baby shower

This whirlwind of a weekend was the baby shower! Yes, a whirlwind. I feel like I'm going back to work this week to recover from the shower and I was only there for the setup and the tear down! To everyone that attended--and even to those that were not able to make it--we want to give you a big THANK YOU! Andrea had a blast and enjoyed see everyone there. Your generosity with your gifts are amazing and you have played a part in bringing Elska comfortably into the world. She lacks nothing.

Thank you.

...and we're back

Wow, we are long overdue for an update here, eh? Sorry about that! Here's what's been happening in our world.

The Baby

Andrea's appointments have increased from monthly to bi-weekly and everything is going picture-perfect! Andrea is healthy. Elska is now "in position" with her head down and is so low that the doctor said she pretty much will not be moving from this position. The cynic in me is slightly allergic to absolutes like this but all indications are that Elska is firmly in place. This is especially good because Andrea was born breach, her mother was born breach and when asked about the possibility of Elska being a breach baby, the doctor had said that it's possible if Andrea was built like her mother and grandmother. Well, they're Icelanders and that gene pool is pure so Andrea is built exactly like each of them. We had been nervous about this because Andrea would prefer to avoid the cesarean birth. So...that's good news!

Honeymoon

We celebrated our 2nd anniversary this year and were greatly surprised and blessed to be given a chance to stay at a cabin in northern Arizona for free! The couple that owns this cabin are well-to-do and created it with other people in mind. They allow people to stay at the cabin and get away for a little bit of time. It was a great weekend that included a brief trip to Flagstaff from the cabin, hot chocolate, the Nintendo Wii, playing some pool, and just relaxing. Here are some pictures. You can find more pictures at Andrea's blog.

as promised...

As promised, here are some pictures for your enjoyment. These first pictures came from the lunch we had with my mom today. The Cheesecake Factory was our destination of choice, both for it's wide array of culinary choices and its gargantuan proportions (which can be taken to work for lunch later).

You can see in the photo to the right that Andrea's belly is definitely getting bigger. Granted, you would not know she is at 30 weeks right now (as of today!) but it's bigger nonetheless.

And this picture was taken a couple of weeks ago so it's not very recent. However, it's a great shot of the belly with little Elska inside. The trouble with taking pictures is that you have to catch her on a day when she feels good and how often does that really happen in pregnancy? I'm learning that sometimes it isn't that often.

words from the baby mama

An excerpt from Andrea's blog Baby Steps To Mom. I promise I'll post pictures this weekend! Check out her blog if you want to read all her thoughts!

"I'm happy to report that the pregnancy is coming along quite nicely- no major bumps or even hiccups, if you will (because I will). The doctor said we most likely won't be having another ultrasound unless we either want to pay for it or have insurance that will cover it, which really bummed me out but hey, it means we have a healthy little girl growing up a storm in my belly and that's what really matters. I will say that the belly is starting to feel quite heavy, but I don't look huge (yet). Most people find it hard to believe that I'm nearly seven months along, but when I look in a mirror it's really not all that shocking. I asked the doctor if I look normal and she said that since I'm tall the baby has more room to grow- and isn't forced to grow out instead of up and down. Whew. I have to say that even if no one else thinks I have gained that much weight, I can certainly feel the extra weight not only in my belly, but in other places as well. I've been trying so hard to use my regular wardrobe for as long as possible, but it's safe to say I'm at a point where I can't do it much longer, if at all. I own a grand total of three maternity shirts, one sweater, and two pairs of pants and I'm not sure how much I'll be able to rotate those items out before I start looking like a hobo."

pre-appointment update

Next week Andrea will travel to the doctor's office for another installment of tests and check-ups. Sadly I will not be with her this time because the doctor's office scheduled her a week earlier in the month than normal and my schedule, which I had to set in August, placed one of my workshops on that day. Bummer.

However, in the meantime, Andrea and Elska are doing fine. Andrea's belly will occasionally morph into different shapes depending on Elska's position or activity. Based on what we see from the outside, I figure she's starting a pilates routine early. We'll keep you up-to-date on what happens at the doctor's office next week.

Cheers!

P.S. I want to give a point of clarification. Calling the baby Elska is not mandatory. It's just a specific name to give her for now so you don't have to say "your little, baby girl" or something as 'wordy' as that. However, if Elska is hard to remember...no need to worry about it!

the vote's in

Thank you so much for taking the time to vote on a nickname. Well, when the polls closed we had a tie! Elska and Roo each earned 9 votes. We got tired of online forms so we thought about how to resolve this. We considered combining the names into Elska-Roo but in the end decided that we just needed ONE nickname. I thought about rolling some dice to choose between the two but it turns out we don't have any dice. So we resorted to a little competition to bring an end to this. We have a game called mancala and we faced off, each taking a side for a nickname. It was rough but we finally reached a decision.

For now, we shall call our daughter....ELSKA!

Keep in mind that this is temporary but this will give you all a name to call her in the meantime. We'll be in touch soon with updates!

and they called her...

thank you!

We asked for nickname suggestions and you delivered! Andrea and I will take this weekend to choose our favorites and I hope to have a poll up on this website by late Sunday or Monday. In the meantime, enjoy your weekend!

No. 6

We visited the doctor for the 6th time and are happy to report that everything went well again. The doctor "officially" informed us that we are now on cruise control, whatever that means. I think it means that we are through most of their doctorly to-dos and just need to check in for the next few visits. That is the sense I got from the doctor today but I know that our next visit includes the diabetes blood work to make sure that isn't an issue so I am not 100% sure what she meant by 'cruise control.' Semantics aside, the appointment went well and we're doing well.

Also, we had a great suggestion made by my cousin, Alison, that we come up with a nickname while we are deciding what her real name will be. In the spirit of democracy we have included a form below we want you to submit nickname suggestions. Once we have some good options we will then VOTE on it in this blog. So this is where this particular social media will become a bit more social and interactive. Please submit nickname ideas!

Ladies & Gentlemen.....

I introduce to you the first pictures of our little girl! Indeed, these photos are a little bewildering to look at because you, along with me, wonder what is actually being shown. I'll walk you through one.

The first picture on the left (with "NOSE/LIPS" on written on it) is, as stated, a view of her nose and lips...and...other stuff. If you tilt your head to the right, and squint your eyes, you can see that the bright spot in the photo is part of her face. The rest of her face is shrouded in shadows like the emperor from Star Wars, but you can at least see a part of her. The picture to the right is apparently her 4-chambered heart (just the right amount of chambers). I'm guessing the dark spot is the heart and the lighter ring are the ribs. Again, this is mostly guess work from my untrained eye. Here are a few other pictures that you can try to decipher.

I suppose this is also an appropriate time to show a picture of the baby from a different angle as well. Now, before you think to yourself, "She isn't showing at all! Lucky!," realize this picture is a wee bit old. Her belly has grown more...but yes...she still isn't showing THAT MUCH.

Next Appointment Coming Soon

Yes, Andrea and I will find ourselves in the doctor's office this upcoming Monday. All indications are that this will be a very routine and very short visit. I don't know if there will be much to report after it but I will certainly tell you either way!

I am still working on trying to get photos to post here so I ask for your continued patience.

Have I mentioned Andrea's blog yet? Baby Steps to Mom

at the midway point

We are midway between appointments and nearly to the middle point of her pregnancy. Woo hoo! This means that on August 24th we will be in the doctor's office yet again and, this time, we will be finding out if the baby-to-be is a boy or a girl. I don't know if she will have to drink her weight in water for the ultrasound this time but I'll be sure to let you know.

Wonder what Andrea's thinking??? Please visit her blog at Baby Steps to Mom.

Life has finally calmed down after our summer of weddings and travel. Whew! We won't be doing that again anytime soon if we can help it. However, since I work at the university, school is just about to get started again and my work life will return to "crazy." Students will be streaming into our office and I will be trying to teach new freshman how to succeed in college. Busy, busy, busy!

Sedona-Flagstaff Trip '09

WARNING: This a non-baby post! This post is just for fun :)

SOOOO....life has been hectic. So hectic, in fact, that we just had to get away. I (Cody) have been running myself so hard lately that I've been feeling sick, fatigued and I even developed a big 'ol cold sore on my nose near my eye (you may think it's the plague or the swine flu but, fear not, it isn't). Yeah, I need a breather.

Anyway, friends of ours have access to their parents' very nice home in Sedona and they invited us to join them on a trip. So for a grand total of $35 (plus gas) we are enjoying the generous hospitality of our friends. We are very grateful for them.

In Flagstaff there is a great coffee house called Macy's. It's a cool, bohemian coffee shop that I highly recommend if you like that kind of thing. The picture in this blog is from their menu. Good stuff.

Also, I am finding that relaxation is a learned habit. It's too easy in our society to get really busy and to push ourselves too hard. Hard work is a good thing but it must be kept in balance with the rest of life. Now, I can't really say that hard work constitutes my woes. I am not saying I'm lazy but I tend to stress about details more than I should. It is mainly this stress that has torn me down. I intend to change this.

Just so you know, I'm OK and you don't need to worry about me. God has used the stress and uncertainty of late to really show me how little I know about life and how to live it. There are pratical things that need to change (like sleeping more) and there are old worldviews that need to be overhauled (like what 'hope' is). I do believe that all things have reasons behind them and that life is a great adventure. Sometimes you need to fan away the fog and wait in order to see clearly.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Doctor's Appointment 7/27/09

We just got back from the doctor's office and are happy to report that there's really nothing to report. Y'know, the whole "no news is good news" kind of thing. The baby's heartbeat was around 158 bpm and the nurse said that this is good and strong. We finally met one of the doctors instead of a nurse practitioner (not that there is anything wrong with those nurses) and she was very nice. The biggest lesson learned today is that Andrea simply need to drink a TON of water. Other than that this was a quick trip to the doctor.

So we have begun week 16 and our next appointment will be week 20. Week 20 is a big deal because it a) marks the half-way point in the pregnancy, b) means we will have the 2nd ultrasound and c) means we should be able to tell if said baby is a boy or girl. Big stuff, eh?

And how has Andrea been feeling? Better! Well, today isn't the best day but she has been feeling better overall. That is good news indeed.

Cheers!

A Quickie

Here's a quick post to keep you up-to-date with our life. Now that we are well into the summer heat we are finally nearing the end of our Summer 2009 Wedding Extravaganza. We will be in California this weekend to celebrate a wedding with our dear friend, Amber. So I won't have any time to formulate a proper blog but this should tide you over for now. I'm anticipating some questions:

1. How is Andrea feeling?

Um...next question! Just kidding. She is still in the morning sickness phase. Yes, it's sad but true.

2. How far along is she now?

Glad you asked. We are firmly in week 14 for those of you familiar with these things.

3. How's the baby?

Well, it's still there. The doctor says it's healthy and a book of ours says it should be the size of a lemon. (Although, that might have been it's size last week. These things change rather quickly, you know)

4. Why doesn't Andrea blog here?

Well, Andrea is moving up in the blogosphere. You can find her at Baby Steps to Mom.

5. How can I know when you post one of these blog things?

I can gladly set this up to automatically send the posts as an email. Just ask and I'll do that for you.

6. Would you tell me a funny story?

No, but here's a funny video about Twitter from one of our favorite bands: Twitter Will Kill You

Prayer Request

Andrea is out-of-town this weekend at a wedding so there isn't much to report.  However, I am posting a video below and would ask you to pray for a little girl named Katie McRae. She is 5 years old and has been in surgery today for a brain tumor.  As we look forward to the birth of our first child, we can only get a tiny glimpse of what the McRae family is going through.  The video below was made before she went into surgery.  If you are so moved, please pray for her. Those of you on Twitter can check in on her updates by looking up Aaron McRae.

Doctor's Appointment 6/29/09

And....we're back.  You may have noticed that there was a gap between the last blog and now.  For this I apologize and I would like to explain that our summertime mayhem in the form of weddings has begun.  I (Cody) just returned from Florida as the best man in my friend's wedding and Andrea is leaving for another wedding in Minnesota tomorrow.  Two weeks later we leave for a third wedding in California.  So, our summer blogging may be a little bit thin, but rest assured that we'll get back on track :)

Also, Andrea may not be posting blogs here very often because she started another blog.  This is good stuff and she blogs OFTEN so I encourage you to pay it a visit: http://www.babystepstomom.com. 

Anyway, we found ourselves in the doctor's office again on Monday for our 3rd appointment.  We had no idea what was going to happen in this appointment beforehand.  We simply were told to make an appointment a month ago and we dutifully complied.  Andrea's big anxiety was a blood draw and, fortunately for her, there was no poking and prodding this time. 

The main event during this appointment was listening to the baby's heartbeat.  The nurse came in with a miniature ultrasound machine that looked more like a walkie-talkie to me. With gel applied the nurse began her sonic hunt for a tiny heart.  Let me tell you something, this took a while.  It took so long that I was starting to wonder what was going on.  However, she soon found it and we were then listening to a heart beating at 161 bpm. What an experience!  If you read Andrea's blog you will get to read her thoughts.  The end result, though, is that this all felt a little more real when we left.

Diapers (by Cody)

I bought diapers for the first time this week and it was a life-changing experience.  You may think that I have started early buying these little treasures but I hope to have a decent stockpile of diapers on top of what others will be giving to us through baby showers and such.  Planning ahead can't hurt, right?  It's never too late to start planning ahead.  

The mere act of buying diapers was not life-changing in itself.  Rather, my life changed while standing in the aisle staring at all the diaper variety in all its absorbent glory.  This was an aisle that I breezed by every other trip to the grocery store while secretly thinking to myself, "Aren't I glad I don't have to deal with that?"  Year after year passed as I left that aisle in my proverbial rearview mirror...until now.  No, this time I slowly walked down the aisle observing an entire industry trying to get my attention and make me buy bottles and wipes and jars of food and pacifiers and many other things that I only vaguely know to exist.  I was a foreigner in a foreign land but I kept going. I was surprised to find that diapers come in many makes and models.  I also learned that you buy diapers for babies like you buy dog food for dogs--by weight.  Then on top of each weight class were sizes like large, jumbo, etc.  

Anyway, it really hit me that I couldn't just walk by this aisle and pretend that Andrea just had the stomach flu or mono or something instead of actively brewing a baby.  The aisle in my rearview now filled the entire horizon in front of me.  So I stood there.  I stood there taking deep breaths and eventually reached out for a pack of the Value diapers (at the suggestion of some of our friends) for a baby ranging from 8-14 pounds.  I turned around and pushed the cart--feeling a lot heavier for some reason--towards the check out.  The next thing I knew was that I was walking by Andrea at home tossing the pack of diapers into our storage closet after showing it to her without a word.  It was a silent, awe-filled moment.

This may sound negative and I really hope that it doesn't come across like that.  While it's true that we weren't planning on this new adventure and that it really changes our future, I do not feel that life is over.  Ok, to be honest, I thought it was a few times...but that's behind me.  Truly, this change has been tough for me to accept because I still feel like an 18 year old in my mind and this is way too "adult-ish" for me.  But that has begun change and it started with a bag of diapers.  I can't deny reality any longer.  I plan to embrace it and I even plan on living out our dreams.  I am convinced it can be done. We will not only survive, we will thrive.

**orginally published at Cody's personal blog: The Coffeehouse Pilgrim

Babysitting and photo fun

For those who know Cody and me, it is safe to say that when it comes to babies, we have absolutely no clue what we are doing. Although I have a brother and a sister and a nephew who is more like a brother than a nephew, I grew up an only child, and Cody grew up the oldest of three. I remember when I was eight years old I begged my mom for a little brother or sister because my friend who lived down the street just got a new baby sister, and she was so cute, I wanted one too. Needless to say I never got my wish, but I wouldn't change a thing. I liked my life growing up as an only child- it's not as lonely as people who grew up with siblings will try to make you believe, I promise. And while we all have our issues, I would like to think I'm not a total screw-up as a result.

Yesterday, Cody and I spent the afternoon with our friend's little 7-month-old, Cruz, while his parents Jason and Jessica Williams were out doing a photo shoot for their new business, Session 9 Photography. Jay and Jess are two of the best people we have ever had the privilege of calling friend, and their little boy is so adorable you could just eat him up. So it was a no-brainer to embark on our first babysitting adventure as a couple with Cruz at the helm.

What a day! We had fun rolling around on the floor with him, keeping him entertained with his toys and various ridiculous faces, watching Finding Nemo, taking him for a ride in his stroller through their neighborhood, marveling at the sheer volume of spit-up that a single child can produce, and learning that baby wipes aren't meant to be thrown by themselves into a Diaper Genie (definitely something I will NEVER FORGET AGAIN). Cruz is such a happy baby that even when he's fussy he's still a joy to be around. And I am so happy that we have this particular family alongside us through this totally unpredictable journey we find ourselves on, because their own experiences and uncertainties parallel ours in so many ways, and things have turned out more than fine for them. It's such an encouragement to both of us.

On another note, Cody and I are going to start taking belly pictures in the very near future. I'm not showing yet, but it will be fun to document the progress over the next several months. If I were funnier and more creative and also 25 weeks further into my pregnancy, I would have thought of this first, but I digress.

We have our first photo shoot with Session 9 next weekend and we are SO EXCITED. I say first shoot because they will be doing our maternity and hospital shots as well! The only experience I have had as a "model" was at our wedding- and funny story, I was so barfy at our wedding that I spent half the time that would have been spent taking pictures in the bathroom, and now I'm in my first trimester and am feeling barfy all the time... so I'm 0 for 2 at the moment. Good news is that I haven't actually "finished the job," if you know what I mean; I just constantly feel on the brink of it. It will be fun to get all decked out for this shoot since these days my favorite thing to do is not wear makeup so I don't have to make the effort to take it off at night, because that is A LOT OF EFFORT. I am anxiously awaiting my blood test results from the doctor so they can tell me that yes, I am indeed anemic, and then they will give me a magical pill that will take the edge off the simply unreal fatigue that is brought on by this building-a-human-being business, and I can finally wake up from this haze I have been living in for the past month and start to feel normal again.

And yes, I am fully aware that "normal" as I once knew it has ceased to exist. This "new normal" will be quite a ride.

(Originally published at Baby Steps to Mom on June 7, 2009.)

Oh baby! We're having a baby!

Yep!  It's true.  We are having a baby!  And we are glad that you found your way to this blog as well since we will be using it to spread the word on a regular basis.  Since much has happened prior to this post, I will catch you up using an brief FAQ.  Remember to check back often!

Were you planning on having a baby?

The short answer is not right now.  You could classify this as a surprise :)

Are you guys excited!?!?!?!

Oh yes.  The news was a bit of a shock so we've been an emotional roller coaster, but we are definitely excited.

How far along is Andrea?

The Nurse Practitioner told us on 5/28/09 that she is "officially" 7 weeks and 4 days along.

Are you hoping for a boy or a girl?

Well, honestly, we don't really have an opinion.  I think the shock is still wearing off so we haven't had the time to ponder this.  Of course, our primary concern is that the baby is healthy and so far things are going quite well.

  

When is the due date?

We were originally told that the due date is January 1st but this date has been adjusted to January 10th after the ultrasound.

How is Andrea feeling?  

Two words: tired and nauseous.  By tired I mean that she will sit around and do next to nothing and yet remain tired. And this tiny child within is causing enough nausea to bring her to the brink of "barf city"--as she stated recently.  

Do you have any ultrasound pictures?

But of course :)

The House Chronicles...

OK, I know we haven't posted pictures yet...

And...I know we haven't posted anything in a while...

BUT!....

Things are coming along well.  All our stuff (except for Andrea's bike) is at our place and things are coming together nicely.  The dogs like the house.  In fact, Hanalei likes the house so much that she can't seem to stop herself from chewing on it. Yeah, I have a feeling that my non-existant carpentry skills will suddenly become existant.  That 9 lb. puppy can really chew through a lot in a short amount of time! 

Other than that, we are just starting to settle into somewhat of a routine.  Because we're next to a lot of farm land and a lot of...nothing...it feels like we live far, far away.  However, I think we're merely far away.  I'm sure it will all grow on us.

Favorite thing so far: having enough space to live in.

Not-so-favorite thing: our green trash can. I think something died in it. It literally makes me gag.

finally....

We have finally moved into our new house nearly a week-and-a-half after we were supposed to close.  It was a stressful weekend but it is finally over.  Now we must sort through all of our stuff and begin the slow process of putting everything in its place.  Even though it will take a while I can already tell that we're really gonna like this house.  

The dogs seem to like it so far.  The move doesn't seem to have had any effect on them other than causing them excitement to explore a new place. They have lots of room to run around in and I think they love it! 

We're closer to Andrea's work but we're much further from mine. However, this isn't necessarily a bad thing.  We live very close to the ASU Polytechnic campus and I can take the intercampus shuttle to and from work.  I can save on gas and reduce the wear & tear on my little Civic.  Woo hoo!

We'll try to put up pictures as soon as we can :-)

January 20...

...has come and gone, and no house yet. I was all jazzed to show up Obama on his new digs, but apparently that wasn't in the cards for us, haha. Cody and I have been counting down the days until we could move into our home and for whatever reason the lender was still verifying our information this afternoon, which should have been taken care of at least by last week. At this point we're just hoping we can move in by the weekend, and perhaps even sign the documents tomorrow.

All that to say, there are three things we are most looking forward to:

1. Our kitchen.

2. Cody's music room, and

3. My craft room!

Say a little prayer for us. We're getting anxious and can't wait to stop tripping all over ourselves on a day-to-day basis. I feel like I'm suffocating here.