3 months!

It's true...time goes by so quickly!! I have been so lucky to be able to have so much time off of work to enjoy our little growing girl. It is just so amazing how much she has changed. She is holding her head up pretty steady now, follows objects, smiles ALL the time (we can't get enough of that!), coo's and "talks" to us - almost like she is telling us a story...it's adorable, and she is starting to bat and grasp at things...let the toy shopping begin! Overall she is just amazing (did I say that in the last post...probably...but it's still true). This next month is going to go by so quickly and then I will be back to work. Some days I'm excited to go back and others I feel like I never want to go back! Haha. But it will be good. Brian will be taking some time off work when I go back. He is really looking forward to spending more time with Zoe and being Mr. Mom 3 days a week.
Last week we took a trip up to Sacramento. It was hot but so fun!.Zoe got to meet so many of her Aunts, Uncles, and adoring cousins. Everyone couldn't get enough of her.  And of course her Gramma and Pompa loved on her as much as they could ;) And she had her first experience in the pool! She seemed to really like it. I will try to post the video.

I have so many pictures to share! Maybe I will do a slide show...

ZJ 3 months - making a free slideshow


I need to find a different slideshow maker....my pictures really are better than it's showing! Next time...

2 months already?

That's right folks...it's been 2 months since our sweet little Zoe Jane made her debut. She is absolutely the sweetest thing ever. I guess I'm a little biased but if you spent everyday with her, you would feel the same way ;).

She has grown so much in this short time. Last time we weighed her she was 10 lbs 9 oz (that was about 2 weeks ago. We have her 2 month appt on Tuesday so will get another weight then). She is intentionally smiling, which is amazing. And she makes cute little noises. Her favorite one is "a-goo". When I say it back to her she gets the biggest grin on her face. You say it out loud...it will make you smile too. Her head control is so much better. She still bobs a little and occasionally butts it into my shoulder or chest, but overall she is much stronger. She is also very strong during "tummy time" and moves her head from side to side and does her little baby push ups. It's pretty cute. She loves bath time. She seems to enjoy just relaxing and feeling the warm water. She does not, however, like to get dressed for bed after her bath.  But once she falls asleep (between 8:30-9:30 usually) she is out for 4-5 hrs, eats, and then is out for another 3. But come 6 or 6:30, she is awake and all smiles! I started jogging a few weeks ago and she is doing great in the stroller. She sleeps the whole time and usually wakes up when we get home, eats and then lets me eat breakfast. We've got a good system worked out :).

So things are going well. Brian and Magnus are good too :). Oh. We got our VW Bus a few weeks ago! Brian is still working out some kinks with the engine. But it will be up and running and ready for our "maiden voyage" very soon. I will post some pictures of that soon.

Summer here in Ventura has been nice (well, except for almost the entire month of "June Gloom"). Most days have been 70-75. Hopefully it continues. We may be introducing Zoe to the sand on Wednesday. As long as the beaches aren't too crowded.

I hope everyone is well and enjoying their summer!

Here she is at 1 month...

Turning 2 months old is hard work...time for a nap...

Still fits in the very first onsie she wore! (Barely...)

Don't mess with The Zoe

I so wish this one wasn't blurry!

Here's another good smile

Looks like she's laughing!

Working on sitting up!

Hanging out in the Bumbo

And here is one of Zoe and her Dad on Father's Day :)

Zoe Jane!!

Well here we are 3 weeks later and I am finally getting on here to post about our new addition! What an amazing 3 weeks it has been. Our lives have certainly changed but we wouldn't have it any other way. Our Zoe Jane is just a perfect little love bug and she has stolen our hearts.

Let me share how Zoe decided to make her appearance...

April 29th was a normal day and still a week before my due date. I wasn't feeling any different. Brian did mention that morning that "She's sitting lower today". I didn't think much of it and we went on with our day. That afternoon we walked down by the beach with Magnus. It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day. Magnus got to play out in the ocean and absolutely loved it. I was having braxton hick's throughout our walk, but again didn't think too much of it since I had been having them everyday for several weeks.

We went up to bed late that evening (just before midnight). A few minutes after settling into bed I felt a weird "pop". I got up and went to the bathroom. I noticed a small amount of fluid. I opened the bathroom door and told Brian that I thought my water had broken but I wasn't really sure. I got back into bed and sat and waited to see if more fluid came. About 10 minutes later I started to have what I thought was a Braxton Hick's, but then it became a little painful in my back. I went back to the bathroom and there was a little more fluid. I was convinced that it was my water. So I called my midwife (it's now around 12:30) and told her what was going on (by now I was having contractions every 3-5 minutes). She said she would meet us at the birthing center in about an hour (I had to go in to get an antibiotic because I was Group Beta Strep positive - you can look it up if you want). I called my Mom at about 12:45 and told her things were starting. She decided to make her way down from Sacramento right away. We got to the birthing center around 1:45. My midwife put on the monitors to watch my contractions and the baby's heartrate (everything looked great). She placed my IV and gave me the antibiotic. She didn't check me at this time to see how dilated I was due to the fact that my water was broken, I was GBS positive, and we didn't want to introduce any bacteria until the antibiotics had some time to kick in. She gave me the option to stay or go home for a while to labor there. I felt like the contractions weren't too awful so I decided to go home. About three blocks down I told Brian, "Maybe this wasn't a good idea" but once that contraction was over I told him to keep driving home.

We got home and about 2 minutes after walking in the door I was hit with 3 super strong contractions, each about a minute apart. I told Brian that we needed to go back to the birthing center. He called my midwife and told her we were headed back. But I needed to use the bathroom first... Yes, this labor and delivery nurse said she needed to use the bathroom...what happens when I got there? Suprise, suprise I felt like I had to push!! Duh Beth! I think Brian was probably freaking out at this point although he was very calm about everything. But he was very insistent that I get up and get in the car. I felt like I was frozen on that toilet though. Finally I was able to get up and I moved as fast as I could out to the car but another contraction hit me as I opened the car door. So what did I do? What felt natural of course! I squated down. Brian tells me "Your'e not having this baby in the parking lot!" and into the car I went.

Luckily, it is now about 3:30 in the morning so the road was clear and the birthing center is not that far away...but it still felt like an eternity getting back there. As I walked in I told my midwife that I was feeling the urge to push. A contraction came and I again squated down in front of the bed. She checked me before my next contraction and told me those wonderful words "you can start pushing". Lovely!! And push I did...and yell...alot. I was frozen on the floor so I pushed on my hands and knees for a few minutes. Then they brought me a birthing stool and after pushing for another 5 minutes or so, at 4:09, I reached down and pulled up my precious little girl. It was amazing. We were so in awe of her. We couldn't believe she was already here. And she was just perfect.

She stayed on my chest for about 2 hours. My midwife made gave me an amazing bowl of fresh fruit and we made some oatmeal. Then Brian held her while we relaxed and tried to get a little sleep. Then we weighed and measured.. 7lb 4 oz, 19 inches. Perfect little size.

My Mom arrived around 8:00. We had updated her when we were going back home but not that we were going back to the birthing center. Well, she told me that at around 3:30, as she was driving and the sky was pitch black, she saw a shooting star... she knew something was happening. So she called around 3:45 and Brian told her that we were back and that I was pushing. It was a sign that my little Zoe was on her way!

We left for home around 10 am and spent the rest of the day laying on the couch, sleeping and just staring at this little thing we had created. It was an amazing, exhausting, wonderful day.

It's crazy how someone so small can change your whole life in an instant. We are so happy to finally have Zoe here. She is an awesome baby. She is eating great, gaining weight, sleeping...well she's sleeping...sometimes for an hour, sometimes for 4. Now if only I could convince her that the 4 hours should be in the middle of the night and not the middle of the day.

Brian is an amazing dad. He is so in love with this little girl. She definitely has him wrapped around her little finger already.

Magnus has adjusted well to her being here. He is very curious about her and wants to lick her but overall he is doing great with her. I think he likes being a big brother.

And now for the pictures (click on the link below)...Enjoy!


http://www.kizoa.com/slideshow/d2709692k7984680o1/zoe

Time flies...

Wow. Time has really gotten away from me. I can't believe we are in the middle of March! Which means... baby time in less than 2 months!! Holy cow. It's just amazing how fast this time has gone.

I am so happy that the pregnancy is going so smoothly. Other than the occasional discomfort it has been pretty much smooth sailing. I am now 32 weeks. Just 8 more to go (or less if she decides to come sooner). We are getting things ready. The nursery is painted, the crib and changing table are set up and we have a basinet that we will put in our room. So far I haven't bought much else since I will be having 2 showers and don't want to have to return a bunch of stuff. I am so lucky to have such wonderful co-workers who are throwing me a shower next weekend. And Susan is hosting one for family/friends at the end of the month. I am so excited! :)

My belly, of course, has grown substantially. Haha. I'm loving it though. It is just so awesome to feel her wiggle around in there...even though sometimes she decides my ribs are in her way and she kicks to get some more room. :) We did a 3D ultrasound last week (actually 2 of them). The first one she had her arms and hands in front of her face most of the time so we didn't get great shots. So we went back a few days later and were able to see her a little more clearly. But she is already really low in my pelvis so it was still difficult to get a good view. I will post the best picture below. It was really fun getting to see her. She has very chubby cheeks and pouty lips. She's got Brian's lips for sure!

Magnus is also doing good. Although he has an infection right now. Nothing serious but it causes runny/stuffy nose. So we are constantly wiping his nose off. Poor guy. But he is such a happy go lucky puppy that it doesn't bother him too much. He is a great walking partner for me. When I'm off I usually take him for 2 or 3 walks. Great for him and me! He is doing really well training wise. We take him to a training class once a week and he has done really well so far. I'm so happy that he is such a good dog. It is going to be challenging when the baby gets here so I am relieved that at least he is obeying us! I think he is going to be a great big brother. :)

And Brian is doing great. His business is picking up and they usually have a treatment about once a week. That's actually where he is as I type this. I'm really proud of him and all the hard work he has been doing.

Yesterday we drove up to Cambria and Susanne met us there and did a maternity shoot for us. It was so awesome! It was a gorgeous day (although just a touch cold and breezy...that's the California coast for you!). We were able to shoot at several different locations along the beach and also in town. I'm really excited about seeing the final products. :)

That about wraps it up...until next time....I will try to make that before the baby comes.... :)

This is after playing at the dog park...he is very worn out

It's a GIRL!!!

I'm a little late in posting this since we found out the gender a few weeks ago! Oops. But we did find out that we will be having a little girl :) Brian told me he had a feeling it would be a girl while I was suprised cause I was thinking boy. :) But we are both so happy and excited!!

Things are going great. The baby must be growing cause my belly has sure gotten bigger! haha. I have felt some small movements here and there. Hopefully in the next week or so I will start feeling a little more. It's amazing that I can't feel something the size of a mango moving inside of me. :)

We are looking forward to Christmas. We will be going up to Idaho/Washington for several days. So excited for some relaxing time with no work! Not looking forward to leaving Magnus for 9 days though :(  Wish we could take him with us. But happy to be spending Christmas with family. :)

Hope everyone is having a great holiday season so far! Here are some new pictures...

Our little girl

Magnus the Great

Arms/Hands

16 weeks

19 weeks. Getting bigger!

Fall Update

Well things have been going great! I'm now over a week into the second trimester and I'm feeling good. I haven't been sick at all. Just tired and hungry all the time! But overall I can't complain too much. I'm already feeling huge though. I know I'm not but it's strange having this belly that I can't suck in! Haha. It's for a good cause though ;)

Brian is doing well. Work is good and his new business is coming along. He's part owner of a Veterinary Imaging business. They have had several clients and things are starting to pick up now that more vets know about them.

And our new pup Magnus is great. He's a pain sometimes but overall he is a good dog. We are working on all the fun training stuff. He doesn't mind the kennel and walks well on the leash (most of the time). It's great having a dog in the house again. And he's pretty darn cute so it makes up for the times that he's not so good.

So that's whats been happening here in Ventura.

P.S. We will be finding out the gender the week after Thanksgiving :)

Here are a few pics...

The peanut

"The Belly" @ 15 weeks

Brian and Magnus at the pumpkin patch

And now for my next trick...

Some big changes are coming our way!! First we decide to get a puppy. We will be picking him up in October. His name is Magnus and we are very excited to have a dog in the house again. (for those that don't know, we took Freya back to the rescue because of some health issues). Well, now I feel a little like those families who decide to adopt a child after trying to have their own for so long, and then get pregnant as soon as everything is finalized. Haha. Cause that is basically what happened, except our adopted child is a dog. And now I am PREGNANT!! This is going to be interesting! We are both so excited and still a little in shock. I'm due May 7th. I'm feeling great so far. No morning sickness....yet...and let's hope it stays that way. I get tired here and there and I am constantly hungry! But otherwise it's not too bad. So I will try to update more often and let you all know how things are going. Here is a picture of my announcement while we were at the Magic Castle. I tried my hand at a magic trick and it didn't turn out exactly as planned but I still got the point across.



And here is a picture of our first ultrasound. It's a little hard to see but you can kind of make it out down in the left "corner". The round part is the yolk sac and the little blob next to it is the embryo. :) We were able to see the heart flicker. It was beating at a healthy 130 bpm.