Robot Baby

11 months

2012-02-26T11:47:00.000-08:00

Dear Ever,

You turned 11 months old a few days ago. This last month has been all about walking. You've had several opportunities to walk outside. The uneven ground is challenging for you and you have the scrape on your nose to show for your efforts. We bought you some new shoes for all your walking adventures but they are difficult to get on your chubby feet. Dad picked you up some sneakers and you look like such a little boy with them on. You are so proud of yourself when we're out and we put you down and you venture off.

You've started saying hi and it is super cute. You say hi to Willie a lot. We've noticed that you say Dada when Dad is at work and Mama when I'm at work. You have started doing headstands but I've yet to capture this with the camera. You love music and dancing. You even dance when we sing. We are always having little dance parties at home. Your favorite toys include Willie's leash, the hand broom and dustpan, the vacuum cleaner and your nightlight. You've been working on cutting your 6th and 7th teeth. Sometimes you teethe on random things like your stainless steel water bottle or a block and you chew the paint right off. Thankfully, we have proper teethers for you!

Some new favorite foods include pesto pizza with green peppers, onions and artichokes, Dad's homemade kalamata olive bread, cheese quesadillas for breakfast, pinto beans, and grilled asparagus. We let you try whatever we're eating. You loved Iona's lamb and rice stuffed grape leaves but want nothing to do with a banana. You loved our paninis that we took on a picnic by the ocean but you would rather have pears than the little cinnamon bunnies that I bought for you.

Ever, one of the many things that we adore about you is your smile. It is so big and warm and sincere. You offer it to most people that you meet and you even have smiles for the mounted animals at the airport. We went to an open play group across the street last week and you sat back while you watched all the big kids run around. Your smile grew and grew and eventually your confidence too. You stood up and began walking around smiling at everyone. We are so lucky to be your parents. It's hard to believe that in less than a month we will have been smiling at you for a year.

We love you so much!

favorite teether

2012-02-13T13:28:00.000-08:00

I first ordered a nursing / teething necklace from Anna Koukku through her Etsy shop Koukku in August. At that time I was in need of something to keep Ever's attention while nursing. He was becoming very distracted. I started searching for nursing necklaces and found Anna's lovely shop. I wanted to order one of everything in her shop, in every color. I chose the Northern Berries necklace in orange. Anna offers the necklace in a variety of beautiful, rich colors. When the necklace arrived I was so pleased with the quality of the materials and the craftsmanship. Ever was equally impressed. The necklace was a perfect solution to his distraction while nursing and I used it multiple times a day, every day for several weeks.

Ever's distraction while nursing improved but teething started. I offered the necklace to Ever as he was cutting his first tooth and he loved chewing on the beads. The necklace offers a variety of textures with the cord, crocheted beads and wooden beads. Sometimes, I wear the necklace and Ever teethes on it while I hold him. But mostly I offer him the necklace to hold himself while he teethes on the beads with my supervision. The necklace has been his favorite teether, by far.

I made sure to pack the necklace in my carry on for our recent journey from Alaska to my parents' home in South Carolina. We had two long flights, each way, and one long car ride, each way, ahead of us. I knew I had to have some tricks in my bag. I can't explain how much Ever enjoyed playing with the necklace on the plane. Eric and I took turns wearing it while we held Ever. This entertained him for several hours over the journey. The necklace was a great distraction when Ever was interested in climbing the seats in front of ours. The necklace redirected his focus and kept him contained. The necklace offered Ever tons of sensory entertainment. He loved teething on the beads and cord but he also enjoyed shaking the necklace to hear the beads smack together.

I highly recommend this necklace for breastfeeding and teething babies. It will be my standard baby gift from now on. Thank you Anna Koukku for such beautiful, well-made baby items.

*All images taken from Anna Koukku's Etsy shop with her permission*

10 months

2012-01-22T11:07:00.000-08:00

Dear Ever,

You turned 10 months old yesterday and you are walking. It has been such an amazing process to watch. You have improved so much in just a week. It still sort of freaks me out to look down and see you waddling across the room. You showed off your skills to your grandparents through video chat this weekend. You had a well baby check-up this week and you are growing right on track. You weigh just under 23 pounds these days and you're hanging around the 90th percentile for weight, height and head size.

Likes:

*Willie (he is just so funny)
*Men with beards
*Kitchen utensils
*Dad's tennis shoes
*Food that has fallen onto the floor
*Big kids
*Rebekah

Dislikes:

*Diaper changes
*Getting dressed
*Not being able to stand in the bathtub
*Getting out of the bathtub
*Being redirected from something unsafe

But our job is to keep you safe, happy and healthy. And if that means a few tears because we won't let you throw yourself down some stairs or wrap cords around your neck then we're okay with that.

We love you so much!

9 (and a half) months

2012-01-06T17:00:00.000-08:00

Photo by Kathleen Kennebeck

Dear Ever,

You are 9 months, 16 days old today. We're sorry that your monthly letter is so late. You turned 9 months old the day before we began our two day journey to your Gram and Papa's house in South Carolina. The last month and a half has been full of new people and new experiences. You met so many important people, family members and dear friends, and greeted them all with giant smiles. You received so many compliments on your happy demeanor and beautiful smile. When you smile your eyes turn into the sweetest crescent shapes. Just today a friend commented on your rainbow eyes. How perfect.

You were an amazing little traveler. We were incredibly lucky that all 6 of our flights were on time and left with only one minor delay. We were also lucky to be surrounded by friendly fellow passengers and staff. You loved watching all the people and smiled and laughed at everyone. We kept you entertained with snacks, some favorite and some new toys, and lots of looks out the window. You loved exploring the hotel rooms. You handled the 5 hour car rides from and to the Atlanta airport incredibly well. It really could not have been a smoother journey.

We settled right into life at your grandparents' house and it was tough to say goodbye. Your Gram made such a cozy place for us all to sleep and rounded up a high chair and lots of toys for you. You loved taking baths in the giant bath tub upstairs. You loved spending your mornings with Dad and Papa while everyone else slept in. You loved head butting your Uncle Mark and you loved the careful attention paid to you by your sweet Aunt Laura. You loved being fed by your Gram and you loved spending time with her outside.

While at Papa and Gram's you started clapping and surprised us all. You're standing for longer and longer periods of time. You've even taken a few wobbly steps. You are very proud of yourself. You sat in your great grandmother's lap and seemed right at home. You rode a carousel and the ride was over too quickly. You climbed the stairs at Papa and Gram's from bottom to top like it was no big deal. You wore candy cane striped pajamas on Christmas morning and we all wanted to eat you up. Your Papa slid you down the slide on the playhouse that your Aunt Laura and Uncle Mark used to play on. You were so thrilled that your little chin quivered after each trip down the slide. Then you would turn right around to climb back up to go again.

You ate very well at Gram and Papa's. When we first arrived at Gram and Papa's you were still recovering a bit from the stomach bug that rocked your little world. You started showing some serious interest in eating. You started having breakfast, lunch and dinner each day. We ate out a few times and you had a brief love affair with the waitress at a Mexican restaurant. You are crazy about cheese and blueberries. Gram and Papa did not approve of cold green peas for breakfast. So, you ate wheat toast and egg yolk for breakfast and we've started warming your beans.

You were clearly excited to be home again and to see familiar toys and to be reunited with Willie. You are giving us great big belly laughs when we hide and you crawl around the corner to find us. Your top two middle teeth are slowly and painfully making their appearance. You don't know it yet but you're going to camp for the first time the weekend after your first birthday. We're so excited for this big first and the next two months of your first year!

We love you so much!

day one

2012-01-02T07:46:00.000-08:00

One down, 365 to go. I've commited to taking a photograph of Ever each and every day of 2012. I love that I'm starting the project with this photograph of Ever napping on my parents' back porch in South Carolina. My mom and I had just returned from a late afternoon walk and the light was so beautiful. Ever fell asleep in the carrier just as we reached the house. I sat on the porch swing, still wearing him, and rocked while he slept. My mom brought me a glass of sweet tea and we sat outside talking. I carefully moved him from the carrier to the couch and he looked so peaceful. We sat on the porch together until he woke up with smiles for us both.

*I'll be posting a photo a day in my 366 Documenting Delight set on my Flickr photostream*

lately

2011-12-11T11:39:00.001-08:00

Thank you to Devin and Mike for the amazing robot rug!

It turns out that Ever was not spared the stomach bug that both Eric and I had around Thanksgiving. Poor baby. We were not prepared for how heartbreaking it is to see your child hurting and to not be able to make it better. He's not completely well but he's close. I'm very appreciative of our friend, who also happens to be a doctor and a pilot, for coming to our home in the middle of it all to take a look at Ever. Then her husband shows up a few days later with deer ribs. It's tough to be so far from family so having such generous and kind friends is a huge comfort.

Ever is way into calling out into the washer, empty tupperware bowls, plastic cups and anything else that amplifies his voice. He has figured out how to open cabinets and drawers. Last week he opened the baking drawer and pulled out a 1/2 cup measuring cup and he hasn't put it down much since. If you watch the video below you'll see him with his measuring cup. It reminds me of when my brother Mark was his age and his favorite toy was a green spatula. He slept with it and it was covered with dinosaur stickers. It's neat to see so much of my brother in Ever and to be reminded of when he was so small. I think I'm really annoying Mark lately by sending him sentimental texts about his love affair with the Lion King and a particular kitchen tool. Not exactly cool for a high school senior.

Eric, Ever and Willie took a few walks this weekend using our new backpack carrier. I picked it up at the consignment shop for $50 with the tags still on. I was reluctant at first so I'm really happy that it's gotten so much use already. I think Ever likes it because he has such a great view. He's definitely happy being worn in the Ergo but it's harder to see what's going on. I really need to get better at putting him on my back in the Ergo but I need two to three other adults to help me.

I'm so happy to share that my dear friend Tracy welcomed her baby girl to the world on Monday, December 5th. Piper is just a beautiful baby and I could not be happier for Tracy and her family. I cannot believe that Ever was just as small and it wasn't even that long ago. Tracy and I are job sharing our position at the boarding school and we will be providing about 4 hours of childcare for each other each week as well. I'm so excited to get know Piper and watch her grow.

I've been reading a great book titled The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry by Kathleen Flinn about the author's experience of attending Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. My friend Ariel passed along the book when I mentioned my dream to take cooking classes. I recently discovered Salt Water Farm in Maine and their June 18-20th class looks amazing. I would absolutely love to take this class with my mom. It won't happen this year but maybe next summer. I've been loving Food52 lately and used the recipe for Roasted Tomato and Rosemary Soup with Kale and Potatoes. The site has a great article Kale: The Little Superfood That Could that includes several kale recipes. The soup turned out great. I didn't follow the recipe precisely. I added sausage, white beans and romano cheese. I've never made croutons before and it was super easy and the results are fantastic. I used some stale roasted garlic bread and it was delicious.

8 months

2011-11-21T04:00:00.000-08:00

Dear Ever,

You are exactly 8 months old today. There is about a foot of snow on the ground and we spent much of the weekend watching it fall. We tried out our new backpack carrier on the Forest and Muskeg Loop trail on Sunday afternoon and you slept most of the walk. You were asleep before we put you in the carrier and you didn't wake up while we stuffed you in and strapped you down. You didn't wake up when we put an extra hat on you and you were still sleeping half way down the trail. I made Dad stop walking and take the carrier off to make sure you were still breathing. And you were.

We've spent a good bit of time outside lately. Rebekah and I have taken you and Emery on a few runs through Totem park and around Moller track in the strollers. We've played in the snow several times. We had the most beautiful walk on Indian River trail this week. It was a sunny, clear day and the muskegs were full of snow. You were so interested in the snow covered trees and you loved watching the water in Indian River.

We are looking forward to sharing your first Thanksgiving with good friends. I'm going to make the gingersnap pear cheesecake that started this whole thing and Dad is going to bake some bread. You've been showing more interest in food these days. You're over the purees (not that you were ever very into them) and ready for regular food. You seem most interested in bits of things that you can pick up and put in your mouth, or close to it, on your own. You tried black beans this weekend and liked them. But you really loved the decent sized bite of magazine that you had this morning.

You're still really committed to knocking over Willie's water and food dishes. You make a break for it multiple times a day. Dad and I are both onto you and are proud to report that you have not been successful for some time now. You are pulling yourself up on everything, letting go, and falling over. This is basically what you do all day long. You've hit your head many many times and you've got the bruises to show. My friend Jessica dropped off an adorable little piano this weekend and you love it. You play in your car seat. It's funny to hear you back there hitting the keys randomly when we're in the car. You have a fourth bottom tooth making an appearance. Your hair is getting fuller and longer and it looks like you might have a little rat tail going on in the back.

I just asked Dad if he had anything to add to your 8 month letter and he said, "Write something about how much we love spending time with him." He's right. We love spending time with you. Every day is an adventure and you're so full of surprises.

We love you so much.

updates

2011-11-06T16:21:00.000-08:00

Ever is cutting his second tooth, bottom left, and he's started trying to stand. It's been really fun to watch him contort his body in new positions. It looks a lot like he's break dancing in slow motion. He's very serious about it all too, of course. I noticed that he's started dancing (bobbing up and down) to music. I thought dancing was a learned behavior but maybe it's innate. He really likes the Toddler Radio station on Pandora. I'm not a huge fan and find myself selecting thumbs down about half of the time.

Ever practicing his new moves

We took E man swimming yesterday for the first time. It was so nice. There is a free swim from 2:30-3:30pm every Saturday for Sitka School District Employees. We were there with only two other parents and children. Ever borrowed his buddy Iona's swim diaper. We'll need to get him one of his own. I think this would be a fun Saturday afternoon activity. Ever and Eric slept hard after playing in the pool.

I haven't written about food in a long time but that doesn't mean that I haven't been eating. I am always eating. Eric and I have started a new tradition of having homemade pizza on Saturday nights. I've been using the recipe in Joy of Cooking for pizza dough. I double the recipe and it's enough for 4 small pizzas. I've found that the pizza dough freezes really well. I plan to make the dough every other weekend to have enough to freeze for the next weekend. So far, we've had pizza every Saturday for a month.

Ever enjoying some avocado

I've also been experimenting with slow cooker recipes. I made a delicious coconut chicken curry last week. The slow cooker is great for the nights I'm working. We've also been eating a lot of pumpkin. Ever likes pumpkin but he only eats the few spoonfuls that we manage to trick him into eating. To use up all the extra pumpkin we've been making pumpkin lattes and an incredible brown butter pumpkin cake with cinnamon frosting. We've also been eating a lot of quinoa mostly because we have a giant bag that I bought at Costco in Anchorage but also because it is delicious. *Thank you Auntie Maggie for introducing us to quinoa and we are both very sorry for teasing you while you cooked us such a delicious meal many moons ago.*

Ever wearing his new bear suit the one day it was sunny

It's been raining buckets lately. But to mix things up we've had some thunder and lighting, gale force winds, Northern Lights, a bit of snow, and a small earthquake in last few weeks. The darkness is wearing on me some. We ran into a friend last night at the grocery store and he had just bought at least 6 boxes of stringed lights, that's it. He said, "It's getting dark." And Eric and I both totally understood. It can be challenging living in a rainforest and losing so much light this time of year. But that is what good rain gear and Vitamin D supplements are for.

7 months

2011-10-24T11:04:00.000-07:00

Dear Ever,

On Friday you turned 7 months old and to celebrate your Dad and I took you to Public Health to get your 6 month shots. Poor guy, you cried so hard and I almost threw up. We also had your iron tested because you haven't gained much weight in the last month and you're not too interested in solids. But the iron test revealed that your iron levels are just fine! Your Dad and I really like the nurse at Public Health and she said you're a very happy, healthy baby. You passed all of her tests which made us very proud!

You have reached some big milestones in the last month. Your first tooth appeared the last weekend of September and you started crawling the following week. You are already pretty fast on all fours. Your Dad and I seem to manage to get Willie's food and water bowls off the floor before you reach them about half of the time. You are so in love with Willie. You're always going after his tail and he's always dropping a toy for you. He's so hopeful that you'll throw it for him to retrieve but you just put it in your mouth. You are repeating sounds now (ba and ma).

Your favorite toys lately include tags, plastic bags, and hoodie drawstrings. You also love your crocheted dragon, turtle light, and your wooden train whistle that used to belong to your Uncle Mark. You're still totally content to be outside even in rain and cooler weather. You love reading and music. You get a big kick out of sitting in your Bumbo and looking at yourself in the mirror. Baths are even more fun and your splashes get bigger and bigger.

Your hair is awesome and often a focus of discussion with strangers. You have a head full of auburn hair that sticks straight up on top and lays down at your crown. You still have a bald spot on the back of your head from sleeping on your back. It seems to be filling in some recently.

You are such a sweet little guy. You love to be held but you're happy to sit and pull toys out of your toy basket all on your own. You are so full of surprises and you are teaching us so much. We can't wait to play in the snow with you!

We love you so much!

anchorage

2011-10-17T22:47:00.000-07:00

Ever, Rebekah, Emery and I flew to Anchorage and back in just over 24 hours to do some shopping and have a quick visit with her family. Rebekah is an Alaska Airlines employee and she generously offered Ever and I one of her passes. Rebekah and I have been talking about doing this for years and it was really fun to make it happen, especially with our babies in tow. Highlights from the trip include Costco (the entire shopping experience), eating Thai food for dinner, and seeing a moose just ten feet from the car on a cold, dark pre-flight morning. It was really nice to visit with Rebekah's family over lunch and catch up with her sister in the evening.

The babies were champs on the flights. I'm especially appreciative of the flight attendant that offered to hold Ever while I used the bathroom, the passenger that helped me get my bag under the seat in front of me before take off so I didn't have to move and wake Ever up, and the friendly passenger who gushed over Ever and totally delighted him. Two moments that are now funny to me are when I pulled the cap off of Ever's bottle mid flight and breastmilk squirted all over the place because of the pressure changes. Not funny at the time, but funny now. And when I dropped the bottle just before take off and it rolled under the seat in front of me and then back to me as we started to climb. Ever seemed to have a little trouble with his ears and there were several minutes that he screamed the scream where his face turns red and his mouth is open but no sound is coming out. But once we were in the air he was fast asleep.

crawling

2011-10-10T22:33:00.000-07:00

Ever went to a party for the first time this weekend and then he slept all night. Poor guy was totally overwhelmed. We were there for just under 2 hours and I don't think he cracked a smile, or blinked for that matter, once. The party was a wedding reception and it was in a quonset hut. This is just one of the reasons I love Alaska. Potluck wedding receptions in quonset huts. This was by far the most impressive quonset hut I've been in. It was built by the hosts and their friends. There was even a wood burning stove inside. And the food was amazing. I briefly considered pulling my chair up to the buffet of homemade food just so I could eat all the artichoke crab dip, sushi, and smoked salmon I could manage.

I think we can officially say that Ever is crawling now. He just started pulling his arms up to move forward when he is on his knees. He looks a lot like a baby zombie. But it must be so exciting for him to move towards what he's going after. His bottom right tooth has completely broken through and he's a happier guy now. Eric is guessing top left for his second tooth.

Ever and I are taking off on an adventure with Rebekah and Emery tomorrow. Rebekah has graciously invited us to fly to Anchorage to visit her family and do a little shopping. I'm certain that we'll have some funny stories from our 24 hours away.

babies everywhere

2011-10-02T16:47:00.000-07:00

We had Psalm Oines, professional photographer, visit Mom and Baby Brunch at the end of July to take pictures. Psalm did an amazing job of capturing beautiful, sweet, and funny shots of each baby, each baby and mom pair, and all the babies together. We got together this morning for our traditional Sunday Mom and Baby Brunch and shared some delicious food while watching a slideshow of the pictures. It was amazing to see how much the babies have all changed in such a short time. It was super sweet to watch each mom light up as her little one appeared and to hear the oohs and aahs of the entire group. Such wonderful women, such sweet babies. Ever and I are so lucky to have them all in our lives!

6 months

2011-09-20T23:10:00.000-07:00

Dear baby Ever,

You are 6 months old today and that is just crazy. Someone recently said to me that children mark time. It absolutely feels impossible that we met you half of a year ago. Truly it doesn't make sense. I don't write much about the challenges we've faced as parents. Mostly because I don't want you to ever feel that you are a burden. You were the most thoughtful decision we've ever made. But like all new parents, we've had some difficult times. We don't sleep enough, we don't have enough money, and sometimes there is just too much to do. But you make us laugh at 3:00am when you are doing push-ups in your crib and in your efforts you are grunting and farting. It's just so ridiculous. I remember a time that had I woken up once in the night I would be wrecked the next day. That's with 8 or more hours of sleep. I would take out a loan to pay for 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep right now. Just add it to our student loans. It would be worth every penny of crushing interest rates.

But we do feel like we're coming out of a fog more and more each day. I think back to how things were just a month ago and it seems like we've come so far. You can't make my coffee yet but now you need me to only put my hand against your cheek, quietly say shh, shh a few times and then you're off to sleep for a nap. Why this doesn't work in the middle of the night I have no idea. I remember three months ago when nap times involved a good bit of crying, lots of bouncing, possibly a walk while wearing you in a carrier, etc. So much of the day was spent soothing you to sleep.

We've finally figured out this whole nursing thing too. I can't believe how hard it's been sometimes. It started off without any difficulty. But we have had many challenges along the way. Lots of people comment on how healthy (chunky) you are and how my breastmilk must be ____________ (fill in the blank with some sort of adjective that relates to butter or cream). It's so awkward when people say this. I'm a huge supporter of breastfeeding but honestly, I'm really private about the whole thing. It's tough when people make assumptions that because something appears to be easy or going well that it must be so. Now let's throw the introduction of solid foods into the mix and see what happens!

So far, you've eaten banana, avocado, nectarine and rice cereal. Your dad and I had a long conversation about whether or not to give you some cantaloupe this weekend. He was worried about allergies and introducing a melon too soon. I was worried that we'd never have another organic cantaloupe in our house again. We decided not put you at risk. But who is really allergic to cantaloupe anyway? We've given you a little water too and you love that. Just like we fed you banana with a giant spatula we give you water out of little Ball jars. We have no baby cups. But we did buy you some baby spoons from the grocery store. They are pink and purple and match your favorite pacifier.

Currently one of your favorite things to do is play with your balance by rocking back and forth while seated. In the last few days you've started rolling from your belly to your back. You've been pushing yourself up on your knees and rocking as if you are preparing to propel yourself forward for a few weeks now. You've eaten a lot of carpet during this process.

Your favorite toys include Daniel the Donkey (especially the tag part of him), Willie's bone and Betty, your tag blankets, Sophie, and your plush ball. You are still very interested in reading and being outside. Your Dad and I took you to the playground recently to swing you in the baby swings. You loved it and we've been several times since then. You're always interested in watching Willie do anything. He could be eating his food or falling asleep and you find it all very amusing. Your laugh is the best.

We know that you are growing and learning at astounding rates right now. But what we were not prepared for was what you would teach us and how we would change. You have slowed us down and reminded us of what is most important. You have simplified our lives in many ways. You are more and more fun each day.

We love you so much.

I.D.

2011-09-15T22:53:00.000-07:00

I have a memory of having my photograph taken in kindergarten for an I.D. card. It was an I.D. card in case I was ever lost or stolen, both of which sounded horrifying. I remember a list of basic physical descriptions such as height, weight, hair and eye color. But there was also a section for an identifying characteristic. My Mom filled in this section indicating that I had a small strawberry birthmark on my side. It was the first time I ever really noticed or cared about this birthmark. I just knew that it would save me if I was ever in big trouble. It has faded so much over the years that it is no longer visible. That makes me a little nervous.

When and if we ever have to make an I.D. card for Ever we will make mention of the funny toes of his right foot. The second and fourth toe are pushed forward while the first, third and fifth are set behind like backup singers. They are certainly unique and I absolutely adore each of them.

banana!

2011-09-04T23:29:00.000-07:00

Ever meets the banana

concentration face

Ever spent a solid 10 minutes exploring the banana,
smearing it all over the high chair tray.

The moment he first tasted the banana.

just before gagging

post gagging. poor guy.

happy baby

e & e

2011-08-31T15:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the first day that Ever and Emery really engaged with one another. There's been lots of hand holding while sharing the same blanket, activity mat, or crib for that matter. And Emery has been trying to get Ever's attention for some time. But yesterday while sitting and facing each other they made eye contact and fell in love. They cooed and smiled at one another. They grabbed at each other's face. They even rested their heads together. When they lost their balance and finally fell over, they did so in unison like synchronized swimmers. Then while on their backs they held hands, just like old times. Oh my, how I love these two babies.

5 months

2011-08-21T11:16:00.000-07:00

Dear Ever,

You are 5 months old today. You are getting so big. Your Dad and I can hardly believe that you're the same baby we came home with not that long ago. Everyone likes to comment that you're such a healthy baby. By healthy they mean chunky. You have the most round cheeks, perfectly segmented arms, and delicious thighs that end with feet that look so much like your Dad's. I am sorry about that. We were warned. We were told two times last week that you look like the Gerber baby. Oh my goodness does that make a mom proud!

You are laughing a lot these days. Lately you just crack up when we put pants on you. We have no idea why. It is hilarious. You love watching Willie and he loves licking your face. We have to call him back all the time! You've been really interested in children and seem to love watching them run around. We just introduced you to a jumper that hangs from your bedroom door and you love it! You give a squeal of delight as soon as we lower you in.

You still love your baths. Splashing is a new thing this month. There is so much commotion in the bath now that Willie doesn't know what to think. He often tries to get in the tub with us. Your arms and legs are almost constantly moving, even when you're not in the water. Changing your diaper and clothes has some new challenges. I said to a friend yesterday it's like trying to diaper a 20 pound king salmon that is flopping all about. You love banging your wooden rattle on your high chair tray. I'm getting punched, pinched, and scratched on a regular basis when you're nursing. I can hardly make it through still wearing my glasses. But then in the middle of the night when you're mostly asleep but nursing you keep one arm up and alternate between rubbing the back of your head and touching my face so gently. It is one of the sweetest things I've ever known.

We love you so much!

glasses

2011-08-17T20:04:00.000-07:00

Ever got new glasses. No, not really. Those are my glasses. He's wearing them because lately he's been taking mine and Eric's glasses off our faces. Today I took a big step and saw a new optometrist. I've had my vision checked for 26 years by my step-father. It was strange to see someone else today. But my new eye doctor is really nice and gave me good news. My vision hasn't changed. I think this is a first in several years. So, no one got new glasses today and that's just fine.

changes

2011-08-15T10:27:00.000-07:00

grumpy penguin

Things are changing around here. I made a huge mistake by mentioning that Ever sleeps through the night from 8:00pm until 7:00am. This has changed. He still goes to sleep at 8:00pm without difficulty. But then he's up again maybe an hour later, maybe a few hours later. You just never know. Then he continues to wake through the night at random hours. Sometimes a belly rub and reinsertion of the pacifier is all that is needed. Sometimes he's hungry and needs to nurse. Either way it's been really tough on us getting up so much through the night. But I always remind myself of what my friend Katie told me and it goes something like this, "Just as soon as you get used to something, it changes."

zombie baby

Eric is returning to work next week so Ever and I will be flying solo in the mornings and afternoons. I'm looking forward to this time with him and to spending time with other moms and babies. But again this will be a big change from Eric being home all day.

There are some changes coming up in my work life as well. I will be returning to the boarding school where I worked as a counselor in the dormitory beginning in November or possibly earlier. My dear friend and colleague Tracy is expecting a baby some time around Thanksgiving. I will be covering her maternity leave as the Mental Health Consultant, albeit only two evenings a week. Then we will job share the position for the spring semester. I will continue to only work two evenings a week. Ever will need about two hours of childcare the two days that I'll be working. We haven't solidified this plan but it will come together, as it all does. Eventually Tracy and I will provide childcare for each other. It's very ideal and I feel so lucky that we have this option.

first chocolate ganache

The weather is also changing, we are losing light each day and winter is right around the corner. I always get a bit anxious about the change in season. Winters in a temperate rainforest can be tough and rainy, very rainy. I'm hoping for lots of snow and sleepy bears so we can bundle this baby up and take walks in the woods.

a day in the life of : a 4.5 month old

2011-08-07T21:59:00.001-07:00

Although, Ever has a very consistent bedtime of 8:00pm, give or take 15 minutes, his day is much less structured. We've spent the entire summer just responding to his cues and to the weather. So here's the blow by blow of his day minus details about diaper changes and the six times we changed his clothes and the two times we changed ours because he puked everywhere.

6:23am : Ever wakes up after sleeping since 8:00pm the previous night. Ever, Willie, and Daniel the Donkey have a meeting in the den.

8:00am : Ever takes his first nap of the day and sleeps until 9:30am.

9:30am : Eric and Ever read Mama Do You Love Me? Ever tries to eat the book.

10:00am : Eric and I take pictures of Ever on the changing table. He's started grabbing his feet and I comment on how he looks like a real baby. Ever goes back to sleep for his second nap of the day around 11:00am.

11:25am : I debate whether or not to wake Ever up to bring him along to lunch with Rebekah, Emery, and Rebekah's sister Sarah at the Larkspur Cafe. What's that saying, "Never wake a sleeping baby." I decide not bring him.

11:30am : I turn around halfway to the Larkspur and call Eric and ask him to put Ever in his car seat. I don't want to hurt Emery's feelings.

11:40am : We arrive at the Larkspur Cafe. Ever seems interested in my food. He and Emery don't say much to each other during lunch.

12:30pm : Ever and Emery have their diapers changed in the sunshine on the grass on the waterfront lawn downtown. They hold hands.

12:45pm : Ever is still not wearing a diaper. We chat with some friends who happen to walk by. Ever gets licked by a beautiful German shepherd.

1:00pm : We return home. Ever goes down for his third nap of the day. Eric and Willie are gone on a run.

1:45pm : Eric and Willie return home safely from their run. I can stop worrying that they've been eaten by bears. Ever wakes up from his nap.

2:00pm : Eric and I build a fort on the porch so Ever can be outside without getting a sunburn or getting eaten by bears.

2:15pm : Eric gives Willie a bath and washes a kayak that he's planning to sell so that we can continue to buy groceries.

3:30pm : Ever is done with his porch party so I put him in the Ergo and walk a mile or so to the ball fields to hang out with Auntie Tracy. I get a few steps down the road and come back home to get money in case there is a concession stand.

3:45pm : We get to the ball fields and Auntie Tracy holds Ever until her arms get sore.

5:00pm : I decide it's probably best to head home because I'm trying to avoid having to nurse Ever while watching softball. I totally forgot to get a hotdog.

5:15pm : Ever falls asleep on the walk home. Eric is napping so I put Ever in bed beside him.

6:00pm : Ever wakes up and tries to nurse Eric's arm.

6:30pm : Ever hangs out in his Baby Bjorn. Willie licks Ever's face, a lot. I make Rebekah's delicious dinner of bow tie pasta with sausage and spinach in a tomato cream sauce. Eric puts several pounds of sockeye salmon in freezer bags.

7:00pm : Ever sits in his high chair between us at the table for the first time while we eat. He bangs his wooden rattle from Auntie Maggie on the tray. It is serious business.

7:30pm : Ever and I take a bath. He splashes his arms and legs in the water. This too is very serious business. Willie tries to get in the tub with us.

8:00pm : Ever is chatting away as we put him in his crib.

8:02pm : Ever is asleep.

a lovely visit

2011-08-02T11:04:00.000-07:00

My Mom and my sister Laura returned home from their visit here one week ago today. We had such a nice time during their visit. We had some rainy days but plenty of sunshine and beautiful sunsets. We ate salmonberries, walked the docks, hosted mom and baby brunch, ate lots of seafood, flew over the island, drank pitchers of sweet tea, played Apples to Apples, celebrated my birthday, and walked in the forest. But the best part was watching my Mom and sister with Ever. From the moment we picked them up at the airport and for almost two weeks they attended to him...and to me. We changed very few diapers, washed way less dishes and folded a fraction of our laundry. And I was never without a glass of ice water while nursing because my thoughtful sister never failed to ask me if I'd like one.

We laughed a lot. Sometimes we were stir crazy in our close quarters. But mostly we just loved being together. For almost 13 years I've been the one to drive or fly away. I was not prepared for the ache in my heart for being the one to be left. Long visits are wonderful in that you get to do most of the things you want to do together. But long visits are sneaky in that you begin to feel as if your family actually lives just two miles away. I was pretty sad last Tuesday and Wednesday wasn't much better. But I am very much looking forward to being at home for Christmas. My heart is a little broken over the fact that my brother and stepfather have not held this chunky baby boy as of yet. But they will certainly eat him up come December.

Some highlights from our time together...

agoy goy goy

2011-07-27T15:43:00.001-07:00

Often times, Ever is very vocal at bedtime. He could be just about to fall asleep and then when we lay him in his crib he starts squealing. And even cuter and sweeter he sometimes says, through his pacifier, in a low, quiet gurgle, "Agoy goy goy." Which we translate as, "I love you." Well baby boy, "Agoy goy goy, you back. All the way back."

4 months

2011-07-24T19:20:00.000-07:00

(this post is from Eric, and was written on 7/21)

Little Ever-man,

You are four months old today! We can hardly believe how much you've grown and changed since we first met you. When I first held you, I wondered who you were. We are surprised how much we can know about who you are as a person already.

Before you were born, your mom and I talked about what we wanted for you - what kind of person did we want to help you become? Three things came up. We want you to work hard at whatever you enjoy; we want you to be resilient in the face of life's difficulties; and we want you to love and respect yourself and those around you. We are amazed that you already seem to have taken on these qualities.

Tummy time was not your favorite time at first. The first time we put you on your belly, on a blanket on the floor, you just lay there with your fat cheeks smashed against the blanket. You grunted a few times, and then started crying. We picked you up when it was clear you weren't going to get anywhere, but not as soon as you started crying. This continued a little while, but each time we set you down you'd grunt a few more times before starting to cry. Then one day mom laid you down on my chest. You looked down at me, let out the loudest grunt you'd ever made, and shoved your head and shoulders up off of my chest. You loved it! You did it a few more times before your new neck and shoulder muscles got tired. Now you love tummy time, grunting and working hard the entire time, almost getting your entire body off the floor. You seem to enjoy new situations now. We hope you enjoy working hard at meaningful challenges all your life.

We like to sit you on the couch, with your body nestled in the crack between the cushions. You love it too - you can see everything, and it is a good position to play with your ribbon blanket, your rattles, and Daniel the stuffed donkey. But every so often, you lean too far to one side, and you fall onto your face off to the side. You have never cried when this happens. You seem to take a moment and consider your new surroundings, then spend some time trying to pick yourself up. We let you work at it until you start to get really frustrated, which is usually quite a long time. We hope you keep this resilience throughout your life when you fall down on your face.

You love everyone! When new people say hello to you, you tend to look at them a moment, consider something, and then flash a big smile. Often times you follow that up with a shy glance to the side that is ridiculously adorable. You really could not be any cuter. Yesterday you sat beside your Aunt Laura and held her arm tightly. It was so affectionate, even when you started eating her arm like a slow-moving zombie. We hope you stay open to meeting new people, and continue to show the love you seem to feel for those close to you.

We couldn't ask for a better first four months for you! We say you are a wonderful little man already, but of course you are still just a little baby. Enjoy your baby time while it lasts! We sure are enjoying life with you.

a week in pictures: 7.11.11-7.17.11

2011-07-18T10:58:00.000-07:00

Monday, July 11th

beach baby

Tuesday, July 12th

airplane

Wednesday, July 13th

aunt laura is here

Thursday, July 14th

birthday twins

Friday, July 15th

dad and baby self-portrait

Saturday, July 16th

theodore mouse goes to sea

Sunday, July 17th

eating mom's face

Ever's room

2011-07-11T22:00:00.000-07:00

Ever's room is a work in progress. As of now the only pieces of furniture in his room are his LEKSVIK crib from IKEA, a small couch that we bought locally and previously used in our living room, and his HEMNES dresser also from IKEA. I have plans to make some book shelves for the wall space above the couch and I'm excited to use my new mitre saw. I've also been keeping an eye out for a small chest or bookcase for the one empty wall in the room.

Ever's crib is actually half in the closet, which sounds bad, but it works fairly well and doesn't look too awkward. Eric took the mirrored closet doors off in December with plans to replace them with slatted wooden doors. We never got around to that and that worked out well for now. I've made efforts to make the closet crib a bit more cozy. I made a crib skirt for the crib using scrap fabric and the crib skirt tutorial that I found on Young House Love. The sticky velcro was a brilliant idea that I would have never thought of myself. Our printer, router, and DSL box currently live under the crib so the crib skirt hides all the wires nicely. Poor kid, we've got him sleeping in a closet above the internet.

Ever's hanging clothes take up a small portion of the right side of the closet so I wrapped stringed lights around the closet bar above his crib. I displayed some of the wooden toys that I found at a garage sale on the shelf at the top of the closet. Below the closet bar I hung a framed sun print that Ever's Aunt Laura made for me years ago.

Ever's car seat lives in the closet beside his crib. It's really nice to have a designated place to put it that is out of the way in our small condo. There are two large stackable bins beside his car seat where I store clothing and shoes that are too big for him. I keep his extra blankets folded on the shelf in the top of the closet along with a box for clothes that he's outgrown.

I ordered this 2011 calendar from the Etsy shop spreadthelove as soon as we decided on Ever's name. I love the play on his name with the words, "This year will be the best year ever."

I ordered a large Boat and Tote Bag from L.L. Bean to use as Ever's laundry basket. These totes are fantastic. The canvas is stiff enough to use the bag as an open storage bin. They are very affordable and can be monogrammed. L.L. Bean is now offering free shipping with no minimum purchase.

On the wall that the crib shares I've hung two Sharon Montrose prints, one of a baby deer and one of two prairie dogs, that I had framed locally. We painted the walls of the room a neutral gray.

I keep Ever's beautiful Pendleton baby blanket, a gift from his Nanna and Grampa, on the couch along with his ugly doll. It is great having the couch in the room. We use it all the time.

Ever's changing area is perfectly located under the only window in the room. Ever loves to see the trees and hear the eagles and ravens while getting his diaper changed. I made a mobile using fabric scraps, an embroidery hoop, and fishing line to hang above the changing area.

On the wall I hung a cross-stitched covered bridge that Eric made when he was a little kid, a needlepoint owl that Eric's mom made for him, and a piece of an afghan that Ever's great-great grandmother made.

We keep a stack of cloth diapers out on the dresser top. The colors always look so nice together.

On the other end of the dresser I've placed a few special toys and a framed photograph of Eric's father.

Between the dresser and couch we keep Ever's toys in a beautiful wicker basket, given to him by his Auntie Tracy, and a bag of the cutest wooden blocks, another garage sale find.

rainy day parade

2011-07-05T10:53:00.000-07:00

Ever and I, along with 20 other Moms and babies, rode together on the Class of 2029 float in the 4th of July parade on Monday. Eric and the other Dads did a fantastic job of walking alongside the float taking pictures and video, passing things up to us, letting us know if the babies' hats were covering their eyes, and generally keeping us all safe. They were all clearly very proud.

It was cold, windy, and rainy. Not ideal weather for the 4th but certainly typical Sitka weather. It didn't matter. We all had so much fun. Each and every baby either slept or seemed to enjoy the ride. All three blocks. The Moms laughed and threw candy and kinda started to like all of the waving. Then it was over and we returned home with hungry and exhausted little ones. These are my favorite pictures from the day, all taken by Eric.

Ever at home before the parade surrounded by red balloons.

The Moms wearing babies while decorating the float.

More babywearing cuteness.

Cedar, a 2029 graduate, and his super cute friend.

Me climbing up onto the float wearing Ever.

Rebekah and Emery.

Fisher and his Dad Jamie were front and center.

The crew on the other side of the float.

Marlie with Grayson and Rebekah with Emery looking festive in their red jackets. Ever and Cooper in the background.

Cute babies Phoebe, Cameron, Jolie and big brother Chasen in the mirror.

The side of the float that Ever and I were on.

Ten minutes later and we were back at the beginning unloading and cleaning up.

red, white, and blue babies

2011-06-30T21:29:00.000-07:00

Watch the slideshow for more red, white, and blue baby cuteness.

a week in pictures

2011-06-27T12:12:00.000-07:00

Monday, June 20th

swaddled and serious

Tuesday, June 21st

happy three months little guy

Wednesday, June 22nd

mohawk

Thursday, June 23rd

sleepy robot baby

Friday, June 24th

pure sweetness

Saturday, June 25th

hello baby

Sunday, June 26th

chins and overalls

father's day

2011-06-20T21:35:00.001-07:00

Father's Day started off with a failed attempt to make everyone waffles. Eric saved the day and took over with his delicious pancakes. After enjoying raspberry and blueberry waffles, at noon, Eric opened his Father's Day gifts.

I made him a sweatshirt with DAD spelled out in binary code. I took the idea from the Binary Dad t-shirt available from Think Geek :: Stuff for Smart Masses. I ordered a navy blue sweatshirt from Amazon and iron on embroidered number ones and zeros from Hobby Lobby. I think the finished product turned out well.

Eric also received a coffee mug, had to include one traditional Father's Day gift, with Ever's picture from Cafe Press along with two books, Baby-Gami and Unexpected: 30 Years of Patagonia Photography.

We took a relaxing walk on the Mosquito Cove trail in the afternoon. It was really nice to show Nanna one of our favorite places. Ever slept the entire hike. It was a great day and hopefully everyone forgot about the waffles.

kicky pants

2011-06-14T19:20:00.000-07:00

I have a bag in Ever's closest where I put clothes that he's outgrown to pass on to the local consignment shop or an expecting friend. I'm on the third bag of clothes. This makes me sad. There are a few clothing items that are especially hard to add to the bag. Ever was given some great hand-me-down Organic cotton, soy, and bamboo pieces by our friend Sarah. Included were his Kicky Pants coveralls in twilight. I wish I could dress him in these every day. I would dress myself in these every day if they came in adult sizes. The fabric is super soft and the colors are so beautiful and rich. I especially appreciate how the simplicity of the Kicky Pants line highlights natural baby cuteness rather than demanding it with giant glittery letters that read "Princess" or "Mommy's new man." I'm definitely considering purchasing a few replacements as he grows. A few more favorites include:

Sage Creek infant gown in rocket

Baby Soy kimono in chocolate/tea

I wish I could identify this sleep sack but it's been through a few babies and the label has completely worn off.

12 weeks

2011-06-12T12:54:00.000-07:00

Dear Ever,

You are 12 weeks old today. Your Dad has been on summer vacation for the past two weeks. We are enjoying our time at home as a family. We're especially looking forward to your Nanna's visit. She'll be here on Thursday for about two weeks.

The weather has been so nice lately so we've gone on lots of walks. You love being outside. We spent the afternoon on the beach a few days ago. Willie loved swimming after sticks and you laid happily under the shade of a blanket.

You're smiling and cooing at everyone these days. You have this way of turning your head to the side while smiling that absolutely melts our hearts. You are such a happy baby. You smile and coo when your Dad or I enter the room. You greet us with big smiles in the morning and after naps.

You continue to sleep so well. You love your bedtime routine. We give you a bath every other night followed by a massage. You're in your crib at 8:00pm and you've been sleeping until 7:00am or later. We check on you about one hundred times through the night.

You've found your hands. Sometimes you get frustrated because your hands won't do what you want them to do. You've stopped punching yourself in the face when you sneeze. I'm really going to miss that. You're still not the biggest fan of tummy time. But your head control is improving and you're looking less like Axl Rose each day.

You make us laugh and smile each day, more than we ever have before.

We love you so much!

happy anniversary

2011-06-04T17:50:00.002-07:00

Eric and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary on Tuesday, May 31st. It was a day full of big surprises. I have been asking Eric to shave his beard for several years now. I hoped to see him without facial hair before our wedding. When this didn't happen I asked that he shave his face before we had children. It still didn't happen. So I was totally shocked to see his bare face the morning of our anniversary. I had always imagined that I would be a participant in the face shaving, not the victim of a surprise attack.

I got up for the morning and came in the den to say good morning to Eric and Ever. Eric was sitting at the desk with his back to me. When he turned around something weird happened with the communication between my eyes and my brain. For several fractions of a moment I thought he was wearing some sort of reverse beard. It's difficult to explain, his face was just all wrong. It was truly one of the strangest moments of my life. Then I realized that he had shaved and I promptly ran away. I couldn't look at him. His entire face had changed. I wish I could say that I've gotten used to his new face but I just haven't. There have been lots of jokes about my new husband around here. I'm going to be so happy when I get my old husband back!

To celebrate our day we enjoyed a dinner at Ludvig's Bistro, our favorite restaurant in Sitka. Our friends Tracy and Mike generously watched Ever while we were out. I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that I might have cried just a little when we left him. It was our first time out together without him. I want to say that it felt like old times and we were our pre-baby selves on our date. But the truth is that we are parents now and everything is different. During dinner we talked about Ever. I texted Tracy to ask how things were going, but only once. We missed him. But we did enjoy our time and our dinner, very much. It was so nice for us to leave Ever with friends that we trust so much.

Somewhere between the appetizers and the entrees I casually presented Eric with my new I.D. I said that I had just had it renewed and asked him what he thought about the terrible picture. I was lying about the renewal but the picture really is terrible. What I was showing him was that I had changed my last name to Matthes. To his and Ever's last name. He responded similarly to my response to his shaved face. He was confused. Why was his signature on my I.D.? It took him a few moments to realize what I was showing him. Then he was very happy, for all the right reasons and I cried...again.

baby essentials

2011-05-30T16:27:00.001-07:00

I've had a request from a dear friend to create a list of baby items that we found essential and some that we didn't when Ever was born. I remember writing a frantic email to a friend asking what I really needed for the baby. What the heck is a Pack n' Play anway? What about a monitor, our condo is just bigger than an airplane bathroom. I was completely overwhelmed. I am by no means a baby gear expert. Every baby is a unique individual and every family has their own lifestyle. This is simply a humble list of what has worked or not worked for us.

Clothing

There are definitely a few clothing items that we found and still find especially essential. Baby bundlers, or sleep dresses as we like to call them, make middle of the night diaper changes easier. No zippers to zip or buttons to button. Footed bodysuits make for an easy transition to the Baby Bjorn carrier and don't require socks. Halo wearable blankets or sleep sacks are great and eliminate the need for a blanket during the night. REI Infant Booties are the only socks that have stayed on Ever's feet and they're on sale right now.

REI Infant Booties - Boys' 2 Pair

Baby carrier

Ever loves being worn and we love wearing him. It is soothing for him and essential to us in allowing us to do things around the house, go grocery shopping, walk the dog, etc. As of now we have a Baby Bjorn Original Carrier that we purchased brand new at a consignment shop for $35, a Moby Wrap that Eric's parents bought for us, and a Jelly Bean Reversible Sling that I bought from Target recently. We use them all frequently, often daily, for different situations. I'm planning to purchase an Ergo Carrier in the near future. I would love to have a custom made KIMMELA Wrap, which I discovered through Marvelous Kiddo, but they aren't available to US customers just yet. My advice is to experiment with a variety of carriers. It's impossible to predict which ones you and your baby will find the most comfortable. Borrow a variety of carriers from friends to test them out with your little one.

Natibaby Dandelions Green / White KIMIMELA Wrap

Sound machine

A white noise maker has been great for us all. We use the Marpac SleepMate in Ever's room through the night and the Cloud B Travel Sleep Sheep is attached to his swing for naps. The Sleep Sheep was super handy when we traveled. There are lots of great apps for white noise and sleep sounds as well.

Swing

Ever loves movement and his Fisher-Price Take Along Swing is perfect for our small condo. We were given this swing when Ever was a few weeks old. It was basically brand new as the original baby didn't like the swing. We're very grateful to put it to use! If possible, it's a good idea to test out swings and baby seats before making a purchase because like carriers it's difficult to predict what your baby will like.

Swaddling blankets

We used our Aden & Anais Muslin Swaddling Blankets tons when Ever was brand new for swaddling. We haven't swaddled him in a few weeks but still use the blankets a good bit. They don't take up much space in a diaper bag and the weight is really nice. We also love our JJ Cole receiving blankets.

Ever swaddled in his Aden + Anais Muslin Swaddle Blanket

Night light

Having a non-invasive light source in the bedroom is very helpful for middle of the night diaper changes and feedings. I also find having a soft light comforting for checking on baby through the night. We love our Cloud B Twilight Turtle light. Ever will also enjoy the colorful moon and stars projected on the walls and ceiling for years to come. We have a friend who wears a headlamp for middle of the night changes.

Car seat

Car seats are necessary in that they are required by law and more importantly they keep your baby safe. I have a love hate relationship, mostly hate, with our car seat. It has nothing to do with the brand or model of our car seat. It's just that Ever doesn't like to be strapped in and I don't like subjecting him to the torture that is the car seat. I don't like hauling that massive piece of heavy plastic up and down our stairs and struggling to put it in and take it out of our car each day.

It was difficult to select a car seat from the many choices. We decided we wanted a car seat that would accommodate Ever for a long time but didn't want to buy a convertible car seat. We didn't want to spend tons of money and wanted a neutral design. We were also looking for free shipping through Amazon. We chose the Safety 1st onBoard 35 Infant Car Seat because it met our preferences well. We bought two bases, one for each car, and so far have only used one. I didn't know it at the time but this car seat can be installed without the base using the latch system. I would highly recommend purchasing a car seat with this option. Car seat safety: How to choose and use a Car Seat is a helpful article on Baby Center.

Breast pump

For me a breast pump has been an essential baby item. Pumping offers a breast feeding mother more freedom and more sleep! It also allows the non-lactating parent the opportunity to take part in feeding the baby. I have a Medela electric pump that I bought used. If you aren't comfortable buying a used pump it is totally worth the money to buy a new pump. Also, the hospital gave me a brand new Medela Harmony manual pump for free and it works very well. It's great for travel. The Medela website refers to it as an occasional use pump but it could certainly be used for daily pumping.

Nursing pillow

I've really enjoyed having a Boppy. Honestly, I thought it was a bit frivolous to add it to my registry but I use it every day, multiple times a day.

Bottle

Ever is not picky when it comes to bottles. But this isn't the case with all babies. It's probably a good idea to buy one bottle and nipple to test out before purchasing a set or several of the same type. We've had success with Green to Grow bottles and Lifefactory glass bottles.

Lifefactory baby bottles

Now for the items that we found less essential...

Lots of brand new baby clothes

Almost all of Ever's clothes are hand-me-downs or consignment and garage sale purchases. He definitely received lots of new clothes as gifts. But we purchased only one item new, a robot onesie. My advice is to buy used baby clothes and skip the going home outfit. Chances are you'll be going home from the hospital as a family of three and the OB staff are the only ones that will witness your baby's departure. And baby shoes, while incredibly cute, are totally unnecessary.

Baby bathtub

We didn't buy a baby bathtub and haven't needed one. We give Ever baths in the kitchen sink or hold him in the bathtub and shower while we bathe. Soon enough he'll be able to sit on his own. For now we like giving his baths together. It's really nice family time and helps Ever transition to bed.

Stroller

We bought a used B.O.B. stroller for $100 but haven't used it yet. For now we just wear Ever when we're out and that works really well for us. I think I'll use the stroller when he's bigger if I start running again.

Monitor

We don't have a baby monitor. Our condo is so small we can hear Ever's every peep. We didn't get the Pack n' Play either.

Diaper bag

A bag for diapers is certainly essential but a diaper bag is not. I ordered a messenger bag from Etsy seller bayanhippo to use as a diaper bag. I love that it looks more like a purse than a diaper bag.

Modular messenger in olive grey by bayanhippo

Nursery

A nursery certainly isn't essential. A little baby just doesn't need an entire room. However, having a place for Ever in our little home was important to me. We planned for Ever to sleep in our room for the first several months. This plan changed when I couldn't sleep for more than a few pieced together hours because of his constant grunting and squirming. When setting up his room I didn't want to spend a lot of money on nursery decor. I painted the room a neutral gray and hung framed artwork that we already had on the walls. The only furniture that we have in his room is a couch that we use for naps and reading, a white HEMNES 8-drawer dresser and a LEKSVIK crib (both from IKEA).

Nursery inspiration via Wee Textile

I didn't purchase a crib bedding set mostly because I like the look of a simple crib. I bought two Dot to Dot Percale crib sheets from Garnet Hill and that is the extent of Ever's crib bedding. We did not purchase a changing table and use a changing pad on top of the HEMNES dresser. The dresser is the perfect height for us for diaper changes. I didn't invest in expensive changing pad covers because they get covered with baby poop and pee constantly. Although, I continue to covet all of the beautiful Land of Nod quilted changing pad covers.

And that's just it, there are tons of beautiful, expensive and rather unnecessary baby items out there. There is a well established baby gear industry that creates a feeling, especially for new parents, of needing it all. It is completely overwhelming. For us, it is important to buy used as often as possible. Not just for the environment or to save money (which are both very important to us) but to also instill these values in our son.

alaska grown!

2011-05-25T22:48:00.000-07:00

Alaskans have a great deal of state pride, not as much as Texans, but still a lot. It is pretty neat to be born in Alaska because then you can wear Alaska Grown clothing honestly. On Wednesday, we dressed our babies in Alaska Grown onesies and took more pictures of them smashed together on couches. This is our favorite activity, besides eating pastries and drinking coffee, at mom and baby brunches.

The babies on the couch are arranged from youngest to oldest (right to left). It may look as though Ever is out of place in the lineup but it's just his giant cheeks and chunky arm that throw you off.

the boys

Good news, looks like Ever and Emery do like each other. In fact, I'm pretty sure they're holding hands!

e & e

8 weeks

2011-05-15T18:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Ever,

This is your 8th week of life on the outside. The past four weeks have been challenging for your parents. On April 21st you lost your Grandfather. We traveled as a family to New Hampshire as soon as we could. You were an amazing traveler which was helpful to two very stressed and grieving parents. You met your Nanna and your Grandma and they both fell in love with you. You brought comfort to many people during such a sad time. Your Dad and I talk about your Grandfather a lot. We miss him. We were so looking forward to him being here in June. We are sad for you not to know him. But your dad will continue to tell you stories about your Grandfather and keep his memory alive.

first flight: Sitka to Seattle

As I write this you are sleeping with your dad in the other room. I'm recovering from a bad case of mastitis. Your Dad is sick with a cold. It's been a rough weekend. We definitely could have used Auntie Maggie or a Grandmother around here! But we are recovering physically and emotionally each day.

happy baby boy

During the past 4 weeks you've become so engaged. You smile and coo and we fall more in love with you each time. You really love your activity mat and you bat at the hanging toys. You're sleeping so well. For the past couple of weeks we put you to bed around 8:00pm and you sleep until 3:00 or 4:00am. You nurse or take a bottle from your Dad and fall back asleep until 7:00 or 8:00am. You are so sweet in the middle of the night. Now that your Dad and I are getting more sleep we look forward to being up with you at these times. You're sleeping in your crib in your room and you seem just fine with this arrangement. You nap just about anywhere. If we wear you in the Moby or Baby Bjorn you're usually awake for about 10 seconds.

napping on the activity mat

You had your 2 month check-up about 9 days early. You weighed 12 pounds and 12 ounces which was actually a bit less than what we guessed based on the size of your cheeks. And much less than Auntie Maggie's guess of 17 pounds. But she's only seen pictures of your cheeks and hasn't held you in weeks!

just before bed tonight

You love when we sing to you. We sing this ridiculous alphabet song that has some rather inappropriate lyrics but you just love it and for now that's just fine. Your Dad has this amazing ability to sing the alphabet song and change the lyrics as he sings. I can't do that. I sang Elton John's song I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues to you on the airplane and thought no one heard me because I was tucked in by the window and just whispering into your ear. But apparently your Dad and several other passengers could hear everything. That's awkward. But the good news is that I've learned all the lyrics and can sing the entire song to you and not just the verse about rolling like thunder under the covers.

We love you so much!

Every

2011-05-09T19:18:00.001-07:00

Rebekah and I share so many commonalities in our lives. We got puppies just a few weeks apart and were in the same puppy class together. We got married just a few months apart. Then we were just two days apart in our pregnancies. We chose names for our babies that begin with the letter E. So it's no wonder that I was recently asked if we chose these names together. As in did we sit down and come up with names that somehow match. Well, the answer is no. We did not. But I do joke that if Ever and Emery get married and have a child of their own they should name him or her Every. But we're not sure that Emery and Ever actually like each other, at all.

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T17:07:00.000-07:00

My mom and I with our chubby cheeked babies.

Ever Aaron Matthes

2011-05-06T10:31:00.001-07:00

Eric and I have received a variety of reactions when we share Ever's name with others. We anticipated most of these responses. My favorite response is the straightforward, "Really?" Eric and I just reply, "Yes. Really." I knew people would joke about "forever" and "whatever" and such. But I didn't expect people to misspell or mispronounce such a simple name. We've started saying, "His name is Ever. E-V-E-R." That seems to clear up most of the confusion. But so far he's been called Never, Ezer, and Very. His name has been pronounced Eve-r. I find all of these mistakes quite funny and I hope Ever has a good sense of humor about it as well.

I first saw the name Ever listed in the credits of a movie that Eric and I watched together early in our relationship. It wasn't a memorable movie but the name Ever stayed with me. I've always had a habit of making notes of interesting names that I find in movie credits. Ever struck me immediately in that it is a four letter gender neutral name that begins with the letter E. Eric and I both have four letter first names that begin with E and I thought it would be neat to pass on a similar moniker.

Ever is certainly a unique name but there are some other Ever's out there. Singer Alanis Morriessette recently named her little boy Ever Imre and actress Milla Jovovich's daughter is named Ever Gabo. I found the chart below after searching for people named Ever. I couldn't find a source for the data. I did however find lots of positive and negative comments about the name Ever in my research. The best comment that I found sarcastically identified Ever as the best adverb to be used as a name. That made me laugh.

Year	Male Evers	Female Evers	All Evers
2000	80	7	87
2001	102	8	110
2002	96	16	112
2003	117	22	139
2004	126	23	149
2005	148	10	158
2006	147	27	174
2007	154	17	171
2008	174	39	213
2009	146	68	214

Eric chose Ever's middle name Aaron. He wanted Ever to have a connection to me as Ever has Eric's last name. This also confuses some people. However, one person responded, "How neat. He's both of you." I just love that. Simple and exactly what we intended.

mom and baby brunch

2011-04-20T14:29:00.000-07:00

Class of 2028

For the past several Wednesdays at 10:00am Ever and I have attended Mom and Baby Brunch at my friend Annette's house. It is such a nice time to socialize with other moms, enjoy some good snacks and coffee and see lots of cute babies. The group has grown! We had 11 moms and babies in attendance today. But we were missing 3 moms and babies for the picture. We have a really cute idea for the picture for next week!

Today some of the moms brought clothes that their babies have outgrown and Ever got some really cute stuff. Ever is the third youngest baby in the group so he doesn't have much to offer as hand-me-downs. What a fun way to spend the morning.

4 weeks

2011-04-17T22:08:00.000-07:00

Dear Ever,

You are four weeks old today. Time has taken on a whole new meaning for us since your arrival. It's hard to believe that you've been with us for almost an entire month and at the same time it's impossible to imagine life without you. It's as if we've always known you yet we're constantly discovering you. These four weeks have been the best of our lives. We're so exhausted yet so in love with you. It's been more wonderful than we ever imagined.

In getting to know you we've found that you really like:

Being bathed. You had your very first bath in the kitchen sink. It was great fun for us and you didn't seem to mind it too much. You've since bathed with us in the shower and in the bathtub. You seem to really like the warm water. You even fell asleep when I held you against my chest in the shower. We love seeing your hair get all curly when it's wet.

Being held. You really like being close to us. You sleep best snuggled on our chests. We love holding you and hearing your little noises and smelling your sweet baby smell. You like being worn in the Baby Bjorn and you're warming up to the Moby. You also really like being swaddled and your dad is the master swaddler. He has perfected his technique and secretly wants to be the swaddling consultant for the hospital and teach parents to swaddle their newborns.

Rocking and bouncing. We hold you and bounce and rock you and sing you silly songs that we make up. You really like your new swing. Although, you did like the swing your dad made using your car seat, slings and carabiners anchored to the pull-up bar. You also like your new rocker because it cradles you so cozily.

Our voices. You love hearing us talk to you. You recognized Willie's bark in the first moments that you met him. We read you stories and sometimes, not all the time, you fall fast asleep.

Some surprises:

We miss you. We miss you when we're separated from you. Lately your dad takes you and keeps you in the den in the middle of the night so I can get some sleep. And I dream about you while you're gone. I went to a baby shower yesterday without you and my heart ached after being gone an hour. Your dad misses you when he's at work or on a run.

You have red hair. And it's beautiful. When we imagined what you'd look like I briefly considered that you could have red hair. But for some reason I find this so surprising.

You are really noisy. You grunt and squeak and make all kinds of noises, even when you sleep (see video below). Sometimes Willie gets concerned and checks in on you.

You don't mind noises. In fact we vacuum right around you when you're sleeping on a blanket on the floor. You seem to like hearing music and so far AC/DC and Bob Marley have soothed you.

In the last four weeks you've grown and changed so much. You lost your umbilical cord stump at a week and half. You had infant acne for about a week and it's all cleared up now. You've grown out of many of your clothes and gained lots of weight. We just adore your chubby cheeks and arms. Lately, you've been holding your head up and impressing us with your strength. You track us with your eyes and we're pretty sure you're smiling in response to our voices and facial expressions. You're taking an interest in Willie and he has accepted you as a new member of the pack. He even dropped his bone for you in hopes that you'd play with him a few days ago.

You've been on several outings including one very stealth maneuver at 9 days old to Ludvig's Bistro for a shared calamari appetizer. We've been enjoying weekly mom and baby gatherings. We've been on several walks, all of which you slept through. You've been introduced to lots and lots of people. They all tell us that you're very cute and comment on your blue eyes and red hair. They also have varied reactions to your name. I'll save those stories for a post all about how and why we chose your name.

Yesterday your dad told me that he feels like he won the life lottery and I couldn't agree more. We love you so much!

auntie maggie & first bath

2011-04-10T11:21:00.000-07:00

Auntie Maggie snuggling with Ever

This past week was filled with lots of whale watching from the couch, very little sleep and Auntie Maggie's visit. Maggie arrived on Saturday evening and stayed through the week to help out and to get to know baby Ever. We're going to miss having an extra set of hands. Willie sure appreciated the attention he received from Maggie!

Since returning home from the hospital we've enjoyed visits from several friends who've generously brought homemade food and gifts. Our friend Sarah organized several meal deliveries and that was just so incredibly helpful. I'm looking forward to the opportunity to do the same for some new parents because we appreciated this act of kindness so much.

We enjoyed such a variety of homemade foods including: black cod bouillabaisse, banana bread, falafel with hummus and pita, meatloaf, chicken casserole, french toast stuffed with chocolate, cream cheese and berries, chicken stew, lasagna, cupcakes, Indian lima bean salad, curried chicken, naan, raspberry cheesecake and lots of salads and breads. Our neighbors, who are expecting their first baby in a few weeks, ordered us loads of delicious delivery sushi! We were also gifted fresh halibut from a different set of neighbors and a friend. And Maggie made us one of our forgotten favorites, salmon burgers. We made these burgers for Maggie and her parents when they visited this same time two years ago. The recipe for Asian Salmon Burgers with Green Onion and Soy Sauce Mayonnaise is from Salmon, a cookbook by Diane Morgan.

Asian Salmon Burgers with Green Onion and Soy Sauce Mayonnaise

Serves 4

1 salmon fillet (1 pound), cut into 1-inch pieces

1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger

1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 green onions, including 2 inches of green tops, very thinly sliced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 cup cracker meal

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 sesame-seed hamburger buns, split and toasted

4 lettuce leaves

Green Onion and Soy Sauce Mayonnaise (recipe follows)

In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse the salmon until coarsely ground, scrapping down the sides of the work bowl once or twice. (Be careful; it's easy to go from chopped to a mashed paste in seconds!) Transfer the salmon to a medium bowl. Add the ginger, garlic, green onions, cilantro, salt, lemon juice, and soy sauce. Using a rubber spatula, mix to combine. Mix in the cracker meal and then add the eggs. Stir to combine.

Dividing the salmon mixture evenly, form into four 1-inch-thick patties. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes before cooking. (The patties can be prepared up to 8 hours ahead. Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate.)

In a large, heavy skillet, preferably cast iron, heat the oil over medium-high heat and swirl to coat the pan. (You can also use a grill pan.) Add the salmon patties and cook until golden brown on one side, about 3 minutes. Turn and cook until opaque throughout and golden brown on the other side, about 3 minutes longer. Serve the salmon burgers on the toasted buns with lettuce and mayonnaise.

Green Onion and Soy Sauce Mayonnaise

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 green onion, including green tops, very thinly sliced

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons soy sauce

In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, green onion, lemon juice and soy sauce until well blended. Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day.

Last night we gave Ever his first bath, in the kitchen sink. I just love sink baths. Can you believe this kid's cheeks!

Another chunky baby in the kitchen sink, circa 1980.

fish face

2011-04-07T13:37:00.000-07:00

We've taken hundreds of pictures of Ever and it's amazing to see how much he's grown and changed in two and a half weeks. Ever is constantly making faces and noises, awake and asleep. One of our very favorite expressions is fish face. We've been lucky enough to capture this face several times.

Ever had a weight check this morning and I'm happy to report that he is a solid nine and a half pounds. Eric, Megan and I were all under in our guesses. But this explains why he's growing out of his clothes so fast. It's very comforting to know that he is so healthy and eating well.

baby party

2011-03-30T20:44:00.001-07:00

Today Ever and I ventured over to my friend Annette's house for a baby party. This was our first social outing. Eric drove us and picked us up which was really helpful. I'm so glad he did because he got to see the babies all lined up oldest to youngest on the couch in person. There were seven wonderful moms and seven cute babies at the baby party.

Gus, Emery and Ever

Emery and Ever look pretty cute all snuggled up together. Gus snoozed the entire photo session.

check ups

2011-03-29T10:51:00.001-07:00

Last Friday this family of three ventured out for Ever's weight check. Ever was down only 3 ounces from his birth weight. We had a second check up with the doctor yesterday and I'm proud to say that Ever has gained 7 ounces since Friday.

I had some reservations about using a pacifier. However, Ever is having no difficulty with breast feeding and he took to the pacifier without any difficulty. We plan to use the pacifier at times when we can't soothe him by holding him.

It was quite an undertaking to leave the house the first time and we weren't totally prepared to be out with Ever. I brought along my diaper bag but it wasn't fully stocked. Luckily, there were diapers and wipes available in the exam room.

Ever all bundled up waiting for the doctor to look him over.

Ever looking pretty content after getting the doctor's approval.

I wanted to share some of the products that have been especially helpful for me with breast feeding. Earth Mama Angel Babies Natural Nipple Butter was recommended to me by each and every one of my girlfriends. This is an amazing product that is completely safe for the baby. I highly recommend this to any breast feeding mother. I'm so happy that our local drug store carries several Earth Mama Angel Babies products.

The Itzbeen has been a very helpful tool in tracking diapers and feedings. It is especially helpful at night with feedings when I am groggy and can't remember anything.

week 40

2011-03-27T17:01:00.000-07:00

It's week 40 and now that both of our little ones are here Rebekah and I met this afternoon for our final photo. Ever and Emery wore their bear suits and looked especially adorable as we walked the trail to our bench. It was an absolutely gorgeous day. What a fun time of year to be born!

e & e

2011-03-26T13:05:00.000-07:00

I'm working on writing Ever's birth story but for now I want to share this picture of Ever and Emery meeting for the first time at the hospital. Emery was exactly one week old and Ever was one day old. To further the connection that these two little ones share, Ever was born on Rebekah's birthday! These two have no choice but to be best friends.

He's here!

2011-03-24T19:20:00.000-07:00

Ever Aaron Matthes

March 21st 2011 @ 8:41am

7 lbs 15 ounces

20.5 inches

week 39

2011-03-20T17:32:00.001-07:00

It's week 39 and we're down one baby bump and up one adorable baby girl! Rebekah's little one surprised us all and arrived on Tuesday. I'm so happy to report that both mom and baby are doing wonderfully.

To top off the amazing event of the week it has been absolutely beautiful this weekend. Spring is definitely returning to Sitka. Today I had a nice brunch at the Larkspur Cafe with some friends. I had the delicious smoked salmon scramble which included a side of roasted dill potatoes and a homemade buttermilk biscuit. It was so nice out that we were able to sit outside and enjoy the sunshine. To further confirm the arrival of spring, I just spotted my first whale of the season as I write this entry from my couch!

I've been really loving this simple salad of mixed greens, strawberries, feta cheese and candied walnuts.

Eric getting some practice holding Rebekah's little doll.

week 38

2011-03-13T23:59:00.000-07:00

It's week 38! It's been a week full of great food and friends. On Wednesday, Rebekah, her husband, Eric and I toured the hospital where we'll be delivering...quite possibly at the same time. Our tour was led by our very favorite Australian nurse and Childbirth Education teacher. After the tour Rebekah and I visited our friends and fellow Childbirth Education students and their adorable new bundle of joy. They are doing wonderfully and adjusting to parenthood very well. We left the visit with lots of advice and inspiration.

kielbasa and cabbage via Life's Ambrosia

One night this week I was extremely motivated and made a dinner of kielbasa and cabbage on roasted garlic mashed red potatoes, roasted beets on mixed greens with candied walnuts and blue cheese and an apple pie with vanilla ice cream for dessert. The kielbasa dish was amazing! It was the best comfort food I've had in a long time. Willie really liked it too. Although, I think he puked it up the next day.

Rebekah, Katie and I participated in the Sitka Culinary Tour Passport Dinner on Saturday. Between 4:30pm and 9:30pm we visited 4 different restaurants and sampled 5 different seafood based appetizers. My favorite dish was the black cod tips with balsamic salad at Ludvig's Bistro. I also enjoyed my very own creme brulee. I can't wait for my mom, a fellow creme brulee lover, to try it for herself this summer! We had such a fun time waddling around together from restaurant to restaurant. I think we were entertaining for the other diners as well.

On Sunday, Eric and I attended a coed baby shower for a couple that are due on April 1st. Our favorite Australian nurse and Childbirth Education teacher allowed us to borrow the sympathy belly from class for the husband to wear while the couple opened presents. It was hilarious. He had to wear the belly during our first class and was such a good sport then and at the shower. We had a lot of fun playing baby shower games. Eric and I won a game where we held hands and used our two free hands together to diaper a baby.

Over the weekend Eric and I finished painting the spare bedroom which will become the baby's room in the next few months. I had a rough solo start on the project earlier in the week. My attempt to pick a neutral gray wasn't initially successful and the color looked more blue than gray on the wall. I found a gray bowl in the shade that I was looking for and my paint guy (that's what I like to call him) at the hardware store helped me find a very close match. It was incredibly helpful to have Eric's help with painting over the weekend. I was getting totally worn out trying to paint the room on my own. I just have some minor touch ups to the trim and then we'll be able to set the room up.

week 37: full term

2011-03-07T09:31:00.000-08:00

It's week 37 and that means this robot baby is full term. I'm so relieved yet a bit anxious. It's tough not knowing when he'll decide to make his appearance. But at the same time I'm really looking forward to meeting him and to being able to take shoes and socks off on my own. I want to thank all of our friends and family who have been calling and writing to check in with us. It means so much to me to feel supported not just here locally but literally all over the country.

This week was really busy for a retired stay at home pregnant lady. Before I left my position at the end of January I was committed to help out with a weekend retreat for students. The retreat had to be rescheduled for this past weekend. Ten students attended the retreat to be trained as Natural Helpers. I spent the mornings and early afternoons on Saturday and Sunday giving my lessons and providing support to the other staff. It was so much fun to be around such a great group of students and to work with Tracy again. It was beautiful all weekend and the house where the retreat was held had such a great view of the mountains.

On Tuesday, Eric brought home a live 7 pound king crab. We had fun watching Willie meet the king crab but we had way more fun eating the king crab for dinner two nights in a row. I'm really looking forward to several fun things this week. Rebekah and I are making plans to visit a new mom and baby from our Childbirth Education Class. She's invited us over to meet her son and to hear her birth story. We also have tickets for the Sitka Culinary Tour Passport Dinner, a tour of 6 different restaurants for small plate creations, this weekend. Apparently, you have the option to use the passport over three nights but I'm pretty sure Rebekah and I are going to make this a one night eating extravaganza. Eric surprised me with a gift certificate for an hour prenatal massage and a foot treatment. I'm hoping to schedule the appointment this week. It's supposed to be another beautiful week so I'm looking forward to getting some sunshine and possibly painting the baby's room.

week 36

2011-02-23T20:36:00.000-08:00

It's week 36 and that means that as of February 28th I am exactly one month from my due date. Eric and I have started picking up the pace of our nesting and preparation. I'm feeling more and more prepared each day. It's comforting to check things off the list but it's still quite overwhelming to think we'll be meeting this little guy very soon now.

We're so lucky to be surrounded by friends that are either expecting or just having their babies, many of which are also first time parents. There is definitely a baby boom here in Sitka, Alaska and this seems to be true down south as well. I have several good girlfriends all expecting babies and I feel very fortunate to share in their experiences.

Eric continues to amaze me with loaves of sourdough, pizza dough and now focaccia! He made this parmesan and artichoke focaccia a few nights ago and it was just wonderful. Eric is planning on making up a bunch of pizza dough to freeze for dinners when the baby is here. We want to experiment with making our own pizza sauce until then we'll keep buying Elena's Napoli Pizza Sauce.

Eric took this picture of Willie last week and I just love it, mostly because of the story behind the picture. Willie hasn't used a kennel inside the house or in the car for about a year now. However, he still responds to the command "crate" by quickly returning to the place where his crate used to live. He never spent much time in the crate and he considered the crate a safe place, a place he was always eager to go. Lately he's been responding to the command crate by going anywhere out of sight. His new crate place is the small entryway to our condo. He'll remain out of sight for a few minutes before beginning to peep around the corner. If he goes down the hall to a bedroom or the bathroom to get in his imaginary crate he'll eventually creep down the hallway until he is spied and told to return to the crate. I just love this dog so much!

week 35

2011-02-21T14:19:00.001-08:00

Not looking so pregnant from behind

It's week 35 and this little guy needs to stay put for at least two more weeks. If labor begins before 37 weeks I'd be medevaced to Seattle. I really can't think of anything scarier than an emergency flight while in preterm labor. I've honestly been surprised by the different worries at each stage of pregnancy. For me, the first trimester was the most anxiety provoking time of the pregnancy and I'm so glad to be well past those fears. For the most part I'm doing well and not feeling terribly anxious. For those of you who know me well you know that I do have a tendency to worry. I'm also inclined to over educate myself. Sometimes a little information is dangerous and sometimes too much information is dangerous. I'm so thankful to have Eric for grounding and support. He listens to my worries and takes them seriously but then he offers the comfort and support that I need just as much. He's not a worrier but he certainly doesn't take this lightly and isn't dismissive of my concerns.

Speaking of my wonderful and supportive husband, Eric was so helpful with all of the shower preparations yesterday. We had a lot of fun making homemade spring rolls together. We even gave Willie one that was just too misshapen to serve to someone else. Willie wasn't a fan of the rice noodles but he loved the vegetables.

Willie enjoying his spring roll

I want to share this photo of the system that Eric created in our Subaru for transporting the tissue paper pom poms to Rebekah's shower. How smart and creative is that? The poms are living in the car until I make it over to Rebekah's house. I'm loving driving around with a car full of pom poms.

Rebekah's Baby Shower

2011-02-20T22:03:00.000-08:00

This afternoon I helped host Rebekah's baby shower at the beautiful Sitka Seaside Lodge. The theme of the shower was flowers, inspired by Rebekah's love for baby girls wearing flower headbands. We incorporated tissue pom poms to add to the theme.

We created a photo booth using a fabric backdrop, tissue pom poms and colorful pillows. I just love the photo of all of the babies on the couch! We enjoyed an Asian inspired menu of homemade crab wontons, fresh spring rolls, California rolls, chicken satay and Thai pizza. Rebekah's cake was two tiers, one chocolate and one champagne, topped with a tissue pom pom. We had a make your own flower headband station so all of the guests could create a flower headband or clip to wear and take home. This was a lot of fun and I found all of the supplies from The Hair Bow Company, believe it or not.

tissue pom poms from pom love on Etsy

streamers, pom poms, and mounted fish

the cake and our weekly baby bump photos served as a nice center piece

the cake was beautiful and delicious

the flower headband making station

And to close I want to share two of the gifts that I gave to Rebekah. I found this flower headband on Etsy months ago and couldn't pass it up. I also bought two pair of these adorable EMU baby booties, one in pink for Rebekah's little one and one in tan for my guy.

soft rose flower headband by fabflowerheadbands

emu australia kids baby booties

valentine's day

2011-02-15T10:49:00.000-08:00

Eric and I celebrated a low key Valentine's Day last night and it was perfect. I'm so grateful that I'm not working, especially that I'm not working at night, and that we have the opportunity to spend our evenings together. This schedule also makes for much more relaxing and enjoyable weekends. For the past few years our weekends have been so sacred because it was the only time we had together. It was always a difficult balance with spending time with friends and Search and Rescue missions or drills.

Stelton Bread Bag

So, last night was extra special because it was a Monday night and we were home together. Eric made a really nice dinner of caprese salad and bread and cheese. I gave Eric a Stelton bread bag and a fancy olive oil that we were able to try last night with dinner. The bread bag is intended to replace the grocery bags Eric typically uses to store his homemade bread.

Eric gave me a beautiful bamboo butcher block and some Mama Bee belly balm and body oil from Burt's Bees. I am a huge fan of bamboo cutting boards and it's fun to add to the collection. The butcher block is especially nice and heavy. I also love the Mama Bee belly balm. It's not a sticky consistency like other balms and salves and it absorbs well. We have reservations for Ludvig's on Thursday and I'm so looking forward to the calamari appetizer and creme brulee for dessert.

Totally Bamboo butcher block

week 34

2011-02-14T10:08:00.001-08:00

Eric and his friend Dan took Willie and Dan's dog Annahootz on an adventure on Bear Mountain yesterday. The guys were inspired after attending the Banff Mountain Film Festival last week. Eric and I were most impressed by the film The Swiss Machine about speed alpinist Ueli Steck. My very favorite film of the night was Eastern Rises, a 38 minute film about a group of guys who travel to the very remote Kamchatka Pennisula to pursue fly fishing. It is such an aesthetically beautiful film with a great balance of humor and sentiment. The Banff Mountain Film Festival is currently on a world tour. I encourage you to take a look at the schedule and to attend the festival if you have the opportunity. Better yet, I encourage you to visit Banff National Park and The Banff Centre. Eric and I just loved our visit this summer.

It snowed a good bit yesterday in town but it was blowing on the mountain. The picture of Willie above is a still from the video that Eric took. Willie looks a little pathetic but trust me he loves being in the mountains and he especially loves the snow. He was so exhausted when he came home with Eric last night.

Because Eric was climbing a mountain yesterday Kenny, Rebekah's husband, took our weekly picture. He did a very nice job and Rebekah and I are always appreciative of not having to deal with a tripod. I read yesterday that at week 34 the baby is the size of a loaf of bread. This makes me laugh because Rebekah and I refer to our little ones as baby loaf. Sometimes the baby is just bunched up into a loaf shape and it looks like you're carrying a large brick shaped object in your belly, hence the term baby loaf.

I'm constantly amazed by the way it feels to have a person inside your body. I always thought, in an abstract way, how neat and strange it must feel. But to actually feel these movements from the inside and see them from the outside is just indescribable. It seems that this little guy is becoming more and more active or that his movements are just bigger and more pronounced. He's getting bigger and bigger and his quarters are getting more and more cramped. I just love watching my belly change from shape to shape as he adjusts or rearranges the furniture as I like to say.

It's Valentine's Day and Eric left me a note saying that he has surprise plans for dinner. I have a surprise for him too that involves loaves of bread, not baby.

etsy love

2011-02-10T14:04:00.000-08:00

polopolo large tissue box cover by yokomono

I have an issue with having tissue boxes around the house. Before I moved in with Eric I never bought boxed tissue. I just used good old fashioned toilet paper, on a roll, to blow my nose. I honestly think buying tissue specifically to use to blow your nose is rather frivolous and unnecessary. It also really bugs me that tissue boxes are so poorly designed. So, for a while now I've been on a hunt for attractive covers for these eyesores. I've had my eye on yokomono's Etsy shop for some time and finally purchased the polopolo cover in bee yellow.

whale tissue holder by gnomesweetgnome

I also purchased this whale tissue holder from gnomesweetgnome on Etsy. It arrived today and I'm in love. I think it will be perfect for the baby's room.

Another favorite recent purchase is my 2011 calendar from Etsy seller spreadthelove. I love this calendar and agree that 2011 will be the best year ever!

2011 best year ever folk calendar by spreadthelove

We also ordered the 2011 An Apple a Day calendar from VikDesign. This is a large letterpress calendar that is intended to be filled with stickers from fruits and vegetables that you've eaten that day. We had a lot of fun filling in our An Apple a Day calendar last year and wanted to continue the tradition. I think this would be a great calendar to use with children as it promotes healthy eating habits. I know I'm always motivated to eat fruits and vegetables and put my sticker on the calendar.

an apple a day calendar by VikDesign

I guess I have a thing for calendars because I also have a perpetual calendar from jenniferraichman. My mom has a perpetual calendar that hangs in her kitchen and I've always wanted one of my own. Jennifer's shop offers a nice selection of lovely perpetual calendars that can be customized with your favorite color. We have the circle tree design in teal blue.

perpetual calendar circle tree by jenniferraichman

Etsy has been a such an amazing resource for purchasing beautiful handmade things. We relied heavily on Etsy for our wedding planning. I ordered our invitations from Etsy seller unlesssomeonelikeyou. I ordered beautiful earrings for our officiant and my two bridesmaids from marieflyfly. I love Marie's jewelry and Eric buys me something from her shop each Christmas. Eric's wedding band is from titaniumknights on Etsy. We are still so pleased with his handsome ring.

titanium yellow gold inlay band by titaniumknights

Now, I'm constantly finding beautiful things for babies and children. I recently received the cutest baby blue onesie with an orange polka dot appliqued whale from my friend Amy.

short sleeve sky blue bodysuit with an orange polka dot whale applique by veryKiki

I recently ordered a new bag to be used as a diaper bag from bayanhippo's shop. My mom bought me one of her purses for my birthday a few years ago and I love it. The seller is based in Istanbul and her bags are incredibly well made and very affordable. I chose the modular messenger bag in olive grey with mustard yellow lining. I made a special request to have one of the two large inside pockets made into two separate pockets to hold a baby bottle and a water bottle. I can't wait to see the finished product.

modular messenger in olive grey by bayanhippo

I could go on and on about my love for Etsy. I keep an online scrapbook of my favorite finds using my tumblr. I don't buy a fraction of the things that I fall in love with but it's always fun to bookmark my favorites.

week 33: embracing the belly

2011-02-06T18:03:00.000-08:00

Willie peeping around the baby bump

It's week 33 and I'm feeling rather huge. I'm just at the point of not being able to zip up any of my raincoats. Actually, it's been weeks since I should have stopped trying to zip them over my belly. This is a fairly significant inconvenience when you live in a temperate rainforest. I'm really not thrilled about wearing Eric's coats and sweaters as they only enhance my girth. I've considered cutting a head and arm holes out of a trash bag to make a poncho but quickly realized that wearing a trash bag probably wouldn't do me any favors.

I found the picture above in my cell phone yesterday. I'm pretty sure I excitedly sent this to my mom and some friends as proof of my baby bump, ha.

And here we are. Eric took a bunch of pictures of us awkwardly climbing up on the icy bench (which I will never show anyone, including Rebekah). It's just impossible to gracefully climb up on a bench when you're 8 months pregnant. Honestly, it's impossible to appear graceful doing anything these days. Getting out of the bathtub or the bed is especially funny. It really helps me to make fun of myself and to acknowledge that I will miss all of this one day.

Speaking of making fun of myself, I almost passed out at the dentist on Thursday. I scheduled a cleaning because I am aware of how taxing pregnancy can be on your gums and teeth. I just didn't realize how taxing a dental cleaning can be on your ability to breath. I was doing well considering this little guy continuously kicked me in the ribs the entire time. But near the end of the cleaning the hygienist lowered my head a few more degrees causing the baby to hunker down on my diaphragm. I started sweating and feeling light headed. Initially, I heard Dr. Gregory House's voice in my head diagnosing me with sarcoidosis or guillain barre but that's only because I've been watching old episodes of House all week. Eventually I realized I just couldn't breath. I asked the hygienist if I could sit up for a moment and she obliged. We sat there awkwardly in silence wearing our respective protective eyewear for several minutes until I was ready to power through. I left as quickly as possible, which is obviously not the quickly when your body moves side to side more than it goes forward.

week 32

2011-01-30T17:13:00.000-08:00

This past week was quite eventful. I was especially busy at work with wrapping things up and preparing for my last day on Friday. On Thursday, my co-workers surprised me with a really nice send off. I was completely overwhelmed, especially after all of the excitement with my shower the previous weekend. This was a lot of attention for one week! Somehow I managed to not have any idea that my co-workers had been planning a surprise potluck all week. It was so nice that several of my colleagues came in after working all day to celebrate with me and say goodbye. The food was amazing! We had homemade egg rolls, cheese dip, pancit, and tons of fresh fruit and vegetables.

My supervisor, who is the Residential Principal, informed the entire student body of my leaving at an all dorm meeting on Monday night. So, all week long I had students coming by to say goodbye and wishing me well. It was so sweet. At the potluck on Thursday there was a giant card that lots of students and staff signed with sweet messages. I haven't really integrated the fact that I won't be returning to work on Monday as it feels like a regular weekend. I am very sad about leaving a job that I've truly enjoyed. But I am grateful for the opportunity to focus on nesting and the arrival of our little one.

This weekend has been really nice and relaxing. On Saturday, Eric made more homemade sourdough, including a loaf with kalamata olives especially for me. He also made pizza dough for the first time ever and it was amazing. We made the homemade version of what we refer to as Pregnancy Pizza. Pregnancy pizza is delivery pizza from Agave with cheese, artichoke hearts and mushrooms. Eric has at times, over the last 8 months, missed Man Pizza which includes cheese and various types of meat. But he agrees that pregnancy pizza is really very good.

On Sunday I spent some time with some pregnant and not pregnant friends for a brunch gathering. Brunch included homemade guacamole and chips, bruschetta and caprese salad, toffee apple dip, and delicious little doughnuts. As always, it was so nice to spend time with these ladies and a few little ones.

we're famous!

2011-01-27T10:03:00.000-08:00

In December I submitted two of our weekly baby bump photos and a quick story of the coincidence of our very close due dates to Spearmint Baby for the Show Us Your Bump weekly feature. Today Rebekah and I are featured on the blog! This is really exciting.

You can see the post here: Show Us Your Bump January, 27 2011

week 31

2011-01-24T11:04:00.001-08:00

a shower

2011-01-23T11:34:00.000-08:00

I have the most wonderful friends. My friends Tracy, Rebekah and Christy hosted a baby shower for the little guy yesterday and it was perfect. I felt so special all day long. I received lots of texts from sweet friends in South and North Carolina and Oregon telling me how much they love me and wish they could be at the shower. I anxiously awaited for 4:00pm to arrive and busied myself with mopping and cleaning in the afternoon after garage saleing with Rebekah and Blu in the morning.

Eric drove me to Tracy's house for the shower and when I caught sight of the blue and white balloons marking her driveway I immediately began to cry. I made my way upstairs and was greeted by the most beautiful table covered with handmade whales of all colors and sizes. There was a tree made of branches held in a glass jar full of beach glass decorated with more whales and the cutest little ornaments. There was also a guestbook that the ladies had begun filling with thoughts and blessings from friends who couldn't attend the shower. Eric and I are planning on reading the guestbook together tonight. I predict more crying. I was completely overwhelmed and taking it all in and at the same time looking for Tracy to tell her how much I loved everything. Finally, she came up the stairs and we got to hug and cry together.

The beautiful table

So many whales!

We had the most delicious Mexican food including chips and salsa (from a local Mexican restaurant), a make your own taco bar with shredded chicken and all of the fixings, Mexican layer dip, and tamales flown in from Mexico (not really, but they were authentic tamales made by a friend from Mexico). We also had two types of mojitos, one labeled Knocked Down and the other Knocked Up to indicate which of the two contained alcohol.

One of the many surprises included the cake made by my friend Paula. Paula baked a three layer spice cake with cream cheese icing. She used fondant and sprinkles to recreate the imagery from the shower invitation. The cake was so stunning! Paula is one very talented and thoughtful lady.

Paula and Tracy before bringing the cake upstairs

Reactions to the mama and baby whale cake

The gorgeous cake

Speaking of talented and thoughtful ladies my friend Ellen surprised me by recovering a glider rocker that I've been struggling to recover myself. Eric brought the rocker over to Ellen's earlier in the week and she had it ready for the shower. I am so impressed with her work and how much more comfortable the chair is now.

We played the game where each guest cuts a piece of yarn that they believe represents how big my belly is around. It was really funny to see all of the guesses. My friend Allison won the game with a perfect guess.

One of the gigantic guesses

I received so many wonderful and thoughtful gifts. I am so grateful for the generosity of my family and friends. The reality that not too long from now a little person will be wearing these clothes and loving these toys hit me while opening the gifts. It's all so amazing and exciting.

A cute little onesie with robots, how perfect

Baby's first pair of Xtra Tuff boots, a Sitka must have

Just two of my pregnant friends Rebekah and Katie

Iona got to demo the Bumbo seat

Blu with baby Jolie, Mindy and Janelle

What an amazing afternoon. I'm still floating!

week 30

2011-01-16T15:22:00.000-08:00

It's week 30 and things are getting serious. I've had a difficult week of adjusting to my new work schedule. I'm surprised by how little personal time I have in the day. I don't sleep in all that late in the morning but I barely have enough time to get ready for the day before heading to work. I get home from work at 7:30pm and eat dinner, shower and I'm off to bed. I'm also incredibly tired and I'll admit a bit grumpy. It feels like the first trimester minus the nausea. Then there is the addition of an enormous belly which seems to be in constant motion. I cannot believe how much this little guy moves around. I wake up multiple times through the night to use the bathroom and to get something to drink. My thirst is constant and seemingly unquenchable. I try to get back to sleep before he gets going but it rarely happens. It's sort of frustrating but mostly fascinating. My very favorite thing to do is to try to figure out which of the baby's body parts I'm feeling. I'm no good at this game and neither is Eric. I'm really going to miss the feeling of his movements.

week 29

2011-01-09T19:24:00.000-08:00

This weekend was filled mostly with time with friends, more episodes of House and consumption of large quantities of carbohydrates. Crista, Willie and I took a nice walk on Thimbleberry trail on Saturday. It was so cold but clear and sunny. The forecast is calling for sunshine all week. I'm just wondering when we're going to get some snow.

Eric made bread twice this weekend. On Saturday he made two ciabatta baguettes, one of which he gave to the first person who responded to his offer on Facebook. In exchange we were given fresh halibut. On Sunday I made the Raspberry-Swirl Sweet Rolls again to take over to Katie's for a Pregnant Ladies gathering. Eric made two loaves of sourdough and three variations of baked halibut. Eric has been growing a sourdough starter for the last week or so. It's fun that it worked out for his first attempt at sourdough bread. Which by the way is very good toasted with sliced pear and brie.

Today is the first day of week 29. The baby weighs about 2.5 pounds and is approximately 15 inches from head to toe. He is the size of a butternut squash. All of my appointments went well last week. I'll start seeing my doctor once every other week for a few weeks. We had our first Childbirth Education class last Monday and it was very enjoyable and informative. I'm looking forward to the class tonight. All of the non-pregnant people are going to be learning how to best support the pregnant people with massage.

week 28

2011-01-02T16:11:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! We had a very low key New Year's Eve that involved homemade creme brulee and several episodes of House. I got Eric a Rosle kitchen torch for Christmas with plans for us to perfect creme brulee. I bought the kitchen torch locally at Silver Basin and the shop owner suggested that we try using vanilla bean paste. I'm a new fan of Nielsen-Massey Vanilla Paste and suggest it as a staple for the pantry.

Eric made homemade ciabatta yesterday so we skipped the traditional New Years Day meal of black eyed peas and collards and shared bread and brie.

I made toffee apple dip yesterday for sliced apples and it is very good. I've been eating a lot of apples sliced with cheese or dipped in peanut butter. This is a good, although not healthy, alternative. Also, if you love new recipes and beautiful pictures of food I highly recommend Tastespotting. You can just browse or search for a specific recipe.

This week is week 28. I'm officially less than 3 months from my due date of March 28th. I have a feeling that the baby will come early. But that's only a theory. I have all kinds of feelings and theories about the whole labor and delivery but I won't share them because Rebekah laughed, a lot, when I told her.

This week the baby is about the size of a head of iceberg lettuce and he weighs approximately 2.5 pounds. The baby's eyesight is developing and he can likely see the light that filters in through the womb.

I plan to spend the upcoming week sorting out some sewing dilemmas. I'm working on a few projects from Lotta Jansdotter's book Simple Sewing for Baby. I'm a very novice sewer and for me it's difficult to follow patterns and instructions, even simple ones, without a visual demonstration. I've been stuck on these projects all break so I'm determined to figure things out one way or another. I hope to have a successful update soon.

I have a busy week of baby related appointments. Tomorrow, Eric and I have our first of 5 Childbirth Education classes. On Thursday I have my 28 week appointment with my doctor. At this visit I will also have the glucose test and accompanying blood work. On Friday, I will need to go in again to have a shot of Rhogam administered.

week 27

2010-12-27T09:23:00.001-08:00

Today marks the beginning of week 27 and the third trimester. I can definitely tell that my body is working hard to grow this baby. I feel the same fatigue that I felt during the first trimester returning. I've recently been experiencing some insomnia which makes me feel especially tired during the day. It's actually not a big deal right now as I can nap any time. I'm a little nervous about returning to work, especially with so much to wrap up with my transition out of my position. But I am looking forward to a new schedule and not coming home so late those last few weeks.

Willie has been especially snugly with me lately. I think he may have just realized that I'm pregnant. He whines when he can't be near me and when I'm sleeping he's started sharing my pillow. Yesterday, after spending some time in bed reading I took a nap and he settled in right on top of my head.

Eric was happy to take our week 27 photo yesterday with my new camera. The baby is the size of a head of califlower this week and he weighs approximately two pounds. He is super active lately and I've been startled by a few jabs on my sides and ribs.

merry merry

2010-12-26T14:30:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Eve Eric and I tackled a new tradition, homemade gingerbread houses. I used the recipe from Joy of Cooking. Which by the way, is a must have addition to a cookbook collection. I didn't know until about a month ago what I've been missing. We kept it simple with just icing for decoration. We had a lot of fun and things got a bit competitive when our roof pieces started sliding down and eventually one of my walls caved in.

Christmas day was wonderful. I had a lot of fun making Raspberry-Swirl Sweet Rolls. I found the recipe in the January 2011 issue of Food & Wine and I haven't been able to stop thinking about them. Apparently, I'm not the only pregnant lady who has been obsessed with them either! I'm very proud that my first attempt at making my own dough turned out so well. I did almost burn the rolls and should have baked them on a lower rack. These rolls will definitely become a tradition for Christmas day.

Another tradition that Eric and I have established is buying each other an obscene amount of gifts. Eric's favorite gifts include a pile of new clothes from Eddie Bauer, a gift certificate to Baranof Island Brewing Company, SmartWool running and hunting socks, a Le Creuset multipot, Tartine Bread by Chad Robertson and the elusive Fifty Classic Climbs of North America by Steve Roper and Allen Steck.

Le Creuset 3-Ply Stainless Steel Multipot

Tartine Bread by Chad Robertson

My favorite gift by far is my new Canon EOS Rebel T1i Digital SLR camera and Sigma 18-200mm lens! Eric and I have been talking about our camera situation for some time and our need to purchase a new camera to document our little robot baby. But I did not expect to get a beautiful new camera for Christmas. And this lens is amazing. Another big surprise is my new Hitachi Compound Miter Saw. What a perfect gift for a pregnant lady! I'm definitely going to be cutting some things up here soon. Also, I am thrilled with my beautiful hand painted ceramic travel mug and the P'kolino wooden robot puzzle for the baby.

Ceramic Eco Friendly Travel Mug by yevgenia via Etsy

P'Kolino Multi-Solution Shape Puzzle - Robot

week 26

2010-12-19T16:56:00.001-08:00

Eric, Willie and I took a nice long walk on Thimbleberry trail yesterday. It was very cold and I really felt the incline while lugging around a growing belly. But it was sunny and gorgeous and wonderful to be outside as a family. The mountain pictured above is Bear Mountain, my favorite mountain visible from town. From different angles the ridge line looks like a rooftop. I've always wanted to walk that ridge line. I think I'll have an opportunity at some point down the road even with a baby in tow.

Heart Lake wasn't totally frozen yesterday during our visit but it probably is today. On my way home this afternoon I saw that the lake downtown, Swan Lake, was covered with ice skaters. Eric doesn't think it's a good idea for me to go ice skating this winter but I think I'll be just fine at my usual slowish pace. I'm going to try and convince him to take me up to Beaver Lake this week for some skating.

Eric took this picture of me on our way down the trail yesterday. I convinced Willie to climb up to the top of the stump to pose. But Willie and I weren't very good at coordinating when to look at the camera so we have tons of awkward out takes.

These Patagonia Serenity tights are amazing. I bought a pair in black right after learning that I was pregnant with the intention of wearing them as long through pregnancy as possible. So far, they've been great and I think I'll likely wear them to the hospital. I just ordered a second pair in brown. I love that they come in long length and the roll top sits perfectly under my belly.

Patagonia Women's Serenity Tights

Patagonia is definitely one of my favorite outdoor clothing brands. However, I can't forget to mention my love for SmartWool, Outdoor Research, Mountain Hardwear, Arc'teryx and Icebreaker. But I have a giant soft spot for Patagonia baby clothing. Not that I would ever buy something new. It's just not within our budget to buy a 12 month old an $80 puffer jacket. But isn't this green striped baby long underwear set adorable? Our little Robot Baby may need this when we climb Bear Mountain as a family.

Patagonia Baby Capilene 3 Midweight Set

This afternoon Rebekah and I met at Totem Park for our weekly photo. We're now in the 26th week and fast approaching the third trimester. This week the baby's eyes are beginning to open and brain-wave activity is increasing.

Eric and I are both off of work for winter break. Eric has two weeks off and I have three. Last Thursday was my last night of working swing shift, 2:30pm until 11:00pm. When I return to work in January I'll be working 11:00am until 7:30pm. My last day will likely be January 30th. I'm definitely sad about leaving my position. But I'm looking forward to having more time with Eric and friends, preparing for the baby, and getting reacquainted with my sewing machine.

I want to close with this picture of Rebekah and I eagerly jumping down from the bench where we take our weekly photo to put our layers back on. Eric told me that he laughs each Sunday when we jump around and complain about how cold it is before stripping down to tights and tank tops in 30 degree weather.