reason #547 why i love her.

Last night I was feeling very queasy and had a horrible stomach ache. Blame it on all the 4th of July food extravaganza at our household...So, after both kids were fed, I had to lay on the couch. Actually, I was all curled up. Lucas had the iPhone to distract him, but Chloë was a little concerned when she realized I wasn't feeling well:

C: Mommy? You sick?
Me: Yes, honey. I don't feel good.
C: You need to go to the doctor?
Me: No, I just need to lay down here.
C: Oh, ok. Here, I sing and pet you. A, B, C, D, E, F, Geeeee....H, I J, K, emmenonopeeee [all done while petting my hair.]
Me: Aw, thanks honey.
C: You feel better now?
Me: Still a little sick.
C: Hmm..

So, she proceeded to walk up to the shelf where we have all our pictures. She picked one up of my mom, and one of my dad, walked over to me and said "Mommy, it's ok, your mommy and daddy are here."



Chloë, wise beyond her years...

Share

pure love-no words needed

Share

10/13/10

10/13/10. Thirteen has always been my lucky number.

On October 11, 2010, after being off bed rest for 11 days, I went out on a crazy fun day with my Chloë. We went to the mall, shopped up a storm, played around, ran, had lunch together, and still made time to go to the Pumpkin Patch after nap. By the time I got home that evening, I didn't think too much of the wave of constant contractions that had come over me. I had been having contractions for weeks, so this wasn't new. What I didn't realize until I was out again--this time at the mall by myself once Chloë had gone to bed--was that these contractions were about 4-5 minutes apart, and could technically lead to labor. I went home, called Dr. F. who instructed me to up my dose of medication and see if we could buy a few more days. I was 37 weeks and 3 days. The next two days that followed were uncomfortable, and full of moments when we thought "this is it!" However, it wasn't until Wednesday morning, on October 13, 2010, that I realized we were having a baby. We had an appointment with Dr. F. at 1pm, and he pushed it earlier. As I got dressed, I packed as if we were heading to the hospital, which alarmed Josh a little, but he quickly got on board.

The 45 minute car ride to Dr. Fr's office, as well as our short time in the waiting room was filled with contractions every 5 minutes. It didn't take Dr. F. more than a couple of minutes to look at me, smile, and ask me if I was ready to have a baby. With that, we headed to the hospital, knowing that in a few hours, we'd get to meet our little boy.

After waiting for about five hours before they could take us to the operating room, at 5:33pm we got to meet our newest miracle: Lucas. He was born at 37 weeks and 5 days, full term, weighing in at 7 lbs 4 oz, measuring 19 3/4 long, with a full head of dark hair. He cried as they got him out, and Josh got to hold him right away. Once I was back in the room, it wasn't long before they brought him to me, and as I put him close to my chest, he instinctively started eating. The feeling of being able to hold my baby right after birth, in my room, with me, is something I wasn't prepared for. It was what I had always dreamed of, and the impact of having that dream come true was overwhelming.

Our first night, I think I held Lucas most of the time Josh wasn't busy on diaper duty. It was magical. It has now been a little over two weeks, and it is still magical. All those long days on bed rest, all the worries, all the frustration...they have all melted away as I hold my baby boy, my other little miracle. It was all worth it. And as I have said, over and over, words just can't describe it.


Lucas, a couple of hours old.


Lucas, one week old.


My two babies.

Share

laughter

as I get closer to the end of my bed rest days (4 and a half weeks to go and counting!) the only things that have kept me sane have been: Josh, Chloë, friends and family! And the latest in family that has made it all much more bearable was the visit from Barbara and Gary. The two of them brought much needed laughter, and distraction, and filled our house with love and a lightness that only comes from being at ease with family. They've since left, and we all miss them already. Especially Chloë who quickly developed an attachment to Auntie B and Uncle Gary...or perhaps it was their iPhones? Either way, there's no denying that we all had such a blast! With B and Gary, it's actually impossible not to have a blast--just see below:


giggling buddies


sister, sister!


and more giggling!


because it's impossible not to giggle with those two around


but we did get one frame-worthy shot!

Share

a family affair

Growing up my father always had a pet peeve when taking photographs--he always told us to hold our heads up straight--NO tilting! Now, I know that tilting can sometimes ruin a perfectly wonderful picture, but personally, I see no damage done here. We all look like we're having a grand old time--particularly the little one!

Share

weekend highlights

there was nothing exactly special about our weekend, other than the fact that every weekend with Chloë is special. In any case, there were a few noteworthy, and special moments that made me, for the millionth time, count my blessings, for the wonderful husband, and amazing kid we have. There is nothing cuter than Chloë calling Kyra over, or "Dog" as she refers to Kyra, and smacking her lips in the air trying to get a kiss in...after few attempts, she kissed her square on the snout, and squealed in delight. Abso-frickin'-lutely the CUTEST thing I've ever seen her do! Though, later in the afternoon, her attempts at helping Josh rake leaves in the yard might rival the love fest with Dog. As Josh dutifully piled all the leaves into the bag, Chloë followed him around and tried to grab as many handfuls of leaves OUT of the bag as she could. Again, couldn't get any cuter than that. And now, not to toot my own horn, but the kid also just cannot get enough of me. She spent much of Sunday climbing all over me in order to read a book together, or watch daddy do yardwork, or pet Kyra, it didn't matter, as long as she managed to get one leg over to climb onto my lap, or her arms over my shoulder to hang on to me, she was literally on top of me, and while I exclaimed, a couple of times, "OMG, how can I get anything done with this kid on top of me all day?" I was secretly hoping she would never let go. So, all in all, one of the BEST weekends ever. And what did we do? Nothing special. May all weekends be like this.

and because we didn't manage to get a picture of any of these moments, here's a video of her tickle fest before bedtime tonight:

Share

weekend fun!

This weekend we took Chloë to the Burke Nursery Fall Festival. She sat surprisingly still for the face painting, and didn't even try to touch it after it was done. We were so impressed thinking she was a big girl and all, we decided she could handle the big kids slide instead of the toddler one. Josh went down the first time with her, and her face was priceless--very apprehensive and holding on tight to dad. During my turn with her, I got carried away and screamed in glee as we went down--poor Chloë got a little scared and shrieked and held me tight. She did enjoy the farm aminals, and was over the moon to see a duck in person. She pointed to it and kept saying "Duh! Duh!"




Showing off her ladybug face painting


Sliding down with mama!


Sliding down with dada!

Share

the babysitter's club

Since my mom's last visit we've had three other babysitters for Chloë. They've all been great, and Josh and I have had a few date nights here and there. I think my mom started to feel the heat, the pressure, and tonight she arrives for another grand visit where she'll happily offer to babysit every night! I think she might have missed us a little, too. Welcome back, mom!

Share

nana's visit!

In between the hectic and chaotic month that we've had, Nana Karen came to visit and it was a great time!! We went for picnics, and lunches, and ice cream, and like any good grandma she also babysat while Josh and I went to the movies (yay for date night!) Thankfully, I only got sick (really sick..) on her last day here.

Share

beach vacation part II

After recovering from a nasty stomach bug we thought we'd left behind, we were all ready to start enjoying the California sun by Thursday afternoon. What we ended up doing on Thurday pretty much repeated itself on all the days we were on vacation. And that's a GOOD thing. We laid out by the pool, played the sand, stood by the water's edge as the water splashed us, and had nice outside lunches, and relaxing dinners. Chloë LOVED the pool, and the ocean even more. Though getting the sand off of her took days, as we kept finding little grains of sand EVERYWHERE. How is it possible the sand got INSIDE her diaper? I will never know. What I do know is that I would be getting her dressed for lunch, and as I wiped her clean I'd look, and oh look! there's more sand near the folds of her thighs. Oh, wait! And what is THAT? Yup, sand in her ear.

Despite all the sand (eveywhere!), the California sun treated us well. That is, until Saturday evening when thinking he was in the clear, Josh was hit by...yup-you guessed it. THE STOMACH BUG. That one we thought we'd left behind, only to find it upon our arrival. That one we thought we'd finally gotten rid of on Thursday. That same one managed to give us all enough time to think we were free, allowed us some enjoyment during our vacation, and on Saturday night showed its claws, full force and took hold of Josh. It hit him at around dinner time, so thankfully by Sunday late morning he was all good. But still! We can't get over the fact that we managed to bring the bug with us from DC, and it survived for days until tagging the final member of our little pack.

Thankfully we did not infect anyone else with our special bug, and despite having been accused of bringing the plague with us to our nice family vacation, we kept it contained, and some people were even contemplating how to get our bug thinking they might use it to their advantage and lose a few pounds!

All in all, it was a trip to remember. If anything, Chloë's sheer joy at seeing the ocean for the first time, and playing with the waves and the sand totally helped me forget (am I seriously admitting this?) the hours of whining and whimpering in the plane and have me almost convinced those were just minor blips during an otherwise fantastic vacation. I could even almost be convinced to take another 5 hour flight with Chloë before she turns, oh say, 10 or 11 years old. We'll see.

Now, enjoy some pictures from our trip.


Chloë contemplating her next move at the playground by the beach.


Chloë looking all sunned out.


Us girls hanging by the pool. Chloë dressed like a nun as my mom pointed out.


Vovo with Max and Chloë.


Family picture on the beach (note the camera was propped up on a sand castle or something similar.)


Chloë very Jackie O-like.


(Mis)behaving at a fancy restaurant in Santa Monica.


Sunset in Santa Monica.

Share

missing auntie B

yesterday Chloë spoke on the phone with auntie B, and while these pictures don't show the tremendous smile she flashed as soon as she heard auntie B's voice, they're still adorable. Chloë held the phone tight and talked as auntie B entertained her.

Share

she's coming!

Chloë's official babysitter, aka my MOM (!!) arrives tomorrow for part deux of her babysitting vacation. As of right now Josh and I already have plans to go out on Friday and Saturday night, and I am beyond thrilled to be going to see BOTH the Wolverine movie, and Star Trek.

Oh yea, and I'm also beyond thrilled to see my mom again, of course!

Share

ice cream--we all scream for ICE CREAM!

this afternoon we went to Sweet Life Cafe for some ice cream, and little did we know that Ms. Chloë would devour Josh's ice cream cone. Now, Josh is not one to share, but once we saw the look of pure joy on our little pumpkin's face, it was all over. Now, I'm not sure if babies are supposed to have ice cream or what, but Chloë looooved it! Should she wake up in the middle of the night with some unknown rash, at least we'll know it was all worth it!

Share

always looking for the camera

Share

blue toes

this weekend was a busy one..despite all the activities, which included doctor's appointments, spring cleaning, yardwork, and broomball for a friend's birthday party, we still managed to get Chloë's playroom painted, and it is in its final stages of being done. All painting has finished, and we're just waiting for some things we ordered to arrive, and then we'll post some pictures. Meanwhile, here are Josh's blue toes--he stepped in paint.

Share

saudades*

Today was my mom's last day visiting. She left a couple of hours ago and we all already miss her. it was a wonderful trip, full of laughs, and adventures. Chloë also seems to think she is THE funniest person she's ever met. I've never seen her laugh so much!

* saudades in Portuguese is a unique word. in its simplest terms it means missing someone, but more than that it involves a mix of happiness and sadness, and the hope that what/who is missed will return. saudade has also been described as the love that remains after someone has left, whether for a short while, or a little longer.

Share

sunday afternoon

before the snow started falling today, we headed out to lunch and Chloë threw a tantrum because she wanted my ice cream. It was homemade (sweet life cafe!) peanut butter ice cream, so I get the minor freak out over it, but she was making a bit of a scene so after quickly settling our bill, we headed home. She promptly ate and fell asleep, and woke up in the late afternoon to the falling snow. all in all, a nice sunday afternoon.

Share

daddy's getting old

For daddy's big 3-0, Chloë went all out and decided to put on her trendy sweater dress and boots!

Share

early christmas

This past weekend we celebrated Christmas with my mom, sister and nephew because they'll be in England while we're (hopefully) in Brazil for Christmas. Chloë got way too many presents!

Share

meeting her cousins

Thomas met Chloë today for the first time!

Zach met Chloë during Thanksgiving

Brianna also met Chloë during Thanksgiving

Share