First Trip to Disneyland!

Wednesday, when we were all recovered from THREE days of various family related festivities (Hilliard/Ferry Xmas Eve, Stewart/Ferry Christmas Day & Stewart/Haberman Boxing day) we piled into the cars bright and early and headed to the Happiest Place on Earth! Here we are starting out on the big day...



And here is a snap from later in the day...Grammy and Mama stopped for a break after a threatened rainstorm that never materialized...



Although there are no pictures Disneyland's Baby Care room where you can go to nurse, change diapers and generally escape the MADNESS was Mama's favorite Disney "feature" this trip...the parade wasn't so bad either!



In the end, P2 decided that the Happiest Place on Earth is definitely...The Bugaboo!



And for those who are wondering about the other three days of pictures...they are on the other camera and will be posted in un-chronological order in the next day or two! :)

Family!

Walking with Uncle Alabaster and Aunt Butterfly!



And P2 "letting" Uncle A hold her...

Christmas prep...

My mother, brother and sis-in-law are all coming to visit. Lots of things to get ready before they arrive, not the least of which is getting the stockings hung by the chimney (or kennel) with care.

The Polar Express....

...apparently is located only 30 minutes from my house and can get you to the North Pole and back in an hour for $22!!! Included in your ticket price is a nice cold carton of chocolate milk, a sugar cookie, a nice large jingle bell and lots of caroling and merriment! (and YES, this was P2's FIRST TRAIN RIDE!)

Here is P2 with her friend Hunter!


Hey who is that I see coming?


Ho Ho Ho! And here's a fact that Santa revealed last night, he has a three month old grandson!

Right Jolly Ol' Elf and Elflette

Gee, I am cute!

No Coal in THAT Stocking!!!

Now THAT is a proper stocking!

How cool is my mom?????







It's going to be a very Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!!

Week Seven Milestones

P2 turned "Seven Weeks" on Tuesday. This week had a few notable moments in her small world.

She had her first bottle - took it NO PROBLEM.

She had her second, which was her first bottle of formula - took it no problem...from Grandma Meme.

She stayed home with Meme and Grandpa Steve while Mama and Our Hero went out to Our Hero's company Christmas dinner.

Every day she becomes more interactive and curious. Its fun to see her motor skills improving and watch her break into a HUGE grin when she sees someone she recognizes*.

*"someone she recognizes" is a loose term, it includes the Dog and the Christmas trees.

Delayed Post! Six Week Check Up

Here is a picture of Piper with Dr. Mason who delivered her. I took this picture at his office when I went in for my six-week post-partum check-up. (Everything looked A-Ok, and I mean EVERYTHING...some of you have heard the quote from the doctor but I don't think I will write it here)

Hmmm...a distraction

My brother comes up with the most amusing quizes....this one says which tarot card I am...

You are The Wheel of Fortune

Good fortune and happiness but sometimes a species of
intoxication with success

The Wheel of Fortune is all about big things, luck, change, fortune. Almost always good fortune. You are lucky in all things that you do and happy with the things that come to you. Be careful that success does not go to your head however. Sometimes luck can change.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Smiles, Everyone, Smiles!

I'll take your tag....iTunes trivia...

What's On Your iTunes? (Alax tagged me...)

How many songs: 3830

First song: ...Baby One More Time - Britney Spears (so Alax for the record... ' is NOT the first letter of the alphabet ... is!)

Last song: Zat You Santa Claus - Louis Armstrong (which hopefully redeems me after the previous embarrassing revelation!)

Shortest: Outtake - Brad Paisley - (0:10)

Longest: Alice's Restaurant (Revisited) - Arlo Guthrie (22:25)

Five most played songs:

I'm Over You - Keith Whitley
Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I have Ever Done) - Kris Kristofferson
Moonshadow - Cat Stevens
Ghost in This House - Alison Krauss
Sweet Potato Pie - Ray Charles and James Taylor

First song that comes up on "shuffle” - Chapter Six of Tears of a Giraffe (a book on "tape")

Number of items that come up when searching for:

"sex": 22

"death": 1

"love": 384

"you": 600

"me": 1063

"cry": 28

Hey...I will come out and admit that I have Justin Timberlake as well as Britney Spears...before you judge me...see what YOUR iTunes reveals about you...

:)

*****ADDED LATER*********

promise -1
murder -1
kiss - 13
god - 13
satan - 0

One Piper Decorating...for Christmas...

This is Mama, Moo & Pi...in case you hadn't figured it all out yet...

...Mama + Moo Dog + Princess Piper = MamaMoo(n)Pi(e)

Christmas is coming...

We got our Christmas cards out on Wednesday, well, the first batch anyway. My MIL (sort of - those who know us know the details, those who don't...don't need the whole back story...) decided that they wanted to do a photo holiday card as well so today we all gathered to snap some shots...being the camera hogs that Princess P and I are we managed a few other poses as well...

News from Home

Its cold and snowy in Oregon! Many winters there is no snow...but the past few have been very impressive. Here are a few shots from PT's cell...(FYI: PT is a MamaMoo(N)pi(e) Special Correspondent aka 008)




And here is Pi's reaction to the news!

Ten Little Piggies

Piper and Pops...

...if the picture was Our Hero, Moo Dog and P2 we could call it - Piper, Popper and Pupper.

True Blue Moo...

NEITHER OF THESE PHOTOS WAS STAGED (SERIOUSLY)!!!

Sometimes its all sunshine between Moo Dog and Princess P...

And sometimes...it's all a bit more than Moo Dog can take...

You and me and, well, all three

Princess P, Mama Moonpie and Our Hero


P2 and Our Hero hanging out...P2 contemplates a trip to Ireland, while being serenaded by Our Hero!

Aunt Sande's Visit

On Saturday we went and hung out with P2's Aunt Sande who was in town for a medical conference. Sande is one of my best friends, I have known her for 27 years which is more years than she was old when I first met her...its a long story for a different blog.



Next time S and her family is in town we will all go to Disneyland which is her son Rory's new favorite place to visit.

Personally, the Sofitel where S was staying while in town is one of my new favorite places to visit!

Ho Ho Ho...Gobble Gobble...Holidays are HERE!!

Those who know me well know exactly what time I wake up on Christmas morning...STILL!!!

Those who know me relatively well know that Thanksgiving and Christmas are two of my favorite holidays...along with MY birthday...which IS a national holiday BTW! Labor Day...in honor of all the time my poor mother spent trying get me OUT!

So...my daughter is only three weeks old...four weeks tomorrow...but I am already instilling the holiday spirit in her. Cultivating a love of the magic and spectacle that is the Holiday Season...and since we live in LA...what a spectacle it is.

Last night we joined thousands of other people at The Grove for a truly Los Angeles experience. The Grove is an outdoor mall and they had their big tree lighting last night, complete with a Santa sighting, snowfall and (scratches head) Hall and Oates, Elmo, Brian McKnight, Lance Bass....all of this oddness was reinforce by the fact that not only was this a Tree Lighting it was being filmed for a TV special that will air nationwide on December 2 (7 pm, CBS) so...they were doing multiple takes of everything...and staging our "reactions" to all of the entertainment...it was a little silly but the snow, pretty lights and ZZ Top like "actual bearded Santa" made it all amusing...

P2 was not amused...she slept through everything for an hour and then went into three week old meltdown as would be expected...truth be told...the crowd was giving me a 38-year-old meltdown as well. None the less...it was a fun family outing - and a great way to launch the holiday season!

Progress!

A few things I should have been remarking on over the past few weeks...

Weight: MINE
Oct 24 - nine hours before Princess P was born - 164 lbs
Oct 31 - one week after P2 was born - 148 lbs
Nov 7 - two weeks after - 139 lbs
Nov 14 - three weeks after - 137 lbs
Nov 21 - four weeks - 137 lbs
***Nov 28 - five weeks - 134 lbs***

Weight: PRINCESS P's
Oct 24 - 7 lbs, 11 oz
Oct 31 - 7 lbs, 12 oz
Nov 17 - 9 lbs (unofficial- stood on scale holding her then subtracted my weight)
Nov 22 - 9 lbs, 8 oz

Weight: Moo Dog
Oct 24 - 148 lbs
Oct 31 - 148 lbs
Nov 7 - 148 lbs
Nov 14 - 148 lbs
Nov 21 - 148 lbs
Nov 28 - 148 lbs

Walks: OURS
Oct 31 first "real" walk - 30 minutes
Nov 2 next official walk - 30 minutes
THEN...banned for a while due to slowing recovery by pushing self too hard
Nov 17 - back in the saddle - 50 minute, two mile walk - this should help the weight come off - not allowed to diet while breastfeeding so...exercise is the only way to reduce calories...
Nov 27 - a few two milers this week!

Sleep: OURS
Two good nights in a row with two four hour stretches!

Happy Third Week - Birthday to Princess P!

Three weeks ago today - I was at this very moment asking for the EPIDURAL - all bravery was over...and I remember thinking that there should be a Martini called the Epidural...I need to invent it.

Here are a few shots of what Princess P has been up to in the last week.



Pictures not taken not here...the mall, which we did go to was not condusive to picture taking. The walks we have gone on with the dog have not been captured on film yet...the dog is talented but no imposable thumb (see my SIL's blog - link below - for more info on THAT, heck maybe we can get her to write about the Moro reflex too).

Puppy Love

People asked me before the baby was born how I thought the dog would adapt. I said I thought she would be fine after she got her nose back in joint...and its true, there were a few days of pouting but now the Moo Dog has adjusted.

Moo checks the bassinet when she comes back in from outside. When the baby is particularly upset (usually about a dirty diaper) the dog sticks by her side. And yesterday....well, Princess P was napping by me while I read a book (James Patterson's Mary, Mary - suspenseful) and Moo Dog asked to come up on the bed to nap as well.

The crazy fabric with hearts and monkeys on it is the leg of my PJs - so we were quite the cozy little snuggle pile for a while yesterday.

Sleeping, Sleeping, Sleeping

It's what we do most of the time...well, lots of the time. Much better than a teddy bear.

Jeans, Genes, Genie!

I am back in my jeans! They zipped, they fit...there is still a little extra weight in jelly belly but they are ON! No muffin top, just a little squish over the top of my underwear which are still of the pregnancy variety...not super attractive.

I had my staples removed yesterday and was given a green light to go back to walking and exercising and all that stuff...slowly but go ahead. Other people have been told to wait six weeks...I am still easily tired and easily worn out but at least each day I can push a little harder.

Princess P has my dad's eyebrows, my nose, my fingernails, her uncle's hairline and my mom's legs. Speaking of my mom, Grammy came for a visit, she seems to like Princess P as much as the rest of us, of course, what's not to like! :) Here they are having a snuggle.

First Doctor's Appointment

Princess P had her first doctor's appointment today. She has already gained an ounce from her birth weight...usually it takes two weeks so the doctor was pleased! That's my girl, already goal oriented.

My mom is here, that has been fantastic. She has made the past 24 hours much nicer. She makes sandwiches and holds the baby and walks the person sized dog.

All in all, we are settling in nicely. Still a bunch of things to get taken care of...switching insurance, getting car smogged and....UGGGY...getting my staples out! ICK! Bluck! Ewww...can only imagine what that will be like...you all will find out on Thursday, if I survive it.

Short entry today, getting ready for the big Halloween extravaganza!

And, no, she isn't dressing up this year.

Settling In at Home!

Lots of stuff happening today. Grammy Genie is flying in to hang out with us. She will be here in a few hours!

Still waiting for the big push, the overwhelming nights, the never-ending demands...but so far there aren't many. We have had a few meltdowns where we couldn't figure out what the baby wanted but how difficult is it really? She is either...(a) hungry (b) has a dirty diaper (c) needs to burp or (d) see A-C.

Things may change (diaper certainly do) but so far the transition seems to be going pretty smoothly. The dog is adjusting well too. The first time the baby cried the dog jumped up from her kennel and ran to the bassinet, she stood there trying to peek in and wagging her tail, then she went to the door of the room and rang the bells that mean she needs to go out...the look on her face was..."Mom, please let me out, I will go find HELP!"

Now she has realized that this little squeaky person is here to stay. In fact, last night from 1 am to 5:30 am all three of us slept in my little twin bed...and yes the baby slept all that time...

In the hospital the nurses complimented me on being the calmest first time mom they had seen in a long time...I guess I just am not that worried about things - YET? I really am wondering about what I am overlooking...things seem to be running smootly so far. You all can remind me that I said that later...but so far so good.

Here's pic of the Princess having a nap yesterday while I rearranged the layout of our room (hence the improvised sleeping area instead of her bassinet).