"Stormy" Week

This weekend was full of relaxation and escape that included a massage for me at Burke Williams on Saturday morning and a drive up the coast to the Ojai Valley Inn and Spa for lunch with my Ph.D. advisor, Robin, and her husband and daughter on Sunday. 

Thank you Robin for lunch and the soft pink blanket and cute clothes and accessories you got Miss Kate.

The weekend was a welcome relief from one of our more challenging weeks. Steve was stuck working the early morning shift and according to the "Wonder Weeks" book that explains baby's developmental milestones, at 11 weeks old, Kate was in the middle of a "stormy" period as she is making another leap in her development and discovering smooth transitions (we have noticed that she does now follow us with her eyes and track Otter as he passes by). The book says that this fussy period may include intense crying and demands for attention. We're not sure if it was indeed the stormy phase or the fact that if she's not in my arms, her stroller or the car, Kate will not nap during the day for more than 20 minutes, but the evenings this week were tough. Kate discovered a murderous scream that she let out around 5:30 pm each night and her usually soothing and fun baths also didn't work. The cry was so bad that Steve called me in a panic on Monday because he thought she had to be teething or in some sort of pain. We are now working on purchasing blackout shades and moving Kate downstairs where it is quieter and cooler during the day to see if it will help her nap and be less exhausted at the end of the day.

A picture taken during one of Kate's afternoon "naps"

Don't even think about laying her down to sleep during the day!
She immediately wakes up and kicks her legs up like she is trying to catapult herself out of her bassinet.

The good news is that we are getting Kate to go bed for the night an hour earlier at 8:45 pm (we are gradually getting closer to 7:30 pm) and she is still only waking up one time during the night for a quick feed and diaper change after a 7-8 hour stretch of sleep...

...And, these kisses, long lashes, and smiles make even the most challenging nights completely worth it!

Impossible to resist!
We love this girl more each day!

Helping Hands

As I mentioned in my last post, Nana and Papa Williams visited us last week to help when I had to go into work for the first time on Thursday and Friday for some training and Steve was back on the early morning shows for a few days. It was so nice having some extra hands as I wrestled with leaving Kate for the first extended period of time, making sure that I had enough milk stocked up for her, and getting out the door on time two days in a row!

It's all business in this picture, but these two spent most of their time together smiling and laughing.

I don't have any pictures of me at work, but Kate visited my office last week.
I think she is ready to hold office hours!

Friday night we headed to the Santa Monica Place mall for a little shopping and outdoor dining.

It's important to document a girl's first visit to the Nordstrom shoe department.

A happy dinner out.

On Saturday, before Nana and Papa headed back to La Jolla, we attended the Stroller Strides family event at Pepperdine. The drive to and from Malibu was long because of summer beach traffic, but the event was fun. They had a nice BBQ lunch, family portraits, and races around the newly renovated track for the older kids.

All decked out in her Pepperdine orange and blue.

Thank you Nana and Papa for all your help.
We'll see you again soon!

A Week to Celebrate!

Last week was filled with many reasons to celebrate!

Happy Anniversary - On Wednesday, Steve and I had our third wedding anniversary. Steve's card to me said this year's anniversary was the best one yet because he got to celebrate it with both of his girls. We needed babysitters for Thursday and Friday, so Nana and Papa Williams drove up early to celebrate with us. They offered to babysit on Wednesday night too, but we opted for a nice steak dinner at home instead.

Happy 3 years to us! 

Happy Birthday - Thursday was a big day for Otter. He had his 11th birthday (that's 77 in dog years!). The dog who defied the odds and made it another year, enjoyed a peanut butter and banana ice cream cup, a new pack of dog chews, and a "Happy Birthday" song from us.

The Birthday Boy.

Let's party Ot!

Happy Wedding - On Saturday, we celebrated Erica (Steve's friend from work) and Lorne's wedding and our first night out with just the two of us since Kate's arrival. We had a nice time at the wedding catching up with some people that we both know from Fox and being able to eat a meal together at the same time. We left Kate in very good hands with Nici and Great Aunt Diane who sent us several updates throughout the night:

Off on their walk.

She doesn't look like she missed us that much!

I also attempted to have my first drink at the wedding since finding out that I was pregnant, but I ended up only drinking half a beer. I need to try again!

Happy parents.

Girlfriends

I am behind in posting some of these pictures, but Kate is continuing to receive so much love from the girls in my life.

1) Kelly was in L.A. again on the night that Kate got her 2 month-old shots. She has had a lot of practice lately with her new niece, PJ, and did a great job entertaining Kate while Steve and I ate dinner. There's never a dull moment when Kelly's here!

2) A few weeks ago, my friend Anna, who I met when she moved into the apartment across from me when I lived on Wilkins Avenue in Westwood, came to meet Kate. Anna is truly a beautiful person inside and out. We got coffee and went for a walk along the beach path in Santa Monica.

3) We had a quick visit with Tristen and her family of four on August 10th when they spent a weekend in L.A. on their way back up to the Bay Area from Arizona. We walked for a bit and ended up sitting and chatting and being entertained by the kids on the grassy hill in front of an elementary school. 

4) My cousin Paige and her daughter Theresa ("Little Theresa" as she is referred to in our family) came to visit us this past Sunday. It was a really warm, nice day, so we got iced coffees and walked through our neighborhood looking at the houses and in some of the shops on Montana Avenue.

I sure hope Kate is surrounded by girls as good as these ones when she grows up!

Two Months

I got a little emotional last week when it was time to pack away most of Kate's newborn-sized clothes that no longer fit her. The past two months have flown by, and while so much has changed, we cannot imagine our lives without this girl.

Kate had her 2 month-old doctor appointment on Tuesday and appears to be right on track. She stayed in the same percentiles for both her height and weight.

Back in front of her favorite mirror.

Checking out how much she's grown.

Here are her latest stats:

Height: 22.25 inches - 50th percentile (1 inch gain from 4 weeks ago)

Weight: 11 lbs. 8.5 oz. - 50.75 percentile (2 pound 3.5 oz. gain from 4 weeks ago)

Head Circumference: 39 centimeters - 75th percentile (the hair might have something to do with this!)

This was the appointment where Kate got her first big round of vaccines. After hearing how tough they can be on some babies, I prepared myself for a potentially long night. She cried hard right after getting the shots, but then she fell asleep and stayed conked out in my arms for the rest of the afternoon. 

She was not happy about what happened to her.

When she woke up, she was definitely more subdued than usual, but she went to bed after a warm bath and in the morning was her normal self (whew!). 

At two months old, most people still comment about 1) Kate's impressive head of hair (we are trying to take a lot of pictures because it is getting lighter and thinning out in the back), and 2) how alert Kate is (unless it is the few minutes before she is about to fall asleep, she still demands to be held facing out).

In her one month-old post, I wrote about how Kate disliked mornings the most. That has changed. She now wakes up happy and is all smiles. She really is only impatient when she is hungry (I wonder who she got that from?) and she is settling into more of a routine. During the day she still won't nap unless she is in her stroller on a walk or in my arms, but she makes up for it at night. We are beginning to implement a night-time routine that includes a bath around 8:30 p.m., nursing, and some songs. I put her in her bassinet, that is still placed by my side of our bed, between 9:30 and 10:00 p.m. and she has been sleeping until at least 2:30 a.m. When she wakes up, she eats, gets her diaper changed, and goes right back down for at least another four hours. 

We really are loving the new things each day brings... new sounds, new looks, and this week, even new cries.

I'll end this post with our latest pictures of Kate just taken today and the first compilation of the headshots Steve has been taking of Kate every few days since she was born. 

Happy 2 Month-Old!

From 2 minutes to 2 months-old: Kate Marie!

A Great Week

The humid, overcast weather and Kate's grumpy mood today made for the perfect conditions to stay home and take it easy after a great week.

Here's some of what we did:

1) Fire Station Fun: On Monday, my cousin Dave and his family were still visiting and drove up to L.A. for a tour of Fire Station 62, where my other cousin Dennis works in Venice. Kate and I took advantage of the opportunity to see them all one more time before they headed back to Washington later in the week.

Back Row: Dalton, Amy Jo, Ryan, Dawson, Dave
Front Row: Duke, Me & Kate, Dennis

Feeling safe in a firefighter's arms.

Two of the youngest cousins, Duke and Kate.

Thanks for a fun family tour Dennis!

2) Dr. Mom's Lunch Date: On Wednesday, my good friend from grad school, Courtney Davis, and her adorable one year-old son, Luke, drove down from Santa Barbara for a lunch date. Courtney and I bonded at UCSB because we shared an office and the same perspective on why we were in grad school. It was such a fun afternoon as we strolled along Montana Ave with our babies and shared lunch at an outdoor spot. The conversation we had was definitely different from when we were in grad school stressing about the next deadline. I think we both agree that this new phase of life is much better!

The one year-old would not cooperate with our photo shoot!

Kate is so not impressed!

3) Table for Three: On Friday night, Steve and I took Kate to our favorite restaurant, Sushi Roku, for dinner. Of course, we went early and sat on the outside patio at the table furthest away from the door, but it was perfect! Kate stayed in her stroller for the entire meal, sleeping in the beginning and then watching intently as we ate. She only got fussy right at the end as we took the last bites of our baked crab handrolls that we always end our meal with and waited for the check.

The perfect dinner date!

Already practicing with chop sticks!

4) Big Surprise: The best part of the week for me came yesterday when we drove to Alta Loma, where I grew up, to attend a surprise birthday party for my best friend Natalie's dad. Natalie now lives in D.C. with her husband and two boys, so I don't get to see her nearly as often as I would like. I didn't get a good look at her as she walked over to me so when I gave her a hug, she had a big surprise for me...She's pregnant with baby #3 and it's a GIRL!

Kate meeting her soon-to-be best bud! She's due at the end of October!

Friends Forever!