Guess what toddling toddler is turning 1?

Well Jellybean walked today! Alex was scooting himself across Nicky's floor in a doll pack 'n play and Azalea was holding on to the back walking along like she does with her Ikea wagon, when all of a sudden he got away from her and she teetered for a minute and then kept going! Jack and I were appropriately excited, and she stopped, beamed, and patted herself happily on the chest.

Yay, Azalea!

So I thought this would be a good time to invite everyone to her birthday party! We don't really have the details sorted out yet but you should at least save the date! Here it is in BOLD:

Azalea's First Birthday Party
Sat, November 21, afternoonish
Our new house on W Green Street
Expect cake, party favors, and celebratory beverages

Please save the date and RSVP so we get excited!!!

I can't believe it has been this long since I have written--well actually I can...she's a handful! Azalea is crawling and cruising and pulling herself up on everything. At the moment she is sitting next to me playing with her dishes in the kitchen. The cat can't get over the baby gates so we can't put them up--which means everything is fair game!
We've been bad about putting up pictures but we will start again since I got a camera for my birthday. So stay tuned!!!

Azalea's Two Month Birthday!

Two months today Azalea was born! She's super alert, smiley, and even played with herself this morning...batting at the rattles happily...




for about seven minutes... at which point she burst into sobs of frantic over-stimulation. Next time I think I'll try just one toy at a time!

And I think I finally found a baby carrier that she can nurse in and then happily fall asleep in, all the while leaving my hands free for computer work, hence actually being able to blog for the first time in two months! It's called a "Baby K'tan." And it's a cross between a sling and a wrap.


We are now using cloth diapers exclusively--Fuzzi Bunz and Bum Genius being my favorites (not impressed with my cow printed Happy Heiny which leaked all over everything). It's a little gross and nobody wants to rinse out a poopy diaper right after dinner...but we're getting used to it!

Actually I am getting used to everything--and what's more I am enjoying it immensely! Now that I know how fast two months go by--and how much she changes in such a short time, I am committed to enjoying every second of it from now on! (Anyone feel free to remind me of this pledge at anytime...especially when she is crying in the middle of the night...)

One week old and a corner turned....

This is what Azalea does to show me that she's ready for latch on....

Yesterday was Azalea's one week birthday. We all survived the week! Yesterday we saw the doctor again (the incredible Jaime Loehr) in the abandoned doctor's office (it was getting cleaned) and he said Azalea "had turned a corner." So all that nursing has paid off...and now there really are many moments that it doesn't hurt at all and amazingly (at least to me three days ago) I actually really like it. I am soooooooooooooooooooooooooo glad I didn't give up!

Is that cabbage in your bra????

So...breastfeeding is really hard...don't know if has to do with me missing out on that last hormone surge at the end and that moment that I was looking so forward to--when she emerges finally and they put her naked and greasy over my stomach and they bring her to my breast...well anyway didn't happen and unfortunately by the time they did try to put her on my chest I was practically delirious, numb from the waste down and she was two hours of frustrated. All I wanted to do was hold her against me, not have the nurse pushing her mouth down on my breast spouting technical vocab at me about latching, etc, while she cried and protested. Things have been hard on the feeding front ever since. Luckily I think I have made a breakthrough today, thanks to some cabbage leaves and a very expensive breast pump rented from Jillian's Drawers. It is still frustrating for both of us, entailing tears on both sides and a whole host of coaches cheering us on and pushing our body parts together. After each feeding, Azalea falls asleep until the next one. And I try to get hugs from people--like my mom....

Azalea's birth...

Azalea's birth was not easy!!!!!!!!!! But here she is moments after the c-section. She was whisked down to her father Jack, her grandpa Vic and her grandma Ginny who took care of her for the first two hours of her life while I got stapled up and monitored with my mom by my side. She's my miracle baby and she is gorgeous! For more pics go to Baby Azalea!

40 weeks, 5 days...

Okay I am lying on my back with my laptop balanced on my knees and there is something missing--namely Azalea curled up frog like on my chest!!! I want her on the other side of my shirt now. She's getting really heavy and the my belly feels like it is going to split open in a vertical line from lower abs to ribs. Not only that but I keep watching videos of my friend Andi's two week old baby and getting really jealous! Of course Jack is really sick too so it wouldn't be completely ideal if she decided to come out now--but it might be better now before I come down with whatever he's got!!! So would everyone PLEASE send her good energy and tell her to come out already? (Oh and as long as we are wishing for things tell her I'd prefer an easy and speedy labor too!)