Blogtastic Smiseck Baby

Itsy, Bitsy, Spider

2011-08-22T21:58:00.005-04:00

Julia continues to amaze with her bright blue eyes and super smile. It is fun to watch her develop on a daily basis. Right now, her favorite thing in the world is to sing "Itsy, Bitsy, Spider," which she sings - well- incessantly. When she is not signing the song, she will often blurt out profound observations, like "Out comes the sun!" or "Down comes the rain!" it is actually fun and very cute. Here is a video I took this evening of her singing. Hope you enjoy it!

A quick Update

2011-06-09T23:16:00.004-04:00

We have been rather neglectful of you, our friends. It has been almost six months since we have posted anything on our blog. Needless to say, Julia continues to grow and to amaze. She has developed a very sweet disposition, which endears her to all she meets; yet, she is also very shy. Often we arrive to get her from daycare only to find her away from the other children, or events find her quiet and clinging to daddy like mad. But, she is a good girl. Julia is developing very quickly. Her vocabulary expands each day, and we see the wheels a turnin'. She is a smart one! Her big thing is to get on a chair and shout, "comin' on down," when she wants us to help her. She is also into trains, whether watching them on the i-Pad, or playing with toy train we got her. I am sure we'll have more soon. Until then, know we are growing and doing well!

Julia is TWO!

2011-01-30T17:44:00.009-05:00

How time has flown! And now Julia is two years old! It seems like yesterday . . .
So, you may be asking - What is Julia doing now? She can count (it depends on the day how far she wants to go, but we know she can go to at least ten), she knows her letters and can sing the alphabet song (some parts are still pretty slurred, but she knows what she's singing), she can climb up into her high chair by herself (that was an interesting event when it first happened, let me tell you - I am making her dinner, come around the corner to put her in it, and boom - she's already sitting there waiting, pleased as punch), and being a big helper - she enjoys making messes and then helping to clean them up (she really does help with cleaning). At school, she's known as the sweet girl - it is true, she is sweet, but she also has a puckish devilishness that she displays quite frequently with us, whether it's tackling Sissy, or that look in her eyes before she does something silly, she definitely has something going on in there.
Julia's birthday was pretty low-key - it had been a really hectic week for everyone, so the actual day was family time and going out to Red Robin - this is one of the few restaurants where we can actually get her to eat something substantial, so it was the logical choice; besides, the burgers are awesome :-) Saturday was her party, which was a pretty good time, as far a the guests were concerned, but Julia is going through a phase of being very shy when very many people are around, so despite seeing Nana, she was very much Daddy's girl (and Mommy's, when Mommy could take a break from hostessing). This phase, too, shall pass - it's just a little tough on us parents who want Julia to feel connected to her extended family. She spent a lot of time sitting with Daddy playing with his iPad (P-Pad, in her words), but finally started warming up a bit towards the end, when she asked to see "The Lion King" - this and "Kung Fu Panda" are her favorite films and we see both of them at least 3-5 times a week. Oh yeah - that's another thing: she's very much into certain programs and movies now, so the phase of our television viewing being dominated by the youngster has begun in earnest!
So, that's the update for January and photos from her 2nd birthday - stay tuned for more from our toddler! She's growing faster that we know how to comprehend!

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and Look Who's (Soon) to be 23 Months!

2010-12-22T14:57:00.007-05:00

Ho! Ho! Ho! As we rush headlong into the holidays, we wanted to take a moment to catch you up on Julia's adventures! I kind of skipped her 22nd month update, seeing as how Thanksgiving was right in the middle there, so for the last month and a half, she's been a barrel of fun! For Thanksgiving, we did two family gatherings, both involving some travel - on Turkey Day proper to Steven's uncle's to dine with a whole herd of Smisecks (this was a first for Julia as well as me). It was a little overwhelming at first, but she settled in and played a bit with her second cousins and charmed her great aunts and uncles as well as her great grandma! It was a really nice time! The next day, we took off for Indiana to get our turkey on again with my family and got to play around out in the woods a bit with the soon to be arctic cold starting to rear its ugly head. BRRRRRRR. But, of course, Julia and her daddy love the cold and the wind in their faces, so it was all smiles from the Baby Bear!
Things started moving pretty fast in December - she went on her first trip to Wildlights at the Columbus Zoo, which was a pretty cool trip for all of us! She loves the zoo, but specifically remembered riding a stationary bench on the carousel and said very clearly, "horsies" as we walked towards it, indicating that she was interested in a ride. Well, guess what she got - a ride on one of the horses!
This year she is really catching on to the whole Christmas thing - when we (finally) got the tree and decorations out, she was all excited, running around and playing with the noisy things and saying "tree!" once the lights were on. She has been relatively respectful of the presents and ornaments, which is good; we think this has more to do with the fact that she's afraid of the Lionel train we have set up surrounding the tree - and we thought she'd love it because she loves the real train that goes by her school! Oh, well. Keeps her out of trouble.
It's harder to shop for her this year, as opposed to last year when we could do all of her Christmas shopping with her in the cart - this year she has been throwing fits when she can't have what she clearly saw go into the cart. Next year, Santa will have to hire an elf! Still, it's going to be fun to watch her on Christmas morning. She's got one heck of a memory, though - she's all about a dancing Mickey Mouse that she's seen all of twice in the stores (and threw fits over); Daddy Claus ordered one online and was in the room next to the bathroom where Julia was getting her bath, trying it out to make sure it worked. Well, somebody heard it, got a funny look on her face and said, "Mickey!" She'll be thrilled on Saturday!
Julia is a talking fool - she will "parrot" thing quite often, but has also become quite adept at saying things (and oftentimes things we haven't taught her, so it takes a minute to figure out what she's talking about). She'll talk non-stop . . . until someone wants her to talk. Then she just looks at them. She's in a very shy stage of her life, but we're hoping that goes away soon! She's also in a very sweet and loving stage - she will give kisses freely to mama, daddy, and sissy (and gives them when requested to others in the family), but the most poignant one was last week, when she had a 24 hour stomach bug; after several hours of discomfort and hourly vomiting, she looked up at me after her latest event and turned her face up to give me a kiss as if to thank me for taking care of her (daddy was nearby helping, too, but missed out on the gesture because he was collecting the latest batch of items needing laundering) - it was sweet, and definitely a thing that only a parent would truly appreciate and understand.
So that's about it until Christmas, at which point I hope to get a few photos up. In the meantime, enjoy these last few days until Santa arrives!!

Twenty One Months

2010-10-29T14:08:00.008-04:00

Ok, for the record, I know I've been a bit lax about updates. I apologize and will do my best to keep you up to date on what's going on with Julia. So, it seems I have about 3 months to catch up on! Let's see . . .

Well, because she doesn't have to do doctor visits as often, I can't tell you how much she weighs or how tall she is in comparison to her 18 month checkup, but I CAN tell you that she definitely weighs more (especially when asleep and we're carrying her to bed) and is much taller - for example, when we bought her Halloween costume in August we got it big and thought that it would probably still be a bit big on her when Trick or Treat time came around - WRONG! It just about didn't fit, she had grown that much! Although on the plus side, she was a little uncertain about her costume when we first got it; last night (Beggar's Night in Columbus) she was all about being a bear. She got the biggest smile when she put it on and growled and took a swipe with her paws - it was adorable!

She was moved up into the toddler class about six weeks ago. This has been a matter for concern for dad and I because her former class was small and we had seen a lot of development there - the new class has a ton of little guys who are very rowdy, so we were worried that she would be overwhelmed; we have seen a definite upsurge in separation anxiety at drop off (as well as a very enthusiastic greeting when we do pick up), but otherwise, she seems to be fine. The teachers report that she is very smart - she knows her animals and their noises (we do this a lot at home) and is very big on reading. Many times, at pick up, we'll see her sitting in her little area quietly reading a book, even though the other kids are going ape bananas all around her - she's pretty much our kid alright. Below is a photo of her with one of her favorite "toys", daddy's iPad (or mommy's, depending on which is available at the moment) - there are a number of programs that teach alphabet and have read aloud books which she uses constantly (along with the other more fun diversions of Pocket God and fishing - go figure).

At last post she was starting to get into walking more. Well, that's old news. She's walking very confidently, including making the transition between sidewalk and uneven ground. Oh, and running, especially when I say, "You come here!" She loves to be chased :-) She doesn't mind being carried around, but will definitely let you know when she's ready to get moving on her own (which is most of the time).

Julia is big into talking as well - she's good at repeating things (thanks, Big Sissy, for teaching her the word "crap" last week) but is very adept at saying words on her own. she is constantly saying things as a way of reinforcing her knowledge - for example, several times a day she will point to her blanket (which is a constant companion) and say "blankie". But also "daddy", "mama", "sissy" and a host of other words - animals, things of interest, you name it. She's also pretty good at "no", "done" and "down". She can sing, too - "Baa Baa Black Sheep" is a particular favorite and adorable to hear (and see), but unfortunately I haven't caught it on video. Yet.
So, that's the update - Steven and I will do better at keeping it up to date. In fact, I may ask him to fill in what I've forgotten, which is probably a lot considering how much she's done in the last three months!

18 Months - It Seems Such a Short Time Ago That She Was Just a Little Baby!

2010-08-05T12:25:00.000-04:00

I wanted to wait until today to post so that some vital stats could be included! At the official 18 month checkup, Julia weighed in at a Tinkerbell-ish 22.6 pounds, which is actually a significant increase considering how sick she was in the last month (more on that in a minute). Her height is now 31 1/2 " long and her noggin is 17 3/4 " in diameter - this is good because she was on the low side in the last round, which was cause for concern (although dad and I think there was a measurement error that the nurse will not admit to). Overall, she is in good health and on-track developmentally, according to Dr. "Let's Wait and See".
In the last month, Julia had her first bout with urinary tract infections, which is no picnic for people with a vocabulary and especially not fun for little people who can't tell you what's wrong. The kicker is that once we took her in to find out what the problem might be, we were told to wait a few more days, which wasn't very much fun for anyone involved. Once diagnosed (which involved catheterization - another "not fun" activity), the doctor was concerned that this might be a bigger issue, which lead to a trip to the hospital for testing, which Julia did not like at all. Even the ultrasound was detested. The news came back as good and we did find out why cathetering her is difficult.
As you saw in the last post, Julia is now walking which means she's getting into everything. It's actually very cute to have her follow us around and "help" with whatever we're doing - laundry, dishes, vacuuming, etc. Right now she's big into helping. She helps us get her in and out of her highchair and car seats (this includes buckling). And just yesterday she was standing in the doorway as I was trying to get in and out of the porch area to grill some chow and when I said, "Excuse me" she stepped aside to let me out and then went back to her post as door guard. or whatever it was she was doing. She's also very big with taking the kitchen towel off of the oven door and wiping the floor. Apparently she does this at school because they asked if she helped clean at home. I said, "Well, sort of - if you mean "does she wipe things with towels" then yes. If you mean actual cleaning, I will refer to the DVD pile she leaves daily in the living room after she pulls them all from the shelf and say no." Along with this new mobile independence comes an impishness - she likes to try to push our buttons and see how far she can get with what she knows she shouldn't do. I have yet to capture the look she gives us, but it is precious in its naughtiness.
It may seem that we're a bit biased, but Julia is also sharp as a tack. On a daily basis she picks up daddy's iPad and requests certain games to be played or books read on it. If this is not done immediately, she either whines until it IS done immediately or, more recently, has figured out how to get the iPad to work and is now doing it herself. It is a little scary to watch an 18 month old comprehensively using a piece of technology that some adults have a hard time getting to work. On a less technological note, she can make several animal noises (mum is so proud), continues to have a wickedly funny sense of humor, and now doles out real kisses when asked (and sometimes spontaneously, like when she's home from school). And apparently everything good is called "daddy" - daddy very much likes that.

And So It Begins . . . Upright Mobility!

2010-06-16T21:25:00.002-04:00

You've been asking if Julia is walking yet and the answer has been - well, she takes a step or two, but it doesn't really count. Well, now it counts. Last Thursday (6/10/10) she took six steps in a row before deciding to sit down; two days later, she took nine, but would not repeat what she had done no matter what we said or tempted her with. Today, however, Julia decided that it was time to walk and she has been walking about all night (with a few crawling stints in between). The following are some photos and a video of our little zero to 60 girl, doing her thing!

Sweet 16

2010-06-01T20:13:00.003-04:00

Dad unit here. Julia just turned 16 months last week, and we are having so very much fun. Julia has begun to say a few words, although nothing consistent. We tend to play a game where I swear she'll say something to one of us but she'll not repeat it to the other. Words we "think" she is saying include" light, hat, down and fan. I also maintain that Julia said "Addy," meaning "daddy" the other day, but Wendy says it doesn't count!

Julia is developing a very sweet personality. She loves to gently put her nose to your nose and then sometimes give a kiss. Very tender. Of course, she also has been exerting her independence, and our quiet baby has her moments of making herself known. But that comes with the territory.

As for this daddy, I couldn't be happier. We have a wonderful little girl!

Quick Update

2010-05-20T12:50:00.000-04:00

The last post said something about Julia not talking - well, that's MOSTLY true, but there is an update. See, she babbles a lot and had things she "says" that are super close to what she's pointing at, but not quite there. She knows what we're talking about when we ask her where, say, the clock, fan, light, or whatever is - she'll look right at it, but won't say it. She also likes to fool with us. The other night she stood straight up on the bed while playing with Kennedy and I, pointed at the light overhead and said, very clearly, "light". Now, do you think she'll do it again? Nope. And not in front of her dad, either. She does the same thing with her Nana - they'll spend the whole day playing and naming things; when we pick Julia up, Nana will swear that Julia has been saying all manner of things, but she simply will not do it in front of us (and the same story visa versa). Here's what I think: she is just trailing us along until some undetermined point - let's say a few months or so down the road - when we think she hasn't been paying attention or whatever, and we're standing in front of someone we would lilke to behave in front of (can't think of any good examples . . .) and she'll either come out with a doozy of a word we would rather she not say, or she'll rattle off a full sentence.
Anyway, to date she can say "uh-oh", which Steven doesn't count as a word, and she will say "hi" on occasion, but never consistantly which seems to be par for the course. :-)

15 Months!

2010-05-12T11:29:00.008-04:00

Fifteen months is a big deal - especially when you're on the receiving end of some more shots (this is what Julia tells me anyway). Though not as many as at the one year checkup, she was not a happy camper about the three she received (and one hurt her quite a bit, I am sad to report). On the brighter side, she is now nearly 31 inches long. She's still on the light side (19 pounds), but that's not a big concern considering that she's had a continual ear infection since February - she finally beat it by the end of April after the third round of antibiotics, and guess what?? We discovered as a result that she has an allergy to some types of antibiotic - it involved a lot of vomiting, which we erroneously attributed to her having tried a new food - no dice; it was the drug. In other medical news, the nurse mis-measured Julia's head so the doctor now thinks she has a little bean - he was talking with us about "small computer running super well compared to a big computer" - whatever. She is a "peanut", but at this point, we don't see any issues with her development - she's achieving all the normal stages and shows no signs of lagging, so we're not worried in the least. As you will notice, in the above photo, she is figuring out how her highchair belts buckle - honestly, she does know and helps get in and out of her seats.

Is she walking or talking? No. Could she if she wanted to? Yep. Julia is babbling a lot. She "says" things that are awfully close to the word we think she's saying, but we have yet to actually call her official first word. We think we've heard "da-da", "ma-ma", "that", "hi", "clock", and a variation of "sissy" but since she won't repeat it when we say the word, it's a tough call. I think she's being elusive on purpose, just to keep us going. Which leads me to the walking part - she has taken a step, but it's always when she's preoccupied with something she's carrying and seems to forget that she's not holding on to the couch or whatever. She prefers tearing around the house on all fours (or a variation of all fours), cruising the furniture, or (more likely) fussing to be picked up. Spoiled - you bet.

Julia has a tremendous sense of humor - she laughs easily at things that are genuinely funny. Like farts. And super fun games of "where's mommy?" and hide-and-seek where mommy or sissy jump out at her. She is also a fan of roughhousing a bit and still enjoys "baby hat". What has really picked up in the last month or so is her enjoyment of reading - or more specifically, us reading to her. Steven, Kennedy and I have read some of her favorite books hundreds of times; those titles would be: "Green Eggs and Ham", "Bears on Wheels", "Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb", "Dr. Seuss' ABC's", "Old Hat, New Hat", "Curious George's Flap Book (or whatever it's called - actually a good flap book)", "My First Animal Board Book" and "Peter Rabbit's Sleep Book". These books are on a list of "do not read ever again" when she outgrows them . . . LOL!!! Actually, it's great that she loves reading so much - Kennedy was a lot the same way (as were Steven and I), so it's good to have another reader in the family.

So, there you go - another month, another update; hopefully in the next few weeks I'll be more on the ball with updating!!

Almost 14 Months

2010-03-26T14:26:00.004-04:00

Julia has had a few more milestones in the last two months - the two videos above show you a little of what she's up to right about now. The first video is of her mastering stair climbing, which this particular video is her fourth trip up (the first two had pauses and a stop, the third trip was about 30 seconds before this one and she went straight to the top - no pauses). Coming down . . .we're not to that point yet, but that is ok. You will notice that at the top of the stairs she stretches out and peeks around the corner, very cautiously, This has a lot to do with Kennedy and I playing chase and hide and seek with her and jumping out when she rounds the corner - of course, she thinks it's funny as all get out, but is still prepared for the surprise.
The second video is of Julia doing what she's been doing for awhile - walking with her hand on something. In this particular shot, she's being very cavalier about it, nonchalantly stepping around the exesaucer and talking to herself. You will also note that she gets close a few times to taking a step without holding on to anything, but (as usual) she then drops down and takes off in a crawl. The final thing to notice is that she completely ignores me when I ask her what she is doing while tearing apart the DVDs; this is not an accident - she has already learned to tune me out! :-)
Otherwise, Julia's fighting a double ear infection that she's had for three weeks now; the first round of antibiotics didn't work, so we're onto round two. She's holding on ok, but it's tough to see her have to deal with it. In other news, she now has at least three more teeth, including her third molar, that I discovered last night when she allowed me to examine her gum and then bit me (ha ha - I guess I should have known). She's a toothy one! She also is very funny, finding humor in many things (oh, like farting, weird screeching, people pretending to fall down - stuff like that); she has wonderful laughs, including the evil little laugh she uses when she splashes me with bath water.

A Trip to the Zoo

2010-03-21T22:02:00.003-04:00

Yes, I've been a bit behind in making the updates - so to placate those of you who are coming back frequently to check, here is a video from yesterday of Julia at the brown bear exhibit. She was having more fun chattering (or singing) than watching the bears fight (which was pretty cool, actually).

More to follow soon!

One Year Old - Birthday, Checkup and Party!

2010-01-31T19:59:00.006-05:00

Julia hit the big YEAR ONE on January 28th . . . believe me, I was remembering what was going on one year ago - on our way to the hospital at 3 in the morning during an ice storm! Fun times. But seriously, the year has gone by so fast; it seems like only yesterday and yet she's grown and learned so much in that amount of time. It's been a wonderful time for us (and hopefully her as well)!
The birthday proper was on a school night (ok, work night - geez, picky), so the festivities were low key. Steven had to work late that night, but Kennedy and I spent the late afternoon picking Julia up early from daycare, where she had a great day and shared her birthday treat with those who could share - mini Nilla Wafers (awesome stuff!), then made cupcakes and pizza. Pizza is a food item that Julia mooches from us, so we figured, why not? Somewhere on the site, you will see that she was enjoying it (actually, she was sucking on it, but she got some in there, I guess). Cupcake was a new venture. I can't say that it went over well, which had me a bit nervous about her birthday party. She would have rather had her Nilla Wafers. I didn't think my cooking was that bad! He he
The next day was a trip to the ol' doctors for the one year check up. Boy, what a day . . . five shots!!! Julia was not especially happy about the shots and neither was I, seeing as how she was staring at me the whole time with this "why?" look on her face as she squalled. But, while she was busy screaming and I was trying to hold her down and comfort her at the same time (awkward) I noticed she had sprouted another tooth - a cuspid! The five shots were a combo of seven inoculations, including her second H1N1 and the seasonal flu. She is still sporting the teeny holes and bruises from where they went in - I feel so bad. Size-wise, Julia is 29 inches long (50% percentile) but is only 17.7 pounds (5% percentile); she had lost a little weight over the last few weeks with the most recent virus she'd caught - it seemed to take away her appetite (Steven had it, too, and he wasn't much into eating, either). Overall, the doctor was not concerned; developmentally, she is doing great, so he said to ramp up the table food and we'll see where she is in the 15th month. Right now she's into pointing (a lot) and can point to things that she's really interested in when we ask (or when she's in the mood - at the very least, she'll look at what we're asking about); she will point to the clock, the fan, the light, and maybe mommy, daddy and sissy, if the mood strikes; she is very, very close to saying her first word - we thin kit will be clock.
Julia's birthday party was today - it was a day brought to you by the letters C and H put together. Hee hee She loves her Cookie Monster stuffed toy, so we had a little fun with that - couldn't find Cookie Monster stuff by itself, so instead we had food that she likes and thematically around the letters' "CH" - Cheesy Poofs (Cheetos), which are her favorite, chips, chili and cheesecake. In attendance were Steven, Kennedy and I (of course), her gramps and nana, uncle Eric, aunts Kim, Renee and Deidre, and cousins Andrew and Nathan. My parents were in attendance via Skype, which Julia thought was the bees' knees (mostly because she likes to play with daddy's computer). Everyone seemed to have a good time, most importantly the birthday girl, who scored clothes and toys, cheesy poofs whenever she pointed to them, and seemed to thoroughly like her cheesecake (YAY!). She is now tired but very hyped up on the attention, the sugar, and the iced tea she drank. We are hopeful that she goes down at a decent hour tonight!

Happy Birthday!!!!!

2010-01-28T22:03:00.002-05:00

Today is Julia's first birthday! It was pretty much a day like most others: get up, go to school, etc., but today mommy and Sissy picked her up early from school and made cupcakes and pizza for her birthday (for the record, cupcakes were new and not received overly well, but pizza is something she mooches from us all the time, so it only made sense to have it on her birthday!).
Tomorrow, Julia goes in for her one year checkup and her birthday party with family is on Sunday, so please stay tuned for more info and PICTURES!!!!

Eleven Months Old and Her First Christmas

2009-12-29T17:22:00.007-05:00

Yesterday Julia hit the 11 month mark, just 31 days away from her first birthday!! In the last month, she's experienced a lot:

She now sports two teeth - both bottom incisors, of course. They are sharp. Ow.
Julia received her H1N1 shot. The significance of this was that she now knows what's about to happen when they swab her thigh with rubbing alcohol and gets right upset about it. Never the less, she gets over it pretty quickly and with no ill effects.
She also had her second significant illness - the croup, which is a royal pain in the kiester when you have to give breathing treatments to help with the coughing at night.
As you can see from the photo above, she is very adept at standing up, even on things that aren't the most stable, which leads to her balancing on her own two feet - the precursor to walking! She does 'cruise' a bit along the couch, coffee table, or in her crib, so we don't think it will be long before she tries to take a step on her own.
She now is a little shadow, following us all around the house with maddening crawling speed; sometimes it's on all fours, and other times it's with her one foot in an almost walking pose.
Eating - she has recently expressed a real interest in what we're eating, so with a few exceptions, she gets to at least try it. To date she's tried: bagels and lox, pizza (especially pepperoni and sausage), fried plantains, gryos, turkey, pulled pork, pancakes, gingerbread waffles, French toast, bacon, french fries, tandoori bread, cheese balls, Cheetos, sweet red peppers, lemon wedges, mashed sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, dried cranberries . . .there's more, but that's been in the last week or so!
Julia seemed to enjoy the holidays - lights were very cool, wrapping paper was fun, and 'Jingle Bells' seems to one of her favorites. She got into opening presents pretty quickly, but mostly to play with the ribbons and paper! She scored some pretty cool gifts - learning toys, stuffed animals, books, and clothes! YAY!

Now for the final few weeks until Julia turns one . . .what will she do?

For those of you on FaceBook, friend Steven or I to see more photos of Christmas (or ask one of us to e-mail you a link, if you aren't on FB)!
See you next month!!! And have a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

2009-12-22T16:00:00.009-05:00

Ten Months Old and More Milestones

2009-12-06T15:42:00.003-05:00

It was Julia's first Thanksgiving! You might be asking: what did she think of the food? Well, seeing as how she's a very finicky eater, still doing cereal with fruits or veggies mixed in and despises finger foods, I'd have to say her opinion was rather biased toward the negative. She did try some of her sister's home-made bread (passable), mashed potatoes (blech), stuffing (plooey), and baked squash (double blech). Other than that, it was just another visit to grandma and grandpa's . . . or was it?
Julia spent the two weeks prior to the Thanksgiving holiday sick with some kind of virus she couldn't get rid of - coincidentally, but not necessarily causitory, she had started going to her new daycare just three days before she became ill with what started as a stuffy nose, then progressed into daily fevers which lasted for a week and a half. Due to the fevers, she could not go to daycare and was out for two weeks total, with Thanksgiving at the tail of it. Being sick that long, she was in and out of the doctor's office several times, which ended with a trip to the lab the Monday before Thanksgiving for a urine and blood draw - this was Julia's first encounter with catheterization as well as having blood drawn, and not a nice little draw from the heel, either; this was a full-on, needle to the inner elbow extravaganza. Mommy and daddy were traumatized as much (if not more) than she was! The whole point, from the doctor's explanation, was to eliminate any possibilities for illness aside from garden variety virus. The very next day, her fever broke and she was on the mend - we were happy, but perplexed as to why it went for so long; the day after that, her results came back as all normal. So that's the good news. The bad news is that she had to go through all the testing and the sickness. Booooo!
The Thanksgiving trip to grandma and grandpa's (to continue the story) was a great time - since she's crawling now, she introduced herself to my parents' cat, Smokey, who learned very quickly that he was not fond of babies. Julia, on the other hand, discovered that she is very fond of kitties and chased that poor cat all over the areas of the house she was allowed to get to. Smokey figured out that she was somewhat limited and used that knowledge to tease her mercilessly by sitting juuuuuuuuuuust outside of her boundary areas and watching her while in full view.
Also at the grandparents', Julia took her first major fall, taking a dive off the bed while dragging along some pillows, placed to help fence her in, but which facilitated her fall by being covered in slippery material. It was quite a scare for her and all of us - her daddy was right there, but just couldn't get to her fast enough (that says something about her crawling speed!). In the end, after hours of observation and reading every scary thing we could find on the internet, Julia came through with hardly a bump. The lesson has been learned by the parentals, but she seems hellbent to try again.
And for the big announcement . . .drumroll, please! Julia's first tooth erupted on the 28th - her 10 month birthday!!!!!! The lower left incisor was noticed by me when we were out doing a little shopping Saturday. It's really hard to capture in pictures, so imagination will have to suffice - still, it's as cute as teeth get!

Nine Months and Super Milestones!!

2009-11-08T15:34:00.007-05:00

Apologies for the delay - I had only planned to wait a few days after Julia's 9-month birthday to include data from her check-up and that turned into a week! But what an eventful week!!

Vital Statistics - Julia weighs in at 16 pounds 14 ounces and is 27 inches long. The physician's assistant called her a "peanut", but she is growing normally, even if she is a bit small.

New Tricks - These started the day after her checkup . . .

On November 3rd, Julia officially crawled! She has been toying with it for the past several days, but finally took more than one "step" forward and now, after a few days, is very confidently moving across the floor (and into places she's not allowed, therefore getting into trouble)
Then, on November 4th, she was hanging out in her crib for a moment and . . .pulled herself up into a stand! Now, she is pulling herself up using the couch, coffee table, Nordic Track (don't ask), and anything else she can find. She is also already doing one-handed stands (meaning that she is cockily letting go with one hand and turning her body around to look at things)
Although not really a new trick, Julia is so well behaved in restaurants that she's sitting very well in the high chairs they have and amusing herself during dinner. We'd been reluctant to use the chairs before because they seemed so easy to slip out of (especially as little as she is) - well, why were we worried? She sits like a pro and proceeds to throw bread bits on the floor. At least the staff makes over her and we do clean up after ourselves, so no one has complained so far.
Holding the bottle herself - not perfectly, mind you (as evidenced by the photo above), but she likes to do it herself (even if the carpet does get quite damp).

Julia is growing more hair, but still no teeth. She has a devilish side to her (hmmmm - wonder where she gets that?) and a bit of a stubborn streak, but it all revolves around discovery and exploration. She delights in taking off daddy's glasses and grabbing the paper to "read". She does love books (to read as well as eat) and enjoys bouncing in her Exesaucer.
More photos will be on the side which will include Halloween and some of her new skills.
Stay tuned for more next month!!

Eight Months - Such a Big Girl Now!

2009-10-04T10:57:00.011-04:00

As Julia grows, we are amazed almost daily at what she does - she picks up new skills so easily and then acts like she's done them for months! She is also growing very much like a weed;
.just the other day I came home from work and could have sworn she grew and changed in her face Don't ask me what her measurements and weight are because I have no clue, but I can tell you it feels like she weighs a metric ton :-)
What she's doing:

Laughing spontaneously at things she finds humorous, including but not limited to: zerberting being done to her neck and belly, daddy bobbing his head and making weird noises, mommy shaking her head and screeching, tickling, other people laughing, being "baby hat", and "getting" sissy.
Rolling over and doing a strange Jane Fonda-esque pose a la aerobicising (or whatever Jane was doing in legwarmers in the 80's), holding her foot in the air. She's also big into her feet. And ours, which makes me crazy because I have a thing about my feet.
Getting herself into a nearly-seated position, all by herself.
Sitting up with some assistance and maintaining it for a bit. Eventually she does fall over, but we've made this as non-traumatic as possible.
Getting up on her knees, then to her hands and knees. We're still not moving forward, but at least we're up - she can sort of go backwards and today we helped her move forward, much to her delight, but she needs to practice some more.
One day two weeks ago she looked square at me and said "mama"but she has not done it since. She'll babble ma-ma-ma, ba-ba-ba, da-da-da, na-na-na and variations on those themes.
Leaning towards what she wants while being held - this includes going to daddy, mommy and sissy.
Grasping things using more refined fine motor skills - she's getting pretty good and picking things up, using pinching to grab things she wants, and manipulating things in her hands.
Growing hair. It may not be as evident in her photos, but there is a healthy patch of hair coming in on her noggin. She gets "Alfalfa" hair in the morning or after her bath, which is adorable. It's still light brown with some reddish tints from what we can tell when she's in the sun, but we still don't know what it'll be.
Starting to get upset when she realizes we are not in her immediate vicinity. Separation anxiety is starting to rear its head and she has begun to demonstrate favoritism towards us when she's in certain moods. For example, right this minute she's daddy's girl curled up on his chest taking a nap, but last night when she wasn't feeling well and she was tired, she was mommy's girl.
Expanding her interest in toys and activities. Some things she was introduced to earlier may not have tripped her trigger, but now she is into them - like her caterpillar, Pooh and Piglett toys, blocks and exesaucer. She also likes books, but more for touching and turning the pages. She is a very tactile child and spends a lot of time touching and scratching at things. This includes our skin.
Eating more solids. She's done great with cereal, but does not enjoy much else unless it's mixed into her cereal. She goes ape over cereal mixed with prunes (yeah, I know but she doesn't poop nearly as much as you might think) and does quite well with pears and squash in the same manner. This week, Steven says he'll try cereal with green beans or peas, since we tried beans on their own and it went over something like a lead balloon. She will try things is we put it on our fingers (or hold it) - like the caramel apple smoothie I had last night, some guacamole from one of our favorite local restaurants, and home made bread. Sometimes it goes over well (bread), sometimes it doesn't (smoothie and guacamole), but she tries it.

Now She's Seven Months Old - Growing So Fast!

2009-08-29T17:09:00.003-04:00

Every day is an adventure with Julia and the time is whipping by so fast; it seems like yesterday when she turned six months and now all of the sudden it's seven. Since last we wrote, she has gotten taller, heavier and more expressive. She also can now not only roll back to front, but front to back and is scooting all over the place - next step is purposeful rolling and getting up on her hands and knees; she does one end and the other at different times, but we're anticipating the coordination of both really soon!
She definitely loves to laugh and we love to hear it! The video is a sample of just SOME of the amused (and amusing) sounds she makes - the one variation that is missing is the "pterodactyl" noise she makes by taking in air and making a noise at the same time - very funny and very cute; I'll try to get it, but she can be an elusive little beast when she sees the camera . . .
More photos have also been added, including the gratuitous naked baby photo. As you will see, she is now fully into cereal, but not so into sweet potatoes (didn't get that reaction, but it truly was a Kodak moment).

Hey! She's Six Months Old!!

2009-07-29T20:32:00.003-04:00

Yesterday Julia turned six months - it just doesn't seem possible; heck it's only been a couple weeks since she was born, right?
Anyhoo, at six months, she is constantly changing and developing - just recently we have seen her:

recognize the sound of her big sis as she came down the stairs and then giggle when she saw her
reach for toys, grasp them, play with them, and ostensibly chew the dickens out of them
respond to her name
scoot all over her play mat and twist her body into crazy angles to reach for toys (or the carpet, which she loves to scratch at)
laugh and laugh and laugh, which she has been doing now for about six weeks
stand with support
squeal and scream - both done as a way to get attention as well as to practice her vocal range. She babels and is seeming to use certain consonant and vowel sounds to express feelings or wants (ah-niy-niy-niy seems to mean she doesn't want what is happening while ah-mahm indicates a desire for mommy to feed her).

Every day is a joy with her - except for last week when she was going through her fist cold; not so much joy and we were very worried about the possibilities of worse things, but it turned out fine. She got through it, gave it to Kennedy, and aside from a lot of lost sleep, Steven and I have been fine.
So there you have it - half a year old! And at the last doctor's visit, 14 1/2 pounds (no wonder my arms get sore!!!)!

Please Vote for Julia!

2009-07-10T09:47:00.002-04:00

Julia is in the Beautiful Babies Contest! Please take a moment to go to her site and vote - it’s quick & easy to register (Just 3 steps!) If she wins, she wins a cash prize and a professional photo shoot (look out Cindy Crawford!!!)! Voting is on now through Monday, August 4 Midnight EST. Click the link below to go directly to Julia’s photo!

http://beautifulbabies.trb.com/wgnamerica/babies_home_gallery,0,7517665,permalink.ugcphotogallery?u=AHGoddess

Of note, the "three easy steps" are pretty easy, but when you log in, come back to this blog and click on the link to have the voting site reset to Julia's picture, otherwise you'll be sitting there all day voting on other baby pictures - which may be fun for you, but if you're like me, you want to get the business done before playing around. :-)

THANK YOU!!!!!

Five Months Old!

2009-06-30T20:38:00.004-04:00

Ok, we're a few days late here, but bear with us - Sunday was such a cool day it just had to be savored - the weather was great, we went to the park and experienced nature, and just enjoyed ourselves. As it turned out, Julia's five month birthday coincided with our anniversary weekend (Steven and I celebrated three years of marriage on the 25th!!) so a lot of our time was celebrating our time together as a couple and as a family with Kennedy, too!

At five months, Julia is rolling over quite adeptly (although she is still working on front to back), working on that lower right tooth, and laughing. She has also made peace with the "baby in the mirror", who until recently, was a threat; she now seems to understand that SHE is the baby in the mirror and flirts with herself. Speaking of flirting, she is quite good at that, too, acting all shy and sweet when she sees someone she likes (daddy, for instance, who she has wrapped around her pinkie). In other news, she is trying cereal, but I can't say she's a big fan of just yet . . .

Ladies and Gentlemen! Drumroll Please!

2009-06-08T20:48:00.004-04:00

She's been trying to do this for the last week with some success (if the surface was uneven or someone was helping a bit), but as of today, little miss is rolling over like a pro! YAY!!

A Party for Great-Grandma

2009-05-20T13:11:00.002-04:00

Last weekend we went to northern Ohio to visit with Steven's family and celebrate his Grandmother's 88th birthday. It was a big test for us to see if Julia would travel well and as it turned out, she slept the whole way there and back! Yeah for us! She behaved pretty well during the day, with the exception of when we were at dinner and she was a bit overwhelmed by all of the people and noise at the restaurant - that resulted in a rather fussy child, but later on, as you can see from the photo, she was calmer and cuddly, giving her great-grandma her own special present (a hug, not what might have been in her diaper).
In other news, Julia has been very active, exercising her legs and such, so much so that she apparently rolled over yesterday at her sitter's; we tried to recreate the experience at home, but Julia was either not in the mood or had done it by accident at Samia's (I'm going with option "b"). We are pretty sure that she'll be doing it for real before too long which means we'd better start baby-proofing soon!
Julia has also begun drooling and for a few days last week was very irritated, which she expressed by fussing and gnawing on her bottles (or me). Like it or not, we're pretty sure she's got a tooth developing - we felt something in her lower front gum. Maybe one of these days we'll have a toothy smile photo! Speaking of smile photos, you will see a new set in the sidebar; these are shots from last weekend, right before we left. She is smiling and laughing so much more - an absolute joy!
Let see, what else? Oh yeah - she's trying out a new attention getter: the "kissy" noise. At night when she wants changed and fed, many times instead of outright crying, she'll make a kissing or sucking noise (which is a much nicer way to be woken up, I'll tell you). The other night when we were eating dinner, she wanted to be picked up and when we didn't respond to her fussing right away, she resorted to making kissing noises - we have a short viseo that we may try to get on soon - it's interesting, though, because she uses her top lip instead of her bottom lip to nake the sound. It is adorable :-)

Three Months Old!

2009-04-29T20:37:00.003-04:00

Our little one is growing up so fast! Just yesterday she hit the three-month milestone; it seems like she was just born last week and now she's doing weird, modified sit-ups so she can roll over, smiling unabashedly, solidly holding her head up, and nearly sleeping through the night (thank God). Alas, with progress comes loss - as she has developed her vocal range (and volume) we miss some of the simpler, sweet little sounds that she has shed in favor of more complex sounds. In like fashion, she has mostly outgrown her first round of clothes (0-3 months) and is solidly in the next level, so now some of our favorite little outfits just can't be worn because her little legs are just too long. Regardless, we are so proud of her - she's not only cute but strong to boot!

New Routines

2009-04-14T14:12:00.004-04:00

Well, like it or not, Steven and I are now back at work - Steven had a four-week head start on getting into the groove of work, which means that Julia and I are on our second transition; for the first six weeks, Steven or I would take Kennedy to school, then come back home to do whatever Julia needed (which, thankfully, included taking naps when she did). The last four weeks has been a similar pattern with me getting up to make some tea, eat some breakfast, take Kennedy to school and then come home and crash with Julia for a few hours because she had kept me up a good chunk of the night. Yesterday was our first day of life with two working parents - Steven taking Julia to the sitter and me taking Kennedy to her dad's (since she's on break this week, which means another transition next week because as of today, we wouldn't have made the tardy bell - oops). We've got a few kinks to work out.
So, you may be asking: did Wendy cry? I'll be big about this - yes, I did. In fact, all last week was difficult for me because I knew I only had so many days left. Saturday and Sunday were particularly rough with me fighting off tears for much of the time while trying to be all cool and whatnot around the family; once I was home and putting youngsters to bed, the gloves were off, so to speak - waterworks galore. Monday's drive in was challenging as well, but I kept it cool - once I got home, though . . .well, I think we all needed cuddles.
Update on being a baby: Julia is sleeping much better, thanks to something called "gripe water" - handily found in any pharmacy, this liquid wonder has been around for over 100 years and boast the ability to sooth colicky infants. Century-old or not, this herbal infusion has been a godsend, as has the addition of probiotics to Julia's diet. Yes, she still farts like a mad fiend, but at least she's not doing her Jekyl and Hyde act on a daily basis with Daytime Baby being so angelic and sweet and Nighttime Baby being equally cute, but very loud and fussy.
Also in the news, smiling is very big and thanks to taking countless pictures, we FINALLY got one of her smiling (most shots were the immediate emotional phase after a smile - usually interest or confusion). She is a doll (this is a direct quote from Steven's grandma, who met her great-grandchild a week ago)!

She Ain't No April Fool

2009-04-01T19:32:00.004-04:00

Ah - we must apologize for not posting recently. Believe it or not, having a newborn takes up a lot of time. Aside from the care-taking, we do spend a good chunk just staring at her - for good things, like wonderment at such a beautiful being and the daily changes in her appearance and capabilities, and for other things, like wondering what the hell we're still doing up at 4 a.m. and why what worked to calm her last night isn't working tonight.
There are more pictures . . .tons more, and I'll get those up here shortly. In the meantime, in observance of April Fool's Day, here's a guide to all things Julia:

Zodiac Sign: Aquarius ("When the Moon is in the Seventh House, and Jupiter aligns with Mars . . ." Yeah, now that's going to be in your head all day - MWAAA-HAA-HAA)
Chinese Zodiac: Ox (Just like Big Sis - how cool is that?)
Eye Color: Turning blue - kind of like the sea after a storm
Hair Color: Light brown, but after a bath or in the sunlight has blond-ish look with red highlights (hmmm - could we have a Ginger on our hands?)
Favorite Activities: Cuddling, eating, smiling, cooing, screaming, sleeping and farting (not necessarily in that order)
Enjoys: Being in her Baby Bjorn carrier while shopping, watching the ceiling fan, holding her head up, sleeping in weird positions, being naked, kisses, bath time, and looking adorable
Skills: Peeing all over herself and yet totally missing the diaper when being changed, collecting "neck cheese", and wrapping her daddy around her pinkie
Things She Doesn't Like: SHOTS, having to wait to eat for more than a nanosecond, gas and poop, when mommy gets shampoo in her eyes, and being put down when she wants to be cuddled (which is always)

Sister Love

2009-02-28T12:04:00.004-05:00

As you can see, not only is Kennedy smitten with her "mini me", but Julia is equally taken with her big sis. Kennedy is enjoying taking care of Julia - she has taken on diaper changes and soothing her when she gets fussy. Julia smiles for her and seems to respond when she hears Kennedy come home at night - it is so sweet! The other night, Julia was lying on her back on Kennedy's bed - we were finishing homework and loading songs on her iPod, - anyway, Kennedy was talking to her and next thing I know Julia has turned her body to look at her big sis and gurgle at her. Won't be too long before the two of them are conspiring . . .

Julia: The Movie

2009-02-25T20:39:00.005-05:00

Here is a video taken of Julia on Valentine's Day. She is so sweet!

Update

2009-02-15T20:59:00.006-05:00

Well, I must apologize for both myself and Wendy. We have been so busy that we've not been keeping everyone updated with the goings on. Of course, we're home now.

In my last post, I talked about being stuck in the hospital and the need to give Wendy two units of blood. All went well, and we were able to come home the next day, Sunday. Since then, it's been diapers, sleepless nights, and lots and lots of cuddling. I have loved every moment of it!

Julia was born "tongue-tied," which is a real condition, not just what happens when you do not know what to say. The medical term for the condition is "ankyloglossia." It results when the frenulum (the band of tissue that connects the bottom of the tongue to the floor of the mouth) is too short and tight, causing the movement of the tongue to be restricted. To avoid breastfeeding issues and the potential for a speech impediment, the frenulum had to be cut. We had it done when Julia was just 5 days old. She was a trooper.

Other than that, our little girl is perfect!

Wendy is doing well, too. Her blood count is on the rise. Despite wearing out easily (which i am sure all new mothers do), she has been great.

I'm sure we'll have more for you soon. Until then, we just wanted to let you know that we're doing great! Grace and Peace!

Say Hello To Julia Katherine Smiseck

2009-02-02T21:36:00.001-05:00

Sadderday

2009-01-31T20:52:00.004-05:00

I'm writing this from Wendy's hospital room at camp Riverside. It is about 9:00pm on Saturday, Jan 31, and we are still here. We were supposed to have gone home yesterday, but Wendy's blood count was still dropping. So, we were given one extra day. We thought we would be home for sure today. However, a 7:00am visit from our OB changed all that. Wendy's bloodcount took another drop. The doctor told us we'd be here for another day. She also ordered an ultrasound to see what, if anything, was happening. Plus, the doctor went ahead and ordered a blood transfusion, as the count was so low. The ultrasound informed us only that there were no "significant issues," which is good - no surgery needed; Wendy is just healing slowly. The transfusion took about four hours, and Wendy now looks and feels better. They took a blood count this evening, will compare it to one they will take tomorrow, and, if things Look stable, we will finally go home. But, as of now, it is an unhappy Saturday for my girls.

As to baby Julia, she is getting prettier everyday, and has become quite the cuddlebug. I do love her so.

Those who keep asking for photos, please be patient. As soon as I get to a real computer, I will upload a few. Until then... Grace & Peace to you all.

Baby - Day 2

2009-01-30T09:20:00.002-05:00

Our little angel is now almost two days old. The universe appears to have smiled on us. Not only is she beautiful but she is also very well behaved. A real angel sent for us to love.

Some of you may have noticed that we've not given you a name yet. Truth is, we've been all over about what name we think is best. After lots of discussion, we finally came up with a name we think fits, so say howdie to ...

Julia Katherine Smiseck

As for mom, she is doing fine. There is a slight concern with her hemoglobin level, which may keep her here to Saturday, but we have yet to hear. As of now, I still hope to take my two girls home sometime late today.

She's Here!

2009-01-29T11:51:00.004-05:00

Wonderful news, everyone! Wendy and I welcomed out beautiful baby girl into the world at 11:28am on January 28. She was six pounds- six ounces, & 18 inches long. The delivery was a little too eventful for this dad. They had to use the wicked vacuum device to get the baby out, as they were a bit worried when they had trouble tracking her heartbeat. This procedure resulted in her having trouble getting her breathing started, and I think I aged ten years in the few moments it took to get her off and running. But, the baby is a trooper and is doing great. She even reached out and grabbed her daddy's hand. Talk about wrapping me around her little finger! Took less than five minutes of life for her to steal my heart.

Things were not so pleasant for mom. Wendy's placenta grew into the muscle wall of her uterus. The condition is called placenta accretia. No need to go into details here. What is important is that Wendy had to endure 2.5 hours of her OB basically scrapping the placenta off the uteral wall. This was neccessary because leaving the placenta intact could cause hemeraging. Wendy held up well, even having the OB and a whole coven of nurses laughing despite the discomfort. Some drugs are good.

All Is now well. They're watching Wendy close to make sure she does not bleed, and they are also going to keep us in the hospital a day or two extra to make sure Momma is healing up well.

We do have photos to share and more info, but I have no computer access to post everything yet ( I'm doing this on my I-touch, which takes forever.)

Now, if the hospital staff will just stop coming in every ten minutes so we can rest ...

Grace & Peace to all

....and so it begins

2009-01-28T03:00:00.002-05:00

Just want all to know that Wendy's water broke at 11:45 pm on Tuesday Jan 27. After a crazy drive through the ice and snow, we made it safely to Riverside hospital. It is now after 3:00 am, and we're chilling out awaiting all the fun! I'll update you as I can

Whew - Close Call

2009-01-26T13:41:00.002-05:00

We had a bit of a scare last Friday at our checkup - things initially were looking good: baby's heartbeat going good, dilated one centimeter, looking good in general - but when we went in for the NST, they were concerned about Flipper's position. She had gotten annoyed and moved north, so they were worried that she hadn't turned. This lead to an immediate ultrasound - now pipe down; we didn't get any new pictures because she's too big to get a good shot of, but believe me, she seemed fine. Anyhoo, as they were checking (and yes, she's head down now), they noticed two things: one, that the amniotic fluid was low, and two, that the placenta was starting to age and calcify. Now with the fluids, I am known to drive my vehicle until the gas gauge is riding the "E", which makes Steven nuts; our OB does this, too, so I felt somewhat vindicated, but in this case, having low fluids is not cool, so I was ordered to drink fluids like they were going out of style AND to spend quality time lying on my left side doing nothing. I complied completely with edict one and mostly with edict two (we had some nursery work to do). Placenta aging is another issue, apparently affected by fluid levels; it gets old, just like the rest of me, and functions less and less. This happens with all placentas, but in *ahem* younger women it is seen after 40 weeks instead of earlier.
So, today's checkup was a bit of a nail-biter because if the fluids weren't up, we'd be on our way to Riverside hospital. The good news - fluids were up and that makes both Flipper and the placenta happy (yes, the placenta looked a lot happier when I saw it on the ultrasound - smilin' and everything) and we got another centimeter. Doc says we bought some time and every day Flipper spends cooking, the stronger she gets. Friday she "weighed" in at just over six pounds - they can do this with the ultrasound somehow, which is pretty cool).
On the sort-of bummed or wistful side, we were ready to go today - packed up and relatively mentally prepared for a birthday. I know when Kennedy gets home from school she will be an unhappy camper because she is really, and I mean really, excited about being an older sister. But, as the doc said, we bought some time - exactly four days; we go back in this Friday to do the NST, ultrasound, and internal check again to see what's up - Kim (OB) was not guaranteeing anything after Friday, so we may be going at the end of the week, or we may advocate to schedule for a day that we all can agree upon, at least getting us into February AND having our OB available. Of course, she had to throw in that with the snow coming, a drop in pressure could trigger the water to break - apparently they see that a lot this time of year. Now why did she have to go and harsh my mellow? I was cool with just hanging out until Friday but now I have to worry about spontaneous uncontrolled leakage? Oh, and here's the kicker: with a twinkle in her eye, Kim informed me that because of my "advanced maternal age" I was classified as "elderly". Guess I'd better start practicing chasing kids off the yard with my cane and signing up for my Golden Buckeye card - hey, where do elderly people hang out these days? Anywhere cool?

Flipper's Shower

2009-01-20T20:23:00.007-05:00

This past weekend, we were treated to an awesome baby shower by Steven's mom and sisters - as you can see from the picture, we enjoyed ourselves (note laughter abounding to the left). And to appease those who keep asking to see what I look like, take note of picture to the right which demonstrates not only my buffalo belly, but the approximate position and activity of its contents.
It was a beautiful and cold day, but despite the frigid temperatures, we were very happy to spend time with friends and family - in fact, we were overwhelmed by the love and generosity! It was a great day - thanks to all who were a part of it!
Alas, after a great party and some additional time with family sorting through gifts and assembling stuff that requires some assembly, we retired to our customary places in the living room, in our PJs, doing what we normally do on a Saturday night (hanging from chandeliers, making prank phone calls, egg tossing . . .) when tragedy struck - the frozen water pipe issue we were trying to solve turned ugly. Yep, the pipe cracked. Behind a wall. And flooded three areas. At the time, we didn't know it was behind the wall - we thought it was under the concrete. So, quick action stopped the water flow, Sham-WOW and a shop vac caught some of the worst flooding, and the patience and help of Steven's parents kept us in comfort while we sorted through repairs and clean-up.
In the meantime, amidst the chaos of our house, we were able to take a time out to watch the inauguration of Barack Obama all the while explaining to Flipper the significance of a day she'll never remember, even though, in a way, she was there. She was pretty active the whole time, moving around and pushing (she's been advocating for room expansion for the last few weeks - I told her "no").
All in all, it was an emotional roller-coaster of a weekend/week start but I can't say that it was bad at all - we got to see people we love, spent time together as a family in both fun and adversity, and saw history unfold. It's definitely a time we'll never forget . . .

So Far, We're Fine and TOMORROW is 30 Days

2009-01-13T15:46:00.004-05:00

Ok, so a non-stress test (or NST, as they refer to it) is basically me sitting in an easy chair-like chair with heartbeat monitors hooked up to a thing that looks like a polygraph machine - you know, with the graph paper and all. The basic idea is to capture Flipper moving around to see what her heartrate is when active - if she's taking a nap, it doesn't work for them. So you sit around hoping the kiddo decides to play, read whatever magazines they have on hand (note to self: bring something in that's cool) and listen to the machine do its thing, which can be a little freaky, especially if you watch too many "Forensic Files" shows and slip into a moment when you think you're supposed to be answering quetions and yell for your lawyer. Anyhoo, we didn't get to talk with our doctor, which was a bit puzzling - the graph paper disappeared into the hall and next thing we know, we're told all is fine and "see you next week and then each week after in which you'll be doing this again." Wait, what was that? We hadn't gotten the "you'll be doing this often" memo, but I guess since I've got gestational diabetes (which the doc says is looking fine) and creeping blood pressure, they need to monitor closely. The weekely checkups start, well, I guess now. The technician working with us informed us that not only were we going to get to know her quite well, but that we were naming Flipper for her (her name is Lillian, by the way); for the record, no on the name, although I'm sure we'll get somewhat familiar with her - you tend to get to know people who put goo-covered monitor things on your exposed belly. In the near future, I'm sure I'll be great pals with the medical staff at Riverside hospital, whether I want to be or not.
In other news, we didn't get to do the ultrasound - apparently they were very busy yesterday and we hadn't been scheduled for it, even though both of us heard that Kim wanted to see what was going on - we plan to ask about that next week. So the bad news: no pictures to share this week. The good news: we must be doing ok because they sent us packing.
Last week I was griping about heartburn and insomnia; this week I will continue to gripe about insomnia but will add to it having a cold (thank you, Kennedy, for bringing that home) and doing a masterful job of pulling a lower back muscle - you know when you do it right, you can almost hear the "ping" of the muscle as it pulls. Anyhoo, that last action made life as I know it pretty interesting - it's already a task to walk, sit, stand, roll over (my God, I'm starting to sound like a trained dog), but add to that a reminder that I shouldn't have been putting dishes in the dishwasher . . .yes, I strained it doing something as simple as putting a bowl in the dishwasher. Isn't that pathetic? Of all the things . . .anyway, it's better now. Let's just hope I don't do some other benign activity and throw it out again.

Update

2009-01-07T18:05:00.005-05:00

My last entry said something about updating you all on January 5th - we had a bit of a delay and didn't see the doc until today . . .something to do with a vehicular breakdown in Indiana and a hormonal pregnant woman meltdown, but I won't bore you with the details.
Here's the scoop:

The 24 hour urine test (which I did study for, ad nauseum) came back as normal which is a very, very good thing. The main concern was that I might be dumping protein, but I'm not (in fact, it sounded like I was well within normal perameters). Too much protein in the whiz means naughty things are afoot, so from that standpoint, no nautiness.
On the other hand, the blood pressure issue is a matter for caution. Although it's not off the scale, it is elevated for me, so Kim is keeping her eye on me. This means another appointment Monday with what she calls a "non stress test" (the meaning of which is a bit confusing to me, but apparently does not involve me having my feet massaged while sipping a glass of wine and watching live video of a calm beach in Belize) and - oh excitement of excitement - an ultrasound to see what Flipper is up to. Oh, and to see if the amniotic fluids have decreased and how the blood vessels and placenta are doing - you know, important stuff like that. I have never had a late stage ultrasound before and am super excited, even though the reason is to check for problems. Did I mention I was excited? We'll get to see pretty much what she will look like when she's born - that's really cool.

So, that's what's up. In related news, chronic heartburn sufferers have my complete sympathy, seeing as how it now keeps me up at night (and for which I now have a remedy - thank you Kim), insomnia comes and goes but tends to have a lot to do with my body getting sore at night and a little somebody thinking late night bathroom trips are her cue to start playing, and I have a belly that seems to resemble something akin to a watermelon (although much less green). I am sadly watching my navel go from "innie" to "turkey timer". Still, Flipper is a daily source of entertainment for Steven, Kennedy and I and will continue to be so, even when she's busy doing whatever she's doing now on the "outside" (and I'm hoping to catch some of her shenannigans while seeing ultrasound so I know just exactly what she's been doing).

Dad's New Year's Manifesto

2008-12-31T09:18:00.028-05:00

Dad Unit here. It is hard to believe that 2008 is about to slip away. Some may see it as the end of a great year; others may just be glad that the whole thing is finally over. Whatever it is, it has been a fast-paced, crazy year! As for me, I'm 20 pounds heavier, several dollars lighter, and very blessed to have shared a healthy pregnancy with my best girl (that would be Wendy, in case any of you were wondering).

With 2009 about to dawn, our thoughts here have been primarily focused on welcoming our baby girl in February. We still have much to do, but our hopes sit high and our love runs deep. As with any New Year, it's the traditional time to contemplate one's resolutions. Not surprisingly, I've been focused on those resolutions I'll need in my new role as a dad. So, I thought I'd share a few of them with you. Maybe you'll also have a few suggestions for me! Here they are, in no particular order of importance:

First, I resolve to sustain an unfailing sense of humor. This is going to be a key resolution, not only for dealing with the unexpected worries of pregnancy and delivery yet-to-come but also for dealing with the challenges of being a first-time dad. Let's be honest, diapers filled with the most unspeakable things since H.P. Lovecraft penned a tale, spit-ups just when I cannot find a towel, and inconsolable crying are my immediate future. Nothing but a wily - some would say devious - sense of humor will keep the creatures of anxiety restrained. Besides, with the exception of the gift of love, what other tool can I offer my little girl to help her deal with life's obstacles and to fill her soul with glee?

Second, I resolve to be patient with baby. Flipper will at first be able to communicate only through crying. There will be those moments where she will be incredibly frustrated with no way to tell me why. Patience will be a necessary thing to help me lovingly work through all the aggravations she and I will face together.

Third, I resolve to be patient with Wendy. I appreciate that Wendy has endured much during her pregnancy, and there will be more to go. Once the baby comes, she'll need time to recuperate physically, mentally, emotionally, and even sexually. Wendy deserves all of the understanding, caring and support I can give - and more. It helps, too, that I happen to be crazy in love with the girl.

Fourth, I resolve to be patient with myself. Those of you who know me know that I tend to lack grace towards myself. I understand that I'll be anxious, I'll be tired, and I'll want to beat myself over the head for every time I think I didn't get it quite right. I'll have to find the persistence of Sisyphus to keep myself healthy for my family. I'll also have to give myself permission to rest and recharge whenever I can; doing that without guilt will be nearly impossible for me.

Fifth, I resolve to participate in every aspect of my baby's care and life. This one should be a given, but we still live in a society where the importance of fathers is downplayed. Dad heads to the office; dad goes to lodge; dad meets with his associates - all while mom stays at home. That's not me, though. My friends and colleagues will have to get used to me not being available like I have been in the past. That is going to be hard, for I shall feel guilty about it. I shall also undoubtedly delay, or even forfeit, a few good opportunities; I may even lose a few good relationships. I'll try my best, but - and I say this selfishly - I never thought I'd be a dad. Now that it is happening, I so much want to with my family. My participation in Flipper's care and nurturing is essential to both of us - physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. I've yet to meet my little girl, but I already love her so very much. I want to be the guy who changes diapers, does the feeding, and, most of all, shares a wonderful life with her, her mother, and her sister.

Sixth, I resolve to make time for both my wife and my stepdaughter. A new baby means that a lot of energy will be going one place - the baby. I'll need to remind myself from time-to-time that I must also continue to nurture my life with Wendy and with Kennedy (who is as much an actual daughter to me as Flipper is).

Seventh, I resolve that my intentions and actions shall be born from a place of Love and Light. No need to say more here.

... And that is my list of "Dad" Resolutions so far. In closing, to all who have been keeping up with this blog, we wish you each a Happy, Prosperous, and Loving New Year.

Grace & Peace to all!

Belated Merry Christmas!

2008-12-26T12:59:00.003-05:00

Despite my best efforts to have a couple of really cool posts prior to Christmas, nothing has gone up until today - oh well; that's just the way it goes. I forget many times just how much I can do before wearing out. Case in point, last Monday when I ran like a crazy person all day doing last minute stuff and was rewarded with an extremely sore body and a grumpy me. Of course, my other reward was a very patient and understanding spouse with a back rub. I do love that man . . .
Santa came to our house, regardless of how bad I was this year - of course, we did make him home-made sugar cookies, so that might have helped. Flipper scored some really cool stuff: a pair of slippers that look like duck feet and say "Flipper Slippers" (these are definitely going to the hospital with us), a Pooh outfit, onesie, hat and such (also going in with us), and a baby massage book (which was actually for dad, but the lucky recipient of said massage is you-know-who).
We have been bummed because we haven't been able to make the trip to northern Indiana yet - the weekend right before Christmas there was an awful ice storm up there, so we'll be headed up this weekend to visit with the rest of the family; hopefully I won't have to make too many bathroom breaks along the way!
December 24th was our most recent checkup with another on the heels on January 5th. Seems like time is going by so fast and it doesn't help when the appointments are two weeks apart (What? It's been a month already?!?!? Oh wait . . .). Anyhoo, things are looking good for Flipper - she's growing well (and how) and heartbeat is a steady 140 again. My blood pressure was just a teensy bit elevated (or at least elevated for me, seeing as how the levels were still within normal range), so I'm having to check the old ticker pipes this week to see how things are going; might be all the swell holiday food getting me all excited. Anyway, we'll let you know after the 5th what is up.
Hope everyone had a great holiday!!!!!!!

60 Days

2008-12-15T12:23:00.002-05:00

Yep, sixty days left - at least until February 13th. According to the poll, a majority seem to think it'll be 61 days. We will see, won't we . . .
Friday's appointment went well; heartbeat at a healthy 140 and she's moving around as she sees fit; still transverse for the most part and thumping my left side when she's happy or annoyed (I can never tell for sure). Sometimes she seems to tap in an area - I noticed this the other night when I was trying to get back to sleep after a mid-evening bathroom break; I was lying on my right side, which appears to be where her head is, and she just started tapping in one place, over and over. it wasn't like the usual kick or stretch - this was definite tapping, like she was saying, "Ok, mom - make me stand on my head; I'll annoy you until you roll over." I believe it worked.
Flipper got to listen to big sister play at her band recital last week (for the record, Kennedy did exceptionally well). She either really likes or really hates trumpets because she would seem to react to trumpet sound. Drum sound, not so much, contrary to what you would think. I was doing some reacting to the reed-squeaking clarinet playing that seemed to dominate much of the proceedings, but she seemed ok with it. Maybe this means that she is not easily startled and pretty easy-going.
The diabetic thing is going ok - the doc seemed pleased with the results of the drug she prescribed and felt that my blood levels were pretty good. I expressed some irritation with holiday food and what it does to my system but she was pretty cool about it. I guess things are ok. That helps to justify making and eating brownies last night - of course, these were for a school assignment, so they had to be co-made with Kennedy as well as tested for quality control. As a result, my levels are just fine today - see, I've learned how to behave within the confines of my limits (for the most part - ask me about the Pop-Tart experiment). Now to get through the rest of the holiday season without going berserk!

Hormonal Rant Two

2008-12-06T11:09:00.003-05:00

I think it's kind of funny how for most of your adult life, people touch other people on the shoulder, arm, hand, give hugs and whatnot but that walking up to someone and just patting or rubbing their belly unsolicited would get you at the very least yelled at, but probably smacked. Yet during pregnancy, we females (Oh, alright and one person who is legally a guy) can be walking around, minding our own business, and perfect strangers do it and think it's ok. Even acquaintances and friends do it, and while they do it they say stuff like, "Oh I know this is rude to do without asking, but I'm doing it anyway." That's kind of messed up. What makes it worse is that people seem to have this sixth sense about when I'm feeling physically uncomfortable and do it then, which is the worst time to do it - I'm a well-trained animal, but even the most domesticated beast can bite when in distress. For the most part, you'll get the eye-roll, which is the surest indicator that you have crossed a personal space line without permission, but I did bark at a student one day who came at me with both hands out and moving at full speed. Another person ran up and did it while I was in a work conversation with one of my office mates, which really, and I do mean really honked me off (this also happened to be the person who had rudely come up and asked if I was just getting fat a few months back - thank you, random person; my self-image really needed that kind of boost right about then). I do get looks from people who seem to want to touch but are respectful - and if they ask, I would be ok with it unless I just weren't feeling well. Bottom line, society expects preggos to be gracious about unsolicited touching in an area of our bodies that we feel very protective and sensitive about - but remember, society: please be respectful and ask.

Kickin' It with Dad

2008-11-26T10:35:00.009-05:00

Dad unit here. Saturday morning was another proud baby moment. I was able, for the first time, to feel my little girl move inside the womb. I was reading the paper when Wendy beckoned me and asked me to put my hand on her tummy. After a few moments, I felt one big, solid kick. I don’t know what other fathers have experienced when they first felt their baby, but I must admit two things: 1) I was emotionally overwhelmed (yes, there were tears) and 2) my love for Wendy became even more profound (as if that were possible!). Yep, I’m still smitten over my wife, not just because she carries our child, but because she is my best friend and partner.

To all of those dads out there who kept telling me, “Just wait until you feel the baby kick,” thanks. I get it now. Ultrasound pictures and feeling the “baby bump” are one thing, but feeling your child move – well, that makes it all the more real and wonderful. Up to that moment, there are times when you wonder if she is really in the womb. You contemplate how two small particles can come together, and, trillions of genetic events later, produce a living, loving being. Then, you feel a kick, and suddenly you are possessed by the miracle that is your growing child.

I’ve not felt her move since, but, on Sunday, Wendy and I watched as her stomach pulsed up and down for a while. It was so cool to see this happening, and to wonder what the baby was up to. I like to think she was tapping her feet to some Beatles or ELO tune, but who knows. She may have just had gas. Later that evening, I put my mouth down on Wendy’s tummy and started talking to Flipper. It was the weirdest thing, as we saw the opposite side of the stomach push out. Don’t know if she was trying to get away from the old man or what, but it was just amazing.

One thing is for certain, we have a lot to be grateful for this Thanksgiving.

We wish each of you a Happy Thanksgiving, too.

Hormonal Rant: Opus One

2008-11-17T16:33:00.003-05:00

It was going to happen sooner or later - something was going to set me off. Many of you know that I have this "thing" about Christmas advertising and whatnot occurring before Thanksgiving, but today I reached a zenith in my explode-o-meter over the subject - thankfully no one was hurt, seeing as how I saved it for the car. While waiting for my food order during lunch today (yes, it was healthy - except for the Cheetos), listening to some God-awful rendition of "Do You Hear What I Hear", I realized that I had been subjected to Christmas music and advertising since November 1st - that's 17 days of holiday harassment and at the time, we still weren't through the two month long election harassment, which is why this snuck up on me. Next thing you know, we'll be hearing Christmas music in October - I want to know what clown thought it was a good idea to start the whole shebang early, completely ignoring the fact that there's a perfectly good holiday sandwiched very nicely between Halloween and Christmas. And no, I'm not talking about the Mexican Day of the Dead, although that is a pretty cool holiday. Veteran's day is also awesome, but it's mostly commemorated by only some people getting off of work (which doesn't include me - note to self: find potential employer who gives more holidays off) and going to big sales. I'm talking about Turkey Day, Thanksgiving - which now is the biggest shopping day before Christmas for many people, not the day after. Oh, if only our forefathers could see us now, dissing a holiday based on the idea of sharing and togetherness in order to get the best deal on BlueRay players and passing out while watching the Lions getting their butts handed to them. Actually, I made that sound pretty good . . .

So She Really IS Sugar and Spice?

2008-11-17T10:15:00.003-05:00

We had the first real snow here this morning - my favorite kind, too - that big, fluffy stuff that sticks in all the branches and tall grasses. Makes for some nice scenery . . . and some bad drivers.
Ok, so here's the news from last week's test: unlike other people, who will either be well below or well above a threshold, I am just over - four points over the limit after a fast, and one flipping point over while zooming on glucose. Still, according to the doc, one point over is still considered in the zone for gestational diabetes, so I have it. Poopy. The good news is that they are planning to treat it with diet, as opposed to insulin shots (at this point, anyway), so I will meet with the dietitian tomorrow to find out how to test my own blood sugar (sounds ominous) and learn what I shouldn't be eating that apparently I have been eating but didn't know was giving me issues. Unfortunately, the first thought that comes to mind is that I can't have sweet stuff, which I normally don't gravitate to much, but now WANT. And what really honks me off was talking to a person the other day who gained 56 pounds with her recent bundle, having eaten ice cream, milk shakes, chocolate and all the otherr junk food crap that you're supposed to do in low doses (or balanced with good stuff) and she never contracted gestational diabetes - nor has she had a problem loosing all that baby weight. Makes me sick. Of course, I am old enough to be her mother . . .but that is beside the point. Maybe it was because she had a boy and I'm having a girl - girls are made of sugar and spice, right?

Food, Glorious Food

2008-11-10T15:05:00.005-05:00

Eating is always a topic of discussion when it comes to being pregnant - everybody's all about "eating for two"; interestingly enough, current conventional wisdom suggests that we only need about 300 calories more a day than we did prior to becoming pregnant. Current personal wisdom suggests that fitting more than half a plate of food into my gullet in one sitting would be a bad idea, seeing as how internal space is at a premium. Ironic that my favorite holiday is soon approaching and I'll barely be able to scratch the surface of my favorite dishes. Boo. Good thing Thanksgiving usually means eating leftovers for a few days, eh?
So what has "pregnancy craving" meant for me - oddly enough, Flipper has had some interesting effects on my usual dining proclivities. While there have been no late night runs anywhere, or pickle and ice cream pairings, the first real and true craving I had (and within days of finding out about Flipper's presence) was for the very thing I had turned away from some nine years ago: meat. Yes, sports fans, this pesco-vegetarian (a vegetarian who eats fish) fell waaaaaaaaay, waaaaay off the tofu wagon. And guess what the mouth-watering, mega-craze item was that I could not live without for nearly a daily basis for the first 2-3 weeks . . .an Arby's roast beef sandwich. But here's the deal - now I won't touch it with a ten-foot pole; this is the other odd effect - my taste crave changes every so many weeks. For about a month, I may want carne asada tacos and tostados, or for six weeks it'll be Chinese food, or a trimester of egg and cheese croissants, or two weeks of blueberries. For the most part, I roll with it; apparently whatever I want is filling a basic need and for the most part, it's pretty healthy stuff - except the week I was all over those pumpkin doughnuts . . .oooooooh yes. The only item of real concern was at about the second trimester, I had a deep need for unsweetened iced tea (and still do); this needed to be passed through the OB because tea, while not a bad thing, does contain some caffeine - Kim said, "No big deal, and the caffeine thing is only an issue during the first trimester." So, I roll with that, too. Right now, though I am in an ambiguous phase; I don't get super cravings, so I don't always know what to eat. This gets frustrating. With Kennedy, the formula was pretty simple: Taco Bell. Anything with beans at Taco Bell. This would explain why she is so gassy.
Related to the food thing is the newest issue. Today's checkup went well - heartbeat is at a happy 145 and she's growing well. The issue is the glucose tolerance test in which my results came back one point over the cutoff for normal. What that means is that there is potential for gestational diabetes, although with it being one point over . . . chances are low. Anyhoo, this means a mandatory three-hour test with fasting, more glucola crapola drink and four more blood draws (a fasting baseline and three more draws at hour intervals). I look forward to this in very much the same way I look forward to getting stitches or speaking in front of 4,000 people. On the bright side, at least we'll know what's going on and how to deal with it. On the not-so-bright side, the glucola drink ruins Sunkist soda for me because it tastes just like it; good thing I don't drink soda much anyway.
So - cross your fingers for an "all clear" on Thursday!

2008-11-05T09:26:00.005-05:00

As of today, there are 100 days left - well, according to the countdown thingy. Flipper will ultimately decide how many days are left, but it would be nice if she gave notice or something - maybe a letter of intent.
She's really been moving around (or at least thumping my innards with her appendages); the other day, Steven was lying with his ear on my belly to see if he could hear her, since he hasn't been able to feel her; he thinks he's heard her tapping. Once, from my perspective, she kicked him in the head - he heard it, but didn't feel it - I still thought it was funny.

Doin' the Civic Duty

2008-11-04T13:44:00.005-05:00

Today is a pretty significant day in American history, and we've done our civic duty. It's rather sobering to think about the outcome of today - the new president and vice-president will barely have been sworn in when Flipper is born. These people will be integrated into her own personal history, and what's so . . .interesting, amazing, sobering, or what have you - is that Flipper will never have known a time when there hadn't been a non-Caucasian or a female in the White House. Isn't that something? From the get-go of her life, things will be different in our country and I think that's pretty cool. I hope you all played a part in making your voice known.
And one more thing - at least the TV ads and automated phone calls will be OVER, no matter what the outcome! If my write-in plan works, it'll be Gumby and Pokey . . .
Never the less, no matter what side of the "fence" you play on, remember to be civil, to value and respect one another, and to appreciate the differences - they are what make us truly . . .human.

What's In A Name?

2008-10-30T10:24:00.007-04:00

Dad Unit Here. As we march (or waddle) inevitably forward to our due date, we’ve been focusing on names for our Flipper. [And yes, Wendy has already vetoed “Flipper” as a name, although I’m still holding out hope that I can get the “Gibbous” in as a really sweet middle name.] The difficulty, is, of course, finding a name that is not a) too old fashioned, b) too outlandish, or c) too trendy.

Wendy and I agreed from the outset that we did not want a name that was too old fashioned. Names such as Gertrude or Ethel may be perfectly fine names, but they just did not speak to us. Outlandish names were right out. So, sorry, no Shadrak Smiseck, as in “Shadrak, Meshak and Abendigo.” The problem with such names, outside of potentially being silly, is that it can be hurtful to the child, both in terms of childhood taunts and acceptance as an adult.

So, we are now left with finding a name that we both think is groovenatious but that is not too “trendy.” I refer to the trendy trap as the “Dave Syndrome.” Those of you who know your Dr. Suess may remember a very short story he wrote called “Too Many Daves,” which reads, in part:

Did I ever tell you that Mrs. McCave Had twenty-three sons, and she named them all Dave? Well, she did. And that wasn't a smart thing to do. You see, when she wants one, and calls out "Yoo-Hoo! Come into the house, Dave!" she doesn't get one. All twenty-three Daves of hers come on the run! This makes things quite difficult at the McCaves' As you can imagine, with so many Daves ***

The lesson we learn from all of this is crystal clear: “Groovenatious” would be a great name for a rock band (Thanks, Dave Barry).

Actually, it’s that we want to avoid a name that may be shared by lots of others. The current bane seems to be the name Taylor. Go anywhere and shout, “Taylor, come here!” You’ll see at least three girls and two boys all come on the run. The name might be perfectly okay, but we do not wish to inflict such anarchy on our little girl. We’ll let all the other precious snowflakes sort it out. Unfortunately, this issue has caused us to question some names we really love.

So, Wendy, Kennedy, and I are still plowing through the baby-name books (for those with a quirky sense of humor, how can you have a list called the 100 most popular unique names???). We hope to find a name that is strong and successful and loving and beautiful and reflective of who we think our little girl may be. Leading names are Katherine, Julia (a name shared by Wendy's great-grandmother and my great-grandmother - a beautiful soul, for those of you who knew her), Grace, and Ophelia.

Your suggestions are, of course, always welcome. You may have an idea that we’ll love. Just post it in the comments section of this tremendous blog. We’ll let you know what we think.

Until then, Grace & Peace!

Got a Suggestion?

2008-10-21T15:36:00.002-04:00

Since everyone is asking about names, here's a chance for you to give your two cents. Click on "comment" and rattle off your suggestion(s). We've floated some name ideas out there to some, so if you like them, just say so; if you don't, come up with something you do like and we'll THINK about it.

Reminiscing

2008-10-20T11:13:00.008-04:00

There are a lot of nice, fuzzy things about pregnancy - the fact that you're growing a new little being and knowing that in a matter of months you'll be holding a sweet, naked little pinkish thingy (to paraphrase "Babe: Pig in the City") can give you a pretty big lift. You'll hear people talk about this stuff all the time. What people don't often talk about are the things that, upon reading them, you think, "Oh, that's not a big deal - stuffy noses are mere child's play". Having forgotten these minor irritations, I am now remembering some of the less nice and fuzzy aspects of pregnancy that are rearing their heads - I will, however, spare you the somewhat icky or more personal aspects in my list of what I am now missing as a part of my pregnancy journey. Please note that this does not mean that I am not enjoying the experience - merely recalling fondly some of the abilities or indulgences that after about five months now I am realizing I am doing without.

Things I miss:

my feet
lying on my stomach
an un-stuffy nose
lifting things that I know I am capable of lifting
getting out of bed or off of a chair or the floor without making it into a production of "Cirque du Soleil"
wine with dinner
being able to ignore (or at least tolerate) many smells
the ability to speak articulately
control of my gastronomic desires
not being winded after walking upstairs
memory longer than a nanosecond
some of the foods I really used to groove on but now have no taste for (see "control of gastronomic desires")
sleeping through the night without having to get up to pee at least twice

Early Career Option

2008-10-15T11:44:00.000-04:00

Not happy with the Presidential candidates this year? Try this on e!

2008-10-14T09:44:00.005-04:00

At 22 weeks, impersonating Julie Andrews atop Mt. Jeez near Malabar Farm State Park in Richland County, Ohio.
We took a mini family vacation this weekend to enjoy the fall colors, celebrate Steven's birthday, and get in touch with nature. Mmmmm, nature. We did a lot of tromping around!
If you're ever in the neighborhood of Richland/Ashland County, check out the farm, stay at a castle, do some leaf peeping, and visit a prison (which unfortunately we could not do due to haunted house age restrictions - yes, I am too young).

Our monthly checkup went off without a hitch yesterday (10/13); doc (Kim Shepherd) says things look good and reiterated that recent tests indicated that all was well. She did admit to laughing when she saw the report that Flipper was a girl; Kim was predicting a boy and told us a story about her own prediction woes with her three boys. Otherwise, Flipper is still playing hide and seek with daddy and Kennedy gained the distinction of having lost the last of her baby teeth yesterday while at the dentist's office. I, on the other hand, gained the distinction of having a small, molar cavity, but at least my teeth are clear of granite boulders.

She Likes to Move It, Move It

2008-10-05T18:25:00.005-04:00

I remember the first time I felt Kennedy (some 11 years ago) - it was just like the books and all described it: like butterflies. With Flipper, she made herself known in no uncertain terms, skipping the butterfly phase and going straight for a healthy push. She goes through bouts of moving around, pushing and kicking, and I'm never sure of exactly what it means; some days are more active than others, though. One particular day about a week or so ago, she got fired up about us singing the Beatles' "Twist and Shout" and didn't quiet down for some time (hopefully this means she's a Beatles fan as opposed to punishing me for my vocal skills). All this movement, however, is felt pretty much by me at this point with no real impact on external feelers. I might be sitting around feeling a few notices of her presence and tell Steven, but by the time he reaches over it's done. It's almost like some game she's playing with him - I can almost imagine her giggling behind her little hand ("Ha ha Daddy! Try to catch me!"). She's lying on her side at this point, so at least we know where her feet are most of the time (and I know where her feet are every time she stretches and kicks- shees!).

The Specifics

2008-10-01T16:37:00.001-04:00

Flipper Gibbous, a moniker to give us something to call the baby besides "the baby", is Flipper because all little guys start out with flippers and Gibbous because Steven is an Astronomy geek (plus, it just sounds cool - now I dare you to look it up).
Anyway, Flipper has gone through a few due dates: February 11, February 15, and now February 13 - the last two due to changes after ultrasound measurements (and how they know that Flipper is five and then two days behind original estimates is a complete mystery). The last date is kind of funny; February 13th is my brother's birthday, but it also happens to be Friday the 13th in 2009, a significant factor in that Steven was born on Friday the 13th and considers it quite lucky. I will consider myself lucky if I make it that long.
The most recent ultrasound (9/24) was very cool so wait for a hot minute because the photos should be up soon - things are looking good and we found out that we have a girl! It was neat for us because Kennedy and Steven's mom was there and it was great to share the experience with them; we've seen Flipper moving around before, but it was especially cool to see her doing her thing in front of big sis and Nana (well, that and she's much bigger now - oooo and she has finger and toe bones!). She wasn't as active as last time (thankfully, because it made taking the measurements easier), but she did do a really awesome karate kick, open and close her mouth, and move her hands around. She also tired of the attention, and like the apes at the zoo, turned her back when she was done with us. I could have watched her all day - in fact, when the technologist left and we were waiting on the doc, I was half tempted to play with the machine to look at what I wanted to see, instead of what the doc wanted to see; fortunately, the voice of reason stepped in before the doctor did - otherwise I would have been standing there like a kid with my hand in the proverbial cookie jar with a bystanding peanut gallery giving pointers. Still, it was a good day - we're happy, saw a healthy baby, and now have to get serious with girl names.

The Obligatory First Post

2008-09-30T11:06:00.002-04:00

Some people start blogs like this the minute they think they're pregnant, others wait a bit to get some news, but people like me - well, we wait until we can figure out how to do this blog thing. A word of warning: don't expect anything over-the-top-firecrackers-shooting-out-of-your-keister fantastic; hormonal fluctuations will play havoc with my patience and ability to navigate the technical waters of the more advanced blog professional.

That having been said, here are the details concerning this blog, why it's here and the people behind it:

Blogtastic Smiseck Baby is a blog site dedicated to the newest soon-to-be addition to our family; we're the Smisecks (Wendy, Steven and big sister Kennedy). For those who aren't aware of the name origin, it is Slovak, is pronounced "Smee-sheck", and means "smiling one" (pretty aprospo considering the general happiness factor in the household).
Not everyone is internet inclined (believe it or not, we have relatives who require snail-mail announcement - *gasp*), but for those who are, they have requested a blog; maybe it's becuase they don't want ultrasound photos clogging up their e-mail. I don't know.
The players: Steven (the dad unit), Wendy (the mom unit), Kennedy (the older sib unit and step-child to Steven), and Flipper Gibbous (the fetus unit - more on the name later).

So, there it is - a first entry and a teaser of info. Hopefully, the continuing development of this blog will be not only informational, but educational and entertaining as well. Feel free to comment or just look at it and wonder at the awesome skills I have attained in learning to blog.