Diamonds for the New Year...

Bridgette's Christmas wish did come true when Travis said it was OK to get Mia's ears pierced! :) Good thing my friend Amy went with me because I didn't have quite the experience she does with holding kids down to keep them still. With two quick snaps of the earring gun, Mia was sparkling with two miniature diamonds in 24 karat gold. She didn't scream as much as I thought she would and after less than a minute of crying, she was focused on looking at herself in the mirror. I've always wanted to have a little girl with earrings and I'm glad Travis was OK with it. At this point, she doesn't even know that they're there so I agree with what I've heard. Either you get them done early or wait until they're much older because I can't imagine if she was a toddler grabbing at her ears.

Happy New Year!

Mia's 1st Christmas!

Mia had a fabulous 1st Christmas and we celebrated it in Boise this year. As you will see in the photos, she's starting to make sounds like she wants to talk and so you'll see her favorite word, "Oh." She really curls her lips and looks like she's going to whistle. She's been such a good traveler which is a technique we hope she keeps. She slept the entire trip up and back with only one stop to eat.

So, in the meantime, Lucy is still having trouble with her knee and it's not healing correctly so she gets a bright red cast from Santa this year.

We loved hearing from many of you over the holidays! We hope you're able to enjoy some time with family and friends. I asked for (and received) Seasons 1, 2 & 3 of The Office - Santa was good to me. :) Only 5 days to 2008!!

Seattle in December!

This past weekend we traveled to our favorite city to see some of our best friends, Marisa & Matthew. Mia did great on the flight both up and back! We've never been there in the winter and it was great to see the city decorated for the holidays. We also went to our first NFL game...GO HAWKS! I was excited to go to the game, but didn't know what to expect. Let's just say, it was AWESOME! I'm a true Seahawks fan now. ;) We had a great time, but it went by too fast. We could have stayed there for at least a week (or as Travis would say, a lifetime).

Check out Marisa & Matthew with Mia...can't you just see them as parents?!

Here's Mia and I at Pike Place Market. ;)

Sad little girl...

Our little Lucy had knee surgery this past week. There's 13 staples in that knee and it looks so painful! She's actually doing better now that a couple days have passed. Sounds like she had a common congenital problem in small dogs where literally the knee cap pops out of the socket. So, Dr. Barney (some of you may remember Aaron Barney from college - yup, he's our vet!) had to deepen the groove in her bone and use a pin to keep it in there. Poor Lucy...I bet she was traumatized having to spend the night at the vet. :(

We chose to do the surgery this week so we could be home with her over the holidays. We had (my brother) come stay with us a couple days so between him, Mia and Lucy...we had our hands full!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Hope you get a chance to take a nap like everyone in my house at this moment - except for me. I'm shopping online, baby!

Goodnight Daisy

'Tis another perfectly good scooter season come and gone and now Daisy must be packed away for her winter slumber. I took her on a long ride today and boy did it feel good! I've missed her!! Since we found out that we were pregnant last December, I haven't been able to ride (or scoot) at all this summer. She's still got that peppy zip and on a day like today, I wished we had more time to play. The weather is supposed to take a turn this week, so goodnight Daisy. We'll catch up with you in the SPRING!

Chillin'

Daddy time! These two couldn't be more content than on the couch after a long day. Mia's starting to grab onto things and loves holding your finger or shirt. She's already 3 months old and just the life of the party. We're headed into week 2 with mama at work and all seems to be going well. When we take her home at night, she's all tired out after a long day of play!

Back to the grind...

We did it! Both Mia and I went to our day jobs and survived our first day apart. It was very, very strange to be separated for more than 3 hours, but somehow we did it. Going back to work was fun and I didn't sob (which is a good thing). It went by fast and after several hours of cuddling tonight and making up for lost time, I think we'll be able to work it out. She's lucky to have such fun friends to hang out with during the day (she stays at a neighbors house who also has kids) and I just know they love her. Let's talk Friday and see if I'm still feeling the same way I do today. ;)

Happy Halloween!!

We've got bugs in the house!
Here are some of Mia's best friends - little Lucy is the flower and Christian is the adorable bumble bee. Okay, I knew Halloween would be fun, but could these little guys be any cuter? I saw ladybug costumes for the beagles at Target and had to hold back...you're lucky that's not what you're looking at (although we know one poochie out there that I'm sure is all dressed up...Penelope!)

We dropped by Travis' work and then headed into my office to show off our little ladybug (I'm the bug catcher, if you couldn't tell). I haven't stepped foot into the office for 3 months and to top it off, I forgot my badge! There wasn't anywhere near enough time to say HI to everyone, but since I go back on Monday, it will be nice to catch up. I've really missed everyone!

Halloween at our house is always a slow night, we've had 2 doorbell rings so far (that's 1+1 and I'm sure we'll keep it to 5 or less). When Mia is ready to hit the streets we'll have to be that family that drives to a different neighborhood to drop their kids off. We hope you have a fun Halloween this year!

Owie..Ouch..Ouch

Mia had her two month appointment this past week and got her shots! "I couldn't breathe and was gasping for air. My face turned purple," exclaimed Mia. It was a sad sight to be had.

Although Mia doesn't appreciate her weight being published for all to see, she weighs a whopping 13 lbs and has incredibly kissable cheeks!

BUMBOS RULE!

One of my favorite gifts was the Bumbo and I'm so glad she can use it now! It amazes me that infants can actually sit up in this little chair. Mia is 2 months now and quite the photo taker. In this snapshot, she's showing off her lilac fleece to match the lilac bumbo. Only 3 weeks now before I go back to work - bizarre! Now is the time that I'll really enjoy being home with her since I'm over the recovery hump and she's sleeping much better. We're headed outdoors to enjoy a walk in the park with the stroller brigade! We've got to enjoy every last second of sunshine since Fall is ending fast and we'll soon be hanging out at IKEA instead of the park.

XOXOXO

Mom Jeans

I'm a MOM!

And therefore, I now have 'mom hair'. Yup, I chopped it off and donated 10 inches to Locks of Love (http://www.locksoflove.org/) this week! I was planning on donating it eventually and after taking prenatal pills for the past 9 months, my hair was growing quite quickly. It's kinda fun having short hair. For those of you who've known me for a while, you know that there's only one other time in my entire life that I've had short hair and that was back in 1997. To commemorate motherhood, you also need to watch the YouTube video I posted that's a Saturday Night Live skit for 'Mom Jeans'. It cracks me up!! Mom hair and mom jeans...what will be next?

I LOVE MY CRIB!

Because I love my crib so much, I've slept for 6 hours straight the past two nights in a row!!

Love, Mia

Oh, the weather outside is frightful...

Yesterday was Mia's first snow storm! Of course, today is sunny and bright, but it's not odd to see snow as early as September in Utah. I had to take a couple photos while the giant flakes were falling from the sky. What was most annoying is that we had two garden weddings that day for some friends and yes, they both had to be moved indoors. It was still a lot of fun and everything was really nice, I just felt bad for the wedding parties. Who would have guessed we'd have snow on that one particular day in September?!

Travis set up the crib monitor today and so tonight we're going to try something new and exciting. We're kicking little miss Mia out! We'll give it a try, but we'll see what happens. She slept really well last night after partying all night at Britta's wedding (she was out 'til 10pm!), hopefully she'll do the same tonight.

Lazy Sunday

Nappy time! It's so nice when nappy time rolls around. We're enjoying a significant drop in the temperature this weekend with the highs in the upper 60's. The leaves are changing and it definitely feels like Fall. I'm afraid that if we don't get out to enjoy it, we'll miss out and winter will be here before we know it. For this week, I have my 6 week appointment on Tuesday and we'll get a progress update on mommy. In the meantime, someone is losing her hair and has the baby bumps! She's already going through an awkward phase of growing up...I thought we only had to do that one time in our life as teens! She's still snuggly and cute though.

We've continued our family tradition and have already taken Mia to the Farmers Market on Saturday mornings. Travis has met a hippie who is making him a custom tie-dye of sorts with some Grateful Dead emblem on it. I don't quite get his infatuation or need for this t-shirt, but it seems really, really important. I'm personally gearing up for the season premiere of The Office!! Jim & Pam have a date and I'm dying to see how it goes. Our fun neighbors are throwing a Premiere Party and so don't you dare try to call Thursday evening...we're busy! ;)

Happy Sunday, everyone. We hope you get to enjoy some nappy time.

Feed, Burp, Change, Start Over

It's been quite the role switch from career to mother. Of course, there are days when I want to just march right back into work and do what I know best...BECAUSE I KNOW WHAT I'M DOING THERE! There are many times that I'm clueless on what to do with a little one, but that's what makes it exciting and there's never a dull moment. Today, we're headed out into the wild world of shopping during business hours. I feel like I'm ditching work, but if you could see me wheeling a stroller into Target, you would be so proud. ;)

Happy shopping!

Road Trip!

We weren't necessarily planning on taking a road trip with a 3 week old, but last Friday we had received a phone call with some sad news. Mia's Great Grandma Shields had passed away and we needed to drive to Boise. We just returned and although it was a sad time, it's always nice to see family and friends while back in Boise. So, we're sorry that we haven't updated the blog in a couple weeks!

The Fog.

We're finally seeing some light peek through the fog we've been in. Just as many of you have said, by week 3 or 4, you'll finally start getting used to the schedule and coming to grips with the new lifestyle. After traveling, you would think that we're pros! We had bottles prepared for the road trip so we didn't have to stop so often and packed every possible item for the baby (of course, you couldn't see out of the back window while driving with the piles of junk). We're taking lots of photos for the announcements that we should be able to send out in the next month. Here's one that I was able to capture with her eyes opened for once! I've been telling people to wish us luck with her eye color. We're hoping for blue eyes and her pediatrician said she thinks they might be blue - shocker! We'll have to wait and see (of course, a lovely shade of brown would be beautiful, too). :)

Survival Mode

Yes, we are truly in survival mode.

Another week has flashed before our eyes and we're still losing sleep by the hours. The good thing is that she's given us 3 hour increments of sleep for the past 4 nights so we're hopefully on our way to a schedule. :) We've also experienced the joy of projectile spitups and Travis got tinkled on right after a bath yesterday! Both of which provided a chuckle since we've never quite experienced something so bizarre in our lives. I'm personally starting to feel better, but still need a few days for the incision to heal. Not sure if I mentioned it in previous posts, but I ended up having a c-section. After two days of trying to induce and being a week over due, we decided it was the best option for us. Mia was a trooper and just waited for her parents to figure out what we were going to do. We've had a nice weekend at home and are sad that dad has to go back to work - wish he could just stay home with us and play. Here are some more snapshots of the little one. I just love the photo with her laughing out loud!

Welcome Home!

Mia is home and completely healthy! She had a case of jaundice which left us in the hospital an extra day, but nothing major. After a week of sleeping in a hospital bed, let's just say mom and dad are ecstatic to be home!

Here are some sweet photos of her first moments at home. The dogs quickly made friends with her and she doesn't even get startled when they bark. The only thing I can think of is that she's been listening to them for 9 months now and it's old news.

Thanks to all of you who were thinking about us, sent flowers, gifts and called to say HI. We're slowly getting used to our new 'schedule of events', but have a feeling it's going to take longer than a weekend. We're completely infatuated with our new addition! ;)

She's arrived AND she has a name!

Mia Logan

weight: 8 pounds and 4 ounces

height: 19 1/2 inches

Let's try that again...

Hmmmm...not sure what to say at this point. We went to the hospital last night, got started and 20 hours later, I was let go to grab a bite to eat and go home for a bit. We're going to try it again tonight (same procedure) with hopes that I will dilate. I feel like someone really wants to join us, but her mommy just doesn't want to let go! Is this a precursor to my future with this child or what!?! We're headed back in 30 minutes. Keep your fingers crossed!

Come and Gone...

Today is the due date and it has officially come and gone. Don't get me wrong, we're completely fine with that and will probably have an enjoyable weekend before we have to go to the hospital on Sunday night. Thanks for checking in! Surely we'll have some fun news to share by Monday! ;)

ZERO

Zero progress with zero days left!

Well, Travis and I had a bet that our little missy would have made no progress and we were absolutely correct! So, with no major contractions and little news to report, this update will be brief. In the meantime, I'll continue to get the house in order and run errands like a mad woman. Travis will continue to mourn the loss of DINK-dom (Double Income, No Kids). He likes to call it: DINK R-I-P.

Just days to go...

Phew - we've had a busy weekend getting ready. We had several errands to run to get the last minute necessities like diapers, the car seat & stroller and a changing pad. You should see Travis walking around Costco with a giant box of Huggies! I think he felt vulnerable and quite awkward, if you ask me. :) (I have to admit, I felt the same)

We have a few minor touchups that we want to make to the nursery, but otherwise, I think that we're ready to go! We had a tour of the hospital a couple weeks ago and got a good feel for what we're supposed to do when the time arrives. Of course, that's assuming that we don't have to go in to be induced. Personally, I've felt great up until this point. So, with only one week left, I'm not surprised that I'm starting to feel tired and slow. Sleeping now is more of a pain and I can't wait for the day that I can sleep on my back!

The beagles seem to know something is up. We're keeping a close eye on them and as you know, we have all the plans in the world to make sure they aren't left out. ;) After all, they have been our kids for over 6 years! We have another appointment on Wednesday, August 8th, but after that, we'll go in the following Sunday night to start the process. Eeeeeeck!

Hanging out

It appears someone doesn't want to budge and is just "hanging out". :) We had our 4th appointment yesterday to check the progress and there's really not much to report. So, if I had it my way, I'd love to work through next Friday, August 10th, go home for the weekend and be induced on August 13th. We'll just have to see what happens!

Due in 11 days!

With 11 days left to go until our due date on August 9th, we've completed all of our prenatal classes, finally finished the nursery and are both officially nesting! I think it's funny that they call it nesting, but it seems to be very true. Both Travis and I are trying to get our work schedules in order with backup plans and deadlines. He'll take a couple weeks off while I'm planning on 11-12 weeks total. It will be interesting to see how we manage with a new family member! Our doc said he won't let us go too much past the due date and so since she's showing no signs of coming out anytime soon, I could be induced on August 13th. No matter what, she'll be here within 15 days!!

Here are some photos of the nursery and such. We'll try not to make it too cheesy with the proud parent photos ;)

Amigas!

Marisa does Salt Lake! She came down from Seattle

to visit and feel the tummy (June 23rd).
In these photos, we're celebrating the arrival of our little ladybug with friends and yummy food!

WHAT!?! Only 5 Saturdays left?

Oh dear, we've now officially hit pre-baby crisis mode. "There's so much to be done!" exclaims mama and papa. This is the time where you start dropping things to the bottom of the list because you no longer have time to get them accomplished along with everything else that needs to be done in 5 Saturdays. Oh well!

Since my last post, I've been able to spend more time with friends and family at baby showers. I've seen some people that I haven't seen in years and it's been really great to get caught up. I'm lucky to have so many friends that already have babies so there's many people I can ask for assurance and advice.

We're almost ready with the nursery and nope, we still haven't decided on a name (although I feel like that is the least of our worries). Hopefully by the next time we check-in there will be some major progress to report!

Very First Baby Shower...EVER!

I've helped organize many-o-showers over the years and felt strange having a shower for me! It was very fun and my cute friends from work hosted an evening of Mexican food (hmm...how did they know that is my favorite?) and surprises. I was shocked to see all the gifts...and we needed every single one of them! Thanks to everyone, I successfully started filling up the nursery with mini-clothes on mini-hangars and other baby necessities. Travis commented about all the "stuff that's starting to fill up our house." I've been told, we've only just begun.

Thanks to everyone, it was a fun fiesta (and we missed those who couldn't make it or those that live out of town). Check out the gals above...ALL pregnant beginning with Rachel (due anytime), Rachelle (due mid-July), me (due the first of August) and Toni (due in September). Out of that whole bunch, we're all expecting girls except for Rachel who is expecting a baby boy! (Good thing someone knows how to make boys)

Did you know...

I had a friend recently come up to me and say, "Did you know you only have 13 weeks left?" Ummm, no I didn't. I hadn't really thought of it that way and had a mental moment thinking of all the things we still needed to get done in the next 13 weeks! WE NEED A NAME for crying out loud. Okay, no need to fret, but I decided to add the countdown ticker on the bottom of the blog to keep me in line with time. :)

Within the past week and a half, I've noticed some major changes with the tummy region. Up until this point, I've been able to wear almost all of my regular clothes, but I finally had to pull out the panel pants and maternity tops. It's not so cute when your midriff is showing, but you're actually not wearing a belly shirt. The best part is feeling her move around (although it can be quite strange). As much as she moves, I can't help but think that I might have an animal in my body!

Our next appointment is on Tuesday, May 15th and it's the glucose test with the special orange drink. As for the flight last week, everything turned out great! We're excited to go to Boston in June, but that might be it for the rest of the summer. Time is going by fast!!

Planes, Trains and Babies

So, this week will be my first airplane ride with child. Hmmm...not sure what to expect. I'm taking an eBay trip to Omaha on Wednesday so I can show off my belly to business colleagues that I've never met before (Whoo-wee! Now that sounds like fun!!) I think I'm more worried about my hair product and other essential liquid necessities making the trip okay. I did reserve an aisle seat per many recommendations. I'll have to report back and let you know how it goes. Any requests for a juicy Omaha steak?

23 weeks (17 left to go)

We're coming up to 23 weeks and I can tell for sure she's kicking! We've made some progress on the nursery and for now it looks like ladybugs and green chenille bedding with a sleigh style crib set. We've decided to embark on another house remodeling project and will be trying to finish the spare bedroom downstairs so we can move all the guest furniture from the nursery to downstairs. Until then, the crib will have to stay in it's box. :( The good news is Travis already bought a pink Seattle Mariners sweatsuit - good thing she WILL love baseball and doesn't have a choice!

Rumbly in the Tumbly

As of Monday night this past week, I started to recognize a strange sensation in my tummy. It felt like someone was doing flips and what is most amazing to Travis and I is that I haven't felt it before! When we saw the ultrasound, our little chica was quite active and appeared to be bouncing all over the place. I'm still not 100% sure that what I'm feeling is her, but I really don't know what else it could be and have continued to recognize it daily. :)

Drumroll, please

Who said it was going to be a boy? I don't believe it! It's a baby GIRL!! That just goes to show that we have NO CLUE what's going on. I've been telling people about my little 'science project' that I've been cookin' up over here. And my goodness - a science project it is! It's ALL girl and it's for certain (although I tried to tell the doc it's a boy and I literally had to be corrected). Ha!

5 Days and Counting...

I think I've been jinxed! We've been talking so much about having a boy that now I'm starting to second guess myself. Several of you have serious doubts about a boy and just believe in girl power. For fun, we're pulling out the needle and thread to hold over my wrist. Yes, it may be superstitious, but oh-so-enjoyable to watch and have fun with. Everyone tells me it works!

Girl - Boy - Girl - Boy? Could Monday come any quicker?

Surprise!

Would you believe it if we told you that we're pregnant?
We can hardly believe it ourselves! We told our families over the holidays and yes, many did believe it twas a Christmas miracle. We're excited to share this with all of you! So far, we've seen the little one at 10 weeks and listened to the pitter-pat of the heartbeat. We'll find out what it is within a week (Monday, March 19th).

What do you think? Is it sugar and spice and everything nice? Or snips and snails and puppy dog tails? Your guess is as good as ours (although we're thinking it 'might' be a boy - we'll soon find out).

And our new journey begins...