Marvelous Mother's Day!

For 37 years, Mother's Day has been about my Mom and Grandma Helen when she was alive. It has become a day to make sure that we all get together and do something (well, whatever my mom wants to do!) and as our lives continue to get busier, this day has been fun. We've been to lunch and the movies, shoppping, hanging out at our house after brunch, and just being together.

This year, my first Mother's Day, I decided to be selfish and I told my mom. I would have breakfast with her in the morning but I wanted to have a day without making decisions, without cooking, without hassle. Oh yeah... and I wanted my husband to step up and plan it so I wouldn't have to think about anything! She was actually ok with that and so our day began.

It was a lovely day full of wonderful moments and special memories. My family surprised me with gifts- a lovely card from my husband, gorgeous sunflowers and a to my sister card from my sister, and to my daughter card with a gift card for Glen Ivy from my parents. Breakfast was Yiftach's specialty: chocolate chip pancakes and then we ventured off as a new family of 3 for the remainder of our day.

We took Mother's Day photos at a photo place and headed to...... THE BALLPARK! Yiftach had purchased seats behind home plate with the cushions for us. We had a ball! Hadarya slept for just over an hour of the 2 hour game and it was great to be so close.



We ended our day with dinner with my mother-in-law at CPK (terrible service so we won't mention anymore about dinner) and dessert at HEAVEN SENT. Ya gotta go check this place out on University and 30th street. The food is divine, the tea superb, the cappuchino scrumptious, and the owner personable. Lachlan was working the cash register and then came to see how everything was and ended up sitting with us at the table and sharing his amazing story of how Heaven Sent came to be. A place to go to hang out. Take out of town friends. Catch up with your husband. Watch Charlie Chaplin movies. You don't need a reason to go. JUST GO!

I had a lovely first mother's day and know that there will be many more lovely days as a mommy!

Baby Bliss

As each day passes I fall more in love with my daughter. The change that took place last week has completely let my heart fall to pieces whenever I am around her and it's all I can do to tear myself away and hold a conversation with another human being when Hadarya's there.

I leave work as soon as possible to be with her and revel in her and play with her. No matter what I do, she loves it! Tonight it was while I was changing out of work clothes into a tank and shorts. She was laying on our bed looking at me and she began to giggle. I had on the tank top and turned towards her and said "whoa, whoa." and she busted up. I did this for 10 mintues with a sway of my hip and sassy look over my shoulder at my beauty staring into my eyes.

After bathtime, we read books and she loved that I used her hand to go over the words and point out the pictures. At 6:50 PM she was ready for 1/2 a bottle and then she refused it... she wanted her pacifier and to go to sleep! She cuddled with me and then sacked in her crib. She is a vision of beauty laying on her side, snuggled with her taggie close to her face and her blanket over her. It's all I can do to not pick her up out of the crib to snuggle bunny with her!

Oh, does it get any better than this? I can't wait for each day and each new thing she learns and does. Summer is going to be a blast!

Legally and Officially Ours

Yesterday, Thursday, May 3, 2007 was our day in court... well, really our MOMENT in court. We have waited for and anticipated and been anxious for the signed documents that would give us final legality for this precious baby girl whom we met the second she was born into this world.

With each step along the way we moved closer to this day: We filed the required paperwork within 10 days to adopt this baby girl, STEP 1. 30 days passed without hearing from the birth mom, STEP 2. We met with the Independent Social Worker who filed papers to locate the alleged birth father, STEP 3. We sought a birth certificate to prove to the court that a baby girl without a given name was actually born on 10-08-06; which took several attempts! STEP 4. We filed paperwork to terminate the alleged father's rights, STEP 5. We waited to hear from the social worker that her searching was done and she filed her paperwork, STEP 6. We received documents in March that the alleged father's rights were terminated, STEP 7. We finally got a date in court to sign the documents, STEP 8. All of this took us 5 days shy of Hadarya's 7 month birthday.

We dressed up in matching color clothes. We went out to lunch. We invited friends and family. We put a bow in our daughter's hair. We drove around and around looking for parking at the court. We waited 20 minutes to be called in to the court through a lovely courtyard where we took photos. We were invited to sit down and our friends tubmbled in behind us.

I think we'd signed our names in two places on two pieces of paper before anyone else got the chance to sit down. And that was our moment in court. It was over before it really started. We were handed our copies and told we could take a photo with the judge.

It was our moment in court and while incredibly significant, this was about the change not the ritual (as put by our dear friend Scott!) and that made all the difference.

Rolls-Royce of Strollers

We purchased a new stroller. Actually, our it's our first stroller purchase as the other 5 we have are all loaners or hand me downs. Now there is nothing wrong with a hand-me down or loaner. But they all serve different stages and different purposes and none of them were working for us at this time.

1. 2 Snap-N-Go's -- both on loan and both are fabulous. The Grandma's use them regularly and as long as Hadarya is asleep or realtively happy to be laying backwards, they are superb. HIGHLY recommended.

2. 1 Peg big stroller -- from great friends from their son who is now over 3 years old. Super for laying her down and letting her sleep. The bar is too far for her to reach with toys as she is still too little and short, so she gets frustrated. The straps are also too big for her tiny size still. She's just not quite ready... more toddlerish.

3. Umbrella ---ditto above. Later on we'll love it, I'm sure!

4. Lightweight 14 lb sit up stroller -- shower gift. This is a great stroller and if she is awake she does well in it. The bar with toys is way too high for her to enjoy and she has to sit very straight, but it's easy and light and works pretty well.

So we've been carrying #1 and #4 in our car everywhere we go to accommodate a sleeping in the carseat child or a need to sit up big girl child. It's getting difficult to manage two in one car at one time!

It turns out that Graco now makes a stroller that matches our car seat in single and double and that means that the car seat would fit right in! Thereby eliminating the need for 2 strollers. We test drove them both at Babies R Us. We listened to advice from our friend (thanks Shauna!) about the hopes that we have to add to our family in the next year and a half and looked at the double stroller. She suggested not buying a single now and then a double in a year.

So that's what we did... we purchased a double stroller in chocolate brown and green that matches our car seat and is beyond any good description. Our daughter is riding in style and comfort beyond what we realized we needed!

Graco has created a stroller by combining the best of all the others! The stroller has the ability to snap in 2 car seats at the same time. OR you can take of the front bar and add snack/drink cups for a toddler. The bottom basket collapses so you can reach it when a sleeping child is in the back. The back and front seats have 3 positions and both have huge canopy covers. The front wheels spin all the way around or lock into place if you prefer. The brake is one bar that controls the whole back. There is a removeable soft sided holder for cell phone, keys, glasses, etc... (pretty large) plus 2 removeable cup holders (so you can wash them). It has regular handles to pushwith your palms down and upright handles to hold on to like a bike (good place to hang shopping bags too!).

While a double stroller might seems sort of extravagant and could not end up being what we need in the future, it really gives us the option to allow Hadarya to stay asleep in her carseat attached and then if she wakes up, to sit up in the front and see what is going on. We can also take along a friend wherever we go and that means one less hassle with another stroller in crowded places.

The best part is how much Hadarya loves it! She sat in the front in our house for 40 minutes playing with the stroller toy that she could reach. She took a 2 hour nap at a noisy outdoor festival and didn't want to wake up because she was so comfortable stretched out in the back. AND... it is a one handed fold that locks immediately. EASY to do while holding a child. I was impressed with the ease in which I could do this with Hadarya in my arms.

So our baby girl gets an amazing new mode of transportation and one that we hope will inspire our minds with positive focus on bringing another child into our family in the near future.

The Burning Bush

Passover is my favorite holiday. I love the idea of cleaning the house and setting out special dishes and doing a lot of baking and cooking. I love having family around and telling the story of our ancestors. I love the time we all spend together and the yummy foods.

Hadarya's first Passover was spent at "Uncle" Eli's and "Aunt" Susie's house. We had made arrangements to be guests this year since we were going to be on vacation until the day before and all of our immediate families has plans to be other places! It turns out (due to the health issues mentioned in previous post) that my immediate family was in town and joined us too. It was a night to remember and we have photos to prove it!

Hadarya has been laughing out loud for some time. She has a great laugh, a funny giggle, and infectious belly laugh. It's easy to get her to laugh and you can do lots of things to illicit any of the above responses. Tickle her under the arms, play peek-a-boo, get items out of the basket from her stroller (over and over and over again) and she thinks it's a game; hide behind the wall and come out into the doorway;jump on the couch cushions or blow raspberries on her belly with a rough beard.

The creative minds of the Meltzer clan decided to do a shortened children's Passover seder that included props, scripts, and music. The big kids sat around the dining room table and the adults stood on the outside. I was at the far end of the room holding Hadarya while the play was being performed at the other end. She sat her in pretty dress and watched what was going on. At the point in which the burning bush showed up, Hadarya broke into spontaneous hysterical laughter. Jennifer held the bush up but had not started moving it or shaking it and huge giggles erupted from our side of the room. She laughed so hard and for so long, that everyone else was laughing with her. The photos on flicker show her big giggles and the responses of everyone else.

I feel safe to say that my daughter loves Passover as much as I do. I hope that continues as she gets bigger and gets to help clean the house!

Vacation Interrupted

On Saturday, March 25th, we took off for a long anticipated trip to Yosemite for a week. We planned this vacation 13 months ago and without a baby in our thoughts. We were eager to travel with her and explore this park for the first time.

We stopped in Los Angeles for a baby shower of some dear friends and had a ball being with them. On our way out, my sister called to tell me that my father had been hospitalized with chest pains. We turned around and returned to San Diego.

My father, who plays golf once a week and visits the gym 5 times a week, had been experiencing chest pains when he exercised over the last week. He kept it to himself until that morning when he and my sister did a 5K walk. It was determined that he DID NOT have a heart attack but there was obviously something wrong.

On Monday AM, they did an angiogram and discovered two blocked arteries. The doctors at Scripps inserted 3 stents into the arteries and yesterday he got a clearance to resume all normal activities. It was a scary time in our family. We also were dealing with health issues of my mom (bone spur, unable to walk without wrenching pain!) and my aunt (bladder cancer, 90% coverage, surgery April 13th) and my uncle (tumor on bladder probably cancer). It was a tough week.

We ended up leaving Monday night to still be away for the rest of the week, which ended up being enough time away. It was a delightful time spent as a family, relaxing, hiking, napping, reading, and just being together. It was hard because our hearts were at home with our families and worrying about how everyone was.

We took a day long tour of Yosemite that ended up being a private tour and was just amazing. We had a great tour guide, who "babysat" our sleeping beauty when she was napping during an opportunity to hike. She actually awoke when we were at the falls taking pictures and she just smiled away at Gordon... whom she had not met until the moment she opened her eyes! She continues to amaze us with her flexibility and friendliness.

It was nice to be home and be WITH our family and experience Passover and still be off of work for an entire week!

Where does the time go???

I cannot believe it's been 3 weeks since I've written about my darling daughter.... there is so much to tell and so much has happened in the last few weeks. I will do separate short posts on the highlights. Suffice it to say that we have been without Internet (can you believe that?) while we were on vacation and off of teaching. That was almost 2 weeks of the time.

Sunday was the 6 month birthday of Hadarya. It is almost incomprehensible that we've been blessed with this beauty in our lives for a 1/2 of a year. She is such a big girl now compared to then... we remembered her BIRTH day all day long and silently prayed for her birth mom's health, happiness, and strength. She gave us an amazing gift that we will forever be grateful for.

Hadarya Tali weighed 17 lbs. 12 oz on Monday at her appointment. She was 25 1/2 inches tall. She has the rolls on her legs and arms to prove that she loves to eat and does not miss a meal! She enjoys green beans, peas, peas with brown rice are a favorite, winter squash, and carrots. We are going to venture into sweet potatoes and butternut squash later this week and next. She does not refuse the rice cereal but loves the oatmeal more for breakfast.

Her favorite toys are her fingers that feel so yummy on her two teeth just bursting to break through her upper gums on the side. She is going to be a fang girl! She also LOVES her jumperoo (thank you JEFF!) and can bounce bounce bounce for a long long long time. If she is on your lap, she likes to pretend that you are the jumperoo and she jumps expecting you to lift her like the toy. She also loves anything that fits into her mouth...Mr. Giraffe (thank you Tamar, Joel, and Aidin!) has been a long time favorite that she can hug and chew. She also has begun to love Eli the Elephant because its trunk fits nicely into her mouth. Her other favorite toy are some soft, edible like keys on rings (Yeah, Eddie, Jeanne and Jacob!).

She has rolled over from her back to her tummy 4 times and that is enough for her. She showed us she can do it and she is done. She does play on her tummy and has begun scooting backwards. She sits unassisted but will fall backwards if she looks up at you too high! She loves her "older" toys from this new perspective. She is also able to sit in a "big"girl stroller and loves looking out at the world.

Hadarya is curious, interested in people, and very social. She has begun to exhibit a little bit of being left behind anxiety when she is separated from Ema and Aba. We are hoping that she will be able to deal with that better and better!

She continues to sleep through the night, but has begun to wake up around 4 AM and would prefer to snuggle with us instead of staying her own bed! But it's hard to complain when she goes to bed between 7 and 7:30 every night. Nine uninterrupted hours of sleep is pretty good! The napping patterns are not so consistent between all the different people who take care of her during the week. We hope that things will settle in more this week with us back at work.

No matter what...our lives are forever touched by this darling who has settled deep in our hearts.

Food. Glorious Food!

Tonight was the night. We gave in. We tried to hold out until 6 months was upon us. But alas we couldn't wait. SHE couldn't wait. It was time.

Hadarya had rice cereal at dinner time. She began to show interest in our food, eating utensils, cups, and began losing interest in her bottles about 10 days ago. BUT we wanted her to be 6 months old. We wanted to travel without the hassle. We wanted to avoid as many food allergies as possible. Plus our friends all said that rice cereal was blah and that their kids did not like it.

Well, my friends, our daughter LOVED it. I think she's going to like pretty much anything that can go in her mouth. She ate the entire serving and probably would have had more if we'd let her.

We made 1 tbls of rice cereal with 1 oz of formula. It was on the runny side so she could suck on the spoon like she does her bottle. It took about 6 sucking motions and she figured it out! She got how to eat off a spoon. It was so cool to watch her figure it out and see the connections made. She didn't even make much of a mess and the little that got on her face, she licked off with her tongue!

We are going to try it a little thicker tomorrow and give her only rice cereal through Saturday. Then we are going to start on the green veggies... mmm, that should make changing diapers fun!

Taking the Red-Eye

Two weeks ago tomorrow (can I actually use past tense with future tense and write it in the present tense???) Hadarya and I flew to Philadelphia on the red-eye. Yiftach was attending a two-day conference and we decided to join him for an extended weekend to visit with our dear friends (who introduced us and married us) we had not seen since they'd moved to Voorhees, New Jersey, 2 1/2 years ago.

I was pretty nervous taking such a long flight, with a change of planes, by myself and my daughter. Fortunately, for me, I had a first class ticket all the way there and my daughter is amazing, so I needn't have worried. She slept like a champ through security, into the bjorn, and into the first class seat. She settled in nicely on my chest and snoozed the entire way. She awoke in Atlanta and stayed up for the hour layover, but fell asleep as soon as we got back on the plane!

Our time was great in New Jersey. Hadarya stayed on California time, so she slept until 9:30 AM every day! She had so much fun playing with Rebecca, 11, and Josh, 5. They were so loving and kind and helpful. Josh loved feeding, changing her diaper, and putting on powder. They both rushed downstairs to see her first thing each morning and fought over who got to push her stroller!

We spent the day (the three of us) touring Independance Hall in Philly while they all worked and went to school. We had breakfast at Cereality (a cereal bar) which was so yummy and then walked around the historical monuments in 30 degree weather. Hadarya loved the cold air and being out and about. She took her nap just before we got to the Betsey Ross House, so we only saw the gift shop.

We tried to go to the mint, where the coins were misprinted, but cameras are not allowed inside at all...and we were told to take turns or not go at all. It was quite stupid, actually, that none of the brochures had mentioned this and didn't they think that tourists would always have a camera??? Since it was visible, we couldn't really say we didn't have one. We even offered to leave it at a desk and check it... but that is not an option. So we left in a huff and ended up seeing an amazing interactive exhibit at the Federal Reserve Bank,

We spent Shabbat with Alyssa, Stephen, Rebecca, and Joshua. We had a lovely and yummy Shabbat dinner and stayed up late talking and reminiscing. Shabbat morning we went to see her new shul, meet some of their fabulous friends, and just take in an East Coast Synagogue. You don't have to work so hard at being Jewish on the East Coast. Their synagogue has 1100 families and 600 kids who attend Sunday School. It's unbelievable. They are getting ready to break ground for an amazing new building and we look forward to being at Rebecca's Bat Mitzvah to see it and celebrate.

Hadarya flew better than many adults and had a wonderful time wherever we went. Her only freak out moment, was on the way home on the crowded plane. She was fast asleep before we ever took off and another child, about 14 months old was screaming his head off two rows in front of us. He stopped and then started again at some point when it was ok to take off your seatbelt. I know this beacause Hadarya suddenly awoke screaming and would not calm down with a bottle or cuddling. I got up and climbed over two seats and moved towards the back of the plane, away from the screaming child and his mother, who remained seated in an aisle seat. As soon as I got far enough away that you could not hear the screaming, Hadarya calmed down. I felt so bad for her to awaken that way. We stayed standing in the aisle until the boy calmed down and fell asleep and Hadarya was back asleep too.

Our next stop: Yosemite. Next week.

Marveling at my Daughter

So for no apparent reason, today, March 14, 2007, I suddenly noticed things about my daughter that I had not noticed before. Things she can do, easily, readily, and excitedly.

I wonder, "When did she learn that?" "Have I been missing it for a long time?"

Here is what I noticed:

1. She pulls hair. Lots of it. (note to self: cut it off next week)
2. She had developed a keen interest in what we are eating (grabs for the plate), how we are eating, (watching us use utensils is a big eye opener) and no longer so thrilled with her liquid only diet!
3. She has discovered her toes, but isn't so sure exactly what they are all about.
4. She laughs deeply and often at the slightest hint of our funny voices or giggles.
5. She is almost sitting up on her own (10 second rule and then boom!)
6. She looks all over for us when we leave the room.
7. She wears a size 3 diaper.
8. She has at least six delicious rolls per thigh.
9. She holds my face with her hands if I get close to her face on the changing table.
10. She can definately see much clearer and that keeps her curiousity peaked when we are out and the napping to a minimum if she has too much to see and learn.

I marvel every day at her existence in my life and all the amazing things she does.

Gotta Brag

Tonight I took Hadarya to the monthly Board of Directors meeting for our synagogue. She normally falls asleep about 7 PM or just shortly after, but with the time change she feels it is her right to stay up until at least 8 PM. So she dozed in the car until we arrived and then happily hung out, listened to the conversation, had a bottle, and watched people.

We didn't leave until 9:01 PM at which time my happy, smiling baby (who distracted everyone with her cuteness during my report) promptly and silently fell asleep.

When we arrived home she needed a diaper change badly and she opened her eyes wide at the ability to stretch out and nicely lifted her legs for me to remove the extra 5 pounds on her tush. I laid her down in her crib and she rolled over onto her back and stared straight into my eyes while we sang the S'hma and V'Ahavta.

She rolled onto her favorite side, clutched her handmade taggie, and was fast asleep.

I know that this is not typical. I know that we are getting spoiled. I know that it could end. But while this sweetness and ease of bedtimes lasts... we are loving every last second.

I have to go stare at my beauty sleeping for a while!!!

Extraordinary

Our daughter is EXTRAORDINARY. There is no question about it. She is remarkable and amazing. While we might be biased as her parents, there is way too much evidence to prove these statements.

Hadarya has had a runny nose since Sunday but we think it's related to teething issues not a cold. She has had less of an appetite and is sleeping more, but no fever, no crankiness, and no sick issues. She has also had a lingering red diaper rash that rears its ugly head more during the day. We cannot seem to rid her of it yet she never complains, whines, fusses, or cries about it.

We've been waking her up the last few nights to change her diaper (allowing us to sleep through the night knowing we've added more cream upon layer of cream to protect her private areas) and give her a bottle to in order to make sure that she is getting enough food.

You would think she would cry to be woken up from sleeping to get her diaper changed. Maybe she would fuss to be pulled up from her warm bed and cozy blankets. Possibly she would just sleep through it all and let us finish quickly. BUT no, not our EXTRAORDINARY daughter.

Our EXTRAORDINARY daughter opens her beautiful eyes and looks at me with a huge smile on her face. She giggles and waves her arms and kicks her legs a hundred miles a minute. ALL of this in the middle of the night. She let's me change her wet diaper, talk sweetness to her lovely face, and cuddly her delicious body against mine as she willingly gulps a few more ounces of her bottle.

Tonight our EXTRAORDINARY daughter went out to dinner with friends right at the time she usually falls sound asleep. She was napping and we picked her up to take her in the car. She had a ball at dinner, ate her dinner, and hung out with all of us way past her bed time. She then went out for dessert and laughed and smiled at everyone. She actually laughed out loud as I changed her diaper and put on her jammies and then snuggled with Aba and fell fast asleep.

Yes, our daughter is EXTRAORDINARY, REMARKABLE, and AMAZING. We are blessed to have this beautiful being in our lives.

This and That

Hadarya has had an amazing few weeks.

She turned 4 months old on February 8th.
She slept through the night the week before. (10-12 hours!)
She had her shots on 2/16 and handled them like a trooper.
She traveled to San Jose to meet her Great Aunt and Great Uncle.
She spends lots of time in her exersaucer.
She holds both her head and her back very steady.
She pulls up with her hands to a standing position and loves to jump.
She loves her new bumbo chair borrowed from her friend Maital.
She talks non-stop and is practicing her low, gutteral tones.
She smiles at everyone and anyone.
She is tall and healthy except for a runny nose (her first cold!)
She kicks up a storm on the changing table (her favorite place).
She has diaper rash because she now sleeps through the night (she doesn't complain)
She has begun scooting herself backwards by pushing off anything and everything.

The best part of the day is coming home to her smile and hugs.

We are looking forward to our trip to Philadelphia next week and more exciting adventures.

Gonna be a Flyer

Hadarya took her first plane ride on February 9, 2007--4 months 1 day old. We traveled to Northern California to visit her Great Aunt and Uncle and her cousins who came in from Chico and Sacramento to visit. It was a glorious trip!

We decided to leave on Saturday morning so we'd have at least one good night's sleep at home and she could fly close to her bottle and AM nap time. Our daughter had been sleeping through the night for about 10 days at this time, so we were hopeful that a flight wouldn't change things.

She is so alert and curious that she bypassed her usual 8:20 AM nap in favor of looking at the great things in the SD airport. We boarded the plane as pre-boarding passengers; which really means the head of the line! I was surprised to see the whole line of people right behind us as we struggled to get into the seats with all our stuff.

We were very lucky because there were extra seats on the plane and Hadarya got one to herself! She promptly fell asleep before I even buckled her into her car seat and slept the entire way.

We had a glorious weekend with all her cousins and Great Aunt and Uncle. Everyone delighted in her smiles and holding her and feeding her. Aunt Judy was thrilled to hold her and laugh with her and Uncle Ron was tickled to feed her. Cousin Eddie drove in from Sacramento and got the best deep belly laughs from our girl. Cousin Wendy and her girls, Cassidy and Callie drove in from Chico and stayed through Monday.

We all had fun hanging out, going to the mall, and taking lots of photos. Being together with our children, creating memories to last us a while helps ease any pain at living so far away. We can't wait to see them this summer!

No Babyland Blues

It's amazing that just over a week ago I thought the world was crashing down on me and I couldn't handle all the intense pressure I was putting on myself to BE to everyone and do whatever needed to be done well.

My daughter sleeps through the night. 5 nights in a row with last night not waking up once!
My daughter cuddled with me after her bottle and flashed her gummy grin often.
My daughter held onto the sides of her bathtub and steadied herself into a sitting position.
I made a delicious dinner that we actually ate together uninterrupted.
I pulled out clothes for our trip this weekend to SF.
My house is picked up and within my living standards.
I returned 4 phone calls and held long conversations.
I followed up with 2 business parties I booked for this month.

and it's only 8:30 PM. Wow, I might actually have time to read my book!!!

Sun and Sand ~ not babyproof

We spent the weekend in LA to celebrate my sister-in-law's birthday. We waited until the end of the week to make the final decision to go to see how my week at work was and my emotional IQ.

There were no specific plans for the weekend, other than my sister-in-law's request to spend time with us. Her friend was throwing a dessert party Saturday night and they were going out on a date for dinner beforehand. The entire family was having brunch on Sunday somewhere. No details were given except the time of the party.

So off we went and had a great, late lunch with Nana and Saba before heading over to play with Cousin Jonah, Doda Shlomit and Dod Dave. We spent a couple of hours hanging out with them before they left for dinner and then met them at the party. It was a nice day doing lots of things.

Brunch on Sunday was at a place called Back on the Beach Cafe in Santa Monica. While Nana had told us it was on the beach and Jonah could play in the sand, we did not really comprehend that it was ON THE BEACH. Literally.

Therefore the stroller with the sleeping baby was not going to make it to sit in the sand at the table. SO we turned around and put the stroller and car seat back in the car. We woke the baby as we put her in the Bjorn and carried the backpack diaper bag and sat at a table without any shade. In the sun. In the sand.

The only seats left at the table were the ones facing the sun, so we sat; with a 4-month-old who had no hat (we didn't know we were going to be here) and no sunscreen (too young) facing the hot morning sun. The diaper bag sat in my lap as the only other option was the sand at my feet, which were in socks and closed toe shoes.

We covered our daughter in a blanket to block the sun from her skin and face so she could at least see and held her as long as she allowed. The diaper bag was tall enough to provide a shade for her sitting on my lap, but that only lasted a few minutes.

I left the table when she got fussy, spit her pacifier into the sand, and needed a bottle. I discovered a shady area that led into an inside seating area; with no sand and no sun. More appropriate for a baby. So I sat by myself and fed her on the bench by the hostess stand. I sent my husband out to sit with his family and eat.

We were pretty angry at the lack of understanding, respect, and sensitivity. They have a child... Would they have sat with him at 4 months old in the sun? What was wrong with being inside? If we'd sat where they were at the table, we could have shielded her from the sun with our bodies, but then they would have had to sit facing the sun. It was not a good morning for us with family and the 1-1/2 hours we spent with them just made us upset.

When they went off to see the rest of the beach and the ocean, we left for home. Spending time with them was one thing; exposing our daughter to the hot sun and sand was another. We opted for the safety and comfort of our daughter over family. We do not regret it.

All Nighter

8:30 PM - 4:44 AM

Hadarya slept so well, despite the massive diaper episode (see previous post) and slightly interrupted sleep pattern. At the point that she let us know she was up she had managed to wiggle herself from the bottom of the crib to the middle side and was bumping her head into the bumper. She is trying so hard to roll over that when she gets into that position she arches her back and tries to move onto her side. This causes frustration.

We gave her the pacifier and she settled down... for 10 mins. Then we tried it again and she settled down... for 10 mins. At this point (5:10 AM) we brought her into our warm bed and she fell right asleep snuggled against her Aba. Ima had to get up in less than an hour, so Aba got the joy of her sweet, warm body. This time she slept until 6:45 AM and awoke happy and smiley.

The best part of all, is that we not only got a great night's sleep but she did not need a bottle in the middle of the night. We will see how the weekend goes, but I think we've moved into the sleep all night category! WOOHOO!

Three Diapers Later

After her 8 PM bottle she promptly fell sound asleep. Since we were not at home, she happily snuggled into her carseat, hugged her homemade taggie blanket, and slept, well, like a baby. We got home about 45 minutes later and began the transfer to her crib. Warm and cozy against my chest, I got a whiff of the baby scent. . . except according to super sniffer daddy it was not the lovely baby scent we love.

Off to the changing table with a sleeping baby to get her fresh enough to go to bed for a long long night. She actually stayed asleep while I took care of business. Then she peed all over the clean diaper but mostly on the top of her onsie. Off with that diaper (while she semi-awoke and stayed happy). We had to wipe her down, take off the pads, and the clothes. We put another diaper under her and got the diaper rash cream ready to go and SHE PEED AGAIN! Off with that diaper and wipe her down again and start over. By this time, she was awake and not so happy.

We NASCAR PIT CREWED her on the ottoman (since there was not a clean pad on the changing table) and together we got her into new jammies. We had a bottle ready and she topped off with 2 more ounces at 9:30. She was so completely asleep that she allowed us to put her in the crib without making a move or sound.

Hmmm...we could be in a for a good night! At least we can hope.

Overwhelmed

Today is a tough day. For no particular reason Thursday, January 25th is hard.

I am finding it increasingly difficult to balance work, being a mom, running my business, finding time for myself/my husband and keeping my house clean, laundry done, and food cooked... all that does not include doing anything fun nor does it include returning any phone calls or making phone calls just to chat or grocery shopping or going to the movies or reading.

I am just too tired.
I have no energy by the end of the day.
I feel like I am barely bobbing on the surface and the water is going to close in over my head.

....and all i want to do is spend time with my baby and do mommy things and not have to worry about paying the bills.

Big Day in Babyland!

We have a RN who comes out once a month to check on Hadarya's development, height, weight, motor skills, etc. It's really cool because she is funny, calm, talkative, and stays for over an hour. We actually get a chance to ask questions, show her things, and see how well Hadarya's doing without feeling rushed at the doctor.

SO our daughter weighs 13 lbs 15.5 oz and is just about 25 inches long! She has grown tremendously and is doing very well. She is doing many things she should be for her age and many things ahead of schedule. I know I gave a list of her things she does right about 3 months but there are more fantastic things.

Today we showed Pam, the RN, how Hadarya has suddenly, in the last week, been able to hold her head and chest up at a 45 degree angle. It's great! So she happily showed off and laughed and then SHE ROLLED OVER! We thought it was a fluke and so we put her on her tummy again and she ROLLED THE OTHER WAY!

We tried for a third time and she did not disappoint. Over she went with lots of pushing of her leg and clearly realizing the concept. Once on her back she pushed her leg and arched her back getting ready to roll back over. She has not done the reverse roll yet, but we are on our way of bigger accomplishments than eating our hands!

That's our girl. Delightful. Happy. Intelligent. We can't wait to see what she does next.