Photo Shoot

So, when my sister-in-law had her baby last month, I checked her blog everyday hoping for MORE pictures! I was really disappointed and couldn't figure out why she wasn't posting more often. Then I had my baby and remembered how time-consuming, overwhelming and exhausting it is to have a newborn!!! Thankfully, it is also very rewarding.

I still don't have it in me to upload any of my own pics. But I can refer you to my friend Melissa's photography blog. She offered to take pics of Jonny for her first ever newborn shoot. Of course, I took her up on that offer. This turned out to be the only day of his life that he wasn't sleepy, so after 2 hours, we were lucky to get some good shots. Don't mind my roots. Hair coloring appointments have also been low on my list of priorities.

Click here to see: http://blueprintsphotography.blogspot.com/

Thanks so much, Melissa!

Heeeeeere's Jonny!

Okay, this is going to be quick because I'm exhausted. Jonathan Masahisa Watabe made his grand entrance at 3:45 PM weighing in at 8 pounds 8 ounces (our biggest baby yet and half an ounce lighter than my birth weight.) He is 20.5 inches long. I only pushed about 8 times total, 20 minutes from the first push to them telling me to pull him the rest of the way out up onto my belly. He's super sweet and so soft. He hardly cried during his first bath. He nurses like a pro and likes his pacifier already! More pics and details to come after I get some rest!

(It's so hard to get a cute new born pic -- we'll keep trying!)

Finally!

After giving up the wish of having all of our birthdays have 7's in them, I went to bed last night feeling disappointed, yet also had a little gut instinct not to take my sleeping pill because I might need to be alert. Well, I'm glad I didn't because it wouldn't have been good to be groggy around 2:30 AM when contractions started. I laid there and monitored them for an hour. They were 3-7 minutes apart. So I got up and finished packing my bag. My mom woke up and Nate finally woke up. I took a bath and called Kaiser. They said go to the hospital. So Nate and I drove into Denver and I had contractions every 5 minutes on the dot the whole way here. They checked me and I was only a 2. The no nonsense older nurse told me to walk around for two hours and they'd check again, but if I wasn't a 4 I'd have to go home. She wasn't my favorite. We walked around for about an hour until I was in tears from the painful contractions and the thought of possibly having to go home. So we took a little break and the contractions slowed down, which worried me. I was praying SO HARD the whole time that they'd let me stay and I'd have the baby today. We walked for another 20 minutes before it was time to get checked.

It was a new, nicer nurse and she said I was 3 1/2, and she was encouraging me to go home. I plead my case (one day overdue, mom in town wasting helping time, I will probably need to be helped along because I was with my other two, my other two were 8 and 8.5 pounds at this same point, we don't want to keep driving back and forth in the snow, the hospital was not busy so they may as well take me, etc.) She said she'd call the Dr. and talk to him about it. I knew it was all judgement calls at this point and was praying my heart out that they'd have mercy on me. My contractions had slowed way down and I was really nervous they'd try to send me home. I was getting ready to turn on the tears if I had to when she came back and said she decided to skip consulting the Dr. and just send me up to be admitted. She said, "Don't make a liar out of me." I gave her a big hug and told her I'd do my best. She also said there's still a chance they'll send me home if I'm not progressing.

We got to the room and got hooked up to everything and the contractions still weren't that great. I met the resident Dr. who is a young, beautiful girl named Vanessa (I've never met a Vanessa who wasn't beautiful), and she said, "I don't see any reason we'd send you home." I said I definitely agreed and decided I really like her! Then my contractions started to really pick up (probably because the pressure was off now that I knew I could stay.) After a couple of hours they were 3 minutes apart and very intense. I was praying I'd be at least a 4 so I could get my epidural.

They checked me and I was a 5, so they offered the epidural (loved it that I didn't even have to ask). Within minutes the anesthesiologist was in here doing a fantastic job of giving me an epidural. I told him he was my new best friend.

Now I am as comfy as can be. The annoyance/pain of the IV and catheter have worn off (isn't it funny how it hurts at first and then you get used to it?) I am a little itchy from the epidural, but it's tolerable.

They just checked me and I'm a 7. My mom is on her way and we'll probably get to meet Jonny in the next few hours. I've been praying for nine months that this will be my best labor and delivery experience yet, and so far it has been. I am thrilled that I went into labor on my own -- a first for me. Even after my water broke with Elizabeth, they still had to give me pitocin. Maybe I went on my own because I tried every trick I'd ever heard of EXCEPT Castor oil, I wasn't desperate enough for that yet. I got a massage and she worked my pressure points so hard that I was literally black and blue, I bounced on the ball, walked on the treadmill, ate eggplant and pineapple and spicy food (all tips from various people), and tried the oldest trick in the book. But I think the kicker was probably the evening primrose oil capsules that Tamara gave me. I had one at lunch yesterday, one last night and also inserted one (I know, gross and TMI), but hey, I'm in labor now and I was willing to try almost anything! So THANK YOU TAMARA!!! And everyone else who gave suggestions and encouragement. I feel so blessed to have supportive, loving family and friends, modern medicine, good insurance, good nurses and Dr's who are treating me so well (other than grumpy grandma who checked us in) and the power of prayer!

Please pray that things will continue to go smoothly! I'll keep you posted!

Getting Closer

I don't really get the "nesting instinct," but I have forced myself to do some preparing for the baby.


*I did get a really strong urge to clean and organize my bathroom last week. After 2 hours, I had a big bag of things to throw out and a sprakling bathroom.


*That same day, I finally got out the baby clothes. Styles have changed in the last 5 1/2 years, but I don't really mind, especially for the tiny new born clothes, that are just sweet and comfy anyway.


*Last week we all got haircuts. Elizabeth's is the cutest -- I'll post a picture soon. I really don't love mine, which is an unfortunate thing to have happen the week before you have your baby. I didn't need to feel any uglier, but oh well. Hair grows, and I'll be cooped up in my house for the next month anyway.


*This week I got my list of errands done, stocked up on food and got Harrison started on his Valentines! We also got out all of the Valentine's decorations and Harrison's love for decorating for each holiday is just as strong as it was at Christmas.


* I finally put my book down for a few hours and organized the office. It is a task that constantly hangs over my head and has to be done at least once a quarter. This time, I am determined to follow the "one touch rule" of organizing so the papers don't pile up. It could still use some work in the funcationality department, considering it's an office/craft & sewing room/toy room/guest room. Maybe Mom can help with that.


*I got my pre-delivery pedicure! A must for every expectant mother, in my opinion. The poor girl had to scrub my heels for about an hour to get all the calluses off. They look and feel so much better! I was trying to go for a Valentine's look.



*A big snowstorm is coming to D.C., so my mom moved her ticket up a day, and she'll be here tomorrow! Otherwise, she might have gotten stuck and not made it until Monday. Sooner is definitely better than later. I'm still holding out for Sunday, the 7th though.


*My stomach feels a little strange today. I have a Dr's appt. this afternoon. We'll see what they say. Last week the Dr. said I was, "not what he would call ripe."

The Final Countdown!

Okay, 5 days to go. And I am really hoping to go ON my due date. My mom gets here Saturday and I really want to hold out for her. I'm a mama's girl and I want her in the room. But once she's here, I don't want to waste any of her precious helping time, so then it's go time. Plus, this is silly, but we all have 7's in our birthdays and Sunday would be his only chance to have a 7. I refuse to wait until the 17th!

How am I passing the time? Am I cleaning my house? Organizing the office? Working on a quilt for the baby? Setting up his room? No, all of those things are on the list, but instead I'm reading Hunger Games and Catching Fire. I've heard about them from multiple people and finally had to see what all the fuss was about. Let me tell you, it's a great way to pass the time. All day Sunday (except for 3 hours at church) and all day yesterday were spent on Hunger Games and last night I started Catching Fire. I figure I'll have it done in the next couple of days. I highly recommend the books. The premise is somewhat disturbing, but it's a page turner, easy to read, entertaining, and thought provoking. And a must for me -- there is a love story.

Thanks for all of your input on the swing. At my shower, as part of the group gift I got the Fisher Price Papasan Cradle Swing (swings both ways). We found a great deal on one, so that makes it even better. I'm excited to find out if he loves it as much as I hope he does!

Fingers crossed for the 7th, everyone! I'll keep you posted!

Sissie's 3rd Birthday!

This is the last of my catch up posts! Yay!

Our little miss turned three at the beginning of the month.

Since she had just gotten a bunch of Christmas presents, I thought it would be fun to have more of an "experience" for her big present. So we went to Build a Bear. Well, as usual where kids are concerned, this "experience" didn't turn out quite like I hoped. One of the main problems was that Elizabeth had never even heard of Build a Bear and had no idea what it was. So there wasn't really any excitement or anticipation involved. In hindsight, I realize I had this big fantasy about how great it would be and how much she would love it. For instance, I had visions of a precious bear or bunny (that's the one I really wanted her to get). Well, the minute she saw Frosty the Snowman, that's all she wanted. My kids love the Frosty movie and so this shouldn't have come as a big surprise to me. I figured, her b-day is really close to Christmas, so it did have some significance, and it was her birthday, and Frosty was on sale, so I gave up on the bunny dream and let her get the tacky, lights-up-and-makes-noise snowman.

Around this time, Nate had to get out of there because the whole thing was just making him sick. I tried to explain to him how it's more about the experience than the actual stuffed animals (of which we've never been big fans), but he couldn't handle it. So he and Harrison went to play video games or something.

Most of you probably know the drill.

You stuff it.

Kiss the heart. Watch it get sewed up.

Wash it.

Dress it.

I was REALLY glad Nate wasn't there for this part. It was even killing me. I honestly spent more on this outfit than I usually spend on her outfits! And that was just for the basics. A shirt and a skirt. The cheapest shirt and skirt they had. We didn't even think about shoes and/or accessories. Maybe it should be spelled excessories.

Not to mention the fact that we were putting a snowMAN in a pink shirt and skirt with rhinestones on it.

Name it and register it. Doing the computer was her favorite part. Of course, she named it Frosty.

And that was the "experience."

Main lesson learned: Wait until your child knows about and is dying to go to Build a Bear before you pay $27 for her to make a stuffed animal.

We had a really busy day, so we quickly made the cake. Here are the traditional kids-licking-the-beaters pictures.

She still talks about how I was upset that I accidentally put the yellow part of the egg in the cake. I was trying to make a pink cake (her request), but I didn't want it to be strawberry (even though I'm sure that would have been fine). So I used a white cake with red food coloring, but then forgot and dropped a yolk in. I was afraid I was going to have a peach cake, so I dug out most of the yoke. I guess all the drama left an impression on her. Disaster averted -- the cake was pink and not peach. I know you're all breathing a huge sigh of relief.

This picture is so Elizabeth.

It is also a great picture to follow the last paragraph.


So after a cousin's baptism and feast, everyone came over to Obaachan's and Ojiichan's for the birthday celebration. There were four little girl cousins, which worked out perfectly with the pack of 4 princess crowns we found at Wally's.

Such a genuine smile.

Much more convincing. Cute Carrissa probably helped bring that out!

Another classic Elizabeth face.

Most of the people in attendance. I'm taking the picture (of course). Nate was dead to the world that whole night. We think he was fighting off an illness or something, he really could not stay awake for more than a few minutes before passing out on the couch again. And Obaachan and Ojiichan were there too, although they aren't in this picture.

Opening some presents. She needed a new "fushy" (squishy, as opposed to hard) baby, because she cut open her last one and removed all the stuffing.
If she repeats this violent act, I will not be replacing any more squishy babies (even though
they are only $4).

Trying out her color wonder set from Obaachan.

Loving all the attention they got from Uncle Andrew. He was so sweet to play games with the kids all night. Catch, Red Light Green Light, and Hide and Seek.

So, I'm stealing a tradition off of a blog I stalk. They take a picture like this every year on their kids' birthdays and I think it's super sweet and cute.

A few notes on this three year old girl. (Knowing me, it will be more than just a few. It's for posterity's sake, for pete's sake. Honestly, I'd just stop reading, if you haven't already.)

She doesn't like to be laughed at ("don't waff" and "no waffing" are frequent demands), or labeled -- even if it's a positive label. If you make any sort of blanket statement about her (you're funny, you're silly, etc.) it is met with an emphatic, "No I'm not. I'm cute and prettiful." Apparently cute and prettiful are the only labels she's comfortable accepting.

She has very recently developed a cute little accent that I can't really describe other than saying it's a funny short a that is most apparent when she says Dad and Pat Pat (Elizabeth has recently discovered the wonderful world of Little Einsteins and Harrison had renewed his former toddlerhood love affair with the show known as Pat Pat in our house). She also says "you see," in the cutest way. I think she gets all of this from our little Polish neighbor girl who is her best friend. Another thing she gets from Natalia is always referring to our house as "our home." "Can Natalia come play at our home today?" She would play with Natalia (who she calls Matalia) all day every day if I let her. It's sometimes "annoning" (as she says it) when she CONSTANTLY want so play with her, but when they are playing (especially when they are playing at her "home") it's really quite lovely. I think every child needs a nice neighbor close to their age. Harrison certainly needs one. I honestly feel I prayed this one into our lives, I'll just keep praying for another one.

Back to Elizabeth. She says r's and l's as w's, in the most typical and darling little kid way (which will only be darling for another year or so and then it's got to go -- by kindergarten at the latest.) It's especially cute when she refers to her buwuddow (brother -- 3 syllables). Speaking of her buwuddow, she has progressed from calling him Heson to Hewwison. She still calls herself Zibis or Zibisamika, if she's including her middle name. The last name is Tahbay (Harrison used to say Ahtahbah). My name is Mi-chel, like a Latino might pronounce it. (Harrison said it Lichelle, like another race might take the name Michelle and adapt it into an original name).
And Nathan is Nafan, in a similar vain as Lichelle. Wow, sorry to get so racial all the sudden.

Have=hag, store=stew, door=dew, toys=taze, boys=baze, girls=gills, kitchen=chicken, paino=plano. I'm sure I'll think of all sorts of other things that she has her own funny way of saying and when I do I'll come back and add them in, because really these are things I don't want to forget.

She continues to be a delight, as she has been since birth. She's fairly easy going and easy to please. She's as rational as a three year old can be. When she's in the mood she can be very helpful and she grasps concepts like the fact that I can't bend over because I have a baby in my tummy. She'll say, "Oh, I get it fo you, because you can't bend ovo because you hag a baby in yo tummy. I'm just a witto gill, and I just hag eggs in my tummy." (This pregnancy has brought on a few pre sex ed discussions).

She can talk a blue streak (is that a saying?). I think she gets that from her Obaachan, her mother and her brother.

She doesn't nap regularly, although she still needs to. So a few evenings a week she crashes around 5. Sometimes she's out for the night (which sickens me when I realize she ate very little lunch and no dinner), and sometimes she's down for three hours and up till 11 (like tonight). Speaking of eating, she doesn't really do much of that. And it shows. She is SO petite. Which I guess is fine, considering she's a girl. I just hope it doesn't effect her brain cells too much. And she needs to grow a bum so her pants will stay on and quit chaffing her poor back melted into legs area, which is always red.

For the record, she does like, blueberries, bananas, pears w/o skin, pineapple, baby ownjies (Mandarin oranges), ramen, pasta (w/red sauce, white sauce, mac and cheese, buttered with parm, plain), rice, nori (seaweed), kikikaka (furikake -- Japanese stuff you sprinkle on rice), meatballs (Italian and Teriyaki), beans and rice, chips and salsa (I attribute these four to being born in Santa Maria), cereal, yogurt, chicken nuggets, fries, potatoes, lasagna, salmon (was just reminded this week that BOTH kids will eat fish -- I am going to start making it more often!), "cold quesodillas" (raw costco tortillas), actual quesodillas, "macaroni" pizza (pepperoni) some breads/rolls, all manner of crackers, chips, pretzels, cookies, candy, fruit snacks, ice cream and any other junk food I've missed (most likely the reason she doesn't eat a lot of "real food.") Notice, not a single vegetable is on the list. I blame her father for that one.

She is definitely my special girl. We're going to have to really stick together since we're about to be outnumbered. Although, both children frequently mention "Annie," our next baby. I seriously hope that we aren't all disappointed. If we are, we'll mostly likely be having 5 kids. But I don't want to say that too loud.

Wait, this is really supposed to be about Elizabeth. I adore her. She makes me laugh a lot, she's so stinking cute in all of her facial expressions and mannerisms. She is a joy and such a wonderful addition to our family. I honestly pray that Jonny is as easy as she has been. Don't get me wrong, she has colored on the couch, the windowsill, and her shirt all this week, and ruined various other possessions of ours throughout her life, she can throw fits, and be grumpy and stubborn, and quite sassy and sneaky, let's not forget the kleptomania (which has actually gotten a lot better), but overall, she's a dream. It's so fascinating how I love both of my children so much, yet so differently. I'm very curious to see how this next one pans out. I know I'll love him just as much as the other two, but it will be interesting to see his personality and how our relationship unfolds.

Holy stream of consciousness. I've literally been rambling on for hours now. The later it gets, the longer I go on. And I don't have it in me to proofread this, so forgive the typos. Give me half a Unisom and put me to bed (it's the only way to go now, with the extra bad, end of pregnancy insomnia).

Happy Birthday, Elizabeth. I love you!

Help - Need Opinions

Do anyone of you love or hate your baby swing? Why? What is the brand and model? I am looking to get a baby swing for Jonny. (Elizabeth LOVED hers, and then a certain 2 1/2 year old boy sat in it and broke it, so we need a new one). I did research on-line last night until I was cross eyed and still don't know what I want. I'm not wanting a top of the line one with all the bells and whistles, just a safe, reliable swing that works and lasts and doesn't go through batteries too fast (I'm considering a plug in one, but some people say they don't have much power.)

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!