San Francisco - Part 1

It's Tuesday December 6, and we have so far survived 2+ days in San Francisco with a baby. The flight went pretty well. Emmaline got sleepy about halfway through but was too interested in everything going on around her to fall asleep for about 30 minutes. In the mean time, she was not happy, and Chris and I took turns holding and rocking her. It felt like a flashback to her first 2 months of life, when she was much fussier and had a hard time falling asleep. In fact, that's kind of a synopsis of how she's been this whole trip. She is mostly happy but when she gets tired it's a challenge since we're often out and about.

Monday morning I didn't have any talks to go to right away, so I went for a run while Chris scouted out a good place for coffee. I had a nice run, with a half mile on a street so steep the sidewalk had stairs! I am not in shape for that kind of gradient, but the view at the top was worth it - the bay, Alcatraz, the Bay Bridge, and a beautiful crystal clear morning! I met Chris and Emmaline at the Blue Bottle coffee shop - they roast their own coffee and have 'siphons' for brewing it. It looked like an alchemy lab. We just got drip coffee, but it is brewed to order and was really delicious.

After I went to the meeting, Chris took Emmaline on an adventure across the Golden Gate Bridge! He said it was really windy and she slept most of the way. Today they went to Fisherman's Wharf, so she is getting to see all the sites! She has progressed a lot in the last 2 weeks. She is super grabby - she will reach for anything within 1-2 feet of her (watches, nalgenes, coffee cups, menus, airplane tray tables, etc). It is amazing that now when she wants something, she just picks it up (and puts it right in her mouth). Also yesterday, she was on her tummy and pushed up to her hands and knees! She is so active! But so cute too - she makes the cutest noises :)

The meeting is going well for me. I've been to some interesting talks (& some not so interesting), and have made some good contacts during the poster sessions. I'm trying to focus on meeting people and networking! I have a few leads, we'll see where things go. I think the name badges for people like me should say something like "Looking for a job" instead of "Member". Tomorrow and Thursday there will be even more sessions relevant to the Amazon and drought, which are my current interests, so I'm looking forward to that. I've also had some failures - like when I spilled coffee all over my bag and then put the bag on, therefore getting coffee all over my white jacket. Or when I sat in a session for 10 minutes before realizing I was in the wrong room. Or when I went into the "mother's room" to pump and was in and out before the two women already in there were done, giving me mammary envy. I often feel like I am equally on the cusp of having it together and completely falling apart.

Anyway, I need to get to work on my defense - I am defending on the 19th!! Yikes. Chris is out with some friends, and I'm watching Emmaline (which is pretty easy since it's past her bed time!). I feel very fortunate to have such great friends, who my husband also gets along with! :)

4 months!!

I'm processing some results and was reminded by a friend of mine that I haven't posted pictures of the Cute One lately. Although she is about to wake up, so I might not get much up, but here are a few gems from the past month:4 month picture

She is getting really good at holding her head up, and also enjoys checking out the baby in the mirror from time to time.

Lately Chris has taken to giving our daughter a fauhawk.

The purpose of life at 4 months is to put everything possible in your mouth. This ball can be a little perplexing though - how do you fit something big and round in your mouth??Nora is still safe around Emmaline but I don't think this will last much longer!


This is Emmaline's "talking" face.

Update from the lazy blogger

I realized today it's been almost a month since my last post!! Wow. We are doing great. Chris worked almost every day last week, so it was a struggle to stay on top of life, but I think we are managing (barely). Emmaline is great - she now is wearing 3-6 month clothing because she is so tall! She is "talking" a lot, and it's really fun to go back and forth with her making all sorts of funny noises. She is also able to hold her head up very well, and sometimes we put her in her bumpo seat. She tolerates it for about a minute but then begins to slouch. But Chris and I are still impressed she is able to sit in it at all (only 3 months old seems early to me).

I almost have a draft of a paper done, which might sound impressive until I mention this is the third draft of this paper I've written this year, and I haven't even submitted the darned thing yet. I've also been applying for a couple of jobs - one in Hamburg, Germany, and one in Pasadena, Cal. Thinking about getting a job and leaving Fort Collins, and finishing my degree, and traveling to conferences, all in the next ~6 months makes my head want to explode. So I'm trying to just take it one day at a time and stay focused.

My mom is coming to town Wednesday and it will be great to have her. I know she's looking forward to seeing Emmaline (she has grown a lot since her last visit when she was ~1 week old!), and I'm looking forward to the help around the house and a little extra time to get some work done. Also, tomorrow is Chris and my 8 YEAR wedding anniversary, and so we'll be able to celebrate this weekend with free babysitting :).

We've had some fun lately, too. I'm really enjoying being able to play softball and kickball again (you heard right, I'm in an adult kickball league!). The weather has been unusually warm so we haven't had a freezing cold game yet, which I think is a first in the 6 years I've played fall softball in Ft. Collins! Our last games are this week and I will miss playing. Especially since this is probably our last softball season in the Fort :(. Well, I'll end with some more pictures ...

My friend Jennifer got married at the end of September at Red Rocks State Park. It was a gorgeous day for an outdoor wedding. The ceremony was equally beautiful. They had written their own vows and signed them to one another, while some interpreters said them, and they were very personal, loving, and sincere. I loved how they were able to use body language in professing the vows since they were signing, it seemed even more meaningful than if they had spoken them. Anyway, here are some pics from the day:

Chris has a fancy new lens, so we have been taking even more pictures of Emmaline. While I was away on a girls' weekend in early October, Chris took these pictures:

The juggling act

Mommy's sunshine!

My life has taken on a bit of a personality disorder. On one hand, I enjoy what I do and the people I work with, so I was somewhat looking forward to getting back to work. I'm making some progress again on my dissertation, after a couple of weeks slow-down due to idiotic supercomputers and buggy code.

On the other hand, I love being with Emmaline. Plus, Chris' schedule has forced me to be home a few days the past couple of weeks (last week because of a hike, and this week because he is working). Also our daycare person has previous commitments to watch another infant for a few weeks, so she can only watch Emmaline for half a day Tuesday and Thursday. It is challenging to find time to get work done in between watching her and keeping the house somewhat orderly. Yesterday I got up at 7:00 but didn't get a chance to work until about 5:00, and ended up staying up until midnight doing some work. Yuck.

Even when I'm at work, I can only do so much because every 3 hours or so I take 20-30 minutes to pump. This has been my least favorite part of motherhood! I don't mind feeding her myself. It's usually fairly relaxing - I often either watch TV while she eats or just stare at her and wonder at how awesome she is. But pumping at work sucks (haha). It's boring and an intrusion on whatever progress I might happen to be making. Also it's awkward to have to stop talking science with someone because I'm getting painfully full. My goal is to nurse for 6 months and I know this work/pumping balance will be the hardest part. On the bright side - I'm almost halfway to my goal and physically there haven't been any huge issues.

But staying home with Emmaline can be a lot of fun. I enjoy hanging out with her on the floor - looking at her colorful toys, listening to her make funny noises, singing Frank Sinatra to her, reading books, & watching her work her muscles during tummy time. I think she likes baths now and those are fun, too. She especially enjoys being wrapped in a towel after her bath. I've been able to see some friends, too. Last week, Kim and Cedar came over for a little bit. And yesterday, my friend Mollie and I went on a walk (she had her daughter Charley last Sunday - I can't believe she was able to walk for 1.5 hours with me!!).

A couple of weeks ago I had a realization. I've been coming home during lunch on the days I work. It's nice to feed her myself and to see Chris in the middle of the day. One day, she fell asleep in my arms after she ate, and I just sat there for a while with her. I tried to make a mental image of the moment so I can remember the feeling and look of her at this time in her life. I have some other happy places I have mentally stockpiled - the Lizard Head trail in the Wind River Range, the Needles district of Canyonlands, the vistas and small villages we visited in the Alps, and the Flattop Mountains. But now I have a totally different kind of happy place :).

I'll have a few more days to work on this juggling act because Chris has some more work to do. That is definitely a blessing. I just hope it doesn't postpone my defense date by too much!!

Sometimes when I come home I tell Emmaline what I've been working on. She doesn't even pretend to care:

Tummy time!

Life is good today ...

I'll keep in the spirit of blog posts for the time-crunched, and just update some highlights over the last few days. As the post says, things are going well lately.

This morning Emmaline looked at the monkey on her mobile, smiled, and then grabbed it! So awesome. (I realize if you don't have kids this sounds like no big deal, but after 2 months of her hitting herself in the face with her flailing arms, it's exciting that she is beginning to control them!)

Last night I went to see Zac Brown Band at Red Rocks with my friend Michelle. It was a great concert, even though it rained almost the whole time! I forgot how much I love concerts - it's so much fun to sing along and dance, even though I am awful at both. I've never been to a concert at Red Rocks and it was as great a venue as everyone says it is. I missed Emmaline, especially since she had been in daycare all day, but it was also really nice to have a night "off". So thanks, Michelle, for thinking of me and letting me be your date for the night!! :)

We moved Emmaline into her nursery on Sunday night, mainly for the benefit of whoever is not feeding her. Also we thought maybe we would sleep more soundly because she is a grunter! So far it's been working. I'm not sure if it's related or not, but she went 7 hours between feedings Monday and Tuesday nights! Monday night was the best because she was asleep from 10-4 AM! We went to sleep at 11, and I was so excited about getting 5 hours of consecutive sleep that I couldn't get back to sleep - ironic.

I decided not to do the half marathon in November. For one thing, I am barely running - maybe 5 miles a week. I don't want to injure myself trying to do too much too quickly. Also, I underestimated how much I would want to be with the baby, instead of working out. Since I'm also trying to finish my dissertation, it just seems like too much. However ... I think I will register for a trail 10K in San Francisco the weekend before AGU! :)

Speaking of finishing the dissertation - it's not going well.

The babe and the 'boat

Since I'll be working full-time again on Monday, Chris and I decided to escape to the mountains for a few days. We chose our favorite mountain town, Steamboat Springs. We've been here since Wednesday, and it's been pretty much like paradise! We've been mountain biking, hanging out with Emmaline, and watching some bike racing. The baby has been pretty good overall. Her sleep schedule is a little messed up, but other than that she has been a trooper.

We are high maintenance coffee drinkers, this is everything we brought for making coffee!Getting dressed on Thursday. It's been sunny so she needs a hat (pants are on the way). She is definitely smiling these days, it is really cute :)
We've mostly enjoyed the trails on Howelson Hill/Emerald Mountain. The singletrack is AMAZING!! Chris hung out in a park with Emmaline while I enjoyed the tight, smooth trails through aspen glades, and the sweeping switchbacks through wide open meadows - heavenly! I've been pretty slow but very very happy to back on the bike.

Emmaline really loves her dad, and even when she's tired she'll get a smile on her face when he's around. This is before the family nap on Thursday (7 miles of mountain biking really wipes you out when you're out of shape!).

Speaking of sleeping, Emmaline was awake 2:30-5 AM Friday morning. So instead of riding that morning, we all hung out in bed a little longer.
Friday we took turns riding at Howelson, and then met up to watch the end of the US Pro Cycling Challenge in downtown Steamboat. Chris bought us oreo-covered doughnuts!! Oh my gosh, what a way to end a ride :)
I painted a onesie to look like the Leopard Trek kit, so Emmaline could cheer on Andy Schleck, her favorite rider!
There were people everywhere to watch the end of the race. The atmosphere was electric! The bikers came by so fast, but it was worth the wait.
After a hot day, we let Emmaline hang out mostly naked, and Chris and I enjoyed a dip in the pool.

Watching the sunset from our patio - a perfect ending to a perfect day!!
Today we drove about a mile up Rabbit Ears pass to watch the bike race. Once again, it was super exciting!! First a breakaway of 5 guys passed us, followed by Cadel Evans (winner of the Tour de France) and another dude chasing them down, and then the peloton came wooshing by.
Chris spent the afternoon riding on the Beall and Ridge trails at Emerald Mountain, and I sat in a park with Emmaline. Tomorrow it's my turn to ride, right before we had back home and to reality :(. This has been a wonderful break. I'm glad we've been able to get out and about with Emmaline. And I've really loved spending time on trails like this ...

Snippets

I started this post almost 2 weeks ago!

The baby
Alright, I know this is the only reason most of you read my blog these days ;), so I'll start with the good stuff. Lately Emmaline is really becoming more aware of her surroundings. It's so much fun to watch her discover the world around her. Last night Chris and I took her on a walk in her stroller. Usually the best we can hope for is for her to fall asleep. But last night she was awake and looking around the whole time. She seemed to be in awe of everything she saw, even if it was just blurry shapes on her periphery.

She's also been growing quite well. In her first month she went from 6lb 12oz, to 8 lb 13oz! Most of her newborn clothes don't fit well, which makes me a little sad, even though I should want my daughter to grow. The funny thing is her newborn diapers don't come all the way up her back, which kind of makes her look like a plumber. Not so good for leak protection, though!!

Work - blah
Chris took on a huge project in early August, which in his words "Nearly killed him". He probably worked 80 hours the 2 weeks he was working on it. Luckily my friend Laurie was out for one weekend during that time, and she was a great help (and fun to be with!). Chris also got sick, so he was either working or quarantined away from Emmaline the whole 2 weeks. It was very hard for both of us. We were grateful for the income, but very glad when he finished the video (which you can see here - he did everything from casting to shooting & editing).

This past week I also went back to the grind. Honestly, in some ways I was looking forward to it. I enjoy what I do, and am anticipating wrapping things up sometime soon(ish?). I also really like the people I work with, and was missing some of the social interactions. So for all those reasons, it was good to be back. I missed Emmaline though! The hardest thing is the mornings. Usually I go back to sleep after her last feeding (anywhere between 5-7 AM), but this week I stayed awake. So I'm operating on about 6 hours total sleep each night, but it's not really enough! At least she doesn't mind when I drink coffee (in moderation), thank the Lord! :)

That's all I have for now. Emmaline is asleep but I bet she will wake up soon (she ate at 6:40 and it's past 11). In other news, the garden is doing pretty well! Although we have very little time to tend to it or fix the veggies that come out of it. But they sure look nice :)

Cuteness Overload

Today was fun. I hardly slept at all the day before, so was very pleased when Emmaline let me sleep until 10:00 (with a few interruptions, of course). Then we rushed over to my friend Kim's house, who had her son Cedar just two days after our new arrival. It was nice to visit with her and laugh about some of the crazy experiences we've had over the past month. Then we had a photo shoot with the two new friends. Cedar was wide awake but Emmaline slept through the encounter - although that didn't stop her from snuggling up with her new friend! It was super adorable.


Next we went to Starbucks to catch up with my Bible study friends, Deanna, Lyndsey, and Jennifer - what a great group! I miss meeting with them regularly, but life is so busy for all of us. After coffee, I came home and decided to play with Emmaline. Kim mentioned playing with Cedar and I thought ... what does it really mean to play with a 4 week old? But it seems like a good idea and a good way to let her know I'm interested in her and help her development.

So today playing consisted of laying on a blanket on the nursery floor, looking at colorful toys, staring at the singing caterpillar, and some tummy time. I also don't quite get tummy time. Emmaline is doing great at holding her head up anyway, and she usually doesn't enjoy being forced onto her stomach. But today she enjoyed it and turned her head from side to side a couple of times. It was actually really fun "playing" with her, and I'm excited about the developmental strides she'll be making soon.

Is that a smile?

Okay, tummy time has officially pooped us out

"What the freak is up with that caterpillar?"

The downside was maybe she was overstimulated, because playtime ended with an hour of cry time. Beginning with this video ...


But eventually she took a nap and I was able to get some work done, something I'll be trying to do a little each day from now on. Chris has been working a ton since last Friday (~30 hours in the past 2 days!). He got home around 7:30 and held Emmaline (she was being fussy again), so I got to eat dinner and relax for a bit. I don't know how single moms do it. Having him around, even just for a few hours a day, is a huge help and relief.

She fell fast asleep in this position - but it didn't last

The Silver Lining

Just when I am feeling super tired or worn out, something will bring a smile to my face. Either that, or I will give up and take a nap! For instance, one night last week, as I was feeding Emmaline, she reared her head back and let forth a massive projectile vomit all over me and her. It was EVERYWHERE!!! I called Chris into our room to help me clean up, I didn't want to move her for fear of making it worse. So he was dabbing spit up out of her nose and telling her what a mess she was. I was deciding where to start on me - with the spit up on my shirt, in my bra, or on my arm. And then (most likely on accident) Emmaline smiled at Chris! And then we were all smiling and having a ball. Who knew I could be so happy while covered in spit up??

As promised, here are some pictures. Thanks for stopping by!
My aunt and uncle sent Emmaline some Braves clothes, so she wore them while we were watching the Braves and Rockies play a couple of weekends ago. Interestingly I went into labor while we were watching the Braves and Rockies ... not sure who she will grow up to cheer for!

Emmaline hanging out on my lap a couple of weekends ago. I took a bunch of pictures of all of her faces, this is one of my favorites.

Last week she put on this pretty dress I bought her.

Chris' parents gave Emmaline a bath last weekend and she hated it less than usual. They enjoyed loving on her while they were here, and she loved the attention!

We went on a tour at New Belgium (yes, E came too!) with Chris' parents. I had a little bit of beer and Emmaline didn't seem to mind - woohoo!

Chris and I took Emmaline on her first hike at the Caribou open space near Nederland. The wildflowers were amazing, some of the best I've ever seen in Colorado!


Chris got a freelance job that required scouting out a location with 360 degree views, so we spent Saturday afternoon driving along the Peak to Peak Highway. We stopped to feed Emmaline at this scenic vista.

Trigger happy

I hate to admit it, but I am already one of those moms who is very trigger happy with the camera around my child. The other day I took about 20 pictures of her in 10 minutes while she sat on my lap. Every time she made a different face, I snapped a picture of it ... and she makes a lot of faces! I feel like I have to take so many pictures because: 1. She is so stinking adorable, and 2. She is growing fast and seems to change every day.

Blogger is not cooperating and I don't have the time to fool around loading pictures, but just be forewarned that you might be subjected to more photos of Emmaline in the future!

This is my mom with Emmaline on July 9. She stayed with us for a week and a half, and she was a huge help, and of course enjoyed every second with her new granddaughter.

Welcome Emmaline!

8 days ago my life changed forever when little Emmaline came into the world. If I had known how much I would love her or how happy she would make me, I might have appreciated pregnancy a little more!

Her birth was incredible. Last Tuesday, Chris and I woke up at 6:15 to schedule the induction. The hospital was very busy (lots of 4th of July babies!), and they said to come in at 12:00. So we showed up at noon, with tons of stuff for the next few days. It felt kind of like we were leaving the house for vacation, but not like any vacation I've ever been on!

It was 1:30 before I got my first dose of cyto-something (cytotac?), which was supposed to help my cervix open. We hung out ... and waited ... and waited. A few times Emmaline's heart rate dropped and so I had to stay on my side to make sure she was stable. The nurse and midwife were worried that she wouldn't respond well to labor and contractions. There was a bit of a negative atmosphere brewing as things like 'it could take up to 2 days to induce' or 'we might have to just take her out' were mentioned. We waited on the next dose of cytowhatver to see how she was responding.

At 6:30 Terry, my midwife, checked my cervix and it was only 1.5 cm dilated. Fail. Chris and I were feeling kind of down. We sent an email to family asking for prayers. Then around 7:00 I started having some bad cramps. The monitor I was hooked up to wasn't registering any contractions. I was upset - first the uncertainty of how Emmaline & my body would respond to induction, and now I was feeling like crap for no reason! (This proves that I would not have known labor if it hit me like a mack truck.)

Pretty soon it became apparent that these were contractions, and they were coming fast & furious. They were only 2 minutes apart, and lasting 30-90 seconds. We were very relieved that I was in labor! The contractions steadily got more intense, and at 8:30 Terry rechecked my cervix. I was at 6.5 cm. I decided then it was time for the epidural. Things were moving so quickly, I didn't want to miss my chance. It seems like as soon as I made that decision, things got more painful in a hurry. I didn't regret the decision at all!!

By a little after 9 the epidural was in and I was fully dilated. Holy crap, that was fast!! Terry told me to rest and I 'labored down', which just means my body gradually moved the baby down through the contractions while I relaxed as much as possible. About 1-1/2 hours later, we decided it was time to push. It didn't take too long before little Emmaline was just about ready to come out. Apparently at this point, her heart rate decelled again, and Terry was worried about her. She wanted to vacuum her out, which didn't sound all that appealing to me. So we pushed a few more times, and this time I put everything I had into it ... and out she came!!

Brand new baby!

It was an incredible moment. Chris was totally blown away and completely amazed. I was very very happy but also pretty dazed. She was tiny and precious! It was great holding her for the first time. She is beautiful :), and it didn't take long for Chris and I to be completely in love with her (I think it took me a little longer because I was a little overwhelmed from the whole delivery process).

Chris really enjoys holding her, they had some great father-daughter bonding while we were still at the hospital.

The downfall of staying at the hospital was people were constantly coming in and out to check on Emmaline and I. One visit was for her hearing ... she looks like a little alien!

She was born at 11:08 PM, weighing 6lb 12oz and 19.5 inches long. She lost about 6 oz. the first day but we had a doctor's appointment on Monday and she has gained it all back. A little surprising given that she likes to fall asleep while eating. She definitely did not inherit her mom's appetite! Everything looks good though and she seems perfectly healthy. :) Yay!

Ready to go home! She looks so little here. We came home on Thursday, it was nice to be somewhere familiar and peaceful.
Our friends Matt & Beth were waiting for us at home with some tacos & took this picture. We don't know who put up this cute sign, was it you??

At her first doctor's appointment, back at her birth weight.