Flying Cats

Busted by Mia

2009-09-03T15:30:00.000-07:00

My niece Mia has begged me to post some pictures...so here they are!

Reading the paper with Daddy!

Napping with Daddy

Standing like she's been doing it all her life!

Maniac!

2009-06-19T18:01:00.001-07:00

'Cuz she's a maniac, maniac in the swing!

Joy

2009-05-10T08:27:00.000-07:00

Taken this morning on my bed during a quick nap. Love her little feet!

Joy - I have it. Lots of it. Annika's smiles, her feet, her grin, even her not so great moments have been nothing but pure joy the last 6 months. I am blessed.

Happy Mother's Day.

Riding on Thomas the Train all by herself! Stopping to smell the roses in her pretty dress from her Abuela.
Fashion diva!

Friends, family, and a new camera!

2009-04-09T11:51:00.000-07:00

Wow. Slacker am I. Can't believe it's been over a month since I've posted. In all fairness, I have been pretty busy. I'm making up for last year's homesick/pregnant/hormonal/grouchy/friendless/go no where funk by playing outside as much as possible. Annika and I now have a pretty solid core group of mommy and baby friends that we walk with almost every day. And the best part is they also like to eat afterwards. After our long walks on the beach (somedays 6+ miles), we work up quite an appetite and, well, need to eat. Our little beach town has everything we could want in a 2 block radius: bbq, thai, Hawaiian, pub fare, Mexican, Indian, sushi, - you name it! It's a foody's dream come true. Except this time of year its beginning to get a bit crowded - may have to find another venue to walk.

Annika and I took a brief trip up to Seattle to see the fam and see the sobrinos over Spring break. It was cold - snowed twice even! But we survived. We had a lovely time. I bought a new camera - a Canon Rebel. Still learning how to use it - such a novice! But, I have a beautiful little girl to practice on and only gets annoyed after 30 shots or so...lol. Here are some pics from the last few weeks in no particular order.

Grandma A and Annika laughing at an inside joke.

Playing with the new camera. Love the look on her face!

She melts my heart!

Love the new camera even more for making me look skinnier than I really am....ha ha ha.

Out for Pho with Anna and her sweetie girl, Emma as well as Adam and little Gabe.

Emma and Annika

Adam and Gabe

Ooo! Grandma has stripes, too!

Maddie, a bottle-feeding pro!

On UW campus. Daddy had a cow when I told him where we were....Go Dawgs!!!!

Losing the light, but caught this pretty blossom. Not sure if its a dogwood or magnolia?

Out for Indian food with Uncle Doug and the fabulous Amber. I love how he's looking at her. Such a cute couple.

Learning all the tricks of the trade for the family rummy game.

"Annika, don't throw a rummy card!" She is really concentrating!

A-Rob

Sweet girl!!!

Scout and A-Rob playing at the park at the mall.

Mommy! STOP!

4 months old and sneaky sister

2009-03-05T07:31:00.001-08:00

Growing so fast! Scroll back to December to see other pics in her chair!

Annika hit the 4 month milestone on the 28th, and we had her check up on the 2nd. Shots, of course, were part of the appointment. Now that I've 4 months of experience under my belt, I've started to ignore the doctor who tells me to not get her dressed before the shots. Have you ever tried to dress a screaming infant? I have - 2x now, and it isn't very manageable.

Anyway, this time I had her completely dressed when the nurse came in and I simply adjusted her pants for the shots in both legs. Much easier.

The shots - at first she was screaming because it hurt, and did she ever give the nurse the Peruvian death glare! I had never seen that look on her face! After about 2 minutes her crying turned to simple rage. O, the inhumanity! She raged all the way through the office, at the receptionist while paying the copay, all the way to the car. And then immediately switched it off when I put her in the car seat and her 'little friends' on the car seat arm popped into view. "Oh, there you are" she seems to say, and starts her chirpy little chatting at them like nothing just happened. What a funny little girl.

She's still in the 95th percentile for both height and weight. As a result, I'm no longer carrying her around in the car seat. It stays in the car. She's almost 18 pounds. I'm so glad we opted to buy the Graco Safeseat over the Snugride as the Safeseat goes up to 30 lbs, and the Snug only to 22. All of her other progress is on track. She smiled, laughed and cooed for the doctor, holds her head up really well, 'standing' when supported, etc.

It also skews the sizes of baby clothes, most often listed by months. She's into 9-12 months clothes already. Dang it.

In other baby news, she is turning over front to back. It is hilarious. She doesn't intend to, doesn't know she's doing it. She gets a bit high-centered on her belly, moves her head a little off-center, and gravity takes over. Then there she is on her back looking up at me with a puzzled little expression. I cheer and clap and get her to smile - provide positive reinforcement. Now, back to front! She is ALMOST there! She gets completeley on her side - one hip/shoulder completely off the ground. However, her elbows are in the way as her little hands are competeing for top spot in her mouth. Any day now...and then it will be a whole new ballgame in the A house.

We got the go-ahead for rice cereal and she had her first serving the other day. What a messy little enterprise that is! She took to the spoon and rice immediately, but also felt she had to help. Her hands were everywhere - in her mouth right after a bite of food, then hands to the head, the ears, the side of the bumbo. Ergo, baby and 3 foot circumference around her is getting hosed down after a meal...lol. She loves the rice. We've been experimenting and letting her taste tiny little bits of our food. The other day I was eating some BBQ beans and put a tiny little bit of sauce on my finger for her to taste. She loved it. Her eyes got all wide and she started smacking her gums together. However, outside of small little tastes of food, we're sticking to the rice until 6 months.

What else is new....oh yeah. She's started blowing raspberries! And lifting her hips off the ground by planting her feet, and grabbing everything she can. Cats no longer safe. I'm having to keep my hair pulled back as she's gotten a good grip a couple times. She thinks its funny. Yeah. Funny kid.

Still sleeping through the night. In bed by about 8:30, and up around 6:30-7ish. Takes a small bottle, and back down for a nap (at her prompting) for another two hours. Funny, but not a big eater in the morning. Only will graze about 2-3 oz, but demands more as the day progresses. Her final bottle around 8 PM is about 7-8 oz. And she's stopped eating every 4 hours and eats every 3 now. And you know what? If that's the price for a beautiful full night's sleep, I'll pay it.

Her are some pics.

Oh yeah. Sneaky sister slyly snuck into town last Thursday to help me celebrate my 40th. I had an inkling she was doing this, but no firm confirmation. Even her sneaky kids were covering for her. Carolyn called me from the airport Thursday night and asked me to come get her. Ha ha. Anyway, on my way I called her house and got Scout, my niece. I asked to talk to her mom and she told me "She's at the mall". Reeeaalllly....funny kids.
I was so happy to see her. Annika loves her so much too! We did lots of great stuff. Went for a walk in HB on the beach, lots of Starbucks, went to the Farmer's Market/The Grove in LA, more Starbucks, and hit Downtown Disney as well. And more Starbucks. And the bookstore. Yeah. A perfect weekend! Cried when she left, though.
Did I mention she's also a cat whisperer? Fuego, the tailed Calico - likes no one but me, and well, Carolyn. Kept poking and headbutting her all weekend for attention. And Osa, of course, finds any sucker with a lap.
Home Invasion! Our little house is slowly being morphed into some primary color explosion!

Beach Baby

2009-02-27T14:58:00.000-08:00

Annika and I have joined a mom's group which walks on the beach or the park several days a week. On the beach there is often a glare, so when I saw these adorable wrap around pink sunglasses, I couldn't resist. She loves them!

We leave around 8:30 in the morning for our commute down the coast on the PCH to our walking destination on the beach. She gets silly and giddy when I put her in the car seat -- it's almost like she knows where we're going! She loves our walks, looking at the birds, meeting new people and just being outside for several hours a day. She takes better naps afterwards and seems to sleep better at night on walk days (me too!!!).

Additionally, I'm meeting new friends with babies all around the same age, and meet up for coffee and lunch as well. Meetup.com has been a lifesaver!

My sneaky sister Carolyn flew into town last night to surprise me for my 40th B-Day. It's so nice to see her and Annika adores her.

Chillin' in her new shades.

Our cat Osa sniffing my shoes...she gets her head in there and starts acting crazy. Hmmm...don't know what that means.

Bedtime antics, continued.

2009-02-24T21:23:00.000-08:00

I think she's one step ahead of us...let me explain.

Yesterday was one of those 'I think I'm a bad parent' days after she spent two straight hours of crying/yelling/screaming/fussing in lieu of taking a nap. Nothing could entertain, distract, or calm her. Needless to say, at the end of those two hours my nerves were shot and I can honestly say she wasn't my favorite person in the world at that moment. Yet, still madly in love with her.

Anyway, V and I decided to implement a more structured, tough love bedtime routine that was going to include increasing 'cry it out' intervals starting at 2 minutes, three minutes, etc. I was stressing out all yesterday afternoon and evening preparing for the coming bedtime battle. So, here's how we planned our bedtime routine that we intend to use every night.
7:45 - bath
8:00 - final bottle (based on her historic schedule)
8:20 - story and prayers
8:30 - bed, and if refuses to clam down go in at 2 minutes to console and calm, but not pick up or take out of room.

What a great plan! :-)

Here's how the night went:
7:45 - pleasant, uneventful bath.
8:00 - daddy fed her a bottle, drank 6 ounces (normal)
8:20 - fell sound asleep on daddy's shoulder while being burped, didn't wake until 6:30 this morning.

So much for all that time stressing for the battle!

Tonight, planned the same routine.

She started fussing for a bottle about an hour earlier than normal, tried to entertain/distract but ended up feeding her at 7:00 PM. She fell asleep in her rocker and simply was out. I finally put her in her crib, fully clothed, at 9:00. Not a peep since.

I think she knows we want to put her on a schedule, but she wants to do bedtime on her own terms? What a clever little girl.

Or, it might be the 2-3 hour walks we took yesterday and today that knocked her out. Who knows. I'm grateful for two nights of hassle-free bedtime!

Bedtime antics

2009-02-23T16:38:00.001-08:00

Argh. We coddled Annika at bedtime for a week or so during her cold, i.e. rocking her to sleep, sleeping in her rocker to be elevated - basically broke with our routine. Don't get me wrong - I still adore her, but man! We've tried to go back to the pre-cold routine and dangit, she'll have no part of it. Oh well. We're rookies and will fugure this out too... :-)

The 40th Birthday week is here!

2009-02-22T18:50:00.000-08:00

Propped on the couch. She hates being on her back - needs to see what's going on!

I figured since my 40th (yes, fortieth!) birthday is smack in the middle of the week on Wednesday this year, I'm going to claim the entire week as a cause for celebration!

We started celebrating on Friday by escaping the city and trekking up to Big Bear Lake in the mountains. We had a very cozy, QUIET cabin right off the lake with a fireplace. It was a very restful, peaceful weekend (except for some brief moments when Annika wasn't so restful nor peaceful).

She's been a bit off the last week or so with a cold. Due to the sniffles and slight congestion, she's really uncomfortable on her back so has been sleeping in her Fisher Price infant-toddler rocker. Can I mention we love this thing? So does she, by the way. She can sit up or recline in it, and it's good to up to 35 pounds and will be around awhile.

Tongiht, she sat outside in her bumbo while Daddy cleaned the patio. She loves being outside and gets cranky on days we don't go for walks - she actually will get grousy and complain. This is sovled by a quick trip outside around the block, or even to the mailbox. I find on days we take our walks, she takes better naps and sleeps better overnight too.

Here are some pictures from this weekend:

Adorable!

View from the cabin at Big Bear Lake

The cabin

Bundled in the car ready to drive home early Sunday

My two favorite people in the whole wide world.

Catching up (aka - OK Mom! I'll post some pics!)

2009-02-19T11:53:00.000-08:00

It's been a really busy month so far! My brother Doug flew down for a long weekend at the beginning of the month, and the same day he left, Annika and I flew to Salt Lake to see my other brother Jim and his fun fam. Shortly after our return from SLC, my niece Scout came down over the President's Day weekend for some fun in the sun - and a surprise trip to Disneyland! Those pics are on another camera and I'll post later. It has been an exciting month so far, and isn't letting up! More on that later too... in the meantime, here are some pics from the month!

Annika's second airplane trip. She's becoming quite the experienced little traveler!

Utah fam - code names Princess and Dutch. Out for a walk on a sunny day!
Annika all bundled up in the stroller. She loves going for walks! She now can sit in the stroller (as opposed to the car seat) and loves having a better view.
Princess and Annika hanging out.
Dutch, Annika and I playing patty-cake. 'Dutch' shares the same birthday as Ronald Reagan, so I thought it was a solid blog nick-name for him.

At Cabelas in Utah. Love that store! Found a pink camo blanket for Annika, and a new pink backpack. Annika loved looking at all the animals.
Passed out on the beanbag. We caught a nasty cold on our trip and came home early. We were lousy house guests!
At home, Victor set up her new saucer. She had just started to grab things and thought she was ready, and she was!
She loves this little toy and spins the wheels around and around and around.
La curiosidad mata al gato. Cats in a box.
Sweet little daddy's girl!
Playing on her new camo blanket from Cabelas. Can you find the baby?
Beach baby! Laying on a blanket at the beach inside a little suntent that broke the first time we used it....grrrrrrr.
Walking along Huntington Beach with Uncle Doug.
Uncle Doug and Annika.
Hanging with mom.
Napping with dad.

Anonymous

2009-02-01T17:31:00.001-08:00

Hey all -
I've had a site pest leaving anonymous, cowardly and babbling comments on my blog so I've had to enable comment moderation. Since this is a rated G site, I don't need any controversial or icky comments. Obviously this person doesn't understand that it's one thing to accept and love a person, but one doesn't need to accept their behavior. Totally different concepts. Hoping they are able, with God's grace, to grow in wisdom and true tolerance.

In other news - having a great weekend! My brother is in town for the weekend and we spent the day sightseeing in LA! We'll have some pictures up later.

3 months old!

2009-01-29T08:52:00.000-08:00

Hip chick chillin' at home

Yesterday our sweet little Annika turned 3 months old! We cannot believe how quickly the time has passed, nor how much not only she - but we- have changed during this brief (?) time. Funny, the last 3 months of pregnancy dragged on and on and on. And on. And the last 90 days are poof- where did they go?

We celebrated last night with some Thai/Japanese take-out (delivered). Long Beach sure has great food delivery. Annika sat in her new Bumbo and celebrated with us. I think she thinks she is now royalty with her new chair. She loves it.

Something that has suprised me is how flippin' insanely crazy in love I am with her. I mean, I thought I loved my siblings. I thought I knew what take a bullet or jump in front of a speeding car to save them kind of love was for my amazing nieces and nephews. That's how much I love them. But this. This love for Annika is off the map. Kind of makes me appreciate my own parents a lot more (and no need to rub it in, mom!). And on another thoughtful level, how much more does God love me? Makes me think...

Anyway -- back to more shallow waters. She continues to crack us up. She smiles and grins at us for any reason. She has just started laughing, and I can get the best giggles out of her when I'm changing her clothes and tickle her cheeks. She thinks that's hysterical, for some reason. When she wakes up in the morning she will pleasantly chatter at her feet, or the mobile, or her glow-worm, or the wall and is good for about 20 minutes doing this. After that, she gets a little yelpy, a sort of 'Hey! I'm awake in here!' and we go in to rescue her from her crib, again to be greeted with an ear to ear grin and a wiggly excited little girl. We are so blessed.

Right before Christmas she started sleeping through the night but seemingly forgot how starting last Friday. She graced us with 4 nights of 2:30 AM wake-up calls where she downed an entire 6 oz. bottle. Thankfully, the last two nights she slept though the night, with last night sleeping 10.5 hours. Wow! We have employed the Jack Bauer method of bottle feeding for her final feeding around 9 PM. We do everything to keep her from falling asleep while eating - tickle her legs, make noise, unbutton her jammies - all to keep her drinking. It seems to work.

I've also noticed she sleeps longer/better all night after we've spent a good portion of the day outside. Tuesday we went for a really long walk on the beach in Huntington Beach (and I got a bit of too much sun!), and yesterday we were at the park for several hours. Today we're going to Laguna Beach for some BBQ. We joined two different mom's groups down here and have really filled our social calendar! Finally!!!! :-) One group is made of new moms with babies born in 2008, and the other is a group of moms in Long Beach. I've made one new friend, Jenny, whose little guy Ryan is two days older than Annika. He is totally adorable. It's also nice to be able to talk to someone who is going through pretty much the same thing at the same time with a baby.

Ryan and Annika at the park yesterday. He has the longest eyelashes and as you can see is quite the little cutie.Annika chillin' with her groovy Wall-E sunglasses in her Bumbo. I've got the whole sun-screen kit for her - hats, sunglasses, and a new pop-up tent sun shade.

Tuckered out at the park and cozy with one of Aunt Traci's blankets.

Annika explains it all....

2009-01-25T17:04:00.000-08:00

Annika is a very demanding, but pleasant baby. She has to be in the middle of what we're doing, and doesn't want to miss out on the action in our household. She has increasingly grown impatient with being laid or reclined in the boppy, or on the floor and has a unique, complainy-cry for 'get me out of here'.

As a result, we have to keep her in the infant rocker, or the new Bumbo (thanks to Stacy O for the hot tip on this one!).

We bought the Bumbo today and she immediately loved it. Here's some video of Annika telling us all about it! (Sorry, the lighting isn't so great). Stick to the end -- there are some good grins!

In other news, she's outgrown her baby bathtub and is graduating to the big tub tonight. I'm sure she'll enjoy that as well. Mommy and daddy and looking forward to spending time on their almost 40-year-old knees. It's not the time on the knees, actually - it's the getting up part...

Annika and I are planning a trip to Utah to visit cousins Mia and Lukas next week, and I had to go buy yet another set of warm winter clothes. We bought proper winter clothes for our Christmas trip to Seattle, and she's already outgrown them...grrr....she's growing so fast!

She had her 'two month' check up at 11 weeks old, and is doing fabulously! She's in the 95th percentile for both height and weight. This puts her solidly in the 6-9 month size for clothing. Fortunately, we live in SoCal where I can get away with buying spring and summery clothes in advance. I've already stashed an entire bin of clothes she's outgrown. I was quite emotional packing some of her first sleepers away - they looked so tiny, and it brought back many fresh memories of those crazy, sweet, hectic, joyful, sleepless first few weeks.

Annika and daddy at his desk.

Grin! - Well, kind of...

Stylin' in her hand-me-down Hilfiger (again, thanks Stacy and Sydney!)

Clean, unfolded laundry. It's not even warm as it was in the dryer all night. WHY????

George being, well, George.

I used to be cool.

2009-01-13T13:32:00.000-08:00

I have a new favorite shirt. It says "I used to be cool". I saw it advertised on Facebook, and it cracked me up...so I bought it in anticipation of my 40th b-day next month.

Anyway, I was wearing it today and Annika graced me with yet another 'Mommy Merit Badge'. If you look closely on my left shoulder, you'll see it!

What a generous baby!!!!

As further evidence of my 'coolness', I now have a grocery wagon. Yes, a real wagon. Here's the dealio: when we moved to SoCal, we bought a modest and cozy (aka cheap and small) condo as housing prices are off the map down here. We were fortunate enough to get a condo with 2 garages, and although they are 'attached' to the building, there is no direct access from our unit. The garages are down the walk and around the corner from our door.

The grocery wagon. Notice the pink camo diaper bag in the lower right? Love it!

On grocery days, I don't want to make multiple trips back to the car to bring in the loads as that would mean leaving Annika alone in the house, even if just for a few minutes (Remember, I'm a neurotic new mama). Hence, the wagon! All the groceries + Annika's car seat fit into one trip down the walkway. Additionally, there are 2 cup holders on the thing so it can also hold my beloved Starbucks. What a good life!

You may wonder why I just don't do my grocery shopping in the evening after Victor gets home, and there is a good explanation. He works such long hours, and frequently on weekends that I really covet and protect our time together. We do shop together at Costco, but we see that as a date for some reason. It might be the free food samples on Saturday.

Here are some vids of Annika. My niece Mia is very demanding and wants to see vids on the blog every day. I willingly comply!

Annika hacking into daddy's laptop.

Annika falling asleep:

Annika when she wakes up:

Smooth move, mom!

2009-01-11T11:56:00.000-08:00

It's a sunny, beautiful Sunday here in SoCal. It's supposed to be 80 today, and I'm breaking out the fans I put into storage last month. The only fly in the ointment is that daddy was once again called into work. :-( We decided to make the best of it! We packed up in the babytrekker for our daily walk to Starbucks. Today, I put Annika facing forward for the 1st time so she could better enjoy the view. I thought it would be cute to get a picture of us!
As you can see, not a good shot. The carrier is a bit too big for her.

Trying unsuccessfully to get both of us in the frame......and this is when I dropped the camera on poor Annika's head while fiddling with the dang thing. Bad mom! First time I've made her cry. Ouch.
Here's a cute picture from last night's bath time. She loves her baths, but is outgrowing the baby tub. Maybe time to move to the big tub! The ducky towel was a gift from G-Ma K!

And her is some video of her conversating while fighting falling asleep. She's been doing this the past week -- tired, needing a nap, and fighting it. Notice she tries to smile? She 'fusses' about 5 minutes like this, shakes her head back and forth, and then just nods off.

Annika's 1st earthquake

2009-01-08T20:03:00.000-08:00

As I was posting the previous entry, we had an earthquake. Annika's first. Woo-hoo! Small one, 4.9, and I didn't even think it was an EQ at first (I thought it was the kids/dog upstairs messing around), but when the my windchimes were also shaking, I knew it was something bigger...

My 2nd since we've moved here, and both times I was blogging....ha ha.

But I'm sleeping in the same room as the baby tonight. Again, that new mom neurosis....

A day at the beach!

2009-01-08T19:30:00.001-08:00

Today Annika and I met our friend Amber, who is visiting from Seattle, for lunch. We met up at the Ruby's Diner in Laguna Beach. Afterwards, we went to Starbucks (yes, I know you're SHOCKED!) and went for a walk on the lovely beach. So what if it was a cloudy day! It still beats all the rain/snow/flooding in Seattle! Laguna Beach is a nice little town on the coast about halfway between LA and San Diego. It has a beautiful, rugged coast and is quite the tourist trap.

This was also Annika's first trip to the beach, which is a bit embarrasing as we only live 4 miles from the water in Long Beach. I'm sure we'll get back to the beach soon.

Also -- she slept 10 hours last night!!!! I only slept 6 of those 10, as the last 4 I was waking up every 15 minutes to check and see if she was still breathing. First time mom neurosis, I guess. But there she was, happily sleeping away. She had a really busy and eventful day yesterday. We joined a group of other moms and babies at a really great park in Cerritos, and she spent about 2 hours outside in the chilly So Cal January 70 degree winter. It must have tuckered our poor girl out! She loved watching all the kids running around, and all the older toddlers were fascinated with all the 'babies'. I think this may have been what prompted her long sleep!

This is a really great mom's group, with about 2-3 activities a week ranging from coffee dates, nature walks, rollerblading, and library story times. Most of the moms are first timers, and of that 'advanced maternal age' like me, so we have lots in common.

Tomorrow we are going to the library for story time, and then out for coffee.

Here are some pictures from today:

Annika and me on the boardwalk

Cheeky girl!

Local fauna

This one's for Mia!

2009-01-06T08:34:00.000-08:00

My three-year-old niece Mia loves to look at my blog and all the baby pictures. She especially loves the film clips and repeatedly asks her mom to make the regular photos talk too. Here is a little video just for Princess Mia!

Here you go Mia!

Annika's first Christmas morning

2008-12-25T09:00:00.000-08:00

As per the usual, our lovely Annika woke up early smiling this beautiful day.

It is snowing in Seattle - on Christmas! What a joy and a rarity. It redeems this year of exile in SoCal... ;-) Victor was able to finally get out of Long Beach and arrived safe and sound in Seattle yesterday morning in the snow.

Here is Annika's first Christmas present from Grandma and Grandpa A.

She flashes us such big grins now! Love this baby!

Chattering at daddy. The little seahorse's belly lights up and plays soft classical music.

Here is Annika helping daddy open his present from her. It's a Cougar (WSU) quilt that Annika spent hours making last week. She loves her daddy that much!Helping daddy open his present.

Daddy taking Annika out in the snow. She wasn't so keen on the snow in her face, as she is a California girl, but she does find it interesting!She loves staring at the snow!

Annika happily chattering away at her friends, Campo, Cyrus, and Pio Pio. She is so good at entertaining herself too. We are so blessed with such a good natured little girl!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Smiling Baby!

2008-12-22T11:29:00.000-08:00

FINALLY!

I've caught some video of Annika smiling and laughing. Victor and I are so blessed with such a good natured baby. Of course, Victor gets all the karmic credit for that as he says he was a much more respectful child towards his parents then I was...ahem. Moving along.

For the record - we don't sleep with Annika in our bed as a rule. Too scared about squishing or suffocating. But this morning we were cuddling and she fell asleep. I caught this video as she was waking up. She is like this every time she wakes up. It makes those 3 AM wake up calls so much easier to respond to when I know such a happy little baby will greet me in her crib with such enthusiasm and joy. Also, she is pretty much sleeping through the night now. Not bad, as she turns 8 weeks old tomorrow.

Next up - snow baby pictures! We are snowed-in in Seattle, and will post Annika in the snow pics later!

5 times make a habit?

2008-12-19T11:12:00.000-08:00

Well, maybe not a habit, per se, but certainly can mark a trend.

Annika has now slept five nights - through the night - in a row. All before 8 weeks old. The first couple nights she was sleeping from about 8 PM to 3 or so. Sounds early, but is was 7 hours of sleep! I don't mind the early part!!! :-) Last night she slept from 10:30 PM to 6:00 AM. How perfect is that?

She is smiling all the time, too. I look forward to picking her up from he crib in the morning, or after a nap and she flashes me the biggest grin. Talk about a high! I'm addicted to her little smiles. Victor hasn't joined us in Seattle yet, and I'm sure he'll be astounded at how much she has changed in just one week!

We are enjoying the lovely snow and staying very cozy at my parents house. We are well stocked on hot chocolate and whipped cream, and have the fireplace blazing. It's a great vacation so far!

I'm a real mom!

2008-12-18T14:24:00.000-08:00

Today I hand-picked a baby nose bogey, as well as caught spit up in my bare hands. I now feel like a real mom!

Annika has also slept all night for the fourth night in a row. Maybe it's all that rum and eggnog I'm drinking before I nurse her to sleep? Ha ha...just kidding. Seriously - kidding.

All Night Long!

2008-12-16T05:43:00.000-08:00

Naps? What naps? I don't need no stinkin' naps!

I am the happiest mom on the block this week as Annika has now successfully slept through the night TWO nights in a row!!!!!!! I personally love getting 6 hours of continuous sleep.

She is officially 7 weeks old today, and still a complete joy to be around. She is smiling all the time, and I get absolutely high when she flashes me her wide-mouth grin when I pick her up out of the crib after a nap. My mom and I have tried to capture this smile, but the little stinker will not play to the camera! Here's what we have so far:

Avoiding the camera, but still smiling!

Tail end of a grin! We'll catch her in the act soon....

Sunday she refused to take a nap. I would try to lay her down as she would start to nod off, but she would have none of it. She would snap awake and insist she was only kidding about falling asleep. Fortunately, she is such a good natured baby that she very easy to hang out with.

We set her in the boppy on the dining room table while we were playing cards.

Learning the rummy ropes from Grandma A. Our family plays progressive, or International rummy and are quite competitive. G-Ma A is probably the most aggressive player, so a good tutor for Annika...lol.A familiar scene in the family house - playing cards. Also, notice the product placement? This particular 4Bux drink is a (decaf!) Grande Espresso Truffle Mocha - a very nice milder alternative to the regular 4Bux mocha, which I feel is too rich.

Earning her wings and first snowfall!

2008-12-14T12:32:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was Annika's 1st airplane ride! I need to really sing my baby's praises as she was absolutely perfect the entire time. Fortunately, the plane was 1/2 empty so I was able to snag the empty seat next to me for her car seat. I had the bottle ready for take off as I was advised this is often a problem on little ears. Thank you Aunt Traci for calling and giving me all kinds of baby travel tips. Much appreciated!!!!!

Daddy's girl - sleeping through take-off!!!! One of Victor's skills, too!

She slept through takeoff.
She slept the entire flight, opening her eyes a couple times.
She slept through the landing and all the loud announcements.

Love this kid!!!!!

Peaceful slumber.

She got all kinds of compliments from the stewardesses (er, um - I mean flight attendants) and other passengers on not only how well mannered she was, but how beautiful too!

The really sweet stewardess also gave Annika her first wings too! Can I mention how much I love JetBlue????? And even more, love the direct flights they have from my perfect little Long Beach airport to everywhere I want to visit people (Seattle, Salt Lake, Chicago!)!!!!

Shameless plug for JetBlue!!! Love this airline!

We snuck into town a few days early and didn't tell my niece and nephew, Scout and A-rob, that we were in town. My sister told them they needed to go into g-ma's house to pick up a special package. They were so suprised, and loved to finally meet Annika! A-rob would leave me weekly messages on the phone about how much he misses me, loves Annika, and couldn't wait to meet her. He is such a sweet little man.

A-Rob holding Annika for the first time! Such a sweet cousin!

Scout is growing into such a beautiful young lady, both inside and out!

My dad, AKA the baby whisperer, immediately charmed Annika. I'm so glad they finally met. We have to wait until next Christmas for Annika to meet her Peruvian abuelos, and I know it's very hard on them to have to wait.

Snuggling with grandpa. It was love at first sight!

We also met my brother Doug and his lovely girlfriend Amber for dinner, when he also met Annika for the first time. It was also the first time my parents met Amber. We had a great dinner, and I think Amber will do a great job of keeping Doug on his toes!

Dapper Doug holding his favorite niece for the first time!

We flew into Seattle before the snow. We are experiencing a bit of a cold snap - quite a difference from SoCal weather. We are layered up and keeping toasty warm!

She has about 3 layers of clothes/tights/thermals on here, so no comments about not having a coat/hat/gloves on the baby. We were only outside a minute... :-)

Now, the cats are slowly adjusting to the invasion of their home our new, loud little critter. It is interesting to watch how they are now interacting with the new baby stuff that has taken over the house. Here is Osa perching in the stroller.
More posts later this week!

Six weeks!

2008-12-09T12:54:00.000-08:00

Gazing at daddy.

We made it to six weeks, today, without losing, dropping, or damaging the baby in any way. We, in our zombie-sleep-deprived-stupor, feel pretty accomplished about that!

Seriously, it has flown by and we are having the time of our lives, despite the zombie-sleep-deprived-stupor part. We've worked out a pretty good system (thanks to Stacy O's suggestion!) where Victor gets home from work and I go to bed to catch 4-5 solid hours of ZZZZs. I take over at midnight when I'm on baby duty for the duration. I only can lightly doze during this time as every little sound she makes has me on alert. Ah, the joy of a new mom! :-)

I CANNOT, seriously, cannot believe how big she is getting. She has blown past the Gerber 3 month clothes, and starting to push the seams of the Carter's 3 months (which are a lot roomier). I am putting her in 6 month sleepers now, and they FIT! Good grief. The other day - true story - I laid her down to change her, looked away, and when I looked back a second later, she was bigger. I kid you not. Just like that.

Last week I went to a MeetUp group of moms. Nine moms/babies were there, and Annika was the youngest by 2 days. All were under 1. Looking at a three, 6, and 9 month old had me floored in the sense of seeing how much bigger and different they were. I'm in awe of how much she is going to change in the coming months.

Even the last few days she has changed up on us. She is learning to have opinions and be vocal about them. No idea where that comes from! Most notably, we have been placing her on the boppy on the couch when she's awake and hanging out with us in the living room. No more. I can't even lay her in it for a moment. She yells at me "What are you doing, Mom!" She wants her new rocker where she is much more upright and has her new toys to look at. She has pulled this on me twice now.

Even in the new rocker she is changing! There are some brightly colored dangling toys that she is mesmerized with! They are a dog (named Campo), and kitty (Cyrus) and a baby chick rattle (Pio Pio). While looking at them, she kicks, waves her arms, and talks to them. Very adorable. And because she is moving, it makes the chair rock. It is definitely more stimulating than the boppy. She also has a small orange monkey (Tio Mono) that she likes to stare at as well.

We are learning her little cues, such as the difference between the hungry fuss, and the need-to-burp fuss. She is training us well.

She is smiling too!!!! I haven't yet been able to get a picture of one yet, but working on it! And she loves music, and when I sing to her.

Here are some pictures from the last two weeks. Due to some camera issues, I don't have too many.

This is George, sleeping, curled around a cloth ducky-sponge for Annika's bath. Looks like it's a cat toy now!

Osa took over the boppy. She sat in it ALL DAY, and every time I looked at her, she changed positions to something 'more comfortable'. (The beautiful blankie was made by Aunt Traci in Chicago!)

"Osa! Move!"
"NO, I was here first!" (Beginning of 'sibling' rivlary?)

Rad hair day, chillin' on mama's lap.

"High five, mama!" (Her first Thanksgiving!)

Not enough memory for video, but in this picture she is chattering away at the baby chick rattle.

Looking content in her new preferred seating arrangement.

Dozing in the new rocker. It also vibrates, so she can get a massage while she sleeps.

The Faker-Waker-Upper

2008-11-28T10:19:00.000-08:00

How many times have you heard a parent say "My child is perfect..when they are asleep!" I can honestly say our child is perfect when AWAKE. She is a very sweet, easygoing baby.

However-- when she sleeping is a different matter entirely. She is the noisiest sleeper I've ever met. She is only 4 weeks old and talks in her sleep, very loudly too, I might add. I will hear her stirring and chattering, lean over to pick her up out of the bassinette, and...she's sound asleep. She must be one of those vivid dreamers, but what can she be possibly dreaming about? Milk? Walks to Starbucks? Clean diapers? She does this to me several times a night, and it is certainly adding to my sleep woes.

I'm still a new enough mom that I'm on hyper-alert with every little sound she makes, and not willing to put her in her own room yet. Slowly, I'm beginning to hear the difference between her 'sleeping' sounds and the 'Mom, I'm REALLY awake now - feed me' sounds. I still wake up, but am able to go back to sleep once I determine she's still sleeping.

Annika and I went for a little walk the other day in our new BabyTrekker (much more comfy than the Baby Bjorn!) the morning after it rained. It finally felt like fall! Wet, puddles, and leaves on the ground. She likes our little walks, and so far is getting to know our local Starbucks really well. I'm corrupting her behind Victor's back.

Sorry, no pictures today -- having some camera issues that will be solved shortly. Victor is off today and we're catching up on some chores we've put off over the last few weeks. Avoiding the malls!!!! May hit the bookstore later.

Has anyone read the 'Twilight' vampire books? Are they worth the read? Let me know...

The sweetest days

2008-11-23T08:05:00.000-08:00

First, I really miss a full night's sleep, but I wouldn't trade these days for the world. Those quiet 3 AM hours after she has been fed, changed, is drowsy and Annika just simply wants to be held and snuggle. Who needs sleep? These are truly the sweetest of times. I'm in no hurry to hurry through these days. I'm learning, for probably the first time in my life, to savor and live in this moment. No planning ahead to the next event, no schedules to keep. Just. Enjoying. Now.

We've been venturing out on small trips. It's been strange trying to coordinate not only me but another person for something as simple as grocery shopping. I put Annika in charge of the list Wednesday, but she fell asleep and I almost forgot to buy stamps. Silly girl.

We took our first walk in the 'hood also this week. We went to Starbucks, and then Chipotle. We saw an adorable 4 month old little boy at one bus stop we passed. On the way home, we passed another bus stop with a bunch of nice kids with special needs. They were all interested in looking at the baby, and commented on how pretty she is. A good day was had by all!

Here are some pictures from this last week:

Aunt Carolyn was here!!!!

Carolyn is the best sister in the world. She gave up a week away from her own family to help us out. Victor had to work graveyard last week during a turnaround, and having Carolyn here saved my sanity. She took a couple late shifts herself, which allowed me to get six fill hours of sleep a couple nights in a row. I laugh in the face of sleep!!! Until I cry when I don't get enough...lol.
You know how there are certain phrases for an action, like a football 'Hail Mary', or a submarine 'Crazy Ivan'? Well, now we can add an 'Aunt Carolyn' to the lexicon. So, here is Carolyn, the seasoned mommy professional. She got nailed during diaper changes twice! 1st time was a simple little stream. However, the second was epic. Almost Homeric. Carolyn had just removed the diaper, and said 'I bet you're not done yet' when KA-POW! The sound effect was amazing, but not nearly as astounding as the visual. All over her hand, up her shirt, nailed her shorts, the couch pillow. Explosive. I thought it was the funniest thing I had ever seen. So far, she has 'Aunt Carolyned' Victor, but I've been spared, for now.

Really, though. She loves being Annika's favorite Aunt Carolyn. What a joy to have her here during this time. Thanks, AGAIN! to Scout and A-rob for loaning us their mommy!

A house divided!

My poor, sweet, baby girl. Victor went to that other school, the Huskies rivals, and I went to the UW. The Huskies lost the (cr)Apple Cup yesterday. So, she must suffer all sorts of indignities today as evidenced below:

Please, Mommy, do I have to????

I'm still cute in these scrappy rags!!!!

Ah, I'll just sleep it off. Mommy will change me when I wake up.

Until next week!

Made it to two weeks!

2008-11-12T08:29:00.000-08:00

These pretty tulips were waiting for us when we came home from the hospital. They were sent by my niece and nephew, Scout and A-Rob.

Wow! What a whirlwind of amazing craziness. Annika has been here two weeks now, and I am amazed everyday how much more in love with her I am every time I look at her. She is really, and I mean - really- a great baby. Doesn't fuss, likes to just hang with us when she's awake, goes to sleep on her own pretty well, and loves to cuddle. Who could ask for anything more? We are having some semi-annoying breastfeeding issues which we are resolving, thanks to some good advice from some dear mommy friends who are also very encouraging.

Victor and I are in the blissful state of new parent discombobulation. Routine? What routine?? Sleep? HUH? Both of us almost put diaper oinment on our toothbrushes (that would have been bad) and I have since moved the desitin to another part of the bathroom. Our first night at home was eventful around 3:30 in the morning. She was fed, changed, and warm -- and screaming! We didn't know what to do. I was panicking, afraid I was waking up the neighbors, and quickly moved her out to the living room. I started vigorously rocking her, and patting her back and then heard One. Tiny. Little. Sound. "Urp". She stopped crying immediately. One tiny bubble rocked our world. Now I'm much wiser...lol.

I'm learning the art of sleeping on demand when she sleeps. My dear sister Carolyn stayed up late last night to take the 1 AM feeding for me, which gave me 7 hours of sleep. She is such a lifesaver! My mom was down for almost 2 weeks starting the day before Annika was born. It was so nice to have her here for that time. She is, of course, smitten with her newest granddaughter. Carolyn is here this week and I want to thank Scout and A-Rob for loaning me their mommy. It's perfect timing, as Victor is back on a graveyard shift this week - the last for a really long time.

Here are some pictures from the last week.

Sleeping off a milk coma this morning.

In her ducky robe from great Grandma K, waiting for her first 'real' (non-sponge) bath. All she's missing is some OJ and the morning paper, right?

Cuddling with grandma A.And then there is George the Jealous, just as I called it. He's been needy and clingy since we brought the baby home, as well as leaving nasty grams on the bathroom rugs. He's since knocked that off, thankfully.
And then there is Osa, who has to be in the middle of everything I do with the baby. When I'm feeding her, she has to get right up next to us and snuggle in too. And then she 'mows' and complains when I try to move her. At least she's not jealous.

Welcome Annika Joy

2008-11-01T20:50:00.000-07:00

Please join Victor and me in welcoming Annika Joy to the world and our family. She made her grand entrance on her due date, 10/28 at 6:40 AM. She was 8lbs, 4 oz, and 20.5 inches long. What an amazing thing to hold such a new little person in my arms!
Labor was very long (2.5 days) but despite intense pain and contractions 2-3 minutes apart, I was sent home Sunday night due to not being dilated enough. Finally, they let me in Monday night and the epidural kicked in around 11 PM. Sheer bliss.
Would you guess I hadn't slept in three days here? Isn't she cute!?!

The birth center was awesome, however...the 'recovery' wing was a nightmare. Shared rooms, broken air conditioner. I requested to go home immediately. And they said no. However, I did get my way the following morning after doctors cleared us to leave. For a place that didn't want to let me in, they were sure upset I was leaving before the appointed time. I just wanted to get my baby home where I knew it would be quiet, and we could care for her without hourly interference. Not to mention I wasn't able to sleep in the hospital (only got about 3 hours!) given all the interruptions due to a shared room. They were really frustrated I wanted to leave -- like I was a kook or something, but the conditions were substandard. Oh well....we're home now, with a perfectly healthy baby!Grandma holding Annika. My mom flew down on Monday and she has been such a blessing! She'll be here through most of next week. My sister is coming down the end of next week for a visit too.
She's already a daddy's girl. She turns her head to his voice when he speaks. Annika is a very snuggly little girl and loves to cuddle.

Here she is again with her favorite daddy!

Her first trip to a Peruvian resturant for lunch. OK - before anyone yells at me for taking a 2 day old out, you're right. She did great, but I realized we need to spend time at home. There will be plenty of time for adventures later. Also, I think the childbirth adrenaline wore off sometime during lunch and I hit the wall. Time to go home and rest for a week or so.

Sleepy girl!

Preggy pics and false alarms

2008-10-22T13:44:00.001-07:00

So here I am in all my pregnant glory. Somehow, George made it into the picture without either of us realizing he had snuck up to the bookcase. What a ham. Not such a flattering picture, but there you have it for everyone who has been demanding one :-)

Yesterday may have been the most frustrating and emotional days of this 9 month adventure so far. After tracking 18 hours of consistent and progressive contractions, we went in to the hospital only to be sent home after 3 hours. There was nothing to show for it at all - minimal effacement, ZERO dialation. A bit disappointing, to be sure. They could see the contractions on the monitor, but they just aren't up to snuff yet.

We spent the rest of the afternoon at home resting (we both crashed!) and had a quiet evening at home. The contractions have subsided to about 3 an hour, and Annika is a crazy active baby. She is moving all the time. Cannot. Wait. To. Meet. Her.

Today - just waiting. Cleaning, keeping up on the laundry, making to-do lists. It is flippin' off the map hot today (96!) and too hot to go walking around the neighborhood. When Victor gets home from work, we hope to get to the mall (hurray air-conditioning!) and get some walking in. The contractions pick up when I'm walking around, so hopefully that will get things moving. I'm also not so emotional for some reason. We're chalking yesterday up as a dry run, and now know the drill when we get to the hospital (i.e. - cash ONLY for parking!!!).

Also, I'm excited for my mom to come down after the baby is born. It will be great to have her help and company, and I know she's excited to meet the newest grandbaby. She's a really popular grandma! My sister is planning to come down after Victor goes back to work for a few days. I'm so thrilled to see both of them.

The Cats

The cats have been acting very strange the last few weeks. Well, stranger than they normally are. They are very clingy and it seems that one of them (or sometimes two) have to be ON me - my lap, my legs, or plopped on my feet. This really doesn't fly in this heat, though. I'm sure they know 'something' is up. Here is a picture of Osa snuggling against my belly and George hanging out behind me.

We predict the Osa will be the most involved cat - she will be the one to express an opinion about my mothering skills and let me know when I'm not doing something right. George - the mama's boy, we think will be very jealous. Victor plans to give him extra attention the first few weeks. Fuego -- she's so aloof to begin with that I don't think she'll care as long as she gets her daily rub down from me.

We've set up 'Cat H20' spray bottles strategically around the house to begin letting them know there are places they don't belong, such as the bassinette (huge temptation right now - they've all three been liberally sprayed). I can see the appeal for the cats - all the cosy flannel and fleece bedding and blankets just call out to them.

Anyway -- probably the last post until we get home with Annika. If you want to make some birthday predictions - go for it! Victor keeps teasing about November 2 (his mom's b-day) and I threaten him with some form of harm....lol. Sooner than later, please please please!!!!

Hope everyone is doing well!

Today's post brought to you by the letter 'H'

2008-09-29T20:32:00.000-07:00

Hormones, heat, heartburn, hemorrhoids (yes, TMI), and heat rash pretty much occupy my time right now. I'm in the last 4 weeks of pregnancy, and looking forward to meeting our beautiful baby, Annika Joy.

I haven't been updating as there doesn't seem much to update lately. My time is spent trying to stay cool - not that it's been scorching hot for normal people, but with my baby belly, I overheat really easily and it makes me pretty miserable. So, I've been hanging out in the air conditioning as much as possible, try to cook in large batches only 1 or 2 days a week, and stay hydrated. But I am uncomfortably HOT pretty much all the flippin' time.

I did sneak into Seattle for a long weekend earlier in the month to enjoy some cooler weather. It was nice to wear sweats to bed, and use a blanket again. LOL.

Speaking of sleeping, I would have added 'insomnia' to the list above but it doesn't start with the letter 'h'. Most of July/August was miserable with trying to sleep - there was simply no comfortable position. Naturally a tummy sleeper, that option was slowly 'growing' impossible, for obvious reasons. Back is out. And I could only last on one side or the other for so long -- and then the vicious leg cramps started. No kidding - whatever side I was laying on, that corresponding leg would cramp within an hour. Calf, arch, toes -- and trying to jump out of bed while 7 months preggers to work it out -- very comedic.

After about 2 weeks straight of hardly any restful sleep, and some online research, we broke down and invested in a very comfy La-Z-Boy recliner for me to sleep in. I haven't slept this well in years. I sleep all night, only waking for 'nature' breaks. No leg cramps. I sleep through Victor's alarm, and only wake up when he kisses me goodbye in the morning. Who would have thought???? I love my chair. I may not go back to the bed...ha ha.

Other than that, it has been a picture perfect pregnancy. Perfect blood pressure, only have gained 13 pounds, despite being what the doctor calls my 'advanced maternal age'. Whatever....

I'm making a prediction. I fear that once I have the baby and the extra heat generating critter is out on her own, I am going to be freezing cold all the time. My poor husband. He has to deal with all this, as well as my bizarre crying at sappy cat food commercials, or crying over anything (DANG you hormones!). He loves me, so I'm sure he can handle another month of this....

So, if you think I've spent an entire post listing my ailments and boo-hoo complaints -- it's not really that bad. I know in 4 or so weeks, I will be holding a tiny miracle in my arms and it will be more than worth it.

I am grateful, hopeful, and excited for this new chapter in our lives.

I'm promising to post frequently once Annika gets here-- those will be more interesting than reading about my silly problems!

Take care - oh, and keep us in your prayers. As new parents, we are understandably a bit freaked out and just want to have wisdom, you know?

3 pounds! And 11 weeks left!

2008-08-11T11:29:00.000-07:00

I'm now 29 weeks along, with 11 to go. Baby Annika (pronounced like 'Monica' without the 'm' for those who wondered) is now 3 lbs, and doing amazing acrobats in my belly. I can feel her kick/punch on both sides at the same time. I cannot wait to meet her! I hope she has my sister's tempermant, however my mom has cursed this poor baby with the wish that I get a daughter just. Like. Me. My husband claims that is totally unfair, as he was a good, respectful child growing up...lol. Poor Victor.

Hmm...11 weeks ago I was on a trip to visit family and friends in Seattle/Chicago. It seemed like it just happened, the time has flown so quickly. So 11 weeks isn't really that long of a time to go when I put it into perspective!

I've slowly come to the realization (slow learner, sometimes) that the best way to meet new people down here is to..go out and meet new people. No one is going to come and randomly knock on my door and ask if I want to come out and play (although that did happen in Lynden with my super cool neighbor Melissa, who I miss). So, I have struck out of the condo-cave and here is what has happened!

I dropped into a ministry in north Long Beach that serves women with crisis pregnancies. They have free counseling, a maternity home, post-maternity low income housing for mom's and their babies, as well as a thrift store, and basic life-skills training for these women on the fringe of our culture. I start helping them this week! I've always supported Pro-life ministries with my $$$, and now it's time to get into the trenches and start helping in practical ways. I am very excited, as I've wanted to do this for a very, very long time!
I went to a S.C. Lewis Society meeting on Saturday. I'm a huge Lewis fan, not only for his fiction but his practical and love-imbued apologetics as well. It was humbling and stimulating to be the dumbest person in the room! :-) Met some new people there that are all in the area, and it's wonderful to find Christian intellectuals who are all in academia. It was certainly a stimulating day!
I've been in email contact with a local M.O.P.S. coordinator, who invited me to her church yesterday. It was a really great service! The worship was awesome, and I think Victor will even feel comfortable there too. I'm meeting some ladies for coffee tonight as well from this group.
I was at the grocery store yesterday enjoying the air-conditioning and, well, shopping too! I recognized a couple from the marathon childbirth class we went to last week. There wasn't much social time during the class, so no one really connected. However, I stopped her and we stood and yapped for about 20 minutes. We traded phone #'s, and she's inviting me to her baby shower next month. We're also going to hang out later in the week for a movie or coffee. Her name is Elizabeth, and this is her 2nd child (also due in October!) and her oldest is 17. Her husband also seems really sweet.

I'm starting to not feel so isolated down here, which is good timing now that I'm not allowed to fly.

I'm also thankful to the Lord for answering my prayers and bringing women and potential friends into my life when I need them. I know I have love and support with all my family and friends at home (and Chicago!!!!), but it's not the same when you can't BE with them, you know?

Anyway, this is turning into a long post. Sorry, no pictures as V has the camera at work. Oh, can you please pray for him too? He's working non-stop during the refinery turn-around and won't have any days off until September. And then a 2nd turnaround in Sept, and a month-long one in October, in time for the baby. Talk about timing! Please pray for his energy level, and that he gets time to rest during this crazy season of our lives!

Insomnia and other random musings

2008-08-07T10:40:00.000-07:00

Ok, it has been hot down here, and I think I feel it more thanks to the little person I'm carrying around. After losing 100 lbs, I couldn't stay warm to save my life, and even last summer I was wearing sweaters mid-day in the summer. Not so much this summer. The mall is great to escape the heat. There is air conditioning, Starbucks, bookstores, and lots of benches. There is also ample opportunity to spend money on stuff I didn't even know I needed...lol.

I'm especially loving the middle of the night 'I HAVE TO GO --NOW' urges, that result in a 'tink-tink': nothing that indicated the previous seriousness of the 'urge'. But that must be the baby sitting/punching/kicking/whatever to the bladder, right?

That is usually when the insomnia kicks in. Tossing, trying to find a comfortable position, trying to stay cool, not wake the hubby, not arouse the cats (who now think 'Mom's awake - PLAY TIME!') -- all part of the 2:30-5:00 AM sojourn.

Good news. I have officially entered my 3rd trimester. Had a doc appointment yesterday, and everything is textbook perfect. Now, I get to go in every two weeks. I love hearing the heartbeat!

Also, I have finally connected with a M.O.P.S. group down here. It's more than MOPS, it's also a women's group for moms with kids of all ages. It took awhile to get connected, between slower summer schedules, vacations, etc. I'm meeting the leader at her church this Sunday (which looks really great, BTW) and having coffee with more ladies Monday evening from the same group/church. It will be nice to worship again!

I have to get connected or I am going to lose it! :-)

Additionally, I'm going to volunteer for some local campaigns this fall as well. It's also a good way to meet some like-minded people. I went to a campaign rally for a local congressional candidate last week and met a really nice couple who live in the next town over.

So, slowly, I'm starting to get plugged into the community.

Here are some random pictures -- nothing that really relates to the post.
Lighthouse off the Navy Pier in Chicago. Looking at this picture cools me down about 10 degrees...doesn't it look refreshing?
A-Rob getting made up as a clown for a school play. What a ham.
Sigh. Clean blanket (thanks Traci!) right out of the laundry. The tres gatos were on it ASAP. Feugo, the calico, follows me as a bring clean loads of laundry into the bedroom to fold. As soon as I dump the basket onto the bed, she tries to nest, or find a comfy spot on the pile. I fold ASAP, but on those rare occasions if I leave the room for a moment, I come back to find her perched and snug as a bug. Punk cats.

My first So Cal earthquake

2008-07-29T11:39:00.000-07:00

Hey! I just had my 1st earthquake in Cali! A 5.8, no damage- at least in my area. Have some pretty freaked out kitties, but everything is OK. Nothing fell, still have power. Just generating a lot of news coverage, but no pictures of damage or gore.

I recall the 2001 Nisqually quake in Seattle - it was a 6.8, and that one was a real rattler. I could see the rolling of the floor. That one was awesome!

Cats, cats, cats

2008-07-24T10:03:00.000-07:00

more cat pictures

Another post on cats, you ask? Well, until the baby is born, the cats do provide the bulk of entertainment and mischief around here.

In fact, preparing the cats for the baby has been a bit of a challenge too.

They used to have run of the 2nd bedroom where we kept the cat condo, but began shutting them out last month. It is slowly getting turned into the nursery. When we open the door, one cat goes running in, but another - more sneaky- comes in commando style. She moves reallllllyyy slowly, like she thinks we can't see her. She keeps to the perimeter of the room, moving stealth-like under the furniture until she edges her way under the crib where she remains completely still. It cracks me up. After a few minutes, she starts her reconnoitering by slowly crawling out from under the crib. She gets up on her hind legs and peers into the crib with all the fluffy baby blankets and you can just see her little gears turning "oooohh, that looks cozy!"

Then she gets kicked out of the room. I will not be one of those parents that lets the cats in the crib or in the baby room, for that matter.

We screened in our porch to make a 'cat room' for our critters, as they are inside cats. Sorry, I don't have my camera right now to show you how it looks. They LOVE it! They have a great view, and can be 'outside' without being outside. The condo, litter box, and food are out there, and we installed a cat door on our slider too.

Yes, they are spoiled, but we love them.

And the baby is going to be a....

2008-07-17T19:58:00.000-07:00

GIRL!

Everything is going practically textbook so far in the pregnancy. Baby is perfectly healthy, I'm doing great, and Victor is slowly losing that 'deer in the headlight' look. Until I brought up that he will have to suffer through puberty and adolescence with a girl. I may have set his road to daddy preparedness back a few weeks.... ha ha ha.

Cravings and random stuff

2008-07-16T16:37:00.000-07:00

Hmmm...
Lately, I've been craving pizza, which I really haven't been much of a fan the last few years. I blame my friends in Chicago for taking us to Due Pizza when we were out visiting, and I felt I couldn't eat enough of it.

I'd been ordering take-out, but that starting getting pricey. So, this weekend I bought some Bobobli and tons of toppings. I just finished off a homemade 8 inch with salami, pepperoni, mushroom, onion, feta, sun-dried tomato, pine nuts, and mozzarella. Finger. Lickin. Fab. Oh, and did I mention I'm washing it down with low-sodium, caffiene free root beer??? Life is good.

Here I am tip-toeing through some rattlesnake infested flower gardens at the Reagan museum. Please note the blatant product placement where I'm drinking a grande iced caramel macchioto.

Here is a Chicago picture. My sister and good friends, the Wehunts, went on a lake tour. This silly girl had several incidents of a wardrobe malfunction. Poor Nate couldn't even bring himself to look over at that side of the boat. C'mon, it IS called the windy city!!!!! At least she was wearing some underoos - and modest ones at that. Everyone else on the boat were groups of families, and then...these yahoos. Whatever. Such a treat to view. :-( But I can't think of anyone else cooler to see and mock this with than Caroyln and especially Traci.
This is my new body pillow I use to find a somewhat comfortable position to sleep in. I am by nature a tummy sleeper, and that is obviously out of the question with the little critter growing in my belly. However, Osa thinks this new pillow is for her. Doesn't she look smug? And next, here is Victor encouraging her ego and rewarding her behavior. He spoils her so badly. I can't wait to see him as a daddy.
Next, I'll update some home inprovement projects and nursery pics!

Please don't shoot me!

2008-07-14T16:46:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm very behind behind on posts. I'll post updates later this week. I have a 2nd ultrasound this Thursday and hopefully will be able to post a really great baby update. Last month, the u/s tech gave us an "80%' chance it will be a girl, but we also know there's a 100% chance we will have a baby we are really excited to meet the end of October.

I just got back from 2+ weeks of vacations with family and hubby, and have lots to catch up on!

The heat down here is oppressive while I'm pregnant. I feel great, but the heat really slows me down, and I'm finding it hard to find a comfortable position to sleep in. Other than that, I am doing great!

OH! The baby moves and kicks like crazy, and Victor finally felt the baby kick last week.

Stay tuned for updates later this week!

Husband Appreciation Day

2008-05-11T20:09:00.000-07:00

Just 30 minutes ago I finished the final paper of the spring semester. It has been a long year.

Just this week last year, I was taking the MAT (Miller Analogy Test), gathering transcripts, bribing references, and submitting my application to Gonzaga University for (hopeful) entrance into their Master's of Organizational Leadership program.

I was admitted, and started my first class on June 4th, last year. It was a crazy summer, getting back into the saddle of reading and writing coherently. I spent 4th of July on a conference call putting a group research project together with 3 other students all over the country. Good times!

In the middle of the term, I approached Victor about going full-time in order to finish the entire 12 classes in one year. It was a hard decision for us, but I quit my job the end of August and started a more-than-then-full load of graduate school classes. I managed to take 6 classes in the first semester, over half the required course load for the degree. All this on top of house hunting in California and preparing for an out-of-state relocation.

Second semester I changed gears and only took 4 classes.

That being said, I have only 1 left - the graduate seminar, and then I graduate. Hopefully, barring any baby complications, I'll be done this December.

All being said, I could not have accomplished any of this over the past year without the amazing love and support of my beautiful husband Victor. He has been the president of my fan club this last year, and I am one of the luckiest and blessed women in the world.

So, I know it's 'Mother's Day', but I wanted to take the time to tell everyone how much I appreciate my fabulous hubby.

Cool cousin!

2008-05-03T10:22:00.000-07:00

My youngest cousin, Will (sorry, I can't bring myself to call him 'Willie') was featured on an Evening Magazine segment last night. He and a buddy are competing in a drill/rifle competition in Florida this weekend, and needless to say, we are very proud of him.

Click here for the segment!
Go Will!

Yes, I'm a bloggin' slacker!

2008-04-07T11:10:00.000-07:00

Ok, ok, I know. I need to post more. However, between 'morning' sickness, class, and uber-frustration with some photo formats I'd like to post, I've been 'slacking' on the blog thing. Here are some random pics for catching up.

I can't figure the cats out. Now, their favorite place to sleep is on the back of the couch, but tucked in between the curtain and the sheer. All three of them. They are strange little critters.
The cats love playing on clean sheets. Everytime I put a set on, they immediately jump onto the bed and start goofing around on the bed. Here's Fuego chasing her funny looking tail. We just had them shaved and they left a little tip of hair on her tail.

Look, Mom!

2008-03-20T10:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was one of those kind of transcendent days, where everything just seems more real and beautiful. Up to yesterday, my pregnancy was some pink lines on a strip, three weeks of almost constant nausea, heartburn, and mostly an event going to happen in October or so. I mean, we've been excited and nervous, but it just hadn't hit home yet, ya' know?

But then, we had the first ultrasound yesterday. And up on the screen was not an abstraction, not a picture in a book, not a pink cross on a strip but a little being with his(?) heart beating furiously, so excited to be alive, and maybe showing off for mom and dad for the first time!

"Look at me! Look at me! See what I can do!!! I've got a heart!"

So now I am hooked, and truly, madly, and deeply in love with a little person who's heart is the first thing I saw. I can't wait to hold this little critter in my arms, and look forward to endless days of hearing "Look, mom! See what I can do!" I can make my mommy cry for joy!"

Location, location, location!

2008-02-29T15:54:00.003-08:00

Maybe someone should scout their locations a bit more closely?

Coming Soon!

2008-02-23T10:33:00.000-08:00

Late October-ish. Good times! :-)

And yes, we are over-the-moon excited!

Disney Diaries

2008-02-20T09:52:00.000-08:00

Yay! Our first visitors while we're in Cali! Here are my fav sis, her hubby, and kids getting off the plane at the John Wayne airport. It was the kids' first plane ride, and poor Mini-Doug had a terrible time with his ears, compounded by the fact they had a connection in SanFran. I was really happy to see them! We had lunch at Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles in downtown Long Beach. While we were eating, Uncle Doug called - he was really jealous he couldn't come on this trip, and that we were eating at Roscoe's without him.

Our first day at Disney was Friday, and we hit all the major rides except Nemo, which had a billion people in line all day long. Drew brought his cam-corder, and had it on during our trip through the Matterhorn. I'll post that later once we figure out the format. Turns out that little DougJr is a roller-coaster junkie! Scout, not so much... We left the park around 10 PM the first day, went on most of the cooler rides, but seemed to spend an inordinate amount of time in line...hmmmm...
Here is the fam lounging by the hotel pool. We spent most of Sunday at the pool, and at downtown Disney. Saturday we drove around LA, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and ate lunch on the Santa Monica pier. We ordered in Thai food for dinner at the condo, and the kids got to see Uncle V, who had to work most of the weekend :-(

Monday, back to Disney at the crack of dawn to get in line before they opened. We spent most of the day at California adventure, where the rides are wayyyyy more cooler. We finally clued in to how the 'fastpass' system works, and avoided standing in line as much as we did at Disney. We hit some pretty great rides before the park was too crowded and no lines! The first ride was Grizzly River Run where we managed to get soaked. It was a blast. California Screamin' is the fabulous roller coaster that we went on twice - but Scout hated it. We had fastpass tix for a third ride, but they closed it! Total bummer! Soarin' over California was also awesome, as a virtual ride over the natural beauty of the state, complete with smell, sound, and wind effects.

However, I think the best ride was the Tower of Terror, with free-fall drops faster than the speed of gravity. It was awesome, however, we did have one terrorized passenger with us...
Scout was hanging onto me for dear life, and not a happy camper. This is a picture of a picture taken by the ride and displayed outside afterwards. She was pretty upset for a while afterwards. Even DougJr said he was 'screaming like a girl', although he wanted to do it again!
This is more Scout's speed and her idea of a 'good ride'...both feet firmly on the ground.
DougJr with Goofy. We saw MM, Snow White, and Pluto, but the kids weren't keen on standing in line to greet them. I think they were fed up with lines!
DougJr in front of the Hollywood mural, one of the few when he's standing still...lol.
Scout in her mouse ears picking out lunch with dad. Behind us was a table of old dudes, who Drew found out were all veterans. As they were leaving, Drew got up and shook each of their hands and thanked them for serving our country. Drew is a dude!
Another great pic of Scout. She loves those ears!
One of the kids silly things they do right now is the 'rabbit ears' behind an unsuspecting person's back. Here, C is giving DougJr some of his own back, unbeknownst to him.
DougJr pretending to be asleep, and look! More ears! ha ha!
Hammin' it up for the camera like a normal six year old boy!
Here I am trying to get a pic of Scout playing cards, and there seems to be a monkey face ghost in the picture.

And in this one too! DougJr would jump in/out of the frame right when I snapped. First time funny, second time..ha ha ha...third time!!! GRRRRRR!!!!
Here is Scout showing off her WAR winnings. Those two are little card sharks! I can barely win at UNO. Who knew 6 years olds could strategize???
The girl is full of giggles!!!!!

It was a fabulous trip, and I miss them already! However, I'm really looking forward to another 8 year old niece, MadMary, visiting over spring break. I heard through the grapevine that she's a roller coaster junkie as well, so I think there are good times coming in the near future!

I think he loves me...

2008-02-13T18:49:00.000-08:00

Dr. Love surprised me a day early with some beautiful roses tonight. He is so thoughtful, and I am one of the most luckiest woman in the world to be married to such a wonderful man.

But he LIKES it!

2008-02-13T17:11:00.000-08:00

What can I say? He likes to play rough! If you listen closely, you can hear him purrrrrring.

A rare moment when Feugo and George are cuddling, and he's not tormenting her. True to their cat nature, they sleep about 18 hours a day, and get super active around V's bedtime. Now that we're in the smaller condo, a little bit of noise and rowdiness goes a long way!
Ok, one more of George just being, well, George. Such a ham! He's such a friendly, good natured, loving cat. I promise to practice more with the camera with lighting!

5 things..

2008-02-11T11:50:00.001-08:00

Here is my '5 things' list that Stacy keeps nagging me for...

5 Things I was doing 10 years ago:

1. Working at WaMu as a Customer Service Manager
2. Living in a great apartment in Edmonds on Bowdoin with Cyrus the Cat
3. Driving around in a red Geo Tracker convertible. Loved that car!
4. Hanging out with the Acheson clan for Tuesday craft nights, boggle, and PIT! I’ve lost contact with most of them now. Funny how that happens.
5. Wondering if my prince charming would ever come along

How I looked 5 years ago...a bit chunkier than today...lol

5 Things I was doing 5 years ago:

1. Working at WaMu as a Customer Service Manager
2. Bought a condo by myself.
3. Enjoying life as an Aunt to some fabulous nieces and nephews.
4. Waiting for the final installment of the Lord of Rings. (I’m a closet nerd).
5. Still waiting for my prince charming to come along…

How I look today...amazing what dropping 100 lbs can do for your life!

5 Things I did today:

1. Kissed my prince charming as he went off to work.
2. Read the news/blogs
3. Did dishes/tidied up
4. Studied
5. Moved some bookcases around

5 products I can't live without:

1. My Senseo coffee maker
2. My books
3. My coffee maker
4. My comfy bed
5. Comfy shoes (my crocs-celeste)

5 Things I would do if I won a billion dollars:

1. Set up immediate family financially for life (houses, retirement, tuition)
2. Start and administrate a non-prof organization fighting for the rights of all women, both born and unborn, based on conservative values
3. Invest capital in developing countries that see the value in free market capitalism. So far, the acquisition of wealth is the only proven cure for poverty.
4. Buy my own coffee plantation and be set for life
5. Finally get those tattoos removed

5 places I have lived:

1. Seattle
2. Stanwood, WA
3. Shoreline, WA
4. Lynden, WA
5. Long Beach, CA

5 jobs I have had:

1. Pizza maker
2. Fry Dropper
3. Student Body Assoc. Treasurer
4. Telephone Banker/Manager/Business Analyst/Vice President
5. Graduate student

5 things you may or may not know about me:

1. I have 8 bookcases in my house, and may need more soon
2. I’ve only had one speeding ticket my entire life (TW was there!)
3. I love to procrastinate and love the creative juices that flow under pressure
4. I don’t really have any tattoos
5. I love Peruvian food

George, el gato, el unico unico gato!

2008-02-10T22:40:00.000-08:00

Today is all about George, the cat. George is a very special kitty, as he has been the most expensive so far as he has been to the vet the most!

He is very charming all the time, except for when he's not. He is very snuggly, and somehow manages to get me off my pillow in the middle of the night, where he takes over. He likes to jump from the dresser right onto Victor's tummy in the middle of the night, which causes lots of excitement.
He is very sweet and loves to play with the nieces and nephews. I love his mellow tempermant and how laid back he is, except when he's tormenting Feugo.

He torments Fuego, and will chase her out of wherever she is sleeping so he can rest there. It doesn't matter there are a dozen other comfortable kitty places in the house.

One of his favorite things is earplugs. I keep them in my nightstand, and every night he stalks me. He waits under the bed for me to open the drawer, and then tries to get his paws in the drawer to snag a plug. He goes into a wide-eyed frenzy when he sees one. I used to let him play with them, as he would pounce, bat them around, and carry them triumphantly through the house. Really cute, until I started seeing them in, ahem, the litter box. So, no more earplugs for George as they plug up his plumbing....
Here he his stretched out in front of the radiator. I think he's part gumby!

In one week...

2008-02-07T16:31:00.000-08:00

One week from today, two fabulous kids, Scout and MiniDoug, will go on their first airplane ride and visit their Aunt Kate and Uncle V. Oh, their parents are coming too... We'll being going to Disneyland, and having all kinds of wonderful adventures. I can't wait, and I know the kids are even more excited than me!
Here is a picture from our final sleepover in the old house, right before Christmas. There isn't any snow in Long Beach, but there is plenty of sand!MadMary gets to visit in March all by herself during spring break. Uncle V. and I are very very excited.
Here are some good friends with their awesome 2 year old, Maddie. They are buried in some snow in Chicago now, and I'm sure they are loving it! :-)

Garden from the old house. We'll get a summer garden planted down here soon in our little patch of yard.

Dr. Love playing baseball for the first time. He's got game!
Grandma K, MFA (Most Favorite Aunt), MiniDoug, and Scout on the porch last Easter.
MiniDoug showing Dr. Love how it's done.

Welcome Lucas James

2008-02-06T21:18:00.000-08:00

Here is my brand new nephew born this morning, Lucas James. Mom (Misty) is doing great, and he gets to come into the world blessed with two older sisters who I'm sure will love him to pieces. I can't wait to meet him next month!

Inside the Flying Cat household

2008-02-06T15:54:00.000-08:00

After many weeks of pondering a blog name, I decided on Flying Cats in honor of the three brave (though disgruntled) cats that flew from Seattle to Long Beach for our relocation. They whined and cried like they were being tortured the entire time. I could hear them on the tarmac as I got off the plane as well. However, they are now comfortably settled into our new home in Long Beach.
Fuego (Calico) and Osa snuggling on their perch on the dresser.
George, my cuddly study buddy and all around mama's boy. Helps me procrastinate by sitting on my books.
Osa has a need to find 'hidey places'. Here she is in our luggage. She burrows in blankets, clean laundry (never dirty, for some reason), and the linen closet. Dr. Love thinks thats cute...
Osa and Dr. Love snuggling. He's a softy, but then, she's never going to ask to borrow the car.
Coming soon: Picts of the new house and neighborhood!

I've got a crush on Obama...

2008-02-05T12:06:00.000-08:00

Not really, but I'm going to cast my 1st vote ever for a Democrat today in the primary.

Here's how this happened...
When I registered to vote at the same time I applied for my CA driver's license, it required I choose a party affiliation. Well, I think that's none of the states d@mn business, so I chose 'independent'. Well, not so smart me didn't realize that would lock me out of voting for any major party candidates for the primary, unless a party specifically allows independents to request a part ballot.

Guess what - my GOP is a closed ballot, so I am not able to render my vote for Mitt (who is my sloppy second to Thompson).

However, the state DEM party allows 'cross-voters' from the independent side on election day, so I'm getting ready to trudge to the polls to vote ABC (AnybodyButClinton). Those two cannot be allowed back in the White House.

4 weeks in our new home

2008-01-31T15:02:00.000-08:00

We've been in our new condo in SoCal for four weeks now. So far, the weather has been a bit underwhelming. Lots of rain, wind. Kind of like April in Seattle.

Check back occasionally for updates, and be sure to leave lots of comments!