Us, and the things that we do

Summertime, and the living is easy...mostly.

2010-07-31T09:15:00.015-05:00

Well, we are now well past spring and right in the middle of summer. As I expected, this summer has been a very welcome bright spot in our big transition to Ohio. The winter was a bit rough what with Gabriel's eczema issues and the fact that everyone in the world (including me) seems to go into hibernation mode, shutting their families up inside to protect them from the cold. So, needless to say, I was very much looking forward to the weather warming up and getting the kids into different social activities. Elise has enjoyed interacting and playing with other children her age. She has a friend named Defne who she loves. She lives in our neighborhood so they get to see eachother pretty often. I also got her involved with some classes at our local Y. So far she has taken a swimming course and a soccer one as well. Lately she has been begging me to sign her up for swimming again so I think we will give it another go before summer ends. For now she is loving spending time with mommy and daddy outside, especially when it involves the slip n slide.

Now that Gabriel is getting bigger the kids are able to play together more and more. Gabriel is so close to walking, he really wants to be able to run around with his big sister. Of course, there is always jealousy issues, but they both love eachother very much and let eachother know it often, it's really cute. Whenever Gabe is in trouble, Elise is the first one he calls out for. Elise can often be found hugging her "little buddy".

Gabriel turned 1 just yesterday. We let him dig into some cupcakes, he really loved it. I can't believe that a year has passed already since he was born. Time really does fly.

Cutie pie at the zoo

Hiking on Elise's birthday weekend.

Swimming class

Creating a masterpiece together

Elise's third birthday cake

Ready for spring!

2010-03-06T16:09:00.007-06:00

It is March 2010 and our first winter in Sylvania is drawing to a close. It has passed by remarkably fast, and the weather was relatively mild. We had a few good snow falls and there is still a couple of inches of snow on the ground but it is melting rapidly and the grass beneath is already green (something strange to eyes that have grown accustomed to witnessing winter's end in Oklahoma territory).

Elise enjoyed the winter though she spent much of it locked inside the warm house. We did take a few occasions for winter walks about our neighborhood with Elise and Gabriel. Daddy and Elise went sledding and Elise got to build a snowman with Mommy. Gabriel is just learning to crawl and is "walking" with the help of his walker. Elise likes to stand on the walker and Gabriel pulls her around like a little ox; they both laugh and he loves it all. Gabriel and Elise are developing a rapport that is beautiful to watch.

Our winter in Sylvania was punctuated by a Christmas visit back to Oklahoma City where Gabriel was baptized. This period was especially memorable because OKC suffered from a Christmas blizzard of epic proportions and Daddy only barely managed to make it into OKC on Christmas morning, in time to open presents with the kids. Definitely Christmas 2009 will become a family legend and subject of many stories told around the dinner table in winters to come.

But now, winter is drawing to a close and we are looking forward to springtime and summer; to planting seeds and growing flowers and veggies. Elise already has a cherished package of watermellon seeds she can't wait to plant. Hopefully we will spend many long summer evenings in our back yard and Daddy can relax on the patio while watching the kids play.

The whirlwind

2009-10-27T13:03:00.003-05:00

Taking a break from the madness to update a bit. Actually, it's not that bad. We have actually been settling in quite quickly into our new home. When the movers arrived and dropped off our things , Kenny and I quickly attacked the enormous pile of boxes and determinedly set forth in our mad unpacking process. Now, with most everything in its place, we are trying our best to settle into the community.
Kenny seems to enjoy his workplace and the new relationships he's formed with his colleagues. Elise loves to run and jump around our yard and the entire neighborhood. She looks forward to the daily visits from the family of deer in the woods in the backyard. Gabriel continues to grow, he is such a wonderfully calm and sweet baby. Of course, we miss our family and friends that we left behind. I am particularly looking forward to our visit back for the holidays. Apart from becoming acquainted with a few neighbors, I have not yet formed any bonds with people nearby. Having two little ones will certainly keep you busy! But I am determined to work on that and try to accept this as our new home.
Our new house and neighborhood is beautiful. The fall colors of the trees here are astounding.
We continue to work towards a complete transition.
We love and miss you!
On to the pictures!

Our new family of four

2009-08-03T16:50:00.006-05:00

We are happy to announce that our new baby, Gabriel Owen Hensley, was born on July 30th at 8:35PM. Gabriel is such a good baby. He is still just a super sleepy newborn, but he is not fussy at all for a little baby. He only cries when he's hungry, and he has a good healthy appetite. We are very much enjoying our new lives as a family of four and look forward to more experiences together as our children grow. Elise loves her baby brother very much and is always ready to give him kisses or bring mommy a fresh diaper when he gets stinky. We have been staying at my mom's house the past couple of days and she has been a God send in helping us to adjust and get into a new everyday rhythm. Here are some pictures of our newest tiny treasure.

The time has come!

2009-07-30T18:20:00.002-05:00

Just a quick update straight from my hospital bed! Kenny and I are sitting in my room waiting for this little one to be born. I am currently stuck at 8 centimeters. It has been a very long day. My contractions started at 8pm last night and continued to get stronger through the night. At 9am this morning we dropped Elise off at my mom's house and came to the hospital. After an agonizingly long wait for the anesthesiologist, I finally got my epidural at about 3:00. So now it is just a waiting game. I am not in any pain (thank goodness!), but Gabriel seems to be having issues with his heartrate dipping every time I have a contraction. Here's hoping that the rest of this delivery is speedy. Come on little guy!

When you just wish you could go back to sleep...

2009-07-26T05:46:00.007-05:00

that's when you know it's getting close.
We are just about wrapping up the last couple weeks of this pregnancy and now it's getting really scary. The thought of having two kiddos to care for 24/7 scares me beyond everything I know. I know that I will be fine, and we will pull through any of the upcoming challenges (moving, unpacking, getting adjusted in a new city, caring for two small children, etc., etc.) but I also know that it won't be easy by any means. I flash back to the days when Elise was just born and we brought her home. I struggled just like any new mom to settle into my new role as full-time caregiver to this tiny helpless being. It was challenge, to say the least, as any mother will tell you. I hope that my experiences from that time and the past two years help me in the challenges I am about to face.
So now I am up at 5:00 AM because I can't get back to sleep. I remember doing this when I was about to have Elise. Why does the end of pregnancy rob people of sleep? Just when you should be resting up the most, preparing yourself for seemingly endless nights of exhaustion, you are up. I have my little checklist in my head of all the little things I need to do before this little one arrives. It's not much, really, just a few things, a frighteningly small checklist. I think that all there is really left to do is set up the new cradle for him to sleep in and put together the new stroller my sister sent (yay! thanks vero, you're the best!).
The night before last we went to the hospital at 11:00PM because I thought I was possibly in labor. I called my doctor who told me to go ahead and come in so they could check and at least make sure the baby was okay. It turned out to be a false alarm, which was a little disappointing, but we continue to eagerly await his arrival. I am excited to meet this little boy. It is going to be strange, I am so used to being the mother of a little girl. This new baby is going to be a whole new experience.
Elise has been so wonderful. I think she is really starting to grasp the concept of having a little brother and having a little baby around the house. The other day she woke up from her nap and came to me in her groggy half-awake state and rubbed my belly lovingly, she said "don't worry mommy, I help you". She is such an awesome little girl. Later that day she touched my belly and said "oh no, baby brodder stuck!". She was very concerned for her baby brother who continues to be somehow stuck inside of mommy's belly. She cracks me up.
On to the latest pictures!

Kenny and Elise picking blackberries at Sunberry Orchard

Elise wearing her new jammies which she had to put on right away and refused to take off. This was actually the middle of the day, at the babyshower my mom threw for me. (thanks, mom!)

Elise and I, checking out the loot we got at the babyshower.

The cake.

Me being rediculously large, two weeks before my due date.

The times they are a changin'- Summer 2009

2009-06-07T15:42:00.009-05:00

This is Kenny finally writing a post on our blog. The summer of 2009 is certainly full of adventure for our family. March of this year we found out that I was losing my job as part of the general economic freak show in which our entire nation is embroiled, and especially as part of specific misfortunes happening at my foundation. Not to worry, we're all about turning negatives into positives and so we have done this time. After some months of hectic traveling and interviewing, I have taken a new position at the University of Toledo Depts. of Pathology and Neuroscience, effective this October. So we sold our house (lucky us, in only 2 weeks, at full asking price!) and rented what we call our "summer home", a lovely house in nearby Nichol's Hills. Here Norma can finish her pregnancy in peace and relative tranquility.

Speaking of pregnancy - we are all thrilled at our imminent new addition. We are going to name him Gabriel Owen Hensley. Elise clearly understands what is going to happen, in general terms. She totters around the house pointing to things we bought for the new baby and saying "diapers for baby brodder?" "bed for baby brodder"? Elise is a gem. She was a bit nervous about moving, initially, but quickly adapted. Everything new for her is an opportunity for discovery and play.

Attached are some recent pictures of our family, the first of Elise helping pack up the house, playing at our "summer home" and Elise's recent excursion on her 2nd birthday to Martin Nature Park. She loves the water so much!

Baby #2

2009-03-22T20:42:00.004-05:00

I kinda feel bad about the title for this blog entry. Poor baby still has no name. I thought it would be appropriate to announce on here that we found out on Friday the gender of our incoming addition. We are very excited to announce that we will be having a baby BOY! He is due to be born on August 6th. The ultrasound was very cool. He was lounging in there with one hand behind his head and he was sucking his thumb on the other hand. Just like a boy! We are elated to add a little boy to our growing family.

I also wanted to put a new picture of Elise on here. Here she is being a cranky ballerina. My sister used her awesome photoshopping skills and colored it in, very neat. It is hard to believe how big she is getting. She will be turning 2 on May 31st!

Happy Happy Holidays

2009-01-12T16:06:00.011-06:00

It seems the holidays are finally over. Oh my, what a stressful time they can be. Between trying to control an over-active one year old, trying to find just the perfect gift for everyone and doing your best to get everything in order and on time, holidays will wipe you out! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the holidays, but they sure do make me tired. I guess I just really want to make it special for Elise so, of course, I end up over working myself over it.
This year Kenny and I decided not to give eachother presents, and boy was that a stress relief. Instead, we opted to buy presents for a needy child together. That worked out really well.
Elise had a blast, of course. She was so excited to open all the gifts she got. This year she really got into tearing them open, which was so great. That girl is constantly making me laugh and smile, the holidays only make it extra special.
We started off this year on a good foot, hopefully. We recently found out that we are expecting a second little one, so we are VERY excited. I also haven't been nearly as sick or run down with this pregnancy as much as I was with Elise. It's been so great, sometimes I even forget that I'm pregnant! Haha! Now that's good.
I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday season and that this new year brings lots of joy, happiness, and peace.

On to the pictures!

Being a princess, she made me put this dress on her, notice her Dora jammies poking out underneath.

Elise in her Christmas dress, one of the few pictures she stayed still long enough for.

This picture almost made it to the Christmas card, if Elise didn't look like a hostage.

Elise and Mia, starting work on the pile o' presents

Matching Christmas jammies!

I love Christmas! HAHAHA!!!!

Taking a much needed break, and trying out her new princess lounger.

Me and Elise with our Christmas tree, notice the ornaments have migrated to the top, out of reach for little hands.

Second Halloween, woohoo!

2008-11-01T17:56:00.017-05:00

Happy belated Halloween to everyone!
I hope you all had as much fun as we did.
This year did not disappoint, as I hoped it wouldn't. We had so much fun fussing about and getting ready for the event. Elise had a blast going trick-or-treating with her cousin Mia, who is about 6 months younger than she is. We were so excited to have Elise actually participate in the holiday. Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays so I was especially excited. Kenny and I took Elise out to a pumpkin patch last weekend where she got to pick out her very own pumpkin, pet some animals and ride a real pony.
Elise loved getting dressed up and showing off to everyone she saw, it was very funny.
I actually got her a costume about a month before Halloween. I was really excited when I saw an adorable little bunny costume and got it for her right away. I had originally wanted her to be Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, but I remembered that it is always so cold on Halloween and the bunny was just so cute, so I decided to go ahead and get her the bunny one.
Well, come Halloween and it is so hot outside, I realized at 5:30PM that the bunny costume was just not going to work. So I left Kenny in charge of Elise and dashed out to the store. They only had two costumes in Elise's size left. Lo and behold, Dorothy was one of them. The other was a wierd Sleeping Beauty ballerina outfit, so, naturally, I went for Dorothy. I went around the store and was able to pull together her costume and have her dressed and ready to trick-or-treat in thirty minutes, it was awesome.
So, yes, we had a really great Halloween holiday. Despite some tragedy and heartache this month (you can ask me about this, if you don't already know the story) we managed to get to spend alot of really wonderful family time together. We are so happy, and so lucky!
Of course, here are some pics of the fun things we did this month:

Kenny and Elise, Elise showing us the reject costume and her grumpy face. It was still cute!

Down time at the zoo, riding the baby rhino.

Riding a pony at the pumpkin patch

Elise, being gentle with the bunny at the pumpkin patch.

Somebody get me a bottle to put this stuff in, I'm taking it to go!

Me and Elise in the hayride, Elise showing us that yes, there is actual hay in the hayride.

Looking for the perfect pumpkin.

I think we found a winner.

Kenny and Elise, on our hiking excursion at Lake Arcadia, preeetty.

Dorothy and Toto, ready to go.

Got what we came for.

Who's the boss?

2008-10-15T10:49:00.015-05:00

Haha, what a funny title for a blog entry.
But I often find myself asking that very question around here. Who is the boss? I certainly don't know. I know that I probably am not. The truth is that Elise is the boss, I think, well, it's likey that she is. That sweet girl runs me over on a daily basis. She has so much energy, it is hard to keep up with her. She has Kenny and me wrapped around her little finger, and the problem is that I think she's starting to figure it out.
We are still having issues with her sleeping, which is a frustration. The good part, though, is that it seems to only be a frustration to me! Ever since Kenny came home from D.C. a few weeks ago (he was gone for a whole week), Elise seems to be unwilling to let him go or be more than an armslength away from him when she sleeps at night. So, consequently, she's been sleeping inour bed at night. Kenny loves it! He especially loved it at first when he got to snuggle up to our sleeping baby any time he wished. Unfortunately, we found out that Elise is probably the wiggliest sleeper ever. That girl doesn't stop! Not even for sleep!
She is getting better, though. We are working on her moving back into her own room. We got her a big girl bed, because apparently she is SO over her crib. She now takes daytime naps in her own room on her own bed again. So, I'm getting her back there, slowly but surely.
Other than our silly bedtime issues, things have been great. Elise is so funny and whacky, she cracks me up every day. She is talking alot now, which is great. We recently got a webcam so we can Skype with my sister in California. It is so cool to be able to see her and Elise and her even play games with eachother, it is awesome. I get to show off all of Elise's new tricks to her, haha!
Here are a few new pictures:

Tearing up the kitchen (July, 2008)

At the fair, collecting chicken eggs (September, 2008)

Picking apples at the fair, I think there's child labor laws against this, oh well.

Cleaning up the yard, I have to redirect her energy somehow!

Pulling out, I mean, smelling the neighbor's flowers.

Mexicaning it up at uncle Adrian's birthday party (August, 2008)

Fancy lady (August, 2008)

Hanging out with cousin Mia on the princess couch (October, 2008)

Her very own Elise-size house, thanks Aby! ( October, 2008)

My painting of Kenny and Elise, kinda creepy?

More Pictures...

2008-06-30T12:13:00.014-05:00

I wanted to share a picture taken of my brother Adrian in an egg at the San Diego Wild Animal Park when he was about 1 year old. On our recent trip to California we got to go back and take a picture of Elise in the egg, she is about the same age as Adrian was back then.

Uncle Adrian in th egg (ca. 1998)

Elise in the egg, 2008.

Here are some more pictures from our trip.

Wrestling the ferocious Alligator.

Elise with her new friend.

Lorikeet fun

Making jokes with her Aby

Hanging out with Uncle Eloy

There's an Elise floating in that tea

Feeding juju-b

This horse better be fast. Giddy up!

One Whole Year

2008-06-20T12:24:00.013-05:00

I can't believe how fast time has passed. Elise is already one year old. She is such a big girl. She has come so far from the little helpless baby that we met on the day she was born. She is a walking, running, talking energy machine of a little girl.

Alot has happened since my last update. For one, Elise is now an expert walker. She is still wobbly sometimes, but she is really good! Kenny actually got video of her running away from home. She walked out to the backyard, out the gate, and kept going up the hill without turning back. That girl is dangerous.

Elise turned one on May 31st, and of course, we had a huge birthday party for her. My sister flew in from California to help and join us in the festivities. Before I had Elise I never would have imagined that I would be one of those moms that gets all into the birthday parties and goes all out, but I guess I have become one. I even made Elise's birthday dress. I almost didn't put it on her because I thought it would look like monkeys had put it together, but I think, in the end, it came out looking pretty good. The party was awesome. We had a pretty good turnout of about 60 people. Elise had a blast, and (I hope!) everyone else did too. Here are a few pictures of the event:

Elise having fun in the moon bounce

Mommy let me down I wanna go break the PINATA!!!

Elise attacking her cupcake cake

Thanks to Charlotte for taking pictures. I was so out of my mind crazy that day so she took over picture duty for us.
The birthday party took place the weekend before her actual birthday. On her real birthday we took a little family hike at Martin park. We had a really good time together. Elise had fun getting dirty, climbing through the flowers, and seeing new creatures. Here's some pics:

Later that day, we went over to my mom's house where she had made Elise a second birthday cake. We were happy to be able to have another celebration just for us on her real birthday.

Elise and I also took a second trip out to California. We went along with my mom and little brother, Adrian. While there, we got to join in celebrating the graduations of my cousins Jorge and Eric. We got to see alot of family that I hadn't seen in a very long time. Elise had fun playing with new people she had never met before. She got to explore new places and things. It was so much fun to take her to Disneyland again and the Wild Animal Park where she came close to and actually woke a lion, and fed some ducks and lorikeets. It was precious. Pictures to come soon.

When we came back home, we decided to have pictures taken to commemorate her first birthday. The session was a little difficult because Elise just wanted to explore the studio. She was not interested in staying still and smiling at all. Despite our issues, I think we got some pretty good shots. Judge for yourselves:

I guess the last month or so was a little busy, but we had so much fun. Not that the fun is ending, but, well, it's all been fun.

Spring is here...

2008-04-28T13:34:00.011-05:00

Ahhhh, finally! No more bulky sweaters, bundling up, or staying cooped up in the house, at last! I have been so excited for spring to arrive, I just can't wait to take Elise outside to play in the sunshine.

A few special things have happened since my last post.
Easter was a ton o' fun, as I knew it would be. Elise loved finding eggs for the first time and collecting them in her 'My Little Pony' basket. We went over to my cousin Lourdes' house for the big family annual easter egg hunt. Here are a few pictures from the event:

It was still a little cold that day, but we had fun anyway.

We also started Elise in a swimming class at the Y. We love it so much. Elise has loved the water since the day she was born, so we thought it would be great for her. She's still working on her swimming moves, but her splashes are pretty perfect. We both get to be in the water with her, which is alot of fun. Here is a picture of her swimming with Daddy:

The picture is kind of blurry, but that's the best I could do given the situation. That girl is full of action!

We recently took a trip out to California as well. Elise had so much fun running around with her Aunt Vero and Uncle Eloy. We got to take her to Disneyland which was very special, she loved the whole thing. We also got to see other family members that Elise had not met. It was a very special adventure. I will post more pictures of our trip once I get the all uploaded, but here are a few to start off:

On the carousel at Disneyland.

I love Disneyland!

So Much Love

2008-03-02T22:56:00.009-06:00

I just wanted to share a few pictures of the newest addition to our home, and Elise's new best friend. His name is Big Bunny. Elise is seriously head over heels in love with this big guy. She seems to have fallen in love the moment she first laid eyes on him. She spotted him from 30 feet away in Sam's and she just had to have him. She started cuddling with this thing as soon as she got within reach. So, of course, we HAD to buy him. Every once in a while, when she's crawling around the house, she'll remember her immense love and seek out Big Bunny for cuddles. Elise is stinking hilarious.

8 Whole Months

2008-01-31T16:24:00.000-06:00

Elise is 8 months old today! I am so proud of my big girl! I can't believe it's been 8 months already. I feel like she was born just yesterday. Amongst other milestones that she achieved this month, Elise got her first haircut. Those long curls growing out of the side of her head were getting out of control. So, here's her before picture;

And here's her after pictures;

Okay, so maybe you can't really tell much of a difference, especially not in these pictures, I just like to upload pictures to the blog, haha!

Keeping up with the little monkey

2008-01-26T17:06:00.000-06:00

Alright, now it's gotten really tough. Elise is such a monkey! She is climbing, or attempting to climb any piece of furniture, or person, she can find. She is so funny. Elise is very happy now that she has her first pair of "big girl shoes". They don't slip when she tries to stand on our hardwood floors.
I guess alot has happened since the last time I updated this. Elise had her first Christmas and New Years, which was very exciting. She had so much fun opening her presents, she's really into ripping paper. Unfortunately, she was more excited about the wrapping than the actual gifts. Elise is now almost eight months old and weighs nearly 18 pounds, she is such a big girl! She is right in the fiftieth percentile on her growth curve, which is great.
Elise mostly likes to spend her day crawling around the house chasing cats (see picture below), eating baby food, and talking up a storm.

She still calls for her "dada" incessantly, but I still haven't gotten her to say 'mama' even once. I think she gets tired of me because as soon as daddy gets home it's "dadadadadadaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!" and she doesn't want her mama anymore! Oh well, I love her like crazy. Here are some of the latest pictures of her;

Elise trying to get that camera.

Eatin an apple.

Playing with Daddy and Emma

My big girl standing up

Our Christmas card, 2007

Checkin emails

Me and the little one

Sorry so many pictures! I'm camera crazy!

Update!

2007-12-08T14:01:00.000-06:00

Usually I'm not this bad about updating this blog, but it takes alot of time and energy keeping up with that little girl! I'll try to be better.
Well, I guess alot has happened since the last time I wrote on here. For one, Elise turned six months old! She is such a big girl, I can't believe it's already been half a year! Time really does fly. She has officially started crawling, which is very exciting for everyone and also exhausting for me. If I don't watch her constantly, I swear she will just leave. That girl is all over the place! She had been rolling around the house like crazy and making strange attempts at crawling for the last couple of months, but now she's finally getting the hang of that crawling business.
I also decided to try teaching her sign language so that she would be able to communicate more effectively. I was so excited when she actually used her first sign last week when she signed for milk. It was so amazingly cool and kind of wierd too! She's really telling me what she wants, and she's still so little. It's amazing. We are currently working on teaching her to sign for a diaper change, to ask for more, and to ask for food.
A few weeks ago, my sister Veronica and my brother-in-law Eloy came to visit from California. We had a good time hanging out. They hadn't seen Elise since she was two weeks old, we were all very happy to see eachother again. We baptized Elise while they were here and they became Elise's godparents. It was a very special time. Elise shouted out during the entire ceremony. Not in sadness or frustration, but just to shout out. Deacon Jerry, who officiated the ceremony, said she was communicating with the holy spirit. Maybe that explains the strange orbs of light in the pictures above? I don't know, but still kinda strange.
All in all, we are happy and doing well, and we hope that anyone still reading this blog finds themselves the same way.

Happy Halloween!!!

2007-10-31T21:01:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween everyone! I hope you all had a blast celebrating this halloween. Elise and I had a good time. We went over to my mom's house and went trick-or-treating with my family. You can see my sweet little hotdog in the pictures above, I think she is hilarious. The thing in her hand in the second picture is a bottle of ketchup. Elise sure does know how she likes her hotdogs.
Though we both missed Kenny (he was at a conference in San Francisco), we made do as best as we could. Elise really enjoyed going from house to house. She LOVES walks, and she's such a ham, she just loves seeing people too. So trick-or-treating was perfect for her.

Strained Peas, I finally figured it out!

2007-10-07T14:26:00.000-05:00

I FINALLY figured out how to post a video! And it's just in time too! Elise had her first taste of solid food today. We are so excited! We started her off on strained peas because all the books and doctors have told us over and over to feed her vegetables before fruits, so peas it was. Check out the video, it's pretty hilarious. I thought I could just get by with having a paper towel handy, boy was I wrong. Looks like we're going to have to start breaking out the bibs. Her little onesie was covered in strained peas after this adventure. Below are some pictures of Kenny's attempt at feeding Elise, taken right after the video above was taken. We had fun.

Nice and toasty

2007-09-25T15:19:00.000-05:00

I told you I was technologically challenged! So I haven't been able to post a video on here yet. I did figure out how to use the camcorder, though. So, videos of Elise do exist, they're just not on the internet...yet. I took this two-minute video of her, but for some reason the file is rediculously huge, so I can't really upload it anywhere. As soon as I figure out how I screwed up, I'll post a video.

Kenny, Elise and I had fun this weekend shopping for Elise's first winter clothes. Kenny bought this big white furry snowsuit for her which is rediculously big and bulky. He debated for a little on whether to buy it, but he loves winter clothing and he just couldn't resist. I'm sure I'll be grateful for that suit when the snow starts rolling in. We bought alot of little jammies to keep her warm and a sweet little winter hat with bunny ears (see pictures above and below).

We are doing well and Elise is as happy as can be (especially right now, as she naps in my left arm while I type with my right). We have continued to practice our baby yoga which Elise usually loves. But I think Elise is wanting to cut back on it a bit, she started crying yesterday in the middle of our routine, so we had to stop, maybe she's bored with it? That's the thing with babies, alot of times it's just guess work and ruling things out.
Here are some pictures of our little bunny getting ready for winter.

We're Growing Up

2007-09-18T14:02:00.000-05:00

I just finished packing away all of the clothes that Elise has outgrown and I am so sad! I filled up a whole crate full of sweet little outfits that she will never wear again. I had to pause every once in a while and hug a little onesie or romper that brought back special memories. Okay, I admit it, I have become a sappy mom. But I just can't help it! I held her little shirts up to my nose, breathing in what was left of that wonderful baby smell. I know that Elise is still so small, she's still just a little baby, but she is just growing so fast, I wish there was a pause button!
Despite my motherly sappiness, I am looking forward to watching her grow up. I know that every stage brings its own rewards and I can't wait to see her crawling and toddling around. I always get so proud every time she reaches a new developmental milestone. I see her and immediately get an insanely large grin on my face and I think 'That's my girl! Growing and learning something new every day.'
She is such a joy. But, enough of me gushing over her.
My goal for this week: Figuring out how to use the video camera and how to post a video on this blog. We'll see if it happens, I'm not very technologically savvy.
Here are some new pictures, because if you have been following this blog at all, you know that I am very camera happy.

Getting Bigger

2007-08-30T15:04:00.000-05:00

Just a quick update to say that Elise has absolutely captivated Kenny and me with her awesomely sweet little smile. She is growing more and more every day and her motor skills are developing so quickly, it's hard to keep up! She has taken to the habit of grabbing on to anything that comes within grasping range. She has finally mastered the knowledge of her hand's capabilities and she's gonna take advantage of it! She has also recently discovered her feet which she finds absolutely fascinating. Kicking toys is the new funnest thing in the world. She is so much fun, I just love her so much. Here are a few new pictures of our little one.

How Elise Morphed Mommy and Daddy's Faces and Made Her Own

2007-08-24T17:40:00.000-05:00

For those of you who were wondering which one of us Elise looks like more, here are the results! According to facial recognition technology, she looks like both of us equally!

Staying Healthy

2007-08-12T13:00:00.000-05:00

Here's to the end of another successful week. We've made it through, once again. Elise is ten weeks old, her rate of growth continues to astound me.
We went to the pediatrician for Elise's 2 month checkup and vaccinations on Tuesday. I was a little nervous because I was taking her to the doctor by myself for the first time. I didn't know what to expect, but I braced myself for something awful. Elise and I waited for her name to be called for about an hour before finally taken back into an exam room. The room was about the size of a coat closet and just as stuffy. The nurse showed us into the room and we took Elise down the hall to wiegh her. She weighed in at 11 lbs., 8oz. This was great news. Elise had finally caught up on the growth curve and was now in the 75th percentile for her height and weight, instead of the 25th percentile that she was in at her 2 week checkup.
After being weighed and measured, the nurse showed us back to our room where she explained to me that Elise would be receiving three vaccinations that day. I should have known by the massive amounts of literature that she shoved at me that it was going to be quite a wait before the doctor came in to examine her. After reading all of the pamphlets, changing Elise's diaper, feeding Elise an entire bottle of formula, and putting her to sleep (I estimate a span of about an hour and a half) the doctor finally came into the room. She immediately went into a spiel about how much fun she had just had on her summer vacation and how she was absolutely buried in work. The woman went on and on, I was afraid that I would have to wait through a confession of her whole life story before my daughter was examined. I broke eye contact with her and paid full attention to my daughter in an effort to pursuade the doctor to get down to business. I guess she must have taken the hint because she then began her ritual of poking and prodding. She continued to talk as she shoved a small loop into Elise's ear to clear out some wax for better visualization of the ear drum. This caused Elise to bleed, and consequently, to cry. My little girl cried and cried in pain. I was horrified as this woman continued to talk, raising her voice so that I could hear her over my baby's wailing. This was the first time that I was hearing my little girl cry out in pain, I just wanted to hold her and get out of there! After much heartache, we made it through the exam and Elise was officially deemed healthy. The doctor left and a nurse came into the room bearing the dreaded syringes of terrible pain. I quickly got Elise dressed because I knew I would want to get her out of there just as soon as I could following her vaccinations. I was so thankful for the nurse who promised to give her the shots as fast as possible to minimize the time that she would be in pain. She gave them quickly and Elise began to cry harder than ever before. I picked her up and held her in the room for a while, trying my best to comfort her. I then gathered my things and left the room. To my surprise, as I began walking down the hall towards the exit, Elise quieted down. By the time I got in the elevator to leave, she was fast asleep. I put her in her carseat and took her home where she continued to sleep for another 2 hours.
The next few days were rough for Kenny and me. Elise was so sad and miserable. She was feeling icky and lethargic from the vaccinations. Our hearts sank as she moaned in our arms when we tried to comfort her. Kenny would take her on extra long walks every day which seemed to soothe her. By friday morning Elise was feeling 100% better and we were all more than relieved. I am so glad that we got through that ordeal, but I am certainly not looking forward to her next round of shots in another two months.

No more excuses

2007-08-02T21:00:00.000-05:00

One thing that I must say that I do miss about pregnancy is always having an excuse to indulge in any junk food I wanted. I enjoyed indulging myself in any kind of craving, wacky or not, because, hey, I was PREGNANT. But now, I have no more excuse. There is no excuse for the remaining pounds that seem to be holding on to me for dear life. I am running, doing yoga, and eating miniscule amounts of terribly bland food. Bleh! This stinks! But I refuse to quit, because, as I said, I no longer have any excuse. I have about 5 more pounds to lose to get back to my pre-pregnancy size and I'm gonna make it, I swear! Kenny gives me a hard time for being so obsessed, but I just can't help it. He likes to give me a hard time about most all of the crazy things I do, you would think he would be used to it by now! He thinks I'm nuts for taking so many pictures of Elise. I am so camera happy, but what can I say, I'm crazy about this little girl. Here are a few of the latest ones.

8 weeks

2007-07-26T20:55:00.000-05:00

Whew! I can't believe Elise is already two months old! One thing is for sure, mommy is definitely a tired girl. Elise is so sweet and just wonderful and she sure does love her mommy...ALOT. In fact, mostly, she just doesn't want mommy to ever put her down. There is an hour in the morning when she decides it's "bouncer time" when she demands to be put in her bouncer and nothing else will do. She's so funny, already informing me of her routines. I was cooking today and she decided that she definitely did not want to be left out, or put down at all for that matter. We compromised. I strapped her into her carrier and toted her around through the whole ordeal, she loved it. It worked out well, but cooking with my body facing the other way and my arm stretched as far out as possible can be quite a challenge. I love being a mom, exhaustion and all.

5 weeks

2007-07-05T22:31:00.000-05:00

Elise is 5 weeks old today, and she seems to be quite the happy little girl. She likes to keep her mommy good and tired. This little girl is as active as I suspected she would be when I was pregnant. She does not nap at all during the day! I don't know if that's normal or not, but we are both pretty exhausted by the end of the day. The good thing about it is that we both get in some good quality sleep time at night. Kenny has been great and super supportive, though he does tend to be a little slow. He'll wake up when she's crying in the middle of the night, ready and willing to fetch a fresh diaper or new bottle, only find that I've already done it. It's pretty hilarious, actually. We are already hard at work spoiling this little girl. Most of the time, all she wants is for mommy to carry her, and what is a mommy to do? Of course, I give in and carry my little one around most of the day, I'm such a sucker. Sadly, our little one has just outgrown her moses basket and is now starting to sleep in her crib, which she is not very fond of. She has been growing so fast! She recently outgrew her "newborn" size diapers and we are now using size 1's. I am enjoying her so much, I just don't want her to grow too fast!

A second of free time

2007-06-28T21:18:00.000-05:00

I am happy to announce that I have finally gotten a new working computer for myself. This and the fact that Elise is taking a nap allows me time to post on here again. Life has been so wonderful and so different for me as a new mom. Elise is doing great, she gets bigger and bigger every day, that little girl loves to eat. She is one month old today and we couldn't be prouder. I have almost grown accustomed to the lack of sleep, I manage to squeeze in a short nap every now and then.
I could not have asked for a better birthing experience with Elise. I was very nervous because of my issues with low blood pressure and I was worried that something would go wrong and that it would be a stressful event for me. I should not have worried so much, things went very smoothly. As I said before, we planned an induction on May 31st, as it seemed this little girl was determined to stay in there. We showed up at the hospital at 5:30AM for our scheduled appointment. The set-up process seemed to take forever. There were enormous piles of paperwork to fill out before anything could get started. I got frustrated with the whole ordeal and just had Kenny fill them out for me. The nurse set up an IV to get me started on fluids and Pitocin. It took her several tries to get it in the vein correctly. My mom, sister, and brother-in-law met us at the hospital at around 7:00AM, we were all ready to get this show on the road. We had fun laughing it up and joking around while things got started. At 8:00AM my doctor came in and broke my water, there was no turning back after that! Only after my water was broken did the nurse tell me that the anesthesiologist was in the middle of a c-section so if I wanted my epidural soon, I was going to have to wait. Needless to say, this made me a little nervous. From there my contractions started coming on fast. The pain was getting stronger and stronger and I just hoped that I could hang on for my epidural. I tried to stay calm and hide the pain because of everyone else in the room, but it was hard to do. After about an hour and a half I told Kenny to go tell the nurse that I needed my epidural ASAP! My mom laughed at my grimacing face and Kenny played around on the computer checking his stocks and sending emails. I must say, I was not a happy camper at that point. I just wanted to kick everyone out of my room! Thirty minutes later the anesthesiologist came to my rescue. My mom warned me that the epidural would be painful, but I found it actually quite relieving as it distracted me from the pain of my contractions. The epidural started working almost immediately and I felt great. I was all smiles after that. I joked around with the staff and was having a good time. Eloy (my brother-in-law) went out and got lunch for everyone to tide them over for the long wait. I watched everyone eat because apparently you aren't allowed to eat while you're in labor. We all took a quick nap and I woke up again at 1:00 when the nurse came in to check on my progress. She found that I was already 10 centimeters dilated and it was time to start pushing. I thought she was joking at first, but it was really time. She had me do a few pushes while the doctor came and then asked me to stop because the baby was coming out so fast. My doctor came in and she had to rush to put on her gloves. I was joking around with the rest of the staff, the nurse told them not to make me laugh because the baby would come out! My doctor said that if I was laughing so much during labor, that was a good epidural, and it was. A few pushes later and Elise was born. She was born at 1:27PM on May 31st. She weighed 7lbs. 6oz and was 19 1/2 inches long. We spent two nights at the hospital before coming home.
At her two week appontment we found that Elise had not gotten back up to her birth weight. It made me very sad because apparently I hadn't been making enough milk for her and didn't known about it. I've been having to supplement her with formula and she has been thriving ever since. We weigh her daily to make sure that she is growing accordingly. She is an absolutely beautiful little girl and we love her very much. We are truly blessed.

Some pictures of Elise

2007-06-19T21:27:00.000-05:00

She's here!!!!

2007-06-04T14:36:00.000-05:00

Just a quick update while I have a second. Elise was born on May 31st at 1:27PM. We are so in love. She is absolutely hands-down the love of my life. I will post the whole birth story once I get a chance. She's doing wonderfully and she is just great, even when she's crying at 3AM. :)

What the..?!?!

2007-05-29T10:46:00.000-05:00

Where is the baby????? It is May 29th, officially past my due date. I did not get to update this blog over the weekend because I discovered, amongst other things, that Kenny's computer will not let me do so. I really need to get my own computer running. Anyhoo, so it is past my due date and Elise still has not made her appearance. Why doesn't she want to come out?????? Despite my non-labor angst, I did manage to have a wonderful weekend. My sister Vero and brother-in-law Eloy are in town, they came just to meet Elise, and she's not even here yet! They got here on Saturday and we have been having a blast hanging out. On Saturday morning, me and Kenny went to the art festival on Paseo, it was nice. I enjoyed just walking around and seeing all the art, people, and just enjoying the sunshine. That night we went over and had dinner at my parent's house, as my sister and Eloy had arrived. My mom made me a special jello cake that I had requested, it was soooooo good! We had alot of fun just talking and catching up with my family. On Sunday we went out to lunch, and then went to go scope out strollers. We found some nice ones, but I still have not committed to any. We then went back to my mom's house to watch some movies. We saw Lady In The Water and Pan's Labyrinth. They were both good movies, we had a good time. Yesterday, Memorial Day, I spent most of the day cleaning up the house. My lack of energy was rediculous. I would sweep one room and then have to take a twenty-minute break, because I was so exhausted. I made dinner reservations for the whole family at Shogun's, we had fun watching the guy do all his tricks, and the food was pretty tasty too. Mom said that the only thing that was lacking was some hot sauce, I guess they just didn't have any. The whole weekend was pretty great overall.
This morning I got a little excited because I felt a pretty strong contraction, it's actually what woke me up this morning. I have only felt one other one ever since, so I'm not going to get myself too worked up. We had another doctor's appointment this morning at 10. Before we left, I bid farewell to my old '96 Ford Contour, as the American Cancer Society is scheduled to pick it up today, I'm gonna miss that old clunker.
My doctor is as surprised as I am that I have not delivered this baby yet. She checked me again and said that I am now 3 centimeters dilated. So, there is some progress, but still no baby. We decided to go ahead and schedule a date for induction. Past your due date, the placenta becomes drained of nutrients and is therefore not able to supply the baby with nutrients as well as it had been. We want to give Elise the best chance possible of success once she is born, with minimal medical assistance, so it was best to schedule the induction. So here it is...we are scheduled to have labor induced at 5:30 AM on Thursday, May 31st!!!! How exciting! We finally have a date! So, sometime between now and Friday I will officially be a mom, yikes!!!!! I am very scared and very excited.

Still no action

2007-05-22T13:11:00.000-05:00

I went in for my 39 week appointment today. There has been no birthing action going on, and I'm kind of disappointed. Granted, my actual due date isn't until Sunday, but I was hoping for some kind of excitement by now! I think everyone at the doctor's office is getting pretty tired of seeing me every week. Everyone was saying things like "where's the baby?" and "haven't you delivered that baby yet?". No, no, I'm still here, still pregnant. I know that I am not going to be pregnant forever, Elise will come on her own time. My doctor said that she usually likes to induce at 41 weeks, so if I make it to my next appointment we can schedule a time to get things rolling. She said that I am two centimeters dilated now, which still does not necessarily mean anything, but only 8 centimeters left to go! Come on little one, time to see the world!

So this is what it's like...

2007-05-17T10:43:00.000-05:00

to be sleep deprived!!!! My goodness, what I wouldn't give for a good night's rest. My zombie-like state reminds me of the countless nights that I would stay up cramming during finals week in college. At least I still have time for a daily shower this time around. I am hoping that this little one comes soon, I don't want to think of going through another month of discomfort. It sounds worst than I mean it to, but I just really want some sleep. I get extremely nauseated as soon as I lay down and even if I can put up with that, it isn't long before all my muscles start aching because of the lack of blood circulation. This baby is so big, she's cutting off my blood supply! Last night I slept about 2 hours. I spent the rest of the night flip-flopping in bed like a fish out of water. I finally decided to move to the couch to see if it offered me a bit more comfort. After a few more hours I finally managed to fall asleep, only to be awaken by Kenny thirty minutes later as he walked across the house yelling something about Emma (one of our cats). I have no idea what he said, I was too tired to understand anything at that point. Needless to say, I could not fall back asleep after that. Kenny took a bath while I watched another episode of Baby Story on TLC (which, I admit, I am hopelessly addicted to). I thought I was uncomfortable at seven months, boy, was I ever wrong! I guess this is just a taste of those restless nights I have to look forward to once Elise comes into this world.
Okay, enough complaining. I'm sure I will not die of sleep deprivation. I keep meaning to put up some more pictures here, but unfortunately, my home computer is broken. No computer means no scanner means no new pictures for my blog. At least I am still able to keep posting between experiments at work (teehee!). I like to tell people that my computer was hit by lightning, because it sounds cool, but I think it just broke because it is old. Oh well! I'll try to get it fixed as soon as I get a chance, then I can put up some pictures.

Stretchmarks!

2007-05-10T11:02:00.000-05:00

That's right, I said it. That terrible word, filled with dread and sheer unhappiness. I think everyone will agree with me that stretchmarks are definitely uncool and unattractive. Well, add me to the list of victims of pregnancy stretchmarks.
Yesterday I got home and went about my daily routine of slathering Belly Butter on my gigantic belly. I was so proud, no stretchmarks. I was loving my body for the super powers it held in avoiding falling victim. No problems, until I looked in the mirror! My belly is so big now that I can't see the bottom half of it without looking in the mirror. Oh, I should not have looked! Right there beneath my distorted belly button was my very first pregnancy belly stretchmark, and it was hiding from me! I put the Belly Butter down and cursed all the laws of nature, it just isn't fair!
Okay, so maybe I'm over-dramatizing it, but it was still disappointing. 37 weeks along, and I get my first stretch mark, what the..?!? That's not supposed to happen! Oh well, I have plenty of stretch marks elsewhere to keep it company. I just hope this little one is born soon so they don't get out of control!

In the home stretch

2007-05-09T14:09:00.000-05:00

Okay, so maybe I'm not ready to evict this little one yet, but she has been hanging out in there for quite some time. I am still enjoying pregnancy, though at times it does weigh on me pretty heavily. I've had some more issues with my consistently low blood pressure this week (hence, my lack of updating this page). Kenny is doing the best he can, but there is not much he can do when I'm blacking out or vomitting on the side of the road. Not much, except try to act like he's not grossed out, which he has done an extraordinary job at. He has been very supportive and I am very proud of his abilty to stay calm when my body is going into panic mode. He takes care of me pretty well. Though, let's not feel too sorry for him, he still doesn't have to deal with all the physical distresses that have accompanied this pregnancy!
I think we're pretty much set for this little girl to make her big entrance. I finished buying some extra odds and ends this weekend which included such things as baby body wash, lotion, a few diapering products that I hadn't gotten yet, and a little flower pot of mini roses to add to her room.
My sister and brother-in-law have graciously offered to buy her a stroller, which I am so thankful for. So, now the stroller research will commence! There's so many out there, I don't know where to start! Any suggestions? I'm looking for something safe and versatile that I won't be too embarrassed or too weak to lug around, ha ha. I'm sure Elise doesn't care, but momma's gotta look good!

It's MAY!

2007-05-01T11:10:00.000-05:00

Yay!!!! I can't believe I've made it to May, and I am 36 weeks along! Kenny says that we're officially in the safe zone, and she's free to be born at any time. I went to my 36 week appointment yesterday. I left with a feeling of positivity, it was far more productive than my appointments usually are. Usually my appointments are about five minutes long, the doctor asks if I have any questions, and she tells me everything's normal, and that's it. This time Elise's heart rate was a little slower than usual, which means that she's almost ready to be born!
During undergrad I did some work with zebra fish where I would spend hours looking into a microscope at little baby zebrafish wiggling around inside their chorion's, and I would have to try to break the chorion open without injuring the babies while they wiggled. Several times during this pregnancy Elise has been a wiggly monster in there, and I told Kenny that she reminded me of a little baby zebra fish.
According to our appointment yesterday, she's definitely not a zebra fish anymore! Her little body is just putting on fat now so that she'll be ready for her big arrival. The doctor checked me and she said that I am 1cm dilated! Sure, it doesn't necessarily mean anything, but I'll take it! Only 9 more centimeters left to go. I'm sure Elise will come on her own time, when she's good and ready. She seems to be getting herself prepared, which is so exciting! I can't wait to meet my little girl.

A brand new car!!!!!!

2007-04-25T11:45:00.000-05:00

We bought our new car yesterday, yay!!! We got a new Honda CR-V, quite a handsome vehicle. Kenny had been researching and re-researching this car for over 6 months now. We were driving by the dealership and thought we would drop in just to see which ones they had and what options they had in them. After looking into this car for so long, we were not surprised to find that we knew more about it than the salesman. We went and looked over at the black one (the color we wanted) and found that it had exactly all the options that we had been looking for, and even the sticker price was resonable! So, Kenny and I looked at eachother and said, "Yeah, this is the one". And we bought it, just like that. The salesman was a bit confused. He didn't even have to use his sales pitch! we said we didn't have to test drive it because we had test driven 3 CR-V's already, but he made us do it anyway. I loved it, of course, and the paperwork started right away. Kenny had worked out a loan with the Credit Union a few days ago, so everything was set! It was so fast and easy, I think we left all the salesmen in a haze. We are having some fog lights installed, but we get to pick it up on Thursday and I am sooooo excited!!! It's nice to have a good dependable car to drive our little girl around in. We are beyond blessed.

Busy Bees

2007-04-23T09:57:00.000-05:00

Let me start by thanking everyone at OMRF for the awesome baby shower they gave us on Friday. Yes, it was our second baby shower, we are so spoiled. Bev and Monica, two amazing ladies, put it together for us. These girls just so happen to be very good friends of mine and also just so happen to be Kenny's students, wierd, I know. Everything went really well and we got such great stuff for our little girl. I'm so excited!
I was relieved that I didn't get sick during the baby shower. That morning I had had another blood pressure drop episode, so I was dizzy and basically sick as a dog all morning. Poor Kenny had to pick me up and drive me home, which I'm sure was a nightmare for him. I was sitting there in the passenger seat feeling like I was going to die with the world spinning around me and there was nothing he could do about it. Poor guy, he tries to talk me through it, but most of the time I'm just not listening or I'm snapping something back at him. Sorry, honey! I don't mean it, I promise! At least I didn't have to go to the hospital this time. It's amazing what a good long nap can do for you.
The baby shower was a good kick off for the rest of the weekend. On Saturday I went and visited with my mom and brother for a good long time. We had fun, like we always do. My brohter is an amazing kid, he has become very protective of his big sister and little neice, it's great! Meanwhile, Kenny was at home mowing the lawn and working on odd jobs around the house, Saturday was Kenny's productive day. Sunday was definitely productive day for me, though. I worked all day washing Elise's clothes, bedding, drapes, and basically everything else in her room, trying to get it ready for her big arrival. I felt so overwhelmed with the amount of things that I still had to do before she gets here, so I got to work on it! Now her crib is all set up, and everything I need is right in its proper place, ready to go. There are still a few details I want to work on before she gets here, but we're ready for our little girl. I can't wait to have her here.

Who is this maniac?

2007-04-17T15:12:00.000-05:00

My poor dear husband! 34 weeks along, and I have been an absolute emotional roller coaster. So far, Kenny has been quick enough to keep up, though sometimes it's been a bit shaky! I find that sometimes I just want to lay down and cry over the dumbest things. Some days I can't stop expressing my joy and fascination over this whole thing. I'm smiley and bright and I just want the world to know how happy I am. But then, the next day rolls around where anything will set me off. It could be that I had a rough night, and my discomfort made sleep impossible (which is usually the case). On those days all I want is for this baby to be out. I always end up feeling so bad for being such a baby, because in retrospect, it wasn't that bad, and I truly do have it easy. Just yesterday I went to the grocery store after work because I was going to cook a special meal. I waddled around the store for a while until I was satisfied that I really didn't need anything else (only to find out later, that I completely forgot to pick up laundry detergent to wash the baby's clothes!). I got home and found myself exhausted from my long day, it was getting late, so dinner would be finished too late, and Kenny wasn't even hungry. Kenny had gone to a reception earlier and had already eaten. On any other day, I would have been relieved, less work for me to do! But yesterday, this seemed to be some sort of infinitely deep source of frustration. I just wanted to cry. I had to walk away from the situation and completely clear my mind of it. After the consumption of several strawberries and much time spent in the peace of our backyard, I was able to pull myself together. Geez, I'm a mess!

Is it May yet?

2007-04-11T10:05:00.000-05:00

I just found out that my friends and ex-employers Chris Davey and Letrisa Miller had their baby last night. I must admit, I'm pretty jealous. I found out I was pregnant way before they did. Though, to be fair, they did find out they were pregnant when she was four months along. I have about a month left to go, and I don't know where I'm going to fit the extra poundage. I've already had two people comment on my large size just this morning. One of them even called me a "big mama"! I laughed, but it's still a little wierd to hear. I don't really feal big, it's only when I look in the mirror that I realize the exaggerated proportions that my body has taken on. It's a bit of a shock every time. My hips are so loose and uncomfortable these days, it feels like they're going to slip right off! Despite my discomfort and increasingly shocking appearance, I don't have much to complain about, everything is going really well.

Baby Shower

2007-04-07T20:29:00.000-05:00

Yesterday my family threw us an AMAZING baby shower. It was awesome! My mom and my sister really outdid themselves putting it together. My sister made an incredible cake, it was pink with white clouds on it, two layers! And it was so tasty too! They organized great games and everyone had a good time (I think!). We also got SOOOOO much stuff! My family gave us so much beautiful clothing for little Elise. She is a very lucky girl, she is so well-loved already! My mom gave me so much stuff that I know I'm really going to need. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful family that would do all that for me and the baby. Big thanks to everybody!!!!!!
Leave it to me to spill a big glob of Mayo on my pretty white shirt at the start of the evening! Oh well, everything was great anyway!

I'm not pregnant?

2007-04-03T14:24:00.000-05:00

You Are Probably Not Pregnant

It seems like you're in the clear, but you should really take a test to be sure.

Are You Pregnant?

According to this, I'm not even pregnant. Somebody's got a whole lot of explaining to do. Ha ha!
Today I enter my eighth month of pregnancy. Yay! I'm so big, it's rediculous, I don't think my belly can stand to stretch out any more. Poor baby, she must be so squished in there. Today I saw a pathetic artist's rendition of what she probably looks like right now. The poor thing is all curled up, she has no room! She moves around and pushes at me more and more every day. Kenny says that she's in there doing pull-ups on my ribs, which is entirely possible because she does like to manipulate my ribs quite a bit (which feels really wierd, by the way).
My sister is in town and she saw my big-bellied self for the first time yesterday. She seemed thoroughly disgusted. I'm glad she's here and gets to share in this experience some.

More nursery stuff!

2007-04-02T18:05:00.000-05:00

It is official. The baby's room is finally painted. I am so glad that it's done! I have to admit, I was dreading the whole project altogether. I envisioned all the work and back-aches that would ensue once I got the project started. Much to my surprise, the process was pretty much painless. Kenny and I got that room painted in less than in afternoon. I'm pretty proud of us. I think the room looks really good. The color I chose was a really light soft green (much like the background to this blog). I like it because it also brings out the green in the bedding I got for the crib. The bedding is a little more pink than I expected it to be, so I'm glad the walls are toning it down some. So, after all that painting, stretching, and climbing over furniture, we came out unscathed. No trauma, no fights, and NO BACK-ACHES. Woo hoo!

2007-03-30T09:46:00.000-05:00

You Will Be a Cool Parent

You seem to naturally know a lot about parenting, and you know what kids need.
You can tell when it's time to let kids off the hook, and when it's time to lay down the law.
While your parenting is modern and hip, it's not over the top.
You know that there's nothing cool about a parent who acts like a teenager... or a drill sergeant!

Would You Be a Cool Parent?

According to this, I'm gonna be a cool parent. Phew! Now I can relax! Just kidding, I don't know what I'm doing. Hopefully my kids will think I'm cool, but if they don't, oh well! I think I'm pretty cool anyway. Besides, Kenny will say I'm cool, you know, if he wants to live.

Ahhh...pregnancy

2007-03-27T22:28:00.000-05:00

I have reached 31 weeks today! I am so far along, I can't believe she's almost here! And my my my, she is getting so big! Elise, being the proper girl that she is, has decided that it is highly inappropriate for mommy to slouch in her chair. She likes to correct my sloppy posture by repetitively kicking me in the ribs until I sit up, she is quite insistent. She will soon outgrow her cramped quarters and venture into the world (I hope it's not too soon, though, I'm not ready!).
I am not so happy to announce that I have also discovered the magical wonder of braxton-hicks contractions. They're really annoying when you're in the middle of an intensely focused project. I am convinced that they have distracted me from receiving several brilliant ideas. Oh well! I love it all! I'm having a great time.

Here they are!

2007-03-26T09:03:00.000-05:00

Below are some of the pictures that we had taken last week. Okay, so they're the only pictures we actually bought, because they were hella expensive! I figure I might as well save a little money now and buy less of these pictures because when we take pictures with the baby I'm going to want to buy them all! Anyhoo, I think the pictures came out pretty well, I'm happy with them.

2007-03-26T08:58:00.000-05:00

Are you sure there's only ONE in there?

2007-03-23T15:51:00.000-05:00

Let me be the first to admit that I am huge. This is understandable, I am seven months pregnant. Just recently, I shared an elevator with a woman that works on the same floor that I do. We chatted a bit about the baby, the gender, and how excited I am. I made a small comment about how big I was getting to which she replied "Yeah, there's only one in there?" I said yes, that I was sure I was having just one, to which she answered "Are you SURE?". Excuse me??? I realize that I am not as small as I used to be, but have I officially reached house-size status? I like to believe that because this woman is foreign, she was actually trying to give me a compliment (even though I know I'm kidding myself). I was actually relieved at my last doctor's appointment when the doctor said that I am just a little bit on the small side for this far along in my pregnancy. She said that it's okay, though because I'm kind of a small girl. So, maybe I'm not a whale yet, though according to some, I'm well on my way!

Grumpy Kippy

2007-03-21T22:56:00.000-05:00

If you know my Kippy Cat, you know that most everything makes her grumpy. There are very few things that make her truly happy. These things include oranges, kicking other's asses, admiring her own beauty in the mirror, and hearing her name spoken repeatedy in a high-pitched voice. She's crazy, but she does love her mom, in her own wierd way. She has recently learned not to sleep against my belly, because Elise likes to kick her through my belly and it really pisses her off. It makes her growl, grumble about, groom herself fastidiously, and then shake her rear left leg.

The baby's room

2007-03-21T22:42:00.000-05:00

I think the baby's room is FINALLY coming together. We got the changing table in today. Kenny went to go pick it up and brought the huge box in the house. Here goes another week to wrestle with the massive amounts of styrofoam that Babies R Us likes to pack along with all their furniture. It's okay, though. I am so happy that we have all the furniture in. And it's really nice furniture to boot! I also just now finished ordering the bedding for the crib. It's a really cute "vintage floral". It took me long enough to decide on the bedding! I was obsessing over it in an unhealthy way. Big thanks out to my sister for shaking me out of it. Sometimes if you're a little nuts, you just need someone to nudge you along a little bit.

Pictures!

2007-03-18T15:15:00.000-05:00

I finally had my maternity pictures taken yesterday. It was so much fun! The people there were super nice, so I didn't feel all wierd about it. I know, it's so cliche and uncool, but I had my pictures taken at Glamour Shots! I know what you're thinking; big hair and feather boas, but those days are in the past! I think our pictures came out pretty darn well, if I do say so myself. The photographer asked me if I wanted to take some with my bare belly, I told her no, because my belly is pretty unattractive. We had a good laugh. I ended up taking one with my bare belly, but didn't order it, because, as I said, it's pretty unattractive. So, I am glad to report that the whole experience was great.

First post

2007-03-15T10:25:00.000-05:00

Hey, it's me, Norma.
So, here we go, my first post.
Here we are, 29 weeks along! I can't believe it. This whole thing has been such an adventure.
Little Elise is growing by the minute. I think she was training for a marathon in there last night. She was kicking and shifting around, consequently causing her mom to kick and shift around all night. I think she's rearranging things in there, you know, to suit her taste.
I finally got the changing table for the nursery ordered on Saturday! It took long enough, though. I swear, that's the last thing I'm buying from Babies R Us. Apparently you need a minimum of 10 managers to make a transaction at that store. Sheesh!
I'm taking maternity photos this upcoming Saturday. I am so nervous/excited! I never thought that it was something that I would do, mostly because alot of maternity photos are kind of wierd and creepy, but I'm excited to commemorate this time in my life.
I'll be sure to post some of the pics once I get them back!