Simon and James

See those dirty knees ... he's been crawling worming across the lawn.  And Simon may still be waiting patiently for James to throw the tennis ball.

Footprints

With the snowstorm we had the other week, Alma's new favorite word is "footprint".  To celebrate the cooler weather (and the freezing tile floor in our kitchen), we all invested in some new slippers. 

Simon decided to get in on the footprint action by walking around the freshly painted bedroom and then walking across our new cream-colored carpet.  Shockingly, I did not kill him immediately.  Wait, I mean I didn't kill him ... yet.

Vacation Wrap Up

We were lucky enough to have three straight weeks of vacation this summer.  Well, one week of "workcation" followed by one week of "memorialization" before a week of actual vacation.

Our first week was spent in Applegate, CA (near Sacramento) for Joshua's work conference.  The overarching organization that Joshua, through CUNA, works with, People Improving Communities through Organizing (PICO), is an international non-profit that encourages the employees to bring their families to the yearly week-long work conference.  I've been wanting to attend for years but this is the first time that the trip didn't interfere with my own employment.  Alma and I spent our days playing with the other 40+ kids in attendance and enjoying the beautiful Jesuit retreat center where the conference was held.  And, at night, Joshua and I would hang out on the patio overlooking the pond and share a crossword puzzle.

Sadly, Joshua's grandmother passed at the beginning of June, so we spent the next week with his family celebrating her life.  While it was a sad event, it was so nice to have some time with the Chisholm clan when we had not been planning a visit with them for this summer.  We were able to spend a day at Santa Monica beach (photo of Alma and me was snapped by Hayden!), some time in the backyard shooting cans with a BB gun, and Alma had plenty of time idolizing her cousin Hayden.

After a wild trip home -- three days of delayed flights, car rides interrupted with me getting sick on the side of the road (yes, that happened more than once), an eventual red-eye flight home with an overly tired toddler -- we were home for 20 hours before leaving for a trip up to the Adirondacks for a week of relaxing with Kate, Neal (a.k.a. Uncle Fun), their pup Rio and our dog Simon.  It was a week composed of all the greatest things: best friends (even Simon had his best friend), delicious food, and an amazing house right on Lake Paradox.  We spent days hiking, napping, watching the dogs swim until near-drowning fatigue and our nights were long games of Kate beating us at Settlers of Catan.

Throwing the Ball

Here is a video from last weekend when the weather was warm and wonderful.  The sound is muted because I filmed this from our dining room window.

We are hoping that Alma's new throwing skills will start a wonderful partnership with Simon.

Best Day Ever

Alma is always trying to feed the dog.  She spends as much time as I will let her following him around the house shoving the dog bowl in his face.  Yesterday, finally, he let her feed him his entire breakfast.  She was beyond happy.  You can hear her saying "mmm" like when we are trying to get her to eat something.

Funny Photos

Alma falling asleep after a heavy lunch of pancakes and raisins.  She started crying mid-meal because she wanted to continue eating but was too tired to chew.  In this photo, she is zoned out but still doing her sign for "water".

 Alma has been mimicing the dog more than I would like to admit ... especially when it comes to eating without her hands.  Here they are cleaning the flour off of her table after we baked some Valentine sugar cookies together.

 Alma's new hobbie is hiding things.  Important things seem to find their way into my boots or the trash can or some obscure corner in the attic behind some heavy boxes.  Since I'm always losing stuff around the house without her help it just makes me laugh.

Looking out the back door

Bark

Simon is protective of the baby. Especially from the evil postman. Occasional barking helps to alert us that the postman might be in the area.

Mid-March Tummy Time

A little late posting this, but better late than never.

Distinguishing Characteristic

Alma's tongue is often a topic of conversation. Not only it is ridiculously long, but she shows it to people often. We love how silly it is and are suspicious that she was inspired by the dog.

Date Night and Tummy Time

A week ago Joshua and I went on our first official date since Alma was born.  Sure, we have been out to eat together, but Alma was always sleeping in the sling with us at dinner.  This was an official date with food, a show and everything!  How exciting!  It was great to reconnect and be reminded of how much fun we have together. 

Above is a photo of Alma being changed by my mother.  Alma loves laying on the changing table.  Below is my father feeding her.  They were great babysitters.  Thanks again, Mom and Dad!

In other news, Alma has been loving tummy time and our adjusted version of tummy time called "FLYING BABY"!!!  She rolled over for the first time (from tummy to back) yesterday, which seemed to surprise her as well as me.  She is very vocal when on her stomach ... see the video below.

We have been spending more time in the kitchen now that we purchased a second-hand highchair which can be rolled around and reclined.  She seems to like watching, although her attention span is short.  Simon is already getting excited for her to eat "real food" so that he can help with the crumbs.

And I just had to share the below picture of Simon because it is so sweet (and sad?).  Every day when Joshua is leaving work, he gives me a call. Simon has figured out this schedule and after the phone call he sits and stares at the front door until Joshua gets home.  Every day it is at least a half hour of waiting.  So sweet.  Simon loves his Owner Man.

World, Please Meet Our Daughter, Alma

To celebrate her first week of life, here's her story from the beginning ...

Since we had an ultrasound appointment on Monday morning (December 7) to have some tests done [since I was one week "overdue" with my pregnancy and there was a chance that we would be induced], we wanted to decorate the house and get all the last minute items together over the weekend. On Saturday we went to Lowe's to get a Christmas tree and all the trimmings with our wonderful neighbors Randy and Erin. Sunday was spent decorating, going to a prenatal yoga class and attending Mass. By Sunday night we felt we were finally ready to go into labor ... and so we did!Monday morning at 4:40 a.m. I was sitting up in bed reading when my water broke. (I woke up at 4 am most nights of my pregnancy, usually for a bowl of cereal.) As requested, we waited until 6:30 a.m. to call the doctor so that we wouldn't wake him up. He told us to come into the hospital right away. Here I am in the evaluation room right before switching to hospital clothing. I wanted one last photo of being pregnant.We were able to have an awesome birthing experience. My body was well-prepped for the day -- all that prenatal yoga paid off! -- so I didn't need any pain medication and labor progressed naturally and quickly throughout the day. The only intervention the doctor decided to do was re-breaking my water since my natural water break was higher in my belly and not effective enough. I only had 25 minutes of pushing at the end of the day, which I hear is quick for a first child. I feel so blessed by how (relatively) easy the process was for me.

We were also blessed to have the same nurse for the entire delivery. Debbie was such an angel/ peaceful spirit/great cheerleader. I'm bummed that we didn't get a photo of her. Honestly, I don't think that I would have been able to have a completely natural birth without her encouragement.

But more than anyone else, Joshua was my pain medication. He stayed so calm and was extremely attentive. With his constant positive attitude and soothing massages, I felt comfortable enough to do the things which eased my contractions, like singing and swaying to stay loose. I don't think that nurses have seen many women sing as much as I did. It felt natural for me to use music as a way of relaxing.Alma was born at 6:24 p.m., weighing in at 8 lbs 1 oz, 21.5 inches. She had the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck twice but that was quickly resolved.When the doctors and nurses were completing the paperwork, they stamped Joshua's white tee-shirt with her feet. How cute is that?! After Joshua and I visited with her for an hour, we invited my parent's back to the delivery room to meet her. It was fun to have them there and see them glow over their newest grandchild. We had to part from her for a few hours so the medical staff could evaluate her and my parents had to leave because it was the end of visiting hours. Joshua and I went to our recovery room and were so geared up that you might have thought that we just won the Super Bowl. We ate some dinner and recapped the events of the day. It was nice to have that time with just the two of us. Our hospital stay was great. Joshua was allowed to stay overnight in the room with me and we didn't have the share the room with any other patients. It was nice to have those two night to get used to parenthood in a little cocoon of care.

The following day, Brian and Bridgette came to visit. It was wonderful to see their excitement and feel their support.On Wednesday evening, we left the hospital. My parents stayed with us for two nights and provided invaluable help -- cooking, cleaning and shopping for us so that we could simply concentrate on taking care of Alma. The only problem with having both my father and Joshua in the same house is that they are too funny. I feel like my healing was delayed from all the laughing. Sounds corny, but it is true!

Then Kate and Neal came from Pittsburgh to cook us meals, show us a few pointers for taking care of the baby (Kate is a pediatrician -- lucky us!), and share photos from their recent trip to SE Asia. It is always good to see them, even when sleep-deprived.

The pets are handling the new addition well. Shanti the cat is keeping her distance. Simon the dog is also keeping his distance ... with a little prodding from us.

Overall, the transition to life with a baby has been super. Sure we aren't sleeping much, but we didn't expect to. Alma is very sweet and too cute to comprehend. Here are some photos from today. Since I needed some fresh air, Joshua and I took the dog and the babe to a local park. It felt so good to be outside and walk around a bit.

And, since this was a hot topic prior to her arrival: No, she doesn't seem to have red hair. It is a beautiful shiny blond color. Although, it is difficult to tell at this stage what color it will be when she grows up.

We will be sure to post more photos soon!