Converse

I think Sofia is happiest on her changing table. Or perhaps she is so excited by this adorable little outfit from Maria at KAA, that she had to smile.

Sleepy Time

Our new favorite thing is falling asleep on mom's chest. This one is blurry but you get the picture.

Play Date

On Saturday we had our second "play date" with Jonah. Jonathan, Jin-Ah, Dan and I went to Tivoli Cafe with our little ones. What I've realized about myself...I say it would be nice to have "adult time" but I don't really mean it. All I want to do is talk about the baby and if we wander off my new favorite subject, I manage to find a way to bring her back into the picture.

Five Weeks

The time goes by so fast. I can hardly believe Sofia is five weeks old. Over the past week or so Sofia has lost most of her hair and has developed 'baby acne' which resembles a rash that comes and goes. The pediatrician said it would go away on its own. Aidan was here this week and took a few pictures for us. This is one of them.
This week we've noticed that Sofia is smiling to interact with us. She even laughed once when Dan was making faces at her. In addition, she will hold our gaze and if we move, her gaze follows us. She has big blue eyes still, which the pediatrician commented might just stay. Sofia is using her legs a lot more; she kicks both legs out and then will alternate kicking each leg.
And lastly, I can now recognize her cries. The most furious ones are instigated by a wet diaper or impatience with me if I take too long to feed her.

Little Feet

Endless

I could do this forever.

Almost One Month

Friday, Sofia will be 1 month old. This is both wonderful and sad to me. She is kicking her legs more now and is increasingly more "chatty". I see her holding my gaze for longer periods of time, and after a duel weigh in, she has gained back her birth weight plus three pounds. (Proudly I have lost 30 of the 50lbs I gained!) It makes me sad because the last four weeks have gone by so fast and I just don't want her to grow up. (Yet.) I want to soak in every expression she makes, every sound she utters and all of her movements - so that I won't forget how truly amazing this experience has been. I have enjoyed each day with her...more than I could have ever imagined. I don't mind the sleepless nights or when she cries, because the second she smiles or coos I forget how tired I am.

Talking About Toes

Happy Thanksgiving!

Mug Shot

I'm sure Sofia's face will change but it is so hard to imagine in what way. Who will she look like? Right now I think she looks like Dan's side of the family, more specifically, I think she looks most like Dan's mom.
For the time being I have given in to this overwhelming desire to capture every moment with Sofia, which means many more solo Sofia pictures to come. She is truly the light in my life.

Captain's Log

Date: Sunday
Time: Late...or very, very early.
Location: Bed
Notes: Baby is well fed. Gastrointestinal tract is in check = clean diaper. It's the middle of the night. She's wide-eyed. She doesn't appear sleepy. Hmm, middle of the night, not sleepy...I'm sure this won't be the last time this happens.

3 Days Old

This is our big day of "firsts".
We are going home today which means many things:
Sofia will not wear a "Property of St. Johns" tee shirt.
Sofia will ride in an elevator.
Sofia will go outside for the first time.
Sofia will ride in her car seat in a car.
Sofia gets to meet her first dog Molly and Cat Corbu.
I could go on and on...but the bottom line is that we had a great "First" day home.

Three Days Old At Home

Our little angel!

Details

It's always the little things: the whole package is amazing but when I look at the details I am even more entranced. My body made this little person, with finger nails the size of pinheads and barely formed eyelashes. This little being incubated for nine months and then voila - was delivered with all of the same pieces and parts that I have...just smaller. (Okay, MUCH smaller.)

20 Minutes Old

After they finished stitching me up from the C-section they moved us to this temporary room. This was where I nursed Sofia for the first time and where Max met his little sister for the first time. She was around 20 minutes old!

Newly Added...

Welcome to the family Sofia Sage!
Details:
8lbs 6oz
20" long
light brown hair
30 hours of labor
cesarean section

Happy Halloween

After a month of thinking we were going to wear big fish bowls around our bellies we found easier options…the nun and the bun. Purely meant to be ironic and funny, we had a lot of laughs! Molly was content in her batman costume, though Dan hated that I dressed her up, quoting Kevin and Bean, “now we know why dogs bite their owners”.

Palm Springs

On Sunday the KAA Design Group team left for Palm Springs for our annual management retreat. The trip was a wonderful reminder that our people are our strength. Our goals this year were leadership, clarity and communication. We have a big year ahead of us but everyone is up for the challenge. On Tuesday (the last day of the retreat) we went to the Prefab Desert House. http://www.marmolradzinerprefab.com/prototype.html

36 Weeks

We went to the Jonathan Club on Saturday to see Nando Parrado speak through our YPO chapter. Nando is one of 15 who survived for 72 days after their plane crashed in the Andes in 1972. The talk was amazing and left us feeling very fortunate for our family. After the event I asked Dan to snap a quick shot so I would have my requisite blog picture for 36 weeks.

This week we had our 36 week appointment and all looks well. Based on the amniotic fluid "estimate" taken from the doctor's ultra sound measurements, this little one is weighing in at 6lbs 3oz. I was told that she would gain only a few more ounces each week. (Which means she might be a little over 7lbs.)

Since we have limited space in the office (where Sofia’s room will be) we opted to go with a smaller crib. I put it together today while the boys watched football. The room is far from ready…I put together the bookshelf last week and still need to buy a carpet and dresser.

We met Jonathan and Jina for breakfast today at Coral Tree. Jina is due two weeks before me on October 20th. After breakfast we headed over to Max’s soccer game, this is his third week playing.

34 Weeks

I had my 34-week check up today and all is well. We peaked in on Sofia to make sure her head was in the right place (I was convinced that she had turned herself around after the car accident) and her head is, thankfully, down. When I say we “peaked” in on her, I mean the ultrasound wand touched my stomach for a count of five seconds.
I cannot believe I only have six weeks of pregnancy left. This makes me SO incredibly sad…I have loved being pregnant. Of course it helps that I’ve had the world’s easiest pregnancy, but there is this big part of me that will miss my bump. (I have SBA - severe bump attachment.) Naturally I can’t wait to meet the little one, but I feel like she is protected and safe right where she is, why change anything? Sorry for the photo - it’s the best I could do on my own.

Revamp

These past few months I've found myself in need of a new cut but I couldn’t commit to one. I guess letting it grow until it looks style-less is one way of forcing a decision, which is what happened on Friday. I went in thinking I would just get the standard 1” taken off, (secretly wishing I knew what I wanted my next hair style to be) and left with a new look. This is what I love about Reva, she knows what to do!

33 weeks

It seems every time I read, “what’s happening now” in my week to week guide to pregnancy, I usually identify with one or two of the ailments. This week, while my wrists are not sore, and I’m still sleeping well, I have been losing my balance and my “bump” seems to be further out than I’ve become accustom. I can no longer “squeeze” out of my car if parked next to someone – even if both cars are between the lines (damn LA and all those compact car parking spaces) and if I am sitting and attempt to pull my chair up to the table, I find that my "bump" keeps me a good distance away. With each bite I take, I feel that I will inevitably drop food on my belly or in my lap. The veins popping out on my right leg are beyond hideous, to the point where I’m seriously considering surgery because I’m afraid the next time I put on a swimsuit it will looking like my lower right leg was mauled by an animal in heat. I’ll spare you the “Wilma Flintstone eat your heart out” swollen foot and ankle, with deep purple bruising photos. And, finally yesterday, all of the emotion I’ve somehow managed to skip over in this pregnancy came crashing down on me and I’ve been in a funk ever since. Weeping and wallowing, sighing and crying - you name it if it involves a tear duct I’ve done it over the past two days. The bottom line: this too shall pass. I have had an AMAZING pregnancy and as I was told last week in my prenatal yoga class after declaring that the arm exercises we were doing were, “awful”, many women have it much worse. (Like the women in Tibet carrying loads of heavy rock up major hills so they can have roads.) Keep it in perspective shall we?

Love Boat

Our friends invited us to go out on their new boat today. (Note: The Queen Mary in the background!) I was a little nervous I might get motion sick but the day was simply amazing. They picked us up from the public Pier in Long Beach and we cruised over to Naples. I watched as they launched the tender and carefully stepped in after Dan. (Images of me going head first into the water flashed before my eyes, but I made it in unscathed). Our friends planned a wonderful dinner for us and we watched the sunset. This was Sofia's first boat ride!

30 Weeks!

Meet Sofia or at least the 3D image of her! I went in for my 30-week appointment this morning. After begging for an ultrasound last time, Dan and I were able to see this very realistic image of her today. She has her right hand and arm in front of her face and at one point during the ultrasound we saw her wiggling each finger on her right hand. The technology is amazing. The doctor said Sofia has a very long femur, which suggests one of the following:
1. She will be tall
2. My due date is off
3. The doctor’s calculations are wrong

Of course, I prefer to think that she will be tall.

Baby Shower

We had a wonderful weekend in Colorado for the baby shower. Claudene went above and beyond! Here is the petal cake she made and the cute basket of silverware and "napkins" (which doubled as a wonderful take home). The finger sandwiches and desserts were delicious. Most of all, the company was delightful.

Meet Lori, Denise and Pam

Shopping...

Are these not the cutest?!

The Inflatable Woman

Is it just me or does it look like the part of my body (formerly known as my stomach) shown in this picture was inflated by an air pump? Seriously, I keep telling myself that I look MUCH bigger from my perspective than from yours.

Reflections

Dan is in Baja.
I slept in late.
I walked Molly to the Farmer’s Market where I found the most delicious white peaches. I then read the NY Times, caught some sun and took a nap. Yay!

Reflections

I’m no Mona K. but a few more people and a little less clothing and this could be the beginning of one of her Italian summers.

Malibu

I was visiting one of our client's homes (the former Johnny Carson Estate) and saw this small figure paddling toward the cliffs.

Done!

Being the crafty sort, I LOVE the idea of making my own things. Most of you know that jewelry is just one hobby and that I’m always up for a good challenge. This is particularly true when it comes to art, photography, cards, stationary, packaging for gifts, etc. Naturally I didn’t want to buy my baby shower cards - because why buy them when you can make them! Dan’s sister is throwing me a shower in Colorado, so I decided to make all 14 cards for this event. Behold the fruits of my efforts above.

Our Furry Baby

I'm not sure what Molly will do when the baby comes. Right now she is numero uno and I'm certain she has no plans to give up that position to the 7lb nemesis arriving in Novemebr. Molly follows Dan EVERYWHERE. The second he gets up, she gets up. When he goes downstairs, she goes downstairs. When he goes out to get the paper in the morning, she sits by the door, anticipating his return. This picture adequately describes her favorite place in the world.

25 Weeks

The last few weeks have gone by so quickly. All I seem to remember are the days when I was 10 and 12 weeks pregnant, staring over at the 22+ week preggos during yoga wishing I had a "bump". Well folks, here it is. Thank you to my cohorts Elise and Elizabeth for accompanying me to the parking lot in front of the office to take this picture.

Arriba!!

Our office had a Mexican Fiesta after our July office meeting; the food was delicious. Jennifer and I are sporting non-alcoholic margaritas...so yes, basically just the Jose Cuervo mix on ice. Exciting!

We have hired so many new employees that we decided to wear nametags to help everyone along and naturally, "Sophia", got her very own nametag! Jennifer is unsure if she is having a boy or girl, so her nametag remains a question.

23 Weeks

If you look closely you will see the babies profile, and her little fingers up by her mouth. Yes that's right, I did say "her", we are officially having a girl.

23 Weeks