And Baby E Makes Three

Eleven Months!

2011-12-11T13:57:00.088-05:00

Dear Maya,
My adorable Maya Papaya, little Hazelnut, Doozer, messy buggerface (sorry its true)

This month has been one of such amazing development and firsts. I know that I sound like a broken record, but I'm just blown away by how much you have learned in a matter of weeks. You soak up everything; you surprise me every single day. There is much to talk about, so let's begin...

You are a tadpole! At daycare you have graduated from the little baby ‘Guppies’ room to the mobile baby ‘Tadpoles’ room. As expected, you have transitioned beautifully. I am incredibly grateful to Miss Dilruba, Miss Thamara and Miss Rosa for taking such amazing care of you these last six months, but now you have so much more room to crawl and explore and play with your new teachers and friends. In your new class, you love to stand at the mirror bench, bang and play with the musical instruments, and sit together with the other kids for breakfast and lunch.

your last week as a little Guppy surrounded by all of your favorite toys

All of this activity has made you one very excellent napper! You are down to two daytime naps: one around 9:30 AM (for about an hour) and one around 1:00 PM (for almost two and a half hours). The first few days in your new class really wiped you out. Even with your long afternoon siesta, you were cranky and tired at the end of the day. We’d try to get you home, feed you a little, give you a quick bath and put you to bed, but it was a long day for you my sweet, and you had nothing left in the tank. Now you seem to have adjusted to the new routine and we are back to watching Star and Chica together on the Goodnight Show while daddy makes dinner each night.

watching the goodnight show (with special guest appearance by daddy!)

Each night, we still have the same basic routine: we watch the goodnight show on Sprout, have dinner together, you take your bath and then go to bed. This month we've added a book before dinner (you are too tired at the end of the night to enjoy it) and after you are in pajamas and have said goodnight to daddy, you like to close your bedroom door and turn off your light all by yourself. When the room goes dark, you put your sweet head on my shoulder and I carry you to the glider and give you the last of your evening bottle. These days, you like to drink most of it at dinner, so there are only maybe two or three ounces left for bedtime. This doesn't take long for you to drink at all. Then we say the Shema, and I put you into your crib. You are usually asleep within minutes.

bath time fun

daddy drinks coffee and Maya has a bottle

You will usually sleep until 6:20 on weekdays and as late as 7:15 on weekends. During the week, daddy gets you up and dressed. You like to crawl down the hallway to show me your pretty outfit for the day and watch me dry my hair. You love to feel the warm air on your face. On Saturday mornings, we all hang out in pajamas until after your first nap. You like you play peekaboo in bed with mommy and make the doorstopper in the hallway going booooooooing!

watching mommy dry her hair

You are cruising! You ‘walk’ around the ottoman in the living room and push your cart all over. Look out to everyone and everything in your path! You absolutely love the tv remote, the telephone and crinkling paper/ receipts. You walk around and around the living room to get any and all of these items.

You are getting a top tooth! Your bottom two are officially not the only chompers in that mouth anymore- you have one (possibly two) poking through your top gums right now. (Perhaps another reason for the crankiness)

This month you have had all kinds of fun things to eat. But! The! Big! News! ..is that you had your first bagel (In NY of course). You’ve also tried fish, brussel sprouts, peppers, onions, strawberries, cherries, turkey and pizza crust; all of which you like. However, more than all of those, you adore papaya! This is how you’ve earned your nickname of the month, Maya papaya. You just cannot get enough of it. Even though it’s slippery, you grab as much papaya as you can from your tray and gobble it down. You are also getting much better at using your sippy cup.

first bagel

sippy cup and fish (yum!) and broccoli (eh)

You like to share. You like to offer me your sippy cup at dinnertime, your duckie at bath time and your socks all the time! Interestingly, you never feel compelled to share your pacifier. You also like to share your germs, and both mommy and daddy have been lucky recipients of your latest cold. Yes, you are a good sharer indeed.

You like to put things ‘in’. At home, you love putting your bath toys IN your rinse cup. At daycare, you like to collect toys and put them IN the bin. I hope this desire to always clean up your toys after playing with them sticks around for a long long time.

putting toys away

You are really interacting with your toys and other babies. You love playdates. You love the octopus toy- you take balls out of a bowl on the floor and put them into a slot on the octopus's head. Then you look for the balls to come out of its feet. You like to stack the crayola orbs and make them chime and light up. I love to watch how focused you become on each task. Sometimes you are so hard at work on your own toys, you don’t even notice when Jerry walk into the room.

stacking

playdate with your buddy Nathan

You had your first Thanksgiving! We drove to Queens and had a wonderful holiday! You were so good- smiling and playing with everyone. We watched the parade in the morning and took a long walk while Grandpa, Bubbie, Daddy and Uncle Brian cooked. Then, you sat in your highchair at the table with everyone else and ate turkey and sweet potatoes!

watching the parade together

great grandmas

nosies with Pappa Donny

First Thanksgiving meal- at the head of the table!

thanksgiving table

Maya's first Thanksgiving craft- a handprint turkey!

showing off how you play with your poppin' pals

Playing with Oma's necklace

You met Hammer! Now that Uncle Brian lives in New York, he brought Hammer over to Grandpa's place for Thanksgiving. You really seem to love him; you had so much fun chasing after him and getting big ol wet kisses. Hammer really liked you- it's rare that he isn't the shortest one in a room.

Maya and Hammer and Uncle Bri

You went to your first ‘museum.' While in NY, we had a playdate with Josh, Jordyn and Jared at The New Jersey Children’s Museum. Thankfully they let someone with a name other than J tag along! You had a blast crawling through the tunnel in the infants room, banging on the drum in the music room, voting and co-anchoring then afternoon newscast.

fun in the tunnel

kisses from Jared

anchoring the news

learning early that every vote counts

drums with friends

Your cousin Natalia turned one! We went to Tia Patty and Tio Ilan’s beautiful new home in the Bronx and celebrated your cousin’s first birthday! You got to see Abuelita & Saba, Bubbie & Grandpa, Ila & Rich and Adam & Makiko. You enjoyed the balloons and music and all of the other kids. It was a long day and you were so good. You partied so hard, you napped for over three hours in the car afterwards!

Las Primas

You also went to parties for Riley's 5th birthday and Josh's 1st birthday. You always have fun, exploring new places, playing with new kids and toys. I cant believe it's been almost a whole year since you were born, my sweet girl. I hope you have a blast at the party we are putting together for you.

Coming down the slide at Riley's pajama party

Playing with birthday boy Josh at his party

You are very musical. You’ve started to ‘whistle’ and it’s so cute. You purse your lips and blow- sometimes you really do make a whistling sound! You saw Miss Dee Dee whistling one day and really picked it up! Also, you had one helluva diaper rash this month. It went away once we figured out how to treat it, but for a while I was blowing on your bottom to make sure it was dry before I put the cream or the diaper on you. I think you thought I was whistling to you, so you’ve started doing it when I change you now. You also love the instruments at music class. You like to sway in my lap as we sing and shake your egg shakers during the train song.

music class egg shakers

music class drums

You have made this such a funny, sweet and memorable month. Your giggles are contagious and your smile brightens up even the chilliest winter day.

funny faces in your purple fleece kittly hat

smiles and hugs with Abuelita

I can't believe that in just one month you will be a whole year old. My sweet, this has been an unbelievable year and I can't wait to celebrate with you and all of the people who love you!

Love, Mommy

Ten Months!

2011-11-11T13:07:00.033-05:00

Dear Maya,

My energizer infant, my sweet squawk box, my screeching baby pterodactyl, my beautiful girl,

Today you are ten months old. 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10! Unreal. This has been a tremendous month for you developmentally, socially, physically… everything! I look back at photos of you from just 2 or 3 months ago and I realize how much you've changed.

Your hair has really grown in. And it’s getting curly! At bath time, I wash your hair and it bounces up into the cutest little ringlets in the back. You may have your daddy’s complexion, eye and hair color… but I think you have my curls. You also have a second tooth. You (understandably) were not very happy with this addition to your mouth; your poor gums ached and you spent several days working on Sophie’s ears and your blue teething ring. You seem to be much better…for now. I’m sure more chompers are on their way.

You crawl so fast! You love moving around and exploring different rooms of the house. One of your favorite discoveries is the door stopper. You long to hear it go boooooooiiinnngggg. You’ve also found the puzzle stool that has been in your room since birth, the windowsill and the air vents.

You are fascinated by the vacuum. Whenever I vacuum the house, you love to crawl up to it. If you are sitting in your high chair or playpen, you sit and follow it all over the room with your eyes. You never sit still, even when we pick you up, you do this mid-air runningman dance. But you will sit in your playpen mesmerized by the thing.

You cannot get enough of Jerry. You will be playing with a toy in one spot and then he walks into the room. Zoom! You are off crawling towards the cat. You adore him. You love to feel his soft fur and sandpaper kisses. Sometimes you try to pull his tail and sometimes you like to lay your head on his side. It’s so sweet. Even when you grab a big handful of fur and pull, he never gets angry with you.You are curious. You want to touch everything. Especially the remote, the phone and the camera. Sometimes its hard to get a picture of you because you are reaching for the lens.

You are beginning to pull yourself up to stand! This began just last weekend here and there. It was a struggle at first, but you quickly got the hang of it. Now you are able to stand up in your crib and let us of know when you are done napping. You love to stand at your music table, holding on with one hand and hitting the colored shapes, flipping the pages on the book and sliding the whammy bar on the guitar with your other hand. You pull yourself up to the ottoman and slap the top of it over and over.

At daycare, you crawl up to the cubbies and pull yourself up to get the toys off of the shelf. You see Nanda or Addison in the minnows room and stand at the gate talking to them. You like make this high pitched AAH! AAH!

Speaking of your friends, you had a very full social calendar this month! You went on a hayride with Colin, Josh and Graciela, you went to Ryan’s First Birthday(!) party in DC, Jodi came to visit, you wore your ladybug costume to the mall for an afternoon with friends, you had an early morning pajama party with Nathan, a Halloween pajama photo shoot with Josh and a playdate with Riley at her house.

Every day, Daddy and I pick you up from daycare and go home. While he makes dinner, you and I play in the bedroom with Jerry and watch The Goodnight Show on Sprout. We sing ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ with Nina and the ‘Happy Happy Birthday’ song with Chica. Then it’s time for dinner and your bath. Your love bath time and so do I. I actually look forward to this time with you all day. You could sit and play with your rinse cup and toys forever; and I could sit there and watch you the whole time. I used to have to hand you toys, but now you reach for your blue whale or yellow puffer fish. You even pick up your wash cloth from the bottom of the tub.

You have so much energy.. until you don’t. You play and crawl and laugh and go-go-go until you poop out. You get this look on your face and it’s time for a nap. Most of the time we can put you into your crib and you roll onto your tummy and go right to sleep (I said you were pooped) but other times you will play in your crib for 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes amused by the monkeys on your wall, the shadows the curtains make on the floor, the bars on the crib, anything and everything. Eventually you plop down and face plant into the mattress.

This month you had a visit from Bubbie and Grandpa. We had so much fun! We went pumpkin picking and to a fall festival. Boy did you love the animals!

Also, Bubbie and Grandpa got your first pair of shoes! OK, they are really still just baby shoes, more like slippers than real shoes but you look like such a big girl!You like to pull them off as well as your socks, I hope we can keep your little feet warm this winter!

Your first Halloween was quite a celebration. First we got into the spirit of the season by going to a Fall Festival with pumpkin picking and a hayride. Then on Friday, you were in a parade and attended a party at your daycare. On Sunday we went to the neighborhood block party as well as the mall for trick or treating around the stores where you got your first piece of Halloween candy (Godiva of course)! Finally on Monday (which was actually Halloween) you joined a couple of the neighborhood kids and went door to door.

You are a ham. A jokester. A ball of giggles. You love to play. You will initiate peekaboo by pulling a blanket up over your face. We say "Where's Maya?" Then you pulls it down and smile that gummy sweet grin as we yell "There she is!" This goes on and on, you never get tired of it. Similarly, you also love it when I hide around a corner or behind a door. I peek out and say “Hi!!!!” and you laugh and laugh. We do this in the bathtub, in the hallway, in the car…. You love it!

You say ma ma ma and da da da – I know you are just parroting what you hear but I love to hear you say it. My heart actually swells up when I hear you babble softly to yourself, ma ma ma as you play or when you see me. You have this soft, gravelly voice. I look forward to hearing what you say next. You eat black beans and raspberries now (but not together), you like tofu but not beef and you love quinoa. You are able to give yourself a bottle (when we aren’t looking- otherwise you pretend you cant so we will do it for you) and you are using your sippy cup very well.

I recently read that “If you take a toy away from her, your increasingly assertive baby is likely to object.” Oh. Hells. Yes. This is you. You hate giving up an instrument at the end of a song in music class. That said, you continue to love music class. You love banging the drums and crawling to the middle of the circle grinning ear to ear while kicking /stomping your feet. You shake the eggs and maracas, you follow the scarves as we wave them all around. I am definitely going to enroll you in this class again over the winter.

My sweet, you surprise me in the best ways. The other morning, you and I were cuddling in bed watching Sesame Street. Elmo came on and you laughed, dropping your pacifier. It rolled away a bit from where we were snuggled and you reached for it, picked it up, turned it over and placed it back into your mouth before laying back onto the pillow. There I lay, watching you. When did you learn to do that? It’s these everyday little moments that totally amaze me. A few weeks later you were at a party and there were some stacking cups on the floor. You crawled up to some and put a small one inside a bigger one! Again- when did you learn how to do this? I remember when we first started at daycare, all of the older babies in the room seemed so grown up. Now YOU are the oldest baby in the room. In a few weeks, you will begin to transition from the infant Guppy room to the Tadpoles room with the rest of the mobile babies. You and Addison will join your old friends Elliott, LuLu and Emily. And of course Riley!

I have always loved the fall- but I have especially enjoyed it this year because of you. Watching you play and examine a crimson leaf, hearing the crunch as it crumbles in your hands… now more than ever, you bring wonder and joy to my life. Thank you for your smile and your laughter. You are so good natured and I love you more and more each day.

Love,

Mommy

Nine Months!

2011-10-11T07:00:00.000-04:00

Dear Maya,

Mayita, My sweet girl, MayaMayaMaya!

Every month I say the same thing to daddy; this has been my very favorite month. You are so much fun! Thanks to your checkup yesterday, I can report that you are 28 inches long and weigh 22 lbs, 5 oz. And for anyone that cares, your head circumference is 17.5 inches. You, my sweet, are what they call thriving.

As always I begin with your big news, and have lots! You have a tooth! Your bottom front tooth started to come in a few weeks ago. For the first few days, you were such a great sport and you hardly even noticed. Frankly, neither did we! We only learned about your little pearly white poking through because your teacher commented about it! (Awesome parenting, I know.) But a few days in, you were not nearly as excited about this tooth situation as we were. Your poor gums hurt and nothing seemed to make you happy. But now you are back to your normal smiley self. Overall you’ve handed teething very well, you rarely fuss. However, as a result, everything goes into your mouth. Everything. From the rinse cup in the bath to your blankets and even the edge of your high chair tray- all of them have become teething rings (which, oddly enough you could not care less about).

chowing down on the rinse cup in the bath

You are more agile. You reach for all kinds of things now. You've also figured out how to roll onto your tummy and push up into a sitting position. The other day, I came into your room after a nap and you were sitting in your crib. Just sitting there, chillin all by yourself. You were so proud… like, “Ta Da!” Now you often greet daddy in the morning by sitting in your crib and grinning as if to say, “Where have you been? There is fun to be had!”

good morning!

You are on the move! You still army crawl a bit, but you can really crawl now! You seem to enjoy getting around. You see a toy on the other side of the room and you are off crawling towards it. We’ve put up a baby gate across the steps to the basement and covered all of our outlets. Im sure you will soon let us know the next thing we need to baby proof around the house.

9 months and crawling!!

You are really interacting with your toys. You like to spin and open and close things. You like to make things light up and make noise. Its like a switch has been flipped in your brain and suddenly you are able to make all these new connections. You hit a toy to make a sound. You press a button to make something spin. You close a door to make something disappear. Instead of passively playing peek-a-boo you put the blanket up on my face and play it with me. How fun!

You are also beginning to use exaggerated hand and arm gestures to communicate. When I unbuckle your car seat, you stretch out your arms as if you say “pick me up!” When you’ve had enough to eat, you put your hands in front of your mouth. In school, when they sing ‘Ba Ba Black Sheep’, you go baaaaaaa.

The other evening, I sat and watched you play in the bath. You were squeezing your pink rubber duckie just at the water line and cracking up at the bubbles it was making. You couldn’t get enough! This went on for a good five minutes….babbling to the duck, making it squeak and blow bubbles. You didn’t even notice that I was there with you. I so enjoy watching you discover and learn about the world around you. I also really enjoy styling your (little bit of) hair in the tub. We make mohawks and comb-overs. I cant get a bow in your hair yet, so I'm making the most of bathtime beauty salon.

bath fun hair

We’ve started going to music class on Sundays at the JCC and you absolutely love it! You get to see your friends Josh and Emily, and you seem to be making new friends too! You enjoy the singing and clapping and swaying and dancing- but you love to watch the teacher play guitar. You are captivated. You got to strum it yourself after class the other day. You also like shaking your ‘egg’ during the Choo Choo song and when I play the finger cymbals during our jam session.

Boy do you have an opinion! You can get upset when it’s time to put away a toy or if you cannot have something anymore. You get especially annoyed when a song is over in music class and we have to give back the instrument you were just enjoying so much. Also, for the first time this month, you ~~cried a bit~~ broke down into hysterics when we dropped you off at daycare. It doesn’t happen every day and it never lasts long- but it’s hard to leave you like that, my sweet girl.

You are becoming more independent. You are a very social girl, but sometimes you like to play quietly on your own. We put you in the pack and play with some toys, and you are happy to entertain yourself for a while. This is nice because mommy and daddy can get some work done around the house- like blogging or cooking dinner. You also like giving yourself your bottle (when its not very full). So grown up looking!

hangin in the pack and play

big girl bottle

You love TV remotes and cell phones, but you are no fool! A phone that is not on, or a remote without a battery will not light up and simply will not do. Only the real deal is acceptable to you, my sweet.

This was your first Rosh Hashana. You went to Saba and Abuelita’s house for dinner and we celebrated together with Natalia, Tia Paty and Tio Ilan. The last time we were all gathered for this holiday, Tia Paty and I were pregnant! We looked at the photo we took together a year ago and at our beautiful babies. We laughed at how Tio Ilan was even wearing the same shirt! It was a really nice family evening.

Saba and Abuelita love

You were fighting a sniffle but you played so nicely with Natalia. You two looked so cute in your matching outfits! We tried to do a photo shoot, but with two curious and mobile babies it’s not so easy! You had all these toys to play with, yet both of you really enjoyed empty seltzer bottle more than anything else. I guess it’s the simple things, huh?

Natalia & Maya Matchy Matchy

You went to Temple on Long Island and got to meet the Rabbi. You looked so pretty in your dress! You behaved very well the whole time. Later that day, we we went to the park and saw ducks and turtles and dogs. You got so excited when you saw other kids running by- I bet you cant wait to run as well!

Bubbie had a party for you, and you met lots of her friends and some family too. It was a great day; you smiled and went from person to person so sweetly. You had so much fun playing with the balloons. By the end you were pooped! After a long nap, you had a blast opening presents.

where's Maya?

You absolutely love being outdoors. Whether it’s going for walks in your stroller or splashing in the pool you love looking around at everything surrounding you. You like the chirping of the birds, breeze on your face and the crunch of the fall leaves under my feet. I bet daddy cant wait to take you hiking next year. One thing is for sure, you simply cannot get enough of the swings!

Maya loves swings with Bubbie

Maya loves swings with Abuelita

yay for the swings!

You are eating so many new foods! You eat pasta and yogurt and chicken and egg (yolk) and cheese now. You also like beets and melon and green beans and fennel and cauliflower too.

what should she eat first, the chicken or the egg?

sharing kiwi and mango with grandpa

You give the sweetest kisses! One day we will have to teach you that you should really close your mouth, but for now I cannot get enough of your silly, wet, sweet big ol kisses.

kisses for mommy. heaven.

You helped daddy celebrate his birthday this month. I think this was his favorite birthday ever, can you guess why? Because you were here to celebrate with him!

opening daddy's birthday cards

playing with toys and daddy

Mommy and Daddy celebrated their 4th wedding anniversary this month. We had dinner and talked about what an amazing year it has been; we reminisced about becoming a family and all the amazing little moments between our last anniversary and this one. A few days later you helped daddy open his birthday cards and we again thought about how lucky we have been this year. My love, thank you for making it so special. I love you!

Love,
Mommy

9 months!

Eight Months!

2011-09-20T19:40:00.041-04:00

(I'm late, I know. Apologies for the late post)

Dear Maya

Little Hazelnut, Smiley Giggle Girl, Daddy’s Doozer

This has been another amazing month for you. Long gone is my sweet little newborn; these last several weeks have been about gaining independence, mobility and showing your ever-developing personality.

So for the big news…. this month you have started to feed yourself! You love grabbing cheerios, puffs and pieces of banana when you can hold onto one of those slippery little pieces I cut up for you. At daycare you’ve started using a sippy cup for water (you drink water now too!), but from what I understand it’s more for playing than drinking right now.

Maya goes 'bananas' over finger foods

You are so much fun to play with. You love to play ‘Where’s Maya’. We put a blanket over your face and go “Wheeeeere’s Maya?” You love pulling the blanket off your face and hearing us say “There she is!” You also love pulling the blanket off my face when we play ‘Where is mommy?’ It’s so much fun to see your big toothless grin when you uncover my face. You also know when I am trying to snap a picture; you humor your camera –wielding mommy so well. You see it and a smile lights up your face. That smile kills me. You are such a happy girl.

mommy's sailor

You are feisty. Most of the time you can sit and play on your own, but recently if Daddy or I put you down and walk out of your sight for a minute you lose your mind. Seriously, you do not like this one bit. Kicking. Screaming. Crying. “Where did you goooooooo” Sometimes you cry so hard you forget to breathe. Sweetie I’m only around the corner, I need to answer the phone. I hope this phase ends soon. Speaking of phones, you adore phones. I don’t know if it’s the lights or that I pay so much attention to it, but you always want to open my cell phone and play with the buttons. You want to eat the home phone and hear the sounds it makes when you press a number. You will not fall for a phone without a battery- it doesn’t light up or make noises. You want the real deal. You also love the computer. You love tap tap tapping on the keys and moving the mouse around.

Daddy and I always look forward to picking you up from daycare. It is one of the best parts of our day. We walk in together and while you are usually happy to see me, you are thrilled to see daddy. You go nuts. Seriously. Teachers from other classrooms actually sneak a peek of your reaction to your first glimpse of daddy. It’s adorable. You smile and do your happy dance and can’t stay still you are so excited. Daddy loves to lift you up from wherever you are playing and give you a big hug and kiss. You giggle and dive into his pocket to see what toy he has for you. You pull out whatever it is (this week, the blue rubber fish) and go to town on it, chomping away.

such a ham

We had a special Hebrew Naming party at our house for you this month. Friends and family came in from near and far to see you. It was a very meaningful and special day. Even though you were fighting a cold, you were such a good girl. You went from person to person without crying, you played with your friends, you smiled for pictures, you napped. You were so pretty.

dressed up for your party

shabbat dinner with the family the night before

You babble lots more now. In your car seat. In your crib. Playing with toys. Mostly da da da but every now and then you mix things up with an ayeeeeeeee and if I am really lucky I hear a single…. Ma! You love to pull hair. Luckily your mommy has lots of hair for you to pull. It used to be longer, I know, but mommy needed a change so 6-inches later there is a little less to hold onto. You don’t seem to notice.

You are on the move! Until a few days ago, I could plop you down and know that you would eventually roll to where you wanted, but it would take a while. For the longest time I could tell you wanted to crawl so badly. You struggled to reach objects just out of your grasp. You would slowly roll and slide and shimmy your way around the floor. But starting just a few days ago, you’ve stated to do this military crawl on your tummy. You use your elbows and legs to propel yourself further. You make your way across the living room so quickly now! You especially like to make your way over to your toy box, tip it over and stick your head inside to see what you can play with. You also like to stand while holding onto something like the ottoman or the couch. You can’t do this by yourself yet, but it’s clear you are developing a much better sense of balance and strength.

You love kisses and tickles. You giggle and smile and squeal with delight. You’ve started to cackle sometimes- maybe it will come in handy this Halloween. I think you are trying to imitate kisses by opening your mouth wide and laying it on my face. Yesterday you even tried blowing a raspberry on my cheek which resulted in hysterics from both of us.

You love the water...whether its the pool or your bath you seem to always have fun.

At the end of the day, you take a bath. We sing songs and clap hands. You love to have your hair washed and chew on your bath toys. You still try to grab the water as I pour it from a bucket. You kick your legs and slap the water.

But not all of your baths were the tub this month. For example, when you went to Florida you had fun splashing in Oma's kitchen sink! (I know this picture doesn't convey fun, but trust me you had a blast!)

On Saturday mornings, you and daddy cuddle in bed and watch Sesame Street together. You are captivated by Elmo and friends. You also like Fraggle Rock, which is how you've acquired your latest nickname. You sit with your blanket and he sits with his coffee. Sometimes Jerry joins you. I think look forwards to this time together all week long.

You absolutely hate “The Snot Sucker Of Doom” which unfortunately has been used more often than either of us would like. This has been a pretty congested month. I can’t even show it to you without hysterics.

You went to your first wedding this month; you were such a hit! You looked so pretty in your pink party dress. You wore your earphones to protect yourself from the loud music and took a nap in the middle of the party- you are amazing! We danced and laughed and had a great afternoon.

That’s not the only party you went to. This month you also went to Tante Anne’s 90th birthday party and your cousin Ben’s 2nd birthday party. You have the best temper; going from person to person. Even if it’s a total stranger you cuddle and play so sweetly.

There were some sadder moments for our family, my love. You said goodbye to your Great Grandma Sara. You went to Florida and sat with her in bed. You played with her hands. You giggled and cuddled with her. You gave her kisses and smiles. She told you that she loved you, and that you are beautiful. “A living doll” is what she called you. She gave you kisses and said that you were delicious. You brought great joy to her and the family during an extraordinarily difficult time.

from your visit earlier this year

I know that as you grow up, you will not remember the way she held you or the way her face would light up when she saw you; but daddy and I will never stop telling you about her. We will never let you forget about her strength, passion, beauty, conviction and love.

My sweet girl, you are becoming more of your own person every day. You are like your daddy: You love to sleep on your tummy. You go at your own pace and enjoy discovering things for yourself. You are also like your mommy: You easily fall asleep in the car. You like to be included in everything and you hate missing out on something fun.

best buddies

This month we experienced great joys and deep sadness. Still, you make every day exciting and memorable. Maybe next month you will have a tooth or a new food or amazing talents to report. Until then my love, I look forward to tomorrow’s kisses.

Maya's Naming

2011-08-25T11:43:00.021-04:00

The week after Maya was born, we went to Chabad and gave her a Hebrew name. David was called to the Torah for an Aliya and our daughter was given the name Miriam Ronit.

It was a really beautiful moment for our new little family, but it was also a cold dark morning in early January so we kept it very small, saying that we’d host a larger, less formal party when the weather warmed up. Well, it's August and very very warm, so we hosted a Naming celebration with family and friends at our house this weekend. It was incredibly special.

We had a brief ceremony which included a few words of thanks for our beautiful healthy daughter, an explanation of who she had been named after and some of our hopes for her future.

We explained how we have dedicated our daughter to the Torah- to a never ending fascination with study and learning. We have dedicated our daughter to chupah- to never ending growth as a human being, capable of giving and receiving love. We have also dedicated our daughter to ma-asim tovim- to a never ending concern for family and community, justice and charity.

As we did in January, we again asked that G-d bless our daughter in the way He blessed Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah, who possessed qualities of strength and softness, modesty, and conviction. We asked that the Lord bless her and protect her, deal kindly and graciously with her, bestow His favor upon her and grant her peace.

Here is a video of the ceremony (I just wish the cicadas had not been so loud).

And here are some pictures from the afternoon

We were overwhelmed by the love shown for our daughter on Saturday. People traveled from near and far to be with us, but not everyone could be in Maryland as inclimate weather, logistical travel-related challenges, pregnancies, summer vacations, etc happen. Whether you were with us in person or simply in spirit, please know that our lives are truly richer for having you in it.

Seven Months!

2011-08-10T21:48:00.053-04:00

Dear Maya,

My Giggle Machine, Our Sweet Hazelnut, Little Baby Butternut, Crazy Kamikaze Superstar

I tell everyone who asks (and several who do not) that I've won the baby lottery. I truly have. You are sweet and happy. You are a wonderful sleeper and eater. You are easygoing. This month you have become very social and also very independent. At your six month check up, you weighed 18 lbs and stretched to 26" long.

You continue to love daycare. You are interested in all of your baby friends and their toys. I hear about your action-packed days: how much you love music time and story time, how you go for stroller rides outside by the pond, how the people in the office bring you in for company and let you play at the computer, how you went to the playground and all the toddlers came up to you. Everyone wants to play with you, hug you, kiss you and make you giggle. You are a happy playful baby. You love all activities and you are learning so quickly. All of the teachers say you are joy to have.

Dressed up and ready for "Fairytale Day" at daycare

You are beginning to do things by yourself like reach for toys and food. You are determined. You are trying so hard to hold your bottle. It’s still a little too heavy for you when it’s full, but this doesn’t stop you from insisting that you can hold it. You also seem to think that by smushing the nipple into your face, you will be able to get milk out faster. We keep pulling it out a bit and tipping the bottle upwards to show you… hopefully you will pick this up soon.

Holding her own bottle... sorta

You love to play. You can’t get enough of your exersaucer and you love making your musical toys light up and sing. At daycare you seem to really enjoy the maracas and piano (although, I’ve noticed that you try to put the entire side of the piano in your mouth with no success). You love to swing on your swing set in the backyard and go down the slide. You love to touch, mouth, and manipulate squishy rubber balls, you enjoy gnawing a chilled teething ring, and hearing bells jingle inside a stuffed animal. You also like stuffed animals like your cabbage patch doll and octopus. You love peek-a-boo and silly faces...we play “Where’s Maya?” and you pull the blanket off your face all by yourself now so you can hear, “There she is!”

reaching for a toy

swinging in the yard with Bubbie

Loving the lights and sounds

You can reach for and scoop toys towards you. You can pick them up and transfer objects from one hand to the other fairly easily. You take your pacifier out of your mouth and put it back in. When you can’t reach a toy, you wiggle, shimmy and roll your way over to it. This is especially frustrating to Jerry who is now realizing you are almost mobile. You adore Jerry. Whether in the bath or the highchair, whenever you hear him meow you immediately stop what you are doing and look for him.

Love for Jerry

You like to explore. The computer seems to fascinate you. The scenery outside the car window captivates you. We’ve been signing to you pretty consistently. We do signs for milk, bath, more and all done. You don't know what any of these mean yet, but “all done” gets a great big laugh from you every single time. I know it’s still just imitating what you see, but when we say “high five” we put our hand up and sometimes you do as well! It’s very cute.

Computing with Daddy

See Daddy? I can do that too!

You’ve got a great appetite. No teeth (yet!) but your diet is expanding and you seem to really enjoy the textures and flavors of each new food. So far, you’ve had squash, sweet potato, peas, carrots, banana, avocado, mango and prunes. You had your first stomach bug. We think it was a virus; you couldn’t keep anything down for a few days. Once you were able to tolerate liquids, you had a really upset tummy. I felt so bad for you, but you really do have a wonderful disposition and you handled your illness like a champ. Except for when you were actually getting sick, you had a smile on your sweet face the whole time. Then a few days later your little body seemed to overcorrect itself and you got all backed up. Again, I felt awful for you and you were more uncomfortable this time, but you were still my smiley and giggly girl. Thankfully, all of your plumbing seems to be in order now.

healthy again and very happy!

You went to the beach for the first time. We joined Bubbie, Great Grandma Rona, Pappa Donnie and Uncle Brian in Myrtle Beach for Grandpa’s (belated) birthday celebration and you had a blast! You loved the sand and waves. You loved sucking the bow on your bathing suit to taste the salty water. We went to the aquarium and boy did you have fun! You couldn’t get enough of the brightly colored fish and sea life fluttering past you in the big tanks. You were especially fond of the orange jellyfish bobbing around; you were shrieking with delight. I wasn’t sure you were old enough for this activity, but you were in awe the whole time. I just adore watching the way you respond to your surroundings these days.

First time in the ocean

Family beach pic

Hangin' and reading a book with Uncle Brian

showing off her fancy 'shark' balloon hat

LOVING the fishies at the aquarium

She LOVED the fish. Couldn't take her eyes off of them.

pooltime fun

You are a blur. You are always moving. I used to get nervous when daddy would roughhouse/ play with you but you love being thrown in the air. Anything that involves swinging high and low makes you laugh out loud. Anything that involves shaking or wiggling makes you cackle in delight. Your hysterical laughter usually results in a fit of hiccups which are short lived. Your are getting stronger. You sit up so well and you can ‘stand’ while being held up for balance.You grab necklaces and glasses, but also parts of faces and clothing as well. You are a master at taking daddy’s pen out of his shirt pocket. While rocking you to sleep at night, you often grab my tank top or nose.

grabbing daddy's glasses

Sitting up and watching Sesame Street on Saturday morning

You babble like crazy… I swear you said baby the other day. Of course it was more like, “Bayeeeee Beeeeee” We still think your first word will be “Hi.” I sometimes wonder what your voice will sound like when you got older. Sitting in the car on the way to daycare, we often hear you say, “da da da da.” Daddy likes to think you are saying ‘daddy’ but I don’t think you are quite that advanced. Sometimes in the bath or during dinnertime, you make sounds like “teh teh teh" and once we heard you say “maaaaaaaa.” When you get excited you shriek and do your happy dance, kicking your legs and moving back and forth like Stevie Wonder.

You were lucky enough to see all of your Great Grandparents this month. You saw Great Grandma Sara & Great Grandpa Joe in NJ for Abuelita and Saba's BBQ. You spent the weekend with Great Grandma Rona and Pappa Donny at the beach and you even got a visit from Oma Ruth and Opa Paul for a few days! Boy are you loved, my sweet girl.

G&G Ehrlich

G&G Felder

G&G Koles

I think you might be on the verge of teething. You’ve become a little more drooly than usual, and although you are rarely fussy I’ve noticed some discomfort / inability to quite get settled recently. I’m going to miss that gummy smile but time marches on I guess.

My beautiful baby girl

Daddy and his little girl

This month had ups and downs, but you are so much fun, my sweet girl. I can't wait to see what kinds of adventures and discoveries next month will bring.

Love,
Mommy

Six Months!!

2011-07-11T22:47:00.002-04:00

Dear Maya,

My sweet happy baby, our little Hazelnut. Our fearless lunatic. Today, you have been alive for six whole months. Where did it go? Weren’t you just swaddled and placed in my arms? Didn’t I only recently give you that first kiss? I'm a bit sad that half of our first year together is over, but hasn't it been wonderful?

These months have been filled with more laughter and joy than I knew possible. My heart has grown with love not only for you but for your daddy as well. He is such a wonderfully involved, tender yet silly, super daddy. I can’t help but smile as I watch the two of you play and make silly faces at each other.

Now that you’ve been at daycare for a month and we’ve gotten used to our new work schedules, we have settled into a daily routine. Daddy wakes you up, feeds you a bottle and gets you dressed. There are many many giggles during this time. This is prime time for you- happy, rested and full. We give kisses goodbye and Daddy drops you off at daycare where you go for walks, listen to music, play with your friends and hear stories. Mommy picks you up in the afternoon and you fall asleep in the car on the way home. You nap long enough for the grown ups to have a quick dinner before you wake up for some family playtime. Then it’s time for your bath, mommy’s salon (lotion, massage, hair and nails), bottle and bed. I so love our evenings together. You play with my necklace as you drink your bottle and I love to smell your just-washed hair as I rock you to bed.

I said this to David the other night during dinner and I will say it again to you now my love: "This is the very best time of my life." I am happier than I ever knew I could be. Each day I look forward to being greeted by your smile. It lights up my heart. This month has been filled with tender moments and exciting milestones.

You have started eating solid foods (which in truth are actually quite runny). From your first bite of oatmeal, you loved it. You weren’t quite sure how this whole eating thing worked, and swallowing food is still a bit of a new concept, but you love the flavors and new textures in your mouth. So far, you have tried oatmeal, rice cereal and sweet potatoes. You love to play with your spoons. Sometimes you aren't that into food and other times if we don't feed you fast enough, you lunge forward in the chair with your mouth wide open, hoping there will be something in the spoon when you get there.

Your motor skills and depth perception have rocketed; you reach out for toys and papers and eyeglasses and necklaces- whatever is nearby. You are very good at spotting toys and tracking moving things. I walk into a room and you immediately see me. You have been experimenting with transferring toys from one hand to the other. You love grabbing anything you can get your hands on — and stuffing it directly into your mouth. This goes for toys and books and burp cloths but also things like Jerry’s fur and the TV remote. Anything your hands touch gets studied, mouthed, talked to, shaken and played with and then thrown away. It’s a game we play. You seem to get great joy out of watching me fetch whatever item you have recently disposed of. Its such a blast to watch your face light up when I recover it for you, wipe it off and hand it back to you.

You are a crazy girl. You nosedive for toys like a kamikazee. You are fearless. When you get really excited, you do your "happy dance." You kick your legs and flail your arms and thrash your head back and forth with this big smile across your face. I think this is why you still have that big ol bald spot on the back on your head.

Bathtime is an adventure; you just cannot sit still! You have so much fun kicking and splashing and diving for anything and everything; your duckie, your rinse cup, your wash cloth, the sink faucet. Sometimes we sykpe with family during baths, it's so much fun to share these times with far away family. Sadly though, I think the days of bathing in the sink are coming to a close.

You've started rolling over in earnest now; you flip over and over on your playmat. You roll over from both front to back and back to front, and you wriggle all over the room this way. You even do it in your crib at night. This was somewhat distressing for you the first few nights. Daddy and I would wake up to your cries and I would rush in to find you disoriented on your tummy. This seems to be going away slowly as you begin to get used to your new abilities and mobility.

You can almost sit on your own. You prefer sitting to laying down now and we prop you up with the boppy or pillows. You sometimes fall sideways- bonk! - or forward -whoops! - but more often these days you are catching yourself and correcting your balance. You are very proud of yourself.

You can lay on your mat and play by yourself, but you really love to play face-to-face with your parents, family, teachers and friends. You love to see the happy baby in the mirror and you love peek-a-boo. I read somewhere that at this age even when you are fussy, you should be increasingly distractible – and it’s true. You are moving a lot more now and sometimes bump your head. You start to cry but a rattle or a song will make you forget all about it.

You have started to imitate actions. One of the little boys at your daycare sticks his tongue out when he doesn’t like his vegetables and you’ve picked up on this unladylike mannerism. Except- you don’t eat peas yet. So you just sit there and spit and blow raspberries by yourself.

Your ability to demonstrate love and your sense of humor is just developing, but I can tell you are going to be a confidant, warm, intelligent and social person. You smile all the time. Your teachers call you their “Sweet Maya” and friends and strangers are met with smiles and coos and giggles. Mostly, you are delighted at the world. You are curious about everything and your joy is contagious. You make people around you happy. It is incredible to watch

You seem to enjoy hearing your own voice as evidenced by your squeals, babbles, shrieks and operatic octave changes. Sometimes you sound like you are meditating; you make this low and steady hmmmmmmm hmmmmmmmmmmm hmmmmmmmm. Sometimes you respond to a sound I make in one of your books, like baaaaa and you go ayeeeeeee or ah-ya-ya-ya-ya

You have discovered Jerry. You squeal with delight when he comes into the room and you wiggle and dance with excitement as he makes his way over to you. You love to lay on his soft fur and grab his tail. Thank goodness he is so old and good natured- he tolerates your antics until you yank on his tail a bit too hard. He looks over at you as if to say "ok kiddo, I've had about enough of this activity" and then he moves just out of your reach.

You met your cousin Natalia. Tia Patty and Uncle Ilan came to visit you for a weekend this month. You had so much fun playing with your cool older cousin. She showed you all kinds of neat things; I think this is how you learned to sit. We went to Annapolis and celebrated Daddy’s first Father’s Day together with them, it was a very special weekend.

You celebrated July 4th with Abuelita, Saba, Natalia, Tia Patty and Uncle Ilan in Amish country. We showed you horses and buggies and you loved playing in the pool. You went on the swings for the first time and met Uncle Sam.

We’ve been using sign language with you. We’ve just begun, but soon hopefully you will begin to understand that our hand movements have meaning and you will be able to recognize things like ‘more’ and ‘milk’ and ‘all done.’ Hopefully in a few months you will be able to express these thoughts yourself! The next foods we will introduce to you are squash, peas, bananas and avocados.

My love thank you for giving me these past six months. Every day is an adventure, an all-out sprint, a challenge and a dream. I love every moment and I love you.

Love,

Mommy

Five Months!

2011-06-03T12:25:00.017-04:00

Dear Maya,

My cuddlebug, my silly little giggle machine, my stinkopotamus, daddy's sweet hazelnut- you are getting so many nicknames. What a month this has been for you, our happy little girl!

First the big news: You rolled over! You can now flip over from your tummy to your back. You can’t do it very often yet and it takes a great deal of energy and concentration to achieve such a gymnastic feat, but you are definitely doing it. No more playing on the ottoman for you!

The other news is that you have started full time daycare! You are such a big girl. Daddy is sure going to miss his days at home with you; he has loved story time and afternoon walks together. You have adjusted to daycare beautifully, just as we knew you would. You love your teachers and checking out the other babies and exploring the new toys. You enjoy the music and bubbles too! When you come home you are pooped! You take a long nap before dinner and your bath.

so tired after her first day

You’ve also transitioned to sleeping unswaddled this month. At first you were very distressed about your flailing arms and new found freedom, but then you quickly remembered how much you love to sleep. Now you are happily snoozing through the night again. You usually get ten or eleven hours (7:30/8:00PM to 6:30/7:00AM) of sleep each night on a regular basis. Oh I am such a lucky mommy!

So what have we done this month my love? Well… we’ve gone out to smell the springtime flowers and enjoy the warm breezes. On Memorial Day weekend we went in the pool. It was a little cold and yet, you loved it! (I’m going to stop worrying about making sure your bath stays warm from now on) You splashed and kicked and floated (sorta) in the water with a big Maya smile. You are so happy in the water; you even have your very own kiddie pool in our yard. It's fun to watch you sit in it while you splash and laugh- this is going to be such a fun summer!

You had your first cold this month. Also, you were nice enough to share it with Mommy (very generous of you my love). You were all stuffed up and you did not like the nasal aspirator. You had a fever, but a low one. You had a rough time sleeping when you couldn’t breathe well, I don’t blame you. Still… just like with everything you do… it was with a smile on your face. Sure you got crabby at times, but for the most part you were my cheerful baby girl. And boy are you cheerful! You are bliss. You are sunshine. You are innocence and joy. Things that get you laughing include: kissing your feet, raspberries on your belly, peekaboo and silly faces. Also, falling down on the bed as daddy says “aaaaah-boom” cracks you up.

You are curious and your budding brain is developing so quickly! You are beginning to recognize toys, and people and show memory. Something I think is very cool, is that you are beginning to express anticipation. It’s remarkable to watch you open your mouth when you see your bottle. I love it when you squirm and kick your legs when you see the rinse cup rise above you in the bath. Your hand-eye coordination is also improving. You can reach for toys and put them in your mouth. Everything goes in your mouth. You have found your feet, you grab onto them in your swing. It looks like you are doing some complicated yoga pose as you sail through the air. Its getting harder and harder to get a photo of you without your foot in your hand!

You are smart. You seem to know your name; sometimes I can get you to turn your head when I say it. Or maybe you are just looking for me, I don’t know. You love to look at your reflection in the mirror and you smile at the adorable baby staring back at you. You are clever. You demand attention by fussing and you know that crying will make me coming running. You are a social butterfly. You break out into the happiest, cutest smile at the sight of another smiling face. You love tickles and kisses. You are strong. You can 'stand' while we hold you. You are calm. You had your first trip to New York and attended a Bat Mitzvah as well as Grandpa’s 60th birthday party. Oh you were so good! You met so many people! You went from stranger to stranger in loud, crowded rooms and you were as happy as ever.

I know there will be more rolling over, this was the first of many sniffles and there will be lots flowers to smell and pools to splash in- but this is such a wonderful age and I am trying to remember each of your ‘firsts’ and enjoy them (the good things at least) as they happen. You seem to be on the verge of teething. You are beginning to show an interest in food. What will next month bring? What will you discover? Where will we go? Who will you meet? I look forward to exploring all of it with you and daddy.

Four Months!

2011-04-20T12:14:00.032-04:00

Dear Maya,

My butterball. My pork chop. My little spicy meatball. My sweetheart. My love.... I simply cannot believe you are already four months old! Watching you grow each day is pure joy. I dont know how else to put it. It is truly remarkable. You no longer need my help with so many things. You sleep through the night. You spend time playing on your own. You crack yourself up. Each day your personality develops a bit more and I am getting to know the kind of person you are going to be.

You like some toys more than others. You love attention. You are sweet and lovely, you are a ham, you are sometimes temperamental. You have very strong opinions and you let us know your preferences right away. My little munchkin, I should have expected this. Before you were born, you wanted to stay head up. When we brought you home from the hospital, you decided that you wanted to sleep in your crib, not the bassinet. About a week after you turned 3 months old, you decided you were done with nursing and would only drink from your bottle. While the nursing strike hurt my feelings a little, I don’t hold a grudge. I can tell you are going to grow up to be a strong, independent, graceful, intelligent woman. You like things on your terms. You are so very much like your daddy in so many ways. I just hope you let me make some of the decisions along the way.

You are a happy girl, you smile and laugh and babble. You’ve become much more vocal this month. When I talk to you for a few minutes, you start to babble right back at me. We have some very in-depth conversations. You shriek with joy when Daddy makes silly faces at you and crack up when he tickles you. You will smile back at pretty much any happy face. I think you're beginning to recognize your name and you recognize mommy and daddy.

I’ve returned to work and you have transitioned beautifully. You have so much fun at home with daddy and you love him very much. You go on long walks together, you play and read books. I don’t know who is enjoying these days more- you or him.

You’ve been going to daycare twice a week, and you seem to love all the action, friends and toys. It’s great to have you a block from my office, I love visiting you in the afternoon. You seem to like the fish tank and other babies there. All of the teachers say you are a wonderful and happy baby… and you are! You look up at me when I walk in the door and you give a big gummy grin- it’s very cute.

You are a total ham in front of the camera. You smile for the flash but you still haven’t decided whether or not you like the video camera. It seems to fascinate and confuse you. The other day we played peek-a-boo for the camera, it was so much fun!

You are getting stronger and you move a lot. While you can’t quite roll over yet, you can turn from your back onto your side. You do this to wiggle and shimmy across your play mat. I think this is how you move around in your crib at night. When I get you in the morning, it’s always fun to see where you’ve ended up.

Your depth perception is developing nicely. You’ve started to grab toys and you are learning more about how toys work. You like the sound your rattle makes and the song your exersaucer makes. You also grab my hair a lot… and boy do you hold on tightly!

You’ve started to like your pacifier much more- it seems to soothe you to sleep. Still, you continue to suck your fingers all day long. Your favorites are your pointer and middle fingers, but really any one will do. It's getting hard to take a picture of you without your hands in your mouth. We have an exersaucer and a swing and toys and books and puppets- yet your hands remain your favorite activity.

We watched the Royal Wedding together. You sat in your bumbo and watched the whole ceremony. I think you want to be a princess when you grow up. You are my little princess, my beautiful little girl. Your skin is so smooth and fair, it looks like porcelain its so perfect. And your deep blue eyes are so round and warm. You always have this wide-eyed look as though everything in the world is interesting.

You celebrated several 'first' holidays this month. You had your first Passover Seder and thanks to you I got to experience my first Mother's Day. We had a fantastic day; you made a card for me, we sang songs, we went for a walk and we went out to dinner.

Thank you for making us a family. Thank you for stealing my heart. Thank you for your nuzzles and sighs as we rock to sleep in your quiet dark room. Thank you for your smiles and giggles. What a wonderful, wild ride this motherhood thing is. I love being your mom.

Love,
Mommy

Maya 'talks' to her elephants

2011-04-16T14:39:00.001-04:00

This morning I took a video of Maya having a little chat with the elephants on her wall. We also talked fashion.

Three Months!

2011-04-11T07:00:00.019-04:00

Dear Maya,

My Little Cuddlebug, My Smile Machine, My Stinkopotamus. My Stinkosaurus Rex. You are no longer a newborn. These last few weeks have been a wonderful ride of new experiences, discovery and development.

You take after your daddy in so many ways, but especially in that you love your beauty rest. Technically you are “sleeping through the night” which is remaining asleep for five or six hours at a stretch. But actually you are doing much better than that- you will snooze for eight or more hours at a stretch. You go to bed around 8PM and on a good night can make it to 6:30AM- but sometimes you still get up at 4-something for a snack and then go back to bed until 8. Naps, however, are still a work-in-progress. You get tired after a few hours of playing but when I try to put you down for a siesta, you fight it and then become so overtired you thrash and wail and scream until you finally pass out from exhaustion in my arms. Recently when I put you in your crib for a nap, you stay down just long enough for me to begin something like pay a hospital bill or begin to pump..and then you are all “Psych! I’m not sleeping Mommy! Come get meeeeeee.” Le sigh. Saturday mornings are the best. I look forward to them all week. We snuggle and play and laugh in bed together.

Your meltdowns are rare, most of the time you are a smile machine. You smile at the cute baby in the mirror, to friends and family… but you save the best smiles for daddy and me. You are a very social girl, and you love being held no matter who is holding you; but you are also beginning to sort out who's who in life, and you definitely prefer your mommy or daddy to others. You save your sweetest smiles and those rare giggles just for us.

It’s a good thing you love bath time because boy do you need it these days! Between your monster poop blowouts and your sour milk spit-ups, you are one stinky little cutiepie. No diaper can contain the wrath of your little tushie. This seems to crack you up. We go through several costume changes a day. Daddy often comes home to find you in some sort of mismatched getup because I've decided that three is my limit for cute outfits I'm willing to put you in each day. After that... you get whatever I can find that fits.

You have discovered your tongue and your hand this month. You love to stick out your tongue and lick things; your shirt, your car seat harness, all of your blankets... they cannot escape your mouth and I have about a zillion pictures of that milk-covered tongue. Soon after your tongue discovery, you stumbled upon your hands. How fun! You love to slurp and suck on them, even getting that thumb into your mouth once in a while, but mostly you prefer to suck and lick the back of your hand. Sometimes you try to fit both fists into your mouth at the same time. You can never do it but you try all the time.

You have been all over the place this month! You had your first ride on Metro to visit daddy’s office where everyone was super excited to meet you! You also went to mommy’s office and visited the White House. You’ve been out to lunch with your buddies, Josh and Ryan. You have been to the shopping mall for your first Bloomingdale’s experience and the National Mall with your pal Abel to see the spring Cherry Blossoms.

white house

Cherry Blossoms

Your biggest trip by far was your first plane ride to Florida! You visited with Oma Ruth and Opa Paul, Great Grandma Sara and Great Grandpa Joe as well as Great Grandma Rona and Pappa Don. Boy are you a lucky girl to be loved by so many people! You went into the pool and went to temple and met tons of people – and smiled the whole time!

first flight

first time in the pool

You are a great eater. Almost too good, sometimes as I feel like I can’t keep up with your ever-growing appetite. You gulp down 5 ounces and get absolutely furious when I pause halfway through to burp you. You have developed a very strong preference for the bottle, which is great for when you start daycare next week. You are getting these delicious pulkies- I kiss them every day.

You and Jerry are starting to interact a bit. We help you 'pet' him and he doesn't leave the room every single time you cry now. Slowly we are making progress towards actually acknowledging each other. so far, this is the closest we have gotten:

Maya: Can you believe how many pictures my mommy takes?
Jerry: Yeah, it's unreal
Maya: And the poses she puts us in... it's ridiculous!
Jerry: Get used to it kid

Going back to work is going to be a lot harder than I had ever imagined. I do look forward to putting on real clothes and having conversations where someone can actually reply to me, but oh man I am going to miss our mornings together. I am savoring our last playdates in bed where I hold you, talk to you, feed you, nuzzle with you, tell you how lucky I am to have you.

I am also enjoying our afternoon walks which have been getting warmer and brighter. You are getting heavier every day and beginning to react to the warm breezes on your face and the birds chirping around you. I am trying to capture every moment of your discovering the world, your first time touching a flower and the first time you felt the warm Florida sun on your face. I so love rediscovering all these thing with you. Watching you take it all in, the new textures and sounds and smells are amazing.

What will you discover next month? What adventures will we have? What will daddy daycare be like? Last week, daddy put you in all kinds of silly hats and took pictures. You loved it! I'm sure you will have a ball with him all week!

I go back to work today. I know you are in amazing hands and that you will be so happy with Daddy, but I am so going to miss your sweet smiles and giggles and cuddles and your sour milk smell. I can't wait to come home and cover you with kisses and hear all about your day.

Love,
Mommy

Florida!

2011-04-04T19:25:00.007-04:00

We went to Florida to visit Maya's SIX Great Grandparents

Here is daddy and Maya about to board the plane! Maya did wonderful on her first flight.

It was great to see everyone!

Koles and Felders

Meeting Great Grandma Sara and Great Grandpa Joe

Playing with Oma and Opa

Bonding with Great Grandma Sara

With Great Grandma Rona and Pappa Don

Maya's pretty dress for Temple on Saturday morning

Maya loved going in the pool! She had fun splashing and kicking in the water with...

Daddy!

Pappa Don!

Opa!

But swimming is so tiring... Maya was pooped after all that fun

Maya was absolutely fascinated by all the ceiling fans in every home.

She also had a bath in the kitchen sink!

Florida was a ton of fun and we can't wait to go back in the fall.

A Visit To Daddy's Office

2011-03-14T19:33:00.014-04:00

This morning I found a well-rested and very playful Maya in her crib staring at her mobile.

We moved the pajama party to Mommy's bed (because I can't fit into her crib) had a silly face contest as we watched Regis and Kelly. Maya won.

Soon it was time to get dressed because we were going on a big trip downtown to see Daddy at work! Maya took metro for the first time.

We got to Daddy's office and introduced our girl to all of his colleagues and friends. They were so excited to see her!

Visiting Daddy at work!

Maya even got to sit in Daddy's big chair and make some very important decisions.

Soon Daddy had to go back to actually working, so Mommy took Maya to see a few sights. Here she is in front of the Capitol Building. (Ok its a few blocks away but you can totally still see it)

We had such a fun and action-packed day! Later this week we are going to Mommy's office, and I hope Maya is as happy and well behaved as she was today!

Two Months

2011-03-11T13:47:00.027-05:00

Dear Maya,

My sweet baby girl, this month, you have really woken up. It is an incredible transformation. Your personality is beginning to show and you are such a lovable little cuddlebug but also a feisty little lady.

You get furious when daddy or I take your bottle away to burp you. You get lonely when you wake up and nobody is around. You’ve started to stick your tongue out and smile. You are beginning to discover your voice, you coo and grunt. Sometimes you sound like a karate ninja with your sharp “ay ya” and sometimes when you are staring at the changing lights on one of your toys, you squeal with a delightful “haiiiiiii”!

Most mornings, I unwrap your warm little swaddle and hold you to my chest. As I lift you up, you arch your back, pull your clenched fists to your chest and mush your face into the sweetest little wake up stretch faces. You move your head back and forth and squeak and stare at my face to say “hello!”. But every now and then you greet the day by screaming your head off like I am the worst mommy on the planet and someone needs to please please come rescue you from this terrible crib prison and would you JUST FEED ME ALREADY. Then you gulp down your breakfast and you turn back into the Maya I love. No matter what mood you wake up in, I truly love our mornings together. I love cuddling with you in bed, watching tv and singing songs. I love it when you smile and even more when you smile at me!

Your have started to notice things around you like the changing lights above your rainforest play mat and you love staring at your brightly colored butterfly puppet. You hear birds chirping on our walks. The other day you followed Daddy with your eyes as he walked across you on the couch and held onto the rattle we placed into your (left!) hand. Your smiles and reactions to my kisses and tickles and songs make my whole day!

You aren’t into the pacifier or sucking your thumb, you prefer to stick your whole hand in your mouth. Quite the talent.

You are a wonderful sleeper and I am thankful for that. You usually sleep from 8-2 and then 2:30-6. Sometimes I can even get you back down for another stretch until 7:30 or 8. There are some nights it’s so much fun reading a book with Daddy you don’t want to go to bed. He rocks you in the chair and sings to you and soothes you in your dimly lit room until your little eyelids get heavy. He is so sweet and patient with you, his darling baby girl. I am regularly touched at what an adoring daddy he is.

Speaking of time with daddy, tummy time with him is paying off because you can lift your head and chest up while lying on his stomach. Your head wobbly but you can also sit propped up for a few seconds, you are such a strong girl!

Your neck strength isn’t the only thing developing. You can hold eye contact and I get lost in those sweet eyes. Sometimes you flail and swipe your arms aimlessly around- what are you trying to grab onto? You look like you are directing planes on a tarmac or an orchestra.

You have your difficult moments; like your mommy you are in a great mood in the morning but as the afternoons wear on you get a little cranky. Although I sometimes wish you came with a neato decoder ring, I try to remind myself that your fussy times are much fewer than the playful ones and it won’t be long again until you are nuzzling sweetly in my arms.

Its funny what everyday household sounds get a reaction from you. Especially running water- whether in the sink or the shower, it really seems to calm you down. You get upset when you think you are alone; often times just hearing me say “I love you sweet girl” from across the room will get you to relax.

My days now are not measured by meetings or the congressional calendar, you, my sweet girl are the boss. Our daily activities are based more on your moods and bodily functions than any semblance of a schedule. It is exhausting and dirty and never ever predictable- but I absolutely love it.

I am smitten with you, my little one. I’m addicted. Your smiles make my heart race. I cant get enough of your delicious little rolls of fat in your legs. And those feet? They were just made for kissing. My little monkey, my stinkbug, my sweet baby girl. How did I live without you for so long? I love you so very much.

Love, Mommy

Seven Weeks/ Tuesday Night Photo Fun

2011-03-01T20:31:00.005-05:00

Maya is a whopping seven weeks old today! She was in a really playful mood this evening before bed so we took a few pictures and even caught a laugh!

beginning if a smile

cracking herself up

she knows she is adorable

I love this girl so much I cover her with kisses all day long!

AND... as an added bonus, she held onto her rattle!!

Another One Bites The Dust

2011-02-25T19:29:00.008-05:00

Well, we’ve hit a milestone. Yes, I am actually blogging again and yes, Maya is starting to coo and smile (which, YAY!) but the milestone I am talking about is none of these. Are you ready? My baby girl has outgrown her first outfit. Yep, she is a-growin’ and there’s nothing I can do about it.

Despite her ‘lazy eater’ label and diminutive size (seriously, who thought I would have a skinny child?!) I knew she’s growing. I could feel her getting heavier in my arms and she has started to develop those delicious baby fat rolls in her legs. Still, I didn’t realize how much bigger she had gotten until I put her in one of my favorite onesies and the minute she lifted her legs the snaps on the bottom popped open. I thought maybe I had put it on her wrong… but no. Babygirl has officially left this outfit in the dust.

I hate it, but I guess I'm going to have to get used to this sort of thing.

One Month!

2011-02-10T21:19:00.025-05:00

Dear Maya,

My sweet little girl, I can’t believe how fast the days have flown by. At the end of this first month together, I feel like on the one hand you were born just yesterday. On the other hand, I cannot imagine life without you. It feels like you’ve been a part of our family forever.

When they told us you were a girl, I immediately burst into tears. To hear your sharp wail and see your perfect round face, it made time stand still. When they placed you into your daddy’s arms, I could not imagine a more perfect place on earth to be. We kept saying your name over and over again and telling you how much we love you and that we were so happy to finally meet you.

I thought I’d miss feeling your little kicks inside me, but I don’t. I love holding you in my arms and looking into your big beautiful blue eyes. I love kissing your cheeks and smelling your sweet baby smell. I love our quiet time in the mornings as we watch tv in bed together and I love our sunny afternoons playing in the living room on your rain forest play mat. I even love our late nights rocking back and forth in the glider- everyone keeps telling me that I should appreciate every moment with you, even the fussy ones and I absolutely do. You will never be this tiny again.

You open your eyes more and more each day, gazing at lights and turning your head to look around at the big bright world. You’ve begun focusing on close up faces and you're becoming more alert every day. It seems that each hour your personality develops a bit more!

You have different types of cries and sounds that I am still figuring out. There is a snorty dramatic head flailing back and forth feed me cry and the long strong lamb-like cry that means you're uncomfortable. You don’t cry much when you are wet or dirty… maybe you haven’t figured out those cries yet. You sigh deeply when you are eating, and you make this ooooh sound when you are soothed. You love being held and kissed and talked to. You love music at night, especially your Jerry Garcia kids’ songs. Your sneezes are just the most adorable thing I have ever heard, but you burp and fart like a grown man. We will have to work on those before high school.

You love your bath- or should I say your bath spa experience. You lay there like a movie star at a Hollywood day spa in the bubbly water letting me wash your feet and tummy and neck. You seem to really enjoy it when I wash your hair; maybe it’s because you know that an awesome moisturizer massage is coming up. You really sleep well after baths too. It's a good thing you like the bath, because this month we have had dozens of huge spit ups as well as projectile poops and pees and spit-ups.

I just love our little family; I love watching daddy come home and give you kisses. Seeing the way he loves you makes me so proud to be your mommy. I knew David would be an amazing dad- but I was unprepared for the consuming love he has for both of us now. I smile as he reads to you at night and I can’t stop taking pictures of you napping on his chest. He loves to do tummy time with you and feed you and give you big kisses. I look forward to him coming home in the evenings so we can have family time, but I also cherish our time alone together during the afternoons and at night.

I stare at your ever changing face and try to memorize the feeling of your small weight in my arms. I listen to your sighs and squeaks as you eat and try to store away this feeling of love as I hold you close to me. I can’t wait to know who you are and what you will be like. I look at your hands and wonder what they will hold, what your first words will be, what you will like to do. But at the same time I want to pause you at four weeks old forever. My beautiful sweet little girl Maya, you are so precious to me. I will love you forever.

Maya, each day brings something new for me to love about you. Sometimes I wish I could hit pause and take more time to watch you play, nuzzle my nose in your neck and cover you with kisses. But then I wouldn't get to the next day and see what you discover next. Even after a long night, each day has been more wonderful than the last.

Before you, I knew about love, but not this kind. This kind is enormous. There has never been a better feeling than falling for you, my sweetie. You are so full of possibility. I hope I am capable of showing you all you can be and do in this life. I am so proud to be your mom and I am so grateful for you.

Love,
Mommy

Newborn Photo Slideshow

2011-01-31T09:57:00.003-05:00

So this whole parenting thing... it takes up a lot of time! Who knew?!

Everyone is doing great, Maya is an absolute joy and I get lost in her beautiful eyes and big smiles. Today is our first day as "just the two of us" and so far there have been no calamities.

I promise to get better about posting new pictures, developments and milestones in the coming days. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this video: Maya Hazel Ehrlich.

Thank again to Brooke Bready for the portraits.

Introducing...

2011-01-18T05:35:00.008-05:00

No, I did not fall off the face of the earth, things have just been a little hectic 'round these parts because...

It's a girl!!

With much love and excitement, we are proud to announce the arrival of our daughter: Maya Hazel Ehrlich. Born on Tuesday, January 11, 2011 at 12:24 pm at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, DC, she is healthy, full of life, and absolutely gorgeous. Maya was 7 lb 5oz and 18 1/4 inches long. Below is our first family photo.

Maya is named after my Great Grandpa Morris and David’s Great Uncle Herman. Both men played a significant role in our lives and those of our families.

The name Maya has several meanings. Our favorite explanation is that the name has been derived from the Greek expression meaning 'Great' because she is our absolute greatest joy.

We came home on Saturday afternoon. Everyone is doing great, and both of us are so in love with our little girl.

Yesterday, we gave Maya her Hebrew name, Miriam Ronit.

Maya has been getting to know her wonderful grandparents and great grandparents this week. We can't wait for all of you to meet the newest member of our family!

The Incredible Growing Belly

2011-01-09T09:13:00.009-05:00

It's almost showtime! Our bags are packed, car seat is installed (and inspected), pack and play is assembled and I got my nails done this afternoon (priorities, you know?) so we are officially ready for tomorrow.

With just hours to go before Baby E makes his or her debut, I thought it would be fun to take a look back at my progression over the last several months. We didn't take pictures at regular intervals- it was really just whenever we thought to take one- but I think we were able to capture the right effect.

18 weeks

24 weeks

28 weeks

32 weeks

35 weeks

WARNING: this last one is not for the faint of heart....

39 weeks

A slight detour in the birth plan

2010-12-16T10:39:00.003-05:00

Well, I'm at 36 weeks today and for the most part things are going great! The only thing I could live without is this kiddo is already showing how stubborn it can be, I assure you this is a feature he/she gets from David and not me(ha!) because it's still not head down. It should be moving into position but it's happy where it is. So, unless things change, I'm scheduled for a c-section in a few weeks.Of course we still have time for the baby to flip over, so nothing is set in stone.

I know this is weird to say, (and maybe I've been watching too many episodes of 'A Baby Story' on TLC) but I am kind of bummed I won’t get to have a normal labor. I mean, I wasn’t really looking forward to it (by any stretch of the imagination) but labor was never something I was afraid of. It’s part of life and was always how I envisioned having a baby.

I’ve read this is not a totally uncommon feeling to have. I will admit that it's kind of neat knowing when the baby will come (unless I go into labor earlier!)but also strange to know that one day we will wake up and know that our last day of non-parenthood is gone forever! I'm also not really looking forward to the recovery but such is life I guess. As long as the three of us come home safe and sound, that’s all I care about.

A very wise friend pointed out that I probably didn’t always envision myself living in the Maryland suburbs, being a cat owner and eating cheeseburgers either, but life is about adjustments. This is not how I had always pictured it, but it’s the way things are playing out so I have to just enjoy the fact that we are going to have a healthy happy baby soon. Also, not much about this pregnancy has been as I had always pictured it. From fertility treatments to cesareans- it's been a really unique experience.

I can also think of it as now I will have something in common with Kate Winslet, Angelina Jolie, Victoria Beckham, Julia Roberts, Gwen Stefani, Claudia Schiffer and Brooke Shields (but also Tori Spelling, Britney Spears and Ashlee Simpson so it’s a wash I guess).

I actually recently read a quote Kate Winslet gave after her daughter was delivered via C-section in 2000. She said she was left feeling “like a complete failure.” She also said “There’s this thing amongst women in the world that if you can handle childbirth, you can handle anything. I had never handled childbirth, and I felt like, in some way that I couldn’t join that ‘powerful women’s club.’" I honestly don't feel like a failure. For the most part, I have enjoyed this pregnancy and tried to make the best of all the bizarre quirks that have come along with it. I know that once I'm holding our baby I won't care how it got there but it’s comforting to know it’s normal to have these mixed feelings about c-sections.

Maternity Portraits

2010-12-09T08:22:00.012-05:00

A few weeks ago, just as as the gorgeous fall colors were peaking, (and before it became freezing here!) we took some fun maternity portraits at Glenview Mansion and the Rockville Civic Center Park. I had purchased a Groupon deal (love Groupon!) for photographer Brooke Bready, and I'm so glad I did. She was fun to work with, full of ideas and really sweet. Plus, I think all the portraits came out adorable!

I did not go all "Demi Moore nekked" in these photos- nobody wants to see that- but I did bare the belly in a few. Some are sweet, others are playful... I'm still sorting through the 130+ photos Brooke sent over, but I wanted to share a few of my early favorites here with you.

This one reminds me a similar picture we took during our engagement shoot.

of course... the requisite "lovingly and contemplatively staring down at my belly" portrait

I'm so glad we took these pictures. I'm really trying to appreciate these last few weeks where it's "just the two of us" before life changes forever. We are so looking forward to becoming parents and we can't wait to meet our baby- but I'm also very glad we were able to document spending one last sunny warm afternoon together.

The Homestretch

2010-12-01T10:49:00.008-05:00

So... I know that technically my due date is more than 30 days away.. but now that it's December, I can officially say the baby is coming next month!!

just about 33 weeks

We're starting to get really excited.. and a little panicked about how much there is left to do! We've been working on the nursery and gathering a few essentials needed to bring the baby home; so far we've painted the walls and put up a few decals, we have newborn diapers and some first aid items.

You know.. just monkeying around. (this will go over the crib)

working on our decals

I dont know why, but the walls look very peachy in this photo. They are actually more beige in person- the first pic of David and the monkey on the vine is a better representation of the real color.

Here is mom and I at Dennys picking out layette items. We have a 'boy' box and a separate 'girl' box which she will bring down to Maryland once the big day arrives!

We also started our labor and birth class at the hospital- which seems useful except for the fact that I can't stop laughing during the breathing exercises. I just can't look at David - he gets so intense with the counting! Some couples in the class looked a little annoyed at us, but you know what? He's the one I hope will make me laugh when I'm in real pain- so let them be pissed. I think some of the positions we learned will be helpful. The breathing however? Notsomuch.

Introducing... our niece Natalia!

2010-11-30T08:30:00.001-05:00

Over Thanksgiving weekend, Ilan and Patricia had a beautiful baby girl!

Natalia Sofia was born on Wednesday, November 24th at 8:26 PM. Healthy and happy, she was 8lbs, 7oz, has big brown eyes and a head full of soft dark hair.

first family picture

happy new parents

Natalia was very considerate to come exactly on her due date- as David and I were in town for a few days and could visit with her and her proud new parents.

David finding out he's an uncle on Thanksgiving morning

So in love with their little girl

meeting our gorgeous new niece

mommykisses

Patricia labored for a few days and from what I am told was an absolute champ!

We are so in love with our new little niece- we can't wait to introduce her to our baby in a few more weeks.

happy at home

We miss everyone already!

Boy or Girl... what do you think?

2010-11-17T14:31:00.012-05:00

It’s been fun not knowing what the gender of the baby is going to be, but also VERY hard. I mean… I. NEED. TO. PLAN. Also? I'd like to be able to answer the very first question EVERONE asks when they see me these days. “So…what are you having?”

Still, I’m glad we are going to wait… it has been pretty a pretty cool experience. But just for fun, I decided to look up a few old wives tales that are supposed to predict the gender of the baby. Both websites I consulted (totally at random) came to the same conclusion. Guess we’ll see if they are right in 2 months!

Website Number 1: iVillage tells me it could be a boy

It's a boy if:
You didn't experience morning sickness in early pregnancy (Yes I did. Moderate but there.)
Your baby's heart rate is less than 140 beats per minute (it’s been 135-140 since the very beginning)
You are carrying the extra weight out front (I am not “all belly” but I am carrying mostly in front)
Your belly looks like a basketball (sure does)
Your areolas have darkened considerably (hey now personal!)
You are carrying low (not really)
You are craving salty or sour foods (I crave all foods)
You are craving protein -- meats and cheese (I crave all foods, but thanks because now I want a steak)
Your feet are colder than they were before pregnancy (nope)
The hair on your legs has grown faster during pregnancy (nope)
Your hands are very dry (nope)
Your pillow faces north when you sleep (wtf?)
Dad-to-be is gaining weight, right along with you (a smidge, but anyone would gain with all the sweets from Halloween)
Pregnancy has you looking better than ever (my hair IS thicker, but I think that’s the vitamins)
Your urine is bright yellow in color (not really)
Your nose is spreading (YES!!!)
You hang your wedding ring over your belly and it moves in circles (have to try this- will report back) (**UPDATE - it went in a circle!**)
You are having headaches (nope)
You add your age at the time of conception and the number for the month you conceived and the sum is an even number (30+4=34 EVEN!)

It's a girl if:
You had morning sickness early in pregnancy (Yes I did. Moderate but there.)
Your baby's heart rate is at least 140 beats per minute (It’s never been more than 140)
You are carrying the weight in your hips and rear (I got some ‘junk in the trunk’ but it’s mostly up front)
Your left breast is larger than your right breast (um, I don’t THINK so)
Your hair develops red highlights (nope)
You are carrying high (not really)
Your belly looks like a watermelon (not really)
You are craving sweets (I crave all foods)
You are craving fruit (OMG YES!)
You crave orange juice (ugh, heartburn, no. However, I do crave milk. )
You don't look quite as good as normal during pregnancy (now that’s just plain rude!)
You are moodier than usual during pregnancy (this must be a trick question)
Your face breaks out more than usual (nope)
You refuse to eat the heel of a loaf of bread (it’s the best part)
Your breasts have really blossomed! (I mean… have to SEEN me?)
Your pillow faces south when you sleep (again, WTF)
Your urine is a dull yellow color (actually it kinda is)
You hang your wedding ring over your belly and it moves from side to side (have to try this- will report back) (**UPDATE - it went in a circle!**)
You add your age at the time of conception and the number for the month you conceived and the sum is an odd number (30+4=34 EVEN!)

Website Number 2: Pregnancy-Info tells me it could be a boy

Carrying High, Carrying Low
The way you are carrying during your pregnancy is one of the most oft cited ways of determining the sex of your baby. The general story goes that, if you're carrying low, you're having a boy. If you are carrying high, then you must be having a girl.
(I don’t think I’m high or low… my conclusion is this predictor sucks)

What Your Urine Says
This next test to determine a baby's sex may not be for everyone, although it is very simple. Just take a sample of your urine and mix it with Drano. Depending on the color change of your urine, you will have a boy or a girl. If your urine turns bluish yellow, brownish, brown, black or blue you will be having a boy. If your urine looks more greenish brown, green, blue or doesn't change at all, then you're having a girl.
(My bathroom is not a science lab and I don’t want to be near any Drano fumes… this predictor sucks too)

Heartbeats
One belief that has been around for some time, and even had some acceptance in the medical community at one point, is that the fetal heartbeat differs for boys and girls. If you're having a girl, the fetal heart rate will be above 140. A boy will have a heart rate below 140.
(it’s been 135-140 since the very beginning, never higher: Guess we’ll see if it’s a boy in January)

Cravings
Many people believe that your cravings are caused by the sex of your baby. So, if you can't get enough chocolate, you could be having a girl. Does the idea of drinking straight lemon juice sound delicious to you? Then those sour cravings are a result of the little boy inside of you.
(First of all, this is unfair to ask right after Halloween. Second, all I really want is SPICY foods)

Weight Gain
Thankfully, this one doesn't refer to your weight gain. The belief is that, if your husband puts on weight during your pregnancy, then you will be having a girl. If he doesn't put on a pound, then you're carrying a boy.
(David maybe put on 2 lbs… which I think doesn’t even count as sympathy weight. See my comments above re: Halloween. Guess we’ll see if it’s a girl in January)

Is Her Face Round and Full?
Some say that the shape and fullness of your face during pregnancy can indicate your baby's sex. Every woman gains weight differently during pregnancy, and every woman experiences different skin changes. If people tell you that because your face is round and rosy you are having a girl, they might be right - but it's just as likely that they are wrong!
(Nobody has ever told me I look “rosy” Guess we’ll see if it’s a boy in January)

At-Home Tests
Here's a test that you can do next time you change or get out of the bath. Look in the mirror at your breasts. If the right one is larger, you're having a boy! A larger left breast indicates a girl
(If they're the same size, does that mean you're having one of each? My conclusion is this predictor sucks)

Pendant
Hold a pendant over your hand. If the necklace swings back and forth, you're having a boy. If it is more of a circular motion, then it's a girl. This can also be done by suspending a ring on a string above your belly.
(Will try this tonight)

Acne
Do you have acne? Some believe that getting acne during your pregnancy indicates you're carrying a girl. Maybe the acne is caused by twice the amount of female hormones?
(My face has actually cleared up. Guess we’ll see if it’s a boy in January)

Keys
Pick up a key. If you've picked it up by the thinner end, you're having a girl. Picking it up by the bottom, rounder part means a boy is on the way. Did you pick it up by the middle? Then congratulations, you're having twins!
(Twins?! Shudder. I picked it up at the thinner end. Guess we’ll see if it’s a girl in January)

The Chinese Birth Chart
This is a very popular calendar used by many women not only to increase their changes of conceiving a girl or boy, but also to predict the sex of baby who is already conceived.
(It says boy. Guess we’ll see if it’s a boy in January)

Chi-town!

2010-11-08T16:23:00.026-05:00

We went to Chicago for a long weekend with our friends, Becky and Aaron. It was a combination weekend getaway with friends, a visit to see Brian in his new city and Babymoon Part II (Boston was part I).

We arrived Friday night and had some late-night snacks and drinks (and here I never thought I would get to use the word 'mocktail' in my life) in the gorgeous lobby of our hotel.

swank lobby ceiling.

I learned this after we got home (thanks Google!) but apparently there are 21 paintings on the ceiling of the Palmer House lobby, designed and created by French painter Louis Pierre Rigal. The man who helped restore the Sistine Chapel – Lido Lippi – also restored the lobby ceiling in 1996.

The whole hotel is stunning- we didn't even get to explore the whole thing but I did become kind of obsessed with these massive, bronze doors which were apparently designed and built by Tiffany.

hotel room

On Saturday morning we kicked off our touristy weekend with an Architecture Cruise aboard Chicago's First Lady. We learned about the history and design of many of Chicago's most recognizable buildings.

boarding the cruise

David and Becky's fav buildings, the Marina City Buildings. All the apartments are shaped like a piece of pie.

One of many touristy pictures from the weekend

Architecture cruise sites

Architecture cruise sites

Architecture cruise sites

Then it was off to lunch at Doug's Dogs. Also known as "The Encased Meats Emporium and Sausage Superstore" this was David's one request for the whole weekend and it did not disappoint. Check out our dogs (and duck fat fries).

The men and their 'food babies'

Aaron and his dog

After lunch we headed back downtown and had drinks at The Signature Room at the top of the John Hancock Building. It had really amazing views of the whole city and some delicious hot chocolate!

great views and good friends

We had tapas for dinner at Mercat a la Planxa and then dessert at Rick and Shannon's place that night. Getting home was a bit of a challenge as snagging a cab on Halloween is no easy feat- but we did it!

On Sunday we hit up some more of Chicago's touristy-must-do's including the Bean, Michigan Avenue Shopping, Garrett's Popcorn, Navy Pier and deep dish pizza at Lou Malnati's. We checked out Brian's new apartment and had a really incredible dinner at Boka that night.

Yet another touristy pic- Chicago's famous bean

Garrett's popcorn just off Michigan Avenue

Navy Pier

Navy Pier cuteness

Getting some authentic deep dish pizza at Lou Malnati's

On Monday we got some culture at the Art Institute of Chicago and dug into some Italian Beef sandwiches at Portillo's before heading back home.

The Art Institute of Chicago

Seated Buddah

American Gothic

A Sunday on La Grande Jatte

Nighthawks

Italian beef sandwiches at Portillos.... yum!

It was a fabulous weekend. We did a lot of walking but I made sure to take it easy when I felt tired. The weather was really great and I even saw a few celebs along the way. Except for Thanksgiving and an upcoming family Bat-Mitzvah, this was the last real trip away before baby. I'm trying to enjoy these moments because I know it will never be the two of us again.

A whole post about snoring. You're welcome.

2010-11-08T15:31:00.004-05:00

So apparently the secret to a happy marriage involves Breathe Right nasal strips. You know, those funny looking "spring-like" bands you put over your nose? Best. Invention. Ever.

Apparently my recent (and still lingering) cold, combined with cruising along into my third trimester has resulted in some snoring. According to David, a lot of snoring actually (poor guy). Let's face it, people who know me can attest that I'm not exactly a quiet person to begin with- and this apparently extends to my snoring as well. It's so loud it even wakes me up!

David has tried to be a good sport- but ultimately after waking up a few times, one of us ends up schlepping to another bedroom in the middle of the night and nobody gets a good night's sleep. Something had to be done- and separate bedrooms for the next 2 1/2 months was not an option. Enter the Breathe Right strips.

Sure, I look like a football player and yes, they are one-time use only so I will be buying them in bulk from now on, but! they! work! So far we've both made it through the night without incident. I'm still getting up a few times to reposition myself and my pillow fortress or go to the bathroom, etc but overall I think we are both more rested and happiness has returned to our little home.

28 weeks!

2010-10-29T06:30:00.000-04:00

Well, we are in our third trimester little one. You continue to get stronger; your gentle nudges have turned into some pretty strong kicks. I sometimes call you my little ninja. You can't seem to sit still for long, you must get this from me.

You are also getting bigger..and so am I. You have started to feel heavy this week and I've noticed a slight shift in my balance. My bigger belly has thrown off my posture, and on top on that, the hormone relaxin is loosening up my joints- so I'm trying to be more careful reaching for things and I'm also holding on to the elliptical machine at the gym. (Because let's face it: for a former gymnast, I'm surprisingly kind of a klutz)

I passed my Gestational Diabetes test this week (wahoo!) and I have to admit that overall, I feel really good. My hips do hurt a little, but taking a warm shower before bed, doing some stretches and propping myself up with pillows at night seems to be helping. I make a sort of pillow fortress around me each night- one behind me, one between my knees and one in front of me. David has almost given up on a) having any space for himself in the bed and b) a kiss goodnight. Instead, we've been giving each other a high-five over the mountain of support pillows strategically placed around me. The space issue? Well some things are just not my problem :)

I'm really looking forward to our long weekend in Chicago. Of course we are going to NJ and NY for Thanksgiving, but this will be our last vacation as a couple before we become a family.

Cute Maternity T-shirts

2010-10-28T13:53:00.008-04:00

I have seen a lot of really cute maternity t-shirts recently and while I didn't find this one early enough to order for Halloween this weekend, the rest of the ones below might be just too funny not to get:

I found all of these at CafePress and you can customize a lot of them with your due date, etc.

I think this one is my favorite....

Followed closely by this one....

Because let's face it, I'm not trying to impress anyone.

Improvements (mostly) around the house

2010-10-24T20:17:00.017-04:00

We've been busy acquiring furniture and making some home improvements around the house. I will probably stop taking pictures of each and every little project soon, but for now I'm enjoying it and David (incredibly) still tolerates it.

This weekend, we hung up a door knocker we received as a housewarming gift. This project requited the use of power tools and excellent communication. We made it... somehow.

Powertools in action.
You can also see the mirror we hung that morning in the hallway behind David.

making adjustments to the door

come on in!

We've also started to work on the nursery. Last weekend we began paining the baby' room. We decided to cover up all the the blue with a nice neutral tan-ish, beige-y color. (I bet we will we feel silly if it's a boy!)

Painting over the blue walls

David did all the climbing on ladders but I helped out in the lower spots. And don't worry, it is low-VOC paint and we had every window wide open for extra ventilation!

The color is called 'Calm Air' do you feel calmer looking at it?

Step stool and drop cloths and paints and rollers and brushes...

Making progress

The job isn't complete yet; we have a few areas to touch up. Still, it seems to have calmed my intense nesting need for a few days. I will post more pics when we put up the rest of the pictures, etc on the walls.

Two weeks ago when David's parents were here, we bought an area rug for the living room. As I can't exactly lift furniture, Dov was able to help out with this project... while Fran and I supervised of course. Supervise and snap way too many pictures of their manual labor.

bringing in the rug

moving the furniture

unrolling the rug

moving the couches back

mission complete... happy wife... big thumbs up

That weekend we also put up some curtains in the living room.

curtains

The rod and hardware was left by the previous owner and it's a bit too high... we are going to lower it so the curtains reach the ground soon.

finished (for now) product
You can also see some of my Halloween decorations :)

So that's the progress we've been making on the house. I know we still have lots to get done, but it's all heading in the right direction and I'm very pleased. We've been to Home Depot A LOT and I think we could both use a break. I'm really looking forward to next weekend in Chicago with Brian and the Baeckers!

26 weeks (three months to go)

2010-10-15T16:29:00.005-04:00

Three months from today (depending on whether or not you take after your parents and their propensity for being prompt) we will finally get to meet you. I can't wait to kiss your cheeks and tell you how much I love you. I want to count your little toes and look into your sweet eyes.

You can hear now, so we've been saying goodnight to you before we go to bed each evening. I feel you kick and move all the time now- you are so active! You change positions often so I never know where your little nudges will show up next. Your favorite spots are to be way low in my belly just to the left of my belly button, and up high on my right side. It seems that you don’t like to keep one position for long and I wonder what kind of stretches and flips you are doing in there. I can feel you most when I am laying still on the couch or sitting at my desk at work.

You're on my mind constantly- I wonder if you will look more like me or your your daddy. We are so excited to meet you, but we know that you aren't quite ready and have lots more growing to do. So keep growing strong and stay snug and warm and comfy for these next three months. Keep those little nudges coming and just know that we love you so much!

You totally know what I’m talking about… right?

2010-10-14T14:02:00.002-04:00

You know those lines you sometimes have on your face/legs/torso when you wake up in the morning? The ones left by the folds in your sheets? You totally know what I’m talking about, right?

They usually go away in a few minutes, but recently mine are lasting last through my shower, teeth brushing, hair drying and getting dressed routine. I assume they disappear eventually because they are gone by the time I get home from work and change back into casual clothes… but seriously how much water am I retaining?

Is this normal? I’m trying to watch my sodium intake –I don’t usually snack on really salty food anyway. And I’m not sure where I read this… I might be making it up completely…. but I recall reading that retaining too much water sometimes means high blood pressure or preeclampsia, but so far my doctor has been happy with my blood pressure. So I guess this is just an odd quirk of pregnancy. Hmph.

David's Birthday / Columbus Day Weekend

2010-10-11T21:14:00.034-04:00

This weekend we celebrated David's Birthday. It was also Columbus Day Weekend and with both of us lucky to have a 3-day weekend, David's parents came down to see the house and spend some time with us.

(Note: We just got a fancy new camera and we're still figuring out all the settings and gizmos- so sometimes the pictures are going to look awesome and other times they might look a little... off. Please be patient as we work out the kinks and get to know this new piece of equipment.)

As this falls right after our wedding anniversary, our house was already festive with cards and flowers.

Fran and Dov arrived Friday night (thanks for the bagels!) and in the morning, we got right down to the business of celebrating with more cards and presents.

Birthday Cards and Coffee. David is a happy guy.

Then it was off to The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles International Airport. This is the companion facility to the Air and Space Museum on the National Mall, and it's a pretty neat place.

Built to display the thousands of aviation and space travel artifacts that cannot fit into the D.C. museum, it showcases famous aircraft, spacecraft, rockets, and satellites, and a wide assortment of other space exploration memorabilia including the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird (the fastest jet in the world) the Boeing B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay (which dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima) and the Space Shuttle Enterprise (which flew landing tests for the shuttle program in the 1970s).

Heading into the museum

One of the many planes on display

family pic

Although you have to pay for parking, admission is free. I would highly recommend getting a (free!) docent tour. There is so much to see, it's helpful to have someone answer questions about the exhibits and steer you towards the highlights.

shuttle pic

We stopped in the gift shop and I had to try really hard not to buy several of the cute items there. This Curious George book was almost the end of me. I settled for a photo with it...for now.

We spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the gorgeous weather and while the boys watched the Yankees game at home, the girls did a bit of maternity shopping. We celebrated David's birthday that night with his favorite take-out wings at home.

birthday Bon Chon chicken and beers

It was a fun and action-packed day. Even Jerry was in a good mood, patiently sitting on the couch letting me practice with the new camera.

you lookin at me?

On Sunday, we spent the morning at the Sugarloaf Crafts Festival in Gaithersburg. There were a lot of vendors selling pottery, sculptures, jewelry, clothing, home décor, furniture, items for the garden, and photography. We bought a few things and did a LOT of walking.

With Fran and Dov at the festival

craftybag

On our way from the festival- it was a great way to spend the final warm and sunny days of fall.

That evening we went downtown for dinner at Fogo de Chão. We've been there a few times before- I even blogged about it here and here. On our way to the restaurant, we passed a statue of Benjamin Franklin, so the two colleagues posed for a picture.

printers

One picture outside the restaurant...

...and another inside

I am going to do a separate post about our weekend home improvement projects later, but on Monday we bought an area rug for the living room and put up drapes. Here is a preview of what's to come....

schleppers (also known as area rug placement in progress)

Overall we had a great weekend, perfect weather, excellent guests, great food and good times. Thanks again to Fran and Dov for coming down, for dinner(s) and for being good sports thoughout my activity-filled weekend. Happy Birthday David... I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!

"On the doorposts of your house"

2010-10-09T08:00:00.002-04:00

We finally started putting up mezuzah's around out house. I know this probably (definitely) should have been done weeks ago, but hey... it's done now. We've received several beautiful ones from family and friends- and we tried to hang them where they would be seen the most.

We're not done yet... but we're getting there. I even found the appropriate prayer for the occasion:
.בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יי אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשַׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָנוּ לִקְבּוֹעַ מְזוּזָה

David's parents bought us this one in Israel on a recent trip.

It now hangs in the entryway between the sun room and the kitchen. Because we almost exclusively use the garage to come in and out of the house, we pass by it every day.

Hanging up the mezuzah in the doorway from the sun room to the kitchen. (And in case you are wondering... yes, David is getting used to doing all the work around the house while I snap annoying photos around him.)

The Stricklers bought us this one on a recent trip to Italy. It now hangs on the door to our bedroom.

I like how the colors match the hallway and pick up the brown and gold tones in our room. You can't really tell from the photo so you are going to have to trust me on this one. It looks great.

My grandparents bought us this one on a trip to Israel several years ago.

It now hangs in the front hallway entry to the kitchen.

So that's all I have for now. We will put up a few more in the coming weeks as we continue to settle into the house.

Backdated post- October 8, 2010: 25 Weeks! (Ovo and Acid Reflux)

2010-10-08T11:00:00.000-04:00

25 weeks! (Also known as the Ovo and Acid Reflux post)

I'm almost at the end of these backdated posts. Last weekend we went to see Ovo, a Cirque du Soleil show at the National Harbor with a David’s coworkers. The show was really cool – the following pictures are not my own but can give you an idea for the beautiful costumes and acrobatic performances.

The promotional poster for the show

The "butterfly" act

This was my favorite act, the ants! "The hardest working insects in the community are the bright red Ants. As soon as they’re awake they spend their day gathering food: On the menu today – kiwis and corn. But it’s not all work. They play with their food, too – with their feet – in an astonishing display of precision juggling that climaxes with ants juggling ants."

Acrosport

Slackwire

As far as how I’m doing… overall everything is great! I’m starting to experience some heartburn/acid reflux which I’m not thrilled about but I am also not exactly surprised. I’ve had it so easy… something was bound to come up sooner or later. I have been reading that the extra progesterone in my body can relax the valve that separates my esophagus from stomach, allowing gastric acids to seep back up- thus causing a rather unpleasant burning sensation. And the fun doesn’t stop here- later in the pregnancy, the growing baby basically crowds the abdominal cavity, pushing the stomach acids back up into the esophagus. So Tums are my bff for now. C'est la vie

Third Wedding Anniversary

2010-10-07T08:07:00.008-04:00

Check out the beautiful flowers my husband (of three years!) sent to my office yesterday.

Oh yeah, he's a keeper.

I kinda think that one day a year to recognize the 364 other days of putting up with me doesn't seem fair. I try to let him know how much I appreciate and love him- but today especially, thank you for being supportive and loving and accepting and generally amazing- today and all the days between anniversaries. I love you.

Backdated post- September 29 2010: 24 Weeks!

2010-10-06T10:32:00.008-04:00

24 Weeks!

I realized I had not posted many pics of myself recently... so here I am.

pointing at my belly...um... like it's not obvious?

Backdated post- September 21, 2010: 23 Weeks!

2010-10-05T07:00:00.000-04:00

23 Weeks!

Now that we’re moved in and packing/organizing/decorating has become more manageable, I’ve started going back to the gym. The stationary bike is no longer an option; it’s just not comfortable so I’ve been putting in time on the elliptical (while holding on) and the treadmill.

They (whoever ‘they’ are) say that movement can actually lull the baby to sleep, and it may be true, but as soon as I get home this kids thinks it’s party time. Maybe the baby thinks it’s time for his/her aerobics class because it starts kicking, punching, flipping and squirming around for a good while.

I have notice that since I’ve gone back to exercising regularly, I have been able to sleep soundly almost completely through the night. They (yes, ‘them’ again) also say that strong muscles and a fit heart can greatly ease labor and delivery. Gaining control over your breathing can help manage pain and in the event of a lengthy labor (the horror!), increased endurance can be a real help. Also, women who exercise during pregnancy have less chance of developing certain conditions like gestational diabetes. I hope to be able to follow a mild to moderate exercise routine for the next few months.

Backdated post- September 14, 2010: 22 Weeks!

2010-10-04T08:00:00.000-04:00

22 Weeks!

We started this week off with a bang, we got to see you in 3D and I’ve started feeling you move around. You weigh about 1 pound and you are almost 12 inches long.

It was incredible to watch you suck your thumb and see your perfect ears and nose. You seem perfectly happy in your snug little home. I can feel you moving around here and there- but you are most active right after I’ve had something to eat- perhaps it’s a sugar rush that’s got you flip flopping around. Whatever it is, it’s so cool to finally feel you. I love laying in bed at night thinking of names for you, I’ve started reading to you and I love it when David says goodnight to you.

We went to New Jersey and New York for Rosh Hashana. We got to spend time with our parents and also take a picture of the cousins to be. It was a really nice weekend.

I wonder if Natalia is going to have a little girl or boy cousin.

Backdated post- September 7, 2010: All Kinds Of Progress

2010-09-24T08:11:00.013-04:00

All kinds of progress

I finally felt the baby. It’s more noticeable when I’m sitting- but it’s definitely there. It’s cool. However, this kid skipped the gentle ‘fluttering bubbles in your tummy’ thing and moved right to judo kicks. Which I will take. It’s kinda cool, kinda weird. I’m happy to finally feel something in there. I’ve been reading about how I’m supposed to be feeling the baby by now and everyone keeps asking if I’ve felt it yet. I was getting a little discouraged and anxious. I mean, I’ve seen the baby moving around on sonograms and everything has been normal- but all the websites say to expect start feeling things between 16 and 22 weeks- and at 21 weeks I was getting towards the end of that window. Of course, they also say that veteran moms tend to notice those first subtle kicks earlier than first-time moms. I didn’t think I would be so neurotic- I’m going to try to relax a bit more this week and enjoy things.

In other news, my parents were here this past weekend and man did we get a lot of work done in the house! On Saturday- not only did my parents arrive, but the FIOS guy installed our phone, internet and TV, the furniture repair man came to fix my nightstand and our couch and ottoman were delivered. It was like Grand Central Station at our place all day!

The new couch and ottoman

Jerry already at home on the new couches

Once all the deliveries were complete, we went to home depot to buy a ton of supplies: paint and brushes, drop cloth, rake, shovel, hedge shears and pruning shears, dirt cultivator, trowel, hose nozzles, nails, screws, organizers, drill bits and.. a BBQ! (I’m sure I am forgetting several items)

David and my dad ...discussing the finer points of shovels and rakes

men chillaxin after a long day of shopping

On Sunday, David and my dad put down tile laminate in the basement where the back door opens, painted the front door, put up a knife magnet in the kitchen, organized the workbench in the garage, mowed the lawn and pruned the hedges while my mom and I did a lot of organization. We got a garbage can for the kitchen and dividers for the kitchen drawers as well as some of the drawers in our bedroom. We got a new liner for the guest bathroom’s shower and a bed skirt for the upstairs guest bedroom. We unpacked boxes, cleaned , dusted, swept and organized while the men schlepped and sweated.

Then on Monday, we washed cars (a Koles family weekend tradition) and finished up the garage.

Handyman David laying down the flooring

Weeding in the backyard with my new gear (gardening gloves and pruning shears)

My mom helps out with the gardening too!

David trimming hedges

Dad amongst the tools and workbench

washing cars... a Koles Family weekend tradition

After my parents left, Mike came over with Daisy and we had a little evening BBQ.

This little house of ours? It’s coming along pretty nicely.

August 31, 2010- Anatomy Screening (20 weeks!)

2010-09-22T09:15:00.007-04:00

Anatomy Screening (20 weeks!)

This morning we had our 20-week anatomy screening. Here is a new picture ....he/she is waving "hello!”

We chose not to find out the sex of the baby, but we got to see and learn all kinds of other neat things about it. We saw 2 arms with hands, 2 legs with feet, 1 head with eyes and a brain, 4 chambers in the heart, kidneys, bladder, stomach... all lookin good.

feet!

The baby weighs about 12 ounces and measures roughly 10 inches long right now. It doesn't have any fat on it yet but will get some in the coming weeks. The face was really gaunt… just empty eye sockets and kind of creepy looking. David said it’s an alien baby.

We saw blood flowing in the umbilical cord and the heart rate was 135. They said it looks healthy with and all the right stuff in all the right places. The only measurements we couldn’t get were the spine- the baby moved around a lot. Already can’t sit still- this is my kid for sure!

Backdated post- August 23, 2010: Moving Day!

2010-09-16T08:40:00.017-04:00

Moving Day!

So the plan didn’t go exactly as I had predicted (does it ever?). We ended up sleeping at the condo Friday night instead of the house to get some last-minute packing done, but everything else went pretty smoothly. We’re in the new house! It feels…. like home! Messy and unorganized and chaotic and dusty… but home.

The movers were supposed to arrive at 8 AM on Saturday, so we had set the alarm for 7. Of course I was up every other hour with something new on my mind throughout the night, and by 5:30 I was restless and ready to start the day. I wanted to get the bed stripped and get the final few boxes ready for the move, I wanted to have some breakfast and make coffee made for David, I wanted to fold the laundry I had done the night before, I wanted to bring over a few smaller items to the house myself… basically, I was typical me.

The movers showed up bright and early, and we were out of the condo and all moved in by about 2 PM. They worked their asses off and even hauled off our old couches to the dump for us. It was a really hot and muggy day, but we had to keep the doors open for the movers, so now I think every fly and mosquito in Montgomery County also lives in our house.

moving van at our new place

My parents sent flowers “To Ali, David, Jerry and Baby E” which was very sweet and of course made me cry. They are beautiful and we sat them on the dining room table where we ate our leftover pizza for dinner. On Saturday night we rented a movie and watched it while laying on our makeshift couch (a mattress and some throw pillows) while Jerry chased a moth around the living room. We got so many calls from family and friends to wish us luck in the new place; it was an exhausting but great day.

our "welcome home" flowers

Unpacking is coming along nicely, I’m trying not to work too hard or lift too much. We don’t have phone, internet or TV yet; it’s amazing how productive one can be where there are no distractions. David spent yesterday painting/touching up the baseboards in the hallway, living room and dining room so I spent most of the afternoon out of his way in the basement filling up our storage space and fixing up the guest bedroom.

kitchen

By the end of the weekend we had taken care of half of our clothes, the whole kitchen, hallway and linen closets, upstairs bathrooms and most of the basement. You'd think I would have started unpacking our clothing and bedroom stuff first... but no. Jerry is adjusting well, he has a favorite sunny window he likes to sit in and he’s also found our bed to nap on. I was worried our new bed was going to be too high for him to reach, but he's able to jump up no problem.

bedroom

We still need to make an appointment for Verizon to give us an estimate and find a landscaper/gardener. I’d say the lawn is half grass and half clover, weeds, crabgrass, etc. I don’t really want to use chemicals but I also want to knock out the crap and get the lawn into shape. The guy who has maintained the property for the last 20 years came over and met with us on Sunday. He seems nice and will probably do an ok job, but I think we might be able to find a better price from a friend of David’s. He did tell us what all of our shrubs were, so that’s a bonus.

dining room

back patio

Yesterday we went back to the condo for a few small items and I actually got really emotional. Seeing the empty place… I don’t know… it just got to me. It was the end of a chapter. I know I’ve written about this before, and we have so many new things to look forward to, but I couldn’t help but feel a little sad. I swept the floors and collected the kitchen gadgets while David vacuumed the carpets and packed up some wine. We will be back a few more times to oversee the work we’re having done before our tenants move in, I wonder if it will get any easier.

Jerry making himself at home

upstairs guest room

Backdated post- August 15, 2010: I get by with a little help from the fam

2010-09-14T14:52:00.016-04:00

I get by with a little help from the fam

We didn’t do a ton of baby stuff this weekend, but we did get a TON done for the upcoming move. We spent Friday packing until Fran and Dov came around 10. We showed them the new house, but it was dark so we didn’t spend a ton of time there. Plus, I was beat so we went back to the condo and crashed.

On Saturday they went to temple in the morning and David and I moved a lot of the kitchen items into the new house (pots/pans, dishes, glasses, tupperware, etc). In the afternoon, the bedroom furniture was delivered and assembled. It's beautiful, thank you Fran and Dov!

Then Mikey came over and he and David went to Costco and bought a mattress and box spring while Fran and I went to Bed and Bath for a few small items. Mike and David also brought a lot of David’s wine to the new house and we packed up some more boxes in the condo before going to Chinese for dinner. Yum!

Our new bed and nightstands

Dressers

Side of the bedroom pic

Sunday we got shelves for the pantry and finished the kitchen, brought over breakables and the ketubah as well as some of our bathroom stuff. We never had THAT much room in the old kitchen so it’s been fun to open some of the things I got for my bridal shower that I haven’t been able to use yet. It was so much fun to unpack and open new bowls, platters, baking gadgets and tools! Plus, we found out that my yellow plates kinda match the old school yellow kitchen- bonus!

It also must be said that if you need to pack or ship something- Dov is your man. Awkward sized bowl? Wrap it in a towel. Need to move some cups? Here, pack them stacked like this. Not sure how to transport an item? He is! I don't know if it's practice from finding a way to get home all the items Fran has picked up on various vacations or maybe its just something one is inherently good at- either way, it was incredibly helpful. So Thanks Dov!!!

Dishes, etc (and the awesome yellow 1960's range)

We are going to keep packing all week and then the plan is to spend Friday night in the new house before the movers come Saturday AM. I. Am. So. Excited.

Backdated post- August 11, 2010: What should have been

2010-09-14T14:46:00.009-04:00

What should have been

I know that some readers will think of this as an overshare- so I welcome them to skip this post. However, when I relaunched this blog I wanted it to be a more open and accurate part of my life, and if I am going to be honest (with myself and all of you), I need to let you know that today is bittersweet. This was supposed to be my due date for my first pregnancy. After months of tests and hormones and bloodwork- we were finally pregnant! David and I were ecstatic. We spent Thanksgiving, Hanukkah and Christmas amongst family and friends - just the two of us keeping this wonderful little secret. And then just before New Year’s we found out something had gone wrong, that our dream was over. It was hard on each of us in different ways. My heart was broken and I felt lost for a long time. I think David felt sadness, but also an inability to protect me from pain and hurt.

I will not dwell on loss for very long, partially because I educated myself on the issue and learned not only why this happens but also how common it is. More importantly, because we came out of this experience as a stronger and more bonded couple. But ultimately, I think it’s because we have so much to look forward to and be thankful for today. We have a healthy baby on the way and a beautiful new house to move into.

There are so many wonderful things we have to forward to, yet, I also want to recognize my feelings about what was supposed to have happened today. I'd be lying if I didnt admit to thinking about what should have been. I also want to thank David for his unconditional love, tenderness and support during what was a difficult time for him as well.

During this time, I found an incredibly supportive network of women online whose stories gave me great comfort. Now, this is a lot more religious than I usually get, but I have always been very spiritual and I especially connected with a particular story on a Chabad website. I thought I’d share part of it today; it was posted by a woman who had unfortunately suffered a few miscarriages. After one of her losses, her rabbi taught her this lesson.

He explained how every soul that is brought into this world comes for a very specific reason and serves a very special purpose. We live our lives to fulfill this mission and it takes each individual a different amount of time, along a unique and specific journey to complete the mission.

In addition to new souls that come into this world, there are also reincarnated souls that come into this world to complete what they hadn’t been able to in their previous lives. Sometimes these souls need to live a full lifetime, others for just a few years, and others for only a few months, even at times just a few days. Then there are the souls that need so little to complete their mission, that their soul only needs to come into a body long enough to beat its heart or simply create a pregnancy. These are the highest of all the souls--the souls of the truly righteous and pure whose mission took so little to complete.

While the story did not take away my pain/ hurt/ feelings of loss- this lesson gives what happened to me some meaning, and in some way made it easier to live with. Like this woman, I pray for myself and for others to only have pregnancies/ births/ babies/ children that have so much to accomplish that they live long and full lives, but in a strange way, I also feel fortunate to know that my loss was not for nothing. I was chosen, for one reason or another, as the conduit to aid a very holy soul in its vital and final mission. And that comforts me immensely.

Backdated post- August 10, 2010: Homeowners!

2010-09-14T14:37:00.014-04:00

Homeowners!

We have a house! Today we closed on our new place in Bethesda and we are so excited! (btw, having never done this before, I had no idea how many times I’d have to sign my name; now I know how celebrities feel)

with the deed to our new casa

After the closing, we went to the new place and took it all in. Here is David (being a great sport) holding up our first piece of mail.

I walked into the dining room and imagined us sitting around the table celebrating holidays with family and friends. I sat on the floor of the room that will be the nursery and tried to mentally place where the furniture should go. For a place to physically empty right now, it is literally bursting with dreams. I can’t wait to move in and start this chapter of our lives.

Backdated post- August 3, 2010: Going Public

2010-09-14T14:34:00.006-04:00

Going Public

I started telling a few coworkers about the baby this week and it is really fun to finally share the news with the folks I see every day. Of course people were excited and congratulated me. They also asked how I was feeling, so I took a minute to think and realized that while there were moments of not feeling (or looking) so hot in those first 10 or 14 weeks, now I actually feel pretty good. I literally woke up one day and was like, “Hey, I like steak again! I can stay up past 9:30 PM! I’m not crying at Hallmark commercials anymore! Nice!”

They say the second trimester is often called the best time of pregnancy. I am trying to really enjoy this part of my life, to take it all in and not complain (too much). I want to take in this experience however it comes and enjoy it, because it’s not going to come often or last forever. I’m sure that by December I will look back at this entry and laugh because it will probably feel like I have been pregnant for decades- but right now I am enjoying the anticipation of feeling that first flutter of movement, the extra energy I have now, the quiet times David and I spend talking about names for the baby, planning the nursery and the house we are about to buy.

Backdated post- August 6, 2010: Rachel and Allan get Hitched

2010-09-14T14:15:00.020-04:00

Rachel and Allan get Hitched

As mentioned in my previous post, we really went to Florida to celebrate Rachel and Allan’s wedding. As one of the blog's biggest fans, I had hoped to feature their wedding a little sooner, but things have been hectic 'round these parts so it’s being presented in the same chronological order as everything else.

SO…here goes: Rachel and I grew up around the corner from each other in Dix Hills. We went to elementary school, middle school and high school together. Our moms went to the same high school in Westbury and our younger brothers are the same age and are both named Brian! Clearly, she and I had a lot in common growing up. After college and law school, she came back to Long Island where she met Allan at bar review class. And..as they say... the rest is history. I'm so glad we could be a part of their special day.

All dressed up and ready to head out to the wedding.

Here comes the Bride!

Here comes the Groom!

The wedding was gorgeous! It was held at the Palm Beach Ritz Carlton. They were married in an outdoor ceremony and had SUCH a fun band. It was great to see old high school friends as well as many familiar faces from Dix Hills. Rachel looked amazing and we had a blast!

Happy Parents of the Bride

Rachel and Allan cutting their cake

With the gorgeous bride

Before we knew it, dessert was being served and it was time to say goodbye. Here is a video of some of the wedding's highlights:

Backdated post- August 6, 2010: Telling Our Grandparents

2010-09-14T07:44:00.016-04:00

Telling Our Grandparents

(Great-Grandparents-To-Be)

I knew that our grandparents would be excited when we told them our news, but I was unprepared for the tidal wave of emotions the news would elicit from everyone involved. There was shock, delight, excitement, gratitude, hope... there were tears and hugs and phone calls.

We were invited down to Florida to attend the wedding of two of the blog’s biggest fans, Rachel and Allan, and the timing was perfect to also tell the grandparents about our news (their wedding will be in a separate post).

We arrived late Thursday night and spend the evening in Sunrise. On Friday morning, we told Sara and Joe, (David’s grandparents) that they were going to be great grandparents again. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so what is a video worth? Check it out...

Later that evening, we went to Ruth and Paul (my mom’s parents) and told them our news.

Then we called Rona and Donald (my dad’s parents) who were in Vermont for the month, and told them. This will be the first great grandchild on my side of the family and within minutes the house phone and my cell phone were ringing off the hook! I guess good news travels fast.

Backdated post- July 16, 2010: Pregnant Ladies!

2010-09-10T12:00:00.000-04:00

Pregnant Ladies!

Goodie sent this video to me earlier today, and OMFG I almost peed myself I was laughing so hard. This woman is amazing.

Backdated post- July 7, 2010: First Trimester Screening

2010-09-10T08:00:00.000-04:00

First Trimester Screening

Words rarely fail me, but right now I literally have no words to describe exactly how I feel. Excited? Elated? No, those don’t quite convey my current state of frenetic happiness/ relief/pride/ exhilaration/ hope/ joy/anticipation/bliss. I am bursting with emotion. Bursting.

This morning we had our End of 1st Trimester screening and got to see the little nugget. This was David’s first time to see him/her, to hear its heartbeat, to watch it hiccup and move its hand to its mouth so it could suck its thumb (our baby has thumbs!). It was phenomenal. It was precious. It was awesome.

Check out my kid- sucking his/her thumb!

I’ve been feeling pretty good recently- sure I am ready for bed at sunset and the nausea is still lingering, but those are GOOD symptoms and overall I‘ve had no complications. Still, I was anxious until I heard that heartbeat and saw that little fluttering outline of a heartbeat. And then my fears melted away. I wonder if this is normal- do all mothers-to-be get anxious before a sonogram, or is it just me?

David and I held hands as the sonographer (I think that’s what she was called) recorded the baby’s heartbeat and reported back that it was good. She pointed out the baby’s two legs and feet, tush, arms, brain and torso. She had me move around a little bit to get the best angles and printed out a few photos for us to take home. Then I did some quick bloodwork and it was over. Off to work.

But HOW do you concentrate on work when you’ve had such an amazing morning?! When you have a zillion emotions coursing through you? I can’t wait to start telling more family next week!

Backdated post- June 28, 2010: Phishin… with kids?

2010-09-09T12:00:00.001-04:00

Phishin… with kids?

This weekend David and I went to the Phish shows at Merriweather. With temperatures in the upper 90’s for most of the weekend, (it reached 101 at one point on Sunday afternoon) it was HOT and HUMID but also a ton of fun. I definitely took it easy whenever I could- I sat in the shade in the parking lot, I drank tons of water the whole day and when I was tired during the show, I sat down on our blanket and just enjoyed the music.

It was great to see Rick, the band is playing better than I have ever heard and we met some really cool people, but the best part of the shows was seeing David so happy. When they started to play a song he loves, he’d jump around and smile and dance and sing. I think the only other time I have seen him so happy was at our wedding. Even though it's hot out, I’m glad we could do this together.

I noticed there were actually a lot of children at the shows. Some parents brought a blanket to the crowded lawn and danced with their children, others stayed closer to the perimeter and pushed strollers around the venue. It made me think about whether or not it’s better to introduce this type of activity / behavior to children at such a young age. If they grow up going to shows, will they know what drugs are too soon? Will it ruin their innocence? Will it accelerate their curiosity or take away some of the allure? I t just makes me wonder.... is a Phish show an appropriate place for a child? I mean, these kids were safe and loved and happy- but they had no idea what was going on around them just a few feet away. They were just enjoying a concert with their parents. I guess I am seeing things through different eyes these days.

Backdated post- June 25, 2010: Parenting 101 From The Cosby Show

2010-09-09T08:00:00.006-04:00

Parenting 101 From The Cosby Show

There isn’t a whole lot of new programming on TV right now, so we’ve been watching The Cosby Show reruns recently. I swear, that show is just as funny today as it was in 1985. It’s also just as touching. Cliff may wear crazy sweaters but what he lacked in fashion sense, he more than made up for it in common sense.

Despite the daily exhaustion of delivering babies and dealing with his five kids, he was always there to point them in the right direction (with a well-timed wisecrack of course). He taught his kids to keep their word, about honesty, priorities, humility, pragmatism, dedication and respect. He instilled in them a work ethic and deep love for family. I will never be as sassy as Claire and David will never be as witty as Cliff- but we hope to emulate their values and teach our child(ren) the same lessons. And maybe have half the fun they had along the way.

Backdated post- June 20, 2010: Fathers Day News!

2010-09-08T12:00:00.003-04:00

Fathers Day News!

This afternoon we told our parents our big news, and boy were they surprised! It’s Fathers’ Day and although it’s still a little early in the pregnancy, we figured it was a great time to let our parents know. There were tears! There were hugs! It was perfect.

(If the video doesnt work above, try this link)

I'm going to keep this post short, because I tink the video says it all. We will start telling extended family and friends in a few weeks. In the meantime, enjoy this video and pictures of our dads opening up their Fathers Day gifts.

Backdated post- June 16, 2010: Home Inspection and a Sonogram

2010-09-08T07:38:00.005-04:00

Home Inspection and 9-Week Sonogram

What a day. This morning we had our home inspection and this afternoon I had my first real OB appointment. Oh, and in between, I treated myself to a pedicure. Start to finish, it was a helluva Wednesday.

Our inspection was to begin at 9 AM and in theory we could sleep in- but I was too excited. I was up at 6:30 ready to start the day. The inspection was educational, and except for a few minor plumbing and electrical issues, we learned that the house is in really great shape. We could tell the previous owner had really cared for his home and we’re more excited than ever to move in and make it ours!

I dropped David at the metro and relaxed with a pedicure which was quite a mid-week treat.

Then it was time for my 9-week appointment. lt wasn’t with a reproductive endocrinologist, or with a nurse checking to see how my beta is rising, but a completely normal every-woman-has-one-of-these regular ol’ appointments. It’s nice to be normal finally. There was a minute in the waiting room where I panicked and thoughts about the absolute worst crept into my head- but I pushed those thoughts aside and tried to relax a little. But there was no need to worry. As my exam started, we quickly saw this happy little nugget wiggling and waving at us. With a strong heartbeat and visible arms and legs beginning to form, he/she was right on track! I was told that everything looked great and that I would be due around January 19th. I had some blood work drawn and chatted with the doctor for a few more minutes, I was given instruction for setting up my 1st Trimester Screening and was on my way.

Kind of difficult to tell this is going to be a person one day, but apparently this is what everything is supposed to look like at this point.

I picked David up from the metro in the evening and we celebrated over Chinese food. I showed him the sonogram photos and we talked about work, the baby and the house. With bellies full of dumplings and dan-dan noodles, we went home happy about and excited for the future.

Backdated post- June 14, 2010: Under Contract!

2010-09-07T09:07:00.006-04:00

Under Contract!

We are officially under contract! We are going to buy a house in Bethesda, a four-bedroom rambler (high-ranch? ranch with a full basement?) and it's beautiful.

I am super excited, but also a little nostalgic. Tonight I took a look around our place and was struck by how many things I am actually going to miss about our condo. Not the kitchen or the pool- but the place itself. This is where I feel in love with David, where we’ve had so many special moments- holidays with family, evenings with friends, quiet moments of celebration and struggle. I know that we have many years of making new memories to look forward to, but I couldn’t help but think about the last 4 years in this place. They have been the most amazing and fulfilling years of my life. This condo was where I first told David that I loved him, where he proposed to me, where I cared for him after his broken arm in Sun Valley. It is where we worried about jobs and lawsuits and money and sickness. It is where we supported each other through fertility treatments and where David held me and let me cry for hours after our miscarriage. It is where we celebrated new jobs and certifications and raises and birthdays and anniversaries and so much more.

I know that the best is yet to come, but I can’t help but think about where we’ve come from, and how much has happened in this little home of ours. Still, life goes on and we have so much to look forward to. I cannot wait to get into our new beautiful house and begin this next chapter of our lives, make new memories and celebrate new milestones.

Backdated post- June 10, 2010: Father’s Day Gifts

2010-09-07T08:54:00.003-04:00

Father’s Day Gifts

Our Fathers’ Day gifts for our dads arrived today, they came out great! We ordered these t-shirts which will serve as gifts for them and a way to tell our parents about the baby.

My dad’s t-shirt is Mets colors and says “Kick Ass Grandpa” on the front and “Grandpa Marty” on the back. Dov’s is Yankees colors and says “Kick Ass Saba” on the front and “Saba Dov” on the back. They are so cute.

I can’t wait to give them to our dads. I can’t wait to see the look on our mothers’ faces. I am really looking forward to finally sharing our news and our journey with our families.

Backdated post- June 8, 2010: Where I begin to really overshare.

2010-09-03T07:37:00.009-04:00

Where I begin to really overshare.

I know this is going to be an overshare, so feel free to skip this post if you want... I wont mind... or ever know. Still, it must be asked: Seriously, people, what is up with all the peeing?

I’ve gotten sick a few times, no big deal. I kind of expected it. But this little nugget is barely the size of a blueberry. HOW can it be making me visit the ladies room so damn much? I used to sleep through the night like champ. Now? It’s 3:30 AM and I’m doing the 50-yard dash in my pj's. What gives?

After a quick search of the almighty Google, I found out that the amount of blood in my body is increasing by quite a bit already and a lot of extra fluid being processed by my kidneys ending up in my bladder. Makes sense, I guess. And here is a fun fact: You pee more often during the night because when you lie down, some of the fluid that you retained in your legs and feet during the day makes its way back into your bloodstream and eventually into your bladder. Also, small as the changes may be, my growing uterus is putting some pressure on my bladder giving it less room to store urine. Oh Internet, you are so useful! (You are also filled with all kinds of scary things to make me think this kid is going to be born with 16 toes and 3 arms, but how Google is my ‘Frenemy’ is a while other post.)

So yeah, I’ve been peeing a lot. And I’ve gotten sick a few times. And I fall asleep around the time most 4th graders are going to bed (although I stayed up until midnight one day this week to see a concert!), but overall I have to say that I feel great. And also? Pretty darn lucky.

Backdated post- June 1, 2010: Heartbeat

2010-09-02T08:04:00.004-04:00

Heartbeat

This morning I saw your heartbeat for the first time. They tell me that you are about the size of a grain of rice. You are so tiny, yet I already love you so very much.

I am filled with a strange and exciting mixture of emotions. As a Jew, I am not supposed to “count my chickens before they are hatched,” but as a woman, and a first-time mommy-to-be, I am beyond excited. I can’t help but dream about what you will look like; whether or not you will get your daddy’s beautiful hazel eyes, or my dark curly hair.

I must admit that I am a bit torn. As I walked to my office, it felt like I was floating. I am elated, but I know that I’m not supposed to celebrate. I don’t really think that speaking the baby’s name (not that we have one) will invite the evil eye or that buying a crib (or looking at them online) will draw the attention of dark spirits- but I will defer to the tradition of my ancestors (and probably make my mother and mother in-law happy) by keeping them in mind during the next few months. Maybe it will get easier. Still, today I cannot help but smile like crazy.

Backdated post- May 17, 2010: Mothers Day/ Cousins!

2010-09-01T07:46:00.016-04:00

Mothers Day/ Cousins!

This is awesome. I couldn’t have planned this better if I tried because I couldn't have imagined it better. On Mothers’ Day, Ilan and Patricia announced they are having a baby this fall! They told their parents first and then us today. I am SO HAPPY for them. I also can't believe we spent a whole week together in March and I never picked up on it. Patricia was so good at hiding it - I had no idea! What fantastic news.

I am also thrilled for Fran and Dov. Although they are more traditional than myself and David, and because of superstition I don’t think they want to get too worked up just yet- but still, you can tell they are super excited to be grandparents. Fran wants to be called Abuelita and Dov is going to be Saba. I love it!

So of course I am thrilled, but what really makes me giddy- literally grinning grin from ear to ear like a silly teenager in love, is the fact that our child will grow up with a super cool NYC-savvy cousin so close in age. Even if they don’t live in the same state, our child will have a fantastic older (by a whopping two months!) cousin to share all kinds of experiences with. They will have common interests and likes and fears- and they will be able to relate to each other better than anyone else in the world. Will they be two cute girls playing dolls and dress up? Will they be boys throwing a baseball in the backyard? Or perhaps a boy and a girl- the best of both worlds! I guess time will tell.

So check it out... here is my niece-or-nephew-to-be AND our baby's cool older cousin!

We have decided to share our news with all of our parents on Fathers’ Day weekend because everyone will be together for the day. I can’t wait- this fall/winter is sure going to be an exciting few months!

Backdated post- May 10, 2010: Knocked Up

2010-08-31T13:36:00.003-04:00

Knocked Up!

I knew it! Yippeeee. We are preggers. This two week wait felt like forever. With a whole lot of support and encouragement from an extremely wonderful and patient husband, and after pumping myself full of what seems like enough hormones to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool, through the miracle of science there is something finally growing in there!!!!

I have about a million emotions coursing through me right now… relief and excitement and gratefulness and exhilaration and feelings I don’t even have words for just yet. But seriously. Dude. Thank goodness. Because if I wasn’t pregnant- after all that crying and sleeplessness and being a completely irrational human being these last two weeks- I think David was ready to drive me straight to the loony bin. I kid of course; David is a friking saint for putting up with my particular brand of crazy these last couple of days. I can’t wait to go home and see him!!

Backdated post- May 7, 2010: The Waiting Is The Hardest Part

2010-08-30T07:32:00.004-04:00

The Waiting Is The Hardest Part

Dude. Tom Petty Was Right, The Waiting Is The Hardest Part. To say I’ve been emotional this week would be an understatement. Of colossal proportion. Also? Babies are stalking me. No joke. Everywhere I turn… BABIES! I have another few days before I will know for sure, but if I’m not pregnant, the universe is playing some kind of mean-ass joke on me.

It's been pretty nice out these days, and with David working downtown- we've been going out on Friday nights in DC. Tonight after work, David and I walked around Eastern Market and had dinner at this cute French bistro. On the walk from the market to the restaurant, we passed another restaurant that was holding a children’s music event. There were a zillion families with babies ranging from itty bitty to about kindergarten age all singing and clapping and eating and having fun. It was adorable but whoa-thats-a-whole-lotta-babies and another reminder of how much we want to be a part of that group ourselves. My uterus literally ached watching them… or… was that an implantation cramp? As we ate dinner at the bistro’s outdoor patio, families departing from the event walked by and I lost count at 50 babies.

Seriously, babies are stalking me. Don’t believe me? There's even a movie called 'Babies' coming out this month and their aggressive marketing campaign has shown up in as ads in my newspaper, articles my magazines and commercials on my TV programs. I see babies on the metro smiling at me, at Costco and even at work. GAH! Yes... I realize it’s normal to see children in public but I swear the sheer number of babies I have seen this week is unreal. I swear it's a conspiracy. There had better be something going on in there.

Backdated post- April 26, 2010: IUI Day!

2010-08-27T14:38:00.003-04:00

IUI Day!

Today was my insemination. This afternoon, in my fashion-forward paper gown and the comfy pink socks I brought from home, I had a ‘date’ with one of my favorite nurses and a very important syringe (hey, at least it wasn’t a turkey baster). Hopefully, she and I just made a baby. It’s actually kind of funny- I left the office at 1:15 and by 2:45 I was back at my desk sending emails. The whole world keeps on going around me as if nothing is happening, but I just know (hope) there is a tiny miracle going on inside of me.

I’m glad we took a little break after January. I needed time to get myself together and mentally prepare for this round, which actually wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. Maybe that is due to the break… who knows. I responded well to the Follistim, and my sonogram yesterday showed that I have a few really good follicles. This isn’t exactly how I envisioned starting a family, it’s not the romantic way I always dreamed things would go. But my perspective is that we don’t have any control over the cards we are dealt, so we make a plan and we play the hand the very best way we can. Besides, I have a feeling it’s all going to be worth it.

As I write this, I feel reflective but also very hopeful. I hope this insemination works. I hope our baby is healthy and happy and smart and talented. I hope our parents and friends are not hurt when they find out we’ve been keeping this from them. I feel lucky that David and I can afford this, that my insurance covers a lot of it, that science has come so far, that our relationship is strong enough to endure this, and that my work hours are flexible enough for me to go through it all relatively unnoticed. More than anything, I feel lucky to have a partner who has been supportive of me and all of my (admittedly sometimes completely irrational) emotions. This experience has strengthened our commitment to each other and to having a family. I have faith in G-d and in the marvels of modern medicine. I am sure we will reach our goal of starting a family soon- I hope it’s all beginning right now.

Beshaah Tovah

2010-08-25T07:53:00.003-04:00

As we’ve started telling people about being pregnant, we have received a ton of excited congratulations, questions about whether or not I’m going to find out the sex of the baby, when am I due, where I am registered, etc.

One topic that often comes up is baby showers. A lot of people are surprised to hear that Jewish women don’t have baby showers. I always knew that it was mostly based on superstition- a “don’t count your chickens before they are hatched” kind of idea, but I wanted to learn more so I found this article which I found useful.

It basically says that as exciting as becoming pregnant is, nothing has really happened; pregnancy is a potential that is yet to be fulfilled. We would not throw a party for someone who had a good idea but has not yet followed it through. Traditionalists don't celebrate a pregnancy and will not even say Mazel Tov when a pregnancy is announced. Instead, they say Beshaah Tovah- which translates to “all should proceed at the right time.” Very religious/superstitious women believe it is not tznius (modest) to announce a pregnancy.

OK, so maybe my blogging isn't exactly modest but I'm new to all of this and I'm trying to find the right path between traditional and modern Judaism. I guess a baby shower is out, and I’m not going to run out and hire a decorator for the nursery just yet. Still, I think it’s perfectly ok to be excited about a really really good idea.

Wherein she returns to blogging....

2010-08-24T12:59:00.008-04:00

Where do I even start? I’ve been away from the blog for a while now. Have you missed me? I’ve missed you! There have been many wonderful things to write about these last several months—vacations, weddings, birthdays, holidays, celebrations—but also something that David and I chose to keep private, and I didn’t feel right blogging about our lives while omitting this journey we were on together. So I took a break for a bit.

But now it’s time to share our story and be open and candid with everyone. So here it is: For the last year and change, we’ve been going through fertility treatments in order to start a family. Looking back, it seems a little silly to not have shared what we were going through with our friends and family, but as we began this experience we decided to keep it quiet. I was embarrassed about my infertility. I was uncomfortable with the thought of answering questions or having to share disappointing news over and over again. I was unsure how long the process would take and how emotional it would be. So we kept it quiet. I realized this could possibly hurt people who love us when they found out we had been keeping something so major from them, but I also hoped they would understand how difficult and delicate this has been at times for us, and we felt the fewer people involved the better.

I am not going to spend a lot of time here talking about what we did or why we did it, and I am not asking for anyone’s pity or sympathy or forgiveness. So many women have had a more difficult time than I did conceiving. It took trying three different medications / hormones, but today I am happy to report that I have been successfully knocked up. What?! Really?! Yep, I’m pregnant! Way to bury the lede, huh? David and I are going to have a baby!!

We are excited! We are thrilled! We are more than a little bit nervous. But more than anything else, we are so very happy to finally share our news. As I said above, I want to be completely honest here in this space. David and I actually had a successful insemination and got pregnant this past winter, but I lost the pregnancy shortly after New Years. It was an incredibly painful and heartbreaking thing to experience, but ultimately we came out of it more committed than ever to having a family and to each other. It may be poor taste to talk about a miscarriage on a blog for the whole world to read. But it’s my blog and it’s my outlet. I found some incredibly useful and comforting words online these last several months – on other womens’ blogs, on bulletin boards, etc. And I feel that if my story brings comfort to someone out there reading this site, then it will have been worth it to publish it.

So back to the celebration. Today I am 19 weeks and 2 days. To answer your (likely) questions: No, we don’t yet know if we are having a boy or a girl, and I’m actually not sure I want to know. I feel great, there are definitely moments of feeling not-so-great but I guess that comes with the territory. I am estimated to be due around January 15th. Hmmm what else… the successful cocktail was 75IU of Follistim and I absolutely adore the folks at George Washington University Medical Faculty Associates Fertility Center.

Before I forget, I want to thank David for his unconditional love, tenderness and support during the last year. I wasn’t always someone you’d WANT to spend the rest of your life with. He was supportive when I needed encouragement, understanding when I felt lost, tender when I was hurting and a source of strength when I felt defeated. I am so fortunate to have him as my partner on this journey; he is my beloved and my strength.

After a few months of not blogging, I wasn’t sure I would ever re-launch the site, but I began writing out my thoughts and feelings throughout the process as an emotional outlet. I even videotaped a few moments here and there for posterity. When I was nervous about giving myself an injection for the first time, I went on YouTube and found videos of all these couples who had taped and posted their first attempt with injectables. It was sweet and inspiring, and they gave me courage and comfort. I won’t be posting my injectable videos, but I will begin posting some of my other videos and thoughts soon.

The last three years of Life As An E has been a mix of weekend and vacation recaps, recipes, silly stories I found amusing and narratives and photos of family gatherings, holidays and parties. As I continue to rework the blog I’m sure I will continue many of the same posts, but I will also chronicle my experiences and thoughts during the pregnancy as well as back-dated entries from our journey through fertility treatments, loss, love and luck.

I will begin posting the older entries soon, but in the meantime, here is a picture of our little Baby E-To-Be.

And here is me!