A weekend spent relaxing with family and friends

Saturday was our annual extended family Christmas gathering. We went to my grandparents' new home in a great new Senior Living Community located in South Corona. They have a little "Casita" which is a perfectly sized 2 bedroom/2 bath home within the community. The facility has all the amenities of a high-end resort property and is just as beautiful as the Ritz-Carlton. I'm so pleased that they are comfortable in their new home and could host all of our family to such a nice dinner.

The next day, Mehdi, Lilly and I spent most of our day indoors since it rained in the morning. We lounged on the sofa, watched football and snacked on chips. In the afternoon we met our friends Mike & Stephanie, and their two kids, to watch the Parade of Lights on the San Diego Bay. It was cold outside, but worth getting out in the fresh aire. We finished the evening with dinner and a glass of wine at their house, where Mike made an AMAZING gumbo dish. Soooo tasty!!!!!

I couldn't resist posting this photo on the blog. After the Charger game, Lilly took her nap with Mehdi on the sofa and they looked so sweet together.

Just a few more days until Christmas!!!

A Very Special 1st Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving we were most thankful for our sweet Lilly.

Her first big Holiday was paired with meeting her Great Gramma and Grampa for the 1st time. She spent most of the day being passed between her incredibly adoring great aunties, and received lots of hugs and kisses from her Oma & Opa.

Having a baby certainly helps with NOT over-eating, since it was difficult to just sit and enjoy my food while Lilly was passed around. But, I guess that's the "bitter-sweet" of it all. I certainly enjoyed the meal on the days that followed Thanksgiving when I had those super-delicious leftovers. The following Monday, it was back to practicality as far as the diet was concerned.

It was nice to watch everyone interact with her and give her all their love. I think Lilly liked the stimulation. However, when the day was over, we could tell that Lilly was happy to come home to her (calm) little sanctuary.

My mom took this picture just after Lilly ate her meal. It was so sweet how she just stared into my face and cooed and grunted at me for about 10 minutes. I love the little noises she makes. Her personality is really starting to liven up.

Next post will probably be her Christmas picture......can't wait!!!

Welcome, Sweet Lilly.....a birth story

On Thursday, October 29th, Mehdi and I welcomed Lillianna Makenza to our family. She weighed 7 pounds 7 ounces, and was 21 inches long.

I had no idea when I went to the Hospital for my second Non-Stress Test, that I'd leave the hospital 4 days later with this sweet bundle of joy in my arms. I thought I'd be going to Rubio's after my test to enjoy a late lunch.

After 2 hours of observation, my NST revealed two things: the amniotic fluid levels were VERY LOW, and the baby's heart tones were not as reactive as my doctor would have liked. Thus, she decided to admit me to the hospital and induce our birth. Mind you, at this point I still had not fully effaced and was only 1cm dilated, so we knew we had a very LOOOOONG night ahead of us. My Doctor had advised me on the phone that I was high-risk for a cesarean, based on my NST results, but she was willing to let us try for a vaginal birth, and she'd continue monitoring me from home.

Well, after a few hours on the Pitocin, and no change in our progress, my doctor walked in the room. I said, "Hey, you're not supposed to be here yet." She smiled, and started to advise us that it was time to perform a cesarean.

She had been monitoring me from home, and wasn't pleased with the babys' heart tones. Her concern was that I still had so much birthing ahead of me and didn't think the baby's heartrate was strong enough to endure what lied ahead. Additionally, the amniotic fluid levels were so low, that I was running the risk that the cord would crimp at some point in the birthing process, and cut off oxygen and blood supply to the baby.

Within an hour, I was geared up and ready to welcome our baby to the world. Mehdi joined me in the Operating Room, and within a few minutes cried into my ear "we have a little Lillianna!" I was so overwhelmed with joy, and just loved the sound of her cry. I couldn't wait to hold her.

A few minutes later, I was presented with our baby, where we bonded for about an hour before we went to our room for recovery. It was the most special time in my life- just being there with Lilly and Mehdi....as a family. There's nothing to describe the joy we had that night.....we had such a hard time sleeping because we couldn't take our eyes off of her.

Four days later, we came home with Lilly. It's taken a while to recover from the surgery, but I'm happy to be home with her. Mehdi and I are constantly amazed that she's even ours. She's so beautiful!!!

She's our little blessing from God. We love you, sweet Lilly!

Patiently waiting for Baby

Our "guess date" came and passed on Saturday, October 24th. This little baby is just so happy to stay inside. I guess we've made a nice little home for him/her. When we saw Dr. Goff yesterday, she informed us that we're still have not fully effaced, and have only dilated 1cm.

She's fine with us continuing the pregnancy as long as my non-stress tests (NST) continue to show well. She sent us for an NST yesterday to test the baby's movement and the amniotic fluid levels, and all was good. We go back tomorrow (Thursday) for another. Assuming we make it through the weekend, we'll do a 3rd NST on Monday and revisit the discussion next Tuesday.

So, the moral of the story: we're not in any rush and the doctor is fine with us staying pregnant as long as the baby continues to move, and the amniotic fluid levels remain normal.

We are using this time to finish little projects around the house. Karen dropped off the bedding yesterday and we had fun putting it all together. We're still awaiting the window treatment, need to pick up a floor lamp, curtains and a few other "little things." I'll update blog with pics when its finished. All in all, though, the nursery is organized and ready for Peanuts' arrival.

We'll keep everyone updated on baby news via emails and FB status updates. We love you all, and appreciate the good wishes. Hopefully my next post will have a picture of this little bundle of joy.

Ciao, for now!!!

A Family Outing

On Sunday, I decided to take Mehdi out to Bates Nut Farm in Valley Center. I've been trying to do little outings like this before the baby arrives because I know that very soon I will be held captive by our little bundle of joy.

We took ChiChi out with us and we enjoyed a day on the Farm. There was so much for families to do: hayrides, jumpies, slides, face painting, food, petting zoos, etc.

We bought some of the farm goods- like nuts and fruit. We took ChiChi on her first hay ride (a first for Mehdi as well) and then we picked out our pumpkins and squash for the Holidays- see photo for the moment ChiChi made her claim on her pumpkin. ;-)

We really had a great time, and it was fun to think that we could do this again in the future as our family grows.

Hangin' out with Mom & Dad

I spent yesterday afternoon with my parents. My dad came by and had lunch (Con Pane sandwiches- YUM) with me. It was fun because he told me all about the highlights of their recent trip. We talked about the baby, and caught up on general family stuff. He helped me put together the daybed in the nursery, which proved to be a trial of our engineering skills, but we made it through and the bed is sturdy enough for sleeping. ;-)

My mom showed up an hour later to help me get some of my household chores completed. We crossed off some of the things on the list. As a bonus, my front yard looks great thanks to her superior gardening skills. YAY!!!!

When we were done, we sat down in the living room and shared a great bottle of Malbec, well, they did. It was nice sitting and catching up with my parents. They were talking about what lies ahead for them and us- they're so excited to be Grandparents.

Then, this afternoon, Mehdi and I joined them and some friends at the German-American Society Oktoberfest in El Cajon. We have so much fun there every year. Dad wore his Lederhosen which are so fun and festive. We had a lot of laughs with my parents and their friends. Mehdi and I totally enjoyed our Bratwurst and the array of wonderful pastries. YUMMY We had to leave a little early because Mehdi had to work, but I'm glad we could join them today. Its made for a fun weekend for me, just hangin' with my mom & dad. ;-)

My New Buddy

My parents are in Europe for vacation, and have left us to care for their sweet dogs, Gunner & Cody. Cody is their most recent addition, he's 12 weeks old this week. He's been my little buddy for the past 9 days....following me all around the house and curious about EVERYTHING I do. I can't get up to go get a glass of water without him being right by my side.

He's also been pretty interested in ChiChi. While they were exactly the height & weight about 3-4 weeks ago, Cody is quickly outpacing ChiChi in the "size" category. I'm worried that as he gets bigger, he won't realize just how much bigger he is and possibly hurt her. However, for now, they're good wrestling buddies.

While I've enjoyed having Gunner & Cody at our house, I'm loooking forward to my parents returning home from their trip. Walking the dogs every 5 hours and managing their feeding schedules is beginning to wear on me at this stage in our pregnancy. I'm looking forward to the few days of rest that I'll have, free of Labrador care, before delivering our first baby.

Nevertheless, its been a fun ride having little Cody and Old Man Gunner stay with us. We have a lot of love for our furry friends in this house.

A warm welcome on my front path

I came home today and was greeted by this beautiful Hibiscus flower. It was closed when I walked ChiChi this morning, and then POW!!! A punch of color just jumped out this afternoon. It made me smile so I thought I'd take a picture and share it on my blog. What a great thing to see and be greeted by when you come home.....right?

Evaluating the current stage of my life

We feel so fortunate to have a special friend like Monique Feil to help us document the milestones of our lives. A few weeks ago Monique came by our home to photograph us in the nursery. We wanted to capture this special pregnancy with a few images that we can share with "Peanut" many years down the road.

Just a few days ago, she forwarded this picture to me, which she's made into a painting. When I first opened it, a tear formed in my eye. See... the past few days I've been overwhelmed with emotions and thinking of how my life is beginning a new phase. Until now, I've held title of daughter, a sister, a cousin, a niece, a friend, an aunt, and a wife. Never have I taken on the roll of a "Mom". (well, with the exception of ChiChi- but that's different) This is going to be one of the most important things I ever do in my life, and therefore I find it a little intimidating.

Which brings me back to my point: how blessed I feel to have Mehdi by my side on this journey to parenthood. I look at this photo and just see the love we have for each other and for the little Baby we lovingly call "Peanut". Knowing that, my fears go away because I have such a great partner to travel this path with. Someday I'll show this picture to our kids and they'll see how much love our little family has and they'll know they were raised in a loving home.

My first look at our baby...

....brought tears to my eyes. Seeing our baby on the big screen in 4D real-time animation was a miracle. We could see the jaw line, the nose, the little eyes and ears. It was absolutely spectacular to think that this little person is the product of my & Mehdi's unwavering love for each other.

My second thought- after counting eyes, ears, lips and fingers was "how did everything know where to go to make such a beautiful perfect little face?" Amazing to me. I'm already soooooo in love with this little one....I can't wait to meet him (or her).

We only got this one look at baby before he turned away from the camera, so the sonogram facility is having us back later this week in hopes that we can get a few more high-quality images of baby's face. I'll update the blog at that time.

Hot Summer Nights

Mehdi and I were driving home from our Birthing Class last night and we had the privilege of driving down the coast. We are so lucky to live in Southern California. As we drove down the 5 freeway, I looked out the window and saw the reflection of the moon shining off the ocean. The sky was clear and the stars were shining bright in the sky. It was stunning. Then, when we got home, it was a balmy 74 degrees outside....I could have stayed outside all night.

Any ways, I just wanted to say how much I love where we live. We're very fortunate to call San Diego "home".

I love my dog

Mehdi and I were just discussing how much we love this dog. ChiChi really has our hearts wrapped around her little paw. Today, when I came home, she followed me all around the house while I cleaned, waited for me in every doorway of each room I entered, and then just sat and waited at my feet when I enjoyed my dinner at the table with Mehdi. Its sooooo sweet to have a little dog that loves you so much. Everyone should be as lucky as us. We love you, ChiChi!!!!

Still recovering....

....from a FULL weekend. It started out on Friday afternoon with my kitchen in disarray as we await the installation of a dishwasher- should all be done today. Then, Mehdi's car had a meltdown on the 805 freeway on his way home from work- anyone want to buy a CL500? We went to a really tasty & inexpensive Italian dinner that night so we could eat & drink away our frustrations about that stupid car.

Saturday morning started with me dropping off Mehdi at the Cafe at 6:30am when I was on my way to boot camp. After boot camp, I headed home to start trimming the hedges in the front of the house. This turned into a MAJOR yardwork day- nearly 7 hours of physical labor. The good news is that our front yard looks well manicured and I feel good when I look out and see how orderly everything is. Bad news is that I couldn't move Saturday night and Sunday.

Baby is a little over 2 pounds now, and somewhere between 14 & 15 inches long. Last night, as we were making our baked potato dinner, Mehdi said "WOW...you're really pregnant now." I'm thinking that I have a good 8 weeks of work left in me, but the sciatic pain is growing more and more uncomfortable with each week. Baby is moving pretty regularly which is fun to feel. Feeling the baby move is the only cool thing about being pregnant, in my opinion.

All in all, we're thankful to have our health, a baby on the way, and a great little house to call home. Most of all, we're glad to have each other. Life is good for us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dinner with Old Friends

We recently had dinner with Ben & Julie Murray, with my parents, at the new Corvette Diner in Liberty Station.

Ben was my brother, Jeff's, best friend. They met in basic training in the Air Force and were roommates for nearly 4 years. Jeff was in their wedding in 1999 (i think that's the year) and Jeff was so excited when Ben and Julie had their first baby boy, Justin. He was so proud of his friend.

We keep in touch with the Murray's regularly, and have enjoyed watching their two boys (Justin Carr & Hunter Jeffrey) grow up through Christmas cards and visits to California.

I've come to really look forward to the time we to spend with them. They were here just 2 years ago, and the boys have changed so much in that time. I really like talking with Julie...she's so down to earth and is such a good mom.

My parents love seeing them because its an opportunity to enjoy a little piece of Jeff, since Ben is so good at sharing old stories.

I'm so glad the Murray family took time to come and visit San Diego during their California visit....wish they were closer so we could see them more often.

Exciting stuff this week

Yesterday we had our 26 week appointment at the doctor's office, followed by our first birthing class. (Heartrate was going good at 140 BPM) Its so good to hear the doctor say "beautiful...beautiful strong little baby you're growing in there."

We drove to Carlsbad for our Hypnobirthing class and enjoyed spending the evening with 5 other couples. It was a very informative evening, and we have 4 more classes to go.

We have a lot of reading to do, because Hypnobirthing isn't something you just decide to try as you begin birth....it takes mental focus and practice. So.....I'll be doing a lot of meditation, reading and "practicing" in the coming weeks.

Above is a photo of the baby last week during the sonogram. It was sucking its thumb rather vigorously (looked funny on the screen). I just love the little bud of a nose in this profile pic.

Can't wait to meet you, Peanut!

My First Blog

This is my first blog...EVER! (assuming you don't count FB status updates and tweeting)



A lot of women I know and love have Blogs, and I think I'm (relatively) techno-savvy, so this is my next step to really being 21st-Century hip.



I thought it'd be fun to post things about what I or Mehdi are up to via a Blog, considering we have a lot of "little" changes happening these days with the pending arrival of "Peanut"



So, wish me luck.....let's see if I can stick with this.