Bailey Dayley

One Two Three

2010-05-22T09:42:00.000-07:00

NASA Starbucks Merger

2010-04-22T20:39:00.000-07:00

A conversation between Rolan and me while we were playing with toys.

Rolan: i'm going in a spaceship right now
Me: okay have fun
Rolan: i'm back now
Me: welcome back, did you go to space?
Rolan: no i just go to starbucks over there

Foliage

2010-03-07T12:09:00.000-08:00

Love, Captain Obvious

2010-01-08T21:58:00.000-08:00

We bought some temporary tattoos at Target today (please forgive the alliteration). Needless to say, Rolan was pretty excited about it.

Clayton Valley Pumpkin Farm

2009-10-18T19:23:00.001-07:00

October

2009-10-15T11:25:00.000-07:00

Love the weather. Love the pumpkins. Love Halloween.

and on a different note, Rolan's longest sentence to date is 5 words. "no want to lay down!"

Too Old

2009-10-03T15:05:00.001-07:00

My little man turns two years old tomorrow. Its hard to believe. He is getting so big, doing so much, and talking more and more every day. I was trying to teach him to say "two" when people ask "how old are you?". Instead, if you ask how hold he is, he responds "too old" (obviously i change the spelling for comedic effect). Its adorable.

We played a game the other day. It wasn't planned, it just happened. He knocked all of his books onto the floor. I saw one and said a line from the book. He went and found the exact book I was talking about. Then I started doing this for all the other books too. I had two realizations during this game.
1. my child is super smart
2. i have most of his books memorized

Grammy

2009-09-30T22:48:00.000-07:00

I have been avoiding this blog for the last few months because thinking about writing in it brings up a sharp pain at the thought of the one person who will not be reading it. When Martha died, I had the very dark thought that the world would not be as good of a place without her in it. I try now to be thankful that I knew her, because my life is certainly brighter for it.

I had a dream about her last night. She was visiting at our house, but we all knew that she was dead. She said so herself in the dream. But she was there to see us and spend time with us. I had to show her how Rolan says "Gammy" and "Uncle Bannan" now, and she made that face.. the one where she could cry but doesn't. I kept asking her questions in the dream about how she could be there when she was dead. I was so confused. How was she there talking to us? Was she just going to disappear? And then I woke up, crying. I suppose thats like disappearing.

I miss her so much, and in so many very selfish ways. I feel the loss for Rolan. I hate to think that any more kids we have will never know her. If Clayton and I get married someday... how are we going to do that without her there? I so often feel the urge to call her, and its like tearing at a scab thats not ready to come off.

I loved hearing people talk about her at the service. I felt like I got to know sides of her that I never met. I only knew her as Martha, and Grammy. She had cancer for the majority of the time that I knew her. And I was also worried for most of that time if she liked me or not. I was so devastated when she moved to Maryland. She had helped me so much through Rolan's first few months of life that I was afraid of losing the security of having her nearby. I feel that same trepidation now. I have wonderful and helpful people in my life, but she had a maternal wisdom that I assumed would always be there as a resource. In my grieving attempt to sing her praises I am just rambling instead, so to summarize let me just say...

I miss her.

Martha Dayley

2009-07-27T21:31:00.000-07:00

On Friday, July 24th, Rolan lost his beautiful grammy, Martha. She was such a good person, and I feel like I'm a better mother because of her.

Her service details are as follows:

Viewing: 6-8pm, Friday July 31st at Oak Park Hills Chapel funeral home, 3111 N. Main St., Walnut Creek, CA 94596

Funeral: 11am, Saturday August 1st, with additional viewing prior to services from 10 to 10:30, LDS chapel 940 Palisade Dr., Martinez, CA 94553

Graveside service and Burial: 10:30am, Monday August 3rd, Pleasant View Cemetery, Burley, Idaho, 83318

Her obituary will run in the Contra Costa Times on Wednesday, July 29th

Flowers may be sent to Oak Park Hills Chapel at the address listed above.

Getting Dressed

2009-07-09T08:48:00.000-07:00

Its a little frustrating, but I can't help but laugh that Rolan's idea of getting dressed is 5 shirts and no pants.

East Coast Trip

2009-06-25T22:59:00.001-07:00

oak to bwi to budget
chantel, austin, owen, soren, martha, cousins, family, hugs, kisses, jumping, playing, hitting, biting, laughing
columbia, new york city, new york, ocean city, maryland, bethany beach, delaware, washington dc
italian food, sand, beach, sparklers, beads, watermelon, settlers of catan, downpour, boardwalk and no parasailing
bus, ground zero, 9/11, battery park, statue of liberty, street performers, taxi, subway, ny pizza, times square, hard rock cafe, empire state building, souveneir shops
first state, peanuts, burgers, beach, seashells, parking meters
capital, thomas jefferson, washington monument, white house, lincoln, reflecting pool, ducks, ice cream sandwiches, pink eye
ceasar salad, family time, lesson, songs, tears, goodbyes
5am, delayed flight, bwi to atl, business class, sfo, no luggage, home

A Very Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-11T17:09:00.000-07:00

First of all, let me say a belated Happy Mother's Day to all the beautiful mothers I know. I admire each and every one of you.

Secondly, my mother's day was fantastic. I opened my presents a day early (because neither clayton nor I have any patience [at least none left over after all that rolan demands]). I got an awesome back massager, a movie that i love, and a gorgeous ring! The ring had to be resized, and I was very sad to part with it. and let me just reiterate, its GORGEOUS.

On mother's day I got to sleep in until 8, and woke up to a homemade card, flowers, and pancakes. Then we all went to Muir Beach. We took our usual sand toys, the box kite, but this time we took a full sized shovel. We weren't messing around, we were doing some serious digging. The day was perfect for a beach trip, and we all had a lot of fun.

On the way home from the beach we stopped and had an early dinner at a fondue restaurant called The Melting Pot. The food was delicious (or maybe it just seemed better because its so fun to dip stuff), and rolan was pretty well behaved for sitting so long.

It really was a wonderful day.

Request Granted!

2009-05-04T14:17:00.000-07:00

Indoor Skydiving

2009-03-29T20:19:00.001-07:00

Today I took my sister indoor skydiving as a surprise for her birthday. I had heard about it through facebook: iflysfbay.com. It was SO fun. You get all geared up in a jumpsuit, goggles, a helmet, and earplugs. Then you get to fly with an instructor in this big wind tunnel. I'm ready to go back already.

Rolan to English Dictionary

2009-03-13T23:05:00.001-07:00

Rolan started saying turtle, which is now the cutest word I've ever heard, and that made me think that I should make a list of words that he says. It may be a constant work-in-progress, because he knows so many words now and I'm sure I'll forget many. And while I'm remembering, he'll be learning new ones. He recently started saying "bee bee bop bee" over and over, and having no idea what this means... I decided I really need to start the list.

Ba: bite, brrr
Ba-ba: bye bye, bubbles
Baby: baby, kid, Rolan
Bebe: blueberry, berry
Ca: car, cold, cool
Caca: cracker
Chee: cheese
Cook cook: cook
Dada
Fwee: sweep, sweet
Gaga: ball, glasses, garbage
Gah: dog
Go-go: go
Ha-ha: pacifier, help please, hat
Ha: pacifier, hi
Kay Kay: Makayla
Kay-kees: nakies
Key
Kick
Kiki: kitty, chickens
Mama
Mo: mow, moo
Nana
No: no, nose
Noo-noo: noodles
Papa
Peepee: peepee, penis, pasta, pizza, please, play, penny
Poo poo
Pup-pup: Max, Ches, dog
Ro-ro: Rolan
Tee tee: TV, teeth
Tie: Auntie Kelsey
Too-too: tattoo
Turtoo: turtle
Two
Wawa: water
Whoa
Yeah

Trip to Mendo

2009-03-03T09:17:00.000-08:00

Our little family took a trip up the Mendocino coast to visit some friends of mine. We first went to Gualala (pronounced: wa-la-la) to visit my old roomates from Fort Bragg. We had an eventful stay there, which included a TV falling on Rolan's head and smashing his hand and a real estate office next door catching on fire. With that, we left to stay in Little River at the Inn that I worked at. That night was much more uneventful and relaxing, and we had dinner with my former bosses/owners of the Inn. It was so nice to be by the ocean and with people that I still consider family.

Me, Rolan, and Corbin. I lived with Corbin when he was 8 months old

The Hayes family: took me in when I needed a place to live and treated me like family. Chris is the man responsible for three of my tattoos.

The view from our porch in Gualala, looking over the bluff.

This is what happened when you opened both drawers in the dresser. The dresser was not made to hold such a front-heavy TV.

This is a tame shot of the fire in the real estate office. I took this picture standing next to the car, looking at the back of the building. The windows broke from the heat and the flames were licking out of the building. When we drove by the next day we couldn’t see any damage from the front of the building so we concluded that it must have been pretty well contained.

Taking a break (photo op) in Elk on our way up the coast.

Stomping around and exploring

Right outside our room at the Inn at Schoolhouse Creek (my former work)

Killin’ pawns

Visiting with the miniature donkeys, Heidi and Monique.

Heidi

More stomping

Taking a morning walk in the rain

Inside Outside Upside Down

2009-02-12T11:57:00.000-08:00

This blog always seems to find itself at the end of my priority list. However I am taking a moment today to cross "update blogger" off my to do list. Rolan, Clayton and I have been having a lot of fun together. We spent a day at the marina last weekend enjoying the beautiful weather. I've been watching a friend's daughter twice a week. She is almost three and she and Rolan play well together. Yesterday I found a play kitchen for free on craigslist, and Rolan is very excited to be able to cook all by himself. School is going well also, I talked to an advisor and got all of my general education discrepancies taken care of (they were trying to make me take algebra... ha! I don't think so). As soon as I feel like I can handle the extra load, I'm going to switch over to being a full-time student. I'm ready for my degree! My sister started cosmetology school recently and loves it, she cut my hair already for me and did a fantastic job. Now that everyone is healthy and cold-free, Rolan and I have been going to Nana's regularly again, which we both enjoy. And great news, my grandpa is cancer free!

Black Eyed Pea

2009-01-11T13:02:00.001-08:00

Rolan tried to stand on this

Which he fell off of and hit his eye on the corner of this

And that is how he got his first shiner!

But he's a tough guy...

So he didn't let it get him down for long!

Little Santa

2008-12-25T12:55:00.000-08:00

Rolan was sick on Christmas Eve, he threw up and slept until 1:00pm. He bounced back quickly though and we had a great evening at my mom's house with Mom, Rob, Kelsey, Clayton, Nana, Larry, and Nancy. We opened a few presents and had a good dinner. Rolan fell asleep early. The next morning we slept in and then opened presents from Maryland :). Then we headed back over to Mom's house for breakfast. Rolan played Santa and passed out almost every gift. After that Kelsey and I went to see the Day the Earth Stood Still (which was okay). We had a lovely, low-key holiday.

Getting Ready for Christmas

2008-12-20T11:56:00.000-08:00

We got a package from Rolan's wonderful Grammy and Auntie Chantel, and Rolan was kind enough to put the presents under the tree. He is so gentle with the Christmas tree, and mostly very gentle with the presents (I cut the video when I did because I thought he was going to stomp on one of the gifts... but he didn't). I'm so excited about Christmas time, I love having family dinners and staying up late together and then waking up early to open gifts together. This year I expect Rolan to throw wrapping paper and tissue paper around like its confetti, which will just add to the festivities. Since it doesn't snow here on Christmas.... And also, I found a picture of Clayton all dressed up for the holidays! Doesn't he look great?
I love my Scrooge. I love my family. I love Christmas.

First Haircut

2008-12-15T19:30:00.000-08:00

Alright its about time I wrote something on here. The family is doing well, Rolan is getting bigger and smarter everyday. We went down to Porterville for Thanksgiving and had a great time until the way back, when one of my tires blew out. But we all made it back in one piece. I just found out my grandpa's cancer is all gone, so I'm very excited about that! I've been busy crafting for Christmas, I've just about got everything done. I'm going to the Dancing with the Stars tour on Friday with my mom and Kelsey, and I can't wait. Today Rolan and I stayed home all day and watched the rain and hail. We had to get creative since we couldn't go outside, so I spent a good 20 minutes pulling him around in one of his toy boxes. We also set up the Christmas tree. Its just the little fake one from last year, but I couldn't bear to not have one at all. When Clayton got home we took Rolan to get his first haircut. Rolan HATED it. But his hair looks so cute and its not in his eyes anymore. Rolan is saying quite a few words now, including: hi, bye-bye, mama, dada, papa, nana, cheese, shoes, good, yeah, and gecko.

Elf Family Dance

2008-12-02T16:18:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Jack in the Block Box

2008-11-30T15:54:00.000-08:00

My Family

2008-11-02T19:59:00.001-08:00

Get your own Family Sticker Maker & MySpace Layouts.

Rolan's 1st Birthday

2008-10-23T08:25:00.000-07:00

The Willing Walker

2008-09-09T19:49:00.000-07:00

Smorgasbord Update

2008-09-04T14:07:00.000-07:00

My little man is 11 months old today. I can't believe he'll be 1 in a month! I also can't believe how much he's walking now. He went from taking a few steps to me or Clayton. Then he started cruising around furniture. Then from furniture to furniture, and now he just takes off wherever he wants to go. All this in a matter of weeks.
Also, I finally finished the giraffe! I wish I had clocked how many hours I spent on it. But all in all I had it done in a few months.

Last saturday my mom and kelsey surprised me and took me to marine world. we had such an awesome day. These are pictures of us feeding the lorikeets.

Colin and Leila's Wedding

2008-08-24T10:59:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, August 23 our friends Colin and Leila got married in Lafayette. The place they got married was absolutely beautiful, as was the ceremony. It was so nice to be there celebrating with all of our friends. Leila is from Englad, and a few of her friends and family members were able to come here for the wedding. They were all so nice, and some of them were quite the characters! Our friends did all the photography/videography and provided the music.

Out and About

2008-08-21T16:22:00.000-07:00

At the Oakland Zoo in July, too hot to be outside! But Rolan enjoyed the animals.

At the A's game on Saturday August 16, unfortunately they lost 2-1 to the White Sox.

First Steps!

2008-08-16T11:51:00.000-07:00

A little reluctant at first because we made him do it about 10 times in a row.

Birthday Camping

2008-08-04T11:13:00.000-07:00

We just got back from camping at Collin's Lake, and it was so fun. We went up on Wednesday and came back yesterday. We spent the first few days with Clayton's boss and a few other families. My sister and her friend Karin came up Friday night, and my best friend Lauren came up with her partner Evan on Saturday morning. Rolan loved camping. The nights were hard but the days were fun. We did some swimming, kayaking, napping, eating... all my favorite things. Not a bad way to celebrate my birthday.

Kickin' it in the Crib

2008-07-24T08:36:00.000-07:00

We have now had 3 successful nights of Rolan sleeping in his crib, I'm am thrilled.

Sunday night was horrible. I came to bed tired, and Rolan wouldn't stop moving. I couldn't fall asleep and I was irritated, so I thought "okay, you're out of here". I put him in his crib, and of COURSE he cried profusely. I then tried to get him to sleep in our spare bed, but by this time he was awake. I started crying because I was tired and frustrated so Clayton took over. He couldn't get the baby to sleep because there was a nearby Jack Russell terrier that wouldn't stop barking. I tried again but Rolan would just lay in bed, look around, laugh at the dog barking. I decided that there was nothing more I could do so we just left him in his crib. He cried for twenty minutes fell asleep. I went in to check on him and his face was all pressed against the bars. I went to move him and he woke up, so I ended up just taking him back into my bed. It was a night full of terrible decisions on my part that ended up making myself and Clayton tired and cranky.

The next night I decided we're doing this, and doing it right. We now do a before-bed bath, and then I nurse Rolan until he gets sleepy. I put him in the crib before he falls alseep. The first night he cried for 15 minutes. Less the second. Last night he didn't cry until I walked out of the room, and then for less than 5 minutes. I've slept better, Rolan has slept better, Clayton has slept better, and I would call it a general success!

Melt!

2008-07-22T10:05:00.000-07:00

Shameless Self-Promotion

2008-07-12T09:55:00.001-07:00

Apparently being a mother has made me quite crafty. Along with gaining stretch marks I have also acquired a creative urge. And here, is where I'm going to show them off. Why? Cause I toot my own horn.

This is a giraffe I've been putting together. Its close to being done (not in this picture, obviously). I cut out all the body parts, made the squares and sewed them on. Clayton built me a wood frame, and then I stapled on foam, put the body parts on and stuffed it. All I have to do now is sew the eyelashes on and hand sew all the parts together.

I copied this from Green Eggs and Ham by pencil and then painted it with acrylics. This is my favorite page from that book.

These are four little canvas squares with jungle animals doing human activities. And just so you don't have to guess, the giraffe is wearing water wings.

Rolan's name, wood letters, painted by me.

This is a family collage I just put together.

This is the first (and last) quilt I ever made. I used a bunch of Rolan's receiving blankets since they were getting too small for him and I have a ton. I designed about 12 different blankets on graph paper before Clayton and I voted on this one.

I've also been working on a scrapbook since Rolan was born. I'm almost done with his 0-6 month one and I haven't started a new one yet... I'm very behind. Clayton and I also just bought the wood for the growth chart I'm going to paint for Rolan's room. And now with our fantastic new living quarters, I have room for all my art supplies!

Life is good.

Super Fast

2008-07-05T21:38:00.000-07:00

I am very excited to be using the internet because we now have COMCAST HIGH SPEED INTERNET! I capitalized this to add importance, and if I could draw fast little motion lines by the letters, I would. Everything is going super fast on my computer. I bought a song on iTunes, and it downloaded INSTANTANEOUSLY. And now I'm going to upload a picture of Rolan without waiting for an hour!

BAM!
Anyway. We're all moved into our new house. It feels huge. We're still slowly unpacking stuff but for the most part we're settled in. Next is the task of having a garage sale. I had an epiphany: have a garage sale BEFORE moving. Hindsight = 20/20.
Rolan gets bigger every day. He has 6 teeth and likes to stand up. He still isn't crawling. I think he'll figure out how to crawl one day and move onto walking the next. He's getting good at doing things on demand: waving, clapping, giving kisses, and doing the "Stevie Wonder". I bought him his first pair of shoes yesterday. I bought some Robeez-knock-offs because I can't get hard-soled shoes on his feet to save my life. But after he got a couple of splinters in his heel I figured it was time for some protection! When I put them on he scrapes his feet on the ground and rubs his feet together trying to get them off.
The Fourth of July was eventful. I was so excited for Rolan to watch the fireworks, but we ended up watching a fire instead. We went to our friend's house near the Marina and someone shot a flare into the tree across the street. It caught fire (I mean, REALLY caught fire) and the fire department came and put it out. My car got hosed, and it was fun to watch until the wind changed directions and started blowing all the smoke right at us. It was our cue to go home. Rolan was overstimulated and tired anyway.
I am sure I could type more but my stomach has informed me that it is way past my dinnertime and I better get on it.

Croup and Trips and Teeth

2008-06-11T08:45:00.000-07:00

An update is long overdue! We have dial-up, so posting a blog is a half hour commitment, which I usually end up spending doing school work. But its about time for some Rolan news.

He is luckily not crawling yet. We're moving into our new house in the next couple weeks and I asked him nicely to wait until then. What a sweet baby to oblige me like that. He is clapping and waving. He's got his bottom two teeth, and three on top poking in. His right fang broke through a couple of weeks ago, and the two front teeth started a couple days ago. My mom's husband decided that Fang would be his stage name. If Rolan were an 80's rocker, it would be perfect.

I substituted a couple days at the preschool while Clayton stayed home with the baby, and I think I brought back some germs because I got a cold and then Rolan got it worse. I took him to Kaiser because he had croup and this rash all over his back (which eventually spread all over his body). It was just a viral rash, and there was nothing I could do about any of it so we stayed home for awhile. That was pretty hard! I was using a bulb syring to clean out his nose a few times a day, and he would scream bloody murder. He would turn his head back and forth, push my hands away and kick his legs, so I had to develop a hold which seemed borderline torture which entailed me holding his hands with my hand, using my forarm on his jaw to hold his head in place, and use the other hand to suck his snot out. I think Rolan and I are both relieved that he's not sick anymore.

Clayton and I have been taking the baby on a few trips. We went to San Francisco a few weeks ago to the farmer's market, and then we met Lauren and Evan for lunch and a walk in Golden Gate Park. Rolan saw the ocean for the first time in Sausalito. Last weekend we spent Saturday night in Monterey and took Rolan to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. He loved looking at the fish, and he laughed at the otters. He was so good the whole trip!

And so begins the trouble...

2008-05-07T14:08:00.000-07:00

I think Rolan is getting close to crawling.

crap.

On a less scary note, he started clapping on Saturday. Rolan and I went to Livermore and spent some time with Lauren and Evan. Rolan finally figured out how to get his hands open instead of banging his fists together. He was (and still is) very excited about it. Sometimes he'll stop nursing really abruptly like "oh hang on I forgot I had to practice this clapping real quick".

Rolan & Kayley

2008-04-23T12:47:00.000-07:00

Big Sittin'

2008-04-19T08:15:00.000-07:00

Illegal Blog

2008-03-27T08:10:00.000-07:00

I could not sign onto this blog for the longest time. If I tried it on Internet Explorer, it would freeze. If I tried it on Mozilla Firefox, a popup would come up that said "This program has performed an illegal operation and will now close". Signing onto my blog was ILLEGAL.

Another blog problem is, my camera cord doesn't work on this computer. The comptuer doesn't have the program to recognize it, and the cd drive won't open so I can't install it. Luckily, I'm buying a new computer as soon as I get some of my financial aid money.

Rolan is teething, he's been pretty cranky this week. His two bottom teeth are poking through. In combination with that he has discovered a very high pitched scream he is capable of, so I've been having a blast.

School is going well. Philosophy is not my favorite. It seems like a lot of our discussions boil down to a debate on the definition of words: knowledge, soul, etc. The school I'm attending is a Christian school, and I am not a Christian, so that makes for some key philisophical differences between me and most of the other students.

Thats all I have time for now. Here are some of Rolan's thoughts:

v SFDR CCEFRZAXTN RRTTTTTTTTTTTTXX C F C C C V B QQYYW2ZV VF y BVFV Adeeee b G z v b v bvf c

Faux Poo

2008-03-01T12:12:00.000-08:00

I was giving Rolan his morning bottle yesterday. He made his poop face, he strained, I even heard it. When I went to change his diaper, there was nothing there. It was a faux poo.

Two firsts yesterday: first time in overalls (he looked ADORABLE), and first time smacking himself in the face with a toy hard enough to make him cry.

Granted there are many differences between babies and adults, but I'd like to examine one in particular. If you tell a hilarious joke to an adult, it's hilarious the first time. The second time might even be just as funny. The third and fourth times are still mildly funny, and the comedic value diminishes gradually. However with Rolan, there is a predetermined number of times that something is funny. I don't know what decides this number, it could be 5.. 19... 137. But thats how many times a noise, a rhyme, a silly action is hilarious. It is equally hilarious each time, but once that number is reached, its not funny anymore. At all. Sometimes Rolan will give me a half smile just to humor me after something isn't funny anymore, but I can tell he's really thinking "give it up, mom. i'm done with that one. next"

On a personal note (what? something that's NOT about Rolan?!), I'm starting an online bachelor's program in about 10 days. i'm going to start working on a bs in elementary education with an emphasis in English. i have a couple of general education requirements to fulfill through this school, but i am transferring in as a junior so it shouldn't take me too terribly long. i'm very excited to be going back to school (even if i'm just "going" online). hopefully i'll be able to balance being a mom with being a student. i think it'll be okay.

First "Solid" Food

2008-02-25T17:21:00.001-08:00

I finally wore Clayton down in my campaign to let Rolan start eating rice cereal. I know its a bit early (Rolan's not even 5 months yet), but he was just SO ready to start eating. He would watch people eat with such intensity, and anything I put into my mouth he would try to grab and put into his. So yesterday we got all ready, I put a placemat on his little chair, got a bib on him, charged up the video camera, and Clayton gave him his first few bites. He made the funniest face when he first tasted it, but kept opening up for more! He ate the whole bowl, 5 tablespoons. It was a huge mess but very exciting. I unfortunately didn't take any pictures of it, I'll have to get some next time. Here are some others for you though.

Pediatrician Number 4

2008-02-20T08:17:00.000-08:00

Clayton came home from work last night with a pile of papers, all excited about the health insurance meeting that he had at work. He starts to tell me the "good news" about how the company switched over to Kaiser. I immediately started crying. We have to switch pediatricians AGAIN. Rolan was covered under my Kaiser insurance for the first month of his life, and I didn't like either of the doctors we saw there. The first one I really couldn't stand so I changed his primary physician, and the second was a bit better but not much. When that month was up and Rolan moved over onto Clayton's Blue Sheild coverage, we signed up to see Dr. Rush in Pleasant Hill, the same doctor that Clayton's boss takes his two kids to. I took the personal recommendation on faith, and I met Dr. Rush for the first time right before we checked into Oakland Children's hospital. He was wonderful then and continued being an excellent doctor. And he helped me through that hard time. On our last visit I told him how much I appreciated him and how I thought that he could be more personable than the two Kaiser doctors in his sleep. I loved how he treated Rolan. He talked to him, asked him for permission to check his ears, and look in his mouth. He said thank you when he was done, and apologized to him for giving shots. This change will be better for us in the long run. No more $40 office visits, no more driving to Pleasant Hill for appointments. Calling for advice won't take as long anymore either. But I'm still so sad to be leaving a doctor that I trusted to take care of my baby.

Monkey

2008-02-18T15:56:00.000-08:00

As a quick sidenote to Rolan's big feat of rolling over. When it happened and I was excited, I smiled and clapped and said "YAY!" and he looked at me with a "what?!" expression, like he's been rolling over for ages now. He's more proud of his spit bubbles.

Guess who's rollin?

2008-02-15T20:43:00.001-08:00

Rolan's rollin'. Today he rolled over for the first time, tummy to back. He's rolled over his right side about 4 or 5 times, and over his left once. I was very excited. If you have a cell phone, chances are you got a text message from me about it.

We had an interesting Valentine's day. I spent the day at my grandma's house, and on my way home I stopped by my mom's because Clayton had to drive to Vallejo to give the snakes away. I got home a little before 8:00, and as soon as I got onto the porch there was this incredibly loud noise that I can't really describe. It was so unidentifiable that it scared me, and then Clayton yelled "get in the house!" at me which shook me up even more. Turns out the sound was the transciever (transponder? transformer?) on the power line, right in front of our house. A drunk driver down the street didn't quite make the turn onto our street and rolled into a parked car and the power line. What scared me the most is that if I had left my mom's house two minutes later I would have been in the middle of that accident. Fifteen minutes later the power went out, and stayed out until 5am. I left to go get some batteries for our radio and pick up some dinner. Most stores I went to were closed because they had lost power. I picked up some sushi and when I came back Clayton had gotten Rolan to sleep, so we had a candle lit dinner (and a candle lit game of gin rummy). It turned out to be a really nice evening.

Stranger Still

2008-02-14T08:15:00.000-08:00

Strange are the things we will do to get a baby to stop crying. Stranger still are which of those things actually work. Rolan has been throwing fits the last two days, very loud high pitched cries that only go away with immediate responses and focused entertainment. Unless he's fed, dry, being held, walked around, bounced just right and being sang a jaunty tune... he's not happy. However, I can usually get him to stop crying by laying him on his back over my knees, with his head hanging over the side so he can watch the fish upside-down. What a weird kid.

Calling in Sick

2008-02-08T11:52:00.000-08:00

This has not been a fun week for me or Rolan. First thing Monday morning Rolan had to get his 4 month shots. The last time he had shots, we had just gotten out of the hospital, so the shots were nothing. At least they weren't trying to take any more blood! But now we've been at home snuggling for two months so the shots seemed much worse. He was much more irritated about them. And just as he was getting over that, we both got sick. It started with him sniffling and coughing a bit, and then my throat got all swollen on me. Yesterday I couldn't put him down at all without him throwing a fit. Today is a bit better, but being sick is not fun at all. Its not like I can call in sick for work. My work lives with me. Luckily, today he's mostly in good spirits. I wasn't sure what to do at first though. I can't exactly put chicken soup in his bottle, now can I?

The Bubsky

2008-02-05T17:31:00.000-08:00

Little Man

2008-01-30T09:00:00.000-08:00

Sister

2008-01-19T18:53:00.000-08:00

I love You Chantel You Are So Awesome! I admire you! I am so glad that you are alive to celebrate another Birthday! My life wouldnt be as great as it is without you! i love love love You! Happy 29th Birthday!

Crankypants

2008-01-19T11:58:00.000-08:00

Today seems like the end (finally!) of Rolan's week long crankiness. He was sooo irritable all week long, and it almost seemed like he was teething, but the doctor said it was not so. We went to the doctor on Thursday for a weight check and Rolan was 15 pounds even! And luckily, we don't have to do the weight checks anymore. We go back on February 4 for more shots though. There have been a lot of ups and downs. Especially as far as money is concerned. My car has been fixed, and without having to replace the whole engine. Then we got the bill from Children's Hospital in the mail. I'm about to start looking for a part time job. I wish my hours weren't so limited, but hopefully I can find something that will work. I feel like I should just be getting paid to be a mom. Its hard work!

A Play on Words is not as Funny Typed

2008-01-06T21:16:00.000-08:00

Me: I'm only letting him sleep on the couch because you're sitting right there.
Clayton: I wasn't worried about it.
Me: I do let him sleep alone on the bed though. He can't roll over once let alone the four or five times it would take to roll off the bed.
Clayton: He's always Rolan.

3 Months Old

2008-01-04T16:32:00.000-08:00

Rolan is 3 months old today, and he's been a very happy baby. He's starting to laugh. We've been having fun at home, I think Rolan has been very happy to avoid his car seat the last few days. My mom is a saint though and is lending me her car for the weekend. I'm not sure what we'll be able to do since its been pouring rain and very windy. Word is its going to be quite a storm. Since I have been horrible at wrapping up these blog entries, I'll let the pictures serve as this entry's finale.

Last Day of 2007

2007-12-31T18:18:00.000-08:00

What a year!

Well, we're staying in tonight to ring in the new year. Clayton has a cold and the timing belt on my car went out so it won't start. But 2007 brought me a beautiful little boy who is healthy and happy and talking to the ceiling fan right now. He's got some blonde hairs growing in, and when we went to the doctor last Wednesday he weighed in at 12 pounds and 11 ounces. That means he's gained about 4 pounds in the last month! I just switched out all of his old clothes and organized all of the baby stuff in the garage. I'm excited that he has a new wardrobe for the next couple of months. Not so excited that we'll be stuck at home for the next couple of days... but there could be worse things. And luckily when the car died I was only a block from the house and the baby wasn't with me.

Time to go feed the boy, I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe new years eve!

Baldy

2007-12-29T13:01:00.000-08:00

As a residual effect of being malnourished and hospitalized, Rolan's hair started falling out. It started the Thursday before Christmas with a big chunk I accidently pulled out after a bath. I called the doctor's office and they told me to wait a day, call back and tell them how many hairs I can pull out with one whole-head grab. It was about 100-125 hairs, and by the time we went to the doctor's office the day after Christmas, it was VERY obvious that he was going bald. We were referred to a dermatologist who confirmed our suspicious that it was just an after-effect of all the stress he went through a month ago. It is very sad to look at his naked little head though. But besides that he's doing so wonderful. He is so social, and loves seeing new faces. I've been taking him out everyday. He is also doing this very dramatic sad face, where his bottom lip protrudes in a comic pout and his eyes glisten with tears and then he does a drawn out "wa-wa-WAAAH". I can't help but laugh.

unintentionally growing a tail.

playing the keyboard with grams

hanging out on our new loveseat

Merry Christmas

2007-12-25T13:54:00.001-08:00

The Unexpected

2007-12-21T14:51:00.001-08:00

I had some additional thoughts to a comment I made in a previous post about things not going the way I expected.

Long ago I imagined having children, and planned to rigorously take care of myself, eating nothing but organic foods. I did no such thing, having strong chocolate and peanut butter cravings. But I stopped drinking alcohol without any second thought, and I stopped drinking caffeine also (which I did miss).

I had hoped for a natural birth. I would have opted for a home birth if we could have afforded it. I didn't want any medical interventions. At one point in my hospital stay, a doctor commented to me that I had almost had every intervention that they offer. I was induced with Pitocin, on a magnesium drip, I had a pain killer shot twice to which the name eludes me. I had no intention of having an epidural, but by the 14th hour of labor I had no doubt that I couldn't make it without one. I had hoped against having a cesaerean section and yet we got minutes within having one.

I had expected breastfeeding to go smoothly. Actually, I hadn't really thought about it. It was just something I assumed. And yet we were giving Rolan bottles when he was 4 days old and I was visiting the lactation consultant.

I had never expected to end up in the hospital with someone calling my baby "failure to thrive".

I was always told what a huge responsibility having children is, but I certainly didn't understand the gravity until now.

Not all of my unmet expectations were negative though.

I was told by many that I would cry when he got his first shots. Rolan had his two month shots on Tuesday, but after everything we had gone through at the children's hospital, neither one of us were very upset about them.

Many mothers expressed to me how nervous they are about cutting fingernails. I actually like trimming Rolan's fingernails.

I was warned time and time again about how much sleep I would lose. On only two occasions Rolan has been awake from 3am to 5am, and every other night we sleep just fine. Especially since he's been on supplemental formula and eating so much during the day, he sleeps almost through the night now.

And certainly the most important and wonderful surprise was to see how much Clayton loves Rolan. I knew in my head that he would make a great dad, but I was raised knowing nothing but absent fathers. I've never seen a man love a baby so much. It makes me so happy to be around.

A Visual Feast

2007-12-19T21:23:00.000-08:00

An unsuccessful attempt to rouse a smile out of the boy

R. Dayley's Daily R&R

Smiling at the ceiling fan

Sad Face

The car ride to Idaho

Another smile

With Auntie Chantel

Clayton & Soren

Snow!

The Cows in Scotland

2007-12-14T10:41:00.000-08:00

There are three men on a train. One of them is an economist and one of them is a logician and one of them is a mathematician. And they have just corssed the border into Scotland (I don't know why they are going to Scotland) and they see a brown cow standing in a field from the window of the train (and the cow is standing parallel to the train).

And the economist says, "Look, the cows in Scotland are brown."

And the logician says, "No. There are cows in Scotland of which one at least is brown."

And the mathematician says, "No. There is at least one cow in Scotland, of which one side appears to be brown."

-Mark Haddon, the curious incident of the dog in the night-time

Here and There and Back Again

2007-12-06T10:45:00.000-08:00

I sat down at my computer yesterday to write a blog about the last two weeks, and I felt overwhelmed at all I had to talk about so I decided not to. Today Rolan is taking another long nap which I feel lucky to utilize so I will tackle the task of talking about both Idaho and our trip to Oakland Children's hospital.

When Clayton's grandmother passed away, we both went back and forth about going. I had originally decided to stay with my mom if he left. But the more I thought about it, I didn't want to be away from Clayton that long and I really wanted Rolan to meet his Aunt and cousins. We left early Friday morning and arrived Saturday afternoon. Rolan was excellent for the ride up, sleeping most of the time. I bought a couple pacifiers for the trip, and they paid off. I was against pacifiers before Rolan was born, but like a lot of other things I gave in when the time came. And this kid has a strong urge to suck and I need my breasts to myself at least part of the day.

It was so cute watching the cousins meet. Owen and Soren were both so sweet and gentle to Rolan.

It made me very anxious to be in a new place and have so many people holding and touching my baby, but I'm a new mom and being nervous is in my job description. It was wonderful, however, to meet so much of Clayton's family. My family is tiny by comparison and Clayton's met all but 3 or 4 people. The service was beautiful, and although I never got a chance to meet Grandma Dayley, I was moved by all the wonderful stories about her.

The return trip from Idaho was not as peaceful as the one up. We stopped a lot because Rolan was DONE being in the car. Not that I could blame him. But I enjoy taking trips and seeing new things and I'm glad that we can still do that with a baby. Hopefully he grows up enjoying it too.

We got back on Tuesday, and I started thinking more about Rolan's weight. He was getting these flabs under his arms like there used to be fat there and now wasn't. I had tried to weigh him at my mom's house on an old scale that said he only weighed 9 pounds, and whenever someone said "he's so tiny!" I felt worried. He had a doctor's appointment for the following Tuesday (dec. 4) and I called to see if I could just come in a week early. They told me no. So I made an appointment with the lactation consultant at Kaiser because I've been breastfeeding with a nipple shield and was afraid that was not encouraging my milk production.

My lactation appointment was at 1:30 on Thurday, and the first thing we did was weigh Rolan. He weighed 8 pounds, 13 ounces, and I immediately started crying. I had no idea he weighed so little. The consultant helped me breastfeed him, and gave me a bottle of formula to give him as well. She got on the phone with his pediatrician and demanded that we been seen that afternoon. An hour and half later we went straight to his doctor, who examined him for awhile and recommended we go to the Children's hospital. His doctor said that it was most likely a feeding problem but he was hesitant to make that call since it was his first time seeing Rolan.

Rolan and I went home to pack and get Clayton. We checked into the Children's hospital ER at 6:30 and had several people come in to examine him. He was deemed "Failure to Thrive". We were checked into a room around 1 or 2am, and we didn't leave until Monday afternoon. In the entirety of our stay, Rolan had blood drawn 3 times (5 attempts), chest x-rays, urine collected via a bag taped to his scrotum twice, urine collected via catheter, an ultrasound of his brain, IV fluids, a sweat test for cystic fibrosis, and examination/observation by a neurologist, an occupational therapist, and countless doctors and nurses. It was exhausting. I had conflicting feelings. I first felt like a terrible mother for not noticing that I was inadvertantly starving my baby (inadvertant or not, starving is starving). I also felt wronged somehow because I'm a good mother and this shouldn't be happening. I don't feel either way now. I still feel like a good mother, an imperfect one, and I feel like I'm doing the best I can. I wish that I had had more warning signs that Rolan wasn't getting enough to eat. He wasn't extremely fussy, and he had plenty of wet and dirty diapers. From now on I have to watch for the subtler changes.

The end results of all tests were normal. The occupational therapist, after watching him breastfeed, said he doesn't suck well. He doesn't suck hard or consistantly, pausing often and dozing off to sleep. Everyone's best guess is that he is just an ineffective eater, and therefore isn't stimulating my breasts to make enough milk. He's been on supplemental formula since, along with concentrated breast milk. At his 2 month check up on Tuesday he weighed 10 pounds even, and my new digital scale has said 10.6 pounds since then. He's eating well and sleeping well and he seems generally happier. I hope he keeps putting on the pounds like he has in the past week. I don't think I'll be able to go back to breastfeeding him exclusively, but hopefully I reach a point where he is able to breastfeed again and I don't have to pump my milk anymore.

The first night in the hospital Clayton and I agreed that Rolan should be thriving on the sole reason that we love him so much. But, like many other things, its just not that simple. And as much as I hated being at the hospital, we got excellent care from every person working there.

My mom has always said that giving birth was the easy part. During those 27 hours I probably didn't see how she could possibly be right. But I would have gone throught it all over again in exchange for everything Rolan had to go through at the hospital.

I feel like I've just rambled on and on just putting my feelings and thoughts in no rational order and that makes it hard for me to wrap it up concisely. So I will leave you with an image of my beautiful baby at this very second: sound asleep in his swing, cuddled up with a beige blanket with brown polka dots with only the green frog feet of his sleeper sticking out the bottom. He has a comforting fist next to his face and the full cheeks that he's getting back are all puffed out and he's got a double chin from the way his head is laying. Every once and awhile he opens his fists and closes them again, heaves a big sigh and then settles back to sleep.

Sleeping Trouble

2007-11-08T10:44:00.000-08:00

I've read at least ten books in the past ten months about pregnancy, childbirth, and babies. I've read countless more in my previous years in child development. And right now, I'm having a problem with sleeping safety. The experts agree that babies have to sleep on their back, on a hard mattress, with no pillows or blankets. Kaiser claims it is unsafe for a babies to sleep in the bed with their parents. However, breaking all these rules has come to be how we sleep best.

Every night, Rolan falls asleep nursing in our bed. More often than not, I fall asleep right along with him, and don't wake up until he starts squirming around three hours later. I wake up just enough to move him to my other side and nurse him back to sleep again. Every night he wakes up at 1am, 4am and 7am. Sometimes we get up at 7am and sometimes we can go back to sleep until 8:30 or 9. In the last 5 weeks that he's been alive, he has slept next to me every night. He sleeps on his side facing me, never on his back. He sleeps like that for two reasons. One, because I don't stay awake long enough to put him on his back when he's done eating. And two, if he lifts his legs in the air when he's on his back, then he just ends up rolling to one side. In the last 5 weeks he has gotten covered up with the comforter twice, and been rolled over onto three times: twice by me and once by Clayton. During all of these things he's woken us up by crying and was absolutely fine once the situation was fixed (I've noticed he gets over things like that in about a tenth of the time that I do). I am terrified of the whole SIDS risk, but I know that neither one of us is going to get any sleep if he is on his own. 90% of the times I try to put him down to sleep on his own his eyes pop open as soon as he hits mattress. Its almost automatic. If I stayed up and waited for him to finish nursing, fall asleep, and then fall into a deep enough sleep for me to put him in his own bed, I'd be awake waiting for hours. But I don't want to put my baby at risk because of my own laziness.

I don't know what to do!

When it Rains it Pours

2007-11-02T15:42:00.000-07:00

I love when he sleeps with his mouth open

His first walk around the block. He hated it.

Having a good conversation

This is a joke, don't call CPS.

This is the chair that we live in

I have to make up for all the lost time with no pictures! Rolan is doing so well. He'll be a month old on Sunday. Its gone so fast. I know everyone said it would, but I'm still shocked. Everyday the two of us get more comfortable, and a little bit better at our every day routine. I had the most productive day since Rolan's been born. I was able to get him to sleep on his own for awhile to clean up, and then I kept him entertained by laying him on the bed and spinning the ceiling fan for him while I folded laundry. I have an appointment on Saturday to go get my hair cut, and it will be the first time I leave the baby for more than an hour. I've got some milk pumped for Clayton, and I'm very very excited. I'm always so excited to leave the house and so anxious and rushed to get back to it. But I've been pretty adamant about demanding some 'me' time. I've never enjoyed showers so much as these last few weeks. But all things considered, I've never done anything as amazing as taking care of this little man.

Spooky

2007-10-29T13:20:00.000-07:00

pictures from the first few days

2007-10-26T12:50:00.000-07:00

No Pictures

2007-10-23T12:31:00.000-07:00

I cannot for the life of me upload baby pictures to this website. It just wasn't meant to happen yet. Please accept my apologies.

But I can tell you that Rolan is beautiful and perfect. He's all cheeks. And I am very glamorous as well. I'm currently wearing cut off sweat pants and breast milk. I'm Gorgeous.

I'm very excited about our family. Clayton has been an indescribable help, theres no way I could have done any of this without him. Rolan has been so wonderful, he's a good sleeper. I haven't gotten into much of a routine yet beyond nursing all day, Rolan isn't a huge fan of leaving the house, and his screaming has talked me out of being a fan of it as well. But we made it out today to my mom's for the internet. We're looking into actually getting the internet at our house, but it certainly isn't at the top of anyone's priority list.

Someday I promise, I'll have some great pictures up on here.

The Birth Story

2007-10-11T16:39:00.001-07:00

On Monday October 1 I went into Kaiser Martinez for some routine over-due prenatal stuff, a non-stress test, urine sample, blood sample, etc. On Tuesday my nurse practitioner called me with some concern about preeclampsia and told me to go to labor & delivery for another non-stress test and told me that I may or may not be induced. Clayton came home and we left for Kaiser Walnut Creek. We got there at about 6:00pm and they decided I did have preeclampsia and I would be staying. That night at midnight the begun induction with Pitocin via IV, coupled with magnesium to prevent seizures. The next day the external monitor that I wore reported frequent contractions, but I didn't begin to feel them until late morning. As Wednesday morning ran into afternoon, I did in fact begin to feel the contractions as they got closer together. I got some painkiller shot and was able to take an hour nap, but it wore off after an hour. A few more hours of painful contractions with little to no break in between, I got an epidural. I had been very against the idea before going into labor but I wouldn't have gotten through without it. I spent most of Wednesday in a fog, and as the day wore on some decisions had to be made. As it got late, I wasn't getting past 7 centimeters and the doctor suggested that perhaps the baby was too big for me to pass naturally. They brought up the strong possibility of a c-section. A few more hours at 7 cm and we decided to go ahead with the c-section. I was prepped, Clayton changed into scrubs, and just as we were about to go I was checked again only to find out I was at 9 cm. The doctor asked me if I wanted to wait a little bit longer. Part of me almost said no, I just wanted to get it over with. But wait I did, and I started feeling the urge to push. I pushed for a few hours, and pretty intensely for about 45 minutes. And at 3:12am, my son was born. All 9 pounds 11 ounces were put on my stomach and I got to hold my wiggling slimy baby. It was such an indescribable relief to have him out. And almost surreal to finally see the face of the little person I'd been hauling around for 41 weeks. We named him Rolan Andrew.

We stayed in the hospital until Friday afternoon, and then we got to go home. Clayton has been off of work and we've been spending time getting to know our little man. He is so beautiful and wonderful. He is a week old today, and today he lost his umbilical cord. And now he's crying because he needs to be fed, so off I go.

Not Out Yet!

2007-09-27T16:01:00.000-07:00

Today is day number three past my due date. I went to the doctor yesterday and was informed that I am 50% effaced and not at all dilated. I'll be back in tomorrow for the stress test. I'm hoping (and planning, in a wishful/futile way) for Monday. For health-insurance-related-simplicity's sake, it would be nice if he was born in October. But maybe first thing on Monday, because I'm huge and I'm not sure I'll still be able to get around if he doesn't come out soon. I just wanted to update, in case anyone was worried that they missed some important information. Don't worry, you'll be in the loop. All anyone is missing out on right now is me sitting at home reading The Baby Book, watching movies, and/or eating lemon yogurt.

Less a post than a conversation intro

2007-09-20T09:44:00.000-07:00

Topic: Autism, specifically as it relates to vaccines & immunizations

I don't have a blog to post on this subject (at the moment), but I'm interested to hear other people's opinions, thoughts, experiences, etc. Did you have all your vaccinations as a child? Do your children? Do you have any experience with autism?

A Stressful Saturday

2007-09-18T13:01:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I got a call from my sister, and she starts telling me how she was on her way to work. Immediately I sort of stop listening because I think its about to be the 3rd time in a week that she's fished around for a ride to work (I also think its about to be the 3rd time I turn her down), but she says that her friend Danielle was driving her to work and they got in a car accident a couple blocks from my house, and could I come. I don't hesitate to say "I'll be right there" and I'm on my feet with my purse in hand before I'm even off the phone but I still think "I better SEE this car thats been in an accident...". So I drive the 4 blocks to where they are, and I did indeed see the accident.

When I get there, the cars have not been moved from where they ended up after colliding. I see a lot of people standing around before I see Kelsey and her friends. I park and walk over, and she tells me the story. Apparently Danielle was driving, Kelsey was sitting shotgun, and two of their other friends were in the backseat. They stopped at a 2 way stop sign, Danielle claims she did stop and look and saw no one coming, but as soon as she started going, a truck hit the passenger door (where Kelsey was sitting), smashing the window and pushing the jeep into the stop sign on the opposite corner.

A youth pastor of another friend of Kelsey's lived nearby and was helping out when I got there. Kelsey and the driver of the truck were the only ones hurt, him with a cut on his forearm and Kelsey with two cuts down her back, one on her arm, and the feeling of having a dead arm and dead leg on her right side (that as far as I know has not gone away). She said she was fine and used the pastor's house to change and use the bathroom while we waited for CHP to show up. I called mom and told her what was going on, and the first thing she said was "So do I have to come pick her up?" (the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, does it?). I told her that I'd bring her home as soon as everything was all squared away. Instead Kelsey wanted to come unwind at my house, so I took her over and we put in a movie but she fell asleep before we were even a half hour into it.

She was shaken when I got there but she really seemed fine by the time I took her home. It really scared me though. Looking at the cars all smashed up made me want to cry, but I didn't because I was there for support. This is the second car accident my sister has been in, and it really worries me. I don't know how to protect her from it. She doesn't drive, these accidents aren't the result of her poor driving. I certainly can't stop her from driving around with her friends. I am amazed and I feel that she was really lucky to walk away from that accident with a few cuts and bruises.

The passenger door of the jeep

The truck that hit them and the stop sign that they were pushed into

9 days and counting

2007-09-15T12:09:00.000-07:00

I've reached a point of nervousness where I can deal with all the discomforts of pregnancy and I don't want to complain because having heartburn and trouble walking around is a lot less scary than having a baby. Clayton is scared too, but in a giddy way that is really cute. The other night we were in bed and his hand was on my stomach and he yelled "Its a foot!", and it was just about the most hilarious thing. I forget that everyone else doesn't feel what my baby does all day long.

Baby Shower 1

2007-09-12T17:02:00.000-07:00

As I get pictures from the baby shower(s), I'll post them. But for now all I have are some pictures that someone took on my camera (I don't know who did it, but I'm grateful because I took none) at our friend baby shower.

Me, Mom, and my sister Kelsey

Me, Kels, and my best friend Lauren
Clayton and the Baby Keg

Me, Ben, Clayton, and the oh-so-photogenic Brandon

2007-09-05T12:13:00.000-07:00

When is it socially appropriate to call a woman huge?

2007-08-30T11:49:00.000-07:00

Never, is the answer. During pregnancy might have been a guess, but that would be incorrect.

I had a very awkward conversation with a woman working in a store who asked if I was carrying twins. After assuring her (twice) that I was not (because I love when they ask "are you sure?"), she commented that I was big enough to be. She did this in a hesitant, bumbling kind of way, not even quite finishing her sentences because maybe she could sense that what she was saying wasn't particularly nice conversation.

To double check if a woman is carrying twins is silly for many reasons, two of which I'll elaborate on. Firstly, twins are usually smaller. I could have an 8 pound baby, or I could have 4 pound twins, and I'm not carrying extra weight. There is one girl in our Childbirth Preparation class that has twins, and the way she is carrying is just as different and unique as everyone else. Secondly, its just not a nice thing to do. I have 3 and a half weeks left until my due date, I'm uncomfortable and cranky, I'm walking like a penguin and I can feel all the extra weight I'm carrying around so pointing it out is quite unnecessary.

Of all the things on my body that have gotten huge, the most ridiculous are my feet. They look like balloon animals. I met with a midwife last week and when I told her my feet were swollen she looked at them and said "oh my god, yeah they are. I wonder what they look like when you're not pregnant". I told her they look about half the size. It was a bit troubling to shock a midwife. I find myself being extra afraid of having my feet stepped on or say... run over by a shopping cart (which happened last week, I won't name any names) for fear that they might pop.

When the Registry becomes a General Wishlist

2007-08-23T13:30:00.000-07:00

This post is being made for the following two reasons:
1. Its funny.
2. I feel the need to explain in case Clayton actually talks me into it.

A few months ago Clayton and I went together and registered for baby stuff at Target. We wandered around with our little scanner gun and registered for all sorts of stuff having no idea what we needed and what we didn't. But it was a start and it was fun. I then took charge of the registry by adding things online. I added things we had forgotten or hadn't thought about before. Every once and awhile I'd add something that was might be something we should buy ourselves, but I could still justify the addition because it would somehow be used by or because of our baby.

Now Clayton has begun asking me to put stuff on our baby registry. We were making strawberry lemonade in an old blender and he decided we needed a new blender. "Put it on the baby registry!" he suggested. I tried to explain that the registry was for baby things only, which he countered with "well... we will need it to blend baby food". I could not argue, I could only laugh.

So if anyone looks at our registry and sees something like a new blender, or a new couch or some such luxury, feel free to overlook it.

A First and Inevitably Awkward Blog

2007-08-20T13:03:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the very beginning of a blog designed to keep contact with family that either lives too far away, or is just too lazy to call or come by. Also a forum for me to update the world about our fantastic new family during times when I am too paranoid to drive a newborn around, or I'm just up to my knees in dirty diapers. Whatever the case may be, I will start by saying that Clayton and I are incredibly excited to be having a son, and he is due in 5 weeks. The consensus in my family is that he'll be in here in about 6 or 7 weeks. Rest assured, dear blog, you will be updated.