All hands on deck

All Hands on Deck

Week 11- it's all about the hands: will they fit in Melia's mouth as they are or will she simply have to shove them in? Perhaps a finger or two will suffice.

RECIPE: combine one part hand with one part mouth and get two parts drool. All over the place. On her nose, on her neck, on her clothes. Enter the bib. To catch the drool. To catch the spit up. To keep her clothes clean. Thanks be to the almighty bib.

Be sure to look at the picture below of Melia sucking her thumb to sleep.

Labor Day BBQ

One of the moms in my moms group hosted a BBQ yesterday- there were about 10 babies there, and their parents too. Ryan was hilarious- he had never seen anything like he. "Is this all they do?" he asked. "They just lay there?" Well of course! Isn't that all she does at home? As they were laying there Ryan blurts out "Melia looks ethnic!" The only other newborn he has seen lately is a mixed baby so this was his first experience seeing Melia with other babies. He realized that her skin is darker and because she has his sleepy eyes, she does look "ethnic." People often think Ryan is part Asian so I guess this would make sense that he feels this way. Here is a picture of Melia and her friend Joey. What do you think?

Sleepy Baby

Melia loves to sleep! Here are a few favorite sleeping positions.

Would LOVE some sleep :-) Not at 10 weeks!

Hum to the tune of the Beastie Boys "No Sleep 'til Brooklyn..."

"No...sleep...in the El-C!"

Melia has decided that 3am is her new wake up time. She has never woken up at such a god-awful hour. 4am, yes. But never before. It seems that her midgnight feeding is no longer holding her over. This does not make me happy. Not at all.

I guess that would make sense considering she is growing like crazy. She is in the 75th percentile all-around.

Weight: 11lb 15.6oz

Height: 23 in

Head: 15-1/2 in

Ryan did the nicest thing for me. On Friday night he stayed up with her all night- I didn't even know until I woke up at 6:30 cuz my boobs were ready to explode. But I slept for almost 8 hours straight! So I guess there is SOME sleep to be had in the El-C afterall. Thanks, hon!

Melia had her first shots on Friday. Ugh! We prepared for the worst, and ended up with the best scenario possible. On the suggestion of other moms, we gave her some Tylenol beforehand. While the needle was going in, she began to wail. We only gave her two shots so it didn't take long. As soon as I picked her up she stopped crying. By the time we were in the hallway she was smiling. We were shocked! And she didn't even sleep much the rest of the day. Later that night she did seem a bit fussy so we gave her a little Tylenol and all was good.

Oh my gosh! I swear Melia laughed during her bath today. Twice! I don't know what age babies are supposed to start laughing...but she did!!

Here is something super-kewl: Melia just loves to stare at her mama's artwork! I take her around the house to look at the different paintings, she stares intently, smiles, and then talks to the painting! It never fails and is sure to put her in a good mood each time. If I slip in a 2-D photo, she doesn't even look twice at it. But when I show her a painting, she smiles. I wonder if other baby's would respond the same way.

Okeedokee. Time for me to have some ice cream (ice cream produces milk, right?).

Click here to see a video of Melia and Mommy chatting it up in the morning. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSAjqMsvAmg

Wowzers- she's 9 weeks already

We had a very busy week!

On Friday my mom's group met for lunch at Kirin in Berkeley. Melia LOVES her friends! She really seems to enjoy hanging out with them, although while lunching she slept the entire time.

My dad and Marcia drove down from Idaho on Saturday, as did my sister Amy and her fiance, Henry. Amy and Henry leave tomorrow. On Sunday we went to Tiburon and ate at Sam's...Mmmmmm...Sam's.

On Monday Melia took her first BART ride into the City! Melia did great. I was a bit paranoid going under the water (and equalizing ears) so I just made sure Melia was sucking on a pacifier- it worked. She met her first schizophrenic! But he pretty much kept to himself.

Here is a picture of Melia raising up the roof.

8 Weeks! How the days fly by...

Melia and I went for our first run this week with Bob. Wait- who is this mysterious new man in our lives? Bob isn't a man- BOB is the coolest jogging stroller around! Yah yah, so what if she wasn't quite old enough to go in it. She has superior neck-strength so I thought: "Why not? Let's try it out." She LOVED it! She smiled and smiled.

Our little girl is doing great! She is doing much better with tummy time and will now lie on her tummy for about a minute before wanting to get up. On Monday she began lifting her head while on her tummy- woohoo! What else? Melia loves to be out and about- between moms groups, shopping and visiting the office, we are rarely bored!

People keep telling us we look awfully rested for having a 2 month old. Most nights we get a decent amount of sleep. And last night she began her own bedtime routine! We put her in the little bassinet about 10pm and she puts herself to sleep. We just did it again tonight, and she did the same thing! She wakes up around 12 or 12:30am and Ryan gives her a bottle. Then around 1am Ryan rolls her into the bedroom where she will sleep until 5am or so. Then we get up, I feed her, and last night I put her back to bed (usually we lay on the couch) and she slept until 7:30am. Hopefully this will keep up and she will begin to sleep even longer.

PICTURES:

1) Naked laughing

2) Don't I look cute?

3) Melia's first luau! Don't you just LOVE the sandals?

4) Attached to mommy

7 weeks! Melia has a lot of gas but it doesn't stink

So when I was 7 weeks pregnant, I had a lot of gas, but it didn't stink. Now my daughter has the same. I can't believe the amount of noises that come out of something so small and so cute.

Melia is growing so much! I just packed away the first bag of clothes that no longer fit. Yikes! She will be 2 months next week. Holy crap! She is weighing in at about 12 pounds now, smiles daily, and has superior neck strength- we rarely have to hold her head. She also looks like she is ready to roll over and is starting to grasp things in her hand. Her eyes are totally funky right now- her right is a blue-gray and her left is literally half blue and half brown. Way cool! She also has icky cradle cap- but I am always picking at it...we are such monkeys. Time is going by too fast for me. Any tips on how to slow it down??

Favorite baby gadget of the week: my new auto bottle warmer. I just used it for the first time today and boy did it come in handy! She and I are always on the go so this really helped out.

Question: Truth time. Am I considered a bad mom if I am not a fan of breastfeeding? Most moms say how wonderful it is. I find it to be very distracting and feel guilty about feeling this way.

I went to the gym this week for the first time since Melia was born! It was so funny- while pregnant my heart rate could not go over 140, which for me was a walk. When I went to the gym, it was 10 minutes before I realized I didn't have to stop at 140! It felt so good to get back to the gym.

All-in-all, this mom-thing is pretty cool and I can't imagine my life without her.

Here is a sneak-peek at what we did this week.


1) I just took a bath. Boy am I happy! And look at my curls!
2) Daddy and Melia at Ghiradelli
3) Look! I can sit up!
4) My first nap in my crib. Mommy invited a couple of friends to watch over me.

6 weeks old- Perfect Just Like Mommy

Top 5 things I love about motherhood:

1) When she smiles at me, especially Angel Smiles

2) When we fall asleep together on the couch

3) Dancing together

4) Giving her a bath

5) Having her look up at me while nursing

Top 5 things Ryan loves about fatherhood:

1) His little girl's smile

2) A reason to leave work early

3) When she stretches and arches her back after waking up

4) Watching her grow and develop

5) Watching her hair curl after bathtime

6) Changing her diaper :-)

Top 5 things Melia loves about her mommy and daddy:

1) They cuddle me all the time and give me lots of kisses

2) I have an endless supply of milk available to me

3) I rarely have a poopy diaper

4) They read and sing to me

5) It's all about me!

Click here to see my video entitled "Perfect Just Like Mommy."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Gm-0coP-UQ

5 Weeks old and mommy and daddy sure are tired!

The family is gone, Ryan is back to work, and I am beat! My back is so out of whack that my chiropractor would cringe. And I can't believe I am saying this, but I could really use a massage. And I am not a fan of massages. But I am sure that nobody wants to read about my woes and aches, let's talk Melia!

Melia had her first official day at the office. On Sunday I took her to meet some clients to sign paperwork. My clients have a 6 week old so they got to hang out. On Monday Melia went to her first escrow signing. She did awesome! We even managed to get some office work done for a couple of hours. She is my side-kick in training. I should get her a Windermere onesie.

We are working on tummy-time, trying to get her to lift her head while on her tummy. She isn't a fan of this, probably because she is a haven for gas. But she is getting there. She is also smiling at us more. It is too cute! Her eyes are changing, although we haven't a clue what they are changing to. One eyeball is literally half blue and half brown. It is so trippy!

The cats are adjusting well. Even Chuckie, who was so pissed off in the beginning, is hanging out with us.

Melia and I joined a mother's group that meets every Tuesday. There are 11 of us and the kids are ages 3 weeks to 11 weeks. It is so helpful to be around other moms who are dealing with the exact same issues that I am. It is very reassuring to hear the other moms' stories. I can't wait for the kids to get bigger so that they can start interacting!

Other than that, we are still trying to figure things out, like when to sleep and how the hell to get a warm dinner on the table. It isn't easy. But for every step backwards we take 2 forwards. Baby steps, right?

Ok, the sun is setting, I am beat, and going to bed. Of course I should probably eat some dinner first. Oh, and feed Melia. Thank goodness Ryan ate.
PICTURES:

1) All dressed up and ready to go to work.

2) Working in tummy time.

3) Looking at myself in the mirror under the mobile for the first time.

4) Time for bed.

5) Staring at some black and white images- my favorite thing to do besides eat.

1 month old: meet Ergo, the lifesaver

Taking care of a newborn really isn't rocket science (although a PhD couldn't hurt). They fuss, check the diaper. Still fussing? Pull out the boob. Didn't work? Try the other boob. Sometimes a little more creativity may be required, especially at 8:00 at night. Swing? No. Bouncer? No. Paci? Sometimes. Mommy singing while watching NBC's "The Singing Bee?" For awhile. But if she is still fussing then it must be that awful 3-letter word...GAS. A lot of it. So what else is a parent to do?

Meet Ergo, Melia's best friend.

Who exactly is this mystery person? Well, it's not a person. It's a backpack. A baby carrier. An ergonomic over the shoulder baby holder. A lifesaver.

I don't know how Ergo does it, but it does the trick everytime.

Thank you, Ergo, for relieving the gas and allowing Melia to sleep, and allowing mommy and daddy to have their hands free.

And thanks to my dad and Marcia for getting us the Ergo.

PICTURES:

1) Melia in her "Melia flower" onesie- Thanks Christy!

2) Ergo- from the Ergo website

3) Ergo- mommy wearing Melia in the Ergo and getting ready for bed.

4) Mommy and Melia taking a nap

5) Melia after her bath- what gorgeous curly hair!

3 weeks: Why didn't anyone tell me?

Why didn't anyone tell me that by week 3 my adorable, sweet, perfect little girl, all bundled in pink and smelling like fresh flowers, would be covered in zits? Yes, she has baby acne. So if I don't let you come over this week, you now know why. Yes, I am vain. But y'all know this about me. Oh yah? Ryan feels the same way. So we are both vain. What do you want from us? We love our daughter, but until these go away...you can't see her.

Melia is sleeping 3-5 hours at night. It is so nice! Of course I don't sleep the whole time because she is a very verbal sleeper. She squeaks. Like a mouse. And whinny's like a horse. It is so cute. The current night schedule: Ryan stays up with her until 3 or 4 am (they usually sleep on the couch) and then I get up to feed her and take on the morning shift. We usually fall back asleep, but I only sleep for an hour as she ends up squeaking for the next 2 hours...but would I change a thing? Nope.

So now we have a squeaky, pimply baby. A squeaky, pimply, poopy, farting baby. And then she smiles. Oh, my heart melts! And she can imitate sticking out her tongue. Soooo cute...even if she is covered in zits.

2 weeks: a dancing queen

Yesterday was Melia's 2 week mark. Wow, time sure does fly by! Towards the end of my pregnancy a day seemed like an eternity...now the days just seem to slip away- and all we do is sit on the couch, eat, sleep and poop! Before we know it, Melia will be off to college.

Last Saturday Melia had her first bath! It all happened because she projectile-vomited all over mommy and herself. It just seemed easier to give us both a bath. She seemed to really enjoy it. When she was done her hair was so soft and fluffy and her skin smelled so fresh.

Yesterday we had our first visit to the pediatrician and everything looked good! Her legs are doing just fine and the doc isn't worried about them one bit.

Weight: 8lb 4.2oz
Height: 20.5 in
Head: 14 in
Diapers: 17/day

Seems like mommy is making some great milk!

We have her feeding every two hours for about 5-15 minutes. This way she sleeps longer at night. We are still working on our nighttime routine but she seems to get in about a 4 hour and 3 hour sleep at night- very nice for mommy and daddy. Although...daddy usually gets a full night of sleep no matter what Melia does! He is so lucky. :-)

Melia could win any "how much gas can you produce" contest (she clearly takes after her daddy). We are watching out for increased bouts of gassyness and fussyness- signs of impending colic. But we are confident this is only a phase.

Melia and mommy love to dance. Take a look at these super cute "get yer boogy on" pics of Melia dancing!

All in all, mommy, daddy and baby are hanging in there and doing well! Thanks for all of the well-wishes from everyone!

Hugs,
...k,r,m...

P.S. The first picture, the one of Melia smiling, is called "Angel Smile." According to Elena, whenever a sleeping baby smiles it means an angel is talking to them. Well, this baby has a lot of angels looking out for and talking to her.

Pictures are up!

These are all albums from friends and family- hope you enjoy them!

(If you have pictures that aren't posted here, please email me the link!)

Krista and Ryan's Album #1
6/19/07- the day of; 6/20/07- friends visit at the hospital
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=ejd5ehd.5u51f8yh&x=0&y=rv08k5

Krista and Ryan's Album #2
Melia- candid shots
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=ejd5ehd.6nqxxzzt&x=0&y=q3v2q1

Janie's Photo Album

The night before the big day through 6/25/07, including Ryan's b'day celebration
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=15x8z6w3.214r1dsr&x=0&y=1orx4p

Jill's Album

Melia's b'day, 6/19/07

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/pictures?a=67b0de21b32d709a8437&sid=8AcOW7lkzYs2p3

Aunti Mel's Album
At the hospital, 6/21/07; coming home 6/22/07
http://www.photoshow.net/scripts_main/build/player.php?show=nsHaNbFxg

Beccah's Album, dated 6/22/07
Coming home, 6/22/07
http://s176.photobucket.com/albums/w187/chadandbeccah/Melia/

Dad and Marcia's Album, dated 6/19/07
At the hospital, 6/22/07
http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Uc=thb3vi8.14wfk9bk&Uy=-kqnq0g&Ux=0

Introducing Melia Jae Smith

Hi there,

This won't be a long one as it is 2am in the morning and we are going to try and get an hour or so of sleep.

Krista did really great today and gave birth to our daughter, Melia Jae Smith.

She was born at 1:59pm (we got bumped by two emergency c-sections). She weighed in at 7 lbs, 4 oz and was 19 inches long.q

We'll post pictures when we get a chance to connect with a computer, but both krista and melia are doing really well.

Hope you all are sleeping well!

The morning of....

We're only late if the baby comes before we get there :)

That's what I just came up with as we are behind schedule according to Krista :)

I love you Krista and Melia!!!

The night before!

Well it's almost 1am right now and we're supposed to wake up in 5 hours to make the trip to the hospital. Thankfully I'll be able to tell you after tomorrow why it is that they require us to be there 2 1/2 hours before the procedure.

Krista just got into bed and said "oh my god, this is my last night" - referring to having to sleep upright. I just hope she's able to get a few hours of sleep in since she usually can't sleep at all the night before a big event (like her marathon). Then she said to me "you better not make me late" since I am notorious for making her 5-10 min late. What she doesn't realize is that most of the time we are late we still end up waiting around when we get there, which in my book means we were still early :)

Well it's pretty darn frightening and exciting at the same time to know that we will meet our daughter and finally know what she looks like in about 8 1/2 hours. It's been quite a ride the last 39.3 weeks and the crazy thing is that it's really just the beginning. I just can't wait until Melia is old enough to play with and to teach her to be inquisitive about life. And I'm not quite sure what I'd do if I hadn't married someone who is naturally good with kids. I know Krista will do really well tomorrow and the challenge is going to be getting her to let her body rest and heal afterwards. I just hope she doesn't get too annoyed with me telling her to take it easy ;)

We'll let you all know how things go and the detailed stats on the new smitty as soon as we have a chance.

Alright, signing off and we'll see you on the other side.

PS - make sure and read the post before this one and notice that Krista was awake at 4:30am this morning.

39 weeks: I'm done

Well.......this will be my last "pregnant" blog entry as this muffin will make her appearance in about 28 hours. What a ride it has been. I must say, I am so ready to meet her, and not be pregnant anymore. Ryan and I are going through so many emotions right now: joy, anticipation, excitement, nervousness, love, elation.

I woke up this morning at 4:30 and couldn't sleep. I looked over at Ryan, who was sound asleep. He looked so peaceful, asleep like a baby. Have I mentioned how lucky Melia is to have him as his dad? Not only do I get to be married to him but he is the father of our kids! This is a good week.

So how did we spend our last weekend together? The LAST weekend of peace and quiet, EVER?

It was perfect.

Friday night we stayed home to relax as I was the "Stay Puffed Marshmallow Lady." It has been quite warm here and I couldn't really move for fear of popping my swollen, bloated ankles. I think at one point I had cankles (Seinfeld reference for those not in the know).

On Saturday we did some last minute stuff around the house, like washing things that Melia will need upon her arrival. We then went to La Mediterranee on College for some yummy Greek food. Appropriate, eh? Then we had some ice cream from Ici- if you are ever in Berkeley you MUST get some ice cream from here. It was truly the tastiest ice cream I have ever had! I recommend the banana ice cream in a cone. I'm salivating just thinking about it. After ice cream we went and saw the movie "Knocked Up." It was HILARIOUS!!!!!! I was laughing so hard I thought I might go into labor. This is one movie worth seeing- we haven't laughed that much at a movie since "Meet the Parents!"

On Sunday we took a small drive and went up to Napa for a picnic at our favorite winery, V Sattui. We picked up some bread, meat, a variety of cheeses, and some grapes. Oh, and a chilled bottle of wine for Ryan. Despite being 90 degrees outside, it was so peaceful and relaxing. Ask Ryan how relaxed he was- he drank nearly the entire bottle of wine! We put out the picnic blanket, had a couple of sweet treats, bought some wine, and then came home. Later that night we watched "Giada in Paradise," which is a TV show on The Food Network. The episode was an hour long and it was all about Santorini, where this muffin was created. It was a trip down memory lane. We got to once again enjoy the scenery, the food, the wine. I know, it sounds kooky, but it was fun!

So that was how we spent our last weekend together. Did I mention how lucky we are?

Thank you to everyone for your love and support over the past 39.3 weeks. We are so fortunate to have people like you in our lives. Tomorrow morning at 9:30 am my C-Section will begin, and around 9:40 am Melia will be in our arms. Lucky? Us? I'd say so.

Week 38: Notes from daddy

A few things the daddy-to-be has learned over the past 38 weeks:

1) Don't do anything to piss off mommy.
2) To best view the baby in motion, look from mommy's vantage point.
3) Leave manhandling the belly to the doctors.
4) Singing to the baby is just plain wierd.
5) When mommy sneezes, offer her some toilet paper.
6) Don't ever point out that her memory has gone to shit.
7) Don't be suprised if you wake up one morning and you can't find a plate. Chances are mommy was nesting.
8) Mommy's bigger boobs are not a toy.
9) Leave shopping at Babies R Us to the girls.
10) Have a back up plan in place for sleeping in case one of mommy's 8 pillows smother you.
11) Be ontime for the ultrasound and don't forget to videotape it.
12) And if all else fails, just give mommy some chocolate.

So here is a little update: We had the version on Tuesday and it was indeed uncomfortable (though they gave me a yummy chicken salad sandwich on wheat bread afterwards). It was also unsuccessful. Melia's head is still up, butt firmly implanted in the pelvis, and legs straight up in the air. Ho hum. Time to schedule the C-Section. If Kaiser Oakland has their way, the baby will be born on June 19th as this is the only "time slot" available the entire month of June. Gee, glad to know that Melia's birthdate will be chosen for her. How about we choose her eye and hair color while we are at it. The 19th is not a good day for anyone involved, except Kaiser, so we are going to try and find an "appointment" at another Kaiser facility. We will keep you posted.

37 weeks: The Peeing Contest

I can't believe she is almost here! It's so amazing that this thing in my belly is no longer a little bean, that she could actually survive on her own if she were outside! Wow.

I am at the point where I see my doctor weekly, have been for a few weeks. I must say, I am now a pro at peeing in a cup. (Each visit to the doc requires a pee-sample to test for proteins) This was not an easy task in the beginning. When you pee in the cup, you have to first catch it in the cup, which can be tricky, and hope you don't get any on your hand. After washing your hands (I wonder how many women DON'T do this) you have to carry the cup out of the bathroom without a lid and hand it to the nurse. This could be a dangerous mission should someone come around the corner who wasn't paying attention. The slightest bump or stumble could send the pee flying. And sometimes the nurse isn't right there so you are just standing around, pee in hand. But I have been doing it so long now that I am sure I'd win first prize in the "peeing in a cup" contest, if there were such a thing.

My latest visit was on Friday, where I received another ultrasound to see which position Melia was in. Let me tell you, it was a busy week trying to get her to turn around. I saw the chiropractor twice, the acupuncturist, hung upside down, did a lot of cat/cow yoga poses, had Ryan burn moxa sticks at my feet, and even played some Bob Marley between my legs to see if she'd dance into the proper position. So did all of this hard work pay off?

No.

Nosiree.

She hadn't moved a bit.

Ho hum. At least I found out that I am group Strep B negative so I won't need antibiotics during labor.

But that is ok that she hasn't turned. It's Melia's decision, not mine. This is our first lesson in parenting- we are no longer in control!
So I am going into the labor and delivery department on Tuesday for the version. I hear the version is like a bad Indian Burn on your belly. I am SOOO not looking forward to this. They do give you meds to relax the uterus, but nothing for discomfort. Supposedly Melia is in prime postion for success. Of course, I think my doc was only telling me this to make me feel better. But if it doesn't work, it doesn't work. And I am totally fine with it, so long as mommy and baby are safe and healthy. Perhaps there is a reason she doesn't want to turn, like she doesn't want to put her mommy through an agonizing labor.

I can't wait until I have my body back. I don't mean my pre-pregnancy body- that will take some time- but to have the movements in my body be my own...that I can't wait for! I also can't wait to eat sushi and roast beef with blue cheese, and to have a small glass of wine while preparing dinner. But most of all, I can't wait to see our little girl! Who will she look like? What color eyes will she have? Will she have lots of hair? Will she be a picky eater like Ryan? Dear god I hope not. Oh, and the cuddles. And gurgles. And kisses.

Ryan and I are the luckiest parents alive. :-)