Dec

Barely in time for Chanukah, but will arrive in plenty of time for those of you who celebrate XMas! %-)

Two versions … the collage went inside the handmade cards I made …

And this was the all-in-one that I sent to everyone else. No offense if you got this version … most people did! I only hand-make cards for family members … there are only so many hours in the day! I actually really like this one, and may do away with hand-made cards altogether next year.

Whatever you celebrate this time of year … Merry Everything!

  

Apr

Well, tonight is the 1st night of Pesach, and we were having a few people over for a seder. I say “were” because we had to cancel – Sami was home sick today. You might recall we had to cancel a Rosh Hashanah dinner because of our car accident back in the fall () . Honestly, I am really starting to think that this year has been jinxed! And that maybe we should stop trying to entertain. Sigh…

  

Apr

Sami made her first two-word utterance tonight!!! I can’t believe how quickly her language skills are developing! I was heading out for a “girls’ night” with my friend Kim, and Craig was giving Sami a bath. I went in to give them both “sugar” (kisses) and tell them “bye-bye”. As I was turning to walk out of the bathroom, Sami stood up and and said (very clearly) – “Me go!” . I wanted to take her with me then just because I was so proud! %-)

By the way, another pathetic note on being old…Kim and I had planned on having dinner and then going to hear a band. But when we got there, the band seemed too loud and we both got tired pretty early…

  

Nov

I just got back from Belize! Kim and I are both about to turn 30 (!!!), and we have been talking for years about getting certified to scuba dive. So, as a birthday present to ourselves, we decided to do it, and then go on a trip to a fabulous dive area to celebrate/mourn and practice our new skills. It was *so* amazing! We stayed at Journey’s End Resort on the Ambergris Caye, just north of San Pedro (it’s where they filmed the first “Temptation Island”, in case anyone watched that .

Getting there was a bit of an adventure, since American Airlines (I know, I know, they suck, but we were using frequent flier miles) did there best to make sure we didn’t arrive y changing our flight without telling us. Luckily, we made it to Belize proper (though several hours later than we should’ve), and then took what was truly the smallest plane I’ve ever seen out to San Pedro, and finally a water taxi to the resort. Kim’s sister Kristen also joined us (we were supposed to meet up in Miami, but due to our last minute change, we didn’t actually find her until we got to Belize), and Julie, another friend of Kim’s and mine from grad school came down, too. We met her at the resort, since she hadn’t done her certification dives yet and had to come a couple of days early.

They call the resort “a barefoot adventure”, and that is a very apt name! It is one of those fantastic places where you can totally relax and veg, or stay incredibly busy with all the activities they have, or some combination of both (which is what we did). We went diving every day, and also did a night dive. The resort has its own dive shop Belize Ocean Divers, and they were really great. We had very small groups of divers on each trip, and they had a divemaster who would lead us through the site, but also give us autonomy to explore. As for the diving itself, it was really amazing! I have to admit that, during the training, there were several points when I thought I just wasn’t going to make it. But I stuck through it, and it was *so* worth it! Diving in the ocean was much easier than I expected, even doing the backward roll off the boat. I didn’t have any bouyancy problems like I did during the training.

Oh, and while I was off having a blast, Craig stayed home with Sami. What a great husband I have, eh?!!

  

Feb

It has been an interesting couple of days, since we have come home from the hospital. Until just a few minutes ago both Leslies mother and grandmother were here. And I know all about the old in-law jokes — but they were truly a Godsend. They were both incredibly helpful as we made the transition from hospital to home.

It was a good thing, too. Since things didn’t go as smoothly at first as I was expecting, based on how soothable Sami was the first night at the Hospital. The second night at the hospital, and the first two nights at home she was incredibly fussy! In part it was because Leslie’s milk hadn’t come in yet, and so she was continually starving (she lost 10 oz between being born and leaving the hospital) — but even worse, once we got home, it seemed like she *hated* her cradle. Every time we put her down, she would be screaming within five minutes, even when she was clearly exhausted. I was starting to get prepared for a *very* rough couple of months!

Fortunately, two things happened yesterday, and now it seems again that we have been blessed with an incredibly easygoing baby. First, yesterday around noon-time Leslie’s milk started to come in, and Sami was able to really eat (drink) until she was satisfied. Since that time she has been taking longer naps — 2 – three hours in a stretch.

Just as importantly, we made an interesting, if slightly bizarre discovery the night before last. For largely random reasons having to do with its orientation in the room, etc., we had been laying Sami down in the cradle on her *left* side. At some point, during early morning hallucinations from sleep-deprivation it occurred to me that in the hospital, right from birth, the Nurses, etc., had been putting Sami down to sleep on her *right* side. So, we made the switch — and “viola!” — all of a sudden we had a different baby. Even before the milk came in she would take real naps in the cradle. And then, last night, it was a miracle! We fed her at midnight before we went to sleep, and then again at 3:30, and then at 7:30! And she slept soundly and contentedly all the rest of the time. It was a parent’s *dream* night. I’m not expecting all nights to go so well, but if the majority can go something along those lines, we will be extremely lucky!

OK, back to my other responsibilities — now that we are back home, I am *slowly* but surely trying to get back into something like a work routine …

  

Feb

Ah, another day…another day on which my stubborn daughter-to-be will no doubt refuse to be born! Sigh… Clearly, the child has inherited both Craig’s *and* my slightly strong-willed inclinations. We are going to have our hands full! Presuming, of course, that she ever decides to be born…

I have now tried EVERYTHING that people have suggested to me as ways to induce labor, all to no avail. Naturally, Craig likes some of the induction-attempts better than others – he says it’s like we’re newleyweds again! Yesterday we even broke down and went to the drugstore in search of castor oil. Interesting product – it really is oil! I hadn’t even heard of it prior to this, but my grandmother and others recommended drinking it to try to get contractions started. I confirmed with a nurse aquantaince of ours that it wouldn’t kill me (though she maintained that Craig’s favorite induction attempt is much more likely to work . So, last night I poured a tablespoon of it into a half glass of cranberry juice, and then stared at it for a *really* long time. You know how you learn in chemistry that oil and water don’t mix? Well, oil and cranberry juice don’t either – the oil just kind of sat on top of the juice, no matter how much I stirred. It almost made me sick just *looking* at it. Finally, I got up the nerve to drink it, then went to bed happily assuming I would be having contractions within a few hours. And…nothing happened. NOTHING!!!

In terms of more concrete medical news – at the doc’s on Monday, I was maybe a nanometer more dilated than last time, but still not quite to 2 cm. (Last time I was barely 1 – Craig spins this as progress! %-). I was depressed after that, but the fact is, she is still only two days late – I can’t legitimately complain too much. The doctor won’t be inducing me this week, which is good because (though it would’ve gotten it over with) that would’ve made me nervous. If the induction doesn’t work, you have to have a c-section; and, while that is certainly not a tragedy, it is something we want to avoid if we can. Anyway, you are supposed to be dilated to at least 2 cm on your own before they induce. I go back on Friday to get checked again, and so they can do a non-stress test on the baby (they give me candy and juice and then see how much she moves in half an hour – they do this to make sure she is still okay in there, since once you go past your due date there can be problems with the placenta, etc.). The current plan is that next Monday night I will go into the hospital and they will give me some gel to soften my cervix, then on Tuesday morning they will give me an injection to induce contractions. So, everyone send contracting vibes my way, and hope the brat (oh, I mean baby! decides to come on her own before then!

Not much else to report – Craig has been very supportive of my mood swings the last few days, and very patient with my sucking up all the badnwidth from our cable modem to download songs from the internet. We’ve been going for walks every day, at a little trail near our house – interesting, because it’s been 55-60 degrees here the last few days, and today and tomorrow it might get up to 70! How bizarre would it be if my baby was born on a 70 degree day in *February*?!!

By the way, I want to say a BIG thank you to all the people who have been emailing me and calling me to check in – outside social contact helps *a lot*, and I really appreciate the distraction!