h.a.m.

giggles and kisses.

2009-09-28T09:22:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_rEleNWK3I

100 days.

2009-06-15T16:48:00.000-07:00

Friday, June 5th we threw a party in honor of Livy's first 100 days. We had lunch over at my mom's house with family and just spent the afternoon playing with Olivia, eating, a little dancing and oh yes- hula-hooping (I just love my family). How quickly 16 weeks has gone by. Olivia is now smiling, cooing, clasping her hands together- just being so darn cute. Every morning Pat and I will come into her room and she looks up from her crib and gives us the biggest, happiest smile and squeals with joy. My heart just bursts with joy and so much love. Ok, I'm a big goof- but seriously, she's been such a good little girl and she makes me so happy.

I'm now back at work- which hasn't been so bad since I work from home. I just walk right downstairs and get my Olivia fix whenever I want. I feel very lucky that I can. Can't imagine having to commute and spend all day away from her.

I've been horrible at keeping up this blog, but will try my hardest to keep this updated more often.

sneak peek: Olivia's first photoshoot.

2009-03-07T15:24:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the world Olivia!

2009-03-03T11:32:00.000-08:00

She's arrived! Olivia Grace was born on Tuesday, Feb 24th at 4:06pm PST. She weighed 5 pounds 14 ounces and measured 19 inches long.

Pat and I checked into the hospital on Sunday night and I began the induction meds that night, but my body just wasn't responding to it. She didn't arrive on my birthday as I thought she would. After 36 hours of very little progress, Dr. Nickel broke my water on Tuesday morning. From that point, the contractions came every few minutes and were the most painful thing I've ever experienced. The epidural was administered around 2:30 that afternoon (sweet relief!) and a few hours later, Olivia made her much anticipated entrance into this world.

Our first week as parents has been joyous and exhausting. We're finally getting settled into our new role as mom and dad and are enjoying Olivia so much. Pat and I want to thank you for all the love and support you've shared with us during the pregnancy and this past week- for all the calls, text messages, emails, gifts, flowers, cards, food, visits that you've made. We are so blessed to have family and friends like you.

xoxo.

isn't she lovely?

2009-02-19T11:16:00.000-08:00

Pat and I met with Dr. Nickel yesterday after getting our final ultrasound. Below you'll see our 38 week ultrasound image. She's looking at the camera. See her eyes? Look at those cheeks! Amazing, huh? The baby is perfectly healthy and adorable! She's on the smaller side- he estimates about 6lbs 2oz. He also noticed that the amniotic fluid level in the uterus was low. Between her smaller size and the low level of fluid, he felt that indicated that the placenta was not providing the baby as much nutrients as it should be. His recommendation- to induce. I'm scheduled to admit to the hospital on Sunday night. So....the baby will be arriving most likely early morning Monday. On my 30th birthday! What a present!

waiting.

2009-02-15T20:50:00.001-08:00

I walked by the nursery Saturday morning to find Mia hanging out in there. Too cute. We're with you Mia. We're waiting for her to join us too!

i heart pat.

2009-02-15T20:22:00.000-08:00

At 38 weeks pregnant and incredibly big, we were a bit limited in what I could do to celebrate Valentine's day. We decided to spend a quiet evening celebrating at home. Pat made sweet and sour shrimp and vegetables over rice for dinner and we popped open a bottle of sparkling grape cider. Then we moved onto raspberry shortcake with whip cream (yum). It was really good! I especially appreciated the thoughtfulness. He spent all afternoon shopping for the ingredients, buying me beautiful flowers, cooking, setting the table and making the experience romantic all-around. 11 years together and it gets better every year.

diamonds are a girl's best friend.

2009-02-03T11:06:00.000-08:00

I'm now in my 36th week. I'm down to my weekly dr. check-ups. Baby clothes, blankets, socks, hats, swaddlers have all been washed and put away. Diapers have been stored in their bins. The baby's closet and dresser have been organized and re-organized. I've gone to Pottery Barn Kids and BabiesRus every weekend for the last 3 weeks. I no longer suffer panic attacks from trips to BabiesRus. I've figured out the layout of the store, I've perused all the aisles, I now recognize the employees and know who to go to- I'm cured. Yeay!

We're nearly done with the nursery as well. I just need to pick up the curtains I picked out and figure out what to put on the wall that the crib is up against. Other than that, it's complete! Here are some pictures!

You'll remember from my blog post back in December, that Donna, Sarah and Pat helped paint the nursery. I found directions on how to paint harlequin diamonds. It took quite a while for us to get it right, but doesn't it look beautiful? The colors I used are Valspar Pink Ribbon and Rosy Cheeks (Lowe's).

The dresser/changing table and the sleigh crib are from Land of Nod. The diamond patterned rug is from PB Kids. The sleigh glider and ottoman are from BabiesRus.

The sweet chandelier with pink and clear glass crystals was a Home Depot find! The curtains I found are pink, white and green striped silk from PB Kids. I bought the silver metal finish curtain rod with pink glass finials at Target (just waiting for Pat to put it up for me). Still haven't figured out what to put on that crib wall though...send me ideas if you have any!

showered.

2009-01-26T15:29:00.001-08:00

I had the best day yesterday! Close to 30 of my friends and family threw me a baby shower at my mom's house. I felt so supported and loved. A special thanks to Donna, Alicia, Pat's mom- Nancy, and my mom. I appreciate all the planning and cooking you did to make it happen. I had such a great time and we received so many great gifts to help stock up our nursery. Our little girl is so lucky to have so many wonderful women surrounding her. Thanks to everyone for the thoughtful cards, handmade gifts, adorable clothes, baby essentials, toys and so much more. I'm so overwhelmed with love for you women! Here are a few photos from the shower. I'll add to the slideshow once I get pictures from some of you! Kisses.

inauguration day.

2009-01-22T12:13:00.000-08:00

Hanging out with the Obamas.

5 things.

2009-01-13T22:28:00.000-08:00

Over the last week, I've learned/discovered/realized the following:

1.) Registering at babiesRus can bring on a panic attack.
2.) I can't tie my shoes. I need assistance.
3.) My loud and incessant snoring has made it impossible for my husband to sleep in the same bed. He's spent the last few nights in the guest bed.
4.) According to the instructor of my breastfeeding class, the global average age to wean a child from breastfeeding is 4 years old. I also watched a news show about breastfeeding and one of the women featured was still breastfeeding her 8 year old. Ok, don't lie- you shuddered too.
5.) The sight of baby poop makes me gag. Hopefully, I'll get past this.

new year, new beginnings.

2009-01-13T22:04:00.000-08:00

2008 was a good year for Pat and me. I started a new job in January which I love, Pat's business has really thrived, we traveled quite a bit, saw good friends get married, celebrated Pat's nephew's 1st birthday, celebrated Pat's 30th birthday, finally remodeled our kitchen, got pregnant. It was a good one, lots to be thankful for.

New year's eve was low-key (as expected), we rang in the new year at the beach house with Nancy and Joe. We ate a lot, watched movies, went on walks on the beach. I thought a lot about the events of the past year and also looked to the new year.

We're excited about 2009 and what it brings- a new president, my 30th birthday, and especially the new addition to our little family. Looking forward to my first mother's day, Pat's first father's day, her first Thanksgiving and Christmas, having her meet her uncles, grand parents and great-grand parents. We know our lives are going to be so different, but we're looking forward to the change.

Happy new year everyone!

happy holidays!

2009-01-06T12:49:00.001-08:00

It's been a busy and fun couple of weeks. There's so much to fill you in on. I'll come back and add stories, but here are a few pictures from the last two weeks that capture some of the highlights. I unfortunately don't have any from Christmas eve and day. I was too distracted opening presents, eating and hanging out with family!

winter wonderland.

2008-12-29T11:17:00.001-08:00

empathy.

2008-12-16T23:43:00.000-08:00

During our childbirth class tonight, the guys had to humiliate themselves for the sake of empathy. Of course, I had to share.

Poor guy. He was the first victim.

What a good sport. Love him.

???

2008-12-16T23:40:00.000-08:00

I was feeling the urge to bake, so I went to the grocery store to get ingredients to make Chocolate Crinkles. As I was making my way into the store, I passed a guy who called out to me "Hey sweet thang". Really? Did he not see that I was 7 1/2 months pregnant? Or that I had a ring on my finger? Does that line ever work on women?

prepping and nesting.

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

Last Friday night, Pat and I went on a tour of the birthing suites at the hospital. After taking the tour, we're feeling really good about choosing TG.

A few facts:

Roomy and private birthing suites. Has a lot of amenities to keep you comfortable before, during and after.
TG is the only hospital in our area with a Level III NICU and it's just steps away from the private birthing suites.
TG has a board-certified neonatologist, anesthesiologist, obstetrician, and lactation specialist at the hospital 24/7/365.
TG is the first Baby-Friendly Hospital in our area. Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative is a global program sponsored by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund to encourage and recognize hospitals and birthing centers that offer optimal levels of care for breastfeeding mothers.
Has a Mom & Baby boutique for anything I'd need/forgotten to bring.

We also signed up for childbirth classes. Our first class is tomorrow night! Let me tell you- Pat is thrilled to be spending 3 hours every Tuesday night with a bunch of pregnant ladies and their partners for the next 5 weeks.

I ordered the crib and dresser/changer. Nursery is painted and the kitchen remodel is almost done. I've finished registering and have posted the links on the blog for those who'd like to see what we've got on our wish list. I feel like we're making progress on getting ready for the baby.

painting party.

2008-12-04T20:21:00.000-08:00

Donna and Sarah came over today to help paint the nursery. It took us quite awhile to measure and tape for the design I had in mind...but we did it! And we had a blast. Thanks girls! It looks beautiful!

30 minutes into starting, we took a pizza break.

There's Donna ready to dig in!

Enjoying dinner before we get to working.

Looking good ladies!

This is serious work!

Lining up and measuring away.

Pat supervising.

Checking out the finished work.

sleeping beauty? not.

2008-12-02T14:53:00.000-08:00

I've been waking up the past week to Pat nudging me. I've been snoring quite loudly. Sorry! My excuse? I'm pregnant!

Here are a few progressive shots of the belly. I'm now in week 27.

Week 16

Week 25Week 27

happy thanksgiving.

2008-12-02T14:34:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone had a happy, happy Thanksgiving filled with family, friends and lots of good eating. We sure did. Pat's aunt Coni has both my family and Pat's extended family over every year and this year was no different. We had about 20 people over at her house to celebrate and feast on all the Thanksgiving grub. Good times.

Pat and I have so much to be thankful for- loving family and friends; our good health; our cozy, comfortable home; our black lab, "Saint Mia" and of course, our baby girl (who will be here before we know it!). We count our blessings everyday.

a better man.

2008-11-19T08:40:00.000-08:00

This one's for all the dads and one special daddy-to-be. Click here.

little fashionista-in-the-making.

2008-11-17T17:11:00.000-08:00

After a fun-filled weekend in Vancouver visiting friends, I came home to a package from Jenny on my doorstep. A pair of my heels needed fixing, and she graciously took them into her leathershop in NYC to get fixed. So, when I saw the box, I knew she was sending my shoes back to me. Little did I know, she threw in a little surprise for the baby! I opened the box, and nestled in the tissue paper was a card. The card read "Congrats on the big news...here's to a shoe-filled future." And there next to my Louboutins were my baby girl's first pair of shoes. Little gold sandals that she bought from one of our favorite shopping spots in Manhattan. How perfect. Love you Jenny!

24 weeks.

2008-11-10T13:58:00.001-08:00

Pat took this picture of "his girls" relaxing last night. Mia is never allowed on the couch so this was a real treat for her.

dr. switcheroo.

2008-11-03T16:27:00.000-08:00

A few days before my 20 week appointment, I got a call from my dr.'s office with news that Dr. Maehren was taking an emergency leave of absence. They did not know when she would return, but said that she would definitely be out for the rest of the year. They also reassured me that she was going to be OK (which was good to know). Dr. Maehren and I had developed a good relationship, I trusted her and she had taken great care of me during my miscarriage last November. Here we were, halfway through my pregnancy I was going to have to search for a doctor and establish a rapport all over again. I started panicking.

I began calling a few doctors in the area, searched online, and got a few recommendations from friends. I wasn't having much luck. Finally, I was able to book an appointment with Dr. Nickel. He was recommended to me by my friend Mandy whose 2 girls he had delivered. She was raving about him- said I just had to work with him. Pat and I had a "meet and greet" with him that following Monday and thankfully, he was nice, easy to talk to, and wasn't creepy. I checked him out online and he's very well respected in his field and had been practicing for a very long time.

I'm now 23 weeks and 2 days. Today was my first official appointment with Dr. Nickel which consisted of the usual blood pressure check, urine sample, and monitoring of the baby's heartbeat, the Q&A- all good.

Then I was weighed....I've gained 22 lbs. since my first weigh-in at 7 weeks! Yikes. This is the heaviest I've ever been in my life. More than the time I gained a bunch of weight working late nights at Publicis and eating expensed Thai take-outs. I gained so much weight I had to wear skirts and dresses because I couldn't fit into any of my jeans. I began working out obsessively and lost all the weight and then some. But, I can't freak out this time- it's all for the baby. All for the baby.

Dr Nickel also had some good news. He had my blood test results back from Dr. Maehren's office which screened for Down syndrome, Trisomy 18, spina bifida and anencephaly. All came back negative! The baby is as healthy as can be!

how cute is this?

2008-10-29T14:08:00.000-07:00

grocery store encounter.

2008-10-24T13:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday at the grocery store, I was ladling myself some soup at the soup counter and I caught a woman smiling at me with a gooey-eyed look on her face. She reached for my arm and said, "I don't mean to embaress you, but I wanted to know when you were due??"

growing baby.

2008-10-21T13:44:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share my 16 week and 20 week ultrasound photos.

She's sucking her thumb in the week 16 pic. Adorable!
Here we are at 20 weeks! She's starting to fill out.
I included the 20 week pic that shows- without a doubt- this baby is a girl. Because of the angle that the picture was taken, she looks like she sat right on the camera lens.

it's a girl!

2008-10-21T12:26:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, I had my 20 week ultrasound and was happy to see that the baby was active and healthy. And, we found out that we're having a little girl! Pat and I could not be happier. I'd look over at Pat as our baby girl was moving around on the screen and the look on his face was priceless. I could see that he was fascinated and happy but you could also see a tinge of fear mixed in. As if he was thinking "I'm having a girl! Yeay! Wait- I know nothing about little girls!"

I know he'll be just fine. He's going to be such a great dad. He's already started talking about all the things he wants to do with her like going to the zoo, or to ball games. You can tell he's loving the idea of being a dad to a little girl. It makes me love him even more! If that's even possible.

My belly is starting to show and I've felt the baby moving for the last two weeks. It's so reassuring to feel the baby move. She's been very active- bouncing here and there. I can't wait for Pat to be able to feel the baby move too. There have been a few times where I could swear he would feel her moving because she was kicking so strong. But, nope- not yet. I guess it'll be a few more weeks before he'll be able to feel her kicking.

in awe of baby.

2008-09-02T16:17:00.000-07:00

I had an ultrasound today. I'm 14 weeks and 3 days. It's amazing how much the baby grows in 14 weeks (less than that, really, since it's 14 weeks from LMP). The baby was bouncing around so much the technician had a hard time getting a good picture. The picture that I got to keep is a great profile shot of the baby- you can clearly see the shape of the eyes, nose and lips. The baby is sticking his/her tongue out. Or, the baby has a big bottom lip. Either way, I'm thrilled! Can't wait to show the hubby when he gets home tonight. The other news...the technician also found a cyst on my left ovary. Apparently this is not that unusual and will not affect the baby's development...so the doctor's orders were to continue as-is and the cyst should eventually dissolve on its own. We'll see.

buyer's remorse.

2008-08-21T17:42:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I bought a beautiful burberry cashmere and wool coat at Nordstrom's. It's hanging in my closet. So pretty. So soft. So classic. I love it.

Nevermind that I bought it in the middle of the summer, or that I'm three months pregnant, and probably won't be able to fit it when it actually gets cold enough to wear it. Forget that I spent a fortune on it. Forget, forget, forget.