3 months old

Posting this morning, I am proud to wake up after Michelle slept another one of her marathon 10 hour stretches! I was cautious to label her as a "good sleeper", but for the past 3 to 4 weeks she has slept consistently for eight, nine, TEN hour stretches...in her crib...by herself! Of course, the week in L.A. threw her off the routine a bit, but as soon as we got back home, she settled right back into the game. Michelle and I spent the night at Tammy's on Thursday night and she had some trouble getting to sleep that night, but considering last night's marathon, I am chalking it up to strange surroundings. We picked Barry up at the airport on our way home from Bothell yesterday afternoon and I am happy to say, it looks like that was the last work trip for him for awhile.
Wow. 3 months old. The "Fourth trimester" officially over. We have this little human developing that giggles and smiles and cuddles and experiences her world. What a delight!

Auntie Tammy carries Michelle on our walk on the Sammamish River Trail.
Io is NOT allowed on the nice purple couches at auntie Tammy's house. He knows this. But he does often eye them with a look of longing for the heavenly giant purple dog bed. I was uploading pictures WITH MY BACK TURNED after Tammy left for work and Io found himself and very comfortable spot. He made himself VERY small thinking "If I am extremely still and make myself very small in between these pillows, perhaps I may blend into the scenery and no one will notice..." Sorry Io. I noticed. And Tammy, if you read this, I DID brush off the dog hair after his momentary lapse of reason.

Fit baby work out!

As the weather is getting crappier, I need to find other ways to exercise on Michelle's schedule. As usual, I thought she was out for a nap around 10:00 this morning and laid her down thinking I might actually be able to do a living room work-out. As usual, she woke up 10 minutes later, just as I getting warmed up. She cried when I put her on the play mat, bouncy seat or swing so I had to stick her in the Bjorn. The "Fit Deck" is a deck of cards with different exercises on it. Barry gave me both a prenatal and postnatal deck. It's great because you can shuffle the exercises to mix up the routine. I did all the ones I could do with Michelle in the Bjorn adding nearly 12 pounds to my work-out! Several exercises require bending over which gives Michelle suspended "tummy time" and while I am on the floor stretching, she gets her baby yoga. Her favorites? Superbaby crunches (suspending her above me while doing crunches on the floor) and Toes to the Nose of course!

Work, Fun, Friends and Milestones

First of all, the format is all screwed up and I am driving myself crazy trying to fix it. Sorry, the words don't match with the photos. I'll try to fix it later.

BIG MILESTONE!!! CHECK IT OUT!!!

Back from California today. Greeted by wet, dark, heavy rain in Tacoma. Yes, we had some rain in So Cal, but there is something nice about the rain when it is actually needed in a particular region. Here are some highlights from the trip!

Michelle decked out in pool attire in San Diego. Unfortunately, the pool felt a little cool for 12 week old babies so she just strutted in her own little beach-wear fashion show.
I snap hundreds of pictures of Michelle but it seems like I am rarely quick enough to catch that heart-glowing smile. Her whole body is smiling in this one! Tuesday's walk on Huntington Beach. Michelle and I made the most of it while Barry hit the road for work. We came across this red rose that looked like it was washed up by the tide. It seemed so random and beautiful to see the delicacy of the petals against the energy of the waves. Of course, Michelle's fair skin and eyes must be protected. Daddy brought home her first pair of sunglasses that day. It looks like our California baby already has the So Cal attitude!
Is there anything cuter than a baby in sunglasses "Bjorned" by her daddy? Thursday, the clouds melted and we were left with sunny, 83 degree weather. We drove to Burbank on Wednesday night which was reasonably close enough to spend time with my good college friend, Heather. And what better thing to do on a fair-weather day with a 3-month-old and an 18-month-old? The ZOO, OF COURSE! The last time I saw Heather's little girl Abby, she was about the age Michelle is now. It was like peering into a crystal ball to see Michelle's future. A little girl, running around, speaking words, eating her little PB & J sandwich, taking in all the animals and naming them in Toddlerese. It really hit me how much Michelle will change in the next year. My baby will only be a baby for such a brief time. Cherish every moment.

Sunny, or not-so-sunny California

Barry had a business trip planned for Southern California this week. I originally was going to meet Cory and Billy in Bend, OR to take Michelle on her first camping trip, but as the weather forecast became ickier and ickier for Bend, Barry invited us along on his business trip. Spent Sunday night in San Diego at the Sheraton with a fabulous view and awesome pool. I was able to sneak away yesterday morning for a 1/2 mile swim followed by a climb up the stairs to our room on the 12th floor. We drove up to Huntington Beach yesterday where Barry scored us another great hotel spot right on the beach, and yes, he got us the beach-view, top-floor jacuzzi suite where Michelle and I took advantage of the jacuzzi last night. We tried getting out for a walk this morning on the beach but two things happened: one, it started to rain. Two, our hotel door won't close. One of the hinges broke so we are stuck in our room until someone fixes it. I am glad we came on this trip with Barry because it has certainly given me appreciation for the annoyances of travel that he has to deal with when he travels for work. You are always waiting for something; a line to get your car, a line to check into your hotel, a line to get on the plane, the maintenance guy to fix the damn door on your hotel room so you can get out enjoy the day! Yes, I do have new found appreciation. But most of all, it is nice that we are all together as a family this week. A very nice way to spend the week, despite the travel hiccups.

Because you can never have too many dog/baby pictures...

Truly, Io is an opportunist. Michelle the champion puker, and Io being the champion puke eater, make a good team. Io knows if he simply waits patiently, there is plenty of good puke go around for everyone.

Now, a few words on the reality of being a stay-home mom. This is a hard job. I am starting to see why people pay other people to watch the little people they bore into this world. But at the same time, I can't fathom it! Every day, she smiles more or looks at me longer or reaches out for something that she didn't care about the day before; and I am there to see it happen! I am literally watching her brain grow and connect ganglia and dendrites, making connections to how she sees her world. And yet, it looks terribly mundane from the outside. For example, mopping the floor in my redicilous PJ's (which Michelle now finds simply fascinating) turns Michelle into super-baby. Looks terribly mundane. But her neck is stronger because of that little game. And now that she is sleeping these awesome 10 hour straight stretches at night, I see the change in the morning. Doing her morning yoga the changing table, she smiles at me as if to say "Look mom! My brain grew overnight and now we can do so much more together. Isn't it just wonderful?" Yes, my love. It is wonderful. Every single minute of it.

Check out those JUGS!

This is what I pumped at 3 AM while Michelle slept 9 hours straight. That's 8oz of boob juice in one shot! No wonder they call them "jugs".

This was her last night brfore bed. I thought her look was priceless.

And a smile for everyone...

Michelle slept 10 hours straight!

I am astonished! Michelle was very sleepy last night and crashed by 7:30. I stayed up enjoying "me" time. At 10:00 I pumped my breasts and was in bed by 10:30, anticipating a wake-up around 1:30 since Michelle rarely sleeps more than 6 hours straight (which I think is already pretty good, by the way). So imagine my astonishment when I woke up at 4:45 with engorged breasts and not a peep from the little one. Before heading upstairs to pump my boobs, I placed my hand over her head, just to make sure she was still BREATHING. She was. Not wanting to deplete her milk supply if she woke up soon, I pumped 4 oz out of the right breast only and went back to bed a little after 5:00. Lying in bed, left breast still engorged, I silently pleaded for her to wake up and drain the sucker. Around 5:45, I heard ONE cry, leaped out of bed, and attached Michelle to my left breast, half-way suspecting someone switched babies on me while I slept.
Michelle and Io enjoy tummy time this morning

Michelle isn't a huge fan of tummy time, but she tends to like it better if I prop her on a pillow. Her back/neck extension is really getting nice and strong.

Yesterday's family hike at point defiance. It was a gorgeous sunshine day with a crisp fall breeze. Temperature actually dropped to 34 last night. The furnace had its debut of the season this morning. Maybe that's why Michelle slept so well. Barry and I always sleep better in colder weather.

The best picture from our hike last weekend!

Tammy took this one last weekend. With the mountains in the back-drop, Michelle looks like a true mountain-baby!

Some pictures from the last week taken with my new camera, a b-day gift from Barry!