Life in the Abatzis Household

Sick

2012-01-26T20:58:00.000-05:00

The poor boy is sick.

He was sent home from daycare on Monday morning, showing "symptoms of pink eye".

He felt fine and acted fine...and his eyes weren't even that goopy. So, we played a little here and there and had some fun. Then his eyes looked a little better on Tuesday, so I thought for sure he'd go to daycare on Wednesday. And then his eyes got worse. And then, this morning, he woke up with a 102.4 fever.

He slept on my lap for an hour while I caught up on a few DVR-ed shows. That's the only good thing about a sick boy...he is WAY super cuddly.

He definitely feels badly though. You can see it.

He's all loaded up with acetamenophin and ibuprofen (yes, both) and I'm hoping he feels better tomorrow.

It's a good thing that I had a light work week, so I was able to give him lots of love and attention.

William - 1 year old

2011-11-17T12:14:00.000-05:00

The boy is one year old.

Whew. What a year.

Here is a snapshot of who William is at 1 year old:

William is 23 lbs and 6 oz. He is 31 inches "tall".
He is still not walking, but does a good job standing - unsupported - for 30 seconds or so at a time. He has taken a stumbling step or so, but that's not walking...that's just momentum driving him forward.
Having been a superior eater, William is now showing signs of independence and, well, will. He is more picky (although still a good eater).
He still loves fruit most of all - especially blueberries.
He has moved past formula and is on to whole milk, which was no big deal for him. He is still taking bottles, and I need to start getting him off those and on to exclusively using sippy cups relatively soon.
He's turned into a great nighttime sleeper - usually sleeping a full 12 hours. (He naps okay - some days are great and others aren't...but if that is the tradeoff I make for a good nightime guy, I'll totally take that trade.)
He is very much a mama's boy right now, but he sure is happy to see daddy, too.
No talking yet...we thought for a while he was saying "book", but now we're not so sure...as apparently EVERYTHING is "oo. ook." He doesn't really say "mama" or "dada" either. He makes those sounds...just not directed at us.
He still loves books and being read to. He turns pages and even "reads to himself" by talking to himself as he plays with books.
He has started interacting (nicely!) with Beaux. He "throws" tennis balls to him and hands him toys as well. Beaux remains unconvinced that this little guy is a good thing (an issue that will probably be an even bigger concern once W starts walking).

And, while we may not necessarily be happier than we were in our child-free life, we are certainly more fulfilled. :)

Daylight Savings

2011-11-07T08:59:00.001-05:00

Daylight savings time SUCKS for moms and babies.

That is all.

His First Halloween and First Birthday

2011-11-03T10:10:00.000-04:00

We celebrated BIG recently:

3 years of marriage
1 year of baby William
William's first Halloween

We combined the celebration of our anniversary and W's birthday in a brunch this past Sunday. I haven't uploaded my pictures yet, but will do so very soon.

The next day was Halloween and William got to be the "turnip" that he's always been in our minds! (It has been his nickname since he was 17 weeks in utero!) Thanks, Linda, for creating such an amazing costume!

Here is a quick picture of W in the turnip costume with daddy. Birthday photos to follow later.

Happy, happy camper

2011-10-23T12:16:00.000-04:00

William has been having some super happy days lately. He is really fun to be around recently. This weekend we've taken a stroller ride each morning - the photo above is when we went to Ellwood Thompson's grocery to pick up some pear juice for a drink I was making for a friend's baby shower. And this morning we went to the art museum sculpture garden so he could crawl around outside.

In other baby-related news...

He has rediscovered clapping after some odd weeks of completely doing none at all, he does it all the time now.
He has also discovered stairs and LOVES to climb stairs. He is super fast at them now which means it is time to put the baby gates UP.
He has gotten his 8th tooth. All front teeth on the top and bottom are now accounted for.

Sleeping In

2011-10-15T08:37:00.000-04:00

That boy has started sleeping in! And by sleeping in, I mean he is sleeping over 13 hours straight now....from around 7pm to 8:30am or so.

Just a Tuesday morning update

2011-10-04T08:50:00.000-04:00

Just a couple quick things this morning...

I *finally* started brushing William's teeth (7 of them now!) last night. He thinks it is HYSTERICAL to have his teeth brushed.
Aunt Bridget and the cousins sent some birthday books over so that William could "prepare" for his upcoming first birthday. He really likes them. Thanks!
Poor W got his foot stuck in the crib slats last night - I had to go in and rescure him around midnight. Must not have upset him too much though, because he pretty much went right back to sleep.

Another update about William

2011-09-27T22:31:00.000-04:00

William is still a big, big boy. The ladies at his daycare seem especially impressed with his size as they are always talkinga bout how much he eats and today asked me, "was he a big baby when he was born?"
He finally got his "bad report card" from the new daycare. They asked, rather timidly, if "William was very demanding at home." Ha - demanding? That's putting it lightly! They did say that they have learned not to put him in his highchair until his food is READY. :)
He seems oh-so-close to walking. I think he'll certainly be walking by his birthday.
We think he's saying his first word - "book". And boy oh boy, does he love books. LOVES books. They are hands down his favorite kind of toy lately.
I taught him to hold his play phone up to his ear ("Hello, is baby home? Can I speak to baby?"). Well, apparently he didn't get the connection with it being a phone you hold up to your ear and instead holds ALL TOYS up to his ear and makes a sound that sounds like "hello?") It's super adorable.
He cut another tooth on the bottom...I feel like the 8th tooth (the corresponding one on the other side) must be right behind this one. He wakes up at night when he is teething and is difficult to soothe. Poor thing. Must be really painful. Oddly, his bottom teeth have been the biggest culprits...the top ones don't seem to bother him as much.

I'm glad I documented our "typical day" a few months ago. Things have certainly changed. Now a typical day looks like this:
6-6:30am - I wake up and get ready
7am - William wakes up and we head downstairs for his morning bottle
7:45 - 8am - I get him dressed and head out the door to daycare
8 - 8:30am - I stroll him to daycare (which is awesome). Beaux comes with us.
8:30 - 9am - walk home from daycare with an empty stroller. I look a little ridiculous, but only one person so far has said, "you lost your baby". I do think a lot of people think it is weird though.
9-9:30am - get ready for work (change out of walking clothes, have some coffee, etc.)
9:30am - settle in to work for the day - sometimes from home and sometimes from The Workbox (http://www.attheworkbox.com/)
9:30 - 5:30 - work, work, work, with a few errands here and there
5:30 - head out (this time in the car) to pick the boy up from daycare. usually when I get there he is all smiley and happy and adorable. He now knows that I keep a pacifier in the cupholder of his carseat, so as soon as his butt hits the seat he grabs it and pops it in his mouth...even before I get his seatbelt buckled.
5:45pm - we're home and play until dinnertime.
6:15pm - William eats dinner. so super fun to watch - he love love loves to eat. His favorites are canned pears, fresh blueberries, tofu, and black beans...but he'll eat just about anything.
6:30pm - He heads up to bathtime - usually Michael does the bath. It's a father son thing.
6:45pm - bedtime bottle - sometimes he takes it, somtimes he doesn't...sometimes he takes half. The boy is unpredictable.
7:00pm - W goes to bed. He is such a good sleeper right now - you just take him up, turn on his sound machine, hand him his paci and blankie and off he goes. He makes these little "mmmm, mmmm, mmmm" noises as he gets cozy and settles in.
7:00pm - 8:30pm - we prepare and eat dinner.
8:30 - 10:00pm - watch tv, etc. Prepare W's bottles for daycare for the next day.
10:00 - 11:00pm - somewhere in the neighborhood of when we go to bed.
...and then we start all over again the next day.

Turnip Update

2011-08-19T22:22:00.000-04:00

I guess it is time for an update, huh?

William is now ~9.5 months old. Here are some new tidbits:

He has 6 teeth (4 on top and 2 on bottom)
He is crawling (started ~8 months old), and pulling up to standing.
He has learned to clap - which is adorable.
He started a new daycare (I miss the old one a lot, but this one is okay and is walkable, so it has been nice to get out for some exercise and fresh air with the boy every day.)
He eats EVERYTHING in sight. He started with Cheerios, but soon learned that table food was MUCH more delicious than pureed baby food. And he promptly rejected pureed food. (I can still squeeze a little into him so that I can depete my stash...but he prefers food that he can pick up and feed himself.

Retiring the Pump

2011-06-02T12:03:00.000-04:00

As of today, I'm no longer nursing.

I am definitely sad to stop nursing the boy...because it is one of the few times he is still and calm and cuddly.

However, I am definitely NOT sad to be retiring the pump. I. Hate. That. Thing.

In the end, though, I'm glad to have made it to 7 months, I think that William and I have both benefited from breast feeding.

On to the next phase, I guess!

(Also, happy 7 month birthday to William!)

A Typical Day

2011-05-23T10:02:00.000-04:00

So I figured that my "typical day" is going to change through the years (even through the months) as time goes by, so I'll capture a typical day right now. Just to have a record of it.

Because Michael's schedule changes so much (sometimes he works days, sometimes he works nights, etc.) he's tough to include in this typical day, but I've done so where I can.

7:00am - William wakes up, begins making baby noises. Michael and I are usually awake now too, but still laying in bed. (I am sadly coming to the realization that I need to start getting up earlier, before the baby, just to get some more stuff done.)
7:15am - William gets much more serious about his noises...turns into a whiny cry. I get out of bed, wash my face and put in my contacts.
7:20am - I go in to get the boy. He is usually turned around in some weird direction in his crib. His diaper is SOAKED after a long night and usually gets changed before we head downstairs for him to eat. He does NOT enjoy this diaper change. His priority is food...not his wet bottom.
7:30 - Downstairs sitting in my rocking chair nursing William for his "breakfast". Usually watching a little DVR-ed Ellen or Oprah or Real Housewives of Orange County (or something equally as appalling). During this time, Michael has probably come down to eat breakfast, make coffee and read the paper.
7:50 - I run up to get dressed while W plays in his exersaucer. Because he hates being left alone, I have maybe 10 minutes before he starts crying again.
8:00am - I get William dressed and ready to go to daycare.
8:15am - off to daycare. The drive takes about 15 minutes. When we get there, I sign him in and we say hello to his teachers (Aunt Rhonda and Aunt Johnita). Then I drive back home, get some coffee, and head up to my office.
8:30am - Michael is in charge of taking care of Beaux in the morning and walks/feeds him and then heads out to work around 8:30 or so. He typically bikes to work if the weather is okay.
9:15am - Work. Work. Work. And a little blog or facebook checking along the way.
12:00pm - Pumping. Oh, lord I CANNOT WAIT until I don't have to pump any more. Pumping is not my favorite. I also eat lunch around this time.
1:15pm - Back to work. Work. Work. Work.
3:00pm - Another pumping break.
5:15pm - Head off to pick up the boy from daycare. He is so happy and smiley when he gets picked up from daycare. We also pick up his daycare report card at that time so that we know what kind of day he had and what/when he ate. Nowadays he is getting 3 6oz bottles at daycare and two rounds of solid food.
5:45pm - Get home from daycare. William and I walk Beaux around the block and get a little fresh air. If the boy's nails need cutting, we sit on the front porch so he can watch cars while I cut his tiny fingernails. Distraction is KEY in the cutting of the nails. If they don't, we may take this time to play a little or to read a book. Michael usually gets home around 6:00 or 6:15 (but again that depends on the shift he is working).
6:30pm - dinnertime for W. He usually eats 2 things (say, maybe sweet potatoes and apples with a little oatmeal mixed in). He also drinks a little water out of his sippy cup.
6:45pm - Michael gives William his bath if he is around. Bathtime is daddy's specialty. He gets washed up and plays a bit and then gets "tubby tummy time" where he kicks and "swims" on his belly in the tub. He LOVES this part and now can hardly sit still until he's out of his bath seat and able to move around a bit more. I have a feeling the bath seat is soon to be history.
7:10pm - Last nursing feeding for W. He almost always falls asleep during this session. I lay him down and he wakes up a tiny bit, rolls onto his side, grabs his little fuzzy blankie (and sometimes takes his pacifier) and off to sleep he goes. He's gotten a LOT easier to get to sleep...thank goodness.
7:30pm - I start cooking dinner. Gotta make something quick so we don't end up eating at midnight. If I'm lucky, I've started something (even just cutting/prep work) earlier in the day.
8:15pm - Dinnertime. We usually catch up on some TV while we eat (a bad habit, I know, but it is a typical day). After dinner we may catch up on emails, or sit on the porch and have a drink with the neighbors.
10:00pm - Another pumping session right before bed.
10:30pm - We get ready for bed. After washing faces, brushing and flossing teeth, we head in to take a peek at William. He's usually asleep on his left side and oh, so cute.
11:00pm - Bedtime

Can anyone spot what is missing from this routine?
Yup, you got it. Exercise. And yup, another thing is missing. Cleaning and organizing the house.

Gotta find a way to get those two things done.

I know you can pay someone to clean your house. Can you pay someone to exercise FOR YOU? ;)

Boat Ride!

2011-05-19T11:23:00.001-04:00

We spent a few days at the river house this week...with me working and Michael and the boy having fun playing together.

Don't feel too bad for me, though, I was able to join them on the boat for an hour one day for William's first boat ride. He was a little cranky on the initial part of the ride, mostly because it was almost bottle o'clock. He also wasn't quite sure what to think of his new life jacket (safety first, William! safety first.). But he managed to down his bottle and then the rocking of the boat put him right to sleep.

William is also sitting up on his own pretty well...at least for a minute or so before he topples over.

And, we STILL have not found a food that the boy won't eat. He loves everything.

He's also recently into electronics....phones, remote controls, cameras, etc. Basically anything that he could grab, drool on, and then subsequently ruin. Boy, oh boy, is it time to baby proof things.

6 Months Old and Mother's Day

2011-05-09T21:10:00.001-04:00

William turned 6 months old last week and today we had his 6-month check-up.

Stats:
Weight - 17lbs 9oz (50th percentile)
Height - 27" (75th percentile)
Head - 17 1/4" (50th percentile)

Fun Facts:

Still pretty lazy. He HAS rolled over from his stomach to his back, but he doesn't do it very often.
He has not yet rolled from back to stomach.
We successfully unswaddled him and now he both naps and sleeps without being wrapped up. Now, with more mobility in his arms and legs when he sleeps, he wakes up in different positions than we last left him in...with his head where his feet were and his feet where his head was. He oftentimes can be found sleeping on his side.
He's doing a little sitting now, but topples over after about 30 seconds or so.
William continues to be a good eater - and has not refused ANY food that we've offered him (his list is now: sweet potatoes, bananas, avocados, green beans, peas, butternut squash, apples, carrots, rice cereal and oatmeal).
He can now hold his own bottle. (He also can recognize his bottle from across the room and if he is hungry, there is NO getting around giving it to him.) The boy definitely takes after his parents in his strong desire to eat. Yum.
He's already growing out of his 6 month clothes, and even one pair of size 6-9 month pants had to be put away because they were too small.
Most socks will still not stay on his chubby little feet. Michael thinks it is because he has cankles.
He's still laughing, but still a tough crowd. Michael by far gets the most laughs out of him. He still doesn't seem to think I'm very funny.
He's still not a good napper - especially at daycare, where he only sleeps in 5-10 minute increments...but his nighttime sleep has improved and now he does a pretty good job sleeping from 7pm-ish until 6am-ish.

We had a nice Mother's Day weekend. The picture at the top shows William and I at the Strawberry Street Festival here in Richmond (Thanks to Aunt Bridget for the great hat...and thanks to Laura for letting us borrow some of Ben's cute clothes - that adorable yellow striped polo is his). On Sunday, we visited with the neighbors and I took a couple hours off to do the Museum District Mothers Day House Tour.

Teeth!

2011-04-26T09:31:00.000-04:00

They're not here yet, but they are coming.

William wouldn't even touch his "dinner" last night - I'm guessing because the food/spoon/etc. hurt his gums. Poor kiddo.

Hopefully this will be a relatively short process. But, even if it is short, I know that it is a process that will just keep repeating itself as more and more teeth come in over the next few months.

Oral Fixation

2011-04-24T12:13:00.000-04:00

Well, it's official. William will officially put anything in his mouth (good luck to us in the coming months with babyproofing!)

He has now successfully eaten:

rice cereal
green beans
sweet potatoes
avocado
banana

He also used a sippy cup with a little water in it today with pretty good results.

Next up: peas and then butternut squash

Philosophy for today...

2011-04-21T10:02:00.002-04:00

I am super busy today.

My philosophy or theme for the day is going to be, "It doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to be."

Sadly, this is especially going to be the theme of the report I'm writing today.

Travel Begins Again

2011-04-19T21:04:00.000-04:00

A couple weeks ago I had my first business trip...it was just a day trip to Indy - not even spending the night. But with William around, even a day trip becomes infinitely more complicated.

I have another one tomorrow; this time to Chicago. Again, luckily, just a day trip.

However, I do have an overnight trip (agin to Indy) coming in May...and then my first week-long trip coming in June.

It begins...

Reading Between the Lines

2011-04-13T09:18:00.009-04:00

William gets daily "report cards" sent home from daycare. Usually, along with when he ate, napped and did tummy time, they are filled with notes about what he did that day. What books they read. What he was especially interested in, etc. etc. Sometimes, these notes say things that hint about him not being the best baby there ever was that day. They don't outright say he was a bad baby that day, but if you read between the lines, you can see it. A couple examples:

"He really liked his one on one time today." really means William wouldn't sit by himself for even one second.

"William is getting used to tummy time." really means William screams and cries when we set him on his tummy to strengthen his neck and arms. He is falling behind his peers.

"He is fine as long as he can see me." really means William requires attention almost constantly.

However, Monday's note home was bad enough that I didn't actually have to "read between the lines." He did NOT have a good Monday. [No worries, though, Tuesday was better.]

If you can't read the above note, it says, "William had a 'hold me' Monday. He wasn't having fun with tummy-time at all. He enjoyed storytime as we read 'Animal Sounds' and 'Baby Mickey's Toys'. A bit fussy today. Yet he was content with tasting the book. Much love and care given by teachers. :) "

And, yes, William was "tasting" the book when I got there. Slobbering all over the pages. He was sitting in a bouncy chair where he teacher said he had been for only 5 minutes that day, otherwise insisting on being held. Ladies and gentleman, I have created a "hold me," attention-needy monster.

Wow.

2011-04-06T11:27:00.001-04:00

I suck at blogging, huh? 4 posts in all of March? I vow to make April better. And certainly if not better posts...well...at least more of them.

First Fever. :(

2011-03-22T14:08:00.002-04:00

Poor William has been sick...he fought a high fever all weekend - ranging from just barely a fever all the way up to 103.4. Yikes.

Luckily, today the little man is feeling better and is off at day care so mommy can get some work done.

Starting Solid Food

2011-03-19T12:19:00.005-04:00

We tried cereal for the first time on St. Patrick's Day...at about 4.5 months old. At first, he was confused by the contents that occupied his mouth after the spoon left...but by the end of the bowl he had figured out that he was supposed to open his mouth when the spoon came near.

He ended up finishing the whole bowl (1 tbsp cereal mixed with 3 tbsp formula), but I use the term "finishing" loosely, because I'm sure at least a third of it ended up on his bib.

4 months!

2011-03-04T10:56:00.004-05:00

The boy is four months old!

He is drooling up a storm, which requires him to wear bibs almost every day...which totally ruins the style of his cute outfits!

We had his four month check-up yesterday.

He weighs 14 pounds and 13 ounces - just about the 50th percentile.
He is 25" long - just about the 50th percentile.
His poor head though is still on the smaller side - 25th percentile. It doesn't LOOK small and I think that is because of his cheeks. Obviously, they aren't taken into account in the "head measurement". :)

In other developmental notes, he started laughing this past weekend. First he laughed at Beaux. Then last night he was laughing with Michael while daddy gave him his bath.

He has not laughed for/with me yet. Apparently I am not funny.

Right now:

William loves his exersaucer.
A burp cloth is one of his favorite "toys." He likes to hold it and "chew" on it.
One of his favorite things is to have his socks taken off so he can rub his feet together
He is getting used to daycare - which he seems to like, but also seems to find exhausting. He pretty much goes right to bed when he gets home. From what I've heard, he will get a bit more used to this and will get less cranky at night over the next couple weeks.

Thoughts on Daycare: Day 1

2011-03-01T06:58:00.003-05:00

Today is William's first day of daycare and I'm going to drop him off in about 90 minutes.

One of the things that I was asked to do was to provide a journal for him that they will record things in as the days progress (I'm assuming things like when he learns something new, when he has a particularly rough or a particularly good day, etc.)

They also asked that I make the first entry about my thoughts on his first day. I wrote it in the journal last night but I thought I'd record it here, too.

Dear William,

Tomorrow I drop you off at daycare for the first time.

In some ways, I am ready...read to interact with a few more grownups...ready to rejoin the working world. But in some ways - different ways - I am so not ready. I will miss you waking up and smiling at me and miss our days of 24/7 togetherness.

But at almost (1 day away!) four months old, I know that you are ready. Your increasing intervals of wakefulness and natural curiousity tell me that you are ready for your day to be filled with new people, new places, and new activities.

So, while I am certain that I will miss you lots during the day, I am so excited for you...and ready to see your big smiling cheeks when I pick you up.

Love,
Mom

Payback.

2011-02-13T09:23:00.003-05:00

Okay, so he paid me back for the nice night and morning with a "Mom it's not bedtime, not-at-all tired grin at 1am last night. And a LOT of grumpiness this morning.

Woe is me.

(Thankfully, Michael got home from his shift just as W was grumping up a storm at 1am and took over baby duty so I could go to sleep.)

As a sidenote, William's cries are becoming more "grown up". He does a lot of grumping and complaining now instead of newborn-style wailing.

Best Night/Morning EVER!

2011-02-12T14:24:00.003-05:00

THANK YOU, WILLIAM!

Last night, he slept for one 7.5 hour stretch last night, woke up for a quick feeding, and then slept another 4 hours!!!! He didn't get up until 10:30am which allowed Michael and I to sleep in, have coffee, read the paper, and have some homemade pumpkin-pecan waffles (which were delicious, thank you Michael!).

And, he also has just taken a 1.5 hour nap so far today! Yay!

I know I am WAY overdue to post some new William pictures, so I hope to have a little photo shoot with him this weekend.

Did Do, Round 2

2011-02-08T20:32:00.003-05:00

Today was a good day. I...

Woke up to the William fussing at 6:30...but this was a-okay by me because he had slept a full 8 hours! Hooray!
Managed to sort through my hospital bills (finally!)
Did 2 loads of laundry
Had some friends over for lunch
Cleaned up my office a bit in preparation for the end of maternity leave. boo. :(

And of course, the usuals:

Nursed William
Changed diapers

One key item still severly lacking in my routine: exercise.

Baby Free Time

2011-02-03T10:36:00.002-05:00

I had a bit more baby free time last night when Michael watched William so I could go to book club baby free! It was nice to catch up with everyone and it made me feel a bit more like a real person again...instead of just a mom. It was pretty refreshing.

Thanks, Michael!

Who has the best husband in the world? Denise does.

William LOVES to travel.

2011-01-30T11:29:00.003-05:00

We went on our first trip via plane with William.

We were terrified of how it would go.

We were relieved at how well it went.

This child could not have been a better behaved boy if we had paid him. He was an angel on the plane (slept some, but in general was just awake and happy), slept the ENTIRE time on the drives to and from the Orlando airport to our destination (2 hours each way), and was in general, just a fantastic little baby.

He also behaved incredibly well in Florida - napping like a champ, cooing, smiling, and charming everyone in sight.

Hip, hip, hooray!

(Now, let's see if this was a travel miracle, a 3-month old turning point, or a freak accident!)

Love this...

2011-01-21T17:27:00.003-05:00

"The riddle: If you need to keep the wine glass at a safe distance from the children, and you must be near the children at all times, how can you, in fact, enjoy a glass of wine?
The answer: Take your wine to the bathroom and chug."

From Ad Hoc Mom

PS - Yes, I've sunk to the depths of reading mommy blogs.

"Did Do"

2011-01-19T17:52:00.004-05:00

So lately I've been feeling like my "to do" list is doing nothing but growing and growing and GROWING. So I saw on someone else's website that to make themselves feel better they started a "did do" list...instead of a "to do" list.

Here is my "did do" list for today:

Nursed William for ~4 hours
Changed a bunch of diapers
Went to visit Claudia and Ethan (Hi, Claudia!)
Cleaned the microwave and toaster oven
Swept the upstairs floors
Vacuumed the stairs
Made dinner
Showered!
Updated this blog :)

Okay, so I probably did a few other things that I've forgotten about, too...but this is a start. It seems to be a better perspective on my day than ending the day not having accomplished anything off of my "to do" list.

Hooray! A shower! Complete with blow dried hair!

2011-01-13T18:14:00.003-05:00

Today was a pretty good day, nap-wise. This is a big relief after yesterday's "I don't want to do the mother thing today" attitude that I had. (Don't worry, I did it anyway.)

William and I have been working hard on the nap thing. He is working hard NOT to nap. I am working hard trying to get him to nap against all odds.

Today he had two good naps and one so-so nap. I'll take it. I even got to shower and blow dry my hair during most recent nap - which is still going on.

Here is a shot of him smiling. (More naps = more smiles. Hooray!) He does have a bigger, open-mouth, squinty-eye smile, but I haven't been able to capture that one yet.

The cheeks lie. W is not a big boy.

2011-01-05T15:47:00.004-05:00

His two month check-up yesterday proves it. I do not have a big baby. Even though he has the biggest cheeks on the planet, he is only:

~11 lbs (40th percentile weight)

~22" (25th percentile length)

~?? (20th percentile head circumference...although I forgot the actual measurements)

He also got 5 shots yesterday - 3 in one leg and 2 in the other...along with an oral vaccine. Yowza! The good part of it is he's been sleeping like a charm yesterday, last night and so far today.

Here we are after a lunch outing today with Stacey (thanks for lunch, friend!). He slept through the whole thing in his moby wrap.

And here is a quick picture to commemorate his 2 month "birthday". It is super blurry, but I had trouble getting a good shot. Looks like I need an SLR camera after all! (Okay, "need" is probably not the word I should use...maybe "want" is more appropriate!)

2 Months In

2011-01-02T12:56:00.003-05:00

William is 2 month old today. We did it. Well, so far, we've managed okay. I wouldn't say I'm achieving "flying colors" in motherhood...but we're all surviving, which is certainly something.

He is smiling a TON, rolling over from his stomach to his back on occassion and trying desperately not to nap. Or at least not to nap for more than 30 minutes (almost to the MINUTE) at a time. I'm not sure if that is because he only wants/needs to sleep for 30 minutes at a time...or if he just can't get through to the next "phase" of sleep and wakes up...and then is awake enough to remember, "hey! I'm hungry!". :)

Either way, we'll figure things out eventually.

He's showing a bit more interest in toys, but still doesn't like being set down on his playmat...or his swing...or his bouncy chair. He much prefers being in someone's arms or lap. This is a feature that I'm finding incredibly frustrating now, but that I'm sure I'll miss when he is out of the "cuddle-able" phase and into little boyhood.

He has is 2 month check-up on Tuesday and he has to get a bunch of shots (I think 4 or so). Ouch. But it will also be good to check in on his weight, length, etc. and to make sure everything is on track. By the looks of his cheeks, though, I can already tell he is gaining weight.

Welcome, William!

2010-11-30T16:51:00.005-05:00

Well, obviously I've had the baby by now. :)

However, I've been too busy living in "newborn land" (aka, "the land of very little sleep") to do much blog updating. But here is a little snapshot of where we are now:

William Michael was born on November 2nd, 2010 at 11:13 a.m. and was 8 pounds, 7 ounces and 20 inches in length. He was - as expected - born via c-section due to his frank breech position. (Turns out that he had an extremely short umbilical cord - which is possibly why he couldn't turn into typical head-down birth position. The doctor said that it was good he was breech because I wouldn't have been able to deliver him normally with that short of a cord anyway.)

The recovery from the c-section surgery has been relatively easy for me. I know I'm lucky to have had an easy time post-surgery - and I'm thankful for that.

The emotional/mental recovery certainly is taking more time. The freakish hormones readjusting + little sleep + learning about how my new life is going to function are much more difficult tasks than the physical recovery from surgery. But we're getting there!

William is proving to be a good baby - he is easy to soothe when he cries and is sleeping at night for 3 - 5 hour stretches (another thing I'm thankful for!) His biggest downfall is that he seems to really like to cuddle...often refusing to be put down. This is actually a plus - not a downfall - UNTIL I want to get something done. :)

The one thing that no one ever mentioned was that babies in a frank breech position have these crazy "breech baby legs" that pop up in the air whenever he lays on his back. This makes diaper changes very difficult and makes sleeping on his back near impossible (because he "topples" to the side once his legs hit the air!). So, for now he's been sleeping in his car seat, which seems to be a more natural position for him thus far. The "breech baby legs" are beginning to calm down and are looking more and more normal every day.

A few pictures:

Gah! One Week Left!

2010-10-26T10:11:00.001-04:00

Wow - now it's only ONE WEEK until baby's arrival.

1 Month 'Till D-Day!

2010-10-07T08:30:00.007-04:00

Well, I am now officially one month away from my due date (November 7th). Wow! Time certainly does fly.

Here is a recent picture, taken this past Sunday on our front porch. We've been having some fantastic weather lately!

At my visit last week the doctor mentioned that she thinks the baby may be breech, which would mean having a c-section, but she was uncertain about its position and said that there is still time for it to turn. I guess I'll have a better idea at my visit this coming Monday. But, in my opinion, however this baby needs to come out is fine with me (as neither exit strategy is really "appealing".)

In other fun news, I am now officially uncomfortable...can't bend over to tie my shoes, takes a "three-point turn" to get out of bed, etc. I can't believe I am only going to get bigger in the next 3 to 5 weeks before this baby is born!

Richmond Baby Shower

2010-10-04T17:54:00.004-04:00

Okay, so this post is a bit late (I am proving to be a horribly out-of-date blogger), but my sister and my neighbor threw me a baby shower on September 11th.

I had a great time and hey did an AWESOME job with the planning and the food and drinks (apricot gingerinis!). Thanks, ladies!

Here are some pictures:

Belly Photo: 29 Weeks

2010-08-28T16:55:00.007-04:00

I've been having a hard time getting a good picture...when I use the flash, it shows up in the mirror. When I don't, I get a blurry picture. So, a blurry picture is what you get. :) Here is the belly at 29 weeks:

I also painted the nursery today. Finally making some progress on baby stuff. Here are a couple "before" pictures:

And here are the "after" pix. And, no, just because it is a blue room doesn't mean we're having a boy. We just liked the color.

Belly Photo: 25.5 Weeks

2010-07-29T10:10:00.003-04:00

Getting bigger by the minute...

I'm Perfect! And I Look Great!

2010-07-26T22:33:00.003-04:00

Over the last week or so, the size comments began. And by size comments, I mean:

"you are really big...you've never been so big"
"are you sure there is just one in there?"
"you're huge"

I gotta say it was a relief to go to the doctor today and hear how my weight gain (thus far) is perfect! And then, on the way out, another doctor told me, "You look great!"

Now THAT is a good way to start a Monday!

A 25 week photo of my HUGE belly coming a bit later this week. :)

Belly Photo: 22 Weeks

2010-07-09T20:38:00.002-04:00

This photo is already a week old, and I am already bigger than this!

Dear Summer, please take a vacation.

2010-07-07T13:15:00.004-04:00

So, it is supposed to get to 105 degrees here in Richmond today.

And I still have no A/C in my house.

I am so hot that I am actually planning to head to the airport early...just to cool off.

Happy Fourth of July!

2010-07-02T16:03:00.002-04:00

So happy to have a three-day weekend! Unfortunately, Michael is working. :(

I have a couple friends coming up to spend the weekend at the river, though, so I'm sure we'll have fun! (We'll be thinking about you, Michael! And they'll drink a beer in your honor!)

Also, I thought I would give an update on my 2nd anatomy ultrasound, which was completed on Wednesday. They took a good look at everything (again!) and spent some time looking in detail at the heart, and I'm happy to report that all looks good. The specialists didn't even want/need to see me back again. [They probably didn't even really need to see me the first time!]

I'll post another belly shot early next week. I am definitely looking bigger these days.

Have a great holiday weekend!

It's a...

2010-06-21T22:13:00.011-04:00

It's a...baby!

No, we still aren't finding out the gender. But we did get some pictures of the kid (or "the turnip," as Michael has taken to calling it.)

Here is the "outside view" at 20 weeks:

And now for the "inside" views at 20 weeks. All organs/body parts are accounted for and all measurements are on schedule.

First, the gorgeous profile...

Then, the face. You can't really see much here, but the ultrasound tech gave an unaided comment about the size of his/her lips. Looks like the turnip takes after mama!

And now for a shot of the hand (next to his/her face) and one of the leg. There are two of each of these...the hands and legs, I mean.

Looks like we'll be having another ultrasound next week to take a closer look at the heart (the baby was not in a greast position to get good shots of it, although everything we saw looked fine). If we get any better or different pictures, I'll be sure to post those.

Tomorrow, I head off for my company's annual offsite meeting. I guess I'll take turnip with me this year.

[Lastly, people are still having trouble commenting. The best way to ensure your comment shows up - unless you have a Google account, is to sign it "anonymous" and then just type your name at the bottom of your comment.]

"Under Construction"

2010-06-17T18:03:00.003-04:00

A cab driver in Detroit yesterday noticed I was pregnant (perhaps because I was bumbling and awkward as I got out of the cab?) and said, "Oh! You're under construction!"

It made me laugh.

Photo: "Self Portrait of Baby Bump in Bathroom Mirror"

2010-06-11T11:52:00.004-04:00

Here is a current photo of the still-relatively-small belly (18.5 weeks pregnant). I like to call this "Self Portrait of Baby Bump in Bathroom Mirror". It features prenatal vitamins and my favorite Origins peppermint lotion at the bottom of the photo. :)

Ultrasound: ~9 weeks

2010-06-11T11:47:00.004-04:00

Here is another "old" ultrasound from April 5th (~9 weeks pregnant).

Ultrasound: ~7 weeks

2010-06-11T11:45:00.004-04:00

Here is an "old" ultrasound picture from March 22nd (7 weeks pregnant).

And Baby Makes Three

2010-06-07T10:29:00.002-04:00

So I figure I should start updating this blog more often, especially now that we'll be a family of three in ~5 months.

Here is the low down on what's happened so far:

March 5^th: Take pregnancy test to confirm that yes, I am indeed pregnant. I calculate my due date as November 7^th. I tell Michael by picking up a onesie at Target that says "Dad Loves Me" and wrap it up. When I give it to him after work he immediately senses that something is up. After opening the onesie, we both spend a few minutes freaking out (not in a bad way, just in a "Really? Is this really happening?" kind of way). We head out to dinner with our neighbors and I have to pretend to order a gin and tonic (really just club soda with lime). I am assured later that they were not fooled.

March 8^th: Call to schedule my first prenatal visit with the ob/gyn. Mark it on the calendar for April 5^th.

March 9^th: I spend way too much time thinking about babies and pregnancy. I have remarkable difficulty focusing on work, and well, on anything else. I also read too many things on the internet which have me deathly afraid of a miscarriage or of something being wrong. I decide to stop this so that I won't go crazy. I also go on a business trip and my colleague wants to go out for sushi. I order a cooked Japanese dish and forgo a drink. I'm sure she knows, but hopefully she'll keep it quiet.

March 13^th and 14^th: Wake up in the middle of the night to some cramping and have some spotting the next day. Everything I've read says that this is relatively common. Despite this, am still worried.

March 15^th: Still crampy and spotting. Still worried, but not much that can be done, so I wait. Michael and I discuss it and, just because I have a long, international business trip coming up, I call to schedule an early appointment at the doctor. Wouldn't you know they can't get me in until the day that I am supposed to leave for my trip.

March 22^nd: Have first ultrasound (6 weeks, 4 days pregnant). To me, it looks like a dot. But they see the heartbeat and see that it is in the right place (i.e., not ectopic), so I'm all set to go on my two week business trip. I leave for Toronto just hours later.

March 22^nd – April 3^rd: Two very, very long and painful weeks of travel filled with nausea, exhaustion, and – oh yeah – work. I take the fetus to Toronto, Munich, Shanghai and Tokyo. Michael and I joke that the baby needs an in utero passport.

April 5^th: Regularly scheduled Ob/Gyn appointment. They are still concerned (because I again had spotting during my trip) and they take another ultrasound. The baby still just looks like a blob. It still has a heartbeat. All is well.

Early May: A relatively calm month, thank goodness. I finally start to feel better with less nausea and exhaustion. I take the baby to Argentina for a week on vacation. This is one well-traveled baby.

Late May: Get blood work results back and find out I have "high fetal hemoglobin" and "low blood glucose", but neither of these are apparently a major issue. She tells me the "high fetal hemoglobin" is not a big deal, just "academically interesting". (Sidenote: I do not enjoy my health being academically interesting). She also advises me to eat more - or at least more frequently - due to my low blood glucose. I say, "Deal! Does that include ice cream?". Despite these two bloodwork anomalies, I feel fine, so everything is a-okay. We also learn that our downs syndrome and spina bifida screens come back within the normal range. I finally start to show a bit at the end of the month, although I'm convinced people just think I'm chubby.

Today, June 7^th: I am 18 weeks (4.5 months) today. Apparently baby is the size of a bell pepper. Why must they always compare it to food? I'll post the two ultrasound pictures that I currently have on the website soon, and I'll have another "picture" to post after our 20 week ultrasound on June 21^st. And, yes, I know I need to get a belly picture up now that I'm showing. I'll do that soon, I promise!

Day 4, buenos aires

2010-05-23T21:53:00.001-04:00

Awoke today, had breakfast, and decided to check out the ritzy area of town, Recoleta. There was a pretty big flea market there, selling mostly crap. This apparently was where all the Americans were hiding; until then we hadnâ™t seen more than a couple. I bought some kick ass wooden spoons from some Argentinian hippy; he seemed proud of them and made sureto tell me what kind of wood they were made from, which I promptly forgot. Next went to the cemetary for the rich portenos, including Evita. It was a New Orleans type place with huge above ground tombs. The strange thing was that you could see all of the caskets through the dooes of the tombs. Creepy. Next had some beer and split a sandwich (lomito/egg), walked back to the hotel and took a little siesta. Went back out and tried to enjoy the festivities at the bicentennial celebration--the plan was to get dinner at one of the food stands there. Bad idea. Way too many people. We instead walked in the other direction and found a nice cafe. I got Milanesa ternera comleta or something, which was basically weiner schnitzel with two eggs on top. Delicious. D had milanesa pollo nepolitano, which was argentinian chicken parm. A couple of coffees, and it was bedtime.

Day 3, buenos aires

2010-05-23T21:51:00.001-04:00

Late start to day three. We got up after breakfast ended, so had to find some on our own. I got a tarta, which seemed to be Argentinian quiche, and d got a sandwich. I went to the final part of my conference, and then we headed to San Telmo, which is I guess the grittier but up and coming area of town. We were trying to decide if we should stay there or in Palermo for our last two days. I really like the are along the main street. There was a big square there with a few outdoor cafes. We stopped for beer/coffee before finding a great pizza place. The hotel as a few blocks off the main street, and the area was quite a bit sketchier, as well as being very noisy. We decided that Palermo would be a better choice. Not much else today, headed back to the hotel after trying to take in the bicentennial celebration. Holy crap, were there a lot of people there. The huge main street was closed, and it was just packed with thousands of people waiting in different lines. Seemed like there were a bunch of exhibits. Neither of us were up to ittonight, and we decided we?d give it another shot tomorrow.

Day 2, buenos aires

2010-05-23T21:47:00.001-04:00

I headed to the conference today, leaving d to fend for herself. Pretty full day of ultrasound instruction. D went shopping with Julie in Palermo, the shoppy part of the city. I met d back at the hotel, and we decided to meet Julie and some of her friends back in Palermo for dinner. Before that we headed down to Plaza del Mayo, where there were several socialista rallies going on. Plenty of Che Guevara posters hanging. We walked down Calle Florida, which is a pedestrian street filled with vendors, very crowded. We then took the subte/subway, and met at one of her friend?s hotel.in Palermo. After waiting for the last person to show (and enjoying a bottle of wine on the back patio), we walked to an Italian restaraunt. And that?s when the food and wine started coming. And coming. The whole table split a TON of food. We had two pasta dishes, some roasted vegatibles, two different chicken dishes, lamb, and i don?t remember what else. And bottle after bottle of wine. Finished it off with a crepe desert filled with dulce de leche, which was ridiculous, and cafes. Some of the group went home, and Phil, Julie, me and d enede up at some cool bar and drank more wine. We eventually eneded up back at the hotel and crashed sometime after 2. This is very late for us nowadays.

Day 1, buenos aires

2010-05-23T21:43:00.001-04:00

Arrived in Buenos Aires after an 18 hour trip, stopping in Atlanta and Lima. Needless to say, we were pretty tired. Plane arrived at about seven thirty AM. We took a cab into the city, which with traffic took about an hour and a half. Checked in, and we layed down for a few minutes. I got up to go to the conference while d took a nap. Apparently itâ™s the bicentennial of Argentinaâ™s independaence, and they are preparing a huge party. The main street is closed, tons of people around, and just general chaos. I made it to the conference in time to hear Julieâ™s talk, and stuck around for a while before heading back to the hotel. In between, I managed to find a few empanadas. We walked around the Centro a bit, checking out the Plaza del Mayo, a few rallies, and the general craziness. WArrived in Buenos Aires after an 18 hour trip, stopping in Atlanta and Lima. Needless to say, we were pretty tired. Plane arrived at about seven thirty AM. We took a cab into the city, which with traffic took about an hour and a half. Checked in, and we layed down for a few minutes. I got up to go to the conference while d took a nap. Apparently itâ™s the bicentennial of Argentinaâ™s independaence, and they are preparing a huge party. The main street is closed, tons of people around, and just general chaos. I made it to the conference in time to hear Julieâ™s talk, and stuck around for a while before heading back to the hotel. In between, I managed to find a few empanadas. We walked around the Centro a bit, checking out the Plaza del Mayo, a few rallies, and the general craziness. Went to palermo with Julie, walked by the National Congress building, which is pretty impressive--definitely a European feel. Stopped at a pizza place for a bottle of wine. Julie took a cab home, and d and i decided to walk. Started getting hungry, and walked around forever before finding a restaraunt. Good meal, d and I split some Bife de Chorizo before heading back to the hotel and collapsing.Started getting hungry, and walked around forever before finding a restaraunt. Good meal, d and I split some Bife de Chorizo before heading back to the hotel and collapsing.

Fuelin' Around: Pictures Uploaded!

2009-09-24T17:07:00.002-04:00

Well, slowly but surely, I am getting the pictures uploaded. However, I am only though labeling part of them.

Feel free to take a look now (see Picasa Albums on bottom right), or I will let you know once they’ve been thoroughly labeled.

~Denise

Fuelin' Around: Miles Driven

2009-09-13T14:16:00.002-04:00

Michael: 9000
Denise: 0
Reggie: 1
Lewis: ?

As an aside, we got up and left an hour later than planned, since neither one of us had remembered to change clocks back to eastern time. Didn't realize it till mid way thru bkfast when Brian said "getting on the road later than you thought, huh?" Who knows when we would have noticed it otherwise.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Fuelin' Around: Atlanta

2009-09-13T10:06:00.001-04:00

After getting into Atlanta and maneuvering our way around traffic due to paving on the 75/85 connector, we hung out with Brian, Tiffany, and Brady for dinner. Michael's neighbor from his Decatur house (Heather) came over for a bit, too.

We went to bed and got up and on the road this morning for the (long) ride home.

Michael has to work tomorrow (for 14 days straight - ouch!) and I am back to work on Wednesday, after doing loads of laundry and de-skampifying all our traveling stuff.

Back to "normal" life soon!

~Denise

Fuelin' Around: New Orleans

2009-09-12T09:39:00.002-04:00

We had a long day in the car yesterday, driving from Austin to New Orleans. Horrible weather (more rain!) and our first traffic jam of the trip only added to the pain factor.

However, once we got here we met up with a friend (Christy, or Critty as we like to call her) for dinner at Brigtsen's. As usual, both the food and the company were excellent.

This morning we are off to buy a couple NOLA staples for the pantry (olive salad, Abita beer, and hot sauce), grab a delicious iced coffee, and dash into the Quarter for a bumper sticker to add to our growing collection.

Then another day of car time as we head to Atlanta.

P.S. - Happy 7-Year "Anniversary" Michael!

~Denise

Fuelin' Around: Miles driven

2009-09-11T19:14:00.001-04:00

Michael: 8081
Denise: 0
Reggie: 1
Lewis: ??
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Fuelin' Around: Austin

2009-09-11T10:08:00.002-04:00

Fun day in Austin yesterday. We had a short drive in and met one of my residency friends for lunch (Janna). The rain continued all day--this is apparently the first rain here in six months. We had tacos at Guero's and walked around the Congress st area shops. Later on met up with Denise's long lost cousin and went to 6th st for dinner, which was very good, and had a few drinks afterwards at some nearby bars. This is actually the first of D's extended family that I've met; we both enjoyed meeting up with them. We stayed at their house for the night, and are back on the road to NOLA today. Long day of driving ahead.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Fuelin' Around: NM/TX

2009-09-10T10:03:00.002-04:00

Awoke this AM after possibly the worst campground yet. The bathrooms were nasty, with tons of bugs in the sink. There was a large group of foreign travelers whose in-sink dishwashing probably didn't help any. Found some other bathrooms that were cleaner, but unfortunately the power had gone out, and we were left in the dark. Denise decided that she would prop open the door to the bathroom with a rock while she was showering; for some reason she seemed surprised when someone walked in on her. We were then off to Carlsbad Caverns, which as the name suggests are caverns. Took us a while to get through everything, but they were worth it. Seven hundred-something feet underground. Very dark, eery stalagtite/mites, water pools, etc. The strangest things were the underground bathrooms and gift shop. The bathrooms were literally crammed within the confines of the cave, which was cool enough to take pictures of. Denise unsurprisingly turned down the opportunitiy to join (become a founding member of?) the "Mile Low" club. I'm sure she'll regret it later. After leaving the caverns, we drove through more miserably boring country in Texas. Arrived at a very nice campground, though it has inexplicably continued to rain. The Skamper sprung a roof leak; not too bad, but it made us sad. This will actually be our last night Skamping on the trip. We also were greeted with termite swarmers, which reminds me of another reason that I'm glad we don't live in NOLA anymore. If you havent experienced them, be glad. Tomorrow we head to Austin.

P.S. Still no signs of Lewis.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Fuelin' Around: Still in NM

2009-09-08T22:26:00.001-04:00

Mostly driving today, going from the NW to SE part of the state, almost 500 miles through more nothingness. We did stop in Roswell, which was full of UFO stuff and crapatoriums selling cheesy goods, some of which we bought. There was a UFO museum there which was actually very interesting; unfortunately, we got there ten minutes before closing and had to just get an overview. We made it to Carlsbad, and hurried to the caverns to see the exodus of thousands(?) of bats at sunset. We really had to hustle to make it there by sunset, but got a good show. We're at a campground right next to the caverns, so in the AM we go underground, and then continue on to TX.

Fuelin' Around: NV-UT-AZ-NM

2009-09-08T01:04:00.002-04:00

As D mentioned, we had a sprint through NV, staying in an illegal camp site. Went through more deserted terrain--at one point we went 50 miles and saw one car. During this stretch we passed what I think was an abandoned mining site off the highway. Despite Denise's (very reasonable) concerns, we took the Skamper for some mild off-roading and explored the ruins. We continued on into Utah to Bryce Canyon, which was again incredible. Huge canyons and bright red rock formations. The best part was probably the huge natural arch. We left out of there and continued on to Arizona. Once again, Labor Day weekend screwed us, and our accomodations weren't ideal. We did make a fire and finally had some marshmellows/s'mores. The next morning, we found the coin-op shower that cut Denise off before she could rinse her hair. I tried to alleviate her grumpiness with some bacon and Huckleberry Skampcakes, but it was no use. We trekked on to the Grand Canyon's North Rim, which is apparently the non-touristy side. I was surprised to find exactly zero tourist traps on the 50 miles in from our campground. It wasn't crowded at all; not what I expected. We took a 1.5-2 mile hike down the canyon, and remembered how out of shape we were. After catching our breath, we drove on towards Carlsbad Caverns. While the Grand Canyon had a lot more trees than I would have expected, the rest of the trip through Arizona was exactly what I thought it would be--miles of nothingness punctuated by spectacular mesas and rock formations. Again, you could look out for hundreds of miles and see absolutely nothing. We were off the interstate and drove through Navajo and Hopi Indian nations. It was really depressing. Looked no better than third world shanties. We keep saying to each other on this trip, "how would you like to live HERE?". I think it's a tie between MT, WY, NV, SD, and AZ as to which is the most barren. Tonight we arrived in NM, and are once again partaking of Wal-Mart's hospitality. It's now raining. Strange that the first rain we see all trip is in the desert. We set some traps for Lewis last night, but have seen no signs of him.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Fuelin' Around: Skamper Decor

2009-09-07T21:39:00.002-04:00

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Happy Birthday, Dad!

2009-09-06T14:31:00.003-04:00

Happy Birthday, Dad! Hope that you are having a great day! I wish I could be there to celebrate with you!

Fuelin' Around: Nevada

2009-09-06T14:31:00.002-04:00

Yesterday we drove from Vacaville, CA to Baker, NV.

Nevada via Highway 50 is a whole lotta nothingness. I guess that's why they call it the "lonliest road in America".

While on Highway 50 we:

1. Attended the Fallon Cantaloupe Festival (including cantaloupe ice cream, a cantaloupe daquiri, an indian taco, mud volleyball, and square dancing awesomeness)

2. Stopped at the Grimes Point Archaeological Area to see some 8000 year old rock carvings around what used to be a 700 ft. Deep lake (and is today piles of dry rock and sand). This was not all that interesting, but was a good reason to get out of the car.

3. Saw a mile or two of roadside sand where people had left messages, one after the other, spelled out in small rocks and pebbles. One of them even said, "marry me"...although michael said it would have been better if it said "marry me or walk home". Would have been one long walk! :)

4. Saw remnants of a Pony Express station and of a telegraph repeater station (that in effect made the Pony Express obsolete).

We kept driving until past midnight and got to the Great Basin National Park. Unfotunately, every single campsite was filled (maybe due to Labor Day weekend?). Because there was nowhere else to go, we 'created' a campsite and stayed the night anyway. Didn't sleep all that well; both due to an oncoming sore throat and a bit of worry that the camp ranger would come wake us up and throw us in jail.

This morning, we had an awesome breakfast at a little shop right outside the park, collected our Nevada bumper stickers, and got on the road to Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah.

~denise

Fuelin' Around: UT

2009-09-06T13:16:00.001-04:00

Crossing into Utah. Miles driven:
Michael: 5800
Denise: 0
Reggie: 1
Lewis: ??
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Fuelin' Around: Napa

2009-09-05T13:29:00.001-04:00

Yesterday we headed out of San Fran to Napa to meet up with our friends Marc and Amy) for lunch.

We ate some tapas and had some sangria (which may be an unforgivable offense in wine country) at Zuzu and then headed off to a winery (Trefethen) for a tasting.

Then, rode up through a super curvy road to Vacaville (where they live) for a dinner of In-N-Out burgers.

Ate breakfast at Wren's this morning and we are now on the road and a bit worried about Labor Day traffic around Lake Tahoe. Guess we'll find out soon enough if the traffic will be a problem.

We got some 'no kill, live catch and release' mousetraps today which direct you to bait them with...get this...cheese.

Lewis, today is perhaps your last day to depart the car on your own terms!

As for Michael and I, no big plans for today...just a lot of driving and riding, heading toward our next stops of national parks in Utah.

~Denise

Fuelin' Around: San Fran

2009-09-04T03:01:00.002-04:00

Today hung out in San Fran for the day. Walked down to Fisherman's wharf (maybe 4-5 miles, including a big big big hill). Were totally touristy, seeing the sea lions (sea lion-ebrities!), Having crab, chowder and beer overlooking the bay. Another great day weather-wise. Visted the cable car museum, which since it's old and mechanical, I loved it. Then took cable car ride, and walked the rest of the way back to Adam's, detouring for a happy hour featuring $3 champagne and some nice antipasto. Somehow we managed to walk through every slum and shady area in San Fran. Saw plenty of drug deals and using. Went to dinner at a mexican/turkish tapas place--strange combo, but it worked. While getting a few things from the Skamper on the way back, we had some homeless folks who seemed a little too interested in the creature comforts of the Skamper. I lied and told them how awful it was, but it's hard to hide the fact that the Skamper is in fact awesome. I have a feeling that we're going to return to a Skamped-in Skamper tomorrow. Plan is to have breakfast in San Fran tomorrow, then meet up with some med school friends in Napa for lunch in the afternoon.

Fuelin' Around: San Francisco

2009-09-03T18:23:00.001-04:00

The bay, the bridge, the boats, and the two sea lions on the dock (toward the bottom of the picture) all say hello.

Fuelin' Around: San Fran

2009-09-03T03:05:00.001-04:00

Arrived in San Fran earlier in the evening at Adam's. We decided that a scenic drive down the PCH from Humboldt would be a good idea. Not so much. I have never seen a twistier, turnier, uppy downier road than that section, which we were on for about 200 miles and 7 hours. The Skamper was definitely not made for that road. Not for the first time I reflected that the driving characteristics of the Skamper bear little resemblance to the Boxster. It would have been a great drive in the Porsche. As it was, I was very glad to get off that road. Denise more so. I was pretty sure that she was going to either throw up or die at any moment. It WAS incredibly scenic though. Anyway, after another urban parking adventure, we had a nice dinner near Adam's. Tomorrow we check out SF. No signs of Lewis today. I think he got nauseous.

Fuelin' Around: Big big trees

2009-09-02T16:18:00.002-04:00

Just left Humboldt State Park. Many big big trees--I was surprised Denise didn't want to go through the drive-thru tree. 200 mi from san fran.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Fuelin' Around: Oregon and Northern CA

2009-09-02T15:45:00.001-04:00

Spent yesterday driving the coast of Oregon. Beautiful beaches and quaint little towns. We stopped for lunch in Bandon, got some salt-water taffy, and walked on the beach for a bit. It is incredible how rough the surf was...not sure if that is normal, or if it was a particularly rough day.

Last night we got into our campground at Humboldt Redwoods State Park and as we were getting out of the car saw Lewis (our car mouse) again. He is, apparently, enjoying the ride and does not want to leave.

This morning we walked around Founders Grove in the park to look at some of the 'big, big' trees. We told Lewis that it seemed like a nice place to live and that he should exit the car, but something tells me he is still with us.

We are on the road again, heading down the CA coast. We'll probably stop at a winery for lunch or a mid-day snack and then catch up with Adam (Michael's brother) in San Fran tonight.

~Denise

Fuelin' Around: CA

2009-09-02T02:01:00.002-04:00

Arrived in CA today. Oregon coast was spectacular. Cliffs going straight down to sandy beaches, and huge rocks just off the beaches. We drove down the PCH and stopped in some cool little beach towns along the way. Had some chowder, oyster, and a crab sandwich for lunch. Arrived late in Humboldt Redwood park to stay for the night. As we turned the car off, I saw something out of the corner of my eye--Lewis! I said "Hi Lewis!" D thought I was joking, then got upset when in fact Lewis was found again behind the dash. We're at an impasse, because although we respect his pioneering spirit, it's time for him to go. We try some non-lethal traps tomorrow. Tonight it was leftovers and beer by the fire. Tomorrow the plan is redwoods in the AM, a winery for lunch, then off to Adam's in San Fran. Christian, Liz and Tricia are in LA and are promising to meet up with us. We'll see.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Comments

2009-08-31T21:10:00.001-04:00

Some people have mentioned having trouble with the comments...

If you want to leave a comment, it is best to do so as 'anonymous' and just sign your name...unless you have an account and then just do it how you want to do it!

Fuelin' Around: Lewis

2009-08-31T13:56:00.002-04:00

Denise found a mouse in the glovebox this am and freaked out. We named him Lewis. He is somewhere in the dash. More to come.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Fuelin' Around: Seattle

2009-08-30T22:39:00.001-04:00

Got an oil change this morning (gotta keep the truck happy) and then headed into Seattle.

We went to Pike Place market, ate some dungeness crab, caught a Mariners game, took the ferry to Bainbridge and back and are getting ready to catch up with one of Michael's med school friends south of the city.

I don't know if it is the pacific time zone or just 12 days on the road...but I am exhausted today (despite two cups of coffee). Am hoping for more energy tomorrow.

~Denise

Fuelin' Around: Sea to shining sea

2009-08-30T16:36:00.002-04:00

Seattle=awesome. Although the coffee scene is eerily similar to atlanta. Or birmingham. Nothing but starbucks. Had a dungeness crab. Much bigger than blue crab, though not quite as tasty. Easier to eat though. Pikes place mkt just as touristy as you'd think, but cool anyway. Incredible fish/produce. Foggy when we got here, now clearing up. To a M's game now, maybe a harbor cruise after, then drinks with a buddy from med school. Found free pkg for the Skamper--had to parallel park/back up a ridiculously steep hill. I rule.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Fuelin' Around: Bumper Stickers

2009-08-29T22:28:00.001-04:00

We are collecting bumper stickers as we go. Here is an update on what the back of the skamper looks like.

Fuelin' Around: Breakfast and Kayaking in northern Idaho

2009-08-29T18:38:00.001-04:00

Had a great breakfast this morning cooked by Marilyn and Michael. What fantastic hosts! Thank you so much you two!

Then we went kayaking and I LOVED it; now I want to buy some for our river house.

Happy weekend everyone!

~Denise

Fuelin' Around: ID

2009-08-28T23:49:00.002-04:00

Arrived in lake Pend Oreille I'd earlier in the day after leaving Glacier. Western MT was gorgeous, with huge mountains and these deep, clear, huge lakes--barely developed. The water is an unbelievable shade of blue. We had a great dinner with family friends overlooking the lake in Sand Point--what a cool town. The area is really incredible, like you'd think of how they'd picture a lake resort in the movies. Like "What About Bob" or something. Denise is trying hard to keep me from buying a house here. I'd like to compromise and buy a lot here--then the Skamper could have a home when we're done. Everbody wins. Stay tuned.

Fuelin' Around: Max

2009-08-28T14:17:00.001-04:00

The Ranger just passed 190k miles. So far, so good. Oil change coming up. Miles driven--
Michael: 3445
Denise: 0
Reggie: 0

Fuelin' Around: MT

2009-08-28T14:11:00.002-04:00

Just leaving Glacier Park. TONS of teeny roadside espresso places. Delicious.

Fuelin' Around: Livingston, MT to Glacier National Park

2009-08-28T13:26:00.001-04:00

Drove to Bozeman yesterday morning to meet for breakfast with an old friend at Cat Eye Café. It was nice to catch up...and I had some very tasty banana bread french toast.

We were going to head to Missoula for the Big Sky brewery, but decided it was a bit too far out of the way.

So instead we took some back roads up to Glacier and passed a 'vegetables for sale' sign inm the middle of nowhere, and I mean NOWHERE. After reading 'Animal,
Vegetable, Miracle', Michael insisted we stop in. Whoa. Little did we know we'd stumbled into a Hutterite colony (an Amish sect) called the Milford Colony. Very strange place, but we did get a lot of veggies and fruits for a grand total of $8.

We got into Glacier last night around 6:30, saw an actual glacier (that they expect to disappear by 2030) and some incredible vistas. As a sidenote, I had no idea that I had any level of fear of heights until riding along the Going-to-the-Sun road in the eastern side of the park. We drove midway through the park and camped for the night.

This morning we made a skamper breakfast and then took our coffee and went on the Trail of the Cedars...which was a red cedar forest straight out of a fairy tale or movie.

Hopped back in the car, stopped at a roadside stand to buy some huckleberries to snack on (which taste like a combination of cranberries and blueberries), and now we are on the way to Hope, Idaho to stay with some friends for the night.

~Denise

Fuelin' Around: Yellowstone National Park

2009-08-26T22:29:00.001-04:00

Well, we're still driving! We found an auto store that does free electrical testing and the check engine light wasn't anything serious. So Michael cleaned the sensor and we were off again.

Last night was the first time we stayed at a campground (Buffalo Bill State Park) with 'vaulted toilets.' which are basically toilet seats positioned over a deep, uh, cess pool. I was not a fan, so I am hoping not to encounter those again! The park itself was pretty though...right on a reservoir.

Today we ventured into Yellowstone. We saw Old Faithful erupt, walked around to see the lesser known geysers and things, then because we wlked right past it on the way back to the skamper, saw O.F. Erupt for a second time.

We also saw waterfalls, gurgling mud ponds, elk, a marmot, and a crap ton of bison (some of them from a VERY close range).

I heard from a couple sources that Glacier National Park is even prettier...that is up next...after potential brief detours through Bozeman (to maybe catch up with a friend from elementary school) and Missoula, MT (for Moose Drool beer).

~Denise

Fuelin' Around: Jellystone

2009-08-26T15:33:00.002-04:00

Nice drive thru yellowstone this am. Big herd of bison just off the road. Just saw old faithful, which was kinda cool but not worth writing home about. Although apparently worth blogging about. The rest of the geothermal stuff is awesome though. Check engine light was no big deal--a code scanner and some MAF sensor cleaner, and we're back truckin'. 2 climbs to 9600 feet and back without incident. Giddyup!

Fuelin' Around: Custer, SD to Cody, WY

2009-08-25T20:50:00.001-04:00

Last night we saw Mount Rushmore in the dark, which is fine because they light it up. It was a nice area, but probably wasn't really worth the time because we could see a similar view as we wound our way up to our campsite through Custer State Park. It was a pretty nervewracking drive (for Michael) and ride (for me). We keep getting into camp late at night, in the dark; which is a bit difficult when you don't know where you are going. Our goal going forward is to get up and get moving earlier and to get into camp earlier, too.

We enterted into Wyoming today...not very pretty at the outset. Very brown and empty. Ate elk for lunch in Buffalo, WY. Right after lunch the check engine light came on. We are hoping it is just an emissions thing or simply due to altitude...but I have resigned myself to the fact that we are going to break down at some point...it is just a matter of when.

Wyoming got much prettier about halfway through (near Ten Sleep Canyon)...so much so that we stopped for two roadside pictures almost back-to-back. (we won't be able to share any pix until we get access to a computer, or maybe even until we get back).

We are headed to Cody, WY to camp for the night just outside Yellowstone.

~Denise

Fuelin' Around: WY

2009-08-25T13:29:00.001-04:00

WY=not pretty so far. Never thought I'd say it, but I'd rather live in SD.

Fuelin' Around: WY

2009-08-25T13:02:00.002-04:00

Just entered WY. Passed a mint El Camino with a camper shell. Immediately thought of Brando.

Fuelin' Around: Mitchell, SD to Custer, SD

2009-08-24T21:16:00.001-04:00

Spent the night at yet another Walmart...this one in Mitchell, SD. Is it scary that this is already starting to feel normal?

This morning we headed out to see the Corn Palace (www.cornpalace.com) and procured a shiny, sparkly bumper sticker for the back of the skamper. Apparently the Corn Palace doubles as a gymnasium / concert hall, but above all it is a tourist-attraction-building that is decorated in a different way each year (since 1892) with murals made of corn. I only wonder how they keep pests away...

Stopped in at a rest stop on the Missouri River where Lewis and Clark camped.

Then headed for a drive through the Badlands National Park, which was really cool. On the way out we stopped at Wall Drug (which is basically South dakota's 'South of the Border'). We bought nothing but a buffalo burger and a couple of beers.

Now we are back in the car and headed for Mt. Rushmore and Custer National Park to camp for the night.

Hope everyone had a good Monday!

~Denise

Fuelin' Around: SD

2009-08-24T16:22:00.001-04:00

Miles driven thus far--
Michael: 2000
Denise: 0

Fuelin' Around: MOOO!!!

2009-08-23T20:40:00.002-04:00

We press on...

Fuelin' Around: NEBRASKA

2009-08-23T19:00:00.002-04:00

DON"T KNOW WHY MY KEYBOARD IS REFUSING TO TURN OFF CAPS LOCK> SORRY> MET UP WITH SOME FRIENDS IN OMAHA< NOW BACK ON THE ROAD> STRANGE THE RANDOM CONNECTIONS YOU MAKE ALONG THE WAY> WE"RE NOW AT THE COFFEE POT CAFE IN FREMONT NE> OUR WAITRESS IS MISSING AT LEAST HALF HER TEETH> FOR SOME REASON THIS COMFORTS ME> WE"RE HEADING DUE NORTH TO SD: NEXT DESTINATION IS THE CORN PALACE IN MITCHELL SD. Huh. Now it's working, but I'm not going to retype everything. Nebraska really does have a lot of corn. I'm going to really have to remember to gas up well before I need it. Stations are getting far apart. Also have seen that the mid-grad gas is 10 cents cheaper than regular. At first I thought it was a mistake, but I've been seeing it consistently. I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm pretty sure it's a conspiracy, and/or an Obama subsidy of some sort.

Fuelin' Around: Kansas City, MO

2009-08-23T12:26:00.001-04:00

After awakening to another delightful morning in the Walmart parking lot, we cooked breakfast and went into a historic district in KC and visited the negro baseball museum. Pretty cool. We then waited 30 minutes in line for apparently the best BBQ in KC (the world?). Ribs, beef sandwich, and burnt end sandwich. Not sure which end of what they were burning, but it was delicious. When we returned to the Skamper, I noticed that the battery wasn?t charging as it should have been. Hmm. Upon futher investigation, something had shorted out the Skamper electrical system, completely melting the charging wire and damn near starting a fire. The fuse never blew though. Chinise piece of crap wiring kit that I ordered from Amazon had an undersize wire and oversize fuse. I thought about it when i installed it, but thought that surely the kit makers knew what they were doing. Anyway, after a trip to a sketchy stereo shop for a new fuse/holder, then to lowe?s for some proper sized wire, we were on the road a quick hour later. Google misled us again about the location of a campground, but we found it without too much delay. We?re now an hour out of Omaha. We met some folks in Honduras a couple of years back who own a few restaurants in Omaha, so we?re going to try to catch up with them. Otherwise, it?s off to Mitchell, SD to the corn palace. We press on.

Fuelin' Around: Kansas City, MO

2009-08-22T14:10:00.001-04:00

We made it to Kansas City last night in time for the Royals/Twins game...or what we THOUGHT was in time for the game, but www.mlb.com showed the start time in Eastern viewing time, not central time...so we didn't get there until the 7th inning. After asking several gatekeepers to please let us in to see the last couple innings, one of them finally let us in for free. We made it just in time to get a couple beers, a bag of peanuts and settle in for the tied game. Luckily the game went into extra innings, and although they lost, it was fun. It was a really nice stadium; they had a gigantic digital high def scoreboard.

Oh, and they also had a big fireworks display after the game, so we got to see that, too.

After the game we went to a little hole in the wall bar (Harvey's) and chatted with some local folks. The bartender gave us a 'welcome to Kansas City' shot...which ended up feeling like a big mistake come this morning.

Then we went off to the skamper (parked at the local supercenter Walmart) to go to sleep. As an aside, it is odd and uncomfortable when people ask 'where are you staying?' and you have to respond with 'at the walmart'. I bet they all think we are broke.

This morning, we had a 'trailer cooked' breakfast of scrambled eggs and hash browns and are now off to see some museums dowtown and eat some famous Kansas City BBQ.

If you stop by the blog to check in on us, leave us a comment to say hello.

~Denise

Fuelin' Around: Missouri

2009-08-21T17:29:00.002-04:00

Missouri looks a lot like VA. Lovely. Who knew? To KC for a royals game tonight--MA

Fuelin' Around: Leaving KY

2009-08-20T17:10:00.002-04:00

After driving most of the day yesterday, we decided to just set up camp at
the superwalmart in prestonsburg, KY. Unfortunately, google misled us, and
said walmart did not seem to exist. After cursing, we set up the skamper in
the parking lot of a super walmart in paintersville @ about midnight. This
morning we had our first mishap, as one of the skamper's anchors tried to
assert its independence from the truck. A solution was found, though who
knows for how long. Our schedule was disrupted when we found out that the
reds game started @ 12pm instead of 7. So instead we drove promptly to a
bourbon distillary. Now we may be off to st louis tonight to catch up with
friends, and maybe kc tomorrow for ribs and a royals game. We press on...

Fuelin' Around: West Virginia

2009-08-19T19:41:00.001-04:00

Just entered into West Virginia on highway 460. We are only going to be in this state for about 20 miles...but it sure is a pretty (and hilly!) 20 miles.

Fuelin' Around: Our Traveling Mascot

2009-08-19T11:49:00.001-04:00

Here is Reggie T. All dressed and ready to roll.

--------
Sent from my HP iPAQ

Fuelin' Around: The Vehicle

2009-08-16T10:41:00.004-04:00

Well, here it is. THIS is what I'm going to be spending the next four weeks of my life living in.

Don't forget that it pops up, though! Here are some more pix to get an inside look at our traveling digs...

We leave on Wednesday!

Welcome!

2009-07-14T18:53:00.004-04:00

I created this blog primarily so that we will be able to post updates during our upcoming cross-country trip this summer. However, I'll probably use it for other updates as well - so check back often!

We leave in just about a month for our trip, so if you have any "must see's" in any part of the US, let us know!