brett • kris • sadie • colton • in nyc

Introducing Colton Brett

2011-11-24T22:15:00.000-05:00

Colton Brett

Born: November 23, 2011 at 1:14am

Weight: 9 pounds 9 ounces

Height: 22 inches

APGAR: 9/9

Here's a little sampling of pictures from the experience of welcoming our newest addition...

All settled in to the hospital

Brand New

Mommy/Son Bonding right after delivery

Dr, Colton and Kris (aka 'My Beautiful Mormon' as nicknamed by her Jewish Dr)

Father/Son Bonding

Meeting Big Sister

Info on our name selection:

Deciding on a name has been a struggle this time around. We’ve gone back and forth countless times. We wanted a two syllable name but one that could be shortened. We also wanted a name that was common enough but wouldn’t put him as one of five boys with the same name in his classes at school. A while back, we stumbled upon the name Colton and fell in love with it immediately. We also loved that we could shorten it to Cole. Cole had been at the top of our list for a while and when we realized that Cole is a short form Kris’ maiden name, we liked it even more.

Brett is obviously a family name, a nod to both the baby’s father and past generations. For the first-born son, bestowing the name of the father as the middle name is a family tradition dating back four generations.

Quick Recap of Colton’s entrance:

Our Baby Story (lasting 4 hours 59 minutes in the hospital)

Background: The due date had come and passed, as had Kris’ patience. With every passing day it seemed as though baby would never make his entry, somehow preferring his mother’s womb to the cruel world. Given the estimated size of the baby (a growth scan had estimated 8 lb 15 oz on Nov 4), the Dr was concerned and wanted to get the baby out as soon as possible. Based on commentary from the Dr, we had every expectation of delivering in early to mid-November. But the days kept going by and Kris wasn’t progressing on her own. We had been to the doctor on the 14^th, the 16^th, the 18^th, and the 21^st, with each appointment yielding a similar conclusion: the baby was big but Kris was not ready. But the morning of the 22^nd felt different (at least for Brett; Kris did not want to get her hopes up). We now pick up the recounting on the morning of the 22^nd, and continue to the end as it unfolded.

9:15a: Ultrasound Growth Scan to check baby’s size. Baby measuring 9 lb 11 oz, big head, long femur, normal belly.

11:15a: Dr appointment. Stripped membranes, told us to eat pasta, go home and make our last minute baby preparations, take Castor Oil at 4:00p and come back at 5:00p. Hopefully tonight was the night!

5:00p: Dr appointment. Stripped membranes again, 3 cm dilated, ~50% effaced. Told us to take more Castor Oil, get donuts/treats for nurses, call him at 7:15p, and be in hospital shortly thereafter (just after the nurses change shifts). Brett thinks Dr is joking about the treats. Dr assures us that he is not.

5:30p: Walked home from the Dr’s office (~1.6 miles) in the pouring rain, Kris having strong contractions 3-5 minutes apart the entire way. Stopped at Crumbs for mini cupcakes for the nurses.

6:30p: Came home to eat dessert with Sadie, Kris showers, blow dries hair, and puts on make-up.

8:15p: Admitted to hospital, nurses love the Crumbs mini cupcakes.

8:45p: Resident checks Kris, 4 cm, 50% effaced.

9:47p: Dr arrives to check Kris, measuring the same, breaks water.

10:30p: Contractions starting to get more intense. Pain now at a 7/10 for Kris.

11:00p: Kris gets a quick visit from a friend working in another wing of the hospital. A nice distraction. Kris holds a conversation through the contractions.

11:15p: Dr checks Kris, measuring the same. Recommends epidural, Kris says no.

12:52a: Contractions have become very strong over the last 1.5 hours. Pain now at a 10/10. Kris doing a great job. Kris now wants to know where she's measuring. Is adamant about getting the Dr to check her. Brett encourages her to wait for the doctor to come in on his own and assures her that she can do it.

12:55a: Dr comes back (on his own) to check Kris, measuring 6 cm, still partially effaced. Says Kris is progressing, though a little slower than he would like, recommends an epidural, stating that he does not believe it would slow down the process. Says he hates to see Kris in this much pain.

12:57a: After letting the Dr leave the room, Kris declares that she wants an epidural (thinking she still had various hours of hard labor ahead of her), is very adamant. Brett pushes back based on Kris’ birthing plan, but eventually agrees to get Dr.

12:59a: Brett runs out to get Dr in Doctor's lounge, says "she wants it". Dr says "I think that's a wise decision" and runs to get anesthesiologist.

1:01a: Anesthesiologist comes in to go over epidural procedure, says he needs to look at labs and will be back in about 5 minutes.

1:07a: Contractions intensifying, Kris starts feeling an extraordinary amount of pressure, exclaims that she needs to push. Brett runs to get Dr and says "she says she needs to push". Dr immediately comes and calls to get "Kristi" the nurse. Other nurse says "who's Kristi?" (her name was Kristyn) and Dr says "just get me a nurse".

1:08a: Doctor comes in and calmly says "now let's see if she's fooling us". Checks Kris and says she's at 10 cm and can be ready to push, but this needs to be a “controlled” push. Frantically calls to get another doctor in the room in case of shoulder distortia since baby is expected to be so big. Anesthesiologist had walked in the door just after Dr, leaving shortly thereafter without administering the epidural (obviously).

1:14a: Baby born after ~5 minutes of pushing. Kris did an amazing job! 9 pounds, 9 ounces (95^th percentile), 22 inches (>97^th percentile).

After everything calmed down around 4:00a, Brett went to the Nursery to look at the new baby and ask the nurse if they had the chance to measure him. The nurse says: “he was 22 inches, you hit the jackpot!” And that’s exactly how we feel. We hit the jackpot and are excited to announce the entrance of Colton Brett into our family. We are so very thankful for a safe delivery and good experience as we welcomed this new little/big guy into the world. And Sadie is thankful to finally have this baby brother she’s been hearing about for so long. An easy Thanksgiving for counting our many blessings – both old and new.

29 Weeks

2011-09-04T22:06:00.000-04:00

Taken on our walk today @ Sutton Place Park

My Sadie Lady

2011-09-04T21:55:00.001-04:00

Sadie is at such a fun age! Everytime I think she can't get any cuter, she does. She definitely has her moments and can be as stubborn as a mule (she must get that from her daddy, there's no way I'm that stubborn :)) but her cute moments always trump the others. Just some things I want to remember about her at this stage.

- She has to carry a purse with her EVERYWHERE she goes. We don't leave home without at least one purse, often more. They are always stuffed to the brim with her essentials: keys, cell phones (usually 2 or 3), her 'Cosi card' (which acts as her credit card), her 'wips' (pretend chapstick) and various folded up papers that she finds around the house.
- Loves to sing. She makes up songs and sings songs she has learned in nursery or songs from the media. Her latest song she has made up is called 'Dr. Huevo.'
- Is the most polite little girl. When people compliment her on anything, she immediately says, 'thank you.' And if Brett or I forget to say thank you, she always prompts us, 'Mommy, say thank you' and then follows up with a 'you're welcome.'
- Recognizes the difference between Spanish and English. Her library contains a mix of Spanish and English books. When I translate an English one into Spanish she says, "No Mommy, that's not Spanish." And when we read about the Big Sur coastline in her Good Night, California she laughs because she recognizes that sur is in Spanish.
- She knows all of her letters and as we are out and about in the city, she points out the letters that she sees and tells me how many of each letter there are. She particularly loves to point to all the letters in the taxi and tell me what they are.
- She's pretty good at her numbers. She can count to 15 in English and 10 in Spanish. She recognizes the numbers but gets a bit confused between the Spanish and English. She's better at correlating the number to it's Spanish name than to its English one.
- Sadie is very generous and always volunteers to pay for things. Just yesterday she paid (with her 'Cosi card') for a pair of shoes for Daddy. She always has to take a turn sliding her card at the grocery store and in taxis.
- She gets SO excited to see Daddy at church on Sunday mornings. He has pretty much always had early meetings since she was born, so we meet him there. And now that he is in the bishopric, she loves to hang out with him before church starts and then check in with him after Sacrament Meeting is over. It helps me get there on time because I know if I don't, she'll run into church yelling "Daddy" while Sacrament Meeting is in progress.
- After she has spent all day with Yoselin, while Brett and I are at work, she gets used to directing all her commentary to Yoselin. So, when we get home, she'll get confused and still say 'Yoselin look!' and then laugh at herself when she realizes it's actually mommy or daddy.
- Sadie is super friendly. She will have a conversation with just about anybody. But once she starts talking, you can't get her to stop. She'll tell them everything - 'Look at my pink dress. I have a cell phone. I have a baby brudder.'
- She loves a good back rub. Before nap or bed, she'll say, 'Wub my back please.'
- Loves to give daddy shoulder massages after she has finished her dinner and he is still eating his. It's not the same with mommy, I don't get diddly when it comes to shoulder massages.
- Has taken a particular liking to her daddy lately. Mommy is always the one to read her books at bedtime, but after I tuck her in, she says, 'I want my daddy.' So he has to go in and sing her a song and rub her back.

Quotable from today:

As I was draining the broccoli I had steamed: "Look mom, the broccoli is getting the pee-pees out."

We just love her!

Irene @ 28 weeks

2011-08-28T22:06:00.035-04:00

We survived Irene. I was so busy with work in the days leading up to the hurricane that I didn't follow much about it, but instead heard more updates from family and friends wondering if we were going to be ok. We had plans to leave on a road trip yesterday, but decided our destination would be following the storm's path and additionally we unfortunately need to spend our much needed vacation time looking for apartments in preparation for our end of September move. So, we decided to can the trip and do a staycation of sorts. I finally headed to the store to stock up on supplies on Saturday morning, just in case it knocked out power, etc. I have never seen lines like that in Manhattan. I was lucky and picked the right one which only took 20 minutes, but the line next to me took over an hour. What?!?! The shelves were looking meager, particularly in the water and bread sections. I found plenty to stock our cupboards though.

Once we locked ourselves in for 24 hours, we were just crossing our fingers that the hurricane wouldn't negatively impact our apartment search this coming week. Thank goodness it was not as bad as it was forecasted it could have been (though I recognize not all areas of the East Coast were as lucky as Manhattan). In our neighborhood there was nothing much of note. We just hunkered down and enjoyed some family time inside. We all slept through the night though baby boy managed to wake me up a few times allowing me to hear the strong winds and pouring rain.

Here is the aftermath of it all. It's pretty eerie to see the streets of Manhattan so bare - that NEVER happens even at 4am.

On our Sunday afternoon walk to check out Irene's damage.

Peach Picking 2011

2011-08-14T13:55:00.001-04:00

We've been doing the apple picking thing for a few years now, but just last year discovered all the fun summer fruits and veggies to be had. So, yesterday we rented a car and headed out for the day. As part of my birthday present, Brett had scheduled me a prenatal massage at a salon near the farm so while he and Sadie explored the area, I indulged. Then we headed to the farm to pick. I think we did it backwards because after trekking around the farm, I was ready for another massage!

Last year, little city girl Sadie wouldn't walk through the orchards because the leaves would touch her feet (how dare they) and she would just hold her arms up with a helpless 'rescue me' look on her face. This year, was totally different - she came out 100% dirty, 100% happy and 200% exhausted (exacerbated by the lack of a nap). She was quite the helper, though after picking a handful of peaches, she decided collecting sticks was much more fun.

In addition to peaches, we checked out the raspberries (which were unfortunately very picked over) and then when our friends arrived, we headed to the veggie garden. I love city living, but it was SO nice to get out for a day.

Baby boy @ 26 weeks

With BFF Madeleine

Can you tell it was the end of the day and someone was tired? 'I will not smile, I won't, I won't, I won't'

Greenwich

2011-08-11T22:28:00.048-04:00

When Brett asked what I wanted for my birthday, I told him that I just wanted to rent a car and do some fun things outside the city. So I rented a car for three days and for today and tomorrow (while Brett is working), Sadie and I made some fun plans. Today we spent the day at the beach in Greenwich, CT. Our friend Julie came along and Sadie wouldn't let 'Joowie' leave her side. It was a perfect beach for Sadie with a toddler friendly wading area. She kept telling me that she wanted to go out in the water by herself - so big and independent. We're definitely going back next year!

Venturing out with Julie

Julie @ 8 months - isn't she adorable?

Sadie collected lots of shells and rocks to take home and show daddy

1 day shy of 26 weeks

24 Weeks

2011-07-31T23:35:00.000-04:00

Nap time

2011-07-31T23:00:00.015-04:00

Today for nap time, Sadie decided to have a little slumber party with duckie and pink baby (as opposed to baby funny, original names, I know). She carefully placed them on either side and then asked me to cover them all up. Of course her blankie was a part of the party too. She's so funny these days. Every time it is time to go to sleep there is something different she has to have - her cell phone or a little book or her camera or Dumbo or baby funny... In the last few months she has been asking for us to cover her up and scratch her back before we leave the room. And did I mention that we transitioned her crib to a toddler bed a few weeks ago? She's so grown up! And doing so well in the big girl bed. She fell out a few times the first night, but has been fine ever since. And she waits for me to open the door and turn off her white noise in the AM before she hops out of bed. I miss getting a big hug when I pull her out of her crib. I guess this means it's time for another baby since she's a big girl!

Doughnuts and water

2011-07-30T20:16:00.011-04:00

This morning we headed down to try out Doughnut Plant. We're not really a doughnut family, but with all the hype it has gotten over the years, we figured it was worth a try. And I gotta say, as far as doughnuts go, they're pretty darn good. I picked out various flavors for us to sample specifically getting the Banana Pecan for me. Sadie decided that my doughnut looked the best and the stinker ate 2/3 of it! Her tastes must follow mine.

After doughnuts we walked through Chinatown and down to the Imagination Playground at South Street Seaport to help burn off the calories. It's been a while since we've been to Chinatown. Brett made some observations while weaving through the Chinatown crowds. The overwhelming observation: 'Man, I've never seen so many flip phones in my life!'

Po-po-tail

2011-07-28T19:40:00.002-04:00

Approximately 33 1/2 months later, we can FINALLY put a single po-po-tail (ponytail) in Sadie's hair. Brett has tried to get away with it before, but the hair on the sides was just too short so though she had a substantial ponytail in back, from the front she looked a bit more like George Washington than one would hope (a more beautiful version of course). Just in time for the intense heat that has hit the city!

Baby Brother

2011-07-27T10:00:00.001-04:00

These pictures are from a few weeks ago (July 6, 2011). I had my second anatomy scan of baby brother and since Brett was unable to join, I had Yoselin (Sadie's sitter) bring Sadie so she could see what this "baby in mommy's tummy" business was all about. Sadie sat still for the first few minutes of the ultrasound and our favorite ultrasound tech was nice enough to flip into 3D various times to help Sadie understand what she was seeing on the screen. I think Yoselin enjoyed it more than Sadie, it being her first ultrasound experience. Seriously, having a baby really is just an amazing thing and to see the feisty little guy moving all around inside of me with ten tiny fingers and ten tiny toes and a beating heart and a mouth that moves as if he is trying to tell us something - it's just all so miraculous. Every time I am in an ultrasound I turn to Brett and say, "That's so crazy, can you believe it?" I think I'll say that every time, because the miracle of it all will never cease to amaze me. Anyway, I digress. Yoselin and Sadie ended up leaving the room halfway through when Sadie decided that the goldfish crackers in her stroller were more interesting than baby brother. But, when I came out, Sadie said, "Where's baby brother?" I proceeded to show her the 15 images we got to take home with us to which Sadie responded, "No, I want to hold baby brother." I laughed and said, "Me too Sadie. More than you know. But we both have to wait another 20 weeks!"

We decided to walk home and stopped to celebrate a healthy baby brother (and a thus-far complication free pregnancy since we found out that though the doctor was worried about placenta previa, all is well now). How did we celebrate? With Sadie's favorite - pancakes from a diner! She loves going out to get pancakes. She'll walk right in the door and before they even seat us, say to the host, "I would like some pancakes please!" "Coming right up" is always their response :) We were lucky enough to time it right so we could meet daddy and walk home together. As you can tell, Sadie was so excited to show Daddy her baby brother - already a proud big sister!

Yesterday, I had a full day. So I told Sadie that unlike most days that I work, when I come home around 5:45, I wouldn't see her until the next morning. I explained that I had a few things that night, including a doctor's appointment with the doctor that checks on baby brother. She ran across the room and said, "Mommy, I go see a movie of baby brother?!?!" :)

Date Night @ 22 weeks

2011-07-15T12:39:00.036-04:00

We've started a Thursday night date night, thanks to a wonderful friend from church. I had actually made some fun plans downtown but with 110 degree weather, I decided to avoid the subway saunas and stick close to home. The longer I can make it without elephant ankles, the better!

Date nights would be a lot more enjoyable if I could kick the never ending nausea. Unfortunately, at 22 weeks, I think any hopes of feeling better are for naught - at least for the next 18 weeks.

There is finally a little proof that a baby boy is growing inside of me! I'm ready to actually look pregnant. I think I definitely look it, but no one on the subway or bus seems to think so. I'll know it's obvious when I get offered a seat.

Still sporting my pre-pregnancy skinny jeans (though only with the aid of a bellaband). I think the days of pre-pregnancy pants are quickly coming to a close. Finding clothes to wear in the morning is rough!

We enjoyed restaurant week at Rosa Mexicano and some nice conversation. With Brett's new calling, we haven't had as much time in the evenings to catch up. We're grateful for Thursday night date nights for that reason (among others).

Eating Habits

2011-06-27T21:33:00.000-04:00

I love how open Sadie is to trying new food and her love for veggies and fruits! Tonight, we had one of her favorite meals - teriyaki salmon with rice and broccoli. We've been ordering in a lot more the past while since I've been freelancing a few days a week. I try to order something different every night and love to discover new favorites of Sadie's. Last month, the salad we ordered was topped with all sorts of vegetables, some of which I don't have around the house normally. She couldn't get enough of the cucumber and red pepper. She even tried the onions but decided that they were too 'spicy.' And she eats the veggies on her plate before she ventures over to the rest of the meal. Since I love Japanese, we order that frequently and Sadie always downs the entire order of edamame. She refuses to call it edamame, she just tells me they are called beans. She giggles as she tries to pop them out of the shell and they fly all over the place - we end up with quite the mess, but we make up for it in fun and laughter. Of course she can pack in the junk food. No joke, she can down two entire slices of NY pizza, her own order of french fries and enough candy, ice cream and popcorn to negate the benefit of the veggies. But as long as we keep that to a minimum, I'm happy to indulge her every once in a while. After all, she will happily eat healthy options if presented with them. Her favorite foods (in no particular order): broccoli (she loves to pull the little trees off and show me how pretty the flowers on top are), tomatoes, carrots, cucumber, avocado, olives, edamame, fresh string beans, zucchini, corn (especially on the cob), peas, strawberries, raspberries, grapes, blueberries, pomegranate and watermelon. She loves all fish (we call it all salmon - pink salmon, white salmon, etc) and finally eats chicken but could live without any other meat. I've tricked her into trying pork and turkey saying that it was chicken but I rarely can get her to eat beef (which is fine with me). Though just the other day she ate three bites of hamburger and a full serving of pot roast. I'm not sure how I got so lucky to have such an adventurous eater, but I'm glad. Now we just have to help her expand her verizon into mixed foods. She doesn't like casseroles or any dish with more than one or two simple ingredients, so when I make enchiladas, pastas with various ingredients, etc, I have to separate everything out on her plate. But as long as she eats it, I don't complain.

Pictures from tonight. We got home from swimming lessons and she had a voracious appetite. After cleaning her plate, she started stealing rice and broccoli from mine :)

Rowing

2011-06-05T14:24:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, we spent a few hours in Central Park enjoying the beautiful weather. After 5 years living in the city, we finally rented a rowboat. Sadie loved it, she sang "Row, Row, Row your boat" over and over and over again mixing in a few other songs along the way. It was nice to have someone to serenade us the entire hour. I think the other rowers enjoyed listening in as well.

Pure happiness.

Our tour guide :)

16 weeks pregnant.

On the Horizon

2011-05-22T16:56:00.004-04:00

Mornings

2011-05-12T21:38:00.014-04:00

Since I've been pregnant (and therefore sick and exhausted), Sadie and I have fallen into a nice morning routine that allows me a few extra zzz's. Though she's not a huge fan of TV and rarely sits still to watch an entire show, she'll usually sit quietly for 20 or 30 minutes first thing in the morning while she enjoys a cup of milk and some Cheerios.

Mother's Day 2011

2011-05-09T20:23:00.000-04:00

We enjoyed a simple Mother's Day with a picnic in Central Park before we ventured over to the pond to feed the ducks. It was a perfect day aside from the major allergies that have been attacking me. Sadie loved throwing bread to the ducks and watching them fight for it. She loved even more to snag some bites of the bread - she would laugh at herself every time she did. I love spending time with my little family and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to be a mother. I'm also eternally grateful to my own beautiful mother for providing me a happy home with no lacking of fun to go along with it. She has given me a wonderful example of what a mother should be. And of course I'm equally grateful for a wonderful mother-in-law. I am continually learning from both of them. Happy Mother's Day!

Laughing at herself for stealing bread :)

12 weeks pregnant

Sunday Afternoons

2011-04-03T21:54:00.021-04:00

We love spending Sunday afternoons together. And it's an added bonus when the weather cooperates. We always take advantage by taking a nice long walk and generally enjoying a nearby park.

Feeling like a big shot without a stroller.

But deciding all too soon that walking is tiring.

She still loves to swing - she could stay on forever!

Showing off her newfound arm strength hanging out. And yes, she does have legs :)

Fancy Nancy

2011-02-23T12:48:00.045-05:00

Sadie has lots of favorite books. It's so funny how she just gravitates to certain things. Though, she's a lot like her mama, and tends to like one for a couple of days before she moves on to another. It goes from 'Cat en da Hat' and 'Granero Rojo' to Subway (thanks Mary!) and 'Vayan Perro' or 'Mi Mama' (We have a Spanish/English mixed library). Fancy Nancy has, however, managed to rank in the top three for quite a while. We have a couple of Fancy Nancy books and she knows which is which. There's 'Nancy, Nancy' and 'Boutique' and then 'bwue Nancy, Nancy' obviously because the cover is blue. Fancy Nancy has taught her some great things, like the word 'Merci' or the phrase 'Ooh La La!' or my personal favorite, how to call us 'darling.' We like the morals of the stories and Brett and I have our favorite parts. We always comment about one illustration in the original book - right as Fancy Nancy and her family enter 'The King's Crown' for a fancy dinner.

Trendsetter?

2011-02-16T15:22:00.016-05:00

I'm not one to keep up on the latest celebrity gossip like I did ten years ago. And, as much as I'd love to be, I'm just not a trendsetter. However, my dad sent me over a link to a recent People magazine cover. Christina Applegate had a baby girl last month. Baby's name? Sadie Grace. Christina must read my blog :) Way to be up on the latest Hollywood news Dad!

And just to digress for a moment, I just typed ten years ago like it was nothing and then realized that ten years ago I was in college, as in not even in high school any more. Absolutely crazy!

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T23:02:00.000-05:00

This year our Valentine's Day was pretty low key. We normally go out to an Argentinean restaurant and go all out with gifts. But this year we kept it simple. Sometimes it's nice to lower expectations and not feel so pressured in to planning a big evening when really, who's dictating it, but some crazy holiday that's overly marketed. Sadie and I headed to the gym, per usual. But today she got a sucker from the babysitter, which was pretty exciting. Then, we headed to friend Evelyn's house to decorate some sugar cookies and play for a while. Sadie's lunch consisted of sugar cookies, frosting, M&Ms and lots and lots of conversation hearts. Before we headed back for naptime, we walked Daddy to his dentist appointment because it was 55 degrees outside and gorgeous. Then, we stayed in and made heart shaped pizzas, I got some beautiful roses and that was that. After Sadie went down for the night, Brett and I told each other a handful of the many reasons why we love the other. We used to do that every night, and now we do it, oh every once in a while. It was nice. I love my two Valentines!

thankful

2011-02-13T22:05:00.000-05:00

It's been a long month. It started with potty training. Three of the last four weekends either Brett or Sadie and I have been out of town (none of those three times did we all go out of town together). The other weekend, Brett had to work. I've spent the last three weeks working full-time to cover while my boss was on her honeymoon. It's been crazy and the three of us haven't had much (any?) family time. This weekend we changed that. It's been just the three of us all weekend. One of those weekends where you just feel so blessed - like things just couldn't get any better. Sadie is at such a fun stage - we are truly captivated by her all the time. The memorable moments of the weekend (and a couple from the past month):

'Get you' wars with Sadie. She loves to tickle us and watch how hard we laugh. I take after my mom and manage an amazingly believable fake laugh. Brett laughs at my fake laugh because, well, it's just that good. And I laugh at his attempts at a fake laugh. And Sadie just laughs because she thinks she's so funny. Love those moments. We have them just about every day.
Breaking in our new Kitchen Aid (finally!) with a family batch of chocolate chip cookies.
Heading down to Union Square for some shopping and a bite to eat. We stopped at Paragon Sports to check out, among other things, snow gear for Sadie. Sadie was in heaven. That little girl loves to shop. She wanted to try on every single jacket, hat, pair of gloves, etc. And she has an opinion to boot...there is no persuading that girl (wonder where she gets that from?).
Checking on Sadie at night before we go to bed. I used to do it every night and now Brett runs in to join me. Because she's just that cute and we can't resist another peek at our little angel before we drift off.
When Sadie found my retainer on the floor, handed it to me and said 'Here mommy, it's yours. Eat it mommy.' Because obviously anything that goes into your mouth is for eating.
Waiting for daddy by the elevator because we know he's on his way home. And the smile and squeal that result when Sadie sees him. And then the fact that she proceeds to recount her day to him because she knows he always asks and she beats him to it.
Our races from the elevator to our door. Sadie likes to come to the elevator to say goodbye to me in the morning and walk Yoselin to the elevator at the end of the day. We race back every time. And I love it.
Sadie trying to be mischievous. While we were skyping with grandma, Sadie wanted to play with daddy's blackberry, but he kept looking at her. So, she looked right at Brett and said 'Daddy, talk ga-ma.' Then kept her eye on him while she reached for the phone to make sure he wasn't looking. Little sneakster!
One slightly sad, but equally cute moment last night. Our bedtime routine consists of potty, PJs, brush teeth, prayers, scripture story, 3-4 books and a song or two before we tuck her in. Last night after I finished with the books, Sadie looked at me and said, 'Mommy, no sing a song.' And when I tried, she reminded me not to sing. So I tucked her in and she went right to sleep. Sad that she's growing up and becoming so independent.

Oh, and did I mention that Sadie is pretty much a rockstar. She's, I'd say 100%, potty trained. The first two days were the 'I want to tear my eyeballs out because that would be more pleasant than this' kind of days. But it all clicked around days 3 and 4. And even with two trips out to hang with cousin Brooklyn and her baby sister Mazie, she's still going strong. Two or three accidents after those first 4 days. And no accidents since January 17!

And a totally unrelated picture (except that it's of the three of us) and obviously not from the weekend. We sure had fun in Hawaii back in December. Maybe I'll actually post about it soon (or maybe not, don't hold your breath).

Snow

2011-02-02T11:03:00.004-05:00

We've had all too much snow this winter. It's a good thing Punxsutawney Phil didn't see his shadow this morning - I'm sure he knew the whole country would have it in for him otherwise. Sadie likes to get out of the house too much to tolerate being cooped up inside. Thank goodness for all the Groupon, doodledeals, etc that we've been utilizing to keep her busy. While we were waiting for baby Mazie to make her appearance a few weeks ago, we took advantage of a little snow time in Brooklyn's backyard. Do you think they liked sledding?

And I can't forget little Mazie. This is where she was hanging out while we were playing in the snow (doesn't it make you sick that my sister looks barely pregnant when she's a week overdue...if only).

And this is her quality time with Aunt Kris a few days later.

(little) girls weekend

2011-01-18T13:52:00.006-05:00

I got to spend the past four days hanging out with these two cuties...

...while this cutie was making her entrance.
Welcome Mazie Ruth!

Two two-year olds sure have a lot of energy and are able to wreak major havoc in less time than it takes to snap your fingers. I'm exhausted, but it sure was a lot of fun! Well done Kirsten and Kyle, you make cute little girls!

Potty Training Update

2011-01-10T17:23:00.006-05:00

Yesterday ended with 4 successes, 1 accident, a very happy mom and a pretty proud Sadie. It is currently 5:23pm and thus far we've had 5.5 successes (1 of which was self-prompted by Sadie while I was half asleep on the couch this morning) and half an accident (she caught herself and finished her business on the potty). We're both much happier today than we've been all weekend and I've actually been able to leave her side because I semi-trust that she gets it. I'll stop documenting all things potty related once it doesn't consume my entire day and we can actually leave the house with some confidence that we won't have accidents. And just so my family doesn't think I'm cruel for taking + posting such a sad picture of miss Sadie on the potty, here is a cute one captured in Hawaii a few weeks ago reflecting her current demeanor - all smiles!

Potty Training: Attempt 1

2011-01-09T13:35:00.000-05:00

Sadie's had a little potty for a while now, just so she could be comfortable with it. Her little friend Madeleine, who hangs here with her while I work 3 days a week, conquered the potty a few months ago. Naturally, wanting to be just like her friend, Sadie's been asking a lot about using the potty. And when they ask, you seize the day, no?

Case in point (taken December 3, 2010)

I of course waited until we got back from Hawaii to save myself the trouble of two 10+ hours flights with a newly potty trained (& very independent) toddler. Enter Friday - it's cold, my sister still hasn't had her baby (so we won't be heading out to PA), Sadie seems ready, and daddy conveniently has a business trip starting Sunday so why not confine ourselves to the house? Isn't it the perfect time to potty train? Being the optimistic mom that I can be (since Sadie's made motherhood seem like a piece of cake), I think 'How bad can it be?' We head to pick out some 'big girl panties' and begin the process.

Day 1: (we started post-nap): 0 successes, 2 accidents, one discouraged toddler and one very discouraged mom

Day 2: 1.5 successes, countless accidents, one discouraged toddler and two discouraged parents. Ready to give up? Yes!

Day 3: 2 huge successes (both of the #1 and #2 variety), 0 accidents thus far (it's only 1:30 though and 3 hours of that was spent at church in a pull-up that was wet by the end of the block even with 2 tries on the potty), one happier toddler and one proud (and hopeful) mom. Not giving up just yet. Though, if I never have to potty train another child, I'll be happy. People hire help for this kind of thing, right? :)

What a difference a (few) days make

2011-01-09T13:05:00.000-05:00

2011-01-05T16:17:00.001-05:00

So much catching up to do, as has been the case for the past 10+ years. Some day I'll be caught up, right? We have SO many pictures to sort through from the past little while. New Years resolution #4: get caught up on one photography project each day. I digress. We enjoyed a warm Christmas in Hawaii celebrating my little (in age, definitely not in height) brother's college graduation and landed in NYC just as the blizzard started.

This has got to be one of, if not the, favorite pictures of the trip. That's my Grandma Ruth - 86 years old, still sporting a swimsuit at the beach (along with the perfectly cane shaped piece of driftwood she found). When we went to Houston to visit her back in April, she got down and did push-ups for us - she puts me to shame in push-up contests. We agreed that we'd take it easy in Hawaii though.

This pose she calls 'What I learned from President Hinckley.' She's adorable and I love her!

just another mommy + sadie monday

2010-12-06T22:37:00.047-05:00

Since I've been freelancing part-time the past five months, Sadie and I enjoy our Mondays and Fridays to spend together. Christmas is so magical in the city and Sadie has been loving all things Christmas. So, despite the chilly temperatures outside, we've been making our way to all the beautiful Christmas trees, holiday decorations and shops before we head out to soak up some Hawaiian sun. This afternoon we strolled over to Rockefeller Center to check out THE tree, took part in preschool story time at the New York Public Library, and enjoyed the holiday shops, watching ice skaters and a little sweet treat at Bryant Park. On the way home we grabbed dinner at Cosi to thaw out a bit since Brett had a client dinner.

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-25T23:41:00.000-05:00

Per tradition (3 years and counting), we ventured over to see the Macy's balloon inflation on the eve of Thanksgiving. Brett even got to join us this year (along with thousands of others). Sadie is really catching onto this holiday thing and enjoyed seeing the big 'buh-woons' (balloons).

Inflation of the red elf

Possibly Sadie's favorite 'buh-woon' - the 'wah-bit' (rabbit).

This morning we enjoyed viewing the parade from my office in Herald Square. Sadie favored the street view as opposed to the 11th floor view.

My two favorite people

And this afternoon, we enjoyed a tasty meal with friends - we managed to comfortably host 14 adults and 4 little ones.

Do you remember the kids' table growing up? And how you always ended up stuck there when you were 12 and all the rest of the kids were under 6? I was glad to finally NOT be stuck at that table.

My second turkey of all time was a success - thank you Williams-Sonoma for your recipe.

Almost the entire adult group.

We are grateful for our little family, our jobs, our home, our wonderful extended family, great friends, and our faith. Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-15T23:23:00.000-05:00

This morning we hosted a little Thanksgiving playgroup where we made apple turkeys and then baked some apple pocket pies. My hands were too dirty the entire time to capture pictures of all the kids gathered around, but I did manage to snap a few of Sadie at the end. We have quite the little baker on our hands! When all the other kids had moved on to something else, Sadie was still at it. And she even made more this afternoon with her friend Evelyn. And then, tonight when the house was quiet, I took my turn.

Ready to attack

Sadie and her best little friend Madeleine.

Sunday Afternoon Walk

2010-11-14T22:23:00.005-05:00

We swung by the park and Sadie showed off her recently acquired climbing skills.

Sadie sat down in the middle of the sidewalk for a break. Naturally, Brett started shooting and utilized car headlights for photo lighting.

Afternoon at the Park

2010-11-13T22:43:00.002-05:00

Today was uncharacteristically warm, so obviously we spent lots of time outside.

One of our favorite parks is at 49th and the FDR.

Showing me the castle (read: pile of sand) she's about to build.

I'm sure going to miss this cute diaper bum (but not the changes it requires) once she's potty trained.

Trying out the big girl swings while she waits her turn for the baby ones.

our sunday

2010-11-07T22:27:00.001-05:00

sadie has been a bit under the weather. since we couldn't go to church and had to get out, we spent a bit of time checking out the nyc marathon. we live a few blocks south of the queensboro bridge so we could see from our window and walk a few blocks north to watch the runners come off the bridge and turn up first avenue.

waiting for the runners. we saw the first pack of men.

heading home after a battle to get back into the stroller. like always, mommy won that one and she wasn't too happy about it.

the view from our bedroom window (much later in the afternoon with a sea of runners)

sadie was wanting some daddy time (since he was in meetings and at church all morning) and wanting a bit more outside time. brett was on the phone, but sadie got the both of them ready while he finished up his conversation (although the outfit she put together for him may have consisted of basketball shorts, dress shoes and a winter coat :)). then they headed out on a walk to the east river.

headed out the door with her new 'rana' hat and gloves.

taking a breather on the east river.

we still have a lot of apples from our apple picking adventure a month ago so we enjoyed a homemade french apple pie.

bumblebee

2010-11-01T21:02:00.001-04:00

this was the first year that i've been really excited for halloween since sadie is a bit more into it. we celebrated twice - once in california and once in new york. more pictures to come.

sadie really hated putting the costume on, but after she figured out that putting the costume on meant getting 'canny,' she obliged. she ate way too many treats but we hid all her loot after she went to bed last night and she hasn't even asked for it. i think this may be the last year i get to enjoy her 'out of sight, out of mind' mentality.

that candy has been the bane of our existence though - i think brett and i have just about consumed our weight in candy.

'i wan dis mommy'

of course i'll smile for you with my bag of 'eh-nems'

monkey see, monkey two

2010-10-16T21:51:00.000-04:00

planning parties is one of those things i love, but rarely do, and sadie gave me the perfect reason to plan one.

a proud smile after successfully blowing out her candle (and sigh of relief that 20+ people were finally done singing to her and staring at her).

she got right down to business picking off the sprinkles.

digging through her piece to find the sprinkles.

Dos

2010-10-07T23:03:00.000-04:00

Somebody turned two today! I think she had a pretty perfect day. It was fun to plan and fun to execute. We love our little TWO year old. Here's a sneak peak of the day.

Morning and Night

2010-09-30T14:46:00.014-04:00

One of my favorite times with Sadie is first thing in the morning, after a full night's sleep. These are from 9.28.10 and 9.30.10 before I've left for work.

And I've started to just love taking pictures of her peaceful slumber when I check on her before I turn in for the night (pictures taken the past two nights).

Exploring

2010-09-24T21:32:00.009-04:00

Sadie and I spent a few hours exploring in Central Park looking for fun new locations for an upcoming photoshoot.

The Harlem Meer

The Conservatory Gardens

And, of course, a quick visit to a playground before heading home.

we like our city.

2010-08-19T15:42:00.007-04:00

sadie and i love to get out and about and enjoy our city. and we try to take advantage of the ability to hang outdoors before the dreary winter rolls in. this mornings agenda: madison square park playground, shake shack, and a quick visit with dad to drop off his burger, fries and shake.
notice the paparazzi-esque couple in the background...
so of course sadie had to play the part...
we like shake shack, and getting there at 11:30am helped us avoid the lunch crowds.
and don't worry, we balanced out our healthy lunch of fries and shakes with a dinner of carrots and broccoli.

date night

2010-08-15T16:04:00.007-04:00

last night was date night to celebrate my birthday. sadie hung at home with her new favorite audi. audi brought tea and apron sets and they played all night long. she didn't even miss us.

brett and i tried out nobu in tribeca. the rock shrimp tempura and black cod live up to their legend. brett even tried and quite liked ceviche. i'm successfully getting him to branch out! sadly, we didn't bring the camera and the lighting was just too dim for the iphone. you'll just have to take my word that we went, we ate, and we enjoyed. we carried home some mini caramel pecan and peanut butter cup cheesecakes from buttercup to enjoy after dinner settled.

freshly baked

2010-08-04T22:37:00.004-04:00

we like to cook together. according to sadie, every time we start making something in the kitchen we are 'cookin beh-fist (breakfast).' today's menu: chocolate chip cookies. i think they're sadie's favorite thing to bake because the cooks always get to try out the 'chips' before pouring them in.

we played 'food check.'

i think she liked 'em.

2010-07-05T23:36:00.003-04:00

{our cute little firecracker}

We had a fabulous fourth.
More pictures to come.

Sometimes we call her Chatty Kathy!

2010-07-01T20:03:00.006-04:00

Sadie already has an obsession with phones. Most children do, but Sadie's fixation on them seems a bit more excessive than other kids her age. She owns 3 toy cell phones and when she can get her hands on my iPhone or Brett's blackberry, it's game over for us. She entertains herself for hours on end. She talks on her phones for a minimum of an hour each day and always finds time to fit in some real phone conversations with daddy, grandma, Ti and Uncles. She can't leave home without at least one of her cell phones (and her purse). Today as we were headed out to run errands, we were in the elevator. As per usual, Sadie was talking to someone, it must have been one of her friends, given the topic of conversation. The words I could make out were, "and a boy, and a boy, and a boy, and a boy..." Oh boy, if those are her pretend conversations at 20, almost 21, months, I can only imagine what I'll be dealing with in the teenage years.

While we're on the subject, a shout out to my little brother and sister and my mom who appease Sadie by talking (or rather, listening) to her for 15-30 minutes at a time and staying engaged the entire time.

We love our little chatter box!

G Family Reunion 2010

2010-06-13T22:41:00.015-04:00

This years reunion with Brett's family was in Tucson, AZ. We went out a few days early to spend some extra time with family and check out where Brett spent his elementary school years. Many thanks to Chrissie, Vince and family for hosting. It was tons of fun! They have the perfect house to hold 12 adults, 1 teenager and 16.5 kids (most of whom are under the age of 8).

Sadie's new best friend, cousin Brenna.

Early mornings still on East Coast time.

With 29+ pairs of shoes lying around, Sadie was in heaven.

Lots and lots of fun cousin time!

Chocolate chip muffins for breakfast, life doesn't get much better. Notice the two headband look Sadie was sporting, she was trying to make a fashion statement.

We wore poor little Bryant out.

Lots of Wii was played (looks like Eve beat Wyatt on this one)

So many cousins.
Tessa

LoganBreeann (who wasn't too sure about her Uncle Brett)

AaronAnna Clark EllieIntroducing us newbies to Eegees. Both the subs...

And the slushiesDaily pool time.
As soon as we got out of the car at the pool, Sadie would run up to Brenna and say 'han, han' (translation: Hand, hand)

And the discovery of popsicles.

Cousin fingerpainting to send to grandma and grandpa on their mission.

A stop in Tombstone after stopping by Kartchner Caverns.

And then on to St. David to spend an evening with aunts, uncles and cousins (from Grandpa G's side).

Brett tried his hand at light painting and star pictures in the wee hours of the night.

Swimming and a BBQ with more aunts, uncles and cousins (from Grandma G's side).

These girls are just too cute (Anna, Brenna, Eve)

The photo walls.

Goodbye hugs before bed

moving day eve

2010-04-25T23:18:00.001-04:00

frazzled. stressed. so behind. overwhelmed. long night ahead. followed by long day. wishing it was all over. but loving this little girl.

Espanol

2010-03-23T00:18:00.004-04:00

When I lived in Argentina (serving as a missionary for my Church), I remember being fascinated with the children - there is something about seeing a child speaking another language. Ever since, I've dreamed of raising bilingual children. Upon meeting Brett, I quickly found out that like me, he had spent time in Argentina (also serving as a missionary). Of course, Argentina set aside, he was everything I was looking for, but this just sealed the deal.

So when we found out we were pregnant, we bought books on how to raise a bilingual child. Then Sadie came and we learned that trying to raise a bilingual child is, well, hard. But we haven't given up. Though I think my Spanish skills are pretty good, there are just some words/phrases you don't know when it's not your first language. And it's just easier and more natural to speak English. But, since being at home, I have really tried to recommit myself to speaking only Spanish to Sadie. Sometimes I succeed, other times I fail. And for a while there, I wondered whether she was even understanding the Spanish since her first words were all English words. But, she would respond to Spanish commands, so I figured something was getting through. In the past months, she has picked up a Spanish word or two (hola and agua). She never wants or says water, it's always agua (in Sadie speak, 'ah-kuh'). Then today, she was watching one of her Baby Einstein videos in Spanish and she just started repeating everything they were saying. Now in her Spanish vocabulary we've added, among others: gato (cat), arbol (tree, she pronounces it similar to her English pronunciation of the word apple, but I can distinguish), ventana (window). She also gives besos (kisses) - though she also says the word kiss - and she has a boca (mouth). There are many other words/phrases that she uses only English for, but alas, my little baby is showing her bilingual ability!

My grandma Vilma is Dominican and ever since I returned from Argentina, she and I have conversed in Spanish. We close our phone conversations with our standard 'Te quiero. Un beso. Chau chau.' And today Sadie picked that up as well. She walked around the house this afternoon saying chau chau ('tao tao'). It is just too cute. I have yet to get it on video, but just to reinforce her cuteness, here are a few pictures:

content

2010-03-03T22:14:00.003-05:00

paci and blankie, that's all she needs.

Ready for her close-up

2010-02-26T21:52:00.007-05:00

{delectable finger painting with pudding 2.21.10}

{little eskimo 2.25.10}

Dinner

2010-02-26T21:11:00.001-05:00

it was divine.

As of late (a post especially for the grandparents)

2010-02-21T23:26:00.023-05:00

Life has gone from one extreme to the other in a very short time and we are all getting used to the changes. Sadie and I have spent lots of time playing (with toys, at the park, with friends), learning (to climb, to say new words, new dance moves) and exploring our city.

A visual taste of what we've been doing (in no particular order):

1. Growing hair (albeit not much, but tons for Sadie) and finally deciding to drink milk (only with chocolate in it)
2. Baking
3. Learning animal sounds (baa, moo, quack, grr, sss, neigh is as far as we've gotten though everything always says 'baa' first)
4. Playing with the Tickle Monstor - he's gotten pretty good lately and comes around every single day.

5. Putting puzzles together.
6. Making music (between the maracas, drum and piano we've got a little band going).
7. Getting teeth (zoom in on the picture to see our slow progress on those bottom teeth).
8. Being cute while making lots of messes and getting into everything.

9. Playing with daddy a lot on the weekend.
10. Checking out some indoor play areas.

Excuse the terrible photo quality of the following, between carrying a 25 pound toddler and a stroller down four flights of stairs and the nasty weather we've had, I haven't dared try to lug the big camera around with me. The iPhone will have to suffice.

11.Playing in the snow
12. Doing laundry
13. Trips to Costco
14. Finding a 'Subway Sadie' poster at the NY Transit Museum with friends
15. Playing on the swings...
16. ...and the slide (her new favorite).
17. Building Sadie's first snowman

And for journaling purposes, at 16 1/2 months:
- New words in Sadie's vocabulary include: 'ah-ca' (agua), 'apple', 'honey', 'ep' (help)
- She likes to help empty the dishwasher, pour ingredients into the bowl when we cook, show us her incredible strength by bringing ridiculously large and heavy objects to us
- She is really good at sharing her food, but if she's really into her food, she'll put it in my mouth and then take it out and put it back in her own.
- Walk down the street by herself - no holding mom's hand allowed - she's just too independent for that (she comes by it honestly)
- Go down the slide all by herself
- Climb up on anything and everything she possibly can (including, but not limited to, the stool in the kitchen, her Elmo toy, the ottoman, the bath)
- Sadie loves when we sing 'O Holy Night' at bedtime. Ever since we introduced it at Christmas, she has adored it. We only whip it out when she's having a hard time falling asleep and it calms her right down :)
- Loves to talk, talk, talk constantly (I wonder where she gets that from?)
- Sneaks into her bedroom when we're not paying attention to reach into her crib and grab her paci + blankie and then runs out with the cutest smile on her face, so proud of her sly ability
- Plays a mean game of peek-a-boo (we just love when she puts her hands on her face (not remotely close to covering her eyes and just thinks we can't see her the same, so precious)
- Loves to eat (she would eat ALL day if we let her). Her food preferences are: any kind of fruit, but particularly grapes, pineapple, peaches, pears, watermelon and of course, bananas ('nana'); veggies (broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, peas, beans, zucchini (only sometimes)); LOVES salmon; she is developing a taste for chicken recently but refuses to eat any beef; goldfish; animal crackers; bread; water; pasta ('duh-duh'); rice; quesadillas with guacamole; yogurt; cheese...pretty much anything besides beef and juice and depending on the day, milk.
- Is 100% girl. Sadie can't get enough of her mardi gras beads and bracelets. She puts them on and takes them off all. day. long. And she sits diligently by mom's side to put make-up on together.
- She is definitely little miss independent, but also loves to snuggle with mom throughout the day.

Life Changes

2010-01-25T15:40:00.007-05:00

This blog has been seriously neglected over the past 6+ months (I know I'm stating the obvious here) and its neglect is indicative of how very much else in my life has been neglected along with it, given that blogging falls relatively low on my list of priorities. The past year has been quite a ride. Exactly one year and five days ago, I returned to my job at an ad agency - a job that I loved (for those of you in the industry, I know that may be hard to believe :)) - and left my little Sadie home with her nanny/babysitter, Rachael, after being home with her for 3 1/2 short months on maternity leave. Going back to work brought new meaning to the word 'balance' (or lack thereof) but over the past year, I've much enjoyed my job and Sadie has been well taken care of. However, in the past few months, Brett and I decided that our family needed a change so I quit the full-time advertising life (for now).

I am now just a few days into this new adventure. And to be quite frank, I miss work (and I think the competitive side of me always will) but I am loving being at home. What have I done thus far? Picked up a lot of toys. over. and over. and over again. Gone through piles and begun to de-clutter everything I haven't had the time to go through in the past year. Played the tickle monster. Swept the floor, cleaned the bathroom, washed the dishes, picked up spilled cheerios. Fed a little one. Made dinner (and not the kind that you call to order and have delivered) - I've actually cooked (a hobby I used to love). Changed diapers. Grocery shopped. Dealt with a few tantrums here and there. Picked up dry cleaning. Sang songs. Danced to children's music. Mailed packages. Read books to Sadie. Wiped a snotty nose again and again. Given lots of kisses. Been able to sit down and have meaningful conversation with my husband in the evenings. Talked lots of baby talk. Caught up with family.

I haven't yet received any thank yous from my new boss Sadie and she hasn't given me any promotions or raises. But she has given me endless kisses (albeit slobbery), lots of good lovins (hugs) and some fun cuddle time. She has also learned to say 'uh-oh spaghetti-o,' 'help,' 'bye-bye,' 'hola,' 'moo,' and 'baa' all on my watch. And how can you not smile and feel so lucky to be called 'mom' when you get to spend your days with this cute face?

I'm grateful for a husband who supports our family so that I can have the opportunity to be at home. I'm so glad I get to choose my family.

Sadie's First Birthday Party

2009-10-10T21:07:00.004-04:00

Sadie had so much fun at her birthday party. She was very friendly, making the rounds from guest to guest (whomever had goldfish or watermelon to share, of course). She was extremely neat, clean and dainty with her cake - just like a little lady should be. Thanks to everyone who came to celebrate with us (and a big thanks to my friend Hayden who made the beautiful cake)!We enjoyed some of Sadie's favorite foods...
Happy Birthday Sadie Bear!

One year ago today...

2009-10-07T21:52:00.005-04:00

...Brett and I awoke oblivious to the fact that this day we would embark on a new journey together - the journey of parenthood.

...I was fully planning to go into work.
...I suddenly awakened when my water broke (thank goodness it was 6:30am in bed and not 9:30am on the subway).
...we spent the day in a hospital room overlooking Central Park.
...we (read Brett) watched the presidential debate between contractions.
...I learned the meaning of pain and endurance.
...we didn't know what sleep deprived meant.
...my appreciation for my parents exponentially increased.
...the most beautiful little girl graced us with her presence (and she grows more beautiful by the day).
...I held MY little girl in my arms for the very first time and fell instantly in love.
...at the end of the night, within an hour of Sadie's arrival, I said what I swore during the first trimester of pregnancy and the roughest point of labor I would never say - you really do forget and it really is all worth it.
...the focus of my concern instantaneously shifted to the little life that was sent to me.
...I began to understand why my mom worried so much for me.
...our lives were forever changed - the best kind of change one could ask for.
...we had no idea just how much joy little Sadie would bring into our lives!

Happy 1st Birthday Sadie Grace! We love you and couldn't imagine life without you!

*all ready to open her presents!

* Opening her presents from her California cousins via Google Video

Perfect 10 Months Old!

2009-08-07T22:15:00.002-04:00

Daddy and Sadie sent Mommy on a 24 hour getaway for her birthday so they celebrated Sadie's 10-month birthday just the two of them. Daddy kept the treat tradition going and even let Sadie eat a graham cracker while he enjoyed the cherry cheesecake. Yum!

Fourth 4th!

2009-07-06T13:54:00.005-04:00

Brett and I are quite fond of the 4th given that it is the day we met. This year did not disappoint. We spent a lovely morning in Central Park with friends from our church. Then spent a leisurely afternoon at home enjoying family time before heading to Pier 84 to meet some friends (and hundreds of thousands of others) and watch the Macy's fireworks on the Hudson.
Sadie had lots of fun crawling all over the blanket and just hanging out for a few hours before the show. She was, however, anxious for the fireworks.We had a fantastic view of the show - three barges to the south, one directly in front of us and two to the north. It was incredible - a glorified baby Einstein for Sadie! She was mesmerized by all the lights in the sky (picture to come).
And for the grandparents, some pictures of the little one. I just loved this picture - she was getting her charm on for the camera :)

Geff and Carol in the house: part 1

2009-06-25T10:17:00.000-04:00

We were lucky enough to enjoy the company of Brett's parents for almost 2 weeks. They originally planned to come so that Brett and Geff could attend the U.S. Open (golf, not tennis) at Beth Page in Long Island. We convinced them to come early to hang out with Sadie while Rachael was out of town. We had SO much fun and Sadie saved up her new tricks to debut while they were here. Here's a sampling of what we did.

Sadie enjoyed many a nap in her stroller. She's a perfect urban baby - loves being out and about and can fall asleep through anything.

Saturday's stop: Castle Clinton followed by the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

Waiting in line for tickets outside of Castle Clinton.(more statue pictures to come)

We surprised Geff with a birthday celebration at his first (and Sadie's first) Yankee game (and our first time in the new stadium).

Sadie was very into the game (she must take after her dad)...

and her grandpa.

I let Sadie try some of the not-so-reasonably priced, less-than-healthy stadium food (yes, what a great mom...go ahead, judge away). She loves her some french fry.

The Yankees won! After every game they play 'New York, New York' over the loud speakers. Geff and Carol were dancing and singing. We managed to catch a smile though.

It wouldn't be a true birthday without some of the famous fudge frosting. Beautiful (and tasty) job on the cake Carol. Happy Birthday Geff!

We introduced blueberries to the bearsy...you think she enjoyed them?

Sadie's Crib!

2009-06-24T21:55:00.001-04:00

We've had the room finished for quite some time, but haven't managed to get the pictures posted. We live in what is called a railroad apartment with two entrances (one into our bedroom and one into the family room). Sadie's room is between our room and the hallway that leads to the rest of the apartment. Without further adieu, I give you Sadie's little room.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 months!

2009-05-07T22:09:00.007-04:00

Sadie and I celebrated her 7 month birthday tonight with a cupcake for every month. Daddy was sad that he had to miss out since he was working late. At seven months Sadie is about 16 1/2 pounds (good thing they don't document my weight every birthday) and is getting ready to scoot around. We're enjoying the last weeks of immobile Sadie before we have to baby proof and watch her every move.

Happy 7 months Sadie, we love you!

Sleeping Beauty

2009-05-03T21:13:00.001-04:00

Sadie has recently graduated to sleeping unswaddled and has since taken an increased liking to her musical seahorse that cousin Brenna gave her for Christmas (thanks Brenna!). It is so cute to watch her hold on to the mane (do seahorses have manes?) and the little fins. She cuddles that or the edge of her blanket and drifts off to sleep. This is how I found her the last night and couldn't resist snapping a picture!

2009-04-27T23:05:00.003-04:00

I'm slowly working on updates...keep checking back for links to new posts.
Sadie at 6 months
Conference Weekend

Frightening, but fascinating, right?

2009-04-21T11:35:00.000-04:00

Sadie at Six Months

2009-04-08T22:39:00.006-04:00

We can't believe that our little Sadie is already six months old!! She is learning so many new things every day and we both look forward to getting home from work to see what new tricks she has to share.

At our appointment earlier today the doctor was very pleased. She's finally getting over her reflux issues (thank goodness for a lot less spit up...my laundry piles up much more slowly) and subsequent trouble with weight gain. Her stats are:

Weight: 14lb 12 oz (25th percentile)
Height: 26 inches (75th percentile)
Cuteness: 200th percentile

At six months Sadie:
- rolls over the minute you set her down
- is an expert at blowing bubbles
- can sit up like a pro
- gives Rachael the best smiles when she gets here in the morning
- won't let mom out of her sight once I get home in the evening
- absolutely loves her bath time
- enjoys being out and about in her city
- loves watching her Baby Einstein videos (when I try to flip back to my shows she lets me know that she is less than pleased with it)
- likes to swing at the park
- loves when people sing to her

For her six month birthday we let her try a little rice cereal. She thought she was hot stuff eating like all the big people and wanted to help!

But then she realized that the rice cereal wasn't nearly as good as all the tasty stuff mom and dad eat in front her!

Happy 1/2 birthday Sadie Bear! We love you!

Conference Weekend

2009-04-05T21:57:00.000-04:00

Sadie loved her some General Conference (a semi-annual conference of our church) this weekend. She was just mesmerized by Elder Eyring!

2009-03-29T22:50:00.006-04:00

Someone had some fun in the Puerto Rican sun and can't wait to tell you all about it!

2009-03-17T19:45:00.003-04:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day
(and happy birthday grandpa)!
Forget smiling for the camera, this pacifier is so much more entertaining

Daddy just loves this picture of me...

Ready to hit the pubs!

Feliz Cumplemeses!

2009-02-10T10:08:00.008-05:00

Sadie hit her four-month mark on Saturday and my, oh my, did she celebrate. To start off her big day, she woke up to a rousing rendition of 'Feliz Cumplemeses.' After a morning of play, she took a two hour fifteen minute nap in her crib (she's not a long napper, anything more than 45 minutes is a miracle) before she and her friend Wyatt headed down to check out Momofuku Milk Bar in the East Village (and maybe Veniero's too). She and Wyatt requested that we stop by Babies R Us to pick up a few baby essentials - Sadie tried to persuade me to buy her a new toy, but we settled on a Space Saver High Chair instead.

Sadie headed home to hang out with mom and dad for the night. She requested an evening of chilling in her new high chair, pizza (flavored milk that is) and of course the treats she brought back from Veniero's.

1 'raspberry cheesecake...mmm'

2 'thanks mom and dad, it looks delicious'

3 practicing blowing out the candles

1 2 3

this is what happened when we took her little cheesecake away...

that's better!

Yesterday we took her to the doctor to check in on her four month stats:

Height: 25 inches (75th percentile)

Weight: 11 lb 14 oz (10th percentile)

She's very tall and thin...wonder where she gets that from? A clean bill of health for our little bearsy!

(Note: She got a few more shots and it just broke my heart more than last time...I wanted to take her to ice cream to make it all better...maybe when she gets her one year shots!)

2009-02-04T13:01:00.002-05:00

Just read an article on the 5 most marketable and the 5 least marketable degrees of 2009. What was among the least marketable?

Advertising
"As media outlets sink and retail markets contract, they're taking advertisers with them. The global communications strategy firm ZenithOptimedia estimates that ad spending in North America will fall 5.7 percent in 2009, meaning more unpaid internships and fewer entry-level positions.
"With layoffs expected in three of the largest ad holding companies -- Interpublic, Omnicom and WPP -- 2009 grads will have to fight for their first jobs."

Thank goodness I entered the industry two and a half years ago!

She's Growing Up

2009-02-04T10:41:00.001-05:00

And we just love her!

The proud new owner...

2009-02-03T15:58:00.003-05:00

...of a Snuggie. I have been eyeing these for a while now. I admit the first time I saw the infomercial, I thought it was kind of stupid. But then one day, in the wee hours of the morning I was up cuddling a cute little baby. It was chilly inside and even chillier outside and I thought, "Those people were really onto something, I could really use one of those Snuggies!" Apparently the rest of the world agreed...they were impossible to find and on major back order via the internet. Then a package arrived at the office today. I can't wait to get home, put on shorts and a t-shirt (so that I'm extra cold), turn on The Biggest Loser (love that show), and cuddle my favorite little princess to sleep!

Thanks Mom for an early Valentine's present!

To a tea...

2009-02-02T16:43:00.003-05:00

I was just cleaning out my purse and found a Dove Promise message from a chocolate I ate over Christmas break.

"Remind yourself that it's okay not to be perfect."

That's not at all fitting for a mild and easy-going personality like mine...ha!

The Good List

2009-02-01T22:16:00.002-05:00

When I was in the MTC (training center for missionaries...I was there for two months prior to going down to Argentina), I met a girl who kept a notebook that she titled 'The Good List.' Everyday she wrote down a handful of reasons to smile. It was a great way to accentuate the positive and remember the good things, especially on the tougher days.

This morning on the subway, I was reading a little section in 'Parenting' titled 'happiness handbook.' One of the suggestions was to 'remember the good things.' I love being able to look back at the list I made while in the MTC and Argentina and decided to start it up again. Every week I will post 'the good list' so I can remember just how good life is and capture these moments that are floating by all too fast!

'The Good List' 2.2.2009

the return of 24 and more importantly, itunes so that we can download and watch it when we miss it
family hugs!
the smell of a tasty roast as you walk in the door from church
watching Sadie discover her little voice
brand new towels
catching up with friends
freshly baked chocolate chip cookies
finishing a fantastic (if I do say so myself) presentation

Mi Nena

2009-01-28T15:15:00.005-05:00

I'm working on lots of updates and hope to post them all at once. In the meantime, here are some pictures to appease the grandparents.

Sadie got her first cold on the 15th. It was so sad but she was still just adorable!

My NY baby!

She's a pro at tummy-time (and drooling too)!

Got milk?

2009-01-23T22:56:00.000-05:00

Sadie came to my office at about 5:30pm so that we could go straight to meet Brett for dinner. My co-worker's 11-year-old son had been at work for the afternoon and when he saw me feeding Sadie a bottle he said, "Oh, so she drinks formula? Sometimes babies drink human milk. But they definitely can't drink cows milk when they're babies." I replied, "No, this is human milk." To which he questioned, "How did you get that human milk?" Knowing my co-worker and that he is very open with his kids I said, "I pumped the milk out." He looked back at me with a cute smirk and said, "Oh, so you milked yourself!" Touché!

On this day...

2009-01-20T12:43:00.002-05:00

Sadie is hanging out with her nanny, Rachael
Kris is back at work
our first African American president takes the oath of office

Big day for us!

We miss you Daddy!

2008-12-21T22:35:00.002-05:00

Sadie and I came out to California 6 days early to spend some extra time with grandma, grandpa, uncles, ti, Aunt Katherine, Nicholas and Katya. We miss Daddy and can't wait to see him Tuesday night!

Bearsy at 2 months

2008-12-08T22:29:00.002-05:00

I can't believe my little bearsy is 2 months old...we went to the doctor today...

Height: 23 inches

Weight: 9 lb

Head Circumference: 39 cm

She is getting more fun by the day. She smiles, coos, rolls from front to back and brings us so much joy. Happy two month birthday Bearsy!

We get Brett back!

2008-12-06T09:28:00.001-05:00

Brett has been studying for the CFA Level 1 for the past four months. Ever since Sadie made her appearance, she has been helping him out with the studying – well, actually, she tried to get into it, but the material just put her to sleep (I can't say that I blame her).
Today is the big day for Brett – six hours of CFA and then he’s free (well free from studying at least but still slave to work and tithing settlement for the next few weeks). We’re rooting for him today and can’t wait to see him when it’s all over at 5pm. (Note: Sadie rooted for him by sleeping in until I woke her up at 8:30…what a champ!)

Good luck Daddy, we’re so proud of you!

Miracle on 34th Street

2008-11-27T22:10:00.009-05:00

That's right...our little miracle celebrated her first Thanksgiving on 34th Street. We went to my (Kris') office for a breakfast buffet and prime window viewing of the parade. Sadie was a little angel and though we're not too sure she caught much of the parade, she sure seemed to enjoy the thrill of it all. Brett and I loved it - I remember watching the parade as a kid and wondering who was lucky enough to be in the windows along the parade route. Who knew I would be so lucky?

Our first Thanksgiving as a family of three.

Hanging out by the window as Buzz Lightyear flew by.

Buzz was cool, but Kermit put her right to sleep.

Some other shots of the parade. Note that we were right in front of the finishing line at Macy's so we got to see all the performances as well as hear Matt, Meredith and Al over the loadspeaker.

In the afternoon we enjoyed a fabulous dinner with friends.

This Thanksgiving we're especially grateful for our beautiful little girl and the joy and new perspective she brings to us.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Meeting an Apostle

2008-11-23T23:02:00.006-05:00

Today we were privileged to attend a special Stake Conference for the Manhattan Stake where Elder Jeffrey R. Holland (for those unfamiliar with the LDS church, we have a prophet at the head of the church and twelve apostles just as in the times of Christ. Elder Holland is one of the twelve apostles of our day.) spoke to us. His words were so uplifting, especially in such a tumultuous time. His was a message of great hope and as I heard him and watched him interact with the individual members, I knew he was an apostle of the Lord.

We decided to stick around and meet Elder Holland. We were toward the back of the line, so it took a while, but it was well worth the wait. He was so kind and personal. Here is the conversation that ensued:

Elder Holland: "Thank you for sticking around so long. Who is this?"
Kris: "This is Sadie."
Elder Holland: "Well, isn't she just cuter than a koala bear! How old is she?"
Brett: "Seven weeks."
Elder Holland: (directed at me) "And you're already out and about?!?!"
Kris: "Well we had to come meet Elder Holland."
Brett: "You are the first apostle Sadie has met."
Elder Holland: (laughs)
Kris: "Yes, you made her calendar of firsts!"

So there you have it - as spoken by an apostle of the Lord...Sadie is cuter than a koala bear and I'm doing pretty good if Elder Holland was impressed that I was out and about!

Note: we took this picture right when we got home to document her 'bear suit' that triggered the comment

Quick update

2008-11-13T12:29:00.005-05:00

There are many a post in progress, but just had to get a few pictures up for the grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends asking for pictures. Sadie has been keeping busy so she has a lot to report on. Unfortunately she is keeping us so busy that we haven't had much of a chance to sit down and document it all.

Here are some of our favorite head shots from the past few weeks...she is even starting to smile (though we've had a hard time capturing it). We're just loving having our little girl around!

Put up your dukes...

2008-10-26T20:03:00.004-04:00

Best picture in the last week by popular vote. Look out Rocky.

Sadie's trip to our East River

2008-10-20T21:24:00.029-04:00

Just getting ready for her day out. One of Sadie's favorite outfits-- and Daddy's too-- is the Elmo jacket (with ruffly pink pants to show off her feminine side).

We decided to take Sadie to one of our favorite spots... the East River. This is where we were engaged and has always had special meaning for us.

This is the bench were K&B were engaged... only now pictured with our new addition.

Note this picture was taken on the same bench as the one above (only about two years ago). Oh how life was different back then. I think we slept better. Though the decision is unanimous that now we can't even imagine our lives without our little Sadie Baby. Here's to many years of happiness to come.

Unfortunately, the day gave a surprise when we discovered that OUR bench had been taken by someone else. Not only did someone replace the old wood, but he added this memorial engraving. Peter Boyle (who you might remember as the Dad on "Everybody loves Raymond") apparently likes our bench as much as we do. I guess we'll have to share.

Sadie was so tired after the trip that all she could do was fall asleep. Thanks for coming along Sadie; not only to the river, but into our lives!

Sadie's Favorite Activity

2008-10-14T20:37:00.003-04:00

As you can tell, Sadie can sleep almost anywhere/anytime... note all of the following separate occasions. The funny thing is that every time we think: "oh this is too cute to pass up; where's the camera? (click to enlarge)

Sadie's first visit to the doctor

2008-10-13T21:53:00.012-04:00

Sadie's Stats
Weight: 8 pounds 0 ounces (her discharge weight was 7 lb 14 oz so she is gaining)
Length: Still 21 inches (90th percentile)
Head Circumference: 36.5 cm (90th percentile)

The pediatrician said that she was perfect - an uneventful newborn. I'll take compliments like that any day.

It was quite the adventure and we had to document her first trip to the doctor and really her first little walk outside.

Heading out:

My mom has been such a great help - cooking, cleaning, waking up with the baby, doing laundry (and Sadie sure manages to produce a lot of it), running our errands...we're turning her into a New Yorker.

Our new family of three on our street

Sadie liked the outdoors so much she slept right through the excitement.

Introducing Sadie Grace

2008-10-09T19:23:00.030-04:00

Sadie Grace
Born: October 7, 2008 at 10:27pm
Weight: 8 pounds 7 ounces
Height: 21 inches
APGAR: 9/9

Here's a little sampling of our newest addition... click on the pictures to enlarge.

We just love her and can't get enough of her!

Info on our name selection:

Sadie is a “classic” name that, while currently gaining in popularity (so as to avoid people having never heard of it), was virtually non-existent in the 1950s/1960s/1970s (see chart below; y-axis is "usage of Sadie per million babies").

Hence, our little Sadie will grow up without an older generation of people with the same name. At the same time, because Sadie is not historically a more popular name, this will hopefully mean that the only association many people have with “Sadie” is that of our daughter (i.e., no preconceived notions).

Grace is a family name on both sides—coming from Brett’s great grandmother, Grace Flake and Kris’ grandmother Vilma Altagracia (translated from Spanish: “high grace”). We hope she inherits their best qualities!

Quick Recap of Sadie Grace's entrance: Our Baby Story (lasting 15 hours, 42 minutes)

6:45 am: Kris’ water breaks— she’s not sure if it is actually the water breaking especially because the Dr had said the evening before that she wasn’t even close to being ready as the baby was high and she had not started dilating. Dr says: “Now don’t you go having your water break on me in the next few days… your body isn’t ready yet. I’ll see you next Monday”
9:00 am: K&B catch a cab and head to the hospital
9:37 am: K&B and OB resident start the process with misoprostol
In the meantime… K&B wait for things to kick in
4:45 pm: Resident checks Kris: 1 cm dilated, 50% effaced
6:45 pm: Dr comes, checks Kris: 2 cm dilated, 80% effaced; Kris decides to get an epidural after having pretty strong contractions every 2-3 minutes since 4:00 pm
7:02 pm: Epidural goes in, ahhh; Kris starts receiving pitocin, Dr says that if all goes well we can expect a 7:00 am birth the next morning
8:00 pm: Kris turns on Biggest Loser; despite the epidural, still feeling a significant amount of “pressure” and some pain
8:30 pm: Resident comes to check Kris: 4-5 cm dilated, by now the pressure is getting stronger
9:00 pm: Brett turns on the Presidential debate, pressure intensifies (for both Kris and the candidates)
9:25 pm: Anesthesiologist comes to help with the pain since the epidural wasn’t fully effective (only the left side of her body was feeling more or less numb)
9:40 pm: Kris turns off the debate because of the pain
10:00 pm: Dr comes back to check Kris: 7-8 cm dilated
10:05 pm: Anesthesiologist comes in again to try to help with the pain
10:20 pm: Nurse comes in because the monitor is having a hard time picking up the baby’s heart rate
10:22 pm: Nurse realizes the baby’s heart rate is dropping significantly, calls in the Dr by saying only one word: “come”
10:24 pm: Dr rushes in yelling that he needs X and Y, asking for a resident, pediatrician and the anesthesiologist to come right away and, quickly removing the bottom part of the bed, says “start pushing”
10:27 pm: Sadie Grace is born after only 3 pushes

39 weeks

2008-10-01T20:54:00.006-04:00

We now have officially one week to go. Here's the latest pregnancy shot (this was actually at 38 weeks 1 day).

How did I get so lucky?

2008-09-25T14:53:00.003-04:00

I have to give a shout out to my cute husband for all he's been doing. As if having a pregnant wife just weeks from delivery isn't enough, he's also dealing with the collapse of Wall Street (and since he covers AIG, he's had A LOT to deal with). The poor guy has been going into the office early (and when you have to be there by 6:30am normally, going in early takes on a whole new meaning) and staying late every single day for the past two weeks. We haven't had dinner together in I don't know how long and I'm lucky if we get 10 minutes of talking time in before one of us nods off to sleep. (Not that I'm complaining, we're so blessed to have the great jobs that we do, particularly in this economy).

Despite the stressful times at work, he's managed to still be around for baby girl G and me. How in the world did I get so lucky to have someone that:

- took the time on Saturday (that he didn't have) to come with me to Buy Buy Baby (way better than Babies R Us) to get all of the last minute necessities so that I didn't have to carry them home by myself on the subway (because I'm just way too cheap to take a cab)

- came home Sunday after he'd finished counting tithing and was about to hit the books to study for the CFA, only to first clean the main room and vacuum cuz he could see just how exhausted I was

- has done the laundry pretty much 100% of the time for the last few months so I don't have to carry it up and down the stairs (though I did take care of the laundry this past weekend, he was there to carry it back up after I'd finished folding it)

- nested for me back at the end of August when he had a few days off of work (and I didn't)...seriously he re-organized the entire apartment and did a fabulous job of it!

- does the dishes - hands down he has washed at least twice as many dishes as I have in our marriage (and the only times I really wash them are when he's working late)

- takes the trash downstairs so I don't have to go up and down the stairs (do we see a recurring theme of these stairs?)

- insists that I call him as soon as I finish grocery shopping so he can carry it all up (and gets mad at me when I buy too much when he's not home and then insist on carrying it up myself instead of leaving it downstairs for him to take up when he gets home)

- rubs my swollen ankles and helps me put on the support socks I wear at night to ease the swelling

- listens to a detailed description of my day including all of the (I'm sure boring to him) ins and outs of my job and my frustrations with things

- doesn't judge me for my fears, weaknesses and many flaws

He's been good to me and I love him. His admin tells him that I deserve praise for still working full-time so close to delivery...I think, however, he is the one that deserves the praise. We're looking forward to a few quiet (well, I guess quiet isn't quite the word...maybe Wall Street and advertising free) days post baby just to enjoy our little family.

Hang in there Brett...though Wall Street may be crashing around you, baby girl G and I love you!

Update on the baby front

2008-09-25T14:25:00.003-04:00

With just under two weeks until EDD (Expected Date of Delivery), thought some of you might want an update.

I had an appt earlier today and not surprisingly, she's still measuring big. Her head is measuring the size of a 42 weeker (she's only 38 weeks and 1 day)...yikes! Then, as the doctor was measuring her femur he said, "She's got some LONG legs...wonder where she gets that?!?!" Like mother, like daugther :) Baby girl G, you'll appreciate those long legs as you get older.

Tomorrow we go for a growth scan to see just how big she really is. Unless she's already a monstrous size, the plan is to let her come when she's ready (and neither my dr nor my mom think that will be happening anytime before October 8th). So in the meantime, I'm bringing home some of the bacon and using the last few weeks to get ready. I'm making plans with friends, walking lots and of course climbing countless stairs (who needs a stairmaster when you've got a 5th floor walk-up and a daily subway commute that involves lots of stairs that you pretty much have to run up to keep from getting trampled in the rush hour crowds?)

I'll post a 38 week picture tonight and hopefully an ultrasound picture tomorrow.

Looking forward to...

2008-09-23T17:37:00.003-04:00

fall...the crisp mornings, the leaves changing, apple picking, wearing sweaters, and everything else that comes with the season (look out, California girl is turning east coast...I never thought I'd love the seasons like I'm starting to)
meeting baby girl G...I'm so curious to know what she looks like and get to know her personality more than by her kicking

having a waist again! In my dreams I imagine that the baby will come and all of a sudden I'll be back to my old body. If only that were true, but let me at least dream about it for a few more days until reality sets in!
wearing fall clothes (and especially non-maternity ones)...I feel like I'll have so many more options
introducing baby girl G to shopping the sales around the city...I haven't loved shopping like I used to over the past 9 months...looking forward to loving it again and teaching my little girl to appreciate (and spot) a good deal!
running in Central Park...I've had oh so many desires lately to go and workout but alas, by the time I arrive home my exhaustion (and belly) get the best of me
spending time with Brett and baby girl G at home...our time off has always consisted of going somewhere...this time we'll get some time at home together...a little time off for him right when she's born and then some more time once grandmas and grandpas have spoiled us with help
having a few weeks with my mom to learn all that she knows about motherhood (she's a pro)...it's not often that you get one-on-one time with mom in a family of five

Now if I only had time to nest...I'm ready (got tons of projects I want to do in my head and almost as many written on endless lists around the house), but by the time I get off work at night my nesting energy is spent.

Re: Important Question

2008-09-22T13:39:00.003-04:00

So maybe it wasn't so important, but Brett emailed me at work just prior to my posting asking whether I use one or two spaces. My response: "Two...that's what I was taught and though a lot of people now only do one, I just can't break my habit. In fact, I add a space when I get documents that have only one space in between sentences." I know that one is technically correct, but I just can't change that habit. Maybe I should though so that I can teach my own kids the correct ways. Brett too used to use two until he started working and publishing - now he's a one spacer.

Thanks for your responses, I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one that can't break the habit of two.

Important Question

2008-09-09T22:23:00.001-04:00

Do you put one or two spaces after a sentence when you type? Brett and I have started taking a poll and we're curious what you do and why. Leave us a comment and let us know.

Happy Anniversary!

2008-09-04T15:20:00.006-04:00

These two cute lovebirds celebrate their 32nd anniversary today! How fitting that this morning on the Today show, there was a segment about 'beating the marriage odds' in this day and age. The couple featured on the segment had been married for 27 years. If they've beat the odds (and they didn't even have kids), than my parents have done much better than that with 5 years and 5 kids on the other couple!

I'm grateful for the example my parents have given me over the course of their marriage (or at least since I've been part of the family). I can honestly say that I never really saw them fight, raise their voices at one another, or demean the other. I love that they always tried to be on the same page and though at times I would have loved to have been able to count on one of them giving into me when I knew the other one wouldn't, they were just so good about making sure that they both agreed before allowing anything. They gave me a home that a little kid could only dream of. And now I just hope that I can follow their example and be half the parent to my little ones that they have been to me.

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad! Here's to at least 32 more!

A Cure for the Common Cold

2008-09-04T15:14:00.002-04:00

Our internet is finally up and running again, the pictures are downloaded to the computer and yet, I haven't posted any updates in a while. I have no excuses except for the fact that upon arriving back from Denver on Sunday afternoon, I caught the worst cold I've had in a while (maybe being 8 months pregnant is adding to the misery of it). But at least this gives me hope that someday this little illness will die!

I promise some serious updates once I'm feeling better.

And now I know why...

2008-08-15T18:50:00.002-04:00

For a background refer here. As I was on my way to a dr appt this afternoon I quickly discovered why I didn't say anything to 'girl with no manners' on the subway a few weeks ago. Of course I was in a rush and stepped onto the express train into an overcrowded car with NO air conditioning. Considering I was only going one stop, I didn't find it to be too much of a misfortune. The train had barely pulled out of the station when I witnessed the following:

An African American man in his 40s is seated next to a Caucasian woman in her 50s. He begins screaming at her (note: she is sitting right beside him - she can obviously hear him).

"COVER YOUR *%@*!** WHEN YOU COUGH!..."

He proceeded to scream at her for a while before she got fiesty and dished it right back at him also at the top of her lungs. This went on for a minute before red-headed man standing next to me got involved. He starts screaming at the African American man telling him to show some respect to the woman. To which our friend responds:

"YOU KEEP YOURSELF OUT OF THIS. THIS WOMAN NEEDS TO LEARN SOME MANNERS. YOU WANT A PIECE OF ME? I CAN TAKE YOU!" all the while including some choice expletives between every few words.

I thought a fight was going to break out all in a matter of two minutes, fortunately no physical fights, just words. Two other women starting screaming their own opinions, one yelling at the original man and woman to show some respect as her young daughter was seated right next to them and another woman standing in front of me starting yelling: "Everyone just shut up, shut up! We all want to get off of this $@*&## hot subway..."

It was quite the ride. I was just concerned about getting out of there before a fight broke out so I could get to my dr appt. And you better believe I rushed right out of that subway car when we arrived at 86th Street!

I think I made a wise choice to bite my tongue when 'Ms. No-Manners' sneezed in my face a few weeks ago.

My latest obsession...

2008-08-14T18:24:00.003-04:00

I just LOVE the Olympics and it's been 8 years since I was able to be part of the summer games (4 years ago I was in Argentina spreading the good word). I've been captivated by it all. And these girls kept me up WAY past my bedtime the other night. That's an amazing feat, considering that as of lately I can barely keep my eyes open after 9pm. They managed to keep me up til well after 1am!

Note: I dreamed of doing gymnastics growing up but remember people telling me I was just too tall! In my next life I think I'll be a gymnast and if in fact there are olympics in the world to come...watch out, cuz I'll be going for the gold!

UH-MAZING! He makes it look easy...so easy!

Looking forward to watching more of the games tonight!

Just for my mom!

2008-08-10T14:32:00.000-04:00

Last night we did laundry for the first time with our nifty laundry backpacks that she (and the rest of my fam) got me for my brithday. It took laundry to a whole new level! We love them! Thanks!

Happy Birthday to me!

2008-08-09T20:57:00.010-04:00

Yesterday was the birthday of all birthdays...08.08.08!!! When I was little I remember always wishing that I had been born a few (and some) years later so my birth date could be 08.08.88. Oh the things we wish for when we're little! My other big wish was always that my name could be changed to either Stacy or Lisa. Thank goodness I got over that one and I got over those names too...no, our daughter will not be named either :)

Anyway, 08.08.08 was a fabulous day - how could it not be when you have the day off of work, the cutest husband, good friends and family that call to wish you well and the opening ceremonies of the summer Olympics?!?!?!

I was pretty excited to have a free morning to clean (I know, who says that? Growing up we looked forward to birthdays because it meant we didn't have to do dishes or any chores for that matter AND we got to sit in the front seat...which for me was a treat since I was never the oldest so I always ended up in the back...I guess my kids will never know the joys of the front seat on their birthday as long as we're in NYC.)

I also got to pamper myself with a pedicure from my favorite place around the corner from our old apartment. There's nothing like a good pedicure!!!

Brett got off of work early so we could spend the afternoon and evening together. He's always so thoughtful in his planning and also very good at themed gifts/celebrations. So here's a little documentation of present opening...

So the first two weren't themed, but everything else was. Brett thought he would be funny and wrap up his CFA books that just arrived for him to prep for the big December test...can you tell by the look on my face how amused I was? :)

By the time I get through those books, I'll be a professional photographer! Looking forward to testing my skills out on baby girl G!

After opening gifts we headed to the Met to check out their photography exhibit (notice the theme stringing through) and also a cool exhibit on the roof that we'd been wanting to check out.

Loved the view of the city from the roof!
Jeff Koons exhibit on the roof...
Then we headed to dinner at a favorite Japanese restaurant of ours before going back home to catch some of the opening ceremonies (I just love the Olympics!)

Enjoying our new gadget (yes mom, I was actually reading the directions before trying it out...I've learned my lesson time and time again!)
All in all it was a good birthday...

Guess who's home?!?!?!

2008-08-07T12:17:00.002-04:00

This cute guy just arrived home a few minutes ago! I sure wish I could have been there to welcome him!

Welcome home Elder Nicholas! We've missed you!

T minus 9 weeks and counting...

2008-08-06T14:50:00.002-04:00

This was taken over the weekend at 30 1/2 weeks - today marks 31 weeks. She's definitely growing, in fact, at her last appointment she was measuring in the 89th percentile (meaning she was measuring the size of a 34-35 week baby). Looks like she's gonna take after her momma!