ends up in bed with us. Usually she’ll be asleep for another three to four hours- and wake up at about six or seven. If it’s a fantastic day, we can get her back to sleep- if not, it’s time to get up and make the coffee! She is definitely getting more fun. She is smiling and enjoying looking at toys and being played with by us. We sing and dance a lot with her. Those are Maisy’s hobbies for now. We went to the doctor last week about her belly button- it wasn’t drying up- and she is now up to 9 pounds (and her belly button is all good now too).

She had her very first bath on July 12th. She wasn’t super sure about it.

So we all just keep learning and growing together! It’s getting more and more fun everyday. We will have our first airplane adventure later this month when we go up to Oregon for a wedding and to meet some family and friends.

Much love-
Todd, Becky and Maisy

Maisy being a little cradled sleeper in Mommy’s arms

We’re starting to figure it out…

T he first two nights were crazy, and filled with a crying baby and two exhausted parents who had no idea what to do. I am happy to report that Maisy has since gotten better with her sleep cycles. (Phew!) She now sleeps for two to four hours at a time during the night, so that way I only have to get up once or twice to feed. She’s been good at eating quickly and going back to sleep right after feeding.

We began going on short family outings/errands every day. The car and the stroller make Maisy nice and calm and getting out of the house makes me nice and calm. We never go out for long because I’m still terrified of trying to feed her in public. I think she and I both still need a little bit of practice in that first! We are still trying to learn all the tricks to make Maisy feel content and thus not cry. She LOVES shower sounds, static and vacuum sounds, so Todd has made her a nice little iPod mix of her favorites and that seems to calm her down most times. We also started letting her have her pacie (pacifier) for a few hours during the day when she is super fussy. We are pretty firm, though, on no pacie at night, which she doesn’t seem to mind. We don’t want to be getting up every 20 minutes to place it in her mouth again if it falls out!

Maisy seems to be growing every day. She is getting a bit more interactive and is now starting to focus on objects and practicing using her smile muscles. She also lost her umbilical stump! She has her first doctor’s appointment with her pediatrician on Friday.

 
 
 

The announcement out-takes

Todd was lucky enough to have his very first Father’s Day last week. Since I wasn’t able to get out and about to do much for him, a nice book and a home-made card was his gift. Todd seemed to enjoy it- he wanted to bbq chicken for dinner, and we had our first family grilling experience.

Maisy is so lucky to be able to have Todd’s mom and dad come for a visit this week. Both Maisy and the grandparents are super excited to meet each other!

The following week Todd, Maisy and I will take our first road trip to LA to visit my family and to attend a baby shower (someone else’s for a change!). Todd and I are very excited to have Maisy meet Elijah (big boy cousin), Papa and Uncle Rigo and to see Nana and Auntie again! While we are down there, we’ll be sure to go to RSM and meet Maisy’s little friend- Marly, born to our good friends Sarah and Drew just a few weeks before Maisy.

We would like to again thank everyone for their well wishes, meals and support in these first couple of weeks. All of you are very special to us. Having a wonderful support system really helps get through the first bumps in the road.

Much love -
Becky, Todd and Maisy

Maisy Adelyn on her birthday

Maisy finally made her appearance in record time on 5 June 2008! Todd and I both over joyed and completely in LOVE.

The birth story

I had been having regular contractions (tightening of the stomach nothing painful) the evening of 3 June. At about 10 minutes apart, they continued through the morning of 5 June. Luckily, they never hurt; they were just noticeable. Todd and I spent June 3rd and 4th walking, walking, walking. We looped through our neighborhood, walked to the market and looped through the neighborhood some more. At about 6am on June 5th the contractions grew closer together, and began hurting more. I still didn’t believe this was labor. By 10:30am, the contractions were about 2-3 minutes apart, lasting for over two hours, and really started to hurt. we picked up the phone.

We called into the Labor and Delivery Line, and they said to come in. We thought THIS IS IT! Todd called my mom and sister who were on their way from LA. We arrived at the hospital around 11:30 and I went into Triage to see if I would be admitted. I hung out there for a while in a bit of pain and the hospital staff determined I was only 3cm dilated (although I was very close to a 4). They will not keep you in the hospital unless you are a good 4, nearing 5, or your water has broken.

Todd and I had planned on having a medication free birth, but the doctor offered me a shot of morphine which would help me relax, nap and let the contractions progress. After discussing with Todd, we agreed to take the shot after initially declining. After my shot, they sent us home, and said it could be much later in the day and possibly three days before “active labor” began. We called my mom and sister, who turned around and headed back to LA.

After returning home, I headed to bed for a nap and Todd went out to run errands. It was about 12:30 at this time. I was able to doze off very contently in between contractions. Morphine was very kind to me. After about only a half hour of dozing, my water broke and I rolled out of bed to save our mattress. :) I called Todd, told him the news and back to Labor and Delivery we went. Todd called my mom and my sister and they turned around once again, to head back to the Bay.

I went into into triage (again!) and by around 2:30 we were in our birthing room. I was now dilated to 5cm. There, the contractions were getting stronger and stronger and coming almost back to back. Unfortunately the morphine had run out. The hospital staff explained that I could get a shot of fentanyl that would take the edge off, similar to the morphine. I said, “yes, please” and about that epidural? “Sign me up!” They said I couldn’t get an epidural until I had finished an IV bag of fluid, and I told them to turn that puppy up! That bag took forever to drain! Around 4:45pm the epidural was still no where in sight and the contractions were so fierce that they were pushing for me. The staff was very surprised to see me in this state and decided to check me. They were shocked to see that I was already dilated 10 cm! 5cm in two hours without major drugs or any inducing agents!

At this point they said I would not be able to get the epidural as I was already set to push. The hospital staff kicked it into high gear and got set up for a delivery that they thought was hours away. At 5pm I started to push and 19 minutes later, she was born. Todd held her slimy little hand and cut the cord. I was relieved to have a happy, healthy daughter and to be DONE!

Maisy was born at 5:19 pm, weighed 7 pounds, 7 ounces, was 20 and a half inches long, with an APGAR of 7 at birth and 9 five minutes later. All good signs.

7 pounds 7 ounces

Unfortunately my mom and my sister missed the birth and arrived at the hospital just 10 minutes before visiting ended, so we got to see them just shortly. Todd’s brother was also able to sneak in under the wire, so they all got to see Maisy for the first time that day.

The following day we were ready to go home and able to leave the hospital around 2pm. We were barely there for 24 hrs!

Our first family photo

At home

W e left the hospital with out having a name for her. We, in fact, just decided on her name this morning. (It was our deadline for the birth certificate!) At home we tried out all our favorites and Maisy was the only one we could actually say. She is one little spunk bucket I tell you! She knows what she wants and when she wants it.

We’ve been taking shifts at night caring for her. I’m breast feeding, so there is only so much Todd can do, but he’s been very helpful with diaper changes and trying to get her settled down again -not to mention, just hanging out with her for a few hours, so I can get some uninterrupted sleep! Mmmmmm sleep. As a family, we’ve left the house for short outings which is a lot of fun. the key here is short outings. I’m still healing, and being on the move still isn’t very comfortable.

Rest, time, the love of friends and family all help.

Much love -
Becky, Todd and Maisy

The days keep passing and there is still no baby, which I suppose is okay because we still don’t have a name! Nesting is in full effect, and you can see the results in our (nearly) finished nursery!

Becky tries out the nursery

This is Todd right after we first put the crib together. He (and I) are very proud!

My most recent doctor’s appointment was six days ago and went well. There is progress being made, but only until I can hold Her, will I feel like progress has been made! I have another appointment for May 28th, unless she shows up before then.

I’ve been talking walks daily and am continuing to go to yoga. I’ve been on a cleaning/laundry kick and every couple of days, I start all over again. Todd thinks I’m crazy. I still feel pretty good. I’m starting to get a little bit more tired than I have been. I am starting to feel the baby getting lower and lower which is NOT so comfortable, but I just try to keep myself busy so the days pass more quickly. We are both so excited to meet this little girl! I have been having contractions off and on. Some not so painful, some kinda hurty- so hopefully this means we are getting close.

ps. The bathroom is still not completely complete and so- this is why we have not posted pictures of this, but this will also come with time.

posing with the poses

We are almost there!

T oday we had the last baby class before our big day, this one specific to childbirth. Our teacher would say that we are all “ready”, but if you ask me, there’s still a lot to get ready for! After seeing some of the videos, it looks like a whole bunch of crazy! To lighten the mood, Todd and I went out to dinner, and afterwards saw Baby Mama, yet another pregger movie. That makes three that we’ve seen during my pregnancy. (also Knocked Up, Juno).

Tomorrow, I have a doctor’s appointment to see if we’re any closer to her arrival. I’ve been feeling a little cramping and notice mild contractions – hopefully that means some progress!

On the homefront

We’ve gotten the nursery pretty well put together. The molding is up, the crib assembled, linens looking cozy, and the 0-3 month clothes washed and waiting. New blinds should arrive next week, and then the nursery should be done. Well, we will have some decorating to do, but she won’t notice that! We are keeping the house nice, neat and vacuumed – just in case we have a surprise baby arrival!

where does the baby go in this boppy?

This is a picture of Todd being silly, and trying on the very complicated Moby wrap . Believe it or not, it’s a giant piece of fabric that is sold to hold a baby. Needless to say, we did not end up buying it!

The bathroom project is still pretty much where it was. The vanity is finished and the toilet is working. We still need to get a bathroom mirror, vanity light, paint the door, get a door knob and paint the door jams. We also have a cabinet/closet specialist coming next week to help us with the storage creation next to the laundry.

That’s all for now!! Hope you are all well. Hugs- Becky, Todd and baby

M y bay area shower was April 26th thrown by my good friend Angie. Thank you, Angie! The shower was wonderful- with all of the personal touches brought to it. Many friends and family from far away were able to attend. Angie threw a “green” shower, so all of the take aways, juice pitchers- almost everything including the gift wrapping was all able to be re-used or recycled. It was a very cool concept and even more cool to pull it off! We played a fun game where you hold a card above your head (so you can’t see what you are drawing) and then you draw what you think the future baby Matthews will look like. This is the winning drawing by my friend Andrea. The love and kindness of all was definitely felt that day- Thank you to everyone who was able to participate!

We’ve also been busy with the home remodel project. In retrospect, perhaps it wasn’t the best time to decide to tear up our house! Todd’s dad was here to help us with the project. They gutted the bathroom, laundry room and water heater room down to the studs and rebuilt it again. Originally Joel was only going to stay a week, but thank goodness he extended his stay- because we weren’t close to done after a week! So we had Joel with us for two weeks. They accomplished so much in a very short amount of time. We could not have done it without Joel’s help and guidance. Thank you so much! It was really cool to see the father and son team in action :-)

Here are a few shots from the progress. Hopefully the next post will show a completed bathroom. We are actually really close. The walls are up and painted, the floor is installed and the fixtures are back in place. The washer is now fully functioning- Yay! We still need to affix the toilet, put the finishing touches on the vanity, install and find the vanity light and mirror. After that we need to get the custom cabinets made for the laundry area. Then we’ll be done!

We still have some other projects going on as well. The nursery is still not together. Todd has to measure, cut and install the moulding. I still need to paint the moulding. I’ve started washing all her clothes and getting all of the wonderful shower gifts put away. It’s all happening- slowly but surely.

Todd and I feel like we’ve been at Kaiser constantly! They have so many classes… last Thursday we took our first installment of the newborn care class, then Friday morning we had the meet and greet the labor and delivery staff, that was a very informative session where you got to ask all sorts of questions. That was definitely helpful. Then Sunday we had our labor and delivery class- which we got stood up on! I hope they come through better when it’s show time. So we rescheduled for the 18th- let’s hope little miss decides to stay put that long. Last night we had our hospital tour- which was kind of a weird experience. It’s odd to think that the next time you are in this room or on this floor- you are going to be having A BABY! It was good to see though and also very helpful. Today we have our last ultrasound to make sure the baby is in the correct position (which I’m pretty sure she is) and to do my Group B Strep test. After this appointment, I’ll start going weekly. Time has flown. Tonight we have our second installment of the newborn care class.

My last day at work was Friday, May 2nd. I’m very fortunate that my work has such a great policy. All were very sweet and we went to lunch to celebrate. I’m very happy to not be working and in the 3 days I’ve had off so far, I haven’t been bored once and I’m really shocked at how fast the days go by. There is so much to get done at home- I can’t believe I used to go to work and take care of things at home. It is a relief to not have to wake up and get to work everyday and then sit all day long. It was getting quite uncomfortable. The baby has now decided to move down to my lower areas and I can’t say it’s my favorite position for her.

Well I think that’s plenty of update this time- sorry it’s so long- but lots has happened. Take care- hugs, Todd, Becky and baby

W e had our first baby shower this weekend hosted by my Mom (and Charlie) and my sister. THANK YOU!!!

It was a wonderful gathering with many friends and family in attendance. The food was great and everyone was in happy spirits. As luck would have it, it was one of the hottest weekends yet this year, so we were all looking for a little reprieve (see picture below of Todd and Elijah in the kiddie pool!) The gathering was very special to Todd and me. We were so happy to see so many lovely folks show up to share their well wishes with us. This is going to be one special baby to have so many wonderful people in her life. Thank you everyone for the thoughtful gifts and company.

I had my doctors appointments last Thursday and everything is going just as it should. My next OB appointment will be May 8th and they will do another ultrasound to make sure the baby is in the correct position and do my Step B test. After that, I’ll start going to the doctor’s every 2 weeks, then every week. I also went to the neurologist to check out my little vision problems. He said, well the good news is that I’m neurologically in tact. (I thought that was excellent news!) and the bad news was that they can’t give me any medications for what he calls optical or retinal migraines. I don’t mind much, since they don’t really hurt and they are just more or less annoying.

Todd has begun the demolition on the downstairs bathroom. It is almost down to the studs. We (or the plumber rather) has removed the old water heater and installed a tankless water heater on our storage shed. Now I’m just starting to get a little bit nervous, hoping that this will all work out like we have planned- we aren’t by any means experts and we definitely don’t want to be throwing money away.

Next week Todd’s mom and dad (Joan and Joel) will be coming out. Joan is coming out to attend my bay area baby shower – and to celebrate a birthday (HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY!!) and Joel is coming out to help Todd to figure out how to get this remodel finished.

I have also decided to leave work a bit earlier than I had planned. My work is okay with that. I now only have 2 weeks left!! I can’t believe it. I don’t know if I should be over-joyed, scared or feel bad for leaving! I’m sure I’ll get over it somehow- as there will be plenty to do.

More next time- Hugs and love- Becky, Todd and baby girl

O nly about 8 weeks left now! I cannot believe how fast time has gone. I know I promised a perhaps more fancy shirt and I thought this was a fancier shirt, until Steven said to me, is that the same picture as last time, and then Todd said, no, but the shirt is still blue…. Fine! I like blue! :-)

So let me fill you in on what’s been going on. Todd left for Australia and New Zealand to have a fun vacation with Steven on March 20th. He just got back home today!! I’m so happy to have him home. We’ve had a great day of catching up and even had time to squeeze in a movie. The pictures are spectacular and Todd can’t wait to take me and the baby back with him for a proper family vacation.

I had another doctor’s appointment on March 27th. The baby was measuring right on schedule and progressing just like she should. I had only been gaining a pound or two per month, but apparently this month… I made up for some lost time and they said I gained a whole 8 pounds! I was a bit shell shocked and vowed to stop eating ice cream every night and try to make sure I get in 2 good walks a week along with my regular yoga twice a week. I’m doing okay with it so far!

Something that hasn’t been so fun is that I’ve been having migraine-like events without the headaches. They think they are Ocular Migraines. I feel “off” for about 15 minutes then I get weird blind spots for about a half hour- then they turn to weird gray crystal spots and then it resolves and I’m left feeling a bit dingy. Then it all just goes back to normal. I had had a couple of these (one per week) so I called my doctor. They had me go into the ophthalmologist to have my eyes checked and yes all my nerves and retinas are okay. They also had me go into the OB to have the baby re-checked and she’s fine too. Since then, this has happened one more time and they are just becoming the way it is for me. Very strange. My next doctor’s appointment is April 17, where they have also scheduled me to see the neurologist, just to be sure.

I have started painting the nursery and got one coat up and then my back started ACHING… so I think Todd will have to finish that up now that he is back :)

We are very excited to be having our first baby shower in Los Angeles this next weekend hosted very generously by my mom and sister. This will be a couple’s shower and so fun to see every one and see all the wonderful baby goodies. I cannot wait to oooh and ahhh. Our second shower isn’t until a couple of weeks after that in good ol’ Oakland thrown by my very good friend Angie. Todd’s mom will make the long trip out to attend along with some other family members. We are so lucky to have fabulous family and friends! I will be sure to post pictures of both events.

We have a lot going on. This week Todd needs to start tearing up our bathroom to make way for the remodel (along with finishing up painting the baby’s room). Todd’s dad is very kindly coming out when the bay shower is to help Todd along with the bathroom remodel. We are very grateful to Todd’s dad for sharing the knowledge and really helping out (read – really being the guy that knows what the heck is going on!) It’s very cool to see Todd and Joel going at projects together :-)

So finally… we still cannot choose a name… it is so darn hard. That being said, if you are so inclined here is a website where you can vote on names that have crossed our minds. We may choose one of these, we may not. If you have a super favorite, let us know. If you super hate one… don’t tell us… we just might pick it!

here I am at 28.5 weeks

N ot much has happened since the last post. Last Saturday, Todd and I joined about 20 other couples in a prenatal yoga class. There, we learned yoga poses that we could practice to help alleviate some pregnancy pains and also relaxation and breathing techniques like deep belly breathing. It feels odd doing them, but if it helps… I don’t care! My teacher says we should practice together often.

Todd is busy preparing for his trip to Australia/New Zealand where he’ll get to travel and backpack and avoid deadly snakes and caterpillars and jellyfish with his brother. It looks like REI moved into our house! Soon, it will all be gone, and on a nice vacation!

We spent the last weekend on home improvement planning. Todd has been selling items on Craigslist to clean out the small room upstairs – soon to be the baby’s room. Today we took another trip to Home Depot to collect color swatches so we can get to painting. We think we’ve found it; and I hope to paint the room (using low VOC paint) while Todd is away. We’ve also been moving on the bathroom remodel, and earlier this weekend, we found the perfect old vanity at a corner antique store that we plan to turn into a sink cabinet counter. We still have to purchase a lot of items for the remodel, but we are both very excited to get this project moving too!

Even though it’s getting notably harder to get up and down and bend over, I still feel completely capable. I do seem to be getting tired a bit more often lately – naps are definitely my friend. The baby is still moving a lot, and the movement has changed from kicks to a more sliding like feeling and the baby feeling around like feeling. This week I start “kick counting” for my doctor. I have my next appointment on March 27th. I can’t slouch as much as I used to because she is needing a lot of that room, so I guess good posture is a nice side effect. I have noticed an unfortunate side effect and it’s my growing butt and thighs! I definitely need to stop indulging my sweet tooth.

All in all, everything is going just wonderfully.

H ere I am at 26.5 weeks. Time is flying by! I still feel great although bending over is getting more and more difficult. Todd actually had to buckle my shoes for me the other day. He got a kick out of that.

I had another doctor’s appointment last Friday. The baby sounds great and measures right on schedule. I had my glucose test on Saturday, thankfully Todd could come with me so I didn’t have to sit around for an hour by myself after I drank my prescription strength sugar drink. It actually didn’t taste as bad as I’ve heard. I had an orange drink that kind of tasted like a melted orange otter pop. I can’t believe I’ve already heard the results but, I have and luckily I am all in the normal range, which means no gestational diabetes or the big ol’ baby that comes with it.

Cassidy the wonder filer

We’ve all been pretty busy lately. I’ve still been working like crazy. I actually need to fly up to Portland for a one day meeting on Tuesday that I’m not too thrilled about, but it’s not much longer that I will be working, so I suck it up and do all I can in the in between time. My last day at work will be May 14. It’s already circled on my calendar! Todd’s been busy around the house and has also picked up another short gig creating a website for a book. Mostly Todd and Cassidy have been preparing for tax season. He’s been teaching the cat to file and to master long division. Luckily they got that task accomplished and our taxes are now done, whew!

Mudflap and Brownie

The weather has been spectacular lately. Today we decided to go out for a walk, have a nice lunch (then I had to go to work for a bit), but then after I got home we went for a nice bike ride. It was the baby’s first bike ride. We were sure to stick to smaller back roads and be super vigilant about cross traffic. Our bikes were so happy to be out together again. Later we enjoyed going to dinner with our super neighbors Matt, Abby and baby Evan. It has been another wonderful weekend.

T odd and I have been busily preparing the house for baby girl (still yet to be named). Todd re-did his office, to make it much more open for baby watching and working :-) I’ve been re-arranging closets to make room for all the new things we will have for the baby.

i think todd is going for an ‘i love lucy’ impression, what do you think?

We celebrated Valentine’s day by me leaving work early and surprising Todd and taking him on a tour of Scharffen Berger Chocolate Factory in Berkeley. We got a tour of the chocolate factory with yummy samples to boot. After our tour we headed over to North Berkeley Farmer’s Market for a snack of cheese, bread and butter- YUM! From there we drove over to the Berkeley Rose Garden to hang out, eat our snack and watch the sun set over the Golden Gate Bridge. It was a wonderful afternoon.

Work has been very busy for me, so the weeks are flying by! I cannot believe I have less than 15 weeks left! (that’s what I say now, huh?! I suppose that’s why they call it the “golden trimester”). My next doctor’s appointment is on the 28th of February where I think I’ll take my pregnancy glucose test. Everything is going great. I feel wonderful and have tons of energy. I feel her move more and more strong and often. I’m keeping up with my twice weekly prenatal yoga classes and enjoy them more and more each time I go. Todd and I have signed up for a couples prenatal yoga birth preparation course through my yoga studio. I’m very excited for Todd to see and experience some of what I’ve been learning. I hope to use some of the yoga techniques I’ve learned along the way during the birthing process. I plan to have a drug-free birth and hope that using some of these relaxing techniques and poses can get me through and if not, oh, well… we tried! We’ve also signed up for all of our birth/baby/breast feeding/hospital tours preparation sessions. Hopefully we’ll be as prepared as we can get for our big arrival.

It’s funny… I still don’t think I look super pregnant but others are definitely noticing and it is absolutely having its benefits. I had to use the restroom in a drug store the other day and I asked a woman very politely where the restroom was, and she was about to tell me I had to go get some key from some customer service area when her eyes set upon my belly and said, well come here, I’ll take you to use the employees restroom. Score!

I hope you enjoy the update and that everyone had a great start to the year- Hugs, Becky, Todd and Baby

T odd was the most fantastic husband and surprised me with a spa day today. He made appointments for both of us at the Claremont Resort and Spa. I got a prenatal massage and Todd got a Shiatsu. We enjoyed the lovely spa facilities and relaxed with the multiple head showers, steam rooms, and deluge showers. The good stuff didn’t end there! Todd had made lunch reservations at Chez Panisse, where I had a yummy pasta bolognese and Todd ate a local rock fish. After a delightful relaxing first half of the day, we took a walk around North Berkeley through a redwoodsey park, where we repeatedly remarked, “we LOVE where we live!” It was nice to have a day in The Bay without rain, and a perfect end to a very busy couple of weeks. Todd and I have both been over, over, over worked. (yes, I said over 3 times and meant every one!)

So, here is a picture of me at the end of this day all happy and content. I am now over half way though my pregnancy. It has gone by really fast! I feel her move often and Todd also enjoys feeling her kicking around in there. I still can’t believe myself every time I look in the mirror. I still feel like I’m just a slightly larger version of what I was, but then sometimes I actually see the transformation going on and I’m blown away! I feel great, have plenty of energy, have no symptoms or funky body aches to complain about. I hope this lasts for quite some time.

H ere I am at 18.5 weeks pregnant. I still feel like I just look “fat”, but I’ve had at least 3 comments from strangers wishing me congratulations, so that makes me feel better. Since it’s winter time and I’m a wimp when it comes to being cold, I can’t wear a lot of my stretchy skirts and flowy-type shorts, so I’ve now resorted to wearing all maternity pants. They are very comfortable, but still not as tight as I would like them to be- they tend to sag, so I still use the Motherhood Maternity’s Tummy Tube to keep them nice and tight. Old Navy has been very kind with their maternity sales- so it hasn’t broken the bank either!

I’ve felt the baby move since about 15.5 weeks . At first it just felt like twitches or quick popcorn kernals popping. It has gotten stronger and more frequent each day. Todd keeps trying to feel her kicking around, but no luck yet. Todd leans his head down to have chats and listen to her. He says she’s a very good listener. He also swears he can hear her in there. He says it sounds like “swimming”. I’ll have to ask my doctor about that one!

We had to switch insurance companies this year, so I had my first appointment at my new doctor’s office last Friday. Everything is still going just as it should be. It’s always a treat to get to hear the sweet sound of her heartbeat on the doppler. This new system seems to have a lot of classes and support for families, so that should be a big plus. They actually took the time to talk to me and answer all my questions without making me feel like I was wasting their time. My next check up appointment is Feb. 1.

We purchased our crib bedding just this weekend. We found it at the most unlikely place for the most affordable price- YAY! Walmart, if you believe it- I think I can count on one hand how many times I’ve been there, but hey, if they got what you need… take advantage! We both adore this bedding. The baby’s crib is a pretty light green color and this mod-nature theme will go perfectly with the nursery decor we have planned. As you can imagine, we are not into the typical frilly and charactery baby stuff- plain, simple and natural is our theme.

people would often ask, “are you gonna find out if it’s a boy or a girl?” and i would reply, “i hope so!”

Well, today we went in for an end-of-the-year sonogram, second tri-mester style, and were asked by the nurses tech if we wanted to know the gender. “Of course!” Here’s how it went:

YouTube Video

14 weeks

T hought we’d start giving you the belly shots, so here you go. This picutre was taken last Sunday at 14 weeks. I just feel kind of blobby and my clothes are all tight and uncomforable – the maternity clothes are still too big and saggy, so this is a really fun stage! [Note the sarcasm :-) ] I’m excited to start looking pregnant instead of like I eat everything in sight.

Other than my clothes not really fitting, everything else is going very well. I seem to have my headaches under control now. I am taking prenatal yoga, which I really enjoy, and I’m trying to eat well and get some exercise every now and again. My energy is back up and the nausea is now long gone. I do seem to get weepy quite easily. I cried twice… TWO TIMES… while watching two separate lame television shows last night. Todd finds it amusing, and I just tell him it’s not nice to laugh at your pregnant wife! We are really having a blast and are looking forward to our next appointments on New Year’s Eve.

Baby heartbeat.aif (100k)

t oday we got to hear the heartbeat. our appointment was brief, and a continuation of our last appointment. no stirrups or oven mitts involved this time, instead, lady doc positioned a fancy tummy mic over becky’s belly, and projected our baby’s swooshy heartbeat into the air. with iphone at the ready, i recorded the sound which you can hear too!

after the sound test, we went back to the doctor’s office, had a seat, and chatted for a bit. she asked us all sorts of questions about our genealogy, diet, and physical activity – then she gave us the low down on what we should do during the first few months of pregnancy. call me crazy, but shouldn’t this sort of conversation have taken place a few months ago?

long story short, everything seems fine. although we didn’t get all of the labs back, those we did review were in good order. the baby is alive and kicking, and becky is ta ‘boot. we may even find out if it’s a boy or a girl around christmas time!

more soon!

Yesterday was our diagnostic screening day.

To our happy surprise they did another ultrasound. The baby looks very content in its little cocoon. The baby would be lying on its back and then get up all of a sudden and do a few fancy moves and lay back down. We could have sworn at one point the baby just turned and waved to us.

I was actually able to see the heartbeat this time and the heart rate looks excellent. The baby was up on the monitor for quite a while since they were taking measurements. By the way, the baby is also measuring right on target. Already a straight A student, passing all the tests!

We should be able to find out the sex of the baby by mid January- yay!

O ur first doctor’s appointment was on Thursday, Nov. 8th, and it seemed like forever for that day to come. As you can imagine, we were both very excited. Once the ultrasound machine was fired up, it was pretty amazing to see someone in there! The doctor said the baby looked perfect and that there was a good strong heart beat. The baby even started to do a little dance for us, showing Todd and I just how she or he can tear up a dance floor! I couldn’t believe the baby was moving, since I can’t feel a thing!

At the time of this photo, the baby was about 3 cm long and she or he will continue to grow rapidly. The doctor confirmed the baby should be arriving around June 3rd.

The rest of our schedule seems pretty packed. I have an appointment for diagnostic first trimester screening this Friday, Nov. 16th, and I hope they do another ultrasound so I can see our little baby again. Our next offical appointment is Monday, Nov. 26th, and the doctor was saying it is a continuation of the first appointment. It’s then that we get to listen for the heart beat with the doppler – if they can’t hear it that way they will do another ultrasound. We also discuss the results of the blood tests and screenings I have had. Hope all goes well!

%(caption)hick’s apple orchard, ny%

h ere we are in new york; enjoying the autumn air. nothing satisfies quite like a healthy dose of apple picking. pretty soon, our little package will be the size of an apple, and we’re looking forward to telling you all about it… and that’s exactly why we put this little blog up.

our hope is that we can commit to at least the seven more months of blogging before our baby arrives – that’s more than what we can say for our italy blog which sadly, dwindled off in late march. one day, we’ll update that, really. for now, we’re in baby land!

We can expect to meet the new addition June 3rd!