San Francisco

Ethan and I went to San Francisco last weekend with our friends of ours, Chad and Vicki.  Chad is actually one of Ethan's best friends from high school. They are a really sweet couple. 

We drove our van up on Friday morning.  Julia did a great job!  She slept most of the time and just woke up once to eat.

As you probably know from our previous vacations, food is a big part of our vacations.  Ethan always does a bunch of research on where they best eats are.  Having been to San Francisco several times already, we know of some wonderful places to eat.  But, we did get to try a few new places this time - a burrito place, an ice cream place, a gourmet burger, and a Thai restaurant.  The burrito, according to Ethan, was the best burrito he ever has eaten!  :)  We of course repeated some of our favorite food experiences such as the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market on Saturday morning, Bi-Rite Creamery for amazing ice cream, and "Mamma's" for breakfast.  Everything was delicious as always...

Julia was a trooper.  She did well in her stroller.  When we rode the bus, we put her in a "Baby Bjorn" and then transfered her to her stroller once we got off the bus.  We also walked around with her in the Baby Bjorn while we were walking through Fisherman's Wharf.  Julia was content most of the time.  However, in 2 of the restaurants she got fussy.  We were able to appease her by holding her in one of the restaurants.  In the other, I was finished eating so I just pushed her in her stoller outside until everyone else finished eating...  I was nervous before going up to San Francisco, not knowing how she would do in restaurants, so I was thankful that she did well most of the time.

Here are some pictures from our trip:

The best burrito Ethan has ever had...

After a burrito we needed to try a famous ice cream place we had never tried.  It was yummy, just not quite as yummy as "Bi-Rite Creamery."

Ethan and me at the Thai Restaurant



Saturday morning... on our way to the "Ferry Plaza Market" where there were a bunch of food booths.

Ethan carrying Julia is the "Baby Bjorn" on our way to the bus that would take us to the Ferry Plaza Market.  I think she really likes being close to our bodies but being able to look around at everything...

The bus ride on our way to the Ferry Plaza Market

Chad and Vicki on the bus

At the Ferry Plaza Market, Chad was kind to take care of Julia.  Notice, he's pulling the stroller... He didn't want Julia to get the sun in her eyes.  :)

The "girls" on our way to Fisherman's Wharf

It was pretty cold and windy that morning at Fisherman's Wharf, so we bought this hat for Julia.  It says: "Reject: Too Cute.  Alcatraz"  :)

Ice Cream Sundaes at Ghirardelli Square

Chad and Vicki loved holding Julia.  :)  They were even kind enough to offer to babysit Julia one night so that Ethan and I could go get ice cream by ourselves.  That was a fun get-away!

14 weeks

Our precious Julia is now 14 weeks old... 

Let's see... what are her latest things that she does?  Well, she blows bubbles a lot.  She is also drooling a lot so I keep the burp rag handy to wipe her face often.  She likes to stick out her tongue.  I think it's adorable when she smiles and sticks her tongue out at the same time...

She is so much more interactive.  She smiles a lot and just loves any kind of attention.  She also responds more when I read to her which is cute.  She loves it when I sing to her.  She is happiest in the morning and afternoon.  By the evening she gets more fussy.  I wish it wasn't that way because I feel like Ethan doesn't get to see Julia in her usual happy state...  But, even in her fussiness it's not too bad.  She is a pretty easy-going baby. 

When she wakes up in the morning, she starts fussing until I acknowledge her.  But, once I acknowledge her by talking or singing to her, she is all smiles and starts kicking her legs in excitement.  If only I was that excited to wake up in the morning!  :)  But, her smile just melts my heart and truly makes it a joy to wake up in the morning when she responds in that way.  She used to wake up screaming until I fed her, so I'm happy for this recent change.  She is so sweet.

She is about 10 lbs. 10 oz. now.  So, she is feeling very heavy to me considering that she was born weighing only 5 lbs. 14 oz.!  But, she is petite.  She is still wearing newborn diapers!  Many babies outgrow newborn diapers quickly or never even wear them...  But, I think she is ready to "graduate" to size 1, finally.  However, they look huge on her cuz she is so skinny.  She wears 0-3 months pajamas and onesies.  Most 0-3 month pants don't fit her because the waists are too large, but newborn pants look like capris on her.  :) 

Here are some recent pictures I took of her.

I love watching her kick those legs...  It's amazing how babies can do all sorts of "leg lifts" but not seems to get tired.  She must have such strong stomach muscles!

always blowing bubbles...

I just had to show off her gorgeous eyelashes... Thank you, Ethan, for passing that wonderful gene on to her!  :)

Blowing bubbles and sticking out her tongue are her favorite things to do... 

A typical day at home with Julia

I thought it would be fun to create a blog that shows what a "typical" day is like at home with Julia.  Here are some pictures and videos I have been taking over the past couple days to capture what life is like with my 12 week old Julia.

I feed her on a roughly 3 hour schedule (7:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m., 9:00 p.m., then bedtime around 9:30 or 10:00 p.m.).  I am flexible with the times if she shows hunger cues early or if we are out and about and she doesn't seem hungry at her regular feeding time.  But, overall she usually gets hungry every 3 hours.  After feeding her, I try to keep her awake for awhile, then put her down for a nap when she shows signs of being tired.  When she wakes up from her nap it's usually feeding time again and the cycle starts all over...

She is sleeping about 5-6 hours each night. (She did a few 7 hour stretches but isn't doing it consistently yet.) She usually wakes me up around 3:00 or 4:00 a.m. for her "middle of the night" feeding. She usually wakes up again around 7:00 a.m.


So, after the 7:00 a.m. feeding, sometimes she'll sleep just a tad longer which mommy is grateful for when she does.  I usually get up around 8:00 a.m. and make breakfast.  While making breakfast, I sit Julia up in a "Boppy" pillow.  She watches me while I make breakfast.

While I'm eating breakfast, she usually gets tired of sitting in her boppy pillow, so I'll transfer her to her swing which she enjoys.  You'll notice in the second picture that Julia has discovered her fist.  She loves to suck on it... 

After breakfast, I'll go over to the couch and read my Bible and pray.  By this point, she starts to get grumpy because she's tired, so I'll put her down for a nap.  She has gotten so much better about taking naps.  She used to scream and scream!  She still cries when I start to wrap her up for her nap.  But once I lay her down, she only fusses for about a minute or so.  She usually sleeps between 40 minutes and an hour.

(Here's her typical, "I don't want to take a nap!")

Notice how I lay Julia in the middle of the bed.  She always manages to push herself so that she's laying at an angle.  :)

When Julia wakes up from her nap, usually it's time for her to eat again.  After feeding her, I try to keep her awake.  Some things I do to keep her awake are: reading to her, talking to her, singing to her, putting her in her swing, laying her on a blanket, putting her in her bouncer, laying her under her mobile, going for walks with her, or giving her a bath.

I have learned from my mistake not to give her a bath too many times each week.  She has ecxema so I have some special lotion that has been helping with her dry skin.  When I do give her a bath, sometimes I'll put baby oil on afterward which helps her skin too.

Here's Julia with her baby oil on her skin.  I wanted her to air dry a little and allow the oil to soak it...  She wasn't too crazy about the idea, as you can tell.

Once I put her clothes on, she was much happier!  Well, atleast I have a girl who prefers to be modest.  :)

Daddy gets home around 5:30 each day.  Of course, he enjoys holding her and playing with her.  Julia loves her daddy.  :)

Not only does Julia love to suck on her fists, she also loves blowing bubbles and does it constantly.  :)

So, there you have it.  I am so glad I get to be home with Julia, enjoying these typical days with her.  I am so thankful to my husband, who wants me to be home and provides for us so that I can.  But most of all, I'm thankful to God who has allowed me to stay home and be with my daughter.  I know that is a wonderful privelege and I don't take it for granted.

Let me end this blog with a few videos of Julia at home.

This is Julia in her bouncy seat.  I love it because it plays classical music and lights up with the music.  Also, show loves batting at the hanging toys.

 She likes this mobile.  She smiles at the sun (that's what she's looking at).

11 weeks

Today, our precious Julia is 11 weeks old.  I can't believe how fast time has flown by.  Julia has brought us so much joy.  It's hard to imagine what life was like without her.  She has changed everything... for the better.  It is a joy to be home with her each day and see her changing.  Here are some pictures I took of her yesterday.

Julia is wearing 0-3 month clothes because she is tall.  but, as you can tell, she doesn't quite fill out her clothes.  Everything is baggy on her.  :)

Sweet girl

Julia was blessed with her daddy's long curly eyelashes.  :)

Our precious girl

Happy Julia

Julia has been smiling a lot more lately.  She smiles most often when we're changing her on the changing table for some reason.  She is also starting to babble a little and you'll see that in the second video.


This first video was taken at 3:00 a.m.  When she's so happy and sweet, it make that middle of the night feeding not so bad...

This second  video was taken during the day while I was giving her a diaper change.  You can hear her "talking."  So precious!

Surprise Baby Shower

Last Friday, we went to our Bible Study.  It was the first time Julia attended.  :)  Because it was the first Bible Study of the year, we shared blessings/reflections of 2010 in addition to praying and praising with worship songs.  We also went around sharing prayer requests and spiritual goals for 2011.  When our leader prayed a closing prayer, at the end he said something like, "...and please bless our activities for the rest of the evening."  I remember thinking, "hmmm, maybe we're doing some New Year's activities or something."  Well, shortly after I opened my eyes, Lisa and Christy started placing gift bags in front of me!  They had planned a suprise baby shower for Julia!  I was so surprised and humbled by their kindness.  Ethan had been told about it and was asked to make sure we didn't arrive early so that they had a chance to hide the gifts.  :)  I got some wonderful clothes & baby items for Julia.  Thank you so much, my dear friends in our Bible Study!

My friend, Michelle, holding Julia.

Me (and Julia) & Christy (and Caly).  We were "pregnancy buddies" together (see the picture below) and now are both enjoying having a daughter at the same time that are so close in age.  In fact, there are 2 other moms besides us at Bible Study who have baby girls, so there are 4 little baby girls in Bible Study.  :)

Pregnancy Buddies  :)

Julia and Caly

Awww...  Gotta love those lips!

Okay, I guess life isn't so rough afterall!  :)

2 Months

Yesterday was Julia's "2 month" mark!  Wow, is it even possible that she's already 2 months old?  She has brought us so much joy.  I had her 2 month check-up at the pediatrician today.  Here are her stats:

Head: 22 inches (37th percentile)
Weight: 9 lbs 4 oz (16th percentile)
Head: 15 inches (33rd percentile)

So, she is a petite little thing.  :)

Julia is eating & sleeping well.  She typically sleeps for a 5-6 hour stretch at night, so that is a blessing for her mommy and daddy!

So, what is Julia doing these days?  She started smiling at Christmas!  It was so precious...  Also, she has started "experimenting" with her voice, making strange cat-like sounds and cute squeeks and stuff like that.  A few times while smiling at us, she made sounds that sounded like a laugh.  So precious!  Her hair has really thinned out in the front but it still quite long in the back.  Her eye lashes were very short and thin when she was born, but now they have grown so long and curly just like her daddy's!  Her eyes are still very blue.  I'm so anxious to see what color they will turn.  My guess is green or gray...  Everyone comments how long her fingers are.  She seems to enjoy when mommy reads books to her, especially nursery rhymes.  She also seems to enjoy music a lot which makes her mommy happy since she's a music lover.  :)    

We just recently became a "minivan" family.  :)  We purchased a 2006 Toyota Sienna and absolutely love it!  We call it our "Swagger Wagon."  If you haven't seen the video on Youtube, you have to check it out:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUG3Z8Hxa5I

Here's our minivan

Julia, just "chillin" in her "Swagger Wagon."

When I was born, I was born so close to Christmas that the hospital sent me home in a red stocking and hat. My mom recently passed on this outfit to Julia.

Me as a baby with my mom & siblings.  If you look closely, you can see that I'm inside the red stocking and hat.

My siblings - again I'm inside the red stocking and wearing the hat.

Julia, 29 years later, inside the same stocking and wearing the same hat.

Here are a few more recent pictures of Julia:

Baby's First Christmas.  "Moms in Touch" from my school gave her this really cute blanket!

My brother Phil's family gave Julia this outfit.  Jaime said that her daughter, Ella, insisted that they buy the skirt.  :)  I thought it was so cute, especially because it's such a shiny shirt and very puffy/girly.  Jaime made a cute shirt to match it.    

The other day when I went to get Julia out of her car seat, I saw her asleep like this with her hands suspended in mid-air.  She cracks me up!