East Side Story

Oh how time flies

2009-09-06T22:35:00.002-04:00

Here are Shelby's 6 month stats:

Weight 17 lbs. 12 oz.

Height: 27 inches

Sitting on her own, Standing on her own, Rolling to get from place to place, Babbling. Eating lots of fruits and veggies and some finger foods.

She is such a sweet good natured baby. Andy and I both know we are very blessed.

The River with the Pups

2009-09-06T22:17:00.002-04:00

We have been slightly neglectling to our dogs. The are running with me about 25 miles a week but due to school, work and weather we hadnt had the chance to take the pups to the river, there favorite summer activity. It was still pretty difficult to do with a baby and two very active dogs but everyone seemed to enjoy it.

Lazy summer mornings

2009-09-06T22:09:00.001-04:00

With Andy being done with his first master's level class (he got and A!) We spent alot of early mornings before my work laying around in PJ's.

Newfound Lake

2009-09-06T22:04:00.002-04:00

Andy and I spent alot of time together this summer working around the house and studying for his classes. Once Andy's class was over we enjoyed some time and a local beach with Shelby.

Reading with Dad

2009-09-06T21:48:00.004-04:00

Andy and I have been trying to read to Shelby a couple time a day. Most of the time I read her childrens books like "Goodnight Moon" or the "Hungry Catepillar". Andy however prefers more stimulating texts. Here he is reading her "High Fidelity". Finally he gave in and picked a little more age appropriate book when she seemed less than interested in a book without pictures.

In my Jumperoo

2009-09-06T21:36:00.001-04:00

When we first put Shelby in the Jumperoo we had to put books under her feet. She now not only jumps constantly but spins herself around and last week Andy had to raise the level because she is getting so big. Time flies.

2009-07-31T19:48:00.002-04:00

2009-07-31T09:47:00.002-04:00

Shelby's new favorite thing is watching the dogs play fetch!!

So advanced

2009-07-26T22:28:00.003-04:00

Holding cups, sitting on her own, standing up. All at only 5 months. I think she is trying to catch up to the dogs.

Five Months

2009-07-26T22:22:00.001-04:00

Lake Winnipesaukee

2009-07-26T21:37:00.008-04:00

When the weather in New Hampshire finally decided to get warm we were invited down to a lake house with Shelby's uncle Joe and roomates. Here are some pics Shelby's first time in water outside of the bath. She was a little distracted by the water. Hence the reason she isnt looking at the camera in any pics. She was great until she got dunkey by her dad...the first picture.

Solid food

2009-07-26T21:18:00.002-04:00

We started Shelby on rice cereal around 4 1/2 months. I was hesitant to do it because you are supposed to wait until 6 months if you can. However we have a big hungry baby. She has more than doubled her birth weight and was ready for food. She tries to grab ours constantly. Here are some pictures. Thank you Tori for the adorable bib.

New Camera Lens!

2009-07-05T22:33:00.003-04:00

I recently purchased a wonderful new lens. An old OM-1 manual focus 50mm f1.8. It is amazing for all of you who like photography. I highly recommend it. Of course it is taking a long time to learn to use a manually focusing fixed lens. Here are some shots. Good thing Shelby is a willing subject.

Uncle Joe

2009-07-05T22:23:00.003-04:00

Uncle Joe came up from Boston this weekend. The weather in Boston has been as bad as the weather in New Hampshire so we enjoyed some wonderful time in the sun. Of course when you havent seen the sun in 3 weeks things can become a little loopy...like the pics show.

Random

2009-07-05T22:12:00.003-04:00

Aun Jill

2009-07-05T22:07:00.002-04:00

Jill came all the way from Oregon to visit. Shelby was a little grouchy initially when they met but became the happy baby we love. We miss you Jill!

Rockies Cap

2009-07-05T22:00:00.003-04:00

It is a little big

4 months

2009-07-05T21:49:00.003-04:00

Stats: 15 pounds, 12 ounces 87%

26.5inches

Grabbing everything, able to sit on her own (for about 45 seconds),laughing at her parents and dogs.

Shelby and Dad

2009-07-05T21:40:00.001-04:00

Shelby and mom

2009-07-05T21:27:00.002-04:00

Father Day

2009-07-05T21:18:00.002-04:00

For Father's Day Shelby and I did a little project to show her father how much she loves him. I am going to frame to print these and frame them for Andy.

No swaddle

2009-06-21T08:13:00.004-04:00

Sleeping without a swaddle....a picture for Shelby's Grandma Reed.

Aunt Kitten

2009-06-21T07:50:00.005-04:00

Aunt Ashlie

2009-06-21T07:41:00.002-04:00

Little Red Skirt

2009-06-20T22:55:00.002-04:00

This skirt was too big for her just 3 weeks ago. Amazing how big she gets so quick. Our 4 month appointment is next week, cant wait to see how big she is.

Bathtime

2009-06-20T22:53:00.003-04:00

I like to call her Kermit the Frog

Grandpa Gordon

2009-06-20T22:48:00.002-04:00

Summertime

2009-06-20T22:33:00.003-04:00

It hasnt been much of a summer for us thus far but here are a few pics of the nice days we have enjoyed (they have been few and far between)

Around the house

2009-06-20T22:18:00.003-04:00

Just some pics of us hanging out with Shelby around the house. As you can tell I am having fun "photoshopping" some of her pics.

NEW CAMERA!!!

2009-06-01T21:34:00.005-04:00

I have been coveting a digital SLR camera for awhile. Understanding the costs of buying one I obviously just had it on my amazon wish list but figured it was a long way off as a purchase (after diapers, preschool, braces and college tution). I was very pleasantly surprised when this weekend Andy and I were given a slightly used Olympus 10 mega pixel SLR digital camera by my parents. The excuse was that they wanted more pictures of Shelby but in all reality it was more because they wanted to upgrade theirs ;) So needless to say I have been taking hundreds of pictures to get used to the camera. Here are a couple of my shots thus far. I love this camera already. Thanks Mom and Gordon.

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-06-01T21:27:00.003-04:00

We were lucky enough to have family in town from Alaska for my first week back at work to watch Shelby here are some pics.

With Granny

2009-06-01T21:21:00.001-04:00

More love from Grandma Reed

Grandpa Reed

2009-06-01T21:19:00.001-04:00

Shelby meets her Grandpa Reed!

Strawberries

2009-06-01T21:16:00.001-04:00

Since it is summer we off course

Puppy Love

2009-06-01T21:08:00.003-04:00

Pictures to proves we still give the furbabies love. I am sure they are excited for Shelby to get big enough to feed them and give them even more human attention. In the pics on Champ is getting hugged. As you can see from the pics Maya prefers love on her own terms...not ours....but trust me she gets plenty of attention.

3 months

2009-06-01T20:59:00.003-04:00

So it has been a little while since I updated everybody on life. Shelby is doing great. She is such a wonderful happy baby and growing like a weed. At her last appointment she was already 13 pounds and 24 inches. That is almost double her birth weight and 4 inches taller. She has jumped to the 86% precentile for weight!

Shelby has been sleeping from 7PM-5AM since about 6 weeks. Occasionally she has bad nights but for the most part is a good sleeper at night, I cant say the same for naps :( She already puts full weight on her legs, coos and babbles. Her most recent tricks are laughing out loud and just yesterday she started rolling over.

I returned to work the third week of May and we have family in town/coming in to town to help fill the gap until Andy gets off work for the summer.

So that is about it. Everything is great. Being a parent is extremely challenging but amazingly rewarding. I never understood how that could be the case until I fell madly in love with this beautiful little girl. So here are her 3 months pics. I am amazed how quickly she is growing.

Shelby's first hike

2009-06-01T20:54:00.003-04:00

We took Shelby up to White Moutain National Forest hiking. She did great hanging out in the Bjorn, and the dogs ran the whole time. The was her first time facing out in the Bjorn. She is doing so well with her head control.

Hanging Out with Dad

2009-06-01T20:43:00.002-04:00

Here are a couple pics of Shelby and her dad. She loves to snuggle up with him like a baby koala (or tree frog...at least that is what I think).

Watching my dad play Mario Cart. Doesnt he need a hair cut?

Mother's Day

2009-05-12T10:17:00.002-04:00

I had a wonderful first Mother's Day thanks to Andy. I slept in late, went out to breakfast at a wonderful rural NH restaurant and Shelby bought me a beautiful diamond necklace. Most of all it was wonderful to just enjoy time with our little family.

2009-05-12T10:14:00.000-04:00

The men in Shelby's life

2009-05-12T10:12:00.001-04:00

Shelby loves her dad and her dog.

Hanging out

2009-05-12T09:43:00.002-04:00

I cannot believe it has been almost 12 weeks since Shelby was born. Time has been flying by. We are blessed to have such a happy wonderful baby. She has been sleeping through the night regularly and talks and coos. We love every minute of her. Here are some pictures of our days together.

2009-05-10T20:02:00.002-04:00

Every morning, Shelby wakes up and stretches like she has emerged from a cocoon. It is really funny. Also, HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

NASCAR Diaper change

2009-05-09T21:44:00.003-04:00

Adam and Andy decided they would see who could change a diaper faster... classic!

Shelby's Panoramic

2009-05-09T20:46:00.003-04:00

Shelby's growing

2009-04-27T21:29:00.002-04:00

She lifts her head up completely during tummy time.
She smiles, coos and kicks her hands and feet.

Then she gets tired and needs a nap.

Denver Zoo

2009-04-27T21:18:00.003-04:00

In daddy's sunglasses
Mom and Shelby

While we were in Colorado Tori and Adam, family friends of mine, drove down from Wisconsin to meet Shelby. They have two sons of their own, Aiden and Kaleb. Aiden is almost 4 years old and Kaleb is 8 months old. We spent one day at the zoo and had a great time visiting. Shelby slept most of the time and Andy had dad duty carrying her around in her Bjorn.

Sleeping on daddy

Adam, Tori, Aiden in his stroller and Kaleb in the backpack.

Shelby and her Papa

2009-04-27T21:14:00.001-04:00

Shelby loved meeting her Papa McDonald here are some pics of their time together.

Shelby's welcome to Colorado party

2009-04-27T21:01:00.003-04:00

Shelby's Papa and Grandma McDonald allowed us to have people over Sunday night to meet Shelby. Many of our friends showed up and we were able to introduce her to them. She did extremely well being passed around. By late evening she was a little overwhelmed and fussy but after her long days we were really impressed with her overall demeanor.

With Aunt Liz

With Uncle Dave. He has such a way with babies.

Shelby's first flight

2009-04-27T20:50:00.003-04:00

On the airport chairs.
Last week we had a perfect opportunity to visit Colorado. Andy had spring break and I was still on maternity leave. I was definetly a little apprehensive about taking a two month old on a plane. I can barely handle her screaming and didnt want to be "that" parent on the plane. All of my fears however were unecessary Shelby was an angel. She slept well, played quietly and didnt even scream when we went up and down in altitude. Here are some pics from her first flight.

Hanging out with mom on the plane

How Shelby sleeps when not swaddled. She is sleeping on the airplane trays.

2 month pictures

2009-04-26T22:29:00.003-04:00

Here are some pictures from Shelby's two month photo shoot. The only big difference I see between the two months is that that Shelby is getting so much fatter. Big rolls all over. I could barely fit her onesie on this time. Enjoy. I also added a naked baby pic because who doesnt love those.

My mother thinks I am SOOO cute

2009-04-26T22:22:00.003-04:00

I cant help but take pictures of Shelby's beautiful fat cheeks. We constantly go back and forth on who she looks like but I can tell you one thing....she has her aunt Breanna's cheeks. Everybody constantly comments on them and how cute she is. We agree.

I have to say Shelby has become a great baby. She sleeps through the night. From 7:30 pm until 5 AM. She has started cooing and babbling all the time. They say things get better at 6 weeks and they are right. She is more fun to be around everyday.

Easter 2009

2009-04-26T22:10:00.004-04:00

We were lucky this year that Shelby's uncle Joe and uncle Mark were able to join us for Easter. This is Mark's third Easter with us and his first time meeting Shelby. Additionally Andy's brother Joe has been quarentined in Boston because of a rash that looked like shingles and hadnt had a chance to meet Shelby yet. We had a great weekend together.

Shelby and her first Easter Basket

Right before church with uncle Joe

The family

Shelby's Papa and Grandma McDonald bought her a beautiful easter dress to wear. We did have some problems because dad dressed Shelby for church and didnt realize that there were bloomers attached on the inside of the dress. When we were sitting in church I felt her bare diaper and her dad turned red faced when he saw the bloomers stuck inside her dress. Good thing Shelby has a mom.

Baby Shelby

2009-04-26T22:05:00.003-04:00

Since the weather is getting better here in New Hampshire we recently took a hike with some friends just north of where we live. They have an adorable daughter named Elizabeth who loves Shelby. She spent the entire hike saying "look at the river baby Shelby" or "is baby Shelby cold". Shelby was, of course, asleep in her Bjorn but it was adorable. Elizabeth spent most of the time walking slowly by herself and gave us a wonderful glimpse into our future with "baby Shelby". We are sure they will be good friends someday.

Non Shelby Pics

2009-04-26T21:49:00.004-04:00

I have been a neglectful mother too my 4 legged furbabies. I have decided to throw some pictures of them up just in case anyone was concerned they were being forgotten. Both Maya and Champ are adapting very well. Maya is always looking for Shelby and kisses her regularly. Champ is doing well but occasionally needs more attention then we are giving him so he just pushes his way in...as you can see from the first picture. Shelby loves them both and likes to watch them walk by.

In early April we finally broke down and bought a new (to us) car. Our Jeep has been a great car but wont pass inspection in the state of New Hampshire. My personal insight is that the mechanic unions must be strong here because we were told by the Jeep dealership and all the mechanics that our car was safe and drivable but in NH there is a zero tolerance policy for wear on things like U joints (or K joints or M joints whatever...my car knowledge is sad). So at last instead of putting money into our old jeep we bought a 2005 Honda Pilot. We LOVE our car. There is enough room in the trunk for a big jog stroller and two very active dogs. Plus it will be nice to have the third row in the future. Here are some pics. Our new licensce plate will say CSURAM when it comes in.

Shelby Giggles and waves good bye

2009-04-09T22:09:00.004-04:00

Random Pics

2009-03-29T21:14:00.000-04:00

Pretty in Pink

2009-03-29T21:11:00.000-04:00

Look at how beautiful our little girl is!

1 month pics

2009-03-29T21:06:00.001-04:00

I am so glad I purchased these cute little stickers. I am absolutely amazed how big our peanut has become in just the first month.

Photo shoot

2009-03-29T20:53:00.002-04:00

Initial Picture

Here are a few pictures of Shelby during one of my many photo taking opportunities. She tends to tolerate the first picture fairly well but by picture number 2 she is pretty annoyed with the flash...here is how photo shoots go.

Second picture

Stop it mother!

If you must

Shelby's Growing Cheeks

2009-03-29T20:46:00.001-04:00

My little 7 pound 2 ounce baby is getting bigger by the day. She is now over 9 pounds and still growing like a weed.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-20T16:42:00.002-04:00

I picked this little outfit out for Shelby, in October, as soon as we found out she was a girl. I have really avoided buying any clothes for Shelby myself so I was really excited to put this outfit on her. It was so cute I had to buy it when I saw it at Carter's. The sox are from her Grandma and Grandpa McDonald. Everybody wanted to make sure our little girl was well dressed for her first St. Patrick's Day. Here are the pics of our proud Irish daughter.

Aunt Liz

2009-03-20T16:36:00.001-04:00

Shelby was able to meet her Aunt Liz this week. Liz flew out from Colorado for her spring break to meet her new niece. It was wonderful to have her.

Dad and Shelby

2009-03-20T13:37:00.003-04:00

Here are a couple pics of Andy and Shelby that I love. He adores her and is an amazing father.

Mom and Shelby

2009-03-20T13:32:00.002-04:00

Here are some of my favorite pics of Shelby and me. I look a little tired in most of them....go figure.

Winnie The Pooh Hat

2009-03-20T13:28:00.000-04:00

This picture had to be posted for my mom. She thought this hat was SO cute so we took a picture for her.

Family Pics

2009-03-09T18:21:00.002-04:00

Just some pics of the new family. Shelby is doing great at home. We went to her 2 week appointment today and she is already 8 pounds 4 ounces. That is a huge jump from her birth weight of 7 pounds 2 ounces. Needless to say breastfeeding is going extremely well. Usually babies should try to regain their birth weight by 2 weeks, she is such an overacheiver.

The dogs are adapting well to life with baby. Initially they were a little perturbed by the screaming child in their bedroom at night now they just sleep through.

First Month

2009-03-09T18:18:00.001-04:00

I found these cute little decals for Shelby on etsy.com . There is one for each month. I think it will be cute to document her growth in pictures every month. Here is the first decal for month "0"

Family

2009-03-09T17:35:00.002-04:00

Hanging out with my aunt Breanna

We were blessed to be able to have my mom with us for the first two weeks of Shelby's life. She was an immense help and cooked every meal and scrubbed everything in the house (including the stove) allowing us to spend time with the little girl. We were sad she had to return to Alaska but I guess eventually we had to parent by ourselves.

My sister managed to make it out for a long weekend as well to visit her neice. Here are a couple pics.

Andy's family is on their way out in the next two weeks. His brother Joe was supposed to come up from Boston right after her birth but came down with shingles. We cant wait to introduce her to the rest of the family.

Our busy days

2009-03-09T17:21:00.002-04:00

Here are some pictures of what our daily activities entail. Shelby hangs out in her boppy while Andy and I try to catch a little sleep. Amazing how days fly by when you do nothing. I cant BELIEVE she is 2 weeks old already.

Champ loves to be nose to nose with his baby sister.

First days home

2009-03-01T19:40:00.002-05:00

Coming home from the hospital with my hat.

Please bear with a new mother. I am having a hard time picking just a few pictures to show of my absolutely BEAUTIFUL baby.

Here are just a few pictures of her.

In her swing

Chipmunk hands. She ALWAYS has her hands by her face and can already self sooth by sucking them...sometimes.

Bright eyed on grandma.

2009-02-25T18:49:00.002-05:00

Sweet baby

2009-02-25T17:46:00.004-05:00

Her beautiful piano playing fingers.

Sleeping on mama

Our first 3 AM feeding

Shelby Grace is here

2009-02-25T17:20:00.003-05:00

After much waiting we are pleased to announce that Shelby Grace is here. She arrived at 6:59 pm Monday February 23rd, 2009. She is 7 pounds, 2 ounces and 20 inches long.

Here are some delivery photos.

The delivery went really well initially. They broke my water at 8:30 Am and I required no pitocin to start contracting. I was 7 cm dilated before I needed any medical intervention. We used only a breast pump and time in the whirlpool. Andy loved being in his swim trunks. Unfortunately after the tub things became a little too quick and they were concerned about the little one. I required an internal fetal monitor and nubain to attempt to lengthen the time between contractions, they were coming every other minute and there was little to no recovery time between them. After the nubain injection we tried other things but I eventually received Intra thecal narcotics but no epidural. The ITN were heaven and allowed me to rest but wore off a little too early and made my 2 hours of pushing quite challenging. At the end of my two hours of pushing it was clear we would need a little help as she couldnt quite get our from under the pubic bone. My wonderful OB ended up using the vacuum and two pushes later she came out. Hand by her head. The reason she was stuck.

The vacuum delivery caused no complications but an ugly head contusion. At this point it is MUCH better but you can see from the next picture she had quite the cone head initially.

We could not be more thrilled she is beautiful and our love.

Due date comes.....and due date goes

2009-02-20T12:35:00.002-05:00

Just thought I would post a quick update. We still are still without a baby. This little one has decided to stay put and force an eviction. I cant say I am all that surprised. According to my mother I was three weeks late and they STILL had to induce her. Guess this is repayment :)

Our last appointment went well. I am 3cm dilated, 90% effaced and the baby is at 0 station. My OB keeps saying anytime....he is surprised I havent delivered. I just laugh and tell him he has no clue what he is dealing with. This child is starting off all Hunley/Farnsworth.

So the plan is to induce on Monday. My non stress test shows I am more than ready. Baby is moving. My blood pressure has gone up a couple points so they let me choose the day and Monday seemed as good as any day. We will give her another weekend to show up. I check in Monday AM at 7:15.

That is it. Keep your fingers crossed she shows up on her own.

Favorite things

2009-02-09T21:21:00.003-05:00

Baby Uggs

We have recieved a huge amount of wonderful gifts from family and friends. Some practical some not. We appreciate all of them and wanted to show you a couple things.

Hand sewn hat off Etsy.com

Ruby red slippers. So impractical but oh so cute.

Our crib and wall canvas. This picture doesnt show how bright and colorful it is. I will try to get a better picture at some point.

We have

Furbaby snuggling

2009-02-09T21:19:00.003-05:00

Just a quick picture of our beautiful pups. They are taking everyones advice and getting plently of sleep now in preparation for the baby.

Cradle

2009-02-09T21:04:00.002-05:00

My extremely talented Aunt Kitten and Uncle Vince made and created a beautiful cradle and quilt for the baby girl. We have placed it in our bedroom and cant wait to try it out when the little one gets here. Thank You Aunt Kitten. You are the best.

My new table

2009-02-02T22:27:00.002-05:00

Once again my pregnancy nesting gets the best of me and my wonderful husband comes through. Andy asked me what the next "stick" in my nest was Sunday morning. Little did he know that I would have such lofty goals for a Sunday. I have been hating the way the kennels look in our office. Unfortunately our puppies are very kennel loving and I want them to have a safe place to retreat when baby comes.

So the moral of the story...I talked my very sweet willing husband into building a table for over the dogs kennels. He had never done it before but Home Depot and a little inginuity prevaled. I still have to make a fabric skirt to go around it. Then we are going to put a tv and other things on it. I will post more pics when it is finished.

New England Snow

2009-02-02T22:17:00.003-05:00

We recently recieved 16 inches of snow over 14 hours. Andy had the day off so he and the dogs spent all day shoveling and playing in the snow. A few pics.

Watermelon time

2009-02-02T21:45:00.003-05:00

So we are finally in the last month. Time has flown by and we are at T minus 16 days until our due date. Everything is still going well. I plan on working up until the end. At this point I function at a high level until about 3 pm....then I want to run home and take off my insanely uncomfortable maternity clothes and put my feet up. Starting next week I only will be seeing walk in patients and my schedule is on a day by day basis. Scary to think I am that close.

Andy and I are wrapping up last minute things. The nursery is done and I will be posting pics later this week. We made a last minute decision to refinance the house and some student loans for extra money and we are hopefully wrapping that up and our taxes this week. Say a little prayer for us that the house appraises well enough for our refinance.

Here are some pics of me over the past two weeks:

36 weeks

38 weeks

30+ weeks

2008-12-15T22:33:00.003-05:00

I decided to recap some pics just so we can see how far I have come. My belly is now official. Most people give me the "oh how cute a pregnant women" look as opposed to the "wow she has gotten heavy" look. As of yesterday I had to put away my last prepregnancy shirt as they are too short and I havent seen a pair of non maternity pants in a month. I guess this makes me officially pregnant. I still feel great. Here is my updated fruit and some pics through the weeks.10 weeks

18 weeks

24 weeks

30 weeks

My girls

2008-12-15T22:30:00.002-05:00

My wonderful friends from PA school up for a visit and a baby shower. I am still attempting to upload pictures from two babyshowers. One my grandmother threw me in Florida and one at home in New Hampshire. Stay tuned for more pics.

Martha Stewart Skills and Insanity

2008-12-15T22:07:00.004-05:00

Currently there are three people living in my house. Andy, Britt and the woman with the belly. The woman with the belly seems to pop up and rule the house occasionally. She tends to be just a bit unreasonable. At first she was a glimmer in the house but currently she is becoming dominant.

The woman with the belly had a little fit the other day and IRONED all the duvet covers in the house and the new baby bedding. For anyone who knows me I havent ironed a day in my life. If it is wrinkled I either put it in the dryer or rewashes it....I despise ironing. So the thought of ironing an actual duvet cover is insane...yet it happened.

Additionally the woman with the belly HAD to have the Christmas decorations up 4 days after Thanksgiving and she went crazy yesterday and baked 5 dessert in 3 hours on a whim; pumpkin roll, oreo truffles, peppermint bark, mexican wedding cookies and italian nut rolls. Here are some pictures of the madness. Hopefully she can be controlled soon before things get worse.

Water fountain fun

2008-12-15T21:55:00.002-05:00

As is family tradition one of the days we were in Florida we went to Universal Studios and had lunch at Jimmy Buffets Margaritaville. The burgers were wonderful as usual and the boys were so good that we followed in classic tourist fashion and let the boys run naked in the fountains. It was not that warm but heck when you fly in from Wisconsin, Alaska and New Hampshire even 70 degrees is a reason to get naked.
Baby Graham

Aiden about to get a faceful of water

Baby Kaleb

2008-12-15T21:50:00.002-05:00

Some pics of the newest addition to the family. Kaleb is 3 months old and cute as a button.At Thanksgiving

With his dad at Universal Studios

Chilling in the bumbo

Letting uncle Andy practice some parenting skills....specifically how to nap at the same time as the baby.

Epcot

2008-12-15T21:37:00.003-05:00

While we were in sunny Florida we decided to hit up Disney World. Neither Andy nor Tony had visited in awhile. We had a great day walking around until it started POURING. To the point were even our disney rain ponchos were no help. Overall we had a great day with everyone. Probablly our last "adult" visit to Disney for awhile.

1 year of running

2008-12-15T21:19:00.003-05:00

Oh what a difference a year makes. Last December 1st I made the decision to become a runner. In high school I ran for soccer practice but never did it for sport. When I set out to finish a triathlon last year I knew I would have to be able to run 6 miles straight (after swimming and biking) but I really wanted to do it.

So for the last year I have run at least 3 days a week and almost every Sunday morning with my dogs. I have come to really enjoy running. In the beginning I was lucky to be able to run 1/2 mile but at my peak (right before pregnancy) I ran 9.2 miles straight!

At this point in my pregnancy I obviously have had to cut back. I am lucky to run 5 miles a week and at a very slow pace. Plus with ice on the ground I may have to hang up my running shoes until after baby. It will be nice to get back into come spring.

Here is a pic of my run in December that was my one year mark. In the picture I am 28 weeks pregnant.

Update

2008-12-15T20:47:00.002-05:00

So as most of you can tell I am WAY behind with the blog. Between Thanksgiving trips to Florida and working overtime to get some money in the bank before baby it has been hard to find time. Here is the fruit we missed over the past 6 weeks.

Everything is going extremely well in the pregnancy. Baby is measuring normal...maybe even a little bit big. Andy and I finished our childbirth preparation classes which were very helpful. Most of all I just enjoyed the massage techniques they taught the husbands :)

The baby is kicking me on a regular basis. I actually went in for an ultrasound not too long ago and discovered I have two very large feet kicking my liver. I think the baby inherited its Aunt Liz's feet :)

We are now preparing for our last little "vacation" before baby arrives. Andy and I leave for Colorado next week to spend some time with Ron, Kathy, Liz and Breanna. After that we settle down in New Hampshire and wait for our bundle of joy.

Baby bedding and lies

2008-10-27T21:43:00.003-04:00

The above bedding is unbelievably cute and the first time I saw it I really wanted it for our nursery (despite it being a little blue for the green room). It didnt occur to me until after spending time in the baby store that it was deceptive. As an alaskan I despise the fact people think we have penguins. The name of this bedding is arctic animals...that is just wrong. I think I am going to start a campaign to educate the public I wonder if Sara Palin would be willing to help :)

Below is the Paisley bedding I discussed early. So cute. In pink/green or green/brown from JCPenney. Andy just LOVES paisley...he practically begged me to register for this.

Baby update

2008-10-27T21:19:00.002-04:00

Weeks 21-24: Papaya We are getting really close to the second trimester so I thought I would update on how things are going. I am definitely feeling movement....kicking, turning, thumping. Andy has been able to feel the baby a couple times but the high activity period occurs mainly in the afternoon when I am at work or anytime I drink a coke :)

My energy level is good...still running 3-4 times a week but my legs and calves are becoming strained from my increased weight. Once the winter hits I will probablly switch to swimming. Our ultrasounds and OB appointments and going well and we start baby class tommorrow night (delivery, breastfeeding, infant care and CPR)

Here are some picture of my baby "bump" it is hard to believe that I am now almost 24 weeks pregnant. The above pic is from 10 weeks and the below pic is almost 24 weeks. I find that I am just getting thick all over but my actual bump is progressing slowly. Most people still comment on how little my belly is despite how far along I am. That being said I am defn bigger in size and having to wear both maternity pants and recently some maternity shirts.

By the way Champ thinks his parents are very strange taking pictures in little clothing.

New Guest Bedroom

2008-10-27T21:10:00.002-04:00

Our previous dog bedroom has now become the new guest bedroom. I painted it blue in a nesting frenzy and purchased new paisley bedding. Honestly at this point I have a bit of an obsession with paisley...our shower curtain, master bedroom summer bedding, guest bedroom and maybe even baby bedroom :)

Also this is a picture of my favorite thing to do on Sundays nap in different beds around the house. Second trimester has been great but I still need occasional afternoon naps. Champ loves to join me

A picture of our dresser and new mirror...excuse the ugle green vase and curious George.

Close up of my new paisley bedding.

Nursery

2008-10-27T20:58:00.003-04:00

Here are a couple pics of our nursery thus far. It is hard to tell the color of the walls but they are a medium green that I LOVE. For the past two years we have used this as a guest bedroom.

Champ is our poor guinea pig dog. He takes things so well. Here he is in the babies crib. It is from JC Penney and was purchased by my wonderful mother and stepfather. The color is coffee.

Andy has been working really hard putting together furniture for the nursery. This picture is of the bookshelf he sanded and stained.

Our baby armoire with piggy bank on top

Our newest piece of furniture, a dresser/changing table from Kathy and Ron. It is beautiful thank you guys.

We are still thinking about getting two more pieces from the JCPenney collection...a bookshelf and toy box. Keep checking back for more updates.

Cousins and a diaper cake

2008-10-27T20:38:00.003-04:00

One night we ended up having a fantastic dinner with my aunt Shamra and cousins. My grandmother and my aunt Vicki stayed home and watched 11 children, not a large amount for them but I was amazed to say the least. We had a great time. My beautiful diaper cake made by my wonderful cousin Katie. The boppy is from my cousin Christy...they are supposed to be life savers for breastfeeding and baby propping. The last item is a piggy bank purchase by Brea. When we were little we had very similar banks from my aunt kitten shaped like a penguin and a pig...our baby had to have one too.

Cousins from left to right

Christy, Katie, Brea, me, Aunt Shamra, Andy and Amy (with Elijah)

Not pictured but joining us for dinner Kelly, Meili, Cherish and my Aunt Kathleen.

It was so great to see all my cousins. Most of them are way in front of me with children and motherhood. I am always amazed at the size of my fast growing family.

Arizona

2008-10-27T20:27:00.003-04:00

I was recently in Arizona for continuing medical education (CME). While there my sister and father flew in to join me. We spent a couple wonderful days exploring the state and hanging out with family. It was a little too hot for our Alaska blood, 105 degrees but we had a great time.

My uncles Craigs "cabin" in Tonto Basin. The next picture if from his deck.

Brea and I from the deck

Time Flies

2008-10-27T20:19:00.002-04:00

I am already a negligent mother. I have been so busy with work and travel that I havent posted a fruit of the week. To catch up here is my last 4 weeks in review. We could make fruit salad. Dont ask me how I went from cantaloupe to banana...seems like a back track but I think they are refering to the length of the fruit.

Week 19- Mango

2008-09-29T20:14:00.003-04:00

The long awaited belly pic. In this pic I am wearing my tightest maternity shirt...so you could imagine that when I am wearing loose fitting clothes it is still hard to see that I am pregnant. I am defn not complaining...more time in regular shirts. Though the waist is getting a little thick to button my non maternity pants.

FarmAid

2008-09-29T20:09:00.003-04:00

I went with my boss to this concert in Massachuttes last weekend. We had a great time and I was able to see Dave Matthews play with Tim Reynolds. Great sound. In addition Kenney Chesney, Willie Nelson and Neil Young played. It was a great time...although I needed to leave by 10 because I was exhausted. Hey growing a person is alot of work

Reason we are in trouble if this is a girl..

2008-09-29T20:05:00.002-04:00

Maya has her father wrapped around her little paw. Can you tell?

Inside My Uterus

2008-09-21T18:47:00.004-04:00

Last Thursday we had our second Ultrasound. I of course made the mistake of scheduling it for 8 AM...forgetting that would mean I had to wake up at 6AM to start drinking water. Thus far my pregnant bladder has held up well but the 32 oz. I had to drink tested my strength for sure.

The ultrasound was amazing...I completely forgot my discomfort once they started. We were able to see the brain, heart, legs, arms perfectely. The baby kept scratching its face. We would be looking at the mouth and suddenly see bony hands. Also we had to keep waiting because the baby was assuming the "leap frog" pose...pulling its knees up to its chest.

Here are a few pics:

In this pic you can see the babies brain with the ventricles already formed, its face and two little sets of fingers and a knee.

Andy calls this our pirate picture. I think it looks more like a Halloween skeleton...appropriate timing right? The baby is facing us with its mouth open. You can see both hands and the two bones in the right forearm. The babies knees are bent and legs are crossed at the ankle. The wiggly thing in the middle is the umbilical cord.

So that is it. We may have another ultrasound later in the pregnancy but probablly not...with the baby looking so healthy and growing so well they dont usually do them. Oh and lastly the stats...heart rate 150, weight 8 oz. length 8 inches.

And for those of you who are wondering about the sex.......sorry :)