Last bird standing...

Every year a nice little family of Robins sets up a nest on or around our porch. They are adorable to watch and become like little parts of our family. This last week they were like t.v. for Pachy and I. We watched the parents enter the bird bath then fly up to the nest. All of the other babies left DAYS before this last one flew away. The dad took care of the baby for the last week...lots of work! Here are some photos of the little lazy baby Robin with its father.

Family Photos

Well, it's been three weeks now that Twila's been in our lives. Although we are still winging things over here it feels remarkable natural...like she was supposed to be in our lives. She feels lucky to me...like a charm of some sort.

Time seems to be moving very quickly yet at the same time is moving slowly, it's strange.

These photos came out blurry and dark but I love them.

Another reason to hate The Book

Okay, my dislike for Facebook ("The Book" as I like to call it) is no secret but now I have an official reason to boycott. I guess I am behind the times seeing as this and many of the other articles were written in January but now that I am aware, I am officially off the book. Admittedly I probably will go and see what my siblings are up to as that's the only way for me to stay in touch with them it seems but c'mon society, it's 2009! Are we that prudish?? Is that what it's about?! I mean it is one of the most natural thing we do as humans. I was for it before I had a child and I'm still for it now. This is not a liberal issue...it's just what's best for raising a human. Here's me sending a big "Geeesh!" to the people at The Book- GEEESSHH!

Sleep,the grand aunt,and adaptation

Wow, never has it felt so good...so lucky to get a nice 3-4 hours sleep in a row!! For the past three nights that's been the way. Hopefully it continues. I think about the days when I would feel deprived if I went to bed knowing I would only get 5-6 hours! Ahhhh, good times...

So, aunt Pachy has arrived from Chile. She has also fallen in love with the little baby and Twila seems to love her gran abuela equally. The past few days were spent dancing and holding her during the day with little walks interspersed here and there. We took Pach to see the Dogwood trail in Cherokee and then passed through North Hills on our way to some parks. This spring has been perfect-really long, nice amount of rain, pleasing temperatures. The plants have never been able to thrive at the perfect conditions since I have lived here! The summer plants have had a boost and the flowers should all be beautiful this year. The Dogwoods are in full bloom now. It's really quite stunning. So are the Kwanzan Cherries... The redbuds are finishing up and my roses, peonies, and irises are starting to bloom.

But, fun with the new little one- First we went to a little park with a natural spring. Doug filled up a jug and we walked the path. We started to venture onto a trail but I think we will have to invest in an off-road stroller or go the backpack way. It was a hidden trail that I didn't know about though so that was a nice find. After that we went to Morningside park-nice, shady, paved trails. Doug wanted to take us to another "Park" a ways away so we walked through a lot of concrete to a small little picnic area. Pachy joked about how the pillars underneath the freeway were like the limbs of trees and how the weeds growing through the cracks in the road were like the greatest vegetation to ever grow. "Look Twila, look at the beautiful tree trunks...how tall and grey they are!" But it was nice company, a perfect day, and again we found another greenway we had not known about. Twila seemed to like the fresh air but did sleep for most of the time. You know, I remember being pushed around in a stroller...the feeling of a nice breeze on my face. It was calming. So I wonder if she feels the same.

That night Pachy and I got to watch a scary movie (which ended up not being very scary)...something we love to do when together. We saw that movie with Kiefer, "Mirrors". It may have been more frightening in the theater. It was funny to see him in a role other than 24 though. I think he may improv the "Dammit"s in both shows cuz he was a lot like Bauer in the movie. Steph came over too. She may have a bit more of a time looking in mirrors again... It's always fun to see a scary movie with her. I think it may make things less scary for me seeing how scared she gets. Thanks Steph.

The fun with our new little one continues and our love for her still grows. Lots of firsts are still being performed daily. She is lifting her head for at least a minute now, turning to her sides, pushing off with her feet, and following objects with her eyes...she also looks more intensely into ours. Soon she should be finding her voice. It will be nice to hear her talk or at least coo and ahh. Things will be nice when we are allowed to bring Twila into public spaces...and will be nice too when she can be fed with a bottle. We will be able to venture further and have a bit more freedom. Plus, I will get to share some places with her and introduce her to people who want to meet her. Things feel quite comfy here at home and we are still feeling very lucky. Doug and I are working out some kinks in our personal project time. He's been able to get some time in the studio and I am figuring out how to get some more time on photo projects. It'll happen...it's a priority for us. And so, we are already seeing what works and how we can gain some precious personal time. That's also comforting. I do miss seeing my pals though. That time has seemed to suffer a bit. I have had little time to spend with them or even check my emails... Hopefully when she's on the bottle (so to speak) I will be able to spend a bit of time with pals. I also look forward to hiking! Walking has been good but I guess my body is still a bit in the healing stage. It's been less than three weeks after all. Time seems to move very quickly and slowly at the same time...it's strange and also lovely.

Ta-Da!!

After a very relaxing 13 hours of labor and 2.5 hours of intense labor Twila Rose has arrived!

You know, birth was not what I expected. Frankly, this whole pregnancy has really surprised me. I feel extremely lucky to have had experienced it all the way I did. I was able to walk miles a day up until the day I delivered and kept my appetite. Besides the swelling towards the last week I have had no complaints. Very lucky indeed.

So, Doug and I went in to deliver the baby on April first at 5:30 in the morning. It was a very sleepy morning and very rainy. We loaded up the biggest suitcase ever (more than we took to Chile for 3 weeks!) and headed to the hospital. When we buzzed to come in we were told that there were numerous surprise births that night and could we wait in the lobby for two hours. So we went home for a couple of hours to the comfort of our own bed. You know, it was a good thing we actually had the date set because she was going to arrive that day anyways. What I thought were just the baby's movements were actually contractions!

I loved the hospital we went to. As soon as the doors opened we were greeted by our nurse, Lauren. She was friendly, relaxed, and happy. We felt comfortable immediately. I asked if anyone had ever brought as much stuff to the hospital and Doug made a joke about wanting to redo the wallpaper in the room. Doug was on that day-full of jokes! So the day was spent relaxing and laughing. We played a few rounds of Mancala, some very spaced out backgammon and some cards too. It was nice having some time to hang out with Doug in this unique experience. To make things perfect, my mom arrived that afternoon. I can't tell you how great a feeling it was when she came into the room! Neither of us knew the delivery time when she got her ticket so it was just lucky timing. It was perfect that she was able to be there for her grand daughters first moments. So I went for awhile without any pain meds. But then it dawned on me " What am I trying to prove? Baby's are born healthy on epidurals every day. Am I trying to fight it out??" I think I was super fearful of the whole injection-in-the-spine thing too. The doctor said that the epidural would actually speed things up a bit too which is the opposite of what I had been told previously. Anyways, the anesthesiologist came in and hooked me up. My contractions did intensify soon after but it was still a long time before any real action took place. So, at around 8 cm. the anesthesiologist was called back. I didn't feel like it was working the way it was supposed to. I could still feel pain and had complete usage of my legs (which I didn't mind). Another man checked things out and said, "Ohh, here's the problem! You weren't hooked up!" Well, there ya go. The button to give me an extra boost when needed was not connected. Tha-anks. After a bit, intense labor began which I will spare you all from the details but let it be said that Doug and I shared something waaaayyyy more intimate than I had planned on sharing with any other human being, ever. It was a really great environment to bring her into the world though- I had made a mix for the IPOD. The Dr. really liked it and was dancing to the music. The nurse was happy, doug and I were content, and even Twila seemed happy. The Dr. said that her reactions were very active and happy...every time an Ella Fitzgerald song came on her activity seemed to spike. Doug was great support. So, it felt very positive. The whole experience is not what I imagined it would be like...I guess I only had the movies and tv to go by...and everyone's stories. All in all, this was a great conclusion to this chapter and again I feel very lucky, so very lucky.

Sleep?!? What's that??

I plan on posting about the arrival of our sweet new baby when I can squeeze in some blogging. I can't wait to share! All is well though here at home and we feel very lucky to have Twila in our lives. She's been a really good baby...

Thanks to everyone for your sweet words, excitement and food!! God, thanks for the food!

Quick stats:

Born 10:02pm on April Fool's Day (great, huh??)

FULL head of hair (I think it resembles Liza Minnelli's hair circa Cabaret)

She looks just like Doug except for the furrowed brow...and I think she's got my hands.

Her eyes?? Well, does she kind of look like Bjork to anyone else?