slaloms

Wet Bag Deal!

2010-06-15T16:40:00.000-07:00

If anyone is looking for a wet bag for cloth diapers or swimsuits for the summer, check out MiniMe BabyGear for a great deal: mediums are only $10 and larges are $12.

If you order a wet bag, then post a link on your blog, etc., you can then get a free wet bag added to your order. Just do the following:

1) Purchase a discounted Wet Happened? wet bag
2) Share the link with your friends
3) Choose your choice of one of the three free Wet Happened? bag (pink butterfly, blue dots, or green swirl) as my thanks for spreading the news! Please enter style in checkout notes, along with your link, to redeem free wet bag offer.

Even if you don't go for the free one, I think the clearance price is pretty good for those of us who aren't ready to attempt to sew with PUL.

And now that I have my link ready, I'm off to finalize my order!

whoa

2009-01-14T15:08:00.000-08:00

Holy crap they look alike. I honestly never really thought so until I saw this picture of Shea. Made me think of this one of Bailey. Bailey is almost 8 months and Shea is 5 months.

2009-01-01T16:15:00.000-08:00

we're back!

2008-12-05T08:40:00.000-08:00

That was a long hiatus! I'm hoping to start posting more regularly. I also have a lot of posts that I never finished that should be popping up here and there.

camping carlsbad

2008-10-01T12:11:00.000-07:00

We went camping last weekend. It was a first for both girls. We decided to stay close to home in case it didn't go as planned. Thunder left early on Friday with Bailey to set up camp. He was able to set everything up by himself with Bailey in the backpack. Awesome! Jill, Shea and I ran out to get the last couple of things we needed (like a kickass red wagon) and met up with them later that afternoon. By the time we got there Bailey was covered in dirt. She loved scooping up dirt with her hand and putting it in the pail grandpa gave her. It was quite a sight.

We spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out and taking Bailey for rides in her new wagon. By about 7, Bailey was showered and asleep in her playpen in the tent. Shea was with me in the sling most of the night. We stayed up to hang out with Thunder's dad, Fritz and some of his friends. My family showed up about 9 and joined us. I think we ended up going to bed shortly after 11.

The next day Bailey woke up at her usual time of 6am. She started playing with dirt the minute she got out of the tent. So much for clean clothes. A little while later we went around to say good morning to everyone. She got a kick out of seeing people in their tents. After saying hello, we let them rest some more and went off to make some coffee for us and pancakes for Bailey. My mom made breakfast for everyone else later, veggie scramble and quesadillas...yum!

That day was spent just lazying around. About midday, my mom took Bailey down to the beach. She absolutely loved it. She kept running into the ocean. Thunder would try to hold her hand, and she'd just brush him off. So independent...heh. Some friends showed up with their two little ones right around then and joined them. I stayed behind with Shea who was sleeping in her swing. She slept the WHOLE time we were there. We're thinking maybe she liked the sound of the ocean or something. Mental note...must get ocean sounds for her to sleep with.

I think running around on the beach and playing in the sand wore Bailey out, because she came back and took almost a two hour nap. Awesome! The rest of the day was spent much like the morning. Bailey played in the dirt, we hung out, Shea slept. Can't beat that. Thunder's family joined us sometime that afternoon. My family ended up leaving around 8 that evening, they were driving to Vegas the next morning. We hung out with Thunder's family until about 10 and then crashed out.

Bailey woke up at 4am on Sunday morning. It's odd for her to wake up that early, but when she has, we can usually give her a bottle of water, change her and she goes back to sleep. Well that didn't work this time. She drank some of the bottle but then started crying. We tried bringing her into our bed, that didn't work. We tried giving her a bottle of milk, that didn't work. Finally after almost 2 hours of this, I just grabbed both girls and drove home. I had been awake since 3 when Shea woke up to nurse. Sure enough, Bailey passed out the minute I started driving. She even stayed asleep when I carried her from the car to her crib. She ended up "sleeping in" until 630, giving me just enough time to put Shea down and unload some stuff. I was exhausted by this point.

So the girls and I hung out while Thunder and Jill packed up the campsite. We watched a lot of Sesame Street. They got back around 11 with coffee and breakfast...yum!

So all in all, camping went really well. To be honest, we really didn't expect it to go as well as it did. Bailey loved it and slept great most of the time. Shea was a star and slept through most of it. And everyone ended up coming! For a while there we didn't think anyone was going to come...they all called last minute and decided to make it work. So cool. You can see more pictures from the trip here.

Oh and did I mention that Saturday was our 5 year anniversary. We had a great time celebrating surrounded by the people we love.

sisters

2008-09-08T16:56:00.000-07:00

bailey ~ 1 month 14 days

shea ~ 1 month 7 days

I can kind of see the resemblance.

make me babies

2008-08-19T15:08:00.000-07:00

I saw this on a blog I read....thought I'd try it.

So what do you think? Do either girls look like that? I'm not sure why they did a boy...

and so it begins

2008-08-14T18:51:00.000-07:00

Today was Thunder's first day back to work. Today was the first time I was left alone with both girls all day. It actually went surprisingly well. We even made it out of the house to get mama a latte and to get some things at the store. I was pretty amazed I could do it. We even had a little bit of a fiasco after Bailey's morning nap and I handled it quite well if I do say so myself. Lets just say her diaper fell off at an inopportune time making quite a mess and freaking her out. That was fun. Luckily Shea was asleep throughout the whole thing, so I was able to take care of it. Anywho. We survived day 1!

shea harper

2008-08-08T18:44:00.001-07:00

Baby girl Shea Harper was born July 31st at 218pm. She was 2 whole weeks early...and as such, only weighed 6 lbs 6oz! Almost 2 whole pounds smaller than her sister! She measured 18 inches long.

We are all very happy and enjoying life as a family of 4.

projects

2008-07-08T20:16:00.000-07:00

So it seems that we like to take on huge remodeling projects when I am really pregnant. Last year we installed floors in the kitchen and completely redid Bailey's room. And by completely redid I mean we had to pretty much gut it and start from scratch. We did all of this in May/June...she was born June 27th. This time around we have painted the dining and living rooms and are currently in the process of redoing our room and remodeling the wall that separates the kitchen and living room. I'm do in 5 weeks. I'm hoping it's done before then.

moving on

2008-07-07T10:39:00.000-07:00

I took my tongue ring out last night...after having it for 9+ years. I was just kind of over it. Today I've noticed how much I used to play with it. I don't miss it per say...it's just strange.

bailey update 11 and 12 months

2008-07-02T09:47:00.000-07:00

11 months - 20 lbs. 5 oz.

12 months - 21 lbs. 14 oz. 30 inches

Hi Bailey,

Well you turned 11 and then 12 months. Time sure has gone by fast. You have changed so much in the last 2 months. It's amazing. You're suddenly becoming an actual little person, with opinions and everything. Well kind of...you're mostly still our baby.

signing dog.

I recently mentioned how you had picked up a couple of signs here and there. Shortly after that post, you started signing all kinds of stuff. I think it was like 4 or 5 new signs in one day. So crazy. Daddy and I were trying to figure out how many you know now, I think it's at least 2 dozen....possibly even more. I'm amazed at how quickly you keep learning more and more signs. It's so wonderful to be able to communicate with you. Although I will admit that sometimes it gets confusing. Some signs require a little more dexterity than you have at the moment, so several signs look the same. Sometimes it takes some guesswork but we can understand each other for the most part. I love that you can tell me when you want out of your crib (you sign "all done" when you're ready after naps), or when you're tired (you sign "sleep"), or hungry, or want milk, or want to read a book....to name a few. It's so cool! (Signs you know: dog, frog, monkey, bear, horse, duck, fish, giraffe, mom, dad, baby, car, bus, boat, milk, eat, cereal, cracker, water, ball, book, bath, socks, clothes, shoes, doll, all done, wash hands...)

signing and saying dad.

You have also started to communicate with words...you say "da" while you sign dog, "ba" when you sign ball, "buh" when you sign book, "sh" when you sign fish, and "sss" when you sign cereal. You say "da" for dad and "ma" mama. It's unbearably cute. It's also amazing how much you understand...in English and Spanish. I love that I can ask you for something and you know what to hand to me or what to do. Not that you do it everytime, but I know you know what I mean.

walking.

On another note, you have become a lot more mobile. You started taking a couple of steps around 11 months. You'd walk across the living room from couch to couch or from daddy to me. You kept getting better and better as weeks went by. And I guess I can say it now, you are a walker. The other day we were at my brother's house for the 4th and you walked across the entire backyard to me...on grass! It was awesome! You even went around some people and chairs. We were all amazed! Of course now that you can walk, you want to walk everywhere. You try to squirm out of my arms and even are reluctant to ride in the grocery cart (something you used to like). Although yesterday you rode in it just fine because I was feeding you strawberries the whole time.

lunchtime with food all over your face.

Speaking of strawberries, I think they are your favorite food at the moment. You absolutely love them. You would eat those for every meal if you could. And actually on some days, that's all I can get you to eat...that, cereal and crackers. You have definitely gotten pickier these days. You inspect everything that goes in your mouth and if you don't like it once it's in your mouth, you take it out and throw it on the floor. In fact, you throw stuff on the floor all the time. We're working on that. You have tried a bunch of different foods though...the most recent being corn, blueberries, whole wheat pasta,millet, brown rice, toast, and watermelon (from what I can remember). You've started trying more of what we eat too. It sure makes it easier when we go out to lunch. The three of us went out to lunch the other day, and you were actually content sitting in the high chair munching on some bread from my sandwich. It was fun.

not feeling so hot.

You had your first real sickness the day before your birthday...it lasted through your birthday unfortunately. You spiked a really high fever and eventually we realized you had roseola. We spent a few days at home while you got better. It was hard to keep you happy the whole time...we read lots of books and played with all of your toys. At one point I even tried turning on the KPBS children's channel for you to watch...you were not interested at all. You just don't seem to like television unless it's your "Signing Time" DVD's. The other day we had people over and the TV happened to be on most of the day, I don't think I saw you look at it once...even while the other kids were watching it.

Another thing...you don't seem to like sweets either. I made you a birthday cake and you would have nothing to do it with it. I don't know if it was because you weren't feeling well, but you spit it out and started crying. The next day at your birthday party, Daddy gave you some of that birthday cake and you spit that out too. It's funny because you absolutely love fruit and sweet veggies...I guess you're just not into the processed sugar stuff.

We flipped your carseat around to face forward a couple of weeks before your birthday. The first time you rode in it, you seemed to love it. We thought that was the end of your hatred for the car. You just don't seem to like it at all and get fussy after only having been in it for a couple of minutes most times. Unfortunately it didn't work and you still get very cranky. You're usually okay for a little while if you have a book or something to munch on....but that doesn't last long and eventually you start throwing everything we hand to you. We're hoping you outgrow this. Maybe you'll be more entertained when you're little brother or sister is sitting next to you. That should be interesting...

You're still napping quite well. It's gotten to where we can lay you down with your bottle at naptime and you just pass out right after it's gone. At bedtime, we read you a story while you drink your bottle and then put you down...that seems to work too. Of course there are those days when you're fussy and it takes a little more effort on our part, but that's not very common. Sometimes I can't believe how far we've come on this whole sleeping thing. I still remember those days when I thought you'd never nap.

cute birthday girl.

We had your first birthday party a couple of days ago. You had a great time even though you weren't feeling great. There was cake, a bouncy house and even pinatas! We had a Curious George theme since you love him so much. The cake was made of cupcakes in the shape of Curious George's face (made by grandma of course) and one of the pinatas was Curious George himself! Which actually proved to be a problem when it came time to hitting it. You had no problem when people were hitting the pinata shaped like a number one. In fact when I held you up to it for your turn, you hit it a little. When I put up to the Curious George pinata, you wouldn't hit it and instead you kissed it. And when people started hitting it, you totally flipped out. You started crying and I had to take you inside, away from the chaos. Mental note, next year we can only get inanimate object pinata. All in all though, the party was great fun.

touching Curious George.

Well baby, I can't believe you're already one whole year old. You've grown up so much in such a short time. It's been a whirlwind of a year and I've loved every minute of it. I can't wait to see what next year entails. I love you so much sweetie pie.

Love,
Mama

my baby is 1!

2008-06-27T09:52:00.000-07:00

lots to write about...but it'll have to wait after the big shindig! for now all i can say is wow...this last year has been amazing.

we love you sweetie!

bad dreams?

2008-06-05T10:23:00.000-07:00

Bailey has become pretty easy to put down to sleep for the last couple of months. For naps we give her a bottle and she pretty much passes out once it's gone. Nightime, we read her a story while she's drinking her bottle and then put her down...she usually goes right to sleep. It's pretty rare for her to cry, so when she does we know something's wrong.

The other night, we had put her down and were having dinner, when we heard her crying. We flipped open the computer to see her on the webcam...she was just laying there, crying. We gave her a minute, because sometimes she does this and then just goes right back to sleep after a couple of seconds, but it just kept getting worse. I went in there and picked her up, and she instantly cuddled into my chest and stopped crying. I wasn't really sure what was going on...she seemed to be okay. I tried putting her down for a second to see if something was physically wrong, but she just screamed. I ended up sitting in the rocker with her on my chest (a feat in itself given my growing belly) and just rocking her. She ended up falling asleep while I rocked her. I haven't done that since she was tiny. And really, we've never really done that. She's never been into being rocked....always nursed to sleep. It was so sweet to have her just cuddle and fall asleep on me.

Anywho, she ended up staying asleep after I put her down and didn't wake up until the next day. Maybe she just had a bad dream? Which brings up something else, what do babies dream about? What would be a bad dream?

goodies

2008-05-22T09:16:00.000-07:00

We had a bunch of credit card points that we wanted to use that we'd been accumulating for a while now....like a couple of years. We've been checking out all of their rewards and finally decided that we should upgrade our pots and pans. I wanted to get rid of all the scratched teflon ones we had. So after much research and looking around...we settled on these:

Some Le Creuset cast iron! I'm so stoked. We got them on Monday and they're awesome. I also went ahead and got rid of any plastic cutting boards we had and replaced them with wood ones. Oh and we bought more wood spoons to cook with. I guess we're doing a little bit of eco-house cleaning.

signing

2008-05-21T08:33:00.000-07:00

We're still working on signing with Bailey. So far, she's only picked up a couple of signs...a few that she likes to do all the time. She learned "dog" pretty quickly, probably because we have one. I didn't really think about it, but everytime I signed "dog," I would also say "woof, woof." She does that now! It's too cute. Of course, she's also been signing "dog" for all animals. We were at a midwife appointment yesterday, and she signed "dog" when Thunder showed her the cat. She also signs it and says "woof" with all of her stuffed animals...monkey, giraffe...you name it.

Another sign she does often is "all done." She uses it for a bunch of different situations which is kind of funny. She'll do it when she wants out of her crib, out of the stroller, when she's just over something, and sometimes just to do it. She's still clapping for "more," which makes it confusing at times since she also claps for "yay." So we don't know if she's happy or wants more of something....but it's a start.

Then there's the signs I know she understands, but she just doesn't do often or at all, "milk" for instance. I'll do the sign and she gets all excited and practically starts hyperventilating because she wants milk, but she won't do the sign. Actually, the other day she did it after I had done it, so maybe she's getting the hang of it. "Ball" is another one she knows but doesn't really do. There are a bunch of other ones we do with her that we're not quite sure if she understands yet. I'm sure one of these days she'll have a signing "explosion." And soon she'll know even more signs than we do from watching her favorite show ever "Baby Signing Time." You just have to mention that name and she starts dancing and wants to watch it. It's cute...for now. I'm sure it won't be once she starts asking for it all the time. I've heard that happens.

bilingual

2008-05-13T10:38:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to make sure I talk to Bailey in Spanish as much as I talk to her in English. I really want her to be fluent in both languages. So I've been talking to her only in Spanish a couple of days a week. I wasn't sure if she was really getting it, but the other day I asked her to get her monkey in Spanish and she did! I didn't know she knew what it was in Spanish. It was awesome!

mom's market value

2008-05-08T22:42:00.000-07:00

"If a stay-at-home mom could be compensated in dollars rather than personal satisfaction and unconditional love, she'd rake in a nifty sum of nearly $117,000 a year." Very interesting article...check it out.

26 weeks

2008-05-07T20:40:00.001-07:00

26 weeks, originally uploaded by slaloms.

Disregard the dirty mirror...Bailey gets carried away during bathtime.

baby brain

2008-05-07T10:08:00.000-07:00

I've never really believed in the whole "baby brain" thing. I just never really noticed it happening to me....that is until a couple of days ago. I actually remembered to make coffee for us before Thunder went off to work. He went to pour himself some and noticed that it was just hot water. Apparently I forgot to put the coffee I had just ground into the coffee maker. Oops.

books

2008-05-06T14:06:00.000-07:00

Bailey's really been getting into books lately. There are usually a few in her "toybox," and she'll grab one and hand it to me so I can read it to her. It's pretty awesome... Recently though, she's been getting really mad if you don't listen to her when she's handing you a book and starts grunting/yelling. Earlier today, I was putting something in the trash can in the kitchen and I heard her yell. I went to see what was the matter and she was sitting in the middle of her room holding a book up. Apparently I didn't get there fast enough.

bailey 10 month update

2008-04-29T13:49:00.000-07:00

18 lbs. 13 oz.

Hi Bailey.

You turned 10 months a couple of days ago. 10 whole months.....

It seems like you've suddenly grown up. You're a pro at drinking from your sippy cup, eating foods that aren't blended anymore, and even eating cereal (Perky O's....kind of like Cheerios) all on your own. Before I know it, you'll be driving and going to prom...well maybe not that soon.

Anywho. We introduced some new foods into your diet this month...and luckily, you haven't had a problem with anything we've given you yet. You love yogurt and have that almost every morning. You've also tried jack cheese, cottage cheese and a several new fruits and vegetables. Strawberries, broccoli, garbanzo beans to name a few.

We also introduced formula to you this month.... This was a very hard decision for me to make. I struggled for quite a while trying to make nursing work for us, but after a lot of pain for me and anger from you, we decided that it might be best to try it. You took to it right away and are a much happier baby for it. I guess you were just hungry this whole time...and here we thought you were just a cranky baby.

You've never been a great day sleeper....but this month you're all of a sudden napping...and on a schedule! It's crazy. Not only that, but you're also sleeping through the night. We put you down at 6 and you don't wake up until 530 or 6 the next day. And you've been digging you're crib. Seems like we can leave you in there at least half an hour after you wake up....you just play or talk to your stuffed animals. (I know because we set up a webcam to check on you.)

You're a lot more interested in walking places now. I try to carry you and instead you grab my hands, trying to slide down me so you can walk. You're also really good at walking along furniture and even going from one piece of furniture to another...if it's close enough.

We are still taking you to swim lessons. You are doing so well and love being in the water. You're still not quite sure of your teacher and occasionally get upset when she carries you...but you're getting better.

You'd been waving hi for a while, but I don't think you really knew what it was or when to do it. Now you do it at the right time, all on your own! The other day, we were walking and you purposely let go with one hand so you could wave hi to the people in the car driving by. It was awesome!

You've become really good at playing on your own. You sit in front of your closet doors (that have mirrors) and just watch yourself throw things and pick them up. Or you just stand there and talk to yourself. It's quite entertaining for me...and you of course! You are also really into books. You love when we read to you and like to help us turn the pages. We've even started reading to you before you go to bed every night.

We're still working on signing with you. You've picked up a couple of signs...you're favorite being "all done." You're also starting to do "more," although it's more of clap right now. We've seen you sign milk, but it always seems to be at random times...I think you're way too excited when you actually want milk to sign it. And actually, sometimes you just do all the signs you know at once.

You are still quite the talker. You babble away all day. And actually it's more than babble now... You can say "dada," "mama," and a word that sounds like doggie....which you say everytime you see any dog! And actually you can sign "dog" too!

It's amazing to see you do all these things...like an actual little person. You are becoming such a big girl!

Well I should wrap this up before you wake up from your morning nap.
I love you sweetie.

Love,
Mama

edited to add: I forgot to mention that you finally got your first tooth. You've been teething since you were about 3 months and it just now broke through. You can kind of see one coming in next to it too! Oh and also....you started pointing at things and point at everything now. And you like to clap when we say "yay" or "bravo."

24 weeks

2008-04-23T10:10:00.001-07:00

24 weeks, originally uploaded by slaloms.

so with bailey i started taking pictures at 18 weeks....i'm a little slow this time around. i was just looking at my 24 week picture with bailey....looks about the same to me.

climber video

2008-04-22T19:30:00.001-07:00

Originally uploaded by slaloms

finally got around to recording her climbing up the stairs.

swimming

2008-04-03T10:16:00.000-07:00

We've been taking Bailey to swim lessons this last week. Today was her third one! And she's been doing surprisingly well. We totally thought she was going to cry the whole time. But she didn't! In fact....she's only cried a couple of times when the instructor takes her out of our arms. And usually that's only the first time in the class....she gets over it pretty quickly. They started putting her underwater in the second class on Tuesday and she did so well. They did it some more today and she's doing awesome. The instructor was surprised that she can hold her breath so well for how few times she's gone! It's exciting. I'm going to try to take some video on Saturday when Thunder is with me. For now, just a few pictures from her first lesson. They're not the greatest because I had to take them from far away so she wouldn't see me (we were concerned that she'd cry and want mama if she did). Oh and the place we took her to is awesome. I highly recommend it. Let me know if you're interested and I'll pass on the info.

mmm meat...or something

2008-03-30T17:55:00.000-07:00

I guess I'm officially not a vegetarian anymore. Although now that I think about it, I never really was in the true sense of the word since I ate fish on occasion. It all started with those insane meat cravings right around when I found out I was pregnant. I swear a hamburger never looked so good. And even though I haven't tried a hamburger....yet...I have had pizza with Canadian bacon on it, a turkey sandwich, a ham sandwich and a rolled taco. Not all at once mind you...in the course of several weeks. I haven't ventured into the world of steak or burgers yet. The thought kind of scares me for some reason. But I might at some point. Surprisingly it has been a rather smooth transition for me. I thought it would have been harder, or stranger after 7 years of vegetarianism. We'll see how this new venture pans out. I wonder if things will change after the baby is born. It should be interesting.

nine in, nine out

2008-03-27T20:53:00.000-07:00

17 lbs. 1/2 oz.

Hi Bailey,

You're 9 months old today! I can't believe it. It's all gone by so fast. Before we know it you'll be running all over the place...seems like just yesterday I was carrying you EVERYWHERE in the sling. You sure loved that thing. I can hardly keep you in any carrier now. You love being in my arms so you can see out. I think that's why you like the stroller so much. Of course I should make it clear that you only like the regular stroller and not the jogging stroller. I'm not sure what it is, but you get very angry if you're in the jogger for too long....and by too long I mean more than 15 minutes. We hadn't tried it in a while, so today I thought we'd give it another shot...mostly because it's much easier to maneuver in our neighborhood. Sure enough, you had a fit. I guess we'll have to wait and see if you grow into it.

On another note. You have all of a sudden become quite the dancer. It started out that you would only do it when you heard the music from one of your toys. Then it was when you heard music. Now you just do it all the time...music or not. It's awesome. Unfortunately I think you've inherited your father's dancing skills...you can complain to him later.

Your interest in food this month has skyrocketed. You've always been a pretty good eater. I was actually surprised that it was so easy to introduce you to solids at 6 months. I guess you were just ready. You'd been doing really well...eating at least one meal a day. This month though, it seems like you're alway starving. I don't know how you're little tummy can handle so much food. You eat three big meals a day. And still nurse all the time. The funny thing is that you're not really gaining that much weight...you're just getting taller. The doctor had mentioned you were tall for your age...I guess I don't notice because I see you everyday.

Speaking of...you had your first doctor's appointment this month. I was pleasantly surprised with how well it went. You were totally fine as long as you were sitting on my lap. Luckily the doctor did most of the exam that way. And it turns out you're healthy in every which way. Yay! Maybe we're doing something right after all.

We bought you a sippy cup several weeks ago. You knew exactly what to do with it the minute I helped you put it in your mouth. Of course you weren't too fond of the water in it initially. You've grown to like it though and actually prefer water to any kind of juice we've tried. Apple, pear, prune. They're all gross according to you. The other day you were taking a drink out of your sippy cup and then offered me some. It was so neat that you wanted to share with me. Of course now you want me to try everything...your toys, food, whatever it is you put in your mouth.

We started signing with you this month. You still haven't signed back, but I'm sure that will come soon enough. In the meantime, daddy and I are learning all of the signs. Pretty soon we'll be having conversations! I can't wait!

Well I know I've been lagging in these posts for you....we've just been keeping ourselves so busy. This Saturday we take you to your first swim lesson! I'm so excited!

I love you so much baby,
Mama

some news

2008-03-23T09:35:00.000-07:00

I know most everyone that reads this already knows our news. But I thought I'd post it here for posterity.

On Feb. 29th, Bailey and I went out to get a latte at Starbucks. Well a latte for me, just a ride in the car for her. There was a Rite Aid in the shopping center where the Starbucks was, so I thought I'd run in and grab a pregnancy test. I'd been feeling really tired...which I had been attributing to having an infant...but I had also been starving and craving meat! Very odd. Anywho...I thought it was nothing and figured this would put my mind at ease.

We got home, I put Bailey down for her nap and I took the test. I glanced at it as I was setting it down and starting the timer and sure enough it was already a positive. I figured the results couldn't be accurate. I still had to wait the 3 minutes, surely it would change then. After what seemed like forever, I went back to check the test and what do you know, the line was still there. Hmm...

Utterly in shock at this point, I figured something must have been wrong with the test. So after Bailey's nap, we went to Target to purchase some more. Two more positive tests later I started believing there might be something to this.

That evening when Thunder got home, I told him there was something for him in the bathroom. Somewhat confused, he wandered in there. From what I remember, he just laughed. He apparently believed the 3 tests.

Funny enough, we had scheduled an appointment with our midwife on Feb. 28th for the following Wednesday, March 5th. It was actually an appointment to catch up and for her to see Bailey, it'd been about 5 months since the last time we saw her. It turned out we might be needing the appointment for other reasons.

Wednesday finally arrived and we were off to see our midwife. As we walked in she made a comment about how she was so excited for the next time we got pregnant. We just kind of looked at her and said that it might be happening sooner than later. She was ecstatic.

We had our first official prenatal exam for baby #2. They felt my uterus and were a little surprised at what they were feeling. She then decided to try the doppler to see if we could hear the heartbeat. If it was too early we wouldn't be able to. I swear the doppler had barely touched my belly before we heard a loud thump, thump, thump. That meant we were at least 11 weeks along. There was definitely no denying it now. I was pregnant! Her guess after feeling my uterus was at least 3 months even 3 and a half. So according to her we were having this baby in September, possibly August, but definitely not in October. That definitely added to the shock I was feeling. I had been pregnant for months and didn't even know!

Oddly enough, I had scheduled an exam with my OB for March 21st. They asked me when I called if it was for a new pregnancy...unaware at the time I said no, it was just an exam for me. I called them after our midwife appointment to tell them it turned out it was for a new pregnancy. Since we had no idea when I got pregnant, they were going to do an ultrasound then to get a more accurate due date.

March 21st finally rolled around and we headed to the doctor's appointment. Thunder came with me to help with Bailey and because he really wanted to see the ultrasound. After filling out some forms and talking to the doctor, we went into the ultrasound room. It was amazing...there was a baby in my belly. He took some measurements and gave me a due date of August 13th! I was 19 weeks and 2 days along! Four and a half months! I was shocked to say the least. The doctor asked if we wanted to find out the sex of the baby....we had been talking about it for a while trying to decide. We didn't find out with Bailey figuring it'd be exciting to find out at her birth. There had been so many surprises with this baby as it was, we decided it'd be nice to know something. Unfortunately the baby wasn't cooperating at the ultrasound. We finally got a small glimpse, but the doctor decided it wasn't enough to make a call. We'll find out at our next appointment scheduled for April 11th.

So it turns out I'm pregnant. We definitely wanted another baby and are really happy and excited for the arrival of this little one. It was just all so shocking to me for some reason. I'm still in somewhat disbelief. I think it will all become more real when I actually have a belly. I started feeling the baby move a couple of days after I took the first test. Thinking back, I may have felt something before that. Of course looking back, there were all kinds of "signs" that I always attributed to something else. It's funny how we do that.

We can't wait to meet you little one.
Love,
Mama, Daddy, and your big sister Bailey

a little dancing, some crawling

2008-03-20T16:36:00.001-07:00

Some videos for your viewing pleasure.

2008-03-20T16:19:00.001-07:00

2008-03-20T16:11:00.001-07:00

sports and such

2008-03-19T19:26:00.000-07:00

We signed Bailey up for swim lessons. She starts Tuesday! I'm so excited. I hope she likes it! I'm also taking her to baby yoga classes. She tends to crawl around more than anything, but it's fun anyway. Maybe she'll get more into it as she gets older. It's so fun to start taking her to all this stuff. I hope she's into sports so we can do that when she's older. She'd be so cute playing t-ball or soccer. Anywho...for now swimming and yoga.

climber

2008-03-14T14:29:00.001-07:00

Thunder watches Bailey in the morning before he goes to work...so I can get a little more sleep. I guess this morning, while he was playing with Bailey, she climbed up the stairs... He said he just watched her (closely of course) to see if she could make it all the way up...and she did! We really need to get around to babyproofing.

M.I.A.

2008-03-12T14:06:00.000-07:00

I guess I haven't been around in a while. Things have been a little crazy...I'll post more on that later...it's good though.

Bailey is all over the place these days. She is so fast at crawling! And she's now pulling herself up everywhere. It's a little nerve wracking for me. I don't want her to hurt herself...but at the same time she has to learn to do things on her own. It's a big guessing game. But she's getting the hang of things. She started waving hi last week too. It's so cute. I'll try to catch it on video and post it sometime.

And now off to get some much needed housework done before she wakes up. Oh yea...she's doing A LOT better on the napping thing.

On another note....I got a Macbook yesterday. Wee!

so sad

2008-03-06T17:32:00.000-08:00

This what's left of my mac...

bailey - 8 months

2008-02-27T09:33:00.000-08:00

Hi Bailey,

You are 8 months old today. In lieu of an actual post...here are some of my favorite pictures of you this month.

I love you baby,
Mama

finally!

2008-02-24T20:08:00.000-08:00

We got a Wii today! It was supposed to be a present for Thunder's birthday...in April. But since they're still really hard to get and Target had some today, we just got it. I guess I could have tried to hide it from him for 2 months...but that's no fun. Anyway...yay for a Wii!

Fun!

2008-02-22T10:00:00.000-08:00

The play was awesome! I'd describe it but I wouldn't do it justice...that and you really have to see it to get it. We went out for a drink afterwards. It was all really fun...that is until Bailey decided to wake up at 5am the next morning. Why do they always do that when you go to bed late? It's like they know. Anyway. It was well worth it.

date night

2008-02-15T12:20:00.000-08:00

We're actually going out Saturday sans baby! We're going out for drinks and then to see "The Pillowman." We haven't had a date night since our anniversary in September. I'm so excited!

she's looking more like thunder everyday

2008-02-13T10:30:00.001-08:00

Surprisingly, I took this picture with my phone. I love it...the lighting was just right. And of course it helps to have such a wonderful subject.

plastic hanger incident

2008-02-12T10:00:00.000-08:00

Bailey got a plastic hanger stuck in her mouth this morning....the hooked part. She grabbed it off the bed and started chewing on it. All of a sudden she was screaming. I realized it was stuck when I tried to take it out. She was fine once I actually got it out...and it appears that there was no harm done....but geez was that scary.

good bye kodi

2008-02-10T19:21:00.000-08:00

We gave Kodi back to the rescue today....that was hard. Things are so quiet around here now. But it was definitely for the best. He needs a home that can provide him with a lot more than we can...training, exercise...to name a few. We'll miss him.

changing her diaper has suddenly become very difficult

2008-02-04T11:47:00.001-08:00

She flips over the minute you put her on the changing table and then tries to crawl away. I'm thinking we might have to stop using it.

bailey - 6 & 7 month update

2008-01-31T14:47:00.000-08:00

Hi Bailey....

You turned 6 months and then 7 months and I have yet to write your monthly update...mama lags. Actually that's only partly true. I started working from home and have been using any spare moment to work. So much for surfing the internet...I mean getting any housework done.

Anywho... You turned 6 whole months right after Christmas...half a year! I can't believe you're halfway to a year. Where has the time gone?

16 lbs. 14 oz.

This month you figured out that you could roll to places. And you have become quite the roller. It's strange that you're somewhat mobile. I can only imagine what it's going to be like when you're walking...or should I say running? Luckily you still don't go very far and are pretty content staying in one general area.

We've been putting you in the shopping cart when we go to places now. That has made grocery shopping so much easier. You seem to enjoy it as long as you're in a good mood. You love all the attention you get from sitting there. You smile for anyone! Oh and you love kids! Maybe because they're your size? Regardless, you scream with joy every time you see one. Most laugh with you, but there are time when you freak some of them out. You're just so excited! It's comical.

We didn't wait long after you turned 6 months to give you your first solids. Actually I think we did it right on the day. You had sweet potatoes and were not fond of them at all! Well you ate some, but made a face every time. We'll have to try some more and hopefully find some you like.

You experienced your very first Christmas this month! That was exciting...mostly for us. I don't think you had any idea that it was a day unlike any other. You weren't really into any of your presents...but you sure did like the wrapping paper...and the bows! You would have been happy playing with some wrapped empty boxes...actually even just boxes. Ah...the simple joys of life.

And soon after this you turned 7 months....

17 lbs. 6 oz. 27 in.

This month we continued on our quest for some solid foods that you might like. We discovered that you LOVED bananas. You couldn't get enough. Unfortunately that did not help your digestive system....so we had to cut back. We also had you try avocados...I don't think you're sure about those yet.

At the beginning of this month, you started doing this thing where you nod your head yes for everything and for everyone. It's hilarious. But then all of sudden you started shaking your head no. And now that's all you do. Sometimes as I'm getting you ready to nurse you just started shaking your head... I don't think you know what it really means because you nurse anyway. Maybe it's just fun?

You started crawling recently... When it started out, it was more of you throwing yourself in the general direction of where you wanted to go. It wasn't pretty or fast, but it got you there. It slowly started evolving and now you basically crawl. You're still not quite coordinated enough, so it's somewhat slow. But you can definitely get to places now. We had to buy a media stand to put the DVD player and cable box because you kept heading for them...and they were bound to fall on you eventually...it wasn't much of a stand. Now you like to head for our DVDs and knock them all out of the shelf. We should really babyproof.

You pulled yourself up in your crib the other day. I walked in while you were supposed to be napping and there you were....standing. Ever since then, you've been trying to pull yourself up everywhere. Luckily I'm always there to catch you since you're not very good at it yet.

These last couple of months have been really exciting. I can't believe you're actually crawling! Our little baby is growing up!!

I love you,
Mama

"crawling"

2008-01-24T18:07:00.000-08:00

01.15.2008

it's been way too long

2008-01-22T20:09:00.000-08:00

It's been a couple a while...days...wait weeks? Wow, has it been weeks?

Let's see...we still have a leak in our roof. Well, it's not leaking because of the lack of rain...so I guess we have a hole in our roof. Luckily we don't get that much rain around here.

It turns out the washer we bought is broken... The good news is that it's still under warranty...hopefully they can fix it at no extra cost. Some other good news...our old washer is working all of a sudden. I'm not really sure what's going on there, but at least the laundry's not piling up anymore.

I'm still trying to consult for my old job... Keyword here is trying... Bailey's been having a hard time napping so it leaves little time to get much of anything done. I'm hoping she gets a tooth soon or something...maybe that'll help.

On another note....Bailey is mobile! She is "crawling!" It's not pretty, but she can get around. (I'll post a video as soon as I find the cable attachment for my phone.) Fortunately she's still really slow and I can usually intercept her before she really gets into anything. We really need to babyproof!

And yes...I missed Bailey's 6 month update...I'm going to do the 6 and 7 month update together. I can't believe she'll be 7 months in less than a week!

moving along

2008-01-08T09:52:00.000-08:00

Things are looking better around here. Turns out the computer isn't totally dead...well it kind of works...but the motherboard still needs to be replaced. The good news is that we didn't lose everything...oh and that it's still under warranty. Unfortunately I haven't been able to get any work done for quite a while.

We have replaced our coffee maker...well we didn't. Our friend was kind enough to buy us one when she heard ours was broken.

As for the washer...we finally found one last night off of craigslist... Of course when we went to move the old one, it decided to turn on. So who knows, maybe it's not all the way broken. Good news here...we have a newer washing machine and might be able to sell the old one.

The truck is still not fixed...we haven't even had a chance to deal with it. Luckily...my parents have a truck they don't use and were able to let us borrow so that we could pick up the new washing machine.

So there you have it...we're fixing things slowly.

Oh yea...we also recently discovered a leak in our roof.

if it's not one thing...

2008-01-03T12:58:00.001-08:00

Thunder was driving to Lowes on Monday (or maybe it was Sunday) when he noticed that the truck was overheating. Looks like something's wrong with the thermostat and it needs to be replaced. On Tuesday night, I went to get our coffee ready for the next morning when I realized the coffeemaker wasn't working. Yesterday, I was doing a load of laundry when the washing machine gave out on me. First it blew the circuit breaker...we switched it back on....then it made a loud sound before blowing it again.... Now it won't turn on and it smells funny...like something's burning. Today, I was trying to get some work done after not having been able to over the holidays, when the computer totally crashed...actually died is a better term...we don't know if it works anymore. Gah! It's been a rough couple of days....

Happy New Year's!

2008-01-01T20:34:00.000-08:00

2007 was a crazy, crazy year for us! Our lives were turned upside down and we couldn't be happier. 2008 is only going to be better.

bailey's first christmas

2007-12-29T15:01:00.000-08:00

Christmas was fun this year...albeit a little tiring. Actually a lot tiring. It seems that the little one doesn't care what time mommy and daddy go to sleep...she wakes at 6 regardless. So having gone to bed at 130am on Christmas Eve, waking up once around 4 and then finally at 6, we were really tired Christmas morning. Regardless, we had a lot of fun seeing everyone. We spent Christmas Eve with my family and Christmas Day with Thunder's. Luckily we got to my parents' early in the afternoon so they could actually hang out with Bailey on Christmas Eve...no one else in my family got to see her since she was asleep by 6 that evening. Maybe she'll be up a little later next year...

On another note...Bailey got all kinds of presents from everyone. She sure is spoiled! I mean loved. Hehe. She of course was more interested in the packaging then the actual presents. I guess that's not necessarily a bad thing. It was fun to watch her get excited about the bows and wrapping paper.

small world

2007-12-22T20:49:00.000-08:00

We went to a party today hosted by Leanne, a mom from my new mom's group. Bailey had tons of fun playing with all the kids. It was also great meeting everyone's significant other. AND it turns out that one of them was Bucky...as in Bucky the skateboarder. So funny that I never knew. And actually, I didn't even catch it when we introduced ourselves. Thunder was the one that figured it out. Anywho...what a small world we live in.

I guess we should babyproof

2007-12-19T16:10:00.001-08:00

naps....what naps?

2007-12-19T09:34:00.000-08:00

So I knew that writing about it was going to jinx it. We went one whole week of Bailey napping on her own, in her crib, at least two times a day. My how things change in a week. All of a sudden we're back to not wanting to nap at all. On the one hand, that means she's been going down at 4 or 5 for the evening. But on the other, the days have been rather difficult. By the time Thunder gets home at 6, I'm quite tired...and grumpy. I'm attributing this to teething...and being a baby I guess. Of course now as I write this, she's been napping for almost two hours.

"you're so funny!"

2007-12-14T18:19:00.001-08:00

bailey has her own keyboard

2007-12-13T08:46:00.001-08:00

Learning to type at an early age...

sleeping

2007-12-10T21:56:00.000-08:00

Bailey's been napping on her own for the last 2 weeks. I haven't wanted to write about this for fear of jinxing it.... Suprisingly enough, it all started when we were out in New Mexico. So nowadays I have at least 2 free hours everyday...sometimes even 4! The first couple of days I didn't know what to do with myself. The house would be cleaned, dinner made and it would only be around 3pm. Luckily I started consulting for my old job last week...that's given me more than enough to do with my "free" time. I guess it couldn't have happened at a better time. What's funny is that I kind of miss holding her while she naps. Go figure.

changes

2007-12-06T09:27:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I went from being a stay-at-home-mom to being a work-at-home-mom. So far it doesn't feel any different... I know that won't last.

foot in the mouth II

2007-12-05T21:34:00.001-08:00

foot in the mouth

2007-12-05T21:32:00.001-08:00

We thought she'd never like the pacifier...

2007-12-04T12:52:00.001-08:00

...she likes it now....i guess it's good to chew on.

She puts her thumb in it.

2007-12-04T12:51:00.001-08:00

bailey - 5 months

2007-11-29T15:04:00.000-08:00

16 lbs. 2 oz. - 26.5 in.

Hi Bailey,

You turned 5 months old a couple of days ago. I don't think I'm ever going to get around to posting this on the correct date. We've just been keeping ourselves so busy. All the playing and the going to playgroups and the flying to New Mexico. Oh yea...you took your first airplane ride this month. That was an adventure! We strategically planned the flight on the way out there right around your bedtime, thinking you'd fall asleep in the sling and remain asleep for the flight. That did not go according to plan. You did fall asleep as planned. Unfortunately you woke up right when were about to take off. Then you were so excited with everything going on, you wouldn't go back to sleep. Which mind you, that would have been alright, but you were so very tired. Initially you were all happy go lucky, smiling at everyone, laughing, being cute to anyone that would pay attention. Then...then....the tiredness finally got you and you started screaming. We were those people on the plane with the screaming baby. I took you to the bathroom, away from all of the distractions, hoping you'd nurse in there and in turn fall asleep. But apparently the bathroom was just as interesting. You finally passed out when I just sat down and held you near the boob....latching eventually, leading to a deep, deep slumber. We landed shortly after. On the other hand, the flight back was awesome. Having to get to the airport two hours early ended up working out in our favor and you missed your morning nap. So you fell asleep right after we got through security and slept until about 10 minutes before we landed in San Diego. People were pretty surprised that we had a baby when you woke up, you hadn't even made a peep. So keep that in mind for our next flight...sleep is a great thing.

We had quite a trip out in New Mexico. You had a lot of fun meeting all your cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents...there was so much family! They were very happy to meet you too. You also saw snow for the first time while we were there...and really, I'm not even sure that you saw it. We bundled you up pretty good running you from the house to the car. Nonetheless, you experienced your first snowstorm.

This was a month of many firsts. You sat for the very first time about a week ago. Granted you haven't really done it again...which makes me very happy I got a picture of it. You're just so eager to grab everything that sitting still isn't even an option. I'll put you there and you're immediately reaching for something, falling over.

You also rolled over (from your back to your tummy). You'd been trying to do this for quite some time now and I think even you were surprised when you finally did it. You just kind of laid there with this very surprised look on your face. Unfortunately I did not have the camera around that time. You still have a hard time rolling over with your cloth diaper though...but take the diaper off and you're rolling all over the place! That makes it really hard to change your diaper and dress you. Giving you a bath has also become pretty difficult. You just squirm around so much!

You also experienced your first Halloween this month. We didn't take you out trick-or-treating since you were asleep by 6, but you did get to wear your monkey costume to playgroup. And you even went to a Halloween party the weekend before...granted you slept the whole time. It was still really fun to dress you up. I know you totally loved it too!

You're still teething and have yet to get a tooth. We've tried EVERY teething remedy there is, but nothing seems to work better than sucking and biting on anything you can get your hands on. You put EVERYTHING in your mouth! Your teething has also caused you to drool so much. I always thought we had too many bibs, that we were never going to need that many...I was so wrong. You use them all. We even had to go get some more!

Well it's getting late and I need to get some sleep before you wake to nurse.

I love you!
Mama

strange pat

2007-11-28T16:35:00.000-08:00

Is it weird that it bothered me when a stranger went up to Bailey and patted her on the head (she was in the Babyhawk)? I dunno, just someone I don't know touching her made me uncomfortable.

morning at the beach

2007-11-15T20:06:00.001-08:00

i love this picture

2007-11-11T15:30:00.001-08:00

Entranced by the camera. Actually she just wanted to grab it. Stinker!

spooning

2007-11-07T10:13:00.001-08:00

watching football with daddy

2007-11-04T19:58:00.001-08:00

bailey - 4 months

2007-11-04T12:23:00.000-08:00

15 lbs. 1 oz. - 26 inches

Hi Bailey,

So this month you've REALLY started teething...last month was nothing compared to what you're going through now! I so wish I could make you feel better...sometimes it just seems like you're miserable. But as they say, this too shall pass. Which is good because hopefully once it does, we'll all be getting more sleep around here. And really I shouldn't complain...I've heard some pretty horrible sleeping stories about teething babies. You just wake up a couple of more times then you did before. Okay so you went from once to about 3 or 4, not bad...I know. Now if only I would learn and go to bed earlier. And speaking of sleeping...you still don't like napping alone. The minute I even start to put you down you open your eyes and look at me as if to say "what do you think you're doing?" And so I sit back down and you go back to nursing and then back to sleep. The few times that we actually make it all the way to your bed, you usually last about 5 minutes, give or take, and then scream to let me know that it's not okay to lay you there. What was I thinking?? These times kind of suck for both of us because you can't usually fall back asleep after getting so upset. So you don't nap and I don't get any kind of break...that puts us both in quite a grumpy mood. We'll keep working on this napping thing though, I'm sure you'll get the hang of it soon enough.

On another note, you sure are interested in EVERYTHING these days. The days of having dinner while you nursed and dozed off are over. We now spend the whole meal trying to keep you from knocking our dinner on the floor or from grabbing anything off our plate. Taking a drink out of a glass, yea thats nearly impossible too. Of course this newfound desire to grab anything within your reach is pretty entertaining for us, and you I assume. I think sometimes even you're surprised that things are all of a sudden in your hands! The other day you even grabbed your foot and put that in your mouth!

Unfortunately, you can't quite sit up or move around on your own yet, so sometimes you end up on your face as you go to reach for something. Or you'll end up in a spot you don't want to be in and get really angry about it! Patience is not your forte (I don't know where you get that from).

You've also become quite the talker, even more than you were before! Some mornings we wake up to your babbling and I must say, it has to be the best thing to wake up to. But yes, the talking! So, so cute! I think you have the best conversations with that baby in the mirror, now if only it would talk back! Sometimes you swat at it as if to say, "Hey you! Say something!" It's quite the scene.

Well, I'm typing this with one hand as you lay on me nursing/sleeping and you're starting to squirm.

I love you!
-Mama

Edited to add that I wasn't upset at all in the first part of the post. Your daddy read it and thought it sounded like I was complaining. Oops!

playtime

2007-11-02T15:45:00.001-07:00

I was folding laundry when I realized she'd been quiet for a while. I turned around to look at what she was doing and saw she was laying there completely still with this on her face. I even had enough time to get my phone and take her picture. That's a REALLY long time for her!

fires

2007-10-30T21:29:00.000-07:00

I'm sure everyone's heard of those fires in San Diego. You know, those fires. We were very lucky...the fires stayed relatively far from our house. My inlaws and their family on the other hand were evacuated from Fallbrook and Pauma Valley. We were very happy to provide them shelter while they waited out the storm. There were 11 people, 3 dogs, 3 cats, and several goldfish in our house! Sounds crazy I know. But it was actually fun having this time to visit with family. And fortunately everything worked out. Thunder's aunt and grandma were allowed back in their home on Friday and his parents on Saturday. My side of the family also faired okay. Just one of my cousin's was evacuated and they were able to go back home by Wednesday. I know there were many people that weren't so lucky. Needless to say, I'm very thankful we are all safe and sound back home.

On another note. Bailey turned 4 whole months on Saturday, the 27th. She's been busy doing all kinds of stuff in the last month. Post coming soon!

Mommy and Bailey

2007-10-19T02:02:00.001-07:00

Outside waiting for daddy to get home.

I was thinking...

2007-10-14T19:54:00.000-07:00

You know how you make the "roll down the window" gesture when you drive up next to someone and you want them to roll the window down? You know what one I'm talking about, the cranking motion. Anyway... I've been thinking...that motion is pretty much obsolete now. I'm thinking most new cars these days come with power windows. It'd be kind of funny to go up to someone and make that gesture and have them be totally confused. I guess it's bound to happen eventually. Also makes me think of how people say "dial a phone number." That doesn't make anymore sense either. It's kind of strange to think that kids these days aren't going to really know where all of these things came from. Heck, Bailey won't ever know what it's like to watch TV with commercials or even how we used to have to wait for pictures to get developed. So weird...

Crawfish!

2007-10-10T13:17:00.001-07:00

We saw this little guy at the park today with our playgroup!

it's been too long

2007-10-09T21:35:00.000-07:00

So I've been posting all kinds of pictures in lieu of a real post. Things have been rather busy in the Stumpges household. Well kind of...just the whole taking care of a teething baby thing. Oh yea have I mentioned that Bailey's teething?

bailey 3 month update
13 lbs. 11 oz. 25.5 in.

This month led to many nights of almost uninterrupted sleep! Bailey slept (and I say slept in past tense because as we speak, this has drastically changed....read teething thing above) about 6-8 hours at a time, sometimes even more. She also started napping on her own on occasion... Huge step!

This month she's become a lot more interested in the world around her. Until now, rattles and toys were of little interest to her. But recently, they've actually started to entertain her. We spent many mornings playing with her activity center...she loved seeing mama banging on the rattles. And she's become quite the chatterbox. So much babbling! I only wish I knew what she was saying! And I must say, hearing her babble on our car drives is awesome.

It's been so fun to see you develop and grow so much in just 3 short months... We love you little one...

driving!

2007-10-09T14:45:00.001-07:00

 
Cutie Pie, originally uploaded by jillvest.

Jill took a bunch of cool pictures on her visit here this weekend....check them out by clicking on the picture.

christmas in october?

2007-10-07T13:22:00.001-07:00

Santa at Vons....in October.  Oh yea and some champagne too!

good morning!

2007-10-03T08:09:00.001-07:00

busy, busy

2007-10-02T17:58:00.000-07:00

So I've been really lagging in the posting department. We've been so unbelievably busy lately. I don't know how moms deal with more than one kid. Bailey seems to keep me preoccupied ALL THE TIME. And she started teething...at 3 months....yea. So that's been fun too. It's so hard to sit and watch your baby in pain knowing you can't really do all that much. Well other than the teething gel stuff...which I must say, doesn't work in my opinion. I also had her start wearing an amber necklace..."amber exhibits pain relieving qualities when worn on the skin." I'm hoping one of these things helps her some. It's funny, several people have told me she looks so cute in her necklace. I used to correct them and say, actually it's a teething necklace...but I've given up on that. It's kinda like when people say, oh your little boy is so cute...I just say thanks and let it go. Easier that way I think.

Anyway...

Bailey turned 3 months last week! It's gone by so fast! I'll have to post about her "milestones" this month soon.

Oh yea and we had our 4th anniversary...duh I posted that already. Well we went to a great dinner at Prado in Balboa Park. It was our first time away from Bailey....and even though we missed her tons, we had a lot of fun. We'll have to do that again soon!

Tummy time!

2007-09-28T10:42:00.001-07:00

happy anniversary baby!

2007-09-27T11:35:00.000-07:00

woo hoo! 4 years! =) i love you!

Kodi

2007-09-27T11:24:00.000-07:00

Finally posted some pictures of Kodi on my flickr page. Go check them out.

Sleeping baby

2007-09-20T09:43:00.001-07:00

She fell asleep on her walk with daddy.

2007-09-19T17:16:00.001-07:00

What color are her eyes?

dance dance revolution, kinda

2007-09-18T11:24:00.000-07:00

I was watching Ellen dance the other day and it reminded me of something we did in elementary school. Somehow my friend and I convinced the principal that it'd be a good idea to let us have music and dancing during lunch. So everyday at lunchtime, we would go get the huge speaker that was used for assemblies and set it up to play the music of our choice. We'd then spend the majority of lunchtime dancing away to Vanilla Ice or Bel Biv Devoe. Haha...we were dorks.

bailey sleep update
Bailey's been napping pretty regularly the last week and a half. Well somewhat regularly. We've learned what times she needs to go down...getting her to stay down is still a problem at times, but we're working on it. These last two days she napped REALLY well. It was surprising. Odd thing is she's waking up more often in the middle of the night. Like every 3 to 4 hours. I don't get it.

Daft Hands - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

2007-09-15T15:28:00.001-07:00

This is awesome!

(by FrEckle studios)

dogs, beach, phone

2007-09-14T20:56:00.001-07:00

We picked up Oreo today! We're fostering him with intent to adopt. At least that's what the rescue lady said. Anyway. So far so good. He seems like a great dog. We took him to the dog beach and he LOVED the water. He booked it straight into the ocean. It was comical. So different than our other dogs....they were scared of the waves. But yea...he loved all the other dogs there and was also really into the birds. He wanted to chase all of them!

On another note. So we're driving home from the dog beach and we realize that Thunder's phone isn't in the car. I had taken it from him for safekeeping...to make sure that it didn't get in the water since he's broken a phone that way before. Seeing him chasing Kodi (oh yea we renamed Oreo to Kodi) all over the place in the ocean, it seemed like it was bound to happen. Anyway...so I took his phone and put it in my pocket. Apparently it fell out. So we were like 10 miles away from the dog beach at 430pm on a Friday afternoon and we have to turn around. Can we say traffic? Luckily it was mostly going the other direction and we made it back to the beach pretty quick. Thunder goes out with Kodi to look for his phone on the beach while I stay in the car changing and feeding Bailey. About 10 minutes later Thunder comes back with his phone! He found it in the sand!!! How crazy is that?? I was soooo glad he found it. It was more than just the phone...it was all of his contacts and a 4 gig memory card with a bunch of music on it. Yea....that could have been bad. Although luckily I'm getting a new phone on Tuesday and he could have used that if he had to. I'm glad it didn't come to that.

Oh yea...so this was Bailey's first time to a beach... We didn't take any pictures though because she spent the whole time sleeping in the sling. That and we were preoccupied chasing after two crazy dogs. =)

I'll post pictures of the new pup when I get a chance. He's sooooo cute!

annoyed

2007-09-13T14:45:00.000-07:00

We drove down all the way to La Jolla to have the people at the Mac store look at my computer....my trackpad doesn't work. It was totally pointless. They charge between $250-300 to replace the part and suggested we take it to someone else. It's too bad you can't just talk to someone on the phone about stuff like that. So for now my computer's still broken. =(

miracle

2007-09-11T14:50:00.000-07:00

Bailey's been napping since 1pm. I don't believe it! 2 hours! It's amazing how much you can get done when she naps!

UPDATE
She ended up napping for 3 whole hours! I didn't know what to do with myself. Ended up just cleaning all 3 bathrooms! Hah...so exciting.

what a difference

2007-09-10T22:49:00.001-07:00

5 days

10.5 weeks

so maybe not disaster...

2007-09-10T20:55:00.000-07:00

So that last post was rather melodramatic. I had just gotten back from the party though and was blowing some steam. Bailey really was just acting like a baby. A really young baby. I know that and should have really expected it.

DOGGIE CANDIDATE #2 - OREO
On another note. I went to go meet another dog on Sunday. His name is Oreo, which I think we'd change, and he was awesome. They're doing a home visit sometime this week and as long as they approve us and he gets along with Kaia I think it's a go. I so hope this works out! He was really just such a cool dog.

birthday party disaster

2007-09-08T19:42:00.000-07:00

So I went to my niece's birthday party today at the park. Just Bailey and I went since Thunder had previously made plans to go to the Stone Annual Beer Festival with some friends. I figured one afternoon out with the baby, how hard could that be? Anywho. So we get there and we're doing alright...my dad's carrying Bailey from the car to the park. About two seconds later the crying starts. I put her in the sling and try to get her to nurse/sleep. It works for like 5 minutes...maybe. I then try putting her in the stroller, which I honestly don't even know why I tried that since she's never really liked it. Anyway, so I put her in the stroller and go on a long walk thinking that might put her to sleep. That didn't work...she cried the WHOLE time. I take her out again and put her back in the sling. That works for a little while. After waking up, she's okay for a tiny bit, but then all hell breaks loose again. Back in the sling. That time she actually napped for a while, which was nice. But I swear, anytime she was awake and someone even just looked at her, her bottom lip started quivering and she just broke down. Agh! I felt so bad. My mom couldn't even hold her! It was just a really stressful day... And seriously I almost broke down in the car. I mean this was one freaking day...I can't even imagine how it'll go for one whole week when we're out in New Mexico for Thanksgiving. I guess she'll be older, but still... Anywho. Had to get that off my chest.

sleepy, sleepy

2007-09-07T20:39:00.000-07:00

Bailey's napped the last couple of days on her own! Big, big step. We've been putting her down in her bassinet after she falls asleep in my arms. Usually shortly after nursing. She then only stays asleep between 5 and 15 minutes on her own. Or at least that's been the case for the last 4-5 weeks. Anyway. So she wakes up and lays there for a bit, and then a short while later she starts crying. This week we've left her there and let her cry...just for a couple of minutes. And get this, she's been falling asleep after that. Crazy! The first day she only slept for like 40 minutes and just today it was for almost 2 hours! It's so exciting. I think we're onto something here. Oh and we tried the same kinda thing for the middle of the night. She usually wakes up once. Sometimes it's been hard to get to her to stay asleep. So the last couple of nights I've changed her, nursed her, and then put her back down (she's usually asleep by that point anyway). She's been kinda half crying for a few minutes and then just passes out again! Weird! I don't know why but it's working. Of course now that we're figuring something out, it's all going to change again. But for now, we're pretty stoked.

stressed but excited too

2007-09-05T20:04:00.000-07:00

So I talked to my work today about not coming back. I guess for now I'm a stay-at-home mom. And I say for now because we're kinda doing a trial run through the end of the year. I'm really hoping we can make this work out. I can't even imagine leaving Bailey in daycare. Anywho. It's a little scary to think we're now a one income family. But we can do it...I know we can. Wish us luck.

yay for AC

2007-09-04T13:11:00.000-07:00

It's been so ridiculously hot these last few days. Bailey's been extremely fussy...and I don't blame her! Poor thing. Today we finally decided to have lunch at the Panera by our house. OMG, AC is wonderful! Bailey actually hung out for a bit and was happy! Weird! Okay so it was only for like 15 minutes. But she was tired and ready for a nap anyway. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

On another note. Bailey took a nap on her own two days in a row! Yesterday for an hour and today for 40 minutes. I know that's not long but can we say improvement?? Maybe this is the beginning of something...

bailey - 2 month update

2007-08-30T11:28:00.000-07:00

Bailey turned 2 months old on Monday. I can't believe it's been 2 whole months! She's grown quite a bit too. She's 12 lbs. 2 oz. and measures 24.5 inches. Actually she weighed that on Monday. I weighed her yesterday and it said 12 lb. 6 oz. Oh and the 24.5 inches are somewhat accurate...she was squirming a lot when I was trying to measure her. Anywho...she's somewhere around there. She wearing size 3 months in most stuff!

This month she's decided that she no longer wants her pacifier...not that she was ever too fond of that thing anyway. It was always more like a game, she'd spit it out, I'd put it in.....out, in, out, in. It was great fun. Luckily she's also recently found her hands. Hopefully in time those might interest her more than my boobs....which as I've mentioned before, is her favorite place ever.

On another note...she's started smiling a lot and can almost roll over! Well, from her tummy to her side. We think she'll be all the way over in no time. She's also started to sleep between 6 and 7 hours in a row most nights. That almost makes up for not wanting to nap during the day. We'll work on that napping though. We also started going to a playgroup this month. Both Bailey and I love it. I can't wait for her to be able to play with the other kids!

Bailey, I know sometimes it seems like I don't know what I'm doing....and I guess I really don't. But we're figuring this out together everyday. We love you so much sweetheart...I can't imagine our lives without you.

ramble, ramble

2007-08-25T22:30:00.000-07:00

so it seems that i've been rather busy lately. bailey's decided that my boobs are the happiest place on earth...seriously. so unless she's there, she cries. well that's not true. she doesn't cry in her sleep. so i either have to sit with her or carry her in the sling ALL day. i've gotten good at doing things with one hand and i'm getting quite a work out doing housework while carrying a 12 lb. baby. oh yea, she weighs 12 lbs. now! holy crap! she's getting so big so fast!
but anyway. yea baby on the boobs. that's where we're at right now. i've been told she'll outgrow this once other things begin to interest her... so i guess maybe in 2 months or so? its hard not to question your decisions sometimes though... it seems like so many people these days believe that you should let babies "cry it out." that i'm somewhat spoiling her by letting her nurse all the time. i figure she's too young to really soothe herself otherwise. then i've heard that i shouldn't let her fall asleep while nursing....but lately it seems that that's the only way she'll go to sleep. what am i supposed to do? how is doing that different than when people give babies a bottle to go to sleep? anyway... i guess we'll keep doing what works for us.

can we say fussy baby?

2007-08-14T20:41:00.000-07:00

so i was reading this book on babies and sleep. it said to expect a fussiness peak at 6 weeks. boy were they right. bailey was doing great early last week. sure enough on wednesday, right at 6 weeks, it all went to hell. at least i'm blaming it all on that. as we speak, thunder's still trying to get her to bed. we've been trying since 7. oh yea and naps...she apparently doesn't like those anymore. i'm hoping this is just some sort of phase. she's 7 weeks tomorrow. let's hope it gets a little better.

hey mister! you wanna be on tv?

2007-08-11T12:12:00.000-07:00

i was watching the news yesterday morning and they were doing this segment on companies charging their employees for being overweight. something about it increasing their health insurance costs. anyway... so as they're discussing this, we, the viewers, see the midsections of some rather overweight individuals. now my question is, do these people know their bellies are on tv? wouldn't it be weird if you were watching the news and then all of a sudden you saw your belly? or maybe they just ask people if they want to be on tv but don't tell them for what. i think i'd be upset if that were the case.

doggie candidate #1

2007-08-10T17:53:00.000-07:00

we keep saying that we're going to wait until bailey's a little older to get another dog. today i went to go look at this dog at the pound. so much for waiting i guess. anyway...he didn't work out. he was nice enough but after chatting with the volunteer we decided he wouldn't be good to have around a baby. i think it was that thing about him snapping at an infant once or something. yea... so maybe we should just wait until bailey's older. and maybe we should just get a puppy that grows up with her and stop looking at dogs at the pound. i guess we'll see what happens. i'm thinking we'll end up with another dog sooner than later...because we're not busy enough as it is. really though, it'd be nice to have a jogging partner and i'm sure kaia would love a playmate. i guess if the right dog comes along....

perplexed

2007-08-08T09:02:00.000-07:00

so i can wear my wedding ring or my engagement ring but not both at the same time like i used to. explain that one to me.