With no immediate family in the Bay Area the arrival of Thanksgiving usually means travel. This year was no different and with Iris being still new to the world we chose to drive to LA. So, this past week has been a lot of 1sts. 1st road trip, 1st time sleeping away from home, 1st Thanksgiving, 1st time seeing a lot of family and friends and maybe the biggest of all the 1st time sleeping over 4 hours.
When we 1st decided to drive to LA I was going to work on Mon and part of Tues. and then drive down Tues. night. After looking at the work schedule I decided to ask off Mon & Tues and got it. So on Sunday night we started packing. Leaving home for a week is always a little stressful. You want to make sure everything is packed but you also want to leave the house in order. (Heat off, sprinklers off, ask neighbors to take out trash, etc.) Traveling with a baby was obviously a new experience for us, let alone packing for an infant ! It was a fun challenge to figure out what was essential to bring! What do we really need? Since we had to fit everything into"Camille the Camry" that kept us from getting too crazy. Taking the dog meant we had to pack her crate and leave room for her in the car. Thank God we had taken her to LA before! Overall we did pretty well. We didn't take much that we didn't use and Grammy Jo Jo was more than prepared for our arrival! This included her restoration of Alisa's baby carriage. It was italian made Pram and was classic, sturdy & Iris loved hanging out in it indoors!
On Monday morning, Alisa was up at 4:30 to nurse Iris and I was up at 5 to start packing the car. We headed out at 7:30 am with Alisa driving and me in the back between Iris and Soleil. We managed to only stop twice however, our stops were lengthier than we were used to. We stopped at our usual 100 mile stop at Anderson's Pea Soup since Alisa insists they have a good bathroom. Pit stop has a new meaning! Wally walked Soleil while Alisa nursed Iris in back seat. Then Alisa walked Soleil while Wally changed Iris' diaper in backseat. It was quite comical! Changing a baby diaper on a slanted backseat with minimal space was tricky. SO at the next stop , Alisa took Iris into the ladies room . Ick! However, it was faster and she was thankful for the "Koala Care" changing station. After a short 7 hours we arrived in West Hills.
Just like at our house, our schedule completely revolved around Iris and her needs.We tried to keep daily plans minimal & efficient. On Tuesday , a dear friend Barbara Chenen came by to meet Iris & again, it was so much fun to introduce her to someone who has been in Alisa's life since she was a kid. On Wednesday, we visited with Alisa's teacher from when she was in the 8th grade, Sister Mary Bernadette. She is a dear friend and it was a joy to introduce her to our daughter! Godmother Dani & her son Christian also joined us for the visit.
That night, it was pie making time! Alisa made two pumpkin pies a one vegan pumpkin pie. Wally & Iris were team assist!
Thanksgiving Day arrived and Iris watched (Ha!) her 1st Macy's parade!Well, she was in the room where it was on tv. We enjoyed a lovely dinner at Aunt Joanne & Uncle Jim's and Iris met more cousins!! Wally sported his Dallas Cowboys jersey, took some heat for it and they still lost:(
As you will see in the pictures, Iris was snuggled by many cousins & loved ones. We love seeing her so loved by others! On"Black Friday", we shared Iris with family friends who stopped by the Rasera's to visit. Iris also got to celebrate Grandpa Lou's birthday for the 1st time. Saturday arrived and it was already time to get back in the car for the return trip home.
We managed to get ourselves on the road by 8am and made it back to Alameda in 6 hours with only one stop.
Pictures and videos on her site as usual. If you don't remember the password then email me.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Iris's Baptism Weekend and beyond
It was a very busy weekend leading up to Iris's Baptism. On the heels of Halloween came the World Series which meant a busy week of SF Giants parties that Wally lit. Fortunately for us Grandma and Grandpa Holden were in town to help out during the week of preparation. We were blessed with family and friends from all over and many of them made the trip. In addition to the Holdens, the Raseras and extended Rasera family arrived on Thursday and Friday. We had lots of good food and family time.
The day of Iris's Baptism we were all baptized with a little autumn rain. Iris wore the same gown,shawl & bonnet that Alisa wore when she was baptized. The day was filled with blessings and gifts! The service was perfect and even included a dance that was choreographed by Alisa and danced by our 17 year old friend from the youth group,Vanessa Yee. The church was filled to the brim to see baby Iris and 4 others be Baptized. Iris had quite the fan club :)She was baptized at the marble font which stands under a giant stain glass window. Rev. Anne poured the water onto her forehead and she slept right on through!
After the service we had a gathering of family at our house where Wally served Pale Iris Ale and we had the food catered from a local Italian place. It was a great afternoon filled with love for Iris. We felt very blessed!Many thanks for all of the wishes extended to our family on the very precious occasion of her baptism!
Being artists we wanted to introduce Iris to the performing arts early. Last weekend we did that in a big way. On Friday we went to see our friend Steve in Pirates of Penzance. The crowd was a lot of blue hairs so we got a lot of looks when we sat down with Iris. But she was a rock star patron of the theater! She made a few fussy noises and about 10 people looked at us so I took her to the back. She made it through most of the 1st act without a peep. Toward the end of the 1st act she made a few more sounds so I took her to the lobby. She was so good we decided not to push for the 2nd act. It was perfect for her 1st show.
She did so well in her 1st musical we decided to take her to her 1st modern dance performance on Sunday. We couldn't have picked a more fitting performance than AXIS Dance Company, the company Alisa danced with for 9 years. It was more challenging because there was more silence and no intermission but Alisa and Iris made it work. Alisa nursed Iris for most of the show and took her out near the end. It was a great 1st dance performance for Iris. Overall it was a successful weekend as a patron of the arts for Iris.
Photos are on a new web site here. You will need the password so if you don't get the email with the password then email me for it.
The day of Iris's Baptism we were all baptized with a little autumn rain. Iris wore the same gown,shawl & bonnet that Alisa wore when she was baptized. The day was filled with blessings and gifts! The service was perfect and even included a dance that was choreographed by Alisa and danced by our 17 year old friend from the youth group,Vanessa Yee. The church was filled to the brim to see baby Iris and 4 others be Baptized. Iris had quite the fan club :)She was baptized at the marble font which stands under a giant stain glass window. Rev. Anne poured the water onto her forehead and she slept right on through!
After the service we had a gathering of family at our house where Wally served Pale Iris Ale and we had the food catered from a local Italian place. It was a great afternoon filled with love for Iris. We felt very blessed!Many thanks for all of the wishes extended to our family on the very precious occasion of her baptism!
Being artists we wanted to introduce Iris to the performing arts early. Last weekend we did that in a big way. On Friday we went to see our friend Steve in Pirates of Penzance. The crowd was a lot of blue hairs so we got a lot of looks when we sat down with Iris. But she was a rock star patron of the theater! She made a few fussy noises and about 10 people looked at us so I took her to the back. She made it through most of the 1st act without a peep. Toward the end of the 1st act she made a few more sounds so I took her to the lobby. She was so good we decided not to push for the 2nd act. It was perfect for her 1st show.
She did so well in her 1st musical we decided to take her to her 1st modern dance performance on Sunday. We couldn't have picked a more fitting performance than AXIS Dance Company, the company Alisa danced with for 9 years. It was more challenging because there was more silence and no intermission but Alisa and Iris made it work. Alisa nursed Iris for most of the show and took her out near the end. It was a great 1st dance performance for Iris. Overall it was a successful weekend as a patron of the arts for Iris.
Photos are on a new web site here. You will need the password so if you don't get the email with the password then email me for it.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Iris's 1st Halloween
Halloween is a super fun holiday in our neighborhood !This year was no exception as we introduced Miss Iris to "the hood" and she went to her first party! Well, she slept through it anyway! The party was in our neighbor's Michelle & Andy's driveway and ours. All kinds of characters attended! Her costume was , of course, an Iris flower! Grandma Jean custom built her costume and boy was it a hit! We had our usual 100 + trick or treaters and Grandpa Stan dealt out handfuls of candy!
The party always includes the kids parading around the Windsor/Marina loop and we usually take Soleil on this walk. This year she got a break and we took Iris. Well, we were the very end of the parade as they took off faster then we could keep up. We managed 1/4 of the loop & then returned home.
From Wally's home brewery, Iris Pale Ale was on tap and flowing! Iris knocked on a few doors and held out her tiny pumpkin pail for a few pieces of candy for mom & dad:)
The weather was spectacular and it was very special to have grandparents here to share in the festivities with us. The Holden's arrived on Friday night before Halloween on a train from Texas. It was wonderful to spend time with them and letting them get to know Iris. Grandma baked homemade pumpkin bread & cinnamon rolls, made multiple soups and bounced on the big purple ball with Iris A LOT! Over the week we took walks together and let them enjoy the time with grandbaby #5!
Click here for photos!
The party always includes the kids parading around the Windsor/Marina loop and we usually take Soleil on this walk. This year she got a break and we took Iris. Well, we were the very end of the parade as they took off faster then we could keep up. We managed 1/4 of the loop & then returned home.
From Wally's home brewery, Iris Pale Ale was on tap and flowing! Iris knocked on a few doors and held out her tiny pumpkin pail for a few pieces of candy for mom & dad:)
The weather was spectacular and it was very special to have grandparents here to share in the festivities with us. The Holden's arrived on Friday night before Halloween on a train from Texas. It was wonderful to spend time with them and letting them get to know Iris. Grandma baked homemade pumpkin bread & cinnamon rolls, made multiple soups and bounced on the big purple ball with Iris A LOT! Over the week we took walks together and let them enjoy the time with grandbaby #5!
Click here for photos!
Iris becomes a citizen
It will come as no surprise to anyone that we have been keeping quite busy the last few weeks.
On Oct. 29 we took Iris on a journey to get her birth certificate. To get a birth certificate from a home birth you need to make an appointment with vital records in the county courthouse and take the live baby there. We made an appointment and headed to court house. We were a little late starting but only by a few minutes. When we arrived in the parking lot the adventure began! The multi-level parking lot apparently only has accessible parking on the ground level. So when we parked on the lower level there were no signs for an elevator. After walking around the lot for a few minutes we decided to walk up the car ramp. Alisa put me in front so in case a car came, I would get hit 1st. We made it up the ramp and onto the street without incident, but were pretty annoyed.
Once at the court house we had to go through a metal detector. Fortunately they are not super sensitive and Iris didn't have to get out of stroller. Once we were in the court house we went to the information desk to discover we were in the wrong building. The right building was only 2 blocks away. So back onto the street and on to the next stop. When we arrived at this county building Alisa asked for vital records and the man behind the desk gave her the RCA dog look! So we spoke with the woman at the desk. She was very nice and made a few phone calls to discover that this was also the wrong building. The right building was about 10 BLOCKS AWAY! By this point Iris has begun to cry.... well, wail! It has been over 2 hours since she last nursed and that is about her normal interval. Since we were over 30 minutes late at this point and really had no place for Alisa to nurse her we headed back to the car. This time we found an elevator inside the adjacent building. We were all a little cranky at this point but thankfully Iris stopped crying by the time we got to the next stop. We get Iris back out of the car into the stroller, into the elevator, out of the elevator at the front desk, back into elevator and up to 5th floor. Naturally,we got sent to wrong floor. Back on the elevator down to 3rd floor and all the way at the end of the long hallway and in the corner we FINALLY found the right office.
We fill out the paper work for Iris to get an official birth certificate and Alisa nurses Iris. Success!
It will be a few weeks before we can pick up the birth certificate but Iris is "official".
After that adventure we needed some late lunch and I needed a beer. Fortunately we were walking distance to Pacific Coast Brewing Company. Iris got to go to her 1st microbrewery. I ended that day by picking up my parents at the train. They got to meet Iris. Yay! But there will be more about that in the next post.
As you all know the SF Giants won the World Series and that kept me busy for a while. I am glad they won but I am glad it's over. With that in mind I included a few shots from those events. Enjoy!
Click here!
On Oct. 29 we took Iris on a journey to get her birth certificate. To get a birth certificate from a home birth you need to make an appointment with vital records in the county courthouse and take the live baby there. We made an appointment and headed to court house. We were a little late starting but only by a few minutes. When we arrived in the parking lot the adventure began! The multi-level parking lot apparently only has accessible parking on the ground level. So when we parked on the lower level there were no signs for an elevator. After walking around the lot for a few minutes we decided to walk up the car ramp. Alisa put me in front so in case a car came, I would get hit 1st. We made it up the ramp and onto the street without incident, but were pretty annoyed.
Once at the court house we had to go through a metal detector. Fortunately they are not super sensitive and Iris didn't have to get out of stroller. Once we were in the court house we went to the information desk to discover we were in the wrong building. The right building was only 2 blocks away. So back onto the street and on to the next stop. When we arrived at this county building Alisa asked for vital records and the man behind the desk gave her the RCA dog look! So we spoke with the woman at the desk. She was very nice and made a few phone calls to discover that this was also the wrong building. The right building was about 10 BLOCKS AWAY! By this point Iris has begun to cry.... well, wail! It has been over 2 hours since she last nursed and that is about her normal interval. Since we were over 30 minutes late at this point and really had no place for Alisa to nurse her we headed back to the car. This time we found an elevator inside the adjacent building. We were all a little cranky at this point but thankfully Iris stopped crying by the time we got to the next stop. We get Iris back out of the car into the stroller, into the elevator, out of the elevator at the front desk, back into elevator and up to 5th floor. Naturally,we got sent to wrong floor. Back on the elevator down to 3rd floor and all the way at the end of the long hallway and in the corner we FINALLY found the right office.
We fill out the paper work for Iris to get an official birth certificate and Alisa nurses Iris. Success!
It will be a few weeks before we can pick up the birth certificate but Iris is "official".
After that adventure we needed some late lunch and I needed a beer. Fortunately we were walking distance to Pacific Coast Brewing Company. Iris got to go to her 1st microbrewery. I ended that day by picking up my parents at the train. They got to meet Iris. Yay! But there will be more about that in the next post.
As you all know the SF Giants won the World Series and that kept me busy for a while. I am glad they won but I am glad it's over. With that in mind I included a few shots from those events. Enjoy!
Click here!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Iris is 1 month old!
I can't believe it but Iris is already 5 weeks!! We have definitely been in a baby bubble (as Alisa likes to call it!)And it looks like I last posted on Oct. 9. Time really is flying.
I am back to work full time and things are a little crazy. We are lighting San Francisco "Giants Orange" for the World Series and parties keep popping up for that. With my schedule it is hard to find consistency. Although it is challenging and I hate leaving Iris there are some good moments. This weekend I worked at Bridge School Benefit and got to see some cool acts that I normally wouldn't see. And extra bonus one of my long time friends is the Lighting Designer for Pearl Jam and we got to hang out.She is a working mama and had lots of great stories to share as did I , as a working Papa!
Fortunately Alisa is off through the end of the year and is able to flow with Iris's schedule.
Iris has had a busy few weeks. We took her to the Pumpkin Patch for the 1st time. She slept the whole time but we got some good pictures and a pumpkin that SHE picked out:) Since I married a "fall baby" this was a BIG deal and long awaited experience! We went out to lunch and took her with us. It was blessedly uneventful.
Another outing has been to church. We braved it there when she was just about 4 weeks and what a beautiful welcome she received from so many! We FINALLY got to go and join the many other families of our amazing village! A GREAT blessing! Alisa has been going with her there more now as she & Iris are choreographing a dance to be performed by our dear friend Vanessa for the Nov. 7th baptism.
Iris still has no consistent schedule and that is challenging at night. Some nights she will nurse, burp, and go down easy. Other nights it is a long process of trying different things to soothe her usually ending in another nursing session. We are constantly being assured that it is normal but it is still hard. A lot harder than anyone tells you :) Alisa is however finding some rhythm to how Iris moves through her days nights. A highlight was in this 5th week of her life, I got to feed her her first bottle of breastmilk! We were a little nervous about this and sort of just improvised ! She was into it and wanted more but we are starting out slow since it is not necessary yet since Alisa is with here all the time. It was refreshing for Alisa to be able to go elsewhere in the house (at least 20 feet away... so we read!) and do something else while I feed her. She is growing!! She had her 1 month visit to the pediatrician and weighed in at 7 lbs 6 ou 21 1/4 inches in length! Woo hoo! Premmie clothes are getting snuggie and some newborn sizes FINALLY fitting! Alisa is loving dressing her in her cute hipster baby swag everyday!
We are looking forward to Iris's 1st Halloween where she will debut as what else other than an iris!!! Gramma/pa Holden arrive tomorrow eve on the train from Texas!! Looking forward to their stay with us for the week and then the arrival of lots of family & friends to celebrate her Baptism on Nov 7th, All Saints Sunday!
I am back to work full time and things are a little crazy. We are lighting San Francisco "Giants Orange" for the World Series and parties keep popping up for that. With my schedule it is hard to find consistency. Although it is challenging and I hate leaving Iris there are some good moments. This weekend I worked at Bridge School Benefit and got to see some cool acts that I normally wouldn't see. And extra bonus one of my long time friends is the Lighting Designer for Pearl Jam and we got to hang out.She is a working mama and had lots of great stories to share as did I , as a working Papa!
Fortunately Alisa is off through the end of the year and is able to flow with Iris's schedule.
Iris has had a busy few weeks. We took her to the Pumpkin Patch for the 1st time. She slept the whole time but we got some good pictures and a pumpkin that SHE picked out:) Since I married a "fall baby" this was a BIG deal and long awaited experience! We went out to lunch and took her with us. It was blessedly uneventful.
Another outing has been to church. We braved it there when she was just about 4 weeks and what a beautiful welcome she received from so many! We FINALLY got to go and join the many other families of our amazing village! A GREAT blessing! Alisa has been going with her there more now as she & Iris are choreographing a dance to be performed by our dear friend Vanessa for the Nov. 7th baptism.
Iris still has no consistent schedule and that is challenging at night. Some nights she will nurse, burp, and go down easy. Other nights it is a long process of trying different things to soothe her usually ending in another nursing session. We are constantly being assured that it is normal but it is still hard. A lot harder than anyone tells you :) Alisa is however finding some rhythm to how Iris moves through her days nights. A highlight was in this 5th week of her life, I got to feed her her first bottle of breastmilk! We were a little nervous about this and sort of just improvised ! She was into it and wanted more but we are starting out slow since it is not necessary yet since Alisa is with here all the time. It was refreshing for Alisa to be able to go elsewhere in the house (at least 20 feet away... so we read!) and do something else while I feed her. She is growing!! She had her 1 month visit to the pediatrician and weighed in at 7 lbs 6 ou 21 1/4 inches in length! Woo hoo! Premmie clothes are getting snuggie and some newborn sizes FINALLY fitting! Alisa is loving dressing her in her cute hipster baby swag everyday!
We are looking forward to Iris's 1st Halloween where she will debut as what else other than an iris!!! Gramma/pa Holden arrive tomorrow eve on the train from Texas!! Looking forward to their stay with us for the week and then the arrival of lots of family & friends to celebrate her Baptism on Nov 7th, All Saints Sunday!
Saturday, October 9, 2010
1st day of new job.. solo
This morning my mom made the trip back to LA. It was so hard to say goodbye even though I know we will see her again very soon. It was a great luxury and blessing to have her here during Iris's first 16 days of life to help us learn about caring for a newborn as well as take care of us with fabulous meals, doggie care for Soleil, clean laundry, fully stocked fridge, and a clean house.Most of all, having her calm, patient, humorous presence helped us adjust into the parenting role that no one can really prepare you for!Iris already adores her grammy Jo Jo and will be blessed to meet her other grandma/pa in a few weeks. Grandpa Lou will be returning as well :)
Wally has been back at work since Monday and that has been a hard transition for him. Today was my 1st day alone with Iris for about 9 hours. I wasn't counting...really! If anyone was watching me through a hidden camera they would have been quite amused at my dialogue with this newborn, let alone my frantic pace to take care of her every need . The good news is that we managed to get out for a walk in the beautiful sunshine and went 1 block further than the last time! Tiny steps!
I know it will get easier . She is such a doll when she looks at me with her peaceful, giant blue eyes. It is so hard to hear her cry when she is upset. I know she is telling me something and I am trying to be open and listen.
Wally is amazing with her and has created a gorgeous repertoire of ways to console her.
Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Isn't that true of most situations in life that require problem solving ?
Wally has been back at work since Monday and that has been a hard transition for him. Today was my 1st day alone with Iris for about 9 hours. I wasn't counting...really! If anyone was watching me through a hidden camera they would have been quite amused at my dialogue with this newborn, let alone my frantic pace to take care of her every need . The good news is that we managed to get out for a walk in the beautiful sunshine and went 1 block further than the last time! Tiny steps!
I know it will get easier . She is such a doll when she looks at me with her peaceful, giant blue eyes. It is so hard to hear her cry when she is upset. I know she is telling me something and I am trying to be open and listen.
Wally is amazing with her and has created a gorgeous repertoire of ways to console her.
Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Isn't that true of most situations in life that require problem solving ?
1 week at work
Well it has been a challenging week indeed. I went back to work on Monday for the 1st time. The 1st day was hard to be away from Iris but it was a good transition day at work. I was able to catch up mostly before getting thrown back in on Tues. By Wed. I was back in the full swing. My schedule for the rest of the week had changed a few times. I had multiple proposals due and added lighting Coit Tower for the SF Giants by Thursday. I will finish the weekend by striking the lighting on Sunday morning from a wedding that I set up on Friday. Doing events on Thursday and Friday worked out because both days were noon load ins. That worked out well when I was up with Iris from 1a-4a on Thursday morning. There are some advantages to having such a crazy work schedule.
I noted in my last blog that Iris had her 1st night of trouble with gas on Sunday night. Alisa and Grammy Jojo did most of the work Sunday night. Since then Iris has been about the same. Lots of gas and struggling to get comfortable after eating. It ranges from a few minutes to a few hours. Needless to say I have become much more involved with comforting Iris to give Alisa a break. I think we have learned every possible position for burping. Each of them work in varying degrees and for varying lengths of time. The only thing that works every time is nursing. I try to comfort her as long as I can before giving her back to Alisa for nursing. It is a lot harder than I thought it would be. It is especially frustrating when something works and then next time it doesn't. It is really challenging in the middle of the night.
In the middle of all that we celebrated our 13 year wedding anniversary on Iris's 13th day of life on Oct. 5. Grammy JoJo was still here and watched Iris while we snuck out for a quick dinner. It was the 1st time we were both away from Iris. It was odd. For 13 years going to dinner as a couple was the norm. Now for the 1st time we were missing part of our family. It was a strange experience to miss Iris at dinner.
Today has been a good day. Having the day off from work has allowed me to be more available and focus more. That is making for a better experience for everyone. But as many people have said "Every day is a new experience."
Photos from the week.
I noted in my last blog that Iris had her 1st night of trouble with gas on Sunday night. Alisa and Grammy Jojo did most of the work Sunday night. Since then Iris has been about the same. Lots of gas and struggling to get comfortable after eating. It ranges from a few minutes to a few hours. Needless to say I have become much more involved with comforting Iris to give Alisa a break. I think we have learned every possible position for burping. Each of them work in varying degrees and for varying lengths of time. The only thing that works every time is nursing. I try to comfort her as long as I can before giving her back to Alisa for nursing. It is a lot harder than I thought it would be. It is especially frustrating when something works and then next time it doesn't. It is really challenging in the middle of the night.
In the middle of all that we celebrated our 13 year wedding anniversary on Iris's 13th day of life on Oct. 5. Grammy JoJo was still here and watched Iris while we snuck out for a quick dinner. It was the 1st time we were both away from Iris. It was odd. For 13 years going to dinner as a couple was the norm. Now for the 1st time we were missing part of our family. It was a strange experience to miss Iris at dinner.
Today has been a good day. Having the day off from work has allowed me to be more available and focus more. That is making for a better experience for everyone. But as many people have said "Every day is a new experience."
Photos from the week.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Iris turns 40
Today is Oct 4th. Iris's original due date. She is 40 weeks old today (including in and out of Utero). Before she was born I kept hoping she would give us more time to prepare. Now I can't imagine waiting the extra 12 days for her to arrive. The weekend was a little up and down for us and Iris. On Saturday night we were all relaxed enough to watch a movie. I even made it all the way through. ( I really enjoyed Blindside by the way. But I am a sucker for hard luck stories especially about football.)
Sunday we had Home Communion and Iris experienced her 1st Communion service. We had decided we were not ready for Iris to meet that many people. We want to give her a little more time. We had a great day and ended with some fun photos which you can see below.
Last night was a little more challenging. Iris decided to really break in her lungs. (Great timing since today was my 1st day back at work.) Iris seems to have a difficult time with gas pain. And since Alisa is the only one that can feed her it is generally my job to do the burping and diaper changing. That has mostly worked but last night I couldn't get her calm or quiet. I now know on some minuscule scale what it is like to see your child in pain. Well, actually I don't know how minuscule it is. Iris seems to think it hurts like hell because she can scream like a banshee. Fortunately we have Grammy JoJo for backup and Alisa can nurse her when necessary. Iris's episodes are generally short lived and seem to be normal but it just hurts to see her so upset even for a short while. Alisa was great last night and took Iris for the whole night so I got a little more rest to make it through work today. Going back to work was hard. I like my job most of the time and right now my project load is actually pretty low stress. So it is not like I didn't want to go to work. I just didn't want to spend all day away from Alisa and Iris.
It was hard to focus. I can't imagine what it is like to leave for weeks at a time like many of my touring friends do. I am very thankful that I get to come home from work every night.
And for a peek at the nursery
Just hit play and then pause to make sure it loads before playing.
Sunday we had Home Communion and Iris experienced her 1st Communion service. We had decided we were not ready for Iris to meet that many people. We want to give her a little more time. We had a great day and ended with some fun photos which you can see below.
Last night was a little more challenging. Iris decided to really break in her lungs. (Great timing since today was my 1st day back at work.) Iris seems to have a difficult time with gas pain. And since Alisa is the only one that can feed her it is generally my job to do the burping and diaper changing. That has mostly worked but last night I couldn't get her calm or quiet. I now know on some minuscule scale what it is like to see your child in pain. Well, actually I don't know how minuscule it is. Iris seems to think it hurts like hell because she can scream like a banshee. Fortunately we have Grammy JoJo for backup and Alisa can nurse her when necessary. Iris's episodes are generally short lived and seem to be normal but it just hurts to see her so upset even for a short while. Alisa was great last night and took Iris for the whole night so I got a little more rest to make it through work today. Going back to work was hard. I like my job most of the time and right now my project load is actually pretty low stress. So it is not like I didn't want to go to work. I just didn't want to spend all day away from Alisa and Iris.
It was hard to focus. I can't imagine what it is like to leave for weeks at a time like many of my touring friends do. I am very thankful that I get to come home from work every night.
And for a peek at the nursery
Just hit play and then pause to make sure it loads before playing.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Time passes in strange ways
Time has taken on new meaning since Iris's arrival. For the 1st week time really had no meaning other than nursing times. Day and night merged into one. There were no appointments to keep and we were (and still are) in a daze from the lack of sleep and the emotional high. In the last 24 hours that has begun to change. We are starting to deal with the outside world. On Wed. night I went to a budget meeting for a few hours. That was the longest I have ever been away from Iris. It sucked. Time passed really slowly. I missed her and I was so glad to get back home. It makes me dread returning to work on Monday.
Yesterday we had our 1st walk with Iris. We put her in the stroller and took her and Soleil around the block. It was a beautiful fall day and it was good for all of us. It was the farthest Alisa has walked since the birth. She did really well. Soleil was really well behaved and we made it around the block without incident.
Yesterday we picked up what should be the last furniture (I hope) for a while. The glider is the one thing Alisa wanted right away because it is useful right now. The chair is super comfy and gives a smooth ride for nursing and rocking Iris. The other nursery furniture is great but it isn't as urgently needed. Thanks Grammy JoJo and Grandpa Lou!
Yesterday after 10 days of little sleep on top of the 10 day load in I was working before Iris's birth, I hit a wall. I had to lay down for a few hours. I had ignored the advice of many wise parents and not slept when Iris did. I was a little better at getting Alisa to sleep but I did not. It finally caught up with me. I laid down for almost 4 hours for the 1st time since Iris arrived. I didn't sleep through the changing and nursing but I didn't get it up so it made for more sleep time. Thanks Grammy JoJo! I don't know how people do it without support.
Today is Iris's 2nd pediatrician visit. If all goes according to plan this will be our only schedule for the day. The rest of the time will be all up to Iris:) She grows more beautiful every day and is joy for us.
Here are photos from the last few days. Tomorrow will be some photos of nursery and maybe even video!
We continue to be showered with gifts, love & support & are soooo full of gratitude for it! Thank you to those who continue to reach out... one day we will emerge from our little love nest into the bigger world of wonder!
Yesterday we had our 1st walk with Iris. We put her in the stroller and took her and Soleil around the block. It was a beautiful fall day and it was good for all of us. It was the farthest Alisa has walked since the birth. She did really well. Soleil was really well behaved and we made it around the block without incident.
Yesterday we picked up what should be the last furniture (I hope) for a while. The glider is the one thing Alisa wanted right away because it is useful right now. The chair is super comfy and gives a smooth ride for nursing and rocking Iris. The other nursery furniture is great but it isn't as urgently needed. Thanks Grammy JoJo and Grandpa Lou!
Yesterday after 10 days of little sleep on top of the 10 day load in I was working before Iris's birth, I hit a wall. I had to lay down for a few hours. I had ignored the advice of many wise parents and not slept when Iris did. I was a little better at getting Alisa to sleep but I did not. It finally caught up with me. I laid down for almost 4 hours for the 1st time since Iris arrived. I didn't sleep through the changing and nursing but I didn't get it up so it made for more sleep time. Thanks Grammy JoJo! I don't know how people do it without support.
Today is Iris's 2nd pediatrician visit. If all goes according to plan this will be our only schedule for the day. The rest of the time will be all up to Iris:) She grows more beautiful every day and is joy for us.
Here are photos from the last few days. Tomorrow will be some photos of nursery and maybe even video!
We continue to be showered with gifts, love & support & are soooo full of gratitude for it! Thank you to those who continue to reach out... one day we will emerge from our little love nest into the bigger world of wonder!
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
1 week as parents
Well here we are after 1 week as parents. By the time you read this Iris will be 1 week old! It has been quite an amazing week. There is something about this time of year that seems to bring amazing events into our lives. Iris was born 9/22 this year. 5 years ago on 9/23 we adopted a hurricane Katrina rescue, Soleil. If you don't think that changed our lives you have not met Soleil:) 38 years ago on 9/25 Alisa was born. On Oct. 5 we will celebrate our 13 year wedding anniversary. I am sure there is some numerology or astrology theory about why we are blessed with so many wonderful celebrations in such a short period of time. (I am just trying to keep up.)
I had planned to take Alisa on a picnic on the beach for her birthday but we decided it was a little too soon for Iris's 1st beach day:) We had a quiet dinner with family at home and couldn't have been happier just looking at Iris.
I am amazed at how fast Iris is changing and growing. She has started to follow movement with her eyes. The stump of her cord fell off yesterday. She went outside for the 1st time on Alisa's birthday. Monday she went on her 1st car ride to her 1st pediatrician visit. While at the pediatrician she was weighed in the lay down scale for the 1st time where she promptly pooed all over it. Fortunately the diaper bag was stocked with wipes and diapers. She weighed in at 5 lbs 15 oz which is just shy of her birth weight. That means that she is getting great nutrition from the nursing. Yay! (Which is its own adventure that could fill this post by itself. And again I say to all fathers, stop what you are doing and go tell the mother of your children how awesome she is.) So Iris is growing nicely and should be at her birth weight by the end of the week.
Today we also received the furniture for the nursery. Yes, I said received. For those out there who are pregnant, "don't wait." We thought 1 week before due date would be plenty of time to set up the nursery before the birth. Wrong. It is much more difficult to assemble furniture while trying to keep up with demands of a newborn. Ditto for any preparations that need to be made before birth. Do it by end of 7 months.
Over the last few days I had some of those "parent realizations". 1st-This child relies on us completely for her all her needs. That is no small responsibility. 2nd- I love her more than I thought I could love anything besides Alisa. In the middle of the night I had a few seconds of panic. I woke up and looked over to make sure that Iris was breathing. And just for a few seconds I couldn't see her breathing. That was the longest few seconds of my life. And in those few seconds I realized that it is true what people say about parenthood. "It is like walking around with your heart on the outside of your body." I never understood before. It is one of those experiences that can not be seen or heard but can only be felt.
Photos from the weekend.
I had planned to take Alisa on a picnic on the beach for her birthday but we decided it was a little too soon for Iris's 1st beach day:) We had a quiet dinner with family at home and couldn't have been happier just looking at Iris.
I am amazed at how fast Iris is changing and growing. She has started to follow movement with her eyes. The stump of her cord fell off yesterday. She went outside for the 1st time on Alisa's birthday. Monday she went on her 1st car ride to her 1st pediatrician visit. While at the pediatrician she was weighed in the lay down scale for the 1st time where she promptly pooed all over it. Fortunately the diaper bag was stocked with wipes and diapers. She weighed in at 5 lbs 15 oz which is just shy of her birth weight. That means that she is getting great nutrition from the nursing. Yay! (Which is its own adventure that could fill this post by itself. And again I say to all fathers, stop what you are doing and go tell the mother of your children how awesome she is.) So Iris is growing nicely and should be at her birth weight by the end of the week.
Today we also received the furniture for the nursery. Yes, I said received. For those out there who are pregnant, "don't wait." We thought 1 week before due date would be plenty of time to set up the nursery before the birth. Wrong. It is much more difficult to assemble furniture while trying to keep up with demands of a newborn. Ditto for any preparations that need to be made before birth. Do it by end of 7 months.
Over the last few days I had some of those "parent realizations". 1st-This child relies on us completely for her all her needs. That is no small responsibility. 2nd- I love her more than I thought I could love anything besides Alisa. In the middle of the night I had a few seconds of panic. I woke up and looked over to make sure that Iris was breathing. And just for a few seconds I couldn't see her breathing. That was the longest few seconds of my life. And in those few seconds I realized that it is true what people say about parenthood. "It is like walking around with your heart on the outside of your body." I never understood before. It is one of those experiences that can not be seen or heard but can only be felt.
Photos from the weekend.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Special Guest
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Today's blog will be contributed by the mother of Iris and Birthday girl today!
Reflections from Alisa Dawn Rasera-Holden's last moments of pregnancy &1st couple of days of motherhood:
In the spirit of technology, here is a recap from text messages on the early eve of
Tuesday, 9/21/10 -
stage notes:(Alisa's cell from home Alameda after an afternoon walk on beach to Wally's cell on Treasure Island as he was in final prep for huge production)
Alisa: 4:38pm-What time is your dinner break?
Wally: 4:51pm-How's rainbow?
Alisa: 4:58pm-Giving me low back pain:( but good! Mom may be en route back.
Wally: 5:05pm- That is what I thought am not planning on being here tomorrow.
Alisa: 5:08pm- U might be able to!Mom is going to leave in a bit from LA. U should be fine finishing out the night. Alarm will sound if needed. I'm sorry honey:(
Wally: 5:12pm- I want to be there to be your support. If your mom is coming then I should be there, I don't want to miss anything!
Alisa: 5:13pm-u won't!! only come if you feel like you can leave. I really seem OK.Im in touch with midwives. U r closer than my mom! When you can, call me k?
Alisa: 5:16pm- On 2nd thought...totally not opposed to u coming home:) I don't know how to time this mess!
(fast forward to 9/22/10 moments after midnight.. staring at the little rainbow dancing around on my tummy, while we sing "You are My Sunshine")
Did anyone check the gender? No rush, really! We waited this long!
These are the moments that change my life forever... in the MOST wonderful way!
I loved the blessing of being pregnant but while those 7 hours on Tuesday night were the hardest I have EVER worked, they were full of purpose, support, resilience, trust & love.
Iris Grace has already taught us so many life lessons in her brief time here on earth & out of utero. Heck, she taught us a lot while in utero! Today is my 38th birthday ( which I really did think I'd be literally sharing, but Iris was very committed to being a last minute Virgo girl instead:)
She is the result of every birthday wish I have made for a very long time! For those who are familiar with the mysterious journey to parenthood, the reward of a long wait with lots of twists & turns is that I have never been more certain about the desire to have this child, grateful for making the choice to desire her & that our souls were completely meant to be. Listen deeply to your heart as families come in soo many ways if you just stay alert to your call. "Being ready" for us, was being present & truly keeping the faith... whatever that can mean:)
Watching my sweetheart Wally, embrace being her Daddy is the other great reward of this week! He is (as I always knew he would be by watching him with our doggie!) a gentle , loving, protective
,nurturing, excited, humorous, kind, adorable & patient person in this exhilerating time for our family.
He was a dream birth partner & brought all of himself into those wild card moments with Iris & I & for that I am extremely grateful!
The outpouring of love from our families, friends & neighbors has been above & beyond ( and that includes but is not limited to facebook posts, emails, calls, texts, gifts, flowers, food, prayers & thoughts!)
Iris knew what she was arriving to... a world that has joys& sorrows;conflict& resolution; hope & darkness; a community with outstretched arms of love that will help hold her up when she needs holding & teach her to reciprocate. Her birthday makes mine have new meaning & has filled the space in my heart that has been vacant & awaiting her arrival for so long!
The spirit of my Grandma Schefers told me while looking at a full arched rainbow "not to worry honey, she is coming!" She was so right:)
Today's blog will be contributed by the mother of Iris and Birthday girl today!
Reflections from Alisa Dawn Rasera-Holden's last moments of pregnancy &1st couple of days of motherhood:
In the spirit of technology, here is a recap from text messages on the early eve of
Tuesday, 9/21/10 -
stage notes:(Alisa's cell from home Alameda after an afternoon walk on beach to Wally's cell on Treasure Island as he was in final prep for huge production)
Alisa: 4:38pm-What time is your dinner break?
Wally: 4:51pm-How's rainbow?
Alisa: 4:58pm-Giving me low back pain:( but good! Mom may be en route back.
Wally: 5:05pm- That is what I thought am not planning on being here tomorrow.
Alisa: 5:08pm- U might be able to!Mom is going to leave in a bit from LA. U should be fine finishing out the night. Alarm will sound if needed. I'm sorry honey:(
Wally: 5:12pm- I want to be there to be your support. If your mom is coming then I should be there, I don't want to miss anything!
Alisa: 5:13pm-u won't!! only come if you feel like you can leave. I really seem OK.Im in touch with midwives. U r closer than my mom! When you can, call me k?
Alisa: 5:16pm- On 2nd thought...totally not opposed to u coming home:) I don't know how to time this mess!
(fast forward to 9/22/10 moments after midnight.. staring at the little rainbow dancing around on my tummy, while we sing "You are My Sunshine")
Did anyone check the gender? No rush, really! We waited this long!
These are the moments that change my life forever... in the MOST wonderful way!
I loved the blessing of being pregnant but while those 7 hours on Tuesday night were the hardest I have EVER worked, they were full of purpose, support, resilience, trust & love.
Iris Grace has already taught us so many life lessons in her brief time here on earth & out of utero. Heck, she taught us a lot while in utero! Today is my 38th birthday ( which I really did think I'd be literally sharing, but Iris was very committed to being a last minute Virgo girl instead:)
She is the result of every birthday wish I have made for a very long time! For those who are familiar with the mysterious journey to parenthood, the reward of a long wait with lots of twists & turns is that I have never been more certain about the desire to have this child, grateful for making the choice to desire her & that our souls were completely meant to be. Listen deeply to your heart as families come in soo many ways if you just stay alert to your call. "Being ready" for us, was being present & truly keeping the faith... whatever that can mean:)
Watching my sweetheart Wally, embrace being her Daddy is the other great reward of this week! He is (as I always knew he would be by watching him with our doggie!) a gentle , loving, protective
,nurturing, excited, humorous, kind, adorable & patient person in this exhilerating time for our family.
He was a dream birth partner & brought all of himself into those wild card moments with Iris & I & for that I am extremely grateful!
The outpouring of love from our families, friends & neighbors has been above & beyond ( and that includes but is not limited to facebook posts, emails, calls, texts, gifts, flowers, food, prayers & thoughts!)
Iris knew what she was arriving to... a world that has joys& sorrows;conflict& resolution; hope & darkness; a community with outstretched arms of love that will help hold her up when she needs holding & teach her to reciprocate. Her birthday makes mine have new meaning & has filled the space in my heart that has been vacant & awaiting her arrival for so long!
The spirit of my Grandma Schefers told me while looking at a full arched rainbow "not to worry honey, she is coming!" She was so right:)
Friday, September 24, 2010
48 Hours
For those of you that are parents it will come as no surprise that this has been the most amazing 48 hours of my life. Iris has been teaching us to be parents the whole time. We are slow learners but fortunately Grammy JoJo has been tutoring us:). I have to say that no amount of reading and no stories could prepare me for this experience. Everyone has been right that sleep disappears and the days and nights blend. Iris Grace is all consuming and has taken all priority. It is wonderful and challenging and beautiful. And frightening to know that this little girl is completely dependent on us for everything. I am amazed at how much time it takes to care for Iris. There are 3 of us and we can barely keep up with the feeding, burping, changing, washing, and rocking. I have no idea how single mothers do it.
We have been completely overwhelmed by the showering of love from friends and family. We have such a great community of love. We are not really having visitors yet but the emails, calls, and facebook posts have been awesome. We are blessed to have a doctor, post partem nurse, and a priest amongst our friends. All of whom have made semi professional visits so we have not had to leave the house. (Iris has not even had to leave the bedroom). It has been fantastic to have great support built into our community.
Here are the photos from day 2.
We have been completely overwhelmed by the showering of love from friends and family. We have such a great community of love. We are not really having visitors yet but the emails, calls, and facebook posts have been awesome. We are blessed to have a doctor, post partem nurse, and a priest amongst our friends. All of whom have made semi professional visits so we have not had to leave the house. (Iris has not even had to leave the bedroom). It has been fantastic to have great support built into our community.
Here are the photos from day 2.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
I witness a miracle
As most of you know I am very blessed in my life but this morning I witnessed a miracle.
Yesterday Alisa called me at work and said "I am having some cramps". We talked a little more and I told her that she was having contractions. I told her to start counting and call me back when she got to 8. About 35 minutes later she called so I told everyone I had to leave and drove home. When I get there Alisa was already well into contractions and the doula was on her way. Alisa was so strong she had been in early labor all day and ignored it. By the time Ellah, the doula, arrived Alisa was already 4 cm.
Alisa's due date was Oct. 4th so we were not really ready. And having a home birth means that we needed to have the bed made up and birth tub set up. We didn't have either. I made the bed in record time while Alisa labored with Ellah on the floor. In less than 2 hours Alisa went from 4 cm-10cm and ready to push. Now let me just say that I consider myself pretty brave and usually the rock when surrounded by fear.(Any father reading this needs to stop what your doing and go thank the mother of your child for being so awesome.)But seeing Alisa in that much pain scared me. Fortunately Ellah told us that everything was normal and it turned out that the worse part was when Alisa was in back labor. Alisa was a rock star. I am completely in awe of how powerful she is. Watching Iris be born was the most amazing experience of my life. It was exciting, thrilling, terrifying and wonderful.
Without further ado I present to the world Iris Grace Rasera-Holden. She was born at 12:02 am on 9/22 6lbs 1oz and 18" long.
Iris's 1st slide show
Yesterday Alisa called me at work and said "I am having some cramps". We talked a little more and I told her that she was having contractions. I told her to start counting and call me back when she got to 8. About 35 minutes later she called so I told everyone I had to leave and drove home. When I get there Alisa was already well into contractions and the doula was on her way. Alisa was so strong she had been in early labor all day and ignored it. By the time Ellah, the doula, arrived Alisa was already 4 cm.
Alisa's due date was Oct. 4th so we were not really ready. And having a home birth means that we needed to have the bed made up and birth tub set up. We didn't have either. I made the bed in record time while Alisa labored with Ellah on the floor. In less than 2 hours Alisa went from 4 cm-10cm and ready to push. Now let me just say that I consider myself pretty brave and usually the rock when surrounded by fear.(Any father reading this needs to stop what your doing and go thank the mother of your child for being so awesome.)But seeing Alisa in that much pain scared me. Fortunately Ellah told us that everything was normal and it turned out that the worse part was when Alisa was in back labor. Alisa was a rock star. I am completely in awe of how powerful she is. Watching Iris be born was the most amazing experience of my life. It was exciting, thrilling, terrifying and wonderful.
Without further ado I present to the world Iris Grace Rasera-Holden. She was born at 12:02 am on 9/22 6lbs 1oz and 18" long.
Iris's 1st slide show
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Leaving with a different perspective
In the many years that I have toured and traveled for work it has never been easy to leave home. Nobody wants to leave a partner, friends, or your own bed.
But now that we are expecting it has made that feeling a lot more intense. I have a new respect for all my friends who tour and have to leave their kids at home for weeks or months. I mean, our baby still has a few months before he/she comes out and it was hard to leave. For all those who have to leave their families for work I salute you.
I started this trip on a red eye flight out of SFO on a Sat night and ended in the Bahamas about 9 hours later.
All things considered it was an easy trip. I have been living in the Bay Area for over 12 years now so I have grown accustomed to the mild climate. It is hot and humid here so just walking around the resort property wore me out. Granted it is 1/2 mile between the stages I am working but still I was just walking and I was struggling with the heat. My 1st day here was spent finding my way around and going to meetings. Any hope I had of laying by the pool faded pretty quickly.
There was much speculation over the quality of production we would encounter here. It has been a mixed bag. The quality of labor has been better than expected but the equipment management has been less than stellar. We are pretty confident that the equipment we need is somewhere on the island. However, most of it is still left from the last show that was here and therefore has to be sorted from the strike we did the day before. Adjusting to the work pace has been a struggle also. Things just take more time here.
Today is the big push day. We will have 3 different venues loading in at the same time. I am managing 2 and assisting on the 3rd. I will have to rely heavily on the local production crew. I am hopeful that equipment management will improve and that we will see more gear arrive at the right time in the right place.
But hey it could be worse. We have not had a hurricane. Yet.
But now that we are expecting it has made that feeling a lot more intense. I have a new respect for all my friends who tour and have to leave their kids at home for weeks or months. I mean, our baby still has a few months before he/she comes out and it was hard to leave. For all those who have to leave their families for work I salute you.
I started this trip on a red eye flight out of SFO on a Sat night and ended in the Bahamas about 9 hours later.
All things considered it was an easy trip. I have been living in the Bay Area for over 12 years now so I have grown accustomed to the mild climate. It is hot and humid here so just walking around the resort property wore me out. Granted it is 1/2 mile between the stages I am working but still I was just walking and I was struggling with the heat. My 1st day here was spent finding my way around and going to meetings. Any hope I had of laying by the pool faded pretty quickly.
There was much speculation over the quality of production we would encounter here. It has been a mixed bag. The quality of labor has been better than expected but the equipment management has been less than stellar. We are pretty confident that the equipment we need is somewhere on the island. However, most of it is still left from the last show that was here and therefore has to be sorted from the strike we did the day before. Adjusting to the work pace has been a struggle also. Things just take more time here.
Today is the big push day. We will have 3 different venues loading in at the same time. I am managing 2 and assisting on the 3rd. I will have to rely heavily on the local production crew. I am hopeful that equipment management will improve and that we will see more gear arrive at the right time in the right place.
But hey it could be worse. We have not had a hurricane. Yet.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Let's talk about work and travel
I have not written in a long time so this could be all over the map.
Today is July 17. I leave to do a show in the Bahamas in 1 week. The budget for the lighting has not even been approved. I think this is going to be an interesting trip to say the least. Yesterday was a 2.5 hour conference call with the local production vendor and most of that was about audio. I am not confident that we are on the same page yet. I suspect that we will be figuring out a lot when we get there.Outdoors in the Bahamas in 100 degree weather during hurricane season. What could go wrong?
Today I am working on a much easier show. Lily Tomlin at Villa Montalvo. It has been a busy day because of a late load in but there was not that much to do. I am looking forward to the show.
In the world of wonder I have been learning lots about diaper bags, and cribs and all things baby. Standing in the Tot Tank trying on the Ergo it finally became real. I am going to be a Dad! It is funny what clicks. I mean I saw the sonogram. I see A's belly. I have even felt the baby kick. Each of those was amazing in a different way. But when I was in the store registering it became real. We are preparing for the arrival of a little person and I guess that made me realize that it is really happening. I have started to notice all things child related too. I mean, again, I have known for months that we are having a baby but now I am in full preparation mode. Research the best diaper bag, crib, car seat, baby bottle, stroller, swing, high chair, etc. Decorate the baby's room. Baby proof everything. ( I know the kid won't come out walking) And in general paying more attention to the world of babies than I ever have before. It's getting fun :)
Today is July 17. I leave to do a show in the Bahamas in 1 week. The budget for the lighting has not even been approved. I think this is going to be an interesting trip to say the least. Yesterday was a 2.5 hour conference call with the local production vendor and most of that was about audio. I am not confident that we are on the same page yet. I suspect that we will be figuring out a lot when we get there.Outdoors in the Bahamas in 100 degree weather during hurricane season. What could go wrong?
Today I am working on a much easier show. Lily Tomlin at Villa Montalvo. It has been a busy day because of a late load in but there was not that much to do. I am looking forward to the show.
In the world of wonder I have been learning lots about diaper bags, and cribs and all things baby. Standing in the Tot Tank trying on the Ergo it finally became real. I am going to be a Dad! It is funny what clicks. I mean I saw the sonogram. I see A's belly. I have even felt the baby kick. Each of those was amazing in a different way. But when I was in the store registering it became real. We are preparing for the arrival of a little person and I guess that made me realize that it is really happening. I have started to notice all things child related too. I mean, again, I have known for months that we are having a baby but now I am in full preparation mode. Research the best diaper bag, crib, car seat, baby bottle, stroller, swing, high chair, etc. Decorate the baby's room. Baby proof everything. ( I know the kid won't come out walking) And in general paying more attention to the world of babies than I ever have before. It's getting fun :)
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