Post It's- Our Family Happenings

2011-02-16T19:07:00.000-08:00

2009-07-07T15:27:00.000-07:00

Check out Isabella's TWO MONTH picture at my new blog:

http://postfamilyhappenings.blogspot.com

I will be blogging there from now on

Thanks! Kat :)

2009-07-04T11:31:00.001-07:00

There is a Male in this Family...........

Steve's Turn!

Since I'm making this the family blog now, I figure I should talk about more than just the girls. As cute as they are, Steve deserves some attention too!
Actually, its his handi work that I want to show off- our beautiful organic garden!

the herb garden: rosemary, sage, basil, cilantro,

tomatoes!

zuchinni - those plants go crazy! we do lots of zuchinni in our meals: sauteed, grilled, in sauces, and in bread!

Steve built the boxes. He does such an awesome job!

I'm posting this unfinished, because I;m having trouble uploading a few more pictures. So frustrating! Hopefully I'll have them up soon.

2009-06-28T19:15:00.000-07:00

cause they;re cute.............
pics from our roadtrip
more later!

2009-06-21T15:10:00.000-07:00

Baby Wearing Mama!
So Izzy is a bit more high maintence than Jessica was. Both girls only wanted mama, but Izzy is also colicky, and being with Mommy is the only way to be ;)
Luckily I learned, quickly, how to nurse Izzy in the sling or my mei-tei carrier.
I have been carrying her around while I work, do dishes, cook meals, take kids potty, shop, baseball games. You name it. I have also been able to nurse her while carrying her while cooking, walking around the farmers market, walking home from the Padres game, and enjoy a bbq- with no one having a clue! Yes, thankfully I also have the hooter hider which comes in very handy ;)

I love (and loved it with Jessica) wearing my babies. Though it is pretty killer on the back- I can't wait till I can go and get a massage!!!!

A few pictures of this Baby Wearing Mama

The first few are from the Padres game we went to for Great Grammy's bday

Nursing her as we walk to the car:

She got a pin that said "My First Visit to Petco Park." Notice she also had a binky in! One of the few times I've been able to get her to keep one............... (another reason she's more high maintence!)

Family pic! I have to find the picture I have of me carrying Jessica in the exact same outfit at her first Padre game!

Shopping at Target. My first big outting after having Izzy. She was a little over a week. Maybe two weeks here

Super cute ring sling a mom at my preschool made me!

Love this pic, Izzy had just woken up and is peeking around. We were out to dinner with our friends Jackie and Andy who were visiting from Arizona

Love the passed out look she gets. She had been nursing in the mei tai. So sweet

I know I have more. I need ot find some of the ones of me wearing Jessica. Yes, wearing babies is a life saver for this busy Mama!

2009-06-12T16:37:00.000-07:00

Izzy's First Bath!!!!

Yes, Izzy JUST had her first bath because her umbilical cord just fell off a few days ago. Took forever....... so glad to not have to deal with it anymore!

She loved it :) I thought she was going to scream and hate it, but she got so mellow. Maybr she'll be a water baby?

Jessica had to help

Drying her off with the pink bunny robe. I thought she looked so cute, had to take some pictures! Izzy did not like that

She calmed down when we put on some lotion. Again, Jessica had to help. Don't you love how Jessica opted out of wearing pants?

All clean and cute in her jammies. And pissed off that mommy is taking pictures and not feeding her.

Have to throw in a picture of the big sister helper :)

2009-06-08T11:39:00.001-07:00

Isabella at One Month
can you believe Izzy is one month old today?! Craziness I tell ya!!!!

At One Month Izzy is
Almost 13 pounds. Girlfriend has been gaining weight like you wouldn't believe!

Has gone stretches of 7 hours between feedings- hoping this means she'll be a good sleeper like Jessica and sleeping 11 hours by 5 months!

Still has black hair, and a widows peak she apparently inherited from her mother :)

Looks like a Adams baby for sure!

Big Blue eyes that she's keeping open for longer and longer

She's a great sleeper, I swear she sleeps like 23 hours a day some days

She is also a projectile vomiter. Its awesome

She makes all the sweet, silly newborn sounds that her big sister finds HILARIOUS

Started her in cloth diapers around 2 1/2 weeks, but had to go back to disposables because her umbilical cord was not falling off. FINALLY feel off at 4 weeks exactly.

Jessica loves her baby sister so much. But has had some difficulty sharing mommy.....

Starting to push her head up to look around. Always looks surprised when doing so

Smiling in her sleep, and when she's awake occasionally. I don't think she knows she's doing it though, but I do know it is NOT gas

She recognizes Mommy, Daddy and big Sister Jessica's voices. She stops crying when she hears Jessica come into the room

Has yet to sleep in her bassinet. We're gonna start working on that......

Starting to take a binky!

She's the most precious baby girl and her Mommy, Daddy and big Sister are all so happy she's here and love her sooooo soooo much!

2009-06-01T17:45:00.001-07:00

Mama to Two

two GIRLS
I never pictured myself as a mother to two girls. Steve never pictured us having two girls, either. We think it has to do with the fact that neither of us have a sister. I always wanted a sister, and I'm so excited that Jessica and Izzy have each other as sisters. I know when they get older they are going to get annoyed with me telling them how I never had a sister, and how lucky they are to have one. :) But yeah, never pictured it myself.

Its been so awesome to have to girls. To be a mother to two- it helps me remember all the small things that Jessica did as a baby that I haven't thought of in forever. It also made me realize how fast that times flew by- and makes me appreciate it so much more this time around with Izzy. Sure, newborns are a lot of work- Izzy basically lives on me. I can't get much of anything done. But it goes by so fast, and they are only newborns for such a short time. Izzy also made me realize how big and old Jessica has gotten, and reminds me of how proud I am of her :)

Its been hard, too. Not the baby part, its a piece of cake the second time. But its hard to find the balance. To make sure that Jessica is getting enough of her mommy fix, since most of my time is devote to Izzy. Its crazy to have to children who both need me, but for such different reasons. (Being a mom is pretty freakin amazing :) ) Its hard to know that I'm doing the right thing, to encourage the sisters to bond (as much as they can), to know that they both know that I love them both just the same.

Mostly though ,its been great. Amazing, really. I'm so glad that the baby part is so much easier this time so I can really appreciate it. I felt normal SO much sooner, which helps me play with Jessica and do all my mommy duties for her.

I love watching Jessica give Izzy kisses and show her off to her friends. I can't wait till Izzy is able to show Jessica how much she loves her big sister. I can't wait to see them play tea party and dress up together, to walk to school together, to share clothes, gossip about cute boys at school, be each others maids of honor and aunts to each others babies. Well, actually, I can wait. Right now I'm taking in as much as I can of my babies :) Yep, I'm loving life as a Mama to two beautiful girls :)

2009-05-22T15:11:00.000-07:00

PICTURES!!!!!!!!!

I never got newborn pictures taken of Jessica and I wish I had. So I had my friend Carol (who has taken lots of great photos of Jessica before, and my maternity pictures) come by when Izzy was just one week and take some pics of the girls. Here are some of our favorites (hopefully I can finish uploading them all soon!)

2009-05-22T15:08:00.000-07:00

Isabella's NICU Stay

Mommy nursing you, your NICU bed, the pink "kiss" on your face from where the tape held your feeding tube in

You were only 11 hours when the nurse came in and woke us all up to take you the NICU. You had rapid breathing rates for the past few hours, and once the nurse had finally been able to talk to the neonatal doctor, he had said it would be best to bring you into the NICU. Along with the rapid breathing, they were also concerned that antibiotics had not been giving to me in the time that they were comfortable with for my Strep B.
It was 4am, and since we had just finally fallen to sleep I felt like it was a dream. I burst into tears when I realized what was happening, but knew it was for the best. Daddy took you to the NICU while I cleaned up a bit. I cried as I walked the halls to the NICU. It is just so unnatural to have someone take your baby away! They had put a feeding tube in you because they were worried that you may inhale any milk you got while nursing because of the rapid breathing. They were trying to put an IV in you for your antibiotics that you needed because of the Strep B. They were having trouble finding your veins (I think you get that from me) so Daddy and I left the room to not distract the nurses. We stayed with you for a few hours, and then they told me that I should go get sleep and pump some milk while they monitored your breathing. Daddy stayed with you and I went back to our room. I pumped but wasn’t able to sleep- I was so worried about you! Daddy came back at 7 when the nurses were switching shifts, and told me you were doing better. They were going to call when you were ready to eat. I was so happy that I was able to nurse you!!! They still wanted to observe you and make sure everything was ok, but it was looking positive that you would be out soon. The neonatal doctor told us he thought there had been a small tear that caused the rapid breathing, but it was so small it had already healed itself. Your breathing had returned to normal. I came in every few hours to feed you, and daddy and I would switch. At 6pm that night we were able to take you back to our room! You had to stay at the hospital for another day to get the rest of your antibiotics, but you were healthy JThough it was only 14 hours, it was hard and scary for your Dad and me. I can only imagine how hard it is for parents who have to leave their children at the NICU for months. Those nurses are definitely very special people! We were happy that they took such good care of you, but even happier to have you back with us. Two weeks later as I write this you are almost 11 pounds, happy and healthy baby. I love you Izzy J!

2009-05-22T14:04:00.000-07:00

The Story of Your Birth

The story of the Day Isabella Johanna was born

May 8th, 2009

My pregnancy with you was so different than it was with Jessica. Starting with morning sickness, to not being as tired, to getting WAY bigger but gaining less weight, to being SO over it so much sooner- it was a total different ride. I knew that you would be a different person for sure. Labor was also so incredibly different. This is the story of the day you were born- May 8 2009. Your due date (I’ve heard only 4 – 8 % actually come on their due dates- look at you being on time!). I had been measuring almost two weeks big almost the entire pregnancy, so I thought for sure you were going to come early. I was starting to dilate at 37 weeks! At 39 weeks I was 4 centimeters dilated, 80% effaced, and your head was at –1 station. My midwife stripped my membranes at my appointment and I thought for sure that you would be born soon after! I actually started to have contractions, regular contractions, that night. I got everything ready, but they never got stronger. I was very disappointed when I went to bed and woke up the next morning with no more contractions. That last week was one of the worst of my life! I had contractions on and off all week, I was achy, uncomfortable, hot and HUGE- not to mention still running Shuckleberries and chasing after your two year old sister Jessica! Thank God Nana and Papa were there to help out. When I went to my 40 week appointment, I was hoping I was at least at 5 centimeters or something! I was very disappointed to hear that I was only a bit more effaced. I ended up bursting into tears at my appointment when my midwife brought up inducing me in a week. She swept my membranes again, but I left the appointment feeling deflated and thinking you were never going to come. I took the rest of the day off and hid in my room- and that night Daddy and I decided that I would close the preschool the next week so I could rest these last few days. I went to sleep finally letting go of “when were you going to come??” to knowing that you were going to come when you were good and ready………
I woke up at 5:45 am (for the 3rd time that night, I’m sure) to go to the bathroom, and then as I was walking back to bed I realized my shorts were soaked. I was scared that I had started to bleed- so I went back and turned on the lights. Realized- my WATER BROKE!!!!!!!
I woke up your daddy, and called doula Becky. She had thought my water was going to break since it was a full moon that night. She was right! I called the doctor and he said “Sounds like you’ll be having a baby today!” I hadn’t started contractions yet, so he told me to come when they got stronger. I was relieved, I was worried that they would want me to come in and they would give me pitocin to speed it up.
I watched my tivo-ed Greys’ Anatomy and ate some breakfast while I waited for labor to begin. Jessica woke up and I told her that I was going to be going to the hospital to have the baby! I was surprised at how well she accepted it. She gave me a hug and said “I love you mommy” and skipped downstairs with Nana to have breakfast. Turns out she had her best day at Shuckleberries ever according to my assistants- guess Mommy should go and have babies more often ;)
Contractions finally started around 7:30- Doula Becky arrived a little later, and Daddy, her and I sat around and got some last minute things together and just chatted. By 12:30 my contractions were coming every 3 minutes for over an hour- the thing was, they weren’t’ very intense. I could still have a totally normal conversation in between them. Becky and Daddy thought it was about time to go the hospital, but I was feeling so normal I was scared it was too early. Becky said that I should get to where I was going to birth because when hard labor kicked in it was going to be fast- and they wanted to get some antibiotics in me because of Strep B. So off we went to the hospital! The ride was so much easier than with Jessica. I walked up to the 4th floor at the hospital and had conversations with all the nurses as I checked in. Occasionally I had to breath through my contractions, but was still feeling pretty normal. I was still at 4 centimeters, 90% effaced and –1 station. Once we were done with the nurses, they had gotten my antibiotic IV in (which HURT!!!!!!), and we were left alone to labor- Becky gave us a few exercises to speed up labor. We did “lifts” then tried squats. After my second squat I stood up, felt a POP and a gush of more water and the most intense contraction I almost fell over because I wasn’t expecting it! That was at 3, and hard labor had begun. I asked to get into the shower shortly after. As I was getting ready I could feel the pressure of your head- I had the nurse check me out and I was still on 6 centimeters so I was told not to push. Even though I didn’t have the urge yet, I knew that I would be pushing soon! I got into the shower, sat on the birthing ball and went through transition in the shower. I was in about 15 – 20 minutes and apparently was done being in the shower- it was time to push! And I was right, I was fully dilated! (Went from 6 – 10 centimeters in less than 20 minutes!) I got back on the bed on my hands and knees (the same position I started pushing in with Jessica). This time the pushing contractions were much easier and I knew how to push. I actually looked forward to pushing and could tell I was doing it correctly. I pushed for about 45 minutes- and at one point I did think “Um, Don’t know that I want to do this again” but I never complained once. I knew that you were close! During the pushing phase a midwife offered her services instead of the doctor on call, and she did an amazing job! I never felt pressure to push a certain way or to count to 10 or anything. She encouraged me to turn onto my side (which I also did with Jessica). Turning over was incredibly uncomfortable, but once I was on my side I only pushed two more times, and you came out perfectly!!!! Daddy called it out “It’s a GIRL!!!!!” and I laughed that everyone was wrong- and pulled you up into my arms. I actually had to push out my placenta- turns out it was huge!!!! Probably 5 pounds- everyone was commenting on how big it was. I tore a little bit, a first degree on my scar. Impressive since you were so big! Your birth was just perfect- 9 pounds 13 ounces, 20 inches long (14 cm head!)- Isabella Johanna. So happy to finally have you here!

You can read Jessica's Birthday story here

2009-05-16T17:06:00.000-07:00

Just when I thought I couldn't wait any longer..........

Introducing

Isabella Johanna Post

Born Friday, May 8, 2009 at 5:10 pm

9 pounds 13 ounces

20 inches long

She arrived on her due date! And just in time- I was about to lose it. Water broke at 5:45 am, labor started at 7:30 am- and Izzy arrived at 5:10 pm! We did the all natural Bradley method again- sooooooooooooo much easier the second time around! (I'll post my labor story later)
Jessica is loving being a big sister, and I'm so proud of how she's doing.

We are loving having Izzy J. home :)

2009-05-02T17:35:00.000-07:00

Different Baby, Different Pregnancy!

My nine month picture, taken at my Baby Shower. That is one HUGE belly!

As this "journey" winds down to the end (which is hopefully very, VERY soon) I thought I'd jot down some of the memories I have of this pregnancy, and how different it was from being pregnant with Jessica!!!!!

Started off- before I even knew I was pregnant- with CRAZY intense craving for frozen yogurt, or "yo-yo" as Jessica called it then. You know it was crazy because I would take Jessica, who was like a week into potty training, to different frozen yogurt places around San Marcos (they all of the sudden popped up everywhere last summer!) almost every night. She thought it was great :)

Took a test that said I was NOT pregnant. But it was wrong. Took another one 2 days later- crazy that those 2 days made a difference!

Morning sickness. Bleck! The most horrible thing ever! And I know I didnt' even have it as bad as some people do. From week 7 to 11. Never threw up, and was usually better by evening. But NOTHING sounded good, but eating was the only thing that made me feel better. Lots of carbs in the morning!

Popped out SOOOOOOOOOO early I was positive I was having twins. Positive. And very frightened. I was showing before I was even telling people!

Never had the big adversion to chicken that I did with Jessica, but wasn't into eggs or spring mix type salads.

I also didn't get crazy tired. It was weird. Continued to work out and everything! Didn't start needing daily naps until the last few months.

I didn't get "puffy." Seriously, with Jessica my nose changed. I was much rounder. People told me I didn't look pregnant from behind, that I was all belly- they LIED. This pregnancy I really feel like I am all belly- it goes out WAY further than I did with Jessica. Its scary. But I don't look round.

I feel more attractive this pregnancy too. Probably cause I didnt' get puffy, and I also decided to do highlights/foils the whole time so my hair looked MUCH better.

Braxton Hicks. Most annoying thing ever!!!!! Been having them the last month, maybe longer- sometimes they're hard for me to tell if its baby dos pushing or a braxton hicks. Also another thing I did not experience with Jessica at all.

Contractions. That lead to nothing. More annoying that the braxton hicks. I had one evening of consistent contractions every 5 -7 minutes, was positive I was going in to labor- till I fell asleep and woke up the next morning with my huge Budda Belly still there and no baby. GRRRRRRRRR. Hopefully I'll be able to say that I only had them for a few days before Baby Dos' arrival.

Went to prenatal yoga, but not as consistently as with Jessica. For some reason my life just is way busier (I'm sure having a 2 year old has something to do with it)

Could wear my wedding ring till 9 months. But I stopped wearing it around 6 months just in case. Which worked out nicely for Steve when he decided to get me a new diamond for my wedding ring for my 28th bday :)

SOOOOOOOOOOO sore sooo much sooner at the end! I felt like I was for sure going to have baby dos early since i had all the aches and pains so much earlier.

my tummy goes out WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY further than it did with jessica. its kinda scary...........

i'm crankier this time? well, i'm sure i was just as crabby the first time around, but i don't remember it as much. maybe its because i also have a 2 year old to chase around

Was for sure a second pregnancy- much more relaxed about everything and didn't really think too much about it. I was actually feeling bad that I wasn't in the begining, but it got better.

I'll add more to this list as I remember it......

2009-04-28T15:07:00.000-07:00

Dear Baby Dos

We cannot wait to meet you! I know that you technically still have a week and a half left- but we're feeling pretty ready. Mommy has everything done (woo hooo!), Daddy isn't sick anymore (thank goodness!) and Jessica, well she doesn't really know whats going to happen. But we think she's pretty excited to be a big sister!

We can't wait to find out how what you will bring to our family- will you be high energy and drama like Mommy and Jessica? Or will you balance out our family a bit and be mellow and laid back like Daddy? Will you be a boy or a girl? Are you going to have a goofy sense of humor? We're pretty sure you already have a sweet tooth, since ever since the begining you went crazy when mommy ate ice cream or chocolate. Are you going to be a morning person or a night owl? So many things that we cannot wait to find out!

We already love you so, so much- hurry up and come out and meet us!!!!

Love,

Mommy, Daddy, and Big Sister Jessica :)

2009-04-23T12:49:00.000-07:00

Maternity Pictures

Love these pictures, taken by my friend Carol. Check out her work here. She played around with different filters/layers, so there are multiples of some pictures. Love love love them! So happy she was able to capture this amazing time in our lives right now :)

2009-04-20T19:45:00.000-07:00

Just for Anne........

its not new, and i think i emailed it out to a bunch of friends and family. but i think its a cute pic of jessica, and since anne asked for a picture- here you go!

keep your fingers crossed that we figure out this camera/computer connection thing asap!!!!

2009-04-06T20:12:00.000-07:00

Another letter- this one to Baby Dos. and just a reminder to everyone that these are just scratch letters, strait from the heart. and written by an extremely tired, hormonal, HUGE 9 month pregnant woman ;)

Dear Baby Dos
Right now I am almost 9 months pregnant- 35.5 weeks to be exact. And I'm at that point where I'm pretty much done being pregnant and just want to hold you in my arms! I cannot wait to meet you! I must admit though, I am a little bit scared. Not about labor, or if I'll know what to do- all those first time pregnancy fears. I know that I will be able to bring you into this world and it will be beautiful, I know how to be a mommy since I've been one to your big sister for over two years now. But I am nervous- I want to give you everything that I gave to your sister, but not take anything away from her. I don't know how I will be able to balance two kids. I'm scared of how Jessica will react when you first get here. I know that she will love you so much- but its going to be a hard adjustment for her! (And I can also speak from experience on this one- I wasn't too happy when they brought uncle Chris home from the hospital- but I love having him and Greg as little brothers!). I also don't know if you'll be a boy or girl- and if you're a boy, will it be so different from raising a girl? And if you are a girl, are you going to be the same as Jessica or totally different? I know you will be your own person, you own personality quirks that I will fall in love with.
Really though, I am so excited. I can't wait for you to join our family, to be a little brother or sister to Jessica, to be the new baby of our family. I can't wait to have another little baby around, to nurse you and carry you, and snuggle with you when you're in bed with me.
I can't wait to meet you and watch you grow in to a wonderful, beautiful and perfect (in my eyes) person.
I love you so much already, Baby Dos!!!!!
love
Mama :) :)

2009-04-01T20:37:00.000-07:00

Sooooo all of the sudden I realized that the baby could really come any day now. 5 weeks, maybe only 3 (based on how I've been measuring). Maybe even earlier. Holy cow! So, I've freaked out a bit and feel like there is so much more that needs to get done. Including all these scrapbook pages I want to do.
Wanted to do a page to Jessica about how I'm going ot miss our time together, but how much I'm looking forward to seeing her be a big sister. I want to put it with a picture my friend Carol just took- check them out here (you may have to scroll down). I'll post some of those later!
Till then, here's a scratch version of my thoughts for Jessica Kathryn :)

Dear Jessica
I am so excited to make you a big sister- but I have to say that this time is a little bittersweet as well. I'm sad that you're not longer my baby, that our time with just us is over. I love our time together, and I loved having you as my first baby. You are such a special, beautiful little girl. You have brought us so much laughter and joy, and I know that there will be so much more coming our way. I can't believe that soon there will be you and your baby sibling. I can't believe I'm going to be a mommy to two kids! But I am also so very excited. I can't wait to see you hold your little brother or sister for the first time. I can't wait to see you giggle, play, run around, and be a big sister.
I know it will be hard at first, to no longer be the baby, to have mommy and daddy spending so much time with this new little person. Just remember, Mommy and Daddy still love you sooooo much!!! You may not be the baby of the family anymore, but you have become such a big girl recently! Going potty by yourself, sleeping in your big girl bed, talking and asking a bazillion questions. We are so proud and love you so much.
So though it will be hard- remember that there is so much fun to come! I cannot wait for you to become a big sister
xoxo
love
Mommy

2009-03-25T15:11:00.000-07:00

picture taken by my very talented friend Carol

What I'm loving about you Right Now

How your one arm swings back and forth when you run

How you say "Mines"

How when you explain things, you tilt your head to the side and use your hands a lot

How you thought we said "alligator" when we said "elevator"- which then turned into riding the "crocodile."

How you sleep in your big girl bed now. (We're still working on naping there, though..........)

How you now walk down the hall with your pink blanket when you wake up

How when you drink from your sippy cup, it reminds me of your baby face nursing

How your eyelashes look redish in certain light

The sound of your feet pitter pattering across the floor

How you call your vans your "rubber bans"

How you love your friends

How you exaggerate your "L" sounds with your tounge

How you are so oppioniated about your clothes

How you can put on your crocs all by yourself- usually on the wrong feet :)

How you still do the "cheesy face" smile for pictures

How you say "Ish, mommy?" When asking what is this?

How you confuse Yellow and Purple (of all the random color combos.........)

How taking a bath in "Mommy's basssss" is the most exciting thing

How you know why you're put on a time out

but you will still do the things that put you there

How you tell me you love me out of nowhere :)

I love that you're a big girl now- the cutest one ever!

2009-03-25T13:21:00.000-07:00

8 month pics- and I'm HUGE!!!!

Sorry these are late. They were also taken a week late, due to some back issues on hubby's part. That was great. 2 parents that couldn't/weren't supposed to pick up their 32.5lb 2 year old. Fun times. But he's better, and I still carry her all the time anyway.
So- my belly is HUGE. I sometimes feel my stomache stretching and am not sure how much bigger it can get. But at least I know I won't bust open (though it feels like it!). If Octo-mom can do it, so can I!
So I am defiently bigger than I was with Jessica at 8 months, but I haven't swollen up yet (is that the correct way to say that?). Check out this pic of me at about 8 months in the same shirt. My face looks all swollen! And my belly smaller. And I'm wearing the cute sevens maternity jeans that I CANNOT FIND NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!
Anywyas, yes, its been a trip how different this pregnancy has been! Obviously I'm going to be having a very different little person, can't wait to see if its a Charlie or an Izzie :)
This baby is also rougher than Jessica was. I've actually seen a bruise on my tummy from the baby kicking. Not sure if thats possible, but Steve and I both saw the bruise and it hurts! Future footballer???
Anyways, I think Jessica fell asleep, so I'm gonna try to nap, too!

2009-03-05T19:22:00.000-08:00

7 month picture (taken a week late) and a fun little Quiz

1. Was the pregnancy planned?

Yes- but didn’t think it would happen so fast!

2. Were you married at the time of the pregnancy?Y

es, for 3 years, almost exactly! :)

How old were you when you got pregnant?

27
4. Did you want a boy or girl?

Honestly would be happy either way. Would love to have a boy (it would also take the pressure off baby 3!), but am having so much fun with my little girl now!

5. What are you having?

We’ll see when Baby Dos arrives!

6. Do you have a name picked out?

Charles Steven if it’s a boy- call him Charlie
Isabella Johanna if it’s a girl- call her Izzie

7. What is your due date?

Early May

8. What's the first item you bought for the baby?

I actually bought a little Eco Baby onesie

9. How has the pregnancy been going?

SOOOO different than my first pregnancy, that’s for sure! But going well

10. Any cravings?

The first few weeks I was obsessed with frozen yogurt. Obsessed. Then I got sick……… Recently its been banana splits

11. How much time are you taking off for maternity leave?

two weeks. Yep. I’m crazy

12. Are you having a shower?

My fabulous friend Jessica is throwing me one ;)

13. Where are you registered at?
Haven’t registered yet, cause I don’t “need” anything. But I want to do cloth diapers, so I’m going to register for those at Babies in Bloom

14. Is the nursery done?

Besides the fact I don’t really believe in decorating “nurseries”, and that the baby will be in our room for the first few months, the baby won’t be in a “nursery” ever anyway. Baby Dos will be sharing a room with big sister Jessica Her rooms is a work in process

15. Are you going to Breastfeed or Bottle feed?

Breastfeeding all the way! And hoping that the baby won’t wean before I’m ready this time! (Jessica weaned herself at 15 months. so sad :( )

16. Have you been keeping a pregnancy journal?

17. What's your favorite thing(s) about being pregnant?

Feeling the baby move and dance around, and know that I am the closest person to this baby. And the fact that Steve and I made this little person. So amazing!
18. What's your least favorite thing(s) about being pregnant?

Not being able to drink my vino! And eat sushi. And feeling bloated and ginormous, and I could go on and on….

19. What have you done to pamper yourself during the pregnancy?

Not enough, that’s for sure! Trying to get monthly massages

20. Have you had the crazy pregnany hormones or has anything out ofthe ordinary made you cry?

Yeah, I’m pretty crazy. Sucks to be married to me!

21. Will you have a natural or medicated birth?

Natural! And if I could have it my way, I would have a home birth

22. Have you had any cases of pregnancy brain?

Its hit me pretty hard in the past few weeks. I forgot the name of my street when giving directions to my house the other day………..

23. Are you going to attend childbirth/lamaze classes?

Did a refresher Bradley class

24. Do you want more kids?

Yes, I hope so! But we’ll play it by ear

2009-03-05T19:18:00.000-08:00

Being a Mommy to a 2 year old can be very hard. VERY hard. But also so rewarding :)
After a very very long day, I made a not so successful dinner (darn you Rachel Ray for making it seem so simple!). Daddy was working late, so just Jessica and I were eating our dinner. Talking about the day. All of the sudden, she says "thank you making dinner, mommy."
Awwwww! Melt my heart :)
She also walked into the room today and told me my eyes looked purple. Which I took as a compliment, because I love the color purple. So that made me smile :)

SO yes, even amongst the tantrums and hitting and spitting and being a stereo typical two year old, there are those moments that I just want to keep forever.

Few cheesy pictures

Check out the necklace she made! She beaded them all by herself!

Super cool light up necklace from Grammy and Grandpa

Hanging out in her princess tent from Uncle Greg and Anne, with Daddy

Dr. Suess' bday- we made Cat in the Hat hats! She was quite proud :)

2009-02-21T17:55:00.000-08:00

Such a Big Girl!

She really is growing up too fast. Talking like a big girl, acting like a big girl, LOOKing like a big girl. Very bittersweet. I love this little girl she's becoming, but missing my little baby. Luckily I have Baby Dos in my belly to do it all over again with :)
We love all the fun words that Jessica says for things in her little baby language, and I'm realizing that its slowly going away as she is talking more and more like a Big Girl. She's always called yogurt "yo-yo." Since she first started talking. Then the other day at breakfast, she turns to me and says "I want more yogurt please." Clear as day. And I almost cried. Where did the yo-yo go? Soooooo I decided I needed to document a few of my favorite Jessica-ims ;)
(A lot of these were when she was really little and she doesn't say them anymore at all. I'll put a * by the ones she's saying now

Ha- ha = Monkeys
Yub yub yub yub yub you = I love you
Whee= swing
“Alga”(done while swinging her hands for the baby sign for all done) = all done/ all gone/ go away
woof woof= dog
meow= cat
neigh= horse
baa= sheep
pouty lip for sad* (then says sad)
dance= lets listen to some music so we can dance!
Nigh nigh = good night
Mo’ = more (along with 2 fingers pointed together. Left over from baby signs)
Smiley face- to show you that teeth are for smiling, not for biting (what are teeth for?)*
‘Rella- Cinderella
Fishy face for fish
“ish” mommy? = whats/who’s this mommy?*
Pull-gocks= pull ups*
Bass= bath*
Rubber bans = her Vans (shoes)*

Mines= mine*
NOOZSH= the news. “I watch the NOOZSH with papa”*
Yo-yo = yogurt

Jay Jay= Jaydan

Baba= Naima

Gooby= Groovy

Now a couple Big Girl pictures :)

She looks so big in this picture!

she was contemplating some deep stuff the other day. Still don't know what she was thinking, but I had to grab my camera and snap a picture. So cute!

I took my "official" 7 month pics. Post those later.............

2009-02-14T19:32:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentines Day!!!!
We started the day off right, with heart shaped pancakes! Yum-o!!! They were whole-wheat flax seed applesause pancakes, that I added chocolate chips to. To cancel out the healthy stuff :) We ate them with raspberries and maple syrup- yuuuummmmy! Jessica ate them on her new heart shaped plates she got from Nana and Papa for Valentines day

We went to her sports camp, but I didn't realize Steve had brought the camera. So no pictures of the action, but its ok, cause there wasn't much. Jessica had a bit of a melt down after she saw mommy holding a little baby. This is not a good sign for Baby Dos' arrival.........

After her nap (that she didn't actually take) we set up her tent from her Uncle Greg and his girlfriend Anne (who, I"m guessing, should get all the credit for the gift!). She loved it. So much she didnt' even come out to pee. Grrrrrrrrrrr

Then we watched Peter Pan, a gift to her from Mommy and Daddy. That Mommy got when she was told it was "going into the Vault" the following week.

It is also week 28 for Mommy~ Seven Months! And I'm huge, look like I"m about to pop- not have a baby in 3 months. I never got around to taking my official picture, cause I didn't look so fabu today. Wasn't feeling 100%- nauseous all over again. Not sure if its pregnancy related or not, but it wasn't cool. So anyways, hoping tomorrow I feel better and it doesn't rain so that we can go to the Wild Animal Park! I LOVE 3 day weekends!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Valentines Day!!!

2009-02-08T20:12:00.000-08:00

Jessica Kathryn is TWO years old!!!!!!!

Trying to show off 2 fingers

(I love how she curls her little toes together. So cute!)

At 2 years old Jessica Kathryn:
counts to "twenty-teen"
sings abc, and sounds like a broken record
says "no thank you" for everything
calls baby "izzie" or "charger brown" depending on if she wants a boy or a girl
a very finiky eater
loves to dance
sings all the time, favs include: under the sea, and abc's

loves Dora, Mermaid, and all Princesses
will randomly decide that a nap is not needed, and not take a nap for two days strait. and take everything out of her crib, including her clothes (you can imagine what happens when she needs to go potty) then go back to normal for a week or two then starts over again. le sigh.
very stubborn
knows that daddy's work is a teacher (for big kids) but apparently Mommy does not work. Nope, just invites 12 kids a day over every day because.........
says "because" when you ask you her why to anything. and thats the whole answer
love playing with her baby dolls, names them "yoyo baby" "pink baby" "goo goo gaa gaa" baby

say she has blue eyes and pink hair

wants to pick out what she wears, hasn't quite mastered matching outfits yet

loves loves loves shoes, especially any types of boots, sandals, and her "rubber vans" (vans)

has her first big girl hair cut/style

has all her teeth except her 2 year old molars

goes to bed between 7 and 7:30, wakes up around 7 am

Already told you about the nap situation

Has not yet moved to her big girl bed. Not sure how we're going to do that

Has definite best friends at school

Is a TOTAL daddy's girls

Weighs about 30lbs and is almost 36 inches. We'll find out exactly at her next Dr's appointment (which i am not looking forward to!)

Is the most stereotypical two year old ever, with her tantrums and emotions and "no no no's" but we love every inch of her and every moment we spend with her

2009-02-07T19:28:00.000-08:00

Birthday Party Deets

Cannot not believe that Jessica Kathryn is turning TWO tomorrow!!!

Her party was a huge success.

She wanted a "Mermaid" party

So we had an Under the Sea/Mermaid shin dig, invited all her preschool friends, and Mommy went a little over the top. Of all birthdays to not make a big deal out of, #2 would be it. She would have been just as happy with a party hat and family only. But I'm having Baby #2 guilt and wanted to make sure it was just perfect.

Made a Sand Castle cake, then 2 types of cupcakes decorated blue and green to look like the ocean. The kids ate these, so they didnt' have to wait for the cake to be cut (plus, it was too small of a cake for how big of a party we had!)

Daddy found some Mermaid to stick on the wall. And Nana made Jessica that amazing "Mermaid/Princess" dress. Love it!

Mommy got her special shoes and a crown, but the crown was a little big, so she made Mommy wear it ;)

Total performance anxiety- would not blow out the candles! So Mommy had to help.........

She choose a Blue cupcake. My personal fave- banana bread cupcakes w/cream cheese frosting. Delicious!

Unwrapping the presents was a little insane. Total two year old chaos. My favorite shot of Jessica looking at one of her presents- a princess book- and all of her "helpers"

And of course, her after party outfit. Wooooooooo hooooo!!!

Yep, it was a party to remember. It didn't matter that it was a crazy rainy day (even HAILED!!!!). We decorated crowns with seashells, had a ball pin/house, big blocks set up to play with, all sorts of yummy treats, and pizza from Roccos for lunch. She's a princess, and I cannot believe she is two!!!!

2009-02-06T21:04:00.000-08:00

The Story of Your Birth-Day

So I STILL have not written down the story of the day Jessica was born. I think I wanted to capture every detail, every second, but as its gotten further away I realize I really just need to get it done, before I forget anything. Which, really, I don't think you can ever really forget the day your first child is born ;)

SOOOOOOO in honor of Jessica's 2nd birthday coming up in 2 days- here's the story:

I woke up on February 8th, 2007 at 6:15 as usual, tired and achy. Your due date was February 6th, and of course you did not show up (only 3-5% babies actually arrive on their due dates!). I had seen the doctor the day before and was 3 centimeters dialated, 75% effaced, and at -1 station. wait, no 1 station. Whichever. I got my membranes swept, came home and waddled into bed ;)

I felt my first contration at 6:45. Didn't realize it was a contraction, because it felt more like mild PMS cramps. When I had 2 more, every 15 minutes, at 7:15 when Daddy left for work- I told him that I may have had a few contractions. I wasn't sure though.......... I remember having a contraction while changing a diaper! My first assistant arrived at 8, and when the second arrived at 9am I decided to go upstairs to try and to focus and pay attention and see if I was actually experiencing contractions! I told my assistants I would be right back, yeah right! And I went upstairs and turned on a recorded epsidoe of LOST to watch. Nana helped me time the contractions, and by 10 I decided to call over my Doula Coleen and let her know that I may be in labor. Not really sure why I was still in denial......... She got there a half hour later, and at that time I decided that Daddy should be called, too. Contractions were getting more intense, and I needed to focus and breath through them. I was amazed at how normal I felt in between contractions in the begining. I was never able to finish my LOST episode. I got into the shower and my contractions seem to disapear! I sat on a birthing ball in the shower until the hot water ran out. When I got out, my contractions had totally intensified and my water ended up breaking during a contraction. At this point, Daddy and Coleen decided it was probably time to go to the hospital. I didn't want to leave- AT ALL- and could barely answer more than one word. We finally left, me in my bathrobe, doing crazy moaning noises, trying to walk down the stairs. The car ride was the absolute worst part of my labor- we took my parents BMW, Steve drove and Coleen sat in the back with me. I was convinced I was in transition, I was having contraction on top of contraction. It pretty much sucked. The car ride wasn't longer than 20 minutes, but it was the longest car ride ever. I just focused on my breathing the whole time. We got to the hospital around 1 pm, the check in was a little ridiculous, and when the nurse checked me I about died when she told me I was 5 centimeters dialated. We then got into the labor room, they took my stats, and all the while I was laboring. I had high blood pressure at one point, so they gave me oxygen. They freaked out a bit when they couldnt' find your heartbeat because of the way you moved, so they put a fetal moniter on your head. I also had to get my blood pressure taken every ten minutes, so I couldnt' stay in the shower very long. Which was a bummer- because I loved it in there. Grammy arrived sometime around 3, I barely noticed. I was pretty occupied ;) At around 5 I went to the bathroom and started to feel pressure- I told my doula I thought you were going to come out the wrong end! Thats when the pushing phase started............ Cousin Amanda, your God Mother, left her house right then to try and make it to see you be born. And we're pretty sure you waited for her. She arrived a hour and a half later, and you arrived an hour and a half after that! Pushing phase lasted 3 hours, that felt like forever! But at least I would get some breaks between contractions. At one point I remember thinking that McDonalds sounded really good. Coleen gave me a jolly rancher at one point that gave me so much energy. I even took a little cat nap at one point between contractions that were about 10 minutes apart. Yep, it took a long time. I was excited when they finally called the doctor in. Of course, it still took you another 1/2 hour to arrive ;) Everyone had to convince me to try another position since the one I was in obviously wasn't working. I turned on my side and pushed you out- the most amazing moment of my life. I still remember holding you for the first time and your little dark eyes looking right at me- as if you were saying "Oh, there you are Mommy." So precious. You didn't even cry. You were, and still are, the most beautiful and perfect human being I have every seen.

Jessica Kathryn Post - just a few hours old

Jessica Kathryn Post- now 2 years old! WOW- what a difference two years made. Such a little person now!

Doing bday party prep right now- and will be doing her 2 year old "list" on Sunday, with bday party pics as well! Enjoy!!!

2009-02-06T11:09:00.000-08:00

Big Girl Hair Cut
"The Bob"

I did it- got her hair cut! Its so cute, such a big girl do! I can still put little piggies in, and of course, clippys.
We're happy with it
Just realized I did the pictures out of order- shoot! So:
After Before

Not the best pictures, but you get the idea. More pictures to come soon- I can't believe my baby is turning 2 in just 2 days! Where has the time gone?

2009-01-29T19:43:00.000-08:00

Twenty-teen

Jessica Kathryn- it has been such an amazing experience watching you grow and learn. In just the past few months you have gone from baby to little girl. You are now talking and having conversations, you are counting, you are singing, you are playing with your friends. I am so proud of you, and sooooo sooooo grateful to have Shuckleberries at home so I can work and also be with you every day and see you learn. I was in shock when you just started counting one day, and didn't stop until 12. Then less than a week later you counted to "twenty-teen." So precious- and I'm so proud! You've also only been singing for a few months, but you sing every single letter of the alphabet. When its over and you sing "Now I know my ABC's........." you start over "DEFG." So cute! You're learning all your colors, you know so many shapes. You know who's cup is who's at school, and you know that Daddy is a Teacher and teaches Big Kids. Though for awhile I think you thought Daddy went "To get the fish" (fishing) on a boat every day. Every day you have more words, and can remember more things. Even though I work with kids every day, I'm still totally in awe and shock to watch how much your little brain is absorbing. I'm pretty sure you have your Daddy's smarts ;)

I love you so much and am so very proud of you, and so blessed to be able to watch you learn and grow every day.

A few pictures of Jessica doing the school thing ;)

The Stawberry Math game

Who doesn't love to play with big blocks? Her favorite is to build a big tower, then knock it down!

We made volcano's, and Jessica LOVED watching them errupt! "Look at the bubbles! So silly" she would say. Then afterwards she had to check it out to see what was inside

Getting muddy while making the volcanos. But oh so much fun :)

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend! I'm going to be getting ready for Jessica's 2nd bday party next weekend!!!!

2009-01-24T21:33:00.000-08:00

Wishing that insurance covered home births..............

Yeah- right now thats pretty much what I'm feeling. As I've said before, this pregnancy has been way different. One of the differences is how I don't feel like I've been thinking about it as much as I did with Jessica. Second mommy guilt.
On Wednesday I got a call from the dr's office saying they needed to do another ultra sound because the radiologist wasn't able to get a good pictures of the baby's spine. Nothing to worry about, most likely the baby's position. But this call came after over 24 hours of a funky stomach (do I worry about this? do I call the doctor? is this normal? is the baby getting enough food? etc.) and I was about to call the dr anyways, as well as feeling like I wasn't feeling the baby move enough. I had felt those really strong kick, in fact steve had actually felt the move move, about a week or so ago. But I hadn't felt those strong ones in a few days. I felt like the baby was not moving as much as Jessica had at this point in my pregnancy. Anyways, so on top of those two things, to get the call about needing another ultrasound (which did not happen with Jessica)- I just became crazy emotional psycho pregnant woman and broke down. We decided to go in to get a ultrasound to make sure everything was ok. I had to call Steve at work and, through hysterical sobs, asked him to come home so he could go with me. Had to make sure I had assistants around to help out w/the preschool- luckily my mom was there to help out as well.
We get to the dr's office, only had to wait a few minutes (thank goodness!). The first thing we do is weigh in, as always- but I had lost a pound. I had never been so scared to lose weight in my life! Granted it was only a pound in a week, so the nurse said it was nothing to worry about, but still. Then we got in, and I was measuring a week ahead (a good thing- maybe baby dos will come a little early? or baby dos is just HUGE), and we got out the ultrasound and saw baby dos partying it up in the uterus. We also noticed that my placenta is very thick, and its positioned in such a way that I probably can't feel all the kicks cause it cushions it. We also saw the spine, which looks good and strait, but we still need to do an "official" ultrasound for the radiologist to see. Anyways, such a relief! Steve couldn't stop teasing me about having a thick placenta ;) (which, by the way, is a good thing. Baby is nice and healthy. It could be more blood at the end, but nothing bad!)
So yeah, thats just one example of how this pregnancy has been so different! That was my crazy day. And since then, Baby Dos has been kicking constantly. Kinda like- oooh, thats what you wanted me to do mommy? HA!

Another way I've been tyring to get into pregnancy by watching some documentaries. And I want to let everyone knows about some of these! Really, even if you dont' want a natural birth, I think its important for every woman who has children, or who wants to have to have children, to watch them. Its kinda scary how uneducated our society is about birth. Actually its very scary.
The first I watched was Pregnant in America. It was the guys first documentary, so it won't blow you away by those standards, but the facts and information they have is important. Check it out!
The next one I watched was documentary by Ricki Lake, that came out after I had Jessica. The Business of Being Born. A much better documentary for sure. A lot of the same information, but still pretty amazing to watch.
The next one I want to check out is this. Orgasmis birth. That would be nice. I saw parts of it in the Bradley class that I'm dropping in on for a refresher. Looks interesting- not sure if I believe the hype, but might as well check it out!

Anywyas, so thats my speil. I know that there are a few lurkers out there who don't comment. So really really check out those videos, or learn a bit about Ina May. Pretty much an amazing woman. And crazy interesting. And thats my hippie natural childbirth advocate self.
Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!!!

2009-01-17T22:06:00.000-08:00

A few cute pictures of Jessie K.

Her with her first barbie- very fittingly from my best friend and her namesake, Jessica R. in NYC
Pink and a mermaid? She's in heaven.....

Painting her nails with mommy- so pretty- and showing daddy

not only is she into dress up, she is also into dressing up her babies

just cause she's a nerd ;)

she's been killing me lately with her sentences and words. her new answer is "cause." no idea where she got that. i know i don't say it. but its so funny- it sounds like a kindergardeners answer. and she can count to 12! and up to 20 but missing lots of numbers and getting them a bit out of order, but still. and a few weeks ago she decided to start singing- so she does, ALL THE TIME. its really cute, and funny. She sings a song from little mermaid new beginings that has a line "shake your body" so thats all she sings over and over. and "under the sea take it from me" love it! i love that she's so into the little mermaid. i loved that movie when i was little, so its fun to listen to the songs and sing along again ;)
actually planning her bday party to be an under the sea theme. just finished making the invites, need to order some decorations, and before i know it my baby will be 2 years old!

2009-01-17T19:15:00.000-08:00

Six months- can you believe it?
And I'm freakin HUGE
not sure how that works. i haven't gained as much as i had at this point w/jessica, but i look 2 months further along! seriously, i swear i look like i did at 8 months with jessica. le sigh. what are you going to do?
not sure which i like. my legs are incredibly white (but how jealous are most of you that i'm wearing this dress out in january??)
but they are also still skinny, kinda want to flaunt that ;)

some silly outtakes. steve and i have to get our kicks some how ;)

Anyways, thats my six months pics. i have jessica pictures to post next. and we're trying to get a video up of her singing her abc's - tooooo cute! she can also count to 12. i'm a proud mama ;) (and pretty stoked that it seems she got her daddy's brains!)

2009-01-02T19:19:00.000-08:00

Besides the Holidays, what we've been doing :)
(click on the collages if you want to see them bigger)

Jessica's first haircut at a salon- she got bangs!

Jessica's first visit to the Dentist! She did soooo good, I was proud :) Of course, she had to bring the 2 babies with her.....

Holiday Bowl, Oregon vs. Oklahoma. Jessica made it to halftime on only a 20 minute nap. Not bad!

Our trip to the San Diego Zoo!!!! SOOOOO much fun, so glad we have passes!! Jessica loved the monkeys and the panda, which she refers to as "kung-fu panda." Cannot wait to go again.

Also, I'm trying to figure out a good blog title. Obviously its can't be all about baby jessica once dos gets here. Thinking of maybe Post Happenings: Post Family events here. Or something cheeseball play on words like that. Any ideas? And should I start a whole new blog, or keep it here? Hmmmmmmmm.............
Hope everyone is enjoying 2009!!!!

2009-01-01T11:20:00.000-08:00

Just because I love this picture
3 generations of blond hair, blue eyed ladies
(shhh, only one is still a natural blond.........)

2008-12-28T21:47:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve 2008
and I'm officially in love with Picasa 3...............

i'm in the process of uploading a bazillion holiday pictures
then i decided to take a break and play with picasa 3 a bit
discovered the collages for the second time................. and realized i could blog my collages!
SCORE!
SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much easier to post a bunch of pictures!
Yep, in love.......

2008-12-28T19:43:00.000-08:00

Christmas Pictures!!!!!!!!!
These pictures are ALL sorts of out of order, but at least I finally got them on here!
Jessie K, Christmas morning after a bath-since she had decided to start off the day by decorating her crib with poop. Good times.
She was a little confused what all the fuss was about

Mommy explaining to her that Santa came, and to see what he left her (she had given him her binky the night before, left it by the fireplace)

running to find out what Santa brought her!

A CAR!!!! she was stoked

Santa filled Jessica's stocking to the max, kinda forgot about everyone elses ;)

had to put her new elmo she got in her stocking, into the car!

dora candy and bandaids! santa knows!

now to take that car for a joy ride......

opening presents- she is starting to understand how to do it

she was loving all the fun presents! the tounge was out most of hte morning (not sure what that means_)

soooooooooo excited about her mermaid dress!

super cool new kicks

and of course, a new baby doll..........

dora earphones

she loved her new jacket from uncle greg and anne! had to put it on right away!

mommy got a new lens for her camera- was playign around with it- and love this picture!

helping cook breakfast! her favorite part is stirring and helping mommy break the eggs

love the cheesy grin

openign more presents that nightshe defiently stole the show that night. she was loving every gift, i wish i had gotten a picture of her expression when she opened up a baby doll from her great grammy- it was priceless! she was so good at telling everyone "thank you" and she loved handing out the presents as much as opening them! (i am well aware that next year probably won't be the same, she'll be all abotu her presents then!)

the only family picture i took over the two days! good thing it turned out pretty good ;)

ok, so i did pretty good at keeping those pics in order. these are the ones that are all over the place

my mom, me and jessica went on a 2 day baking frenzy! i have never baked so much in my life, but it was so fun!!!!!! my mom had even made us matching aprons. of course, jesssica didn't want to wear them until we were done baking, but whatever. we also threw an apron and hat onto daddy for fun ;
checking out xmas lights around the city. we had passed the house to park the car, and jessica started to cry. and i told her "dont' worry, we're going to get out to walk and see santa" and she said "no- RUN" it was too cute. had to get a picture of her and her daddy running to see santa! (of course, she would have nothing to do with im when we actually got there)

this dude is crazy! sooooo many lights on one house. even has a website!!!!

checking out the lights up close

jessica was in awe as we got out of the car

we got all dolled up in our hats and scarfs before hand (it DOES get cold in SD, just not as cold........)

some cute pictures at the park

she loves the "whee" (aka swing) - its her favorite!

cute pic of steve and me- on our way to a holiday party

jessica's new thing is having like 4 or 5 "babies" in her arms at all times. this is me trying to carry her and all those babies

oops, posted the wrong family pic from the preschool holiday party. whoops. still cute though

jessica wasn't so sure about the nutcrackers.....

love this picture of jessica putting the angel on the top of the tree! she could have done it, too, if she understood what she was doing

she was so stoked to be decorating the tree!

so serious

it was cold when we were getting our tree!

not quite as cute as last years, but still fun

decorating our gingerbread house- jessica mostly ate the frosting

and of course- the classic picture with santa! she WOULD NOT smile for the camera, so luckily santa had a book to read her and we got this precious pic! i love love love it!

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas, and happy New Year!!!!!!!

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-20T19:39:00.000-08:00

Half way there!

whoa! living on a prayer......

Cannot believe that I'm 2o weeks today! 5 months- half way point! (that darn Bon Jovi song has been stuck in my head all day, and i don't know if i even have the words right........)

I'm HUGE

found out that, apparently, 2nd pregnancy you get all the aches and pains earlier- and STRONGER. whats that about? hows that fair? i actually went to the doctors office because i was having such bad pains. nothing like what i had with jessica. turns out its my ligaments stretching- which i do remember having with jessica, just not so intense. so yeah, found out that its pretty common to be more painful, and to start earlier. not fair- i'm chasing after a toddler! cannot imagine what that woman with the 18 kids is feeling.......

i've gained almost 10 pounds LESS than where i was at with jessica. but i also started 10 pounds lighter. so right now i'm the same weight as i was when i was 20 weeks preggo with jessica.

i've already talked about a lot of the differences of this pregnanyc

Another one that I've been noticing alot- especially since i'm back in prenatal yoga, and the whole pain scare thing.

i'm having that fear of not loving this baby as much as jessica. i know that i do, and that i will love them both the same. but i feel like i'm too focused on jessica to really concentrate on this pregnancy (not that there is really anything i can concentrate on, other than being healthy and taking care of myself), and when i had that pain i felt like i was a horrible mother because of that. does that make sense? i know that all mothers go through it, i've heard it. and i used to think they were ridiculous for thinking it, cause they know it wasn't true. but here i am, an expecting-mama, hoping that there is enough love to go around. i guess i don't feel like i really have the time to be excited, but of couse i still have the worry- and when i do worry i feel like i should be as devoted as i was with jessica! anyways. enough of that rambling

here are two sets of 5 month pictures. let me know which pictures you prefer. the black top were taken this mornign before going to get massages and lunch with my assistants. the white top were taken last night before a holiday party. and yes- i am aware that i'm HUGE. thank you ;) (check out how big i was when i was 20 weeks w/jessica here)

2008-11-28T19:11:00.000-08:00

This is why I don't post very often any more. I get sooooo frustrated!!!! Either blogger or the internet or something just makes me difficult for me. Grrrrrrrrrrrr.
anywho...........
A few (but not all, because something was being stupid and wouldnt' let me post anymore pictures) pictures from Thanksgiving.

Jessica made name tags for the table. So cute! This was before I put names on them
My Four month picture. I'm HUGE!!!!!

But hey, at least I don't (feel) look fat, now it looks like a baby belly!

Such a show off- She wanted TWO ponytails. And was very excited for her PINK dress (dont' try to tell her its actually light purple, she'll argue. And get mad. PINK!!!!)

Love this picture of her taking her Pie to the table. Such a big girl now!

Jessica wanted to help out in the kitchen, so I gave her some bowls to play with. Apparently Jessica thought that they made excellent shoes.............

Oops! This was from the morning- watchign the Thanksgiving parade! She just got busted sitting on the table.......

Look! We DO get fall here! A pile of fallen leaves, Jessica being a cheeseball in it, taken by Daddy today at the park ;)

I hope everyone had a very happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-23T20:00:00.000-08:00

2008-11-22T22:39:00.000-08:00

I've kinda sucked at the whole blogging thing recently.
Toddler, pregnancy, school, work, life in general hasn't helped.
Thought I'd share a few preggo pics of me

Talk about stereotypical pregnant woman: a pickle and a pretzle w/frosting..........

This would be about 14 weeks. Deffo baby bump
and on our way to rock out to MADONNA!!! Awesome

This is barely 12 weeks, but you can see the begining of my baby bump in my Queen Bee Costume

This was my 2 month pic. And its the only official pregnancy picture I took. I want to take one every month like i did with jessica, but, like i said, life has been crazy and i've been lagging!!! I was supposed to take my 4 month today and forgot! Guess i need to get on that for tomorrow..........

This pregnancy has been way different. Obviously I popped out way sooner- I seriously felt like i couldn't sleep on my tummy the day i took my preggo test. I had way more intense craving (Jessica really loved my frozen yogurt craving for like 2 weeks strait). Not as many "adversions" but more food in general just not sounding good. Got "pregnancy sickness." never had it with jessica, and it SUCKS. luckily i only had it for about 3 1/2 weeks, and i was usually good in time for dinner. but it was horrible. only gained 4 pounds my first trimester- swear i gained like 20 with jessica. haven't been as exhausted. still was tired, but not as bad as my first trimester with jessica. and now i'm getting even more energy as i enter my second trimester. dude, i'm still working out at naptime! woot! i also feel rounder. so i know, that since its so different, that everyone thinks that means i'm having a boy. we aren't gonna find out till baby dos gets here, and so far i've had no inkling. but jessica, apparently, only wants a baby sister, or a baby "Izzy." We'll see ;)
Oh, and I haven't been as pregnancy obsessed. mostly cause i've been here before, but sometimes its like i almost forget. well, now i'm getting bigger and its not easy to forget, but in the begining, when i wasn't feeling sick............ i also felt baby dos a lot earlier than i felt jessica. around 12 weeks. its still really sporadic, and i cannot wait until i'm always feeling baby dos move.
Anywyas, its late, and I just wanted to get this post done. hope you all are enjoying your weekend as much as me!!!!

2008-11-07T20:14:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween!!!!!!!!

Ok, so this post is a little late. The whole pregnancy exhaustion thing, plus I got a cold (and I never get sick- only got sick cause I'm preggers, I swear!), and its been insane with Halloween stuff and school and life in general. Whew!

Halloween was a lot of fun, now that Jessica sort of gets it.
Our jack-o-latern (that made her cry once we lit it up. It was "scary")

Her monster mask that she made

She was a bumble bee, mama was a queen bee, and daddy was a bee keeper. i was so excited that steve went along with our costume this year! pretty cute family, imo ;)

we went trick or treating with her best little friend from preschool, who lives down the street. it was so cute to watch her- she would say "trick o treat" and "dank oo" so quietly I don't think anyone heard her. And she was just in awe of all the kids in the costumes. And, even though she had never even seen candy before this night, she was so stoked to be getting candy in her little bag at each house. I'm surprised she didn't sleep with her loot!

Yeah, we were both pretty much done at this point..... I had taken away a cupcake from her for the car ride and she just lost it. Fun.

I let her have one little "dot" from the one box of Dots she got (and I ate the rest- score!!!)

Some pictures from the fabulous pumpkin patch "Bates Nut Farm" I took over 200 pictures there. pretty ridic. Here are a few of my favs.......

We had way too much fun this Halloween. Hope you all enjoyed the pictures ;)

2008-10-25T16:18:00.000-07:00

Big News!!!!

If you look closely at Jessica's shirt, you can see what the big news is..................

Yep, Jessie K. is going to be a Big Sister!!!! Baby Post numero dos is due early May, the 8th or 9th ish. We are all so excited, and even though she's not even too, I swear Jessica knows because she has been so clingy recently! I will be doing my monthly updates on the pregnancy here, and still lots of Jessica pictures :)

I think everyone who comes to this blog already knows, for some reason its been much harder to keep this pregnancy quiet! (Doesn't help that my belly popped so early I swore I was having twins................)

More later!!!

2008-10-10T20:30:00.000-07:00

{Party Girl}

i LOVE love love love her hot pink tutu. such a party skirt. and jessica can rock it. especially with the matching hotpink flower clip for her hair. she wore this ensemable to a wedding we went to last week. too cute!

Post family picture. if we weren't getting professional pics taken in a few weeks, this could totally be a xmas card pic!

dancing. yep, total party girl at heart :)

wearing mommy's fancy shoes the next morning. she was pretty stoked on it!

just a few more pictures. she's such a ham for the camera

using a spoon and eating big girl cereal out of a bowl, with milk! for some reason that makes her such a big girl to me

this is her "monster" face. yes, it looks like her happy face. or her cheesy smile face. but if you ask her to do her monster face, this is what she does.

love how she was just walking around wiht her boobas hanging out, not even a little embarassed. oh dear................

a mom at my preschool is an AMAZING photographer, and she did a photo shoot of Jessie K. the other day. Check out her pics here

Check out some more of her pictures if you have time. Leave her comments and tell her how fabulous she is!

I couldnt' get over how "big girl" jessica looked in the pics she took!

Have to do a little list of things Jessica is doing now

Saying "huh?" when she doesn't understand something

Everything is the color "Blue"

Ask her how old she is, she'll tell you "Two!" and hold up 1 finger

But she loves the number 2

Is actually pretty good with her letters. Recognizes a few, especially B, and can tell you what sounds a handful makes. Maybe we have an english major here?

Knows a few shapes. Her favorites are "obal" (oval) and "car" (star)

Is putting 2 - 3 words together

Everything is her's- "My bear. My baby. My sea saw. My pizza"

Love that stage

Her dang pointer teeth still haven't broken through and its KILLING me - and her

Pretty much potty trained! She's even started telling us when she has to go. Just working on #2............

Starting to rearrange her room into a big girl room

Planning on giving the binkie to Santa. Mommy is a little nervous about it

Obsessed with "boo- boo's" cause she's obsessed with band-aids. And band-aids aren't cheap.

I could go on and on, just a few things I wanted to jot down. Type down. whatever

Hope you all enjoy your weekend!!!

2008-10-01T20:43:00.000-07:00

Night time rituals

i'm doing ali edwards a week in my life project. documenting it on my other blog here

taking a bazillion pictures

decided i have to do a scrapbook pages showing all the different "outfits" jessica wears in a week. let alone a DAY. i'll have to do a blog post on that, too

just wnated to share a few "night time ritual" pictures:

finish up dinner, always loves the milk!

bathtime is the best. lots of playing. maybe a book or two. she loves her new dora bath toy

brush the teeth, and the hair. mommy and daddy alwasy sing the silly "brush your teeth" song that they don't really know the words to

get your dora night gown on, and big girl pull ups.

book time. you would do this all night if you could. have to set up a limit before hand :)

then cuddle/rock time. mommy sings her song that she made up just for jessica. then she gets to pick out a book for bed, and into the crib she goes. pretty much exactly the same every night. love this nighttime ritual :)

2008-09-27T15:29:00.000-07:00

Potty Training Diaries:

Confessions of a mom potty training her toddler

hey, sounds kinda good. maybe I should write the book???

I admit, I'm kinda a weird mom. I mean, who takes pictures of their child sitting on the potty? All the time?
But this potty training has to have some perks. My favorite are the different outfits and accessories she brings to the potty:
Snow White dress and her leap frog touch book (it wasn't workign and she was upset)

A too-big ridiculous princess dress and a play phone. You know, in case she needed to make a phone call

Or hey, why not a bucket on the head? That always works.

Love this face, right after the bucket feel off and scared her. Then she started to cry. But hey, at least she peed!!!

2008-09-20T22:20:00.000-07:00

Having too much fun........................

Jessica has been way too much fun recently. I love the little girl she is, the fun girly things we get to do.
Had our first "movie night"
We popped popcorn, ate pizza, and watched Little Mermaid. Jessica actually sat through the entire movie! And is now obsessed with "Mermaids"

Helping me bake. She loves to help me cook whenever she can. She pushes a chair up next to me. Here she's just licking the spoon. And note the Chargers Jersey she's sporting. Yep, every Sunday Daddy puts her in her Charger gear and has taught her how to do "Touchdown!" I'll have to get a picture of that.................

She's very into dress up right now. Puts on pretty dresses in the dress up box and come to show me "Mama!" she says, with a huge cheesy grin on her face and i can tell she's so proud. We just got this snow white dress donated to us, and it fit her perfectly! I about died. Too cute for words!

We also got some blond (nappy) wigs donated. Thought that they look good on us. I'm thinking of going platinum, and maybe getting Jessica some extentions. What do you all think? ; )

More pictures soon!!!!

2008-08-23T13:19:00.000-07:00

Water Baby................. part 2

Seriously, Could this girl look happier and more relax?

Yeah, she's loving the water :) Had her last swim lesson of the summer today. Sad, we have to find a pool to take her too soon cause she loves it so much! The water was freezing this morning, but she didn't mind a bit. Its been cool to see her "grow" in her swimming-ish abilities. She can now walk around in the water (on the stairs), when the first day she was scared to leave my side. Working on blowing bubbles. Doesn't mind getting her face wet. Yep, I think shes gonna be in the water a lot...............

(sorry, i know this picture is blurry, but its cute! )

Have a great weekend!

2008-08-17T20:15:00.000-07:00

We've got ourselves a Beach Baby

We had so much fun visiting our friends Bob and Arleen in Manhattan Beach. It was the first "Beach Day" we've really had with Jessica. She LOVED it! I think she may be a surfer like her daddy..............

2008-08-12T20:50:00.000-07:00

for some reason the pictures weren't showing up in the blog. whats that about? anyways, hope this works...........

2008-08-08T18:45:00.000-07:00

At 18 Months:

Jessica has started potty training!!!!!
She is running
Talking up a storm (I tried counting but there are too many words!)
Has almost 10 complete teeth, a few more are near by (the latest few decided to pop up when we started potty training- a fun week)
Sleeps from 7pm to 7am ish on most nights
Takes one 1 1/2- 3 hour nap a day
Loves to take showers with mommy
Learned how to say "NO", the same week as potty training started. Like I said, a fun week...
Now loves to say "No more" in different voices, about everything
Loves loves loves shoes
Is now obsessed with Elmo, along with Dora, since being introduced to the Elmo Potty Training video
Loves to "dance"
Is starting to really stretch out, no more cute baby tubbers :(
Has blondey blonde white hair, that can fit into two piggies and almost all in to one!
Wears 2T clothes, and size 5 or 6 shoes
Weighs almost 30 lbs- and is starting to kill mommy's back when she has to be carried everywhere
Still eats pretty much everything, but does have her toddler picky eater moments
Is still a biter, but only to the kids that are too slow to pull away their arm as she announces to them "Bite" and mommy or someone is sprinting across the room yelling "Jessica, No biting!!! Teeth are for SMILING!"
Loves to have books read to her, but she has to pick them out, and she has to bring one to bed with her at night as well
She is a toddler now through and through, and we're loving every second (except those that involve the potty training.............)

A total character, through and through
She's the best :)

2008-08-01T18:30:00.000-07:00

Potty Training...............
It has begun

Has it ever! Steve and I have the sore backs and looks of exhaustion to prove it. Started on Monday, and its actually going ok. We're seeing lots of improvement. We still have work to do, but I bet we'll be fully potty trained by the time Daddy goes back to work (which is why we started in the summer- so that Daddy can help!). And even though I do this for a living- I must stress how much harder it is when its your own! Luckily I can just throw all her clothes into the washing machine and take care of it that way. Nice.

Just had to share some cute pictures of her in her "BIG girl" Dora underwear. How cute are they?

And i have to share the picture of Jessica sitting on the potty, reading her book. Cracks me up!

I can't believe she's already such a big girl. We got her Big Girl bed also, just have to put it together. It is bittersweet- I love this little girl she's becoming, such a personality and so funny and sweet (and stubborn!). But I do miss the baby parts, too :( Her 18th month bday is coming up next week!!!
Enjoy your weekend!

2008-07-23T19:58:00.000-07:00

So what happened to blogger?

Now you can upload a bunch of pictures at once, and its SUPER fast. And half of my pictures, for some reason, came up really small. Sorry about that. I think if you click on them you can see a bigger version. Anyways, much needed pictures. I know I've said this before, but I take SOOOOOOOOOOO many freakin pictures and I never get around to posting them. So just a few cute ones from June mostly.

(sorry, all out of order)
Jessica chillin in her Stroller, drinking a smoothie, in NYC. I mean seriously, does she not just live the life?
Hanging out with "Big" Jessica, her namesake. Or is it the other way around? Anyways, we visited my best friend Jessica in NYC and stayed at her fabu apartment. So fun!
Walking at the NYC Central Park Zoo. Jessica LOVED the polar bears.
Jump to 4th of July- Jessica was obsessed with riding the "neighs" on the merry-go-round! We rode it like 5 times! Can't wait to scrap the pictures (can't wait to scrap, period.....)
Making pancakes. She loves to help cook! Did I already post this picture?

Don't know why this is small. Back to our trip- at my friend Kendra's wedding (I was a bridesmaid)
Party girl in her Party Girl Outfit!!! Love that I can get pretty much all her hair into piggies now!
Can't rain on our parade ;) It started raining on our bus tour of NYC. She smiled for the picture, but was not very happy to wear the poncho..........
Memorial day weekend bday party of a friend. She was STOKED to get to eat some of a cupcake!
Steve, me, Jessica, and my parents at the Rehersal Dinner in Boston

Family picture on 4th of July. First ride on the merry-go-round when she wasn't quite sure about actually sitting on the horse, so we sat on the bench
Fancy Smancy Dress!!!!!!
Eating Lobster in Providence RI! Such a cute picture, too bad I have food in my teeth!!!!! Need to figure out how to edit that out- can anyone help me?
Just a cute picture of her walking in front of my friends apartment in NYC. There is probably a quote or poem out there somewhere that would work for a scrapbook page. Again, any suggestions ;)

Eating Lobster! Love how the Bib was as long as her

Ok, my favorite picture of the whole trip. Not sure why its small, hopefully you can enlarge it by clicking it. SO yeah, we are not horrible parents! I was at the top of the slide and Steve at the bottom. And normally Jessica can go down a STRAIT slide no problem. But I guess the winding slides, she just spins, and this happens:

Don't worry, she was just fine! She didn't land on her head or anything, but oh-my-goodness- toooooooo freakin funny! Close up on her face cracks me up:

Same expression she makes right before we do Dinosaur roars with all the kids.

Ok really, not a bad parent. If you can't laugh at things like this, parenthood is no fun!

Anyways, I had more pictures I wanted to add, but I'm trying to transfer pics through our "network of computers" and everything gets complicated. I'll try to do more soon!

Enjoy :)

2008-07-12T09:13:00.000-07:00

Jessica has a new obsession.................

Oh yes, Rain Boots. "Boots Boots" as she calls them. She got them as a gift this week from her friend Maddie. It actually all started with the matching Rain Coat:

Maddie came to school one day wearing that coat, and it was soooooooooooooooooooo cute I ran to Old Navy right away to pick one up for Jessica. Alas, they were sold out :( Jump to a few months later (and no longer rainy season) Maddies mom was at Old Navy and they had tons of them on super sale, and the matching boots. So they picked them up for us and the obsession began. She wore it all day that day, and pretty much every day since she has wanted to wear the boots.

Today she discovered what they are for: Puddle jumping (and yes, she is wearing them with her pj's. hey, its the weekend!)

We went outside this morning to pick some flowers and she saw her boots and of course wanted to wear those. We walk outside, and she goes strait for the puddle. (Left from the sprinklers that went on last night). I think she may have been kinda surprised when I told her she could splash in them! Funny stuff. Luckily these Rain Boots are 2 sizes too big, so we'll be able to wear them until she finds her next obsession!!!

I know I have to post pictures from the trip. That will be next! Hope everyone is enjoying their summer, and has a great weekend!!!

2008-06-11T20:33:00.000-07:00

At 16 Months

Finally got the picture up! Don't you love the hat?

Jessica is growing up too fast!!!!!!

She is talking all the time, saying new words everyday

She loves to repeat (she even it does it for Dora!)

She's a biter. Says it before she does it, too "Biiiiiiiite"

Is obsessed with hats all the sudden

and Bread

(but its healthy Ezekial bread!)

She has just discovered babies

She runs all the time, mostly away from someone who's toy she just took

She likes to say "Hi, I love you, Bye Bye" on the phone

She bites. Oh, did I say that already? Yeah, not a good thing

Goes to bed at 7pm now- staying up late!

Still sleeps until 7am, sometimes a little earlier, sometimes a little longer

Takes one nap a day, usually 2 hours, sometimes longer

Just finished her little gym class (we'll start it up again in the fall)

Is about to start swim lessons

she has 6 teeth, and 2 molars that are just starting to come through (hence the biting)

She has the most random appetite

Loves fruit (all of it), cheese, breakfast bars, making pancakes with mommy, painting, gluing, coloring, Mr. Potatoe Head, helping daddy water the garden, trying on everyone's shoes, and driving mommy crazy

She know what she wants and when she wants it, and gets so mad when she doesn't get it

She's is such a toddler now, and its hilarious.

We love her so much and she makes us laugh (and pull out our hair) everyday!!

I'll post pictures after Steve fixes the computer for me. AFter our VACATION!!!!!!! 1 and 1/2 weeks, to Boston for my friend Kendra's wedding, and then NYC to visit my bestest Jessica. Woot!

2008-05-22T18:47:00.000-07:00

remember how I said I wanted to use this blog for more journaling so I could get my scrap on? Here's an example. Enjoy!

Things I'm loving Right now about You
I love that you say "Yeah" and shake your head yes when asked a question, or when someone is reading you a story at the end of each page
I love that you shrug your shoulders, stick out your arms and say "go?" when looking for something

I love how you love to paint
I love your laugh
I love that you like to wear you hats
I love when I get pigtails in your hair and they look like little antae
I love your chubby thighs, and how you crack up when I squeeze them
I love how you try to run
I love how you give me kisses and say "I love you"
I love how blondy blonde your hair is becoming
I love how you love your friends
I love how you run to a corner and turn around to show me your pouty face when you're upset over absolutely nothing
I love how all your words sound so similiar, but all so cute
I love your obsession with shoes
And Dora
I love your budda belly
I really love your cheesy smile face
I love how excited you get when Daddy comes home

I love how you love to help cook, even though all you can do right now is kinda stir
I love how you love to help Daddy water the garden
I love how you're now starting to play with your friends
I love the toddler you are, even with the tantrums and biting
I love you so much, Jessica Kathryn, thank you for bringing your Daddy and me so much Joy

Cheesy face at breakfast time, and antnae piggies!

First trip to the library!

Trying on Deputy Scotts Hat.

2008-05-22T18:39:00.000-07:00

Helping make a friendship fruit salad. She's loving cooking right now!

First haircut!!!!!!

She has become quite the (messy) artist!

Yay for long weekends! Hope everyone enjoys theirs :)

2008-05-13T21:00:00.000-07:00

Breast Feeding Mama
So, I have decided to complete the weaning process with Jessica. No more nursing. I've really been weaning her since 12 months, and she's currently only nursing once a day, right before bed. And I know that now its at a place where we're only nursing for me. She could care less. She's gone a few different nights when I wasn't home and didn't nurse, and she went to bed no problem. I was actually surprised how easy it was to wean her to just once a day. Now I've decided its probably about that time to wean her completely. I was thinking I was fine with it, until I talked to Steve about it. And I burst into tears. She's no longer my baby, she's a big girl now. If I think its hard now, what am I going to do with our last baby? So then tonight I wasn't sure if I was really ready to wean her or not, so I decided to ask her. So after her bath, we were reading a book and I asked her if she wanted to nurse, or if she wanted to go to bed. She said "night night" and pointed to her bed. I had to hold back the tears as I tucked her in. She really is a big girl now :( I am very proud of her, and I am loving her big girl stuff, but it went by way too fast!

So, since I've also decided I need to do more "journaling" type stuff on the blog to help me out in the scrapbooking department, I am going to journal about the Nursing adventures of Jessica and I :) Enjoy!

Jessica and I have had quite the rollercoaster when it comes to nursing. It started off EXTREMELY painful on my part, we're talking cracked and bleeding. Obviously it was the first time for both of us, so when the nurses at the hospital told me everything was fine (idiots) I thought that was just how nursing was. Not fun. Turned out that Jessica was tongue-tied. Once I got a fabulous lactation consultant to diagnose that, we popped on a nipple-shield and searched for a doctor who would perform the simple procedure of a frenectomy (snipping the skin under the tounge so that the tongue can move). First doctor thought we were crazy and I left her office crying (this is like 5 days after Jessica was born, I was still very hormonal and sleep deprived!). We called around and found a Doctor (her current pediatrition) who sent us to a specialist. So at 1 week old Jessica had her first surgercal procedure. It actually took less than a minute and recquired no antiseptic/medicine. I left the room (I couldn't handle her crying!) and Steve held her and she cried for two seconds. She nursed right after.

She was weaned off the nipple shield at one month. And I was painfree nursing, very happily :)

Oh, and I finally stopped pouring out the otherside as I nursed (I used to be able to collect like 3 or 4 ounces a time. I seriously had enough milk for triplets.......) so since I no longer had so many contraptions to put on when I nursed, at night I discovered laying down while nursing, and basically started to get WAY more sleep. Score.

This was also the time I decided I had to go back on birthcontrol cause I was freakin out about getting pregnant again. So I went on the mini-pill, which wasn't supposed to effect my milk supply. But it did. Jessica lost weight, and I gained like 7 pounds. Not cool. So stopped taking those, Jessica gained weight and was fine, and I had still had an extra 7 pounds back that I obviously wanted to lose. GRRRRRRR

By the time Jessica was 3 1/2 months she was sleeping through the night in her own room and crib, so no more night nursing. She would nurse at 5 in the morning in bed with us, then I'd put her back in her bed to sleep for another hour or two.

It was smooth sailing until she started to teethe. Yeah, this was when she bit me. Also not cool. She figured out how to be more gentle, but it still hurt!

For the first six months I went to a weekly breast feeding group, every Thursday. It was awesome. The first few weeks I went to weigh her and ask questions, and to hear from everyone else it got easier (the first week I actually cried. Dude, the hormones made me everywhere!). After that I went to chat with the friends I had made, and to let the newbies know that it got easier, and was sooooo worth. At six months Jessica finally got a schedule down, and her nap fell at the meeting time. I would go occasionally, and I went for the very last one (they lost the leader and couldn't find anyone to replace her), the day before Jessica's first birthday.

Around one year I decided to wean her. She was at a point where she would come up to me and start pullin at my shirt and rubbing her face in my boobs. I wanted to wean her to just nap time and night time, and it maybe took a little over a week to get there. Around 14 monthsish I got her down to just night time. Once we got to just night time, after a few weeks, she really didn't seem to care if she nursed or not. I left her with Steve over night and she went down just fine. And this is where we're at now.

Jessica was 100% breast-fed. Never had formula, and only drank out of a bottle under 10 times. It was defiently a journey, but I loved the bond of nursing, I love that she got the best food she could ever get, and I'm amazed at how healthy it kept her. She had one ear infection, maybe one bad cold, and she lives in a preschool! I'm totally positive it is because she was breast fed. I'm all about the breastfeeding, and if you want to do it longer I think thats awesome. I just don't think its for me. I wanted to nurse for at least a year, and I made it for 15 months. Its sad that this part of Jessica's childhood is over, that she's no longer a baby :( Needless to say there have been a lot of tears on my part. (BUT, I should be having a few more babies and nursing them, too.) Jessica is growin up, and I'm loving watching the little girl that she is becoming.

So, since I'm sure no one wants to see pictures of my boobas, I won't post pictures of us while Jessica was nursing. Instead I"ll leave you with a few pictures from mothers day.

They surprised me with breakfast in bed. Jessica was so excited!! (yeah, and I obviously just woke up. Focus on Jessica's cheesy grin instead of me, please!)

She colored me a card, so sweet, I almost cried!

Daddy and Jessica found the perfect strawberry in the garden!

Showing off her belly, as usual ;)

Have a fabulous week!

2008-05-04T13:53:00.000-07:00

Happy Cinco de Mayo!!!!!

Here at the Post' household, we love any excuse for a party. Had our yearly cinco de Mayo party, but this year it fell on the Tres de Mayo. Good times! Busted out the same fiesta dress that Jessica wore last year. So cute!!!! We also got her to wear the sombero for like 2 seconds.

Just had to share the pictures! Hope you all enjoyed a margarita or two today ;)

2008-04-23T21:40:00.000-07:00

Yeah, hello pictures! So i think i either said in the last post or just told some of you, i'm SO stoked on Picasa 2 through Google. Question though- when you "blog pictures" it only lets me do four at a time. is that a size thing? anyways, thats the dealio with all the posts. 4 pics at a time. Not going to comment on all of them now (maybe tomorrow?) most of them are pretty self-explanitory. Just wanted to finally post those pictures i was talking about. having a little bloggers guilt over beening so bad at posting recently!
so ENJOY :)

2008-04-23T21:37:00.001-07:00

2008-04-23T21:37:00.000-07:00

2008-04-23T21:36:00.000-07:00

2008-04-23T21:35:00.001-07:00

2008-04-23T21:34:00.001-07:00

2008-04-09T21:49:00.000-07:00

14 months like WHOA!

At 14 months Jessica is
-no longer a baby! We're talking serious tantrum throwing, opinionated, stubborn toddler! Woot!
- still has 6 teeth, but I think she's been teething the past few days............
-Is starting to (try) to run everywhere and climb up everything. Can we say bonks and bruises on her head constantly?
-total comedian, center of attention diva
-still goes to bed at 6 and wakes up at 7, sometimes even later on the weekends!
- finally takes one loooooong nap (at naptime when the other kids are sleeping, so mommy gets to work out!)
-loves shoes
-covers her mouth when she coughs
-says please and thank you both verbally and with her baby signs
-says at least 20 words (probably more, but i really don't feel like counting)
-has the cutest little wardrobe, thanks to generous gifts and hand me downs
-loves books and to read
-is doing a bunch of animal sounds (ruff ruff, moo, quack quack, ROAR, meow)
-finally has hair, but its still totally a mullet. mommy puts a pony tail or bow on top everyday
-loves to do the "cheesy smile" (as seen in the picture above)
-stubborn
-starting to become a totally daddy's girl
-loves hotdogs and chicken nuggets, pasta, cheese, fruit and crackers. and green beans from a can (not fresh!)
-helps daddy in his garden
-doesn't always like to share, especially mommy with the other kids
-she hits and pretends to try to bite. yeah. good times
-has gotten quite good at throwing herself on the ground, after running around in a circle after getting mad at mommy or whoever for absolutely no reason
-gives kisses!!!!! she especially loves to kiss her boyfriend hayden ;)
-knows how to throw and kick balls
-doesn't like spicy food, looks like she's a gringo like her mommy!
-is an absolute delight and her mommy and daddy love watching her grow. she's an amazing little girl!!!

sorry i haven't been blogging much recently. its been a pretty crazy past few months. it kinda always feels that way. but i'm hoping that life is slowing down a bit, and i've also discovered Picasa and Picasa 2 from google, and i have a feeling it will help with my blogging!
i will try to post some more pictures this weekend. its amazing how fast she's growing, and how she no longer looks like a baby but like a full blown toddler!!!
have a fabulous rest of the week :)

2008-02-29T14:42:00.000-08:00

First Birthday Pictures are (finally) Here!!!!!!!!!!!!! ok, how cute was her first bday party outfit? she got the skirt as a xmas gift from her boyfriend- too much!!! so cute. my mom helped make her fabulous matching top for her TEDDY BEAR PICNIC bday party. so cute. and we put her in piggies, cause thats her daddy's favorite do- and mommy added the fabulous black and sequin flower in the hair. that, along with her patent leather mary janes, pulled the whole outfit together. the best part was that she was wearing a turtle neck cause it was February, BUT luckily her bday party weekend was the ONLY nice weekend in the month of February in San Marcos, CA (um, can we say 80 degrees?). So no tights for her, just her cute fancy socks. (We ended up letting her cruise around in the diapers. much cooler.......)

Her FIRST BIRTHDAY CAKE (a picture of it later). She had no idea what was going, but once we sang it to her once, she declared it her song and has since thougth that when anyone sings that song its for her....

my friend courtney took this pic, perfect with me trying to show her how to blow out the candles, and the whole party (or a quarter of it) whatching behind

eating the cake. so glad she decided to stretch and rub her face and hair with her chocolate....

YES

Rockin' the "UH-OH" face

Then, after the party was over (after a teddy bear bean bag toss, a teddy bear art project, the kids/guests were off) we opened presents. one of the first gifts she opened was a bikini. oh yes. you KNOW jessica has the BEST 'kini body ever. so i slipped on the top. stylin.......... (she's playin with some awesome cars she got from her uncle andrew) Seriously, how great is her budda?

One of the VERY first bday she opened was from Bobaleen- and it was a FABULOUS frog chair. look how stoked she is!

She's very into kissing rigth now (and as i write this, 3 weeks later, its blowing kisses). love her kissign her new baby, and me making the kissy face in teh back round
Right before we began to open presents, i stripped her down to her diaper (her clothes were cake covered, and it was HOT). We had to have her show off her tricks, standing, and doign her "SO big" sign. LOVE, LOVE ,loooooove this picture. her tunkly little chubber legs and arms, and budda belly. too much. and then to add the piggies? omg, cuteness overload. am i aloud to say that about my own daughter??????????

She got a stroller as a gift, and immediately knew what to do with it. Problem was, it had no wheels. So i had to crawl around and hold it up for her to walk/push around . perfect gift for her new baby doll!

Now for some decorations

Gotta love the princess crown- pink and white balloons, little decorations, fabulous!

Not the best pics of outside. My mom cut out all those triangle materical tingys, and sewed them onto the rattan/raffin (whatever thats called) to make the most fabulous bday party/picinic decorations! I got the pink gigham (sp?) checkered print "table cloth" from pottery barn kids- its their curtains! ok, do you KNOW how hard it it to find pink gigham table cloth? seriously, if you've seen it, not only do i hate you, but please email me so i know for future refrence. luckily i have a friend that works for pottery barn kids who hooked me up

Here's the teddy bearn bean bag toss i found on super sale for less than $10. Pink and white, as welll. And a big hit. But some of the kids only wanted to play with the cool hackey-sack balls i gave out as an "award" for playing (aka trying) the toss. And note the fun balloons EVERYWHERE

YAY for fun bday party gift bags. Goodie Bags. I put them in chinesse to-go cartons. So cute. With the same teddy bear on there as on the invites (which i never posted. sorry!). they all got a mini teddy bear, some gummy bears, and some tiz-ight teddby bear stickers. and seriously, how cute are the containers?

Ok, and now, the cake. I'm a freak. Went all out. And i made it healthy. I used a recipe from Jessica Seinfields "Deceptively Delicious" cookbook. So it was HEAlthy too. awesome. if you can guess the ingredient ( and no cheating!!!!!!) i'll send you some fun, teddy bear treats :)

ok, and p.s.- i work WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY too hard on decorating it....

i made another, not "heathly" cake. like a boxed cake w/yummy canned frosting. YUM. but forgot to put up the picture.

Here's all the pink and white utensils. good thing i found the pink and white gigham paper (for the invites) and table clothes, cause pink and white is WAY too easy for a first bday party :)

an upclose of the yummies, before the really, really good stuff got served. following the teddy bear theme, gummy bears and teddy grahams. then (mostly my mom) made sandwhiches and cut them into teddy bear shapes!!!!!!!! of course, i didn't get any pictures :( ( if anyone got any, i'd be soooo happy to see them!!!!)

Note the tulips- Steve bought those for his baby girls FIRST birthday (um yeah, and he's gotten me flowers like, twice. i'm not jealous. at alll)

The whole table, which was later filled with the sandwhiches for the kiddos, and later with some yummy mexican food cooked by my fabulous cleaning lady for the adult. yummo!!!

Had teddy bears everywhere!

Had a little set up. Decided to take the pictures that were hung up in our upstairs hallway (taken this summer by Paul Barnett). So cute. And we filled out this frame given to us by my wonderful, fabulous friend Jackie when i was still pregnant (and didn't know it was a girl. so good it was)

This table was where all the gifts were put (um, whoops, forgot to take a picture of that, as well) had the fun pictures displayed and also her scrapbooks on the table. awwwwwwwww

Ok, had to throw this picture in, totally last minute. her actual bday was on a friday, so she opene da few presents. love this pic of her with her baller bill in her hand (got from her granparents for her college fund). she totally held on to it for awhile......

So her birthday party was so awesome, so perfect and what i expected. I don't even feel like the pictures do it justice. but it was a good time held by all. and we all love her all more than ever. yep yep

and here's an after picture for you all to enjoy :)

a bazillion more pictures to come. have a FABULOUS weekend!!!!!

love

kat :)

2008-02-09T18:55:00.000-08:00

Happy First Birthday Jessica!!!!

At One Year Old

-she can walk!!!! (but only when she feels like it)

-Has lots of random words, and is starting to repeat them when asked.

-Has long blond hair (ok, not really long) that mommy is having way too much fun styling. Hello piggies!

-Her hair is defiently white blond, and STRAIT.

-She’s leaning out, but still has the budda and all the rolls.

-is 23 pounds and in the 80th percentile for weight.

- is 28 inches and in the 10th percentile for height. still short and fat! ;)

- Loves fruit, cheese, whole grain waffles and pasta

-goes to bed at 6- still!!!! And sleeps for 12 ½ hours strait!

-Takes one long morning nap (up to 2 ½ hours, at least 1 ½ long) and a short, or non exsistent afternoon nap.

-Started her first gym class at the Little Gym with her boyfriend Hayden. She knows how to tuck her head when we do a somersault!

-Is really quiet and shy when in a new situation, but warms up quickly to become the show off that we all know she is.

-Wears 18 month clothing. and size 3 shoes

-Has started hitting. Not cool.

-STILL nursing, and has never had anything but breast milk. Um, now I need to figure out how to wean her with out traumatizing both of us……

-loves to ROAR like a dinosaur (when she plays with them, or when she hears the word, or when you ask her what a dinosaur says. Hysterical)

-when you ask for kisses she leans forward, usually with the head for you to kiss, but starting to get that she uses her mouth too.

-Knows where mama’s nose is, and where her nose is.

-All babies are "Dess-ca's" to her. (Jessica, for those of you who dont' know baby talk)

-Loves to say diaper. Weird, right?

-Is the life of the party, and the light of our lives. We love her so much, and just had the best year of our life! We love you Jessica

like i said last time, its getting harder to take these pictures of her! But look how cute her bday party outfit was. She got the skirt as a gift from her boyfriend for xmas, and then my mom and i made the shirt. ok, i just cut out the bear with my sizzix and she sewed it on and made the one. sooooo cute! gotta love the party shoes, too ;)

the year went by waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay to fast, and I’m so thankful for this baby blog and these monthly posts. Its amazing all the little things you forget. I'll post the scrapbook i made with all the montly posts and pictures- (the only scrapbook i've ever completed!) also, first bday party pictures will be coming soon! we're off to colorado for a ski weekend- woot!~ i haven't skiied in about two years, can't wait to hit the slopes. So i'll try to get picture on here after that.

Have a fabulous rest of the week, and long weekend!

2008-01-25T20:42:00.000-08:00

She's rockin' a Mullet

Yep, you heard me right. Business in the front, and party in the back. I'm aware that this is pretty common for babies, their hair in the front stays shorter while it grows longer in the back. But its looking kinda mullet-y, and I don't know if i'm ok with that. I always said my children would be able to do anything with their hair that they want, except for a rats tail (those things are just gross). Mohawks, purple hair, its their hair. But I don't know what I think about a baby and a mullet. It kinda seems cruel. Like the Dorthy Hamil haircut I sported around 3 years of age. So don't worry, I solved it- Pig tails.
Oh yeah, all that hair that gets in the way pulled into two teeny tiny tails.

Could you die? Seriously, I can't stand it. Its so ridiculous, more so than her ponytail. I love the piggies. I think she may have to sport them at her big first birthday party. Since they're so little, I can't get a picture of them from the front, so here they are from behind. So funny! And the funniest part? She looks pretty much the exact same from the front. You can't even tell she has two cute tails in the back.

The first day we tried the piggies, we were on our way to Jessica's first "official" play date. Met with a baby whose parents were in Steve and my Bradley class. So here's another pic where you can see one of the 'tails

I'm having way too much fun making Jessica a girly girl. Seriously, she's so going goth at age 13 and will hate the color pink. But I'll still love her, and I will have gotten my girly girl pink fix ;)

Its killing me how fast she is growing. She's so big now, she's taken her first step!!!!! Now, I realize that probably should have had its own post, but I know my daughter. I know she's going prefer crawling for awhile. She can stand, and she could walk right now if she wanted- but you should see her go when she's crawling! She'll start stepping and be like "forget this, crawling is faster!" So I know its still at least a month away before she starts walking. Don't get me wrong, I was so excited when she took her step. So cute! And she had the biggest, proudest smile on her face. So precious, and I'm so happy I was the one who saw it!

She's also talking lots. She freaks when she sees banana's, says "nana nana nana" and kicks her legs. Whenever she sees my dad she says "Papa." Yep, she named him that. So cute. Calls Steve "Dada" only calls me Mama when she's across the room sprint-crawling to me to pick her up. Then she sits on her knees with her hands held WAY up high to get me to pick her up. Shes said "grandma" a few times, and still says purple. Crazy. AND, the best, you ask her what a Dinosaur says and she growls. Its dinosaur month at my preschool, and it didn't take her long to pick up the roaring. So she plays with the dinosaurs and "roars" growls. So cute. So funny

We're also teaching her to hold up one finger when we ask her how old she is.

Ok, enough bragging. But I'm seriously having too much fun with her, and I know that it'll just get better. So I had to brag, just a little ;)

Here are two more pictures of Jessica's new skills

Talking on the phone:

Using a spoon!!! (I did a scrapbook page with these, I'll have to post them soon)

YAY FOR FRIDAYS!!!!!

2008-01-12T14:29:00.000-08:00

One more month to go!!!!!

At 11 months Jessica :

is Finally getting hair! And its coming in white blond. Think we may have a toe-head (sp?) here!

Loves to clap, for everything

Loves to have books read to her, and to "read" them herself

Pretends to talk on the phone

Brushes her hair (but refuses to let us brush her teeth!)

Does baby signs: All done, more, milk, and SO BIG. We're working on Please, and holding up one finger when we ask her how old she is......

Says a few words: Purple, 'nana (for banana, her favorite breakfast food), Cracker for Nut crackers, uh-oh, dada. We've also heard : mama, apple, water, brush. So fun!

Has ridiculously hysterical facial expressions

2 1/2 teeth. The bottom two, and one half way in on the top.

Smiles at the camera

Wears 12-18 month clothing, sometimes even bigger.......

Weighs about 21 pounds

Starting to not want to eat her veggies (good thing i got that cook book for xmas!)

Loves fruit (especially oranges, which we just introduced, and berries) cheese, pasta, and crackers. goldfish are her fave. can you tell who her mama is?

Her favorite song is "5 little monkeys swinging in the tree"

Can stand on her own, but doesn't realize when she's doing it

May be growing out of her morning nap? But still takes two naps a day, for about an hour each. Sometimes only twenty minutes

LOVES all her friends! She missed them over the holidays

Her mommy and daddy are so excited with the little girl she is becoming. SHe makes them laugh everyday and they love every second and every part :)

Yay! I can't believe that her bday is almost here. Time seriously does fly by when you have a baby. I'm definelty going to appreciate that more the second time around.
Now that jessica realizes that tehre's a giant stuffed dog sitting next to her, its getting harder to take her picture. That was the best one of her smiling at the camera, and it looks like she hass a full diaper! (she didnt'). Here area few outtakes:

love this one- karate chopping ruffy!

Don't you love the ponytail? She has so much hair now, i just have to keep it out of her eyes ;) I love when she does so big for me in the pictures. Yeah, her arms used to reach over her head to do it, now they end up on her head looking like she's saying "are you serious!" funny

Can't wait to scrapbook this picture. so funny!

Now a few pictures from our trip to the SD wild animal park. Jessica seriously loved it. Here she is trippin out over the elephants. She totally leaned forward to watch them, too funny!

She loved the gorillas. Her current favorite song is the monkey song, so that works. love this picture

She such a ham, its ridiculous........

You can tell we're having fun ;)

Just a sweet picture with her grandpa. i love her little smile here. i wish the picture wasn't blurry......

I have more pictures to post, but having some computer probs. i just got my new one all set up, and its using windows vista, and i can't figure out how to save my pictures cause its all different. steve will be home soon to help me out.........

till next time, have a fabulous week!!!!

2007-12-30T17:56:00.000-08:00

Baby's First Christmas

As much fun as Christmas and the holidays are, I'm always happy when they're over :)
Jessica defiently had the best first Christmas EVER. Baby girl is so spoiled. She had gifts coming out of her ears! Everyone got her things. Guess thats what happens when you're the first born out of all of mommy and daddy's friends and family.............
I bought her this Baby's First Christmas Oranment. I was so stoked when I found this store at the mall that did personalized ornaments, not so stoked that waiting for it to get personalized kept me at the mall until 10pm on a Monday night- but it was worth. Jessica also has two other Babys' First Christmas ornaments given to her by grandma and a friend

So some pictures from Christmas Eve first. Dressed her in the sweater dress again. So cute. We went to Steve's parents house, and she was all about the showing off.

Family pic in front of the tree

We took off the sweater dress for dinner. She had pasta, so it was a good thing........

Tradition in my family growing up was that we got to open one present on Christmas eve- and it was always pajamas. Wanted to keep that tradition alive, so I let Jessica open her first christmas git.......

and since it was her first, and she needed them anyways, I got her 3 jammies instead of one.

Love the bow on the head :)

She was pretty stoked on the jams. Too bad they're ginormous on her

Christmas morning we did stokings first. My mom made her a stoking, but didn't think it would be done in time so she gave her this Baby's First Christmas stoking. It was filled with all sorts of good stuff, including hair bows and bands, and chocolate for mommy :)

She was pretty entertained crawling around the wrapping paper and under the Tree. She got the cutes Koala Bear back pack from my best friend and her namesake- Jessica.

AND she got a new, BIG GIRL CARSEAT!!!!!! Awwww, she's growing up so fast :(

Her uncle got her a keyboard music making toy. Thats fun ;) She also got some new, soft blocks, that she loves to knock over

I was stoked that I got the Diceptively Delicious (sp?) cookbook by Jerry Sienfields wife. Look at the two of us playing with our new toys :)

Her Christmas Dinner. What a freakin ham.

Hope you all had a very merry Christmas, and have a safe and fun New Year!!!!!!

2007-12-21T21:49:00.000-08:00

Messy Baby

I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO stoked to be on my TWO WEEK WINTER VACATION!!!!!!!!!!!! Last time I had two weeks off, I had baby Jessica, and that isn't exactly a vacation...... and probably the next time I take two weeks off, will be to have the next baby Post. So yeah, i'm enjoying this break so much! Its also the first time I've taken a break and stayed at home for over a year. Wooo Hooooo!!!! So I stayed up late last night working on xmas surprises (don't worry, i'll show you all after xmas!) and uploading some pictures that i took this past week of Jessica. I hope you all realize you aren't even seeing a tenth of how many pictures I take of this child, its ridiculous!

Anyways, trying to wake her up (which I hate doing) to go on a fieldtrip. Awwww, sleeping baby

We're into dress up now, and playing with dolls. Ok, so I'm into dressup. And she just likes to walk pushing the babydoll stroller. But still, so cute- and can't wait for her to be asking to put on the tutu and play with dollies!

Fieldtrip to the childrens' museum.

Later that day I gave her taco soup. Let her feed herself. That was a fun clean up

One more dressup picture

Big girl. Love the pearl necklace

She's started to participate in the Fitness class. SOOOOO cute!!!!

Here she comes through the tunnel!!! Can't wait to scrapbook this picture

I got some of those non-pull hair ties and gave her a pony tail. SOOOOOOOOOOOO hysterical. She looks like little Cindy-Who from the Grinch.

Her and her mischief making buddy, pulling out all the kitchen toys. Another fun cleanup.....

Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!!!!!!

2007-12-09T13:59:00.000-08:00

10 months WHAT?

At 10 months Jessica.........

-Said her first word!!! (it was actually today, at 10 months and one day). Apple. And she said it more than once, and five people heard it. YAY!!!!!

-Has 2 teeth, the bottom two. Her gums are swelling up top for those top toofers to come in! We've been singing "all I want for christmas is my two front teeth......."

-loves to clap, just started doing it last week

- waves to everyone, including her reflection in the mirror, and throws in a cheesey grin, too

-turns the pages of her books

-colored her first picture (a few dots from banging the crayon down before putting it in her

mouth. but i know she's the next picaso......)

-cruising everywhere, getting more confidence with everyday. and also bonks and bruises everyday........

-stood on her own multiple times, for a few seconds. then falls and cries

-starting to not want to eat her vegetables

-now is eating grains- loves them!

-cheese is her favorite (just like her mama!)

-takes two naps a day

-sleeps past 7am most days, and sometimes even past 8!

-still goes to bed between 5 and 6 pm

-LOVES the camera. Seriously. If we had been pagent parents (which we're not, and I actually think are totally ridiculous) we would be stoked. We have a future of all sorts of showing off in store for us!

-finally has enough hair to put clippy's and hair ties in (kinda)

-is pretty much always smiling. a happy baby

-has had TWO ear infections

-is almost 21 pounds

-her favorite song is now "5 little monkeys swinging in the tree" and she knows the hand movements that go with it.

-is defiently entering "toodlerhood" and her mommy and daddy couldnt' be more proud

So I couldn't decided which picture to use. The one with the cute, cheesy smile, or the one below doign her "SO big" And don't you love her party girl outfit? Fabulous with the raspberry stain right in the middle. Anyways, votes? Which should i use for the book?

Some pictures for you all.

Here's the two of us in front of the chirstmas tree getting ready for the Shuckleberries holiday party. LOVE her sweater dress!

So I'm not big into letting kids watch TV. But I had to find out what the hoopla was about the Baby Einstein videos was. She LOVES them! Actually, only the animal one. She only watches them on the weekend, for like 20 minutes. And its so cute how she sits there like a big kid to watch. Awwwwww, had to sneak a pic.........

Here's her party girl outfit- leopard print skirt, patent leather mary janes, and her fancy flower clip (she finally has enough hair to put it in!) PLUS the bday party hat.

Here you can see her flower a bit better. and her cheesy smile. SOOO Funny!

We got our first tree. How cute is this picture of the two of us climbing through the trees?

She met Santa!!!!! I'm trying to scan the photo, but i have a new scanner and i cant' figure it out. i'll get to that. But she did so good! at first she seemed scared, and then she saw that there was a camera so she forgot and started to smile! Some pictures of us waiting in line

Here she is walkign around with her walker toy. So funny. She totally thinks she rocks when she does it. Adn i'm usually right behind her makign sure she doesn't fall and get hurt. Even though she's never come close- i'm just a bit paranoid. And dont' you love the big warm hat? Cause it gets soooo cold her in San Diego!

One more picture showing you all what a HAM she is. Pretty ridiculous. Saw that Daddy had the camera so she started waving and smiling.

Hope you all are enjoying the holidays so far!!!! Have a fabulous week :)

2007-12-02T10:55:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving

Hope you all had a fabulous thanksgiving!!!! We sure did, but we have decided to NEVER TRAVEL AGAIN during the craziest travel weekend of the year. Yeah, cancled flight, lost luggage, baby with an ear infection......... need i go into more detail?
But it was awesome to see all my family in Iowa. I wish I could spend more time there! Its very relaxing, and Jessica had a blast, and of course- everyone loved seeing Jessica!!! She is getting more fun everyday. I know I say that all the time, but its true! I cant' get over what a HUGE personality comes out of this little baby girl. Awwwww, I'm so cheeseball.
Anyways, some pictures:

Climbing onto everything. Officially "cruising" (walking while holding on to furniture, or mom's legs)

She's learned to wave. So she waves (at everyoen at the airport especially!!!!!!) and scrunchs her nose to make this cheeseball grin. I'm so embarassed, cause I know she got this "loves to have attention" from me!
Gotta love baths in the kitchen sink!!!! It was the perfect size, I wish we had a sink like this. And she loved it.

Eating her Thanksgiving dinner in her little highchair that was actually quite low to the ground (you're supposed to put it on a regular chair, but i'm paranoid that it would fall off, so she sat on the ground). She loved thanksgiving dinner. I even gave her a bite of pumpkin pie ;)

This is at our Thanksgiving meal. She woke up from her afternoon nap about half way through the meal. And can I say that I have NEVER seen an entire room of adults give so much attention and be so excited about one little baby. It was ridiculous, but so precious at the same time

We took her to make the "rounds" of my aunts houses, and here's a picture of her with my dad and my grandparents- Four generations!

She was also introduced to my cousins puppy. How priceeless is this picture? Quick- I need a scrapbook page title!

So here's a close up of the dress she wore- My mom made it in a "antique" sewing/smocking class she took while I was pregnant. Thank goodness Jessica was a girl, otherwise we would have had a little Charlie wearing this cute dress on Thanksgiving day! (

Here she is again in her little highchair, being a show off for her grandpa.

Extreme closeup

It snowed the day after we got there. Jessica wasn't that impressed with the snow. But how cute is the hat her Grammy got her for the cold weather?

We also introduced her to the piano. I think we have a child protoge (sp?) on our hands

Seriously, such a freakin ham. Its ridiculous

This is right when we got to Iowa. She was soooooooooooooo good, even though it was way past her bedtime. And she recognized her grandma and grandpa at the airport! She also loves this hat.

So that concludes our thanksgiving pictures. Figured out my blogger problem. I don't make my pictures smaller so they take up a lot of room, plus I use the Google photo sharing website Picasa, which is the same account as Blogger, so I ran out of space. Had to buy more (not expensive) so I should be good for a long while! Anyways, had to share these pictures of Jessica with a pony tail. Steve makes fun of me cause there are like 2 hairs popping out, but its so cute!!!!

Yeah, she doesn't really think its that great.........

Can you believe that her 10 month picture is just next week? I'll post that soon. Till then, have a fantabulous week!!!!!!!!

2007-11-11T17:30:00.000-08:00

ETA; having a little trouble with blogger and google right now. used up all my picture room, so i bought more GB, but its not working. so enjoy the pictures i was able to post, and if anyone knows how to contact the blogger/google/picasa people, let me know!!!!

At Nine Months

Jessica has one tooth! So cute. Adn she's bite mama while nursing twice

Pulls herself up onto everything!!!!

Doesn't like to fall down, but it kinda happens a lot

Loves meat, fruit, and just about anything we give her- except brocolli

Has had her first ear infection :( but was such a trooper through it!

Does "SO Big!" and gives high fives

likes to do the model pose

LOVES the camera

Practices yelling while eating dinner

Takes 2 one to two hour hour naps a day

Sleeps 13 hours through the night, still getting up at 5 to nurse

Watches some of Baby Einsteins animal friends video

Has enough hair to put into a teeny, tiny ponytail

Wears 12-18 month sized clothes

Crawls slowly and carefully when she feels like it, but prefers to army crawl on her belly

Loves all her Shuckleberrie friends

Sometimes pretends to be shy around people, even though she's a total showoff

Is becoming such a big girl

Makes her mommy and daddy laugh everyday, and love her more and more

a few random pictures. more will hopefully come soon!
jessica and her partner in crime. yeah, he taught her how to open the cupboards. and he likes to pull her hair and bite her diaper. ah, young love........

pulling herself up onto everything. she's so proud of herself

first time wearing a bday hat. soo funny!!!

i love how she smiles whenever i pull out the camera. yep, defienlty my daughter :)

trying to hide her tooth- but its there!

she discovered chocolate. yep, got into mommy's pudding container. she liked it :) once again, definelty my daughter!!!!

hope you all have a fabulous week, and since i probably won't be posting till after, have a Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!