While Daddy was putting up a new gate on our side-yard, the girls and I hung out in the front yard and enjoyed the cool Fall evening. Here are some photos!
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| 2008-11-18 Charlotte Lola Fall Fun November 08 |
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Fall fun in the front yard
Sunday, November 16, 2008
A posting for those with a sense of humor
Ok. So I am always getting sweet comments from people saying "your kids are so beautiful/adorable!" and "you get such great photos of the girls!". Yes, I agree that my kids are cute-as-can be, but I take a LOT of photos that are total flops before I get one that is post-able. Taking photos of babies and toddlers is an art of patience. I thought I'd compile an album of the worst photos of the girls for all of you who enjoy a laugh or for those sinical people out there who want to gag every time I send an e-mail alerting you to another adorable posting of our girls. Enjoy!
Here they are (sorry Charlotte and Lola)
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| worst pictures of the kids |
Photos of our new house
Here are a few photos of the outside of our new house. It was a beautiful day and so the girls posed outside so I could snap a few shots!
Here it is:
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| 2008-11-13 charlotte lola new house nov. 2008 |
Mullet Mania
We think Lorelei is beautiful, but when her gorgeous curly hair is blow-dried the wrong way (by Daddy), it becomes a mullet extraordinaire! Poor baby. Good thing she was only going to bed! Here are a few photos to make you laugh! And I think Lola had a good time posing for them as well!
Mullet:
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| 2008-11-11 mullet |
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Wow...we are so behind!
Ok. So I have been absolutely terrible at keeping our blog up-to-date. I blame my hectic life. The past month (or two) has been crazy but wonderful. We have moved into our new home and we are loving it. Our new address is 1053 Port Chelsea Circle in Lodi (95240). Every box is unpacked and we only have a few more photos to hang on the walls. The girls rooms are painted and put together...and are adorable! We were lucky that the house was very move-in ready so any changes that we have made or that we plan to make are not necessities. I will try to post some photos of the house soon, so keep checking back, but in the meantime, here are some photos of the kiddos from September and early October:
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| 2008-09-25 Charlotte and Lola end of September 08 |
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| 2008-10-08 Charlotte and Lola October 08 |
Two weeks after we moved in we packed up the family and headed out to Arkansas for a family reunion on my Mom's side. Twenty six of us converged upon Eureka Springs where we stayed in awesome cabins in the woods and enjoyed the abundance of local activities. It was wonderful to see everyone and to watch the new generation of little ones play together. The girls did wonderful on the trip and Lorelei flew like a champ...she is a seasoned veteran this year. And Charlotte enjoyed her first plane-rides passed out on my lap. We were so happy that the Searcy family was able to meet Charlotte before she was very old. What a fabulous trip. Here are some photos:
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| 2008-10-24 Arkansas Trip |
We had a great Halloween spent at our new home. We had both the Bakers and the Barrows over for the evening and we had a blast meeting our new neighbors and trick-or-treating with our girls and their cousins. Lorelei was a fairy princess and Charlotte was a cute little lady bug. Lola's insecurities concerning trick-or-treating faded as she conquered house after house with her buddy Ethan (a train engineer) by her side. Watching two two-year olds trick-or-treat is a kick. They both were a bit confused about approaching a stranger's door and asking for food, but once they saw what kind of food people were giving them, they were on-board. But apparantly Lola was tired of getting M&M's because she actually said "No" and handed a man back his candy and left his porch! Haha. It is amazing how many ways a toddler can embarass you! We also enjoyed a trip to the local pumpkin patch in October and carved pumpkins at Grandma Baker's school with the other faculty's children and grandchildren. We also carved pumpkins at our house the night before Halloween with the Harbins. Lola and Brenden are such good buddies. Here are photos from Halloween and other October photos:
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| 2008-10-24 Charlotte and Lola and Arkansas Trip Oct 08 |
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| 2008-11-04 Charlotte Lola late October 08 and Halloween |
We also had a great Halloween party at the Harbin's house...Brandie came from Oakland to join us. Matt went as a "naughty husband", I went as a "worn out mother of a newborn" complete with circles under my eyes, a coffee mug, ratted hair etc. Charlotte went as herself and Lola as a fairy princess. My parents attended too...Mom was a crazy cat lady and Dad was the Bird Man of Alcatraz. We had so much fun! Here are some photos:
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| Halloween party 2008 |
Charlotte is getting so big! I think that she is about 14 lbs now and has just started sitting alone a few days ago. She digs tummy time and squirms all around. She rolls around all over and rotates like a clock hand when left on the floor. She started eating rice cereal (again) since last month she HATED it. But I seem to end up with more in the bowl than when I started due to cleaning off her mouth with the spoon and scooping up her saliva in the process. She is a pretty happy baby who laughs hysterically at Lola. She has an iron grip and some healthy lungs. She is a Mamma's girl who wants me in sight all of the time, but she also does pretty well entertaining herself in her exer-saucer when Mommy needs a break. She loves stroller rides and sucking her toes. Charlotte is not the champion sleeper that Lorelei was so we are having a difficult time at night. Here are some recent photos of Charlotte:
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| 2008-11-11 charlotte lola november |
and of Election night:
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| 2008 presidential election |
Monday, September 15, 2008
WE ARE MOVING!
Well, the Bakers are on the move once again but this time we are moving into a home we have purchased! It is both exciting and scary since we realize that we will not be paying off this new purchase until we are in our late fifties! We are moving to a cute little circle on the south side of Lodi. The circle has a walkway to a park and it will be nice to live on a street where cars aren't zooming by. The house is a three bedroom/two bathroom home with a lot of nice touches. The solar-heated pool in the backyard is the perk! The doggies will love being able to spend more time outside since we will now have a fenced yard. After he fully mends, we are sure that Baxter will be living on the top step of the pool. That dog LOVES water. We are also happy that there is a large shaded arbor area with a gate off of the backdoor which will keep the girls away from the pool when playing outdoors. We should be moving this next weekend and we will hopefully be able to get in a few days before to paint the girls rooms. Everything else in the home is great as-is.
We are sad to be leaving our awesome home on Curry Avenue. It really feels like home to us and it is where we brought Lorelei when she was only 9 weeks old and where we brought Charlotte home! So many "firsts" happend here and we will have tons of great memories from the time we spent here. As first-time home buyers in the current market, now was really the time for us to act and we are anxious to make the Port Chelsea house "home".
We are anxious to have visitors to our new place! So, whether you live nearby or far away, our doors are open to you!
We'll post photos soon.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Baxter update
Thank you all for your concern for Baxter. He is doing pretty well. After the strong pain medication wore off (morphine from the vet) he was visibly uncomfortable, but with the pain medicine that they sent home for him he is doing fine. We apply an antibiotic ointment to his uncovered wounds 3-4 times a day, give him oral antibiotics and a lot of TLC. He is still on soft foods due to his mouth wound, but he gave kibble a try yesterday and did ok. His front left leg is still in full dressing and will probably remain so for quite a while. It is a pretty bad wound. His front right paw is looking better and better but we have to keep an eye on him because he licks it until it is raw. We have been wrapping that foot as well to stop him from being able to get at it. He has been going to the office with Matt every day so that Matt can keep an eye on him. Baxter just curls up in a ball and sleeps the day away and I think he is enjoying the attention from others in the building. Bailey is missing her wrestling buddy and is a bit freaked out seeing him this way. Overall things are going well and we are so glad that we still have him with us.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Battle wound photos (not too graphic)
Well, to prove that Baxter did survive this ordeal, we posted his battle wounds to show how tough our doggie really is! What a champ. He's getting better day by day with medication, rest and TLC. We love you Baxter!
Here are the photos: Double click on the image
Monday, September 8, 2008
Baxter vs. car
So, last night at around 10:30 PM Baxter was hit by a car in front of our house. I had let him out for his last potty break for the night and went to our back porch to call him in. As soon as I opened the back patio door I heard a sickening double thud from the steet and saw car lights slow and then leave. Even though I had not heard any whining or yelping, I just had this feeling that he had been hit. I woke Matt and he and I called Baxter relentlessly from the pack porch hoping that the sound and lights were just coincidental. After ten minutes there was still no sign of him. Matt retrieved his spotlight and made his way out to the street. Just then I had let Bailey out figuring that she would find him. She rounded the corner of the back of our house and headed directly for our covered patio despite me calling her back. I went back in the house and approached the glass door where I had let him out. I saw him leaning against the door with a pool of blood in front of him. He had made his way back to the door after being struck and was in very bad shape. I called for Matt and he ran for the back door. Baxter's breathing was labored and he was loosing quite a bit of blood from his nose and mouth. His head had several cuts and his front legs were cut up badly and road-rashed. Matt sat with him on the back porch trying to make him comforable while I made phone calls to our parents to ask for help in getting him to an emergency vet. We thought we were going to lose him on the porch. His eyes were closing, his breathing was getting worse and he looked as if he was fading. I just couldn't bring myself to see him like this. Matt sat with him and I talked with him through the door. If we were going to lose Bax I wanted my last memory of him to be from a half-hour before when he was curled up at the base of my chair acting as a foot rest for me. Matt's parents arrived as well as mine and the Dads helped to get Baxter in the back of the truck. Matt rode with Baxter in the truck bed on the way to the Emergency Vet in Stockton despite the cold night air and the trip on the freeway. The moms stayed with Bailey and I to console us.
The vets stabilized him, put in an IV, took X-rays, medicated him and gave us their initial report: He had no broken bones (amazing), tons of road rash and some pretty bad gashes, air in his chest from the blunt trauma of the impact, and a VERY messed up lip. He was basically split fang to fang inside his upper lip between his gums and nose. This accounted for the blood from his nose and mouth and partially for his difficulty breathing. They kept him overnight and watched for the air in his chest to improve. They wanted to make sure that there was no major tear in the lungs before they put him under anesthesia to repair his face and extremity wounds.
We spent a sleepless night worrying about our Baxter and Matt headed over to pick him up at around 7:00am this morning. He took him to our regular vet who ended up further observing him and then operated on him this afternoon to fix his mouth (which he said ended up being a lot more involved than he had expected) and to clean up all of his wounds and bandage them. We picked him up from our vet this evening at around 6:00pm. He looked really terrible: legs wrapped in bandages, shaved spots all over his body to allow access to his wounds, ears drooping, limping, and a terrible sound coming from his nose as he struggled to breath through it.
We brought him home tonight and he headed straight for his comfy bed to sleep. The pain meds had him pretty groggy (thank GOD). Bailey was very concerned that Baxter was in such bad shape. We were given instructions on how to feed him (soft/wattery foods only because of his mouth wound), antibiotic pills to give him, ointment to apply and general information on what to expect and what to look for. He will have his bandages changed at the vet tomorrow and will be laying low for quite a while to heal.
It is so hard seeing him this way, but through it all his tail has been wagging. Isn't that so Baxter? Nothing can stop that tail. He is one very lucky dog that apparantly has nine lives despite not being a cat...and thank goodness he is such a big dog! His eighty-two pounds at least gave him a chance when up against that car. The vets were amazed that he was doing so well. Matt will be taking him to the office with him to give him all of the attention he needs since my arms are kinda full during the days with the girls. We will try to keep things calm around him even though we are in a packing frenzy right now and move to our new house in a week and a half! Lorelei was told that Baxter was at the Doctor because he had "boo-boos". She greeted him with "You're Ok Baxie...Love you Baxie". Her buddy will hopefully be back and ready to play soon. We all hope so.
Give your beloved animals an extra hug and kiss tonight.
We'll keep you posted.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Lorelei turned two!
Well, we now have a two year old in the house! Today was Lorelei's official birthday, but we celebrated this weekend with an outdoor party with family. Everyone had a blast and the weather was BEAUTIFUL! Lorelei's Godparents, Chrissy and Mando attended with their adorable sons as well as my old roommate Brandie who recently moved from Washington to the Bay Area. Our neighbor Jimmy also came to Lola's party since he is Lorelei's buddy and surrogate Grandpa! The party was Elmo-themed and Sesame Street decorations were everywhere! Grandma Barrow and I had a great time making Lola's Elmo cake and it turned out pretty cute, yummy and HUGE! Lola even blew out her own candle! We had fun playing lawn games and visiting with everyone. She received a lot of adorable clothing and fun toys! She enjoyed opening the packages, but began to lose interest about half-way through when she took off towards the lawn with a little rabbit Birthday card as company. I guess she needed a break! Lola kept saying, "Lili's Birthday...cake, ice cream!". She was really digging all of the attention even though her little sister was trying to steal the attention away by crying uncontrollably for long stretches of time! Lorelei just looked like "one of the boys" since the only children in attendance were her God-siblings Hayden and Conner and her three male cousins! But she fit right in. Lorelei loved her gift from Mommy and Daddy: a cozy coupe with sounds! The boys pushed her all around the driveway for about an hour and she finally let them have a chance to try it out once they were all worn out! What a great day.
Happy Second Birthday Lorelei!
Here are photos: Double click on the image to see the gallery and captions
Monday, August 25, 2008
Charlotte...weeks 11 and 12
Where has the time gone? And did June and July really happen? With a new baby at the very end of May, June was a BLUR and July was a haze as well. Now we have an almost three-month-old! WOW! Charlotte is starting to come out of the funk of reflux and colic. THANK GOD! She has been a much happier baby lately which means that the Baker house is a much more sane place to be. She loves to share her smiles with us, coo and her sister, watch the dogs run around, sit in her bumbo chair, swing in her papasan swing (thank GOD for that thing), enjoy the fresh air in our yards and so much more! Tummy time has become much more fun since she is so much stronger now! She lifts her whole chest off of the floor with her arms and turns her head all around to find something interesting. Charlotte is a drool machine. We go through 6-8 bibs a day that we could probably ring out. If we could find a way to power the world with drool we could solve the energy crisis! Charlotte's eyes are looking very blue these days and she is getting cuter and cuter every day. We are all under her spell.
Here are some recent photos:
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| 2008-08-24 Charlotte 11 and 12 weeks |
In the yards with Daddy
Lorelei absolutely loves to be outside with Daddy whenever he is working in the yards. She helps to water the plants with him and helps him tend to our veggie garden (although she loves to pick the green tomatoes instead of the red ones). But most recently, mowing is her new passion! She gets the biggest kick out of pushing her bubble mower behind Daddy as he mows. Charlotte and I sat in the shade and watched Matt and his shadow the other day...here are the photos.
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| 2008-08-24 Outside yard time |
A day of fun with cousin Ethan
Ethan came over the other day to play with Lorelei and the two of them had a BLAST! They are only 12 days apart in age and are both approaching 2 very soon! They LOVE one another. They really are like a little comedy team!
Here are some photos:
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| Fun with Ethan August 24th 2008 |
Go Chiefs!
When Grandpa Chad was in Kansas City a while ago he picked up a Chief's outfit for Lorelei at a Chiefs game...it finally fits!
Here she is:
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| 2008-08-24 GO CHIEFS |
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Hot August Nights 2008!
Along with my parents and Laurie, Brandon and Brenden Harbin, we headed up to Sparks, Nevada for Hot August Nights over the past weekend. We all had rooms right next to one another at The Nugget Casino/Hotel and Brenden (16 months) and Lola had a blast together. Charlotte was pretty much just along for the ride, but she did really well with all of the activity. Laurie's parents, Pam and Ted Roach (long time family friends of our family) were up there as well. We all had such a good time hanging out and although the weather was quite warm (in the 90's) the evenings cooled off nicely. During the days we walked around and checked out all of the cool classic cars on display along Virginia Avenue and all of the festivities (and food). In the afternoons we hit the pool and let the kiddos work off some energy before nap time. The casinos were close by which allowed for some fun for the adults as well! The evenings were the BEST when the "cruise" came through the streets. It was so nice to be able to set chairs out along the route, chill out with our coolers of beverages and watch the cars come by and show off their engines and NOISE! The drivers would throw beads and candy. Lorelei screamed, "Cars, Cars, Yeah, Yeah, Go, Go, Vroom, Vroom" and was plastered against the baracades the entire time. The noise never scared her and she was in HEAVEN! Each morning the first words that came out of her mouth were, "more cars?". She also enjoyed some candy and her first lolly pop! What a blast.
Photos from our weekend:
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| Hot August nights |
Some photos of the girls
These are just some random photos of the girls from the past few weeks. Charlotte is now 10 weeks old! She was 10 lbs, 10oz at her checkup and is 23" long which puts her in the average range for both. She had her 2 month immunizations and there is a photo of her bandaids to prove it! Poor baby! Lorelei is now 23 months old and will be turning 2 soon! Where has time gone? She loves to be outside and has been enjoying sidewalk chalk and bubbles! Lola still loves to hold Charlotte whenever we allow her too. She calls Charlotte "sister" and "friend" which we think is adorable. She even says, "Charlotte, it's ok...don't cry sister" with a very concerned look on her face. What a little mommy she is!
Here are some photos:
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| 2008-08-11 Charlotte Aug 08 and Hot August nights |
Thursday, July 31, 2008
First smiles captured on camera! 9 weeks old
Charlotte has been smiling for us for about two weeks now and we are loving it! We at least get several a day, especially when she is on her changing table, but we had yet to capture any on camera...until today! She is 9 weeks old today and is officially 2 months old. Enjoy the photos of her cute little mug and of Lorelei and Charlotte having "naked baby" time!
Here they are:
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| 2008-07-31 Charlotte 9 weeks old |
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Big 8 week old!
Eight weeks old already? Wow. We are still absolutely in-love. What a cool kiddo Charlotte is!
Here she is:
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| 2008-07-27 charlotte 8 weeks |
Our girls...
We've had a pretty mild summer (so far) with only about a week's worth of days over 100 degrees. This means that we have been spending quite a bit of time outside, especially in the evenings. Lorelei is a big almost-23-month old now! She amazes us every day with how much of a little person she is becoming: lots of talking, singing complete songs, counting to 20, bossing the dogs around, grasping the concept of "later", showing empathy towards Charlotte when she is upset, diapering her dolls and stuffed animals, helping us do our chores and showing a HUGE personality in that little body. One of her favorite things to do is to play with the dogs. She loves to throw their ball for them and give them treats and we posted some photos of this. There are also some photos of her "hamming-it-up" for the camera during lunch time.
Charlotte is getting cuter and cuter every day! She is a perfect, cuddly little bundle to squeeze. She is smiling now and this just lights up our days! At seven+ weeks she is in three month size clothing already (a foreign concept to us since Lola was always such a peanut) and is doing better sleeping at night...THANK GOD. Her reflux seems to be a bit less of an issue now which has been a relief. Her fussy time is usually between 7 and 8pm...and nothing works to quiet her during these spells. Oh well. That's an infant for ya! She loves to be outdoors and actually enjoys car rides now. She used to scream whenever we put her in her carseat! Watching the girls together is still our favorite activity. Lola always asks, "Charlotte lap?" and will cuddle her until Charlotte has had enough. We are loving life right now.
Photos:
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| 2008-07-23 Charlotte and Lola mid July 2008 |
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Random photos from June
Here are some photos from last month that were not posted. Some were from my friend Brandie's camera while she was visiting. Anyway, they are fun and cute and deserve their place on the internet!
Enjoy!
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| June 2008 photos from Brandie |
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
7 weeks old!
Just a couple of photos of our darling Charlotte at 7 weeks old! It is so hard to believe! We are enjoying her smiles now (a couple smiles a day) and we know we'll be seeing more soon!
Here are some photos:
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| 2008-07-16 Charlotte 7 weeks |
Monday, July 14, 2008
FIRE! (next door)
Ok...in the past year, properties on either side of us have burnt down.
We were coming home from the East Bay on Sunday night and as we were about to exit Highway 99 we saw flames shooting up into the air near where our house is located. There were huge fire balls...not good. Matt and I started to panic but didn't want to upset Lola. As we approached the turn for our street we could see our huge tree and realized that the flames were not coming from directly under it which meant that our house was not the one on fire. Thank God. Our dogs were home and I kept having visions of them trying to escape. As we pulled up it was clear that it was our neighbor's home which is also a nursery. The fire had just started and we followed an off-duty ambulance to the property that had seen the flames and decided to see if they could help. As we passed our house and pulled up to our neighbor's property, their entire barn was engulfed in flames shooting at least 150 feet into the air. Fifteen minutes later, 6 fire engines appeared on the scene from our volunteer fire department. A water tanker truck also arrived to battle the flame. The fire soon traveled from structure to structure on the property burning trees, part of the adjacent orchard and 7 greenhouses. The smoke from the fire was pitch black from the polycarbonate burning along with chemicals and fertilizers too. Soon, half of Lodi showed up on Curry Avenue and lookie-loos blocked the road making the property hard to access for the fire department. People were even parking in our driveway to watch! The fire blazed for several hours and the tanker truck must have made 50 trips to retrieve more water. Flying embers set the back of the huge property ablaze as well and even started a structure on fire that was located on the next country road east of us. We watched closely hoping the already gusty wind didn't shift and spread the fire in our direction. It was crazy! Lola was very excited by the flames and fire trucks. We were happy that instead of freaking her out it actually provided entertainment!
Here are photos from our front yard as well as from our upstairs windows:
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| Nursery Fire July 2008 |
Charlotte is six and a half weeks old!
Charlotte is changing every day. She started to show signs of smiling over the last few days and we are very excited! She is pretty go-with-the-flow and falls asleep the second she is in a car. She seems to sleep most of the morning and is VERY awake in the evenings. Oh boy. Charlotte loves to watch the dogs and tracks us as we walk across the room. Lorelei just can't seem to get enough of her. She is always asking to hold her and likes to giver her a pacifier (sometimes a bit too forcefully). Lola is also pretty tolerant of Charlotte's screams but everyone has their limit. When Lorelei's limit is reached she screams "NO CRY CHARLOTTE!!!!" and frantically pats her on the back. It is pretty funny (and cute). Charlotte also has quite a few rolls on her legs, arms and neck. We are not used to a chubby baby since Lorelei was always such a string bean! We think that it is adorable. She is always making kitten-like sounds, hiccups a TON and makes quite a fuss about pooping which seems odd to us. Wouldn't it be pretty easy to push out something that is practically water? We are having fun with our two girls and have found the transition far easier than we expected. It is hard to remember what it was like with only one child and Charlotte has really made our lives even brighter.
Here are some photos:
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| 2008-07-14 Charlotte July 2008 |
Monday, July 7, 2008
Charlotte is a month old!
We blinked and our baby was a month old! WOW. It seems like she has been with us forever...it is hard to remember how our family felt as a family of three. But at the same time it has gone so fast! The past few weeks have been fun. Charlotte is responding SO MUCH MORE to us. She makes great eye contact, tracks us across the room, responds to our voices and is alert much more. She is sleeping much better at night (giving us 3 and 4 hour chunks of sleep at a time) and we are figuring out our little routine slowly but surely. Lola continues to be an amazing Big Sister and has transitioned SO well. She amazes us. Lorelei is talking a blue-streak and is becoming more of a little girl every day. Fourth of July was spent with both of our families at the Baker's house and the weather was perfect! Lola had a blast in the pool with her cousins and Charlotte was passed around the entire time and met some family members for the first time. Both of the girls were able to spend quite a bit of time with my good friend Brandie over the last few weeks since she was here for Brie's wedding and also moved to the Bay Area a week later! We are so excited to have her nearby and she is SO great with the girls. The past few weeks have been wonderful and we thank God every day for the blessing that is our precious family!
Here are some photos of our girls:
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| Charlotte weeks 4 and 5 |
Brie's Wedding
On June 28th my parents, Brandie (college girlfriend) and Matt, Chalotte and I ventured down to Bakersfield, CA to attend our dear friend Brie's wedding to Paul Kruger on her family's farm. Lorelei stayed with Grandma and Grandpa Baker and had a great weekend. The wedding was BEAUTIFUL...they were married in Brie's father's almond orchard and the setting was perfect. Brie and Paul were made for one another and we were so happy to have been able to share in their joy.
Here are photos from that perfect (but hot) day!
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| bries wedding |
Some more photos from June
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Week number three for our family of four!
Charlotte's third week of life included Father's Day for her Daddy! We had a great day spent with both sides of the family. Matt feels pretty blessed to be the Daddy of two beautiful little girls and I love watching him in the most prized role of his life. Charlotte has blended seamlessly into our family and continues to make us feel "complete". Lola has been very patient and loving. She kisses Charlotte goodnight, says "I love you" to her and always wants to "Charlotte lap?"- Lorelei's way of asking to hold her. Charlotte's third week of life also meant Mommy's first week at home alone with the girls since Matt went back to work this week. Things have been going amazingly well so far. After trying out several routines to find the best way to get Mommy showered and the kids fed in the morning, I think we have found what works for us for the moment. I know it will continue to be a trial and error process but for now I am thankful that I have an arm and hand for each of my girls although sometimes I feel like they are tag-teaming me! Craziness can be very rewarding!
Here are some photos of both of the girls from this week:
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| 2008-06-19 Charlotte' |
More from week two...
Here are a few more photos from Charlotte's second week of life. It has been a fun and crazy ride so far!
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| 2008-06-12 Charlotte 2 weeks old |
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Charlotte's second week of life:
We have been having a blast with our girls. Charlotte's second week has brought a bit more sleep to all and a lot more fun. She is changing quickly and has gained weight quickly too! She is now 7 lbs 14oz (as of this past Monday) and is thriving! Lola is doing SO well with her little sister and we are so lucky to have two such wonderful little girls.
Here are some photos from the past week:
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| 2008-06-11 Charlotte beginning of June 08 |
Monday, June 9, 2008
One week new...
It has been a fun and crazy first week...although we are cross-eyed with sleep deprivation, all three original Bakers (me, Matt and Lola) are well on our way to adjusting to life with a newborn in the house! Lola has been handling things amazingly well and is more interested in holding the baby on her lap (with our help) than being jealous of her. We are trying to spend as much individual time with Lorelei as we can and with the help of some new toys that had been stashed away until the baby's arrival, she has been a pretty happy camper.
Charlotte is a sweet baby that seems to want to be held a LOT. She is having some reflux issues which means that we need to be conscious of keeping the upper half of her body elevated whenever possible. She seems uncomfortable after eating, but we hope that this resolves itself sooner than later. Other than this, she is a healthy little baby with a big appetite! Her hair cracks us up too...even if we have had a hat on her all day, the moment it is pulled off, all of her hair stands right back up! What a cutie pie.
Here are some photos...
One week old:
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| charlotte 1 week |
More Charlotte photos from this past week:
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| Charlotte and her visitors |
Monday, June 2, 2008
Charlotte Jane Baker
Charlotte Jane Baker was born on May 29th, 2008 at 11:53am. She weighed 7 lbs 8 oz and was 18" long. It was a fast and furious labor and delivery after my water started leaking at home. Here are quite a few photos of Charlotte so far...I will post a "birth narrative" to fill you guys in on most of the story when I am able to sit at the computer a bit longer! We are all doing well and we are adjusting to life as a family of four!
Check out our little gal here:
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| 2008-06-02 Late May & New Baby |
Thursday, May 22, 2008
"Time-Lapse Pregnancy"
Since I am nearing the end of the pregnancy, I thought I'd put together a little album/slideshow of the belly in its many stages and changes during the last 37 weeks. And if I make it to my induction date, I will add the last two weeks of expansion to the album as well! It has been an exciting ride and a wonderful 37 weeks.
Brace yourselves:
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| The belly: from the beginning. |
Counting down! We are 37 weeks now!
Well, at our checkup this week we found that I was still at the same dilation due to rest and our goal is to get through the end of next week when we will be 38 weeks pregnant. But, if we are still pregnant by Friday June 6th, we have a scheduled induction for 5:00am! Oh boy! So, the countdown really begins! WOW. And if things go similarly to Lola's birth (after they administered pitocin at 11:00pm when I was just a fingertip dilated...I had her 4 hours later) we will hopefully be meeting our new little girl by dinner time on the 6th! I am feeling good except for the typical end-of-pregnancy complaints (lots of contractions/pressure/aches etc.) and we are ready to meet Lorelei's little sister although Lorelei may not be!
Here is the belly as of this week:
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| 37 weeks pregnant |
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Week 36 belly!
Here is the belly in week 36 of growth. It may need legs of its own to get around soon. Even though I feel quite big, I feel pretty darn good and as crazy as it sounds, I will miss this pregnancy.
The belly:
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| 36 weeks pregnant, May 2008 |
May fun outside
Lorelei has been LOVING the weather and has wanted "water time" daily. It has been warm enough to put her in either her swim suit or sometimes just a diaper to play with the hose and water containers. She has a blast and Mommy can sit nearby and be off of her feet (which Lola likes to "wash" by dumping cold water over them!) I love this age.
Here are some photos:
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| Early and mid May 2008 |
Monday, May 12, 2008
35 and a half weeks pregnant and dilated!
Well, we had our weekly OB checkup today and found out that my cervix is already 2.5 cm dilated and "ripe". My doctor asked, "have you been taking it easy at home?" to which I replied "ummmmm, nope". I guess my nesting frenzy last week of washing, folding and organizing baby clothes and packing hospital bags does not constitute "taking it easy". Finding out that I was already dilating did not surprise me because my contractions have been quite frequent and I am experiencing a lot of pressure "down there". I was told that I need to slow down (a lot)and limit my activity if I want to keep this kid cooking for another few weeks (my Doctor's goal, and ours too). So, with the help of family members taking Lorelei during different times throughout the week, I will hopefully be able to stay at this dilation for a while. If I go in next week and he finds that I am as much as 4cm dilated, he will take me straight in to the hospital because he does not want me to "have this baby at home". My labor with Lola (once kick-started by pitocin) lasted all of 4 hours and I had started at 0cm dilation. I guess with the second baby, my body is prepping early. An ultrasound today showed that she is still head down and is partially engaged and doing well. They will start estimating size in two weeks if I am still pregnant then. If by Friday the 6th of June I am still "with child", I will be sent in for an induction. Things are really moving quickly now and Matt and I are both anxious and excited but are hoping that the baby has as much time as possible inside of me to give her the best possible start. So, tomorrow the baby car seat goes in the car and the hospital bags too...just in case.
More updates to come and some photos too.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
35 weeks pregnant and getting excited!
Well, we are 35 weeks pregnant now and still marvel daily at the amazing things my body is doing and the way my belly is morphing to accommodate my little occupant! I am still feeling remarkably wonderful. I guess that the second time around you learn to ignore (or to just expect) the clumsiness, cramps, frequent urination, sleepiness and sometimes freaky body changes that shocked you during pregnancy number one. Instead, you just acknowledge them as the "norm" and feel darn lucky when those are the only things that are bothersome!
I am now having weekly OB checkups and ultrasounds- the ultrasounds are considered "biophysical profiles" which assess the baby in these ways: amniotic fluid levels, gross movement, fetal tone, "breathing" motions and a reactive heart-rate (that varies dependant upon movement). Because of my history with a blood clotting disorder and my current protein C deficiency which can sometimes complicate things, my doctor is just being cautious. I enjoy seeing that she is doing well every week at the scan. It is amazing how little of her you can see on the screen now! Last time the only parts of her face that fit in the view were her eye and nose! Everything looks great and she is head down. My doctor will soon be predicting the baby's size (oh boy!)
I was also told that I would not be allowed to go past 39 weeks before I delivered. My doc feels that everything is going so well that there is really no need to press our luck just to get to the magic "40 weeks" which can sometimes lead to a worn-out and calcified placenta as in the case of Lorelei at only 38 weeks. So...I will be delivering for SURE by the end of the first week of June instead of by the 14th. But, hopefully I will go into natural labor before I have to be induced. Either way, we are watching as the number of days until meeting our baby girl dwindle. We are filled with joy and anticipation (how are we going to handle two children under the age of 2?) But we are up for the challenge.
Lorelei has no idea how much her life will change pretty soon. We are happy to be giving her a sibling but are a little bit sad when we realize that our simple little life as the Bakers3 will cease to exist as we know it. We know the change is for the better but we are holding on tightly to the last few weeks with our only daughter.
Lorelei has been starting to show interest in toilet training and has done both duties on her potty now! She especially likes to read magazines and books while sitting. Where did she learn that??? So, we'll keep encouraging her but we won't push it since we don't want to be full-on-in-the-middle of it as we bring a new baby home.
We also had a visit from my college Roommate, Brandie last week who flew in from Spokane, WA. Although the reason for the visit was sad (our good college friend Brie's Dad passed away unexpectedly. Brandie, Matt and I car-pooled down to the memorial service in Bakersfield), we had a great time with her while she was with us.
Overall the last month has been busy, but we are doing our best to take a breath, slow down and enjoy life.
Here are some belly photos from 34 and 35 weeks:
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| week 34 and 35 of pregnancy |
and some other photos of Lola from the past several weeks:
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| April 2008 fun |
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| April & May 2008 |
Sunday, April 20, 2008
32 weeks of expansion!
Well, my belly must have really changed a lot in size recently because even people who see me on a regular basis have been commenting on "how much I am sticking out" now! Big is big is BIG, so it all feels large to me! I am still doing wonderfully and although my nights are interrupted with frequent trips to the bathroom once again, I am really loving this pregnancy. It is hard to believe that we'll be meeting this little one in about a month and a half or so! WOW.
Here are photos of my "basketball belly":
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| 32 weeks pregnant |
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Family Reunion in Arizona
From April 11th-14th we were in Arizona (Sun City) for a whirl-wind Family Reunion on Matt's Mom's side. We were also there to celebrate Matt's Grandmother's 90th birthday! It really was a wonderful time. I was able to get to know relatives that I had never met and everyone had a wonderful time celebrating and catching up. The weather was warm but wonderful and we spent lots of time chatting in the warm Arizona sun and swimming. There were a lot of little ones running around and so Lola had a blast...plus her cousins Brosnan, Xander and Ethan were there and she absolutely adores them. Thirty-five of us converged upon Uncle Joe and Aunt Dianne's home and we were able to coordinate a professional family photo by the lake despite the number of people and uncooperative little ones! Lorelei did much better with the flights to and from Arizona and was not nearly as afraid. She was very wiggly but overall was a real angel. I had gotten permission from my OB Doc to fly for our two trips, but he has since asked me, "now, you are staying put for now, right?" and the answer is YES! I am tired! Both of our vacations were wonderful, but now it is time to slow down a bit and prepare for baby #2!!
Photos from the weekend:
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| Arizona Reunion April 2008 |
Las Vegas Baby!
We spent a fabulous week in Las Vegas (courtesy of a very generous friend who let us use her condo). We stayed at the Wyndham Grand Desert Resort about a mile off of the strip in a three bedroom presidential suite. My brother Kyle and his fiance Aimee joined us for days 1-3; friends Brandon and Laurie Harbin and their 1 year old son Brenden joined us for days 2-4, and Matt's parents joined us for days 4-7! What a revolving door! It was so much fun and Lorelei did SO well with everything. Our flight to Vegas was her third flight (she flew at 9 weeks and 6 months) but the first time that she ever really was aware of what was happening around her. We were seated right next to the engines and they scared her a bit. She covered her ears during take off and landing and cuddled into us. We also hit a bunch of turbulence on the way there and to make it "fun", Daddy chanted "bouncy, bouncy" to which Lorelei replied "NO bouncy, bouncy!" Although she was a bit freaked out there weren't any tears and she didn't freak out on the way home since they sat us near the front of the plane where it was quiet.
Lola LOVED our condo and all of the new spaces to explore. She slept great (no matter what room she was stuck in). She actually slept in our huge bathroom for two nights because it was quiet, dark and didn't entail her taking up an entire bedroom that guests could be using. She did really well in the stroller, in the taxis and on the shuttles/monorails. Everything was greeted with a "WOW" and the bright lights of the city entertained her endlessly. She loved the Shark Experience at Mandalay Bay and enjoyed chasing the small sharks from one end of the tank to the other yelling "come here...hold you?". The other highlight of her trip was FAO Schwartz where she hugged every stuffed animal on the first floor and totally dug the giant piano (from BIG) on the third floor although she was hardly heavy enough to register any sound from the keys!
I did really well with all of the walking and my feet didn't really swell much at all! I hit the "30 week mark" while there and found myself taking time to really enjoy my pregnancy since the worries of everyday life were left behind.
Lola was in 7th heaven with all of her favorite people around. She was Papa Baker's buddy the whole time and did not allow him a second alone! Grandma Baker was a huge help and was constant entertainment for Lola. She has a blast with her Auntie and Uncle who won her stuffed animals at Circus Circus and she also enjoyed having Brenden for a playmate while he was there (and she especially loved the new toys he brought along). It was a wonderful and relaxing trip...different from any vacation we had ever had to Vegas. Maybe having Lola along made us take a breath and pause a second...to really experience what time away from reality should truly be.
Photos from our trip:
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| Las Vegas 3-31-08 to 4-5-08 |
March Fun at 18+ months
March was a great month. We had a bunch of birthdays to celebrate and some good weather too! We spent a lot of time outdoors with Lorelei who LOVED getting wet and dirty while helping Daddy with yard chores. Easter was a blast too. Lorelei loved her dress and said "pretty" every time she caught a glimpse of herself in a reflection. She enjoyed her Easter Basket full of her favorite snacks and also loved her new gardening tools, sidewalk chalk, and bubble bath. She received an adorable swim suite ensemble from Grandma and Grandpa Baker along with new books and toys...and her "Easter basket" from Grandma and Grandpa Barrow was a red wagon. Daddy took her for a spin right away and she was all smiles. Lola still enjoys hanging with her doggies and feeding them even when she is not supposed to. She says more and more every day and loves to tease us by calling us "Matt" and "Dana" to get a reaction. She is obsessed with stuffed animals and wants to hug every single one she sees. She says, "hold you?" when she wants to snuggle someone and offers hugs and kisses galore. Her favorite foods right now are apples, mixed veggies, chicken nuggets, veggie dogs, cheerios in milk and olives. She is totally obsessed with any kind of shoe whether they belong to her, are sitting on a shelf in the store or are sitting on the living room floor. She loves to put them on and slide around in them and insists that we put on our shoes if we are barefoot. Lola just started counting to TEN thanks to Papa Baker but she often forgets "five". She loves to sing and do the motions to pat-a-cake. Her hair is finally getting some length to it and it has a lot of curls! She wakes up with an afro after every nap. What a doll and we love her to pieces (all 21 pounds of her). March was good to us.
Here are some photos from March:
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| March fun |
30 weeks pregnant
I hit the "30 week mark" while on our fabulous vacation in Las Vegas. I am feeling great still and the belly is ever-growing!
View pics here:
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| 30 weeks pregnant |
Friday, March 28, 2008
29 weeks pregnant and counting!
We have entered the third trimester and I am now 29 weeks pregnant. I am still feeling great and am loving this pregnancy although the belly is getting in the way a bit when trying to play on the ground with my active little toddler! We had another scan and she is "still a girl"! Ha ha. It was so fun for Matt and I to just kick back and watch her move around on the screen. She had every limb in front of her face (including the cord) and was playing a bit of peek a boo, but we managed to see some great shots of her face. It is hard to believe that in about ten weeks (or less) we'll have another little girl around the house! WOW! We are off to Vegas this Sunday for a "free vacation". Matt's book-keeper had a three bedroom suite that she had already payed for and was unable to use so she offered it to us! We will have a blast with Lola there and will experience a very different Vegas than either of us have in the past: pregnancy and traveling with a toddler= lots of pool time and less casino time!
Here are some photos of the belly:
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| 29 weeks pregnant |
Sunday, March 2, 2008
25.5 weeks pregnant!
Well, here are some belly photos at 25 and a half weeks pregnant. Oh yeah, and also a short haircut too! We're getting pretty excited! Only three months left!
Here they are:
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| 25.5 weeks pregnant March 2008 |
Thursday, February 28, 2008
February wrap-up:
February was a crazy month for us. Lola was a blast and talks more and more every day. She has a pretty large vocabulary of "actual" words, but in-between she likes to add a gobble-dee-goop of some language that she made up! She is very close to figuring out all of this language stuff and already says 2 and 3 word sentences mostly consisting of: "up please", "no, no guys" (to the dogs), "hold this", "I love you", "tickle, tickle Daddy", "baby in there" (to my belly) etc. So much fun. We have had weekends that have been absolutely full to the brim with get-togethers with friends, family activities, house work, baby preparation stuff and a bit of travel for Mommy.
Our dear friend Brian Reisinger passed away unexpectedly from heart complications in his home on February 10th. The Reisinger family has always been our "local family" since neither the Barrows nor the Reisingers had family locally. I grew up with Brian's son Aaron (my age) and my brother Kyle grew up with Andrew. Many a holiday was spent together through the years as well as many family vactions. My mom also worked for Brian and Brian was my Dad's best friend. All in all, it was a huge loss to our family. Matt and Brian (as well as the boys) had grown close as well. He really was like a second Dad to me and he would often introduce me as his "daughter" to others. Needless to say, the Barrows have been very busy helping the boys to sort out whatever they needed in preparation for the memorial service (in LA where Brian's extended family lives) and the celebration of life celebration the following weekend that saw over 200 people in attendance. I decided to drive down to LA with my parents and some other good friends to attend Brian's memorial service and to support Aaron and Andrew. That meant that Daddy had a weekend with Lola all to himself! They had a blast and Lola was not too happy that Mommy had come back to switch places with Daddy when he went to work!
So...February was a very happy as well as difficult month for our family and we are looking forward to a calmer and brighter March. My pregnancy is going wonderfully and I am still taking prenatal yoga classes. I am now a full 25 weeks pregnant and 6months along! Wow. Time is flying and the belly is growing.
Photos from this month:
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| February wrap-up |
Thursday, February 7, 2008
22 weeks pregnant!
Well, the belly is getting quite big! I am now done with my 22nd week and have started my sixth month now! Time is flying and I am trying to eat up every chance I get to spend one-on-one time with Lorelei (and with the three of us) since in a few months that will change! I am having a blast in my prenatal yoga classes and am overall feeling really wonderful!
Here are some 22 week photos:
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| 22 weeks pregnant February 2008 |
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