Princess Playdate

I was starting to get major cabin fever from being cooped up inside too long (I still am not allowed to drive from my surgery), so Nana planned a day-cation to visit my cousin Stacy and her family. Her daughter Kaia is Little Lady's second cousin, but ironically, she came first. They are a little over a week apart in age.

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It was nice to have a change of scenery and to visit with my cousin and her husband. It was also fun to compare Kaia and Little Lady as they both have already developed different habits and personalities.

Anxious to be Active,

D

Bubbles Baby

I was half-excited/half-dreading Little Lady's first bath. All I have ever heard was that there was nothing more slippery than a baby in a bath... Oy vey! With a lot of help from Nana, we got her squeaky clean at least for a little while!

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A Little Relieved, A Lotta Damp,

D

Celebratory Surprises

Little Lady and I were more than spoiled this Christmas. It was full of great surprise gifts! The first surprise came when I got a call from my sister a couple of days before Christmas telling us that her and her husband were going to drive in from out of state the next day to celebrate with us! Once here, they couldn't get enough of Little Lady. She didn't mind all of the lovin' either!

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As per family tradition since I was a kid, Little Lady got her first Christmas Eve pajamas and got started off with her first stocking and a little Santa hat... Surprise, surprise, she didn't like wearing it very much!

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I also got Little Lady her first Christmas ornament. It's a choking hazard for now, but someday she will appreciate it!

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I was very surprised how generous family, extended family, and church family were in ensuring that Little Lady had plenty of gifts to open. We both were excited for all of the little trinkets and outfits. She was so excited that she fell fast asleep...

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The rest of us made out pretty nicely also. Surprisingly, half of us ended up with slippers this year, but they were much needed for chilly feet this winter!

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I don't know whether Sis or Little Lady was more snuggled with the other... They were pretty inseparable, which was fine with me as it was nice to have two arms again, even if it was only for a few days.

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Another great surprise was Papa coming to wish us all a Merry Christmas. It took about one minute after he walked in the door for him to get Little Lady in his arms, that was not a surprise.

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Our last holiday endeavor was trekking to the Oakland Temple to see the Christmas lights. I stayed nice and warm in the Jeep with Little Lady while everyone else weathered the freezing wind up on the hill. The lights, nativity and decorations were beautiful, even if we were only there for ten minutes.

Overall, it was a great holiday! Another great surprise our family had was a very generous Secret Santa who doorbell ditched our house every night for almost two weeks, leaving a wonderful surprise each time. Not only was it fun, but it made us feel so loved and blessed. They were pretty sneaky so we never discovered their identity, but thank you whoever you are!!

Very Merry,

D

Reflection Time

Earlier this afternoon, I was enjoying some private cuddle time with my Little Lady on the couch. From the patch of sky I could see out the window, the day had gone from steel blue to gray. I decided this was reflection weather. I hadn't had reflection time since before I went in for surgery almost two weeks ago. Since then my mind has been going a hundred-plus trying to figure out this motherhood thing.

When I finally took the time to reflect this afternoon I realized how much I missed the baby in my belly. During my c-section, I was pretty put together emotionally. Not until the moment when I could feel the pressure of the doctors pulling her out did I shed a tear, which led to shedding several. It wasn't pain or fear or even excitement that overcame me, it was a tinge of sadness. I was sad that I wasn't going to be holding my baby inside me anymore. A part of me felt like she was leaving. I soon got over it and returned to my happiness and excitement as the nurse brought her to me and rested her on my chest and I was overcome with relief and gratitude.

My reflection today brought me back to that moment. There still remains a part of me that longs to feel that baby back inside me kicking and pushing and hiccoughing. I think I will always miss that part. But here in my arms was a happy pink baby that I could cuddle and hold and kiss and who's eyes I can get lost in at any given moment.

Then I felt it.

She was waking up and my reflection time was fading away. As she did, her eyes began to open while she was still cuddled in the crook of my neck. My daughter gave me my first ever butterfly kisses today. My heart skipped a beat and I missed that baby in my belly a little bit less...

Loved By My Little Lady,

D

D-Day Breakdown

I can't believe that my Little Lady has already been with us for over a week! It has been such a joy to watch her change and grow on a daily basis. So far, she is just a fun, cuddly, happy baby who lets me sleep most of the night... Can you believe it? Me neither!

D-Day still seams pretty surreal. Going to the hospital with my mom and dad just seemed like another doctor visit until I stepped foot in the operating room. My amazing and gracious doctor allowed both of my parents to be in the room (even though the hospital usually only allows one person) and it was such a blessing for them to be there. Since I had a drape three inches in front of my face during the c-section, all I could do is listen to what was going on and watch my parents faces as they witnessed Little Lady coming into the world. She put on quite the show too!

From the accounts of my doctor and parents, Caleneigh came out waving. Although it's a cute story to tell,  seeing an arm first is actually one of the worst things to happen during child birth because it means the baby is completely sideways and you can't pull her out by her arm as it will break or dislocate. So after what felt like a deep cleaning of my rib cage, Caleneigh came out into the world. It turned out that she had been transverse because the cord had been wrapped around her neck for sometime. The process of getting her out took about half an hour and my doctor said it was one of the most challenging c-sections she had ever had. I hope that isn't a foreshadowing of any kind... My dad was able to cut the umbilical cord, something he hadn't done since I was born...

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It is hard to describe the feelings that came over me when I first heard her cry. That was my Little Lady screaming and whimpering. As cliche as it sounds, it really was music to my ears. I wasn't able to hold her right away since I was still being sewn up, but the nurse brought her to me. It was all a blur, literally, since I was overcome with emotions as reality finally set in that I was a mother and this was my daughter. I was warned that there was nothing that could prepare me for how quickly and deeply I would fall in love with that baby, and it was absolutely true... I was in love at first sight.

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While I was in the recovery room working off the meds, my mom took Little Lady for an afternoon at the spa, or so I call it. She was weighed, washed and got her hair did before being bundled up and brought back to me.

I stayed in the hospital for four days and was graciously visited by my loving step-father, aunt, cousin, church friends, and even my English professor from this last semester. My favorite and most helpful visitors were of course my parents, the newly titled "Nana" and "Papa" who were there every day for hours on end.

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It's only been a week, but I fall in love with my Little Lady more and more every day. I take pictures of her hourly and I think my lips have a magnetic connection to her chubby cheeks as I can't stop giving her kisses... Not that I want to stop! It's so much fun to have her in my life (although I am still trying to catch up on some sleep) and can't wait for the continued adventures and memories to be built.

Falling In Love and Falling Asleep,

D

Baby D's Debut

I will post much more about the happenings of D-Day in the near future. For now, I am happy to announce that she has arrived and is healthy and happy as am I.

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Stay tuned for many more stories and pictures! No longer expecting and expressing... I'm now enjoying every day full of bird chirps and baby burps.

Over-joyed and Under-rested,

D

One Final Pre-Motherhood Reflection

This morning, I am anxious. Not anxious like panic-y, but anxious/excited. I know all too well what I can expect from today, but beyond that I've got nothing. It's like a fog that only allows you to see to the end of the block and then keeps you blind past that until you approach.

Motherhood is my blind spot. I suppose it is for every woman the first time around. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have for it to be revealed to me over the coming years. I can't wait (tho I have) to meet Baby D. I know last night was my final chance to get a good night's rest, but it was like the ultimate Christmas Eve as a kid and I found myself more restless than ever. I'm excited to see what packaging the Lord has decided to wrap my sweet little spirit in; what she'll look like, sound like.

More than anything, I am so humbled to have been blessed with the honor and opportunity to raise one of Heavenly Father's choice spirits in these latter-days. I am not perfect, and I am not the best qualified, but my answered prayers have assured me that like every other aspect of my life, the Lord will pick up the slack when I fall short if I only ask for His hand after trying my hardest. For this I am eternally grateful.

Hopeful and Humbled,

D

Fulfilling an Awful Request

With only 3 days to go before Baby D makes her debut, I'm finding myself with way too much time on my hands. I just put 14 books on hold at the library thinking that they will fill the next three days, but I know I'll probably get through one or two before Friday and who knows after that...

My sister and her husband got me a new digital camera for an awesome baby shower gift a little while back. With that gift came the obligation of taking pictures at their request to keep them updated since they live out of state. I didn't think I would mind so much. I thought I would be excited to take pictures of Baby D and to keep myself engaged in my new found love of digital scrapbooking and blogging... Then came the request:

"Hey Dean, do you have a profile pic?"

"You mean like for my FaceBook profile? Ya."

"No like a profile pic."

"Oh, you mean a side-view of me 9+ months pregnant?"

"Ya!"

"No."

"Oh."

And so came the request. After over nine months of dodging the bullet, I had come face-to-face with my pregnancy image monster. If the request had come from anyone else this post would stay in the closet with the rest of my skeletons, but since it's from my two favorite siblings who gave me a camera for just this reason, here goes:

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So there it is ladies and gentlemen. I call this image "D35" since that's how many pounds I've gained to date. I noted that you can click any of my ScrapPages to enlarge, but I don't really think it is necessary for this one! Some women love to take a profile picture every month to document the "baby's journey of growth in the womb." Not me. I was fortunate enough to have an ultrasound just about every month once I found out I was pregnant so I could track Baby D's growth without lumping my "bump" in there with her. At least I got it over with. Phew!

Finding Catharsis in a Camera,

D

Studies and Parties and Pink, Oh My!

Life has been so hectic these last few weeks with preparing for Baby D and trying to cram finals and final projects in with three weeks less than everyone else in school. Some how, though, I was able to squeeze in a baby shower that was so graciously given by the women in my church; my extended family of sisters.

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That evening was so fun and quite delicious! I was truly blessed with great friends and wonderful memories. Not to mention, I went home with some awesome loot! I can't think of anything more that I could possibly need for when Baby D first arrives. And I think I am almost used to all of the PINK!!

With only 10 days left until Baby D's debut, I am looking forward to tomorrow being my last day of school this semester, Thanksgiving just a couple days away and few days in there to spare for nesting and relaxation.

A big congratulations to cousin Stacy, Aaron and little Jake welcoming baby Kaia into the world yesterday!

Ready to Wind Down and Eat Up,

D

Kungala!

Last Wednesday was my first choir concert since high school. And Baby D's first performance ever... I think she got nervous, because she had the hiccoughs the whole time! It was pretty fun. We sang an Australian Aboriginal song called Kungala (which means sing and shout!), a Mozart piece, a song called "In the Night" which was kind of creepy, and a Gospel song that was a lot of fun!

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After we sang, the Chamber Choir performed five other pieces and we got to watch them. It was an enjoyable hour. The choirs perform again at the end of the semester, but since I'll be finishing up my semester early (around Thanksgiving) this was the only concert I'll get to participate in.

Delighted to Duet,

D

Privilege to Pee

I took Baby D to hear her first musical on Friday. It was my school's Fall show called Urinetown. It's a really funny show about what happens when bathroom use is regulated due to a water shortage.

The drama department did a really good job of making it their own. They stayed true to the script, but did their own artistic interpretation that made it probably the funniest version of the show that I've seen.

At intermission, however, they thought it would be clever to enforce the "privilege to pee" by requiring a special ticket from one of the characters in order to use the bathroom... Not such a cute idea when you're 8 & 1/2 months pregnant and have a 4 pound baby sitting on your bladder! Luckily I got in without much delay. Whew! That could have been a disaster!

It turned out to be a really enjoyable night and on top of being entertaining, it counts as extra credit for all of my music classes! Talk about a sweet deal!

Relieved to Pee for Free,

D

Tick-Tock-Tick-Tock

Earlier this week marked 50 days until my due date! I can't express how excited I am to meet Baby D! A lot of preparation has gone into getting ready for her: baby shower, flu shot, H1N1 shot (ouch!), and lots of other things.

A couple of weeks ago, I went to a Relief Society activity called Super Saturday. They offered a dozen different craft activities and I was able to make bibs from kitchen towels! I am sure they will come in very handy in the VERY near future!! It was a lot of fun to spend the afternoon with my mom and other women from our Relief Society.

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Preparing for Spills and Thrills,
D

Coastal Festivities

Another weekend passed that was jam-packed with fun! My wonderful Aunt Katie hosted a baby shower for me at her house over on the coast. I was so blessed to have been supported by such awesome family and  friends who came from near and far. To sum it up: fun people, delicious food, silly games and LOTS of pink!

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After we were all done partying, Mom, my friend Abbie, and I all crashed at Aunt Katie's house and woke up early the next morning to head to the annual Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival. I've been going since I was a kid. It's probably the only time of year when a little beach town of 10,000 sees crowds of around 250,000! It was fun to run into family and friends as we strolled the booths on Main St.

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Don't mind the fact that it looks like I swallowed a pumpkin! Ha ha! It was a fun get-away trip full of laughs. It was less than 24 hours, but I was wiped by the time we headed back home. It was a beautiful drive along the coast. Thank you to everyone who made it such a fun and memorable weekend.

Big and Blessed,

D

The Green Bay Hike

Dad and I went to Fleet Week in San Francisco. It was a long day, but quite enjoyable. We cleverly found some free parking (saving $40!) and commenced out stroll along the piers. We hung out around Pier 39 for a little while, then went to the USS Green Bay to take a tour. While we were waiting in line, we had a great view of the Blue Angels show!

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Once aboard the USS Green Bay, we were able to take a semi-self-guided tour of the ship. It was a little claustrophobic when a crowd got stuck in one room with only one entrance and one exit, but we survived. What I almost didn't survive was all of the stair wells! I don't know why I never put two and two together, but it didn't even cross my mind that I would have to climb and descend that many flights of stairs! I think there were probably about 12-15 stairwells that are really more like latters than stairs.

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All in all, it was a great day. The weather, though overcast, was ideal City weather. No wind! And the fog lifted enough to allow the Blue Angels to complete their whole show. It was a looooong day, but at least I got my exercise in for the week!

Out of Breath, but Full of Joy,

D

My Chubby Cherub

I went for my 31 week ultrasound this week. The tech confirmed that it is definitely a girl! I would have been excited and happy either way, but I am very excited to just know for a fact what I'm having. In the middle of the ultrasound the tech stops and says, "Wow!" It kind of freaked me out. She went on to clarify, "that baby has some impressive cheeks!" I looked at the screen, and sure enough my little pudgy girl was there. You can see in one of the pictures a massive chub of a cheek on my baby girl already. Is there anything better than a chubby baby though? I don't think so.

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Ever Swelling and Smiling,

D

Color-Coordinated Days

Boy is life busy these days! I started school back in mid-August, but only now with my first round of midterms behind me am I feeling the full-force of this semester. I have only one semester left to earn my Associates degree. I've been playing catch-up with my degree ever since I did the whole "military thing" right out of high school. My degree is an AA in Transfer Studies which gets all of my general education requirements out of the way so I'll only have upper-division coursework when I transfer.


This semester I am taking 14 units, which consist of:

• Music: Theory
• Music: Vocal Technique
• Music: Concert Choir
• Music: Piano
• American Cinema (Film)
• English: Research and Writing
• English: Critical Thinking and Writing

Having school six days every week gets a little overwhelming, but I've been blessed with impeccable organization skills which I have decided to implement. (I think the implementation is what makes the difference this semester... ha ha) For whatever reason, I don't think organization reaches it's fullest potential unless it is color coordinated. This, for example, is my weekly planner broken down by week, day, and hour, with color-coded to-do lists for each class and other miscellaneous things:

Yes, every week looks like that. At least until Thanksgiving which is when almost all of my professors have allowed to me to end my semester instead of mid-December. Otherwise, I would be due the week before finals and that's just no bueno.

Nothing else is really new or exciting, I've been too busy for new and exciting! I have another ultrasound next week, so that's something to look forward to. I actually have a few fun things this month that will be a nice break from school, first starting with General Conference this weekend. General Conference is when the leaders of the Church all gather and broadcast to the world a number of inspired messages in a series of meetings twice a year. I'm really looking forward to it.

Other than getting more "robust" (to say the least) and more learned (or so I hope!), everything is the same-ol' same-ol'.

Increasing in Belly and Brains,

D

Kick Boxing and Cravings

So as of today, I am officially in for the long haul! Third Trimester! So far I have had possibly the easiest pregnancy to date. (Knock on wood!) It’s true, other than getting dizzy maybe once a month in my second trimester it’s been the usual day-to-day. A lot of days it tends to slip my mind, but lately Baby D has been kind enough to remind me that she’s an avid mid-morning (and mid-afternoon and midnight) kick boxer!


Things I have learned about Baby D so far:

• ·         Loves Josh Groban (the only music she “dances to”)
• ·         Doesn’t like when I do breathing exercises in Vocal Technique class (and sure makes it difficult!)

It’s a short list, but not bad for not having been born yet!

To date I have gained about 15 pounds. How bitter-sweet is that? I know I'm supposed to gain, but I have never been content with gaining weight and I don’t plan on becoming accustomed to it! My doctor said I still probably have another 10-15 pounds to pack on. The things I’ll do for Baby D…

Question: Why is it that everyone asks about cravings when they find out your pregnant? It must usually be entertainment when people have responses like “pickles and cherry jell-o” or “chocolate chips and scrambled eggs”. Me? My only craving has been fruit and sweets. I don’t know if it’s really a craving, because I have always been a fruit and sweets person. I think I just allow myself to indulge and excuse it with the pregnancy. Doesn’t everyone?

Feeling Chubby, but Cheerful,

D

Starting At 100

As many of you now know, I am expecting in December! I'm excited that today is officially 100 days until my due date (tho I realize the chances of Baby D arriving on that exact day are pretty slim). I found out in early June, but it took some time to gather family to let them all know at once. Announcement day came and went, and not only was it a great birthday lunch, but everyone was an amazing support to my surprise news.

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My last ultrasound was a blast! I trekked from the East Bay all the way to Roseville (passed Sacramento), but had the chance to see Baby D in 3D in realtime! It was truly AMAZING! I kept saying "Oh my!", "Wow!", "That's awesome!" and the tech commented that I must be really excited to be a mom. I told him I was, but at the moment I was more awed by the technology that allowed me to see Baby D, flabby arms, button nose, and all! Gender is inconclusive as of yet with the most recent verdict being "Today she is a girl, but I make no promises." Whatever that means...

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So this blog is here to document not only Baby D's first steps (eventually), but my first steps into Motherhood. It's also to keep my family and friends posted on my adventures when Baby D does decide to arrive and keep us all connected as I continue to travel as my move to DC is still in the plans for Spring of next year. For now, my blog URL is premature, but all too soon will reflect my daily endeavors and adventures. Feel free to comment as I would love to hear from you all.

Grateful, Grinning, and Growing!

D