No more milk

Well, I am just starting to feel a little better after a sort of depressing weekend. The cause: It looks like Hannah is allergic to milk, and since I am nursing, I have to give up everything with milk in it. That includes everything! Can you think of any dessert that does not have milk in it?? If you can- think again because it probably does have milk in it. I even bought some dark chocolate at the store b/c I was told that it does not have milk. After I ate half a bar, I read the ingredients again. Hidden in the list were the words "milk fat" which means that it has milk in it. So, I just went did an on-line search to find out what dark chocolate is milk-free. Luckily, I found some!!! I am told you have to scrutinize labels if you really want to go milk-free.

I really have been in kind of a bad mood this weekend, and I finally came to the conclusion that having to give up milk is the reason. Think about having to give up all your favorite foods: pizza, coffee with half and half (my morning ritual), chocolate, did I mention chocolate, brownies, ice cream, cake, cookies, and every meal that you put cheese on. On top of that I have to learn what to cook for our family. No more skillet sensations, baked ziti, veggies with cheese, and basically everything else I make. Oh yeah, did I mention no butter! That alone is cause for depression.

After sulking for a few days, I am starting to focus on the benefits of having to give up milk. First, I always thought that if you really wanted to go on a diet you could pretend you were allergic to certain foods and that you absolutely could not have them. Of course you always know deep down that you are really not allergic to the food and would probably end up eating it anyway. Well, now I can lose the last few post-pregnancy pounds without having to really try and sweat it off or play mental games with myself. I have to do it for my daughter. Second, I have been doing a little research and it turns out that milk is not all that good for you anyway. Third, not being able to have milk forces you to find other healthier options. When I want a snack now, I go for apples and carrots rather than cookies.

So, I am going to need a lot of encouragement and support in the coming months. Feel free to send me positive reinforcements. And if anyone is looking for a new diet, give me a call, I know what you are going through.

Hannah Entertained by a Trash Bag

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVAy0R79K0Q

Visit to Amelia's

Daddy's little girl

My little Babette

Thank you Tami for all Hannah's cute new clothes

Thanksgiving Pics

We had a great and very busy Thanksgiving. Both of our parents had lots of things for us to do and people for us to see. We got to see two movies!!!

Ode to the Toe Sucker

I pulled out my old Shel Silverstein books and I am dedicating this poem of his to Hannah as well as all those other thumb (and toe) suckers out there:)

Oh the thumb-sucker's thumb

May look wrinkled and wet

And withered, and white as the snow

But the taste of a thumb

Is the sweetest taste yet

(As only we thumb-suckers know).

As some of you know I used to write poetry... Here is one of my own- written this morning. Maybe I'll have a revival of my writing.

The Beautiful Mystery

of the ageless King

The heralds of old

join with creation and sing

so softly, so softly

that you might not hear

their enchanting voices

in the atmosphere

so loud, so loud

that you can not erase

their eternal pleadings

throughout time and space

and what will you do

when you hear their voice

will you try to hide from the awesome force?

will you try to pretend that you can not hear?

hoping that it won't interfere

with your plans, with your life,

with this age and terrain

you block out the One

that you don't want to reign

or will you join

the kingdom's quiet plea

and give up your heart

to this Mystery

before this age ceases to exist

and there is no more

resistance

Wheel of Fortune

Newest News:

Brian got called to audition for Wheel of Fortune on Nov. 30th. Please send him luck and advice!!!

A few pics from the weekend

Mom please send more pics

Nov. 13th

Lots has been going on. I turned 28 a week ago. I always wanted to have a baby by 28, so that mission has been accomplished:) I had a wonderful birthday. Brian came home at lunch with roses and lilies (my favorites), and we went out to lunch at Chic Fil A. Brian's whole family called to wish me Happy Birthday along with my family, Carla, Ross and Liz, and Leslie. Then Erin came over and babysat so we could go out to dinner. We had dinner at the California Pizza Kitchen and dessert at the Cheesecake Factory. We were laughing b/c dessert cost more than our dinner. Thanks everyone for thinking of me! We got home and researched all the candidates so we could be informed voters.

We are happy to say we successfully voted and felt good about our choices. Hannah came along for the ride and everyone smiled at her at the voting precinct.

On Friday we took our first road trip with Hannah. We decided rather than buying a new car we would rent cars whenever we go on a long trip, since our cars are about 10 years old each. We got a $20/day car on priceline. We drove to Vienna, VA for Ross and Liz's wedding. We got our hotel on priceline too and it was great! Hannah did great! She slept the whole way there. Kathi babysat on Friday night for us. It was perfect b/c she lives about 15 minutes from where the rehearsal dinner was. She had a great time with her cousins Ella and Maryn. Sorry Kathi that she refused to take her bottle:) Meanwhile we went to Nizam's for a great Turkish meal. Franklin entertained our table with stories of Matza Blob Soup. It was great to see the Kanes and of course to participate in celebrating. We had some of the best baklava ever.

Saturday was eventful to say the least. We went over to my parents hotel to hang out. They invited a bunch of people over who live near the area. Jackie and Bob came over with Wombat. Elizabeth, my cousin who I have not seen in ages, came. Rusty brought my dad's uncle Jerome and his girlfriend Karen. Brian missed the fun b/c he went to pick up and hang out with Kevin. After all our visiting, we went to the wedding. Kevin was our babysitter:) It was really a special wedding ceremony. I appreciated the thought that went into it and Liz looked gorgeous. The reception was Great- lots of food, drinks, and dancing. We also met a lot of cool people there. Luckily our hotel was right next to the reception, so we went back and crashed. Yesterday, we went and had brunch with Kathi, Kirby, Ella, and Maryn. It was really good and great to catch up with them. Hopefully we'll be better about that in the future! Our drive back was not as smooth as the drive up b/c of the weather and some traffic, but Hannah slept the whole way back too. Over all the trip gets a perfect score.

We leave Friday for Florida. We'll be there for 10 days.

Happy Halloween

This is a very Happy Day for us. Hannah slept from 9pm-6:30am and then went back to sleep until 9:30am. Go Hannah! Her newest thing is staring at her hand. I can only imagine that she is thinking to herself "What is this thing?" Yesterday I looked over at her and she had found her thumb. Grandma and Grandpa and Gramzy and Popsy came to visit this past week. We had a lot of fun with all of them. We topped off the week with a trip to audition for Wheel of Fortune (we did not get called up) and Florida beating Georgia in football. Go GATORS! This Halloween I have decided to pick up the first Harry Potter again. I forgot how great that book is.

Hannah and other things

Well, we have not posted pictures for a while or given an update. I am sure no one really notices besides my mom, but never the less- here is an update. We are getting back in the swing of things since Hannah has been born. I finished some more books- The Color of Water and a couple more No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency books. A possible day for us looks like this:

7-8am- wake up and feed Hannah
sometimes we go back to sleep if not, Hannah plays on her "gym" while I do my Bible Study w/ a bowl of cereal and a cup of coffee
next Hannah usually falls asleep and I check email, pay bills, etc.
around 10 Hannah eats again
we play some and then Hannah hangs out in her bouncer or enjoys her mobile while I do laundry or chores, if she is fussy she goes in her swing
then we await the call to see if Brain aka Dad will be coming home for lunch
Hannah gets fed again and we enjoy having lunch with Dad
In the afternoon any one of the following can happen:
a trip to the grocery store or Target
a nap
a walk around the neighborhood
Hannah eats a bunch more
more chores or errands
write Thank you notes
rock and read books
listen to music
At 4:00 we usually watch Oprah and Hannah sleeps at some point during the afternoon
Most of the time our walk around the neighborhood is after Oprah
Then we wait for dad to come home and start getting dinner ready
I usually call a bunch of people while making dinner
We turn on jeopardy and usually get sucked in to watching the daily reality TV show (Wife Swap, The Bachelor, The Bigger Loser, the Amazing Race) The only one I watch on purpose is the Amazing Race.
We all hang out and then at about 9pm Hannah has to eat a ton and starts to get fussy.
It is a guessing game as to when she will go to sleep. But thankfully it has been before 1:00am for a while now. And she sleeps any where from 6 and a half hours to 8 and a half- YEAH!

Okay I am tired- hopefully I'll be better about the blog.

Hannah is 7 wks old

Her e are some pictures of Hannah at 7 weeks old. The cute lamb is from Paige Russo, a friend from High School.

More of Hannah

Here's a few video clips of Hannah taken over the past couple of weeks (4 to 5 weeks old):


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gV-GXyyW3rU

Hannah Videos

Here's some more videos of Hannah. The first one was taken monday morning. Hannah turned three weeks old on Sunday morning, so in this video she's 3 weeks and 1 day old.

(NOTE: All videos can be downloaded directly from my computer by going to my FTP site. When you download it from me, you'll get a very large file in MPEG2 format, which is DVD-quality. Your player needs to support wide-aspect, 16x9 video. Most players do. Also, if your web browser won't play the videos on the blog, you can go directly to YouTube and view it there by clicking the link beneath each video.)

Hannah Three Weeks Old:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ol8ZZDCcSH8

This next video is of Mary and I taking a trip to the mall on labor day. This was Hannah's debut experience with the general public, and I think she handled it with poise and dignity. Also, this was a big deal for Mary, who has barely left the house in 3 weeks.

Hannah Mall Trip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmWlV7YG3uw

Allison's business

Brian's sister, Allison, just opened her own business. She designed our birth announcements which came out super cute. Here it is:



Her is a link to her website:
www.sweetwelcome.com

The Kite Runner and The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency x2

Who says you can't read a book after you just had a baby... what else are you suppose to do if you can't walk around?? Especially now that they have those nifty breastfeeding pillows- just prop your baby on the pillow and you have both hands to read a book. Is it possible to feed your baby too much?

I just finished: The Kite Runner
http://www.amazon.com/-Kite-Runner/dp/1594480001/sr=8-1/qid=1156882077/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-8184958-1487865?ie=UTF8

and the first two books in this series

No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency
http://www.amazon.com/-No-1-Ladies-Detective/dp/1400034779/sr=1-1/qid=1156882161/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-8184958-1487865?ie=UTF8&s=books

http://www.amazon.com/Giraffe-Ladies-Detective-Agency-Paperback/dp/1400031354/sr=8-1/qid=1157382486/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-8184958-1487865?ie=UTF8&s=books

I enjoyed all of these books particularly for their cultural aspect. The Kite Runner is the story on two boys growing up in Afghanistan. Just a few comments. I definitely cried while reading this book. At first I was not sure if the book was fiction or not, but it became evident it was fiction... since too many things come together in the book. I don't know anything about Afghanistan (except a few blurbs I pick up from the news), so I feel a little more educated being transported into the world of these characters. Living in our house in America, it was a good reminder of the war going on in all parts of the world. Our lives are not as safe as we believe and anything could happen to change the course of history. I like being reminded of this through this book rather the watching the news. I get depressed after watching the news because they rarely offer any hope, and I am left with a sense of fear and despair. In this book, there is a glimpse of hope though it is slight, and I feel like in the midst of pain and suffering- healing and progress is possible.

The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency is about a Lady Detective in Botswana. I started reading this book right before I had Hannah. I read a few chapters and did not get back to it until after she was born. I could hardly put the book down and hurried to the library (one of my only outings) to get the second book. I love the main character Precious and her simple yet profound statements. One in particular is a conversation she has with her assistant about whether it is wrong to lie to a bad person or for a good cause. I have often wondered this ever since reading about the honorable Rahab in the Bible. What is she praised for? Lying! Just one quote from the book, "Well, Dr. Ranta... I think that you are a man who has lied to a lot of people, particularly to women. Now something has happened which you may not have had happen to you before. A woman has lied to you and you have fallen for it entirely. You will not like that, but maybe it will teach you what it is like to be manipulated." I enjoy reading about Precious's life, thoughts, and her detective cases. I also enjoy hearing about Botswana and Africa.

I recommend reading all of these books.

Hannah slept six hours!!

This deserves its own post. Hannah slept from 1-7am last night giving mom a much needed break after the night before. Today we are going to try to take a family outing to the mall. We'll see how things work out.

Hannah - 2 Weeks Old

Here's a few videos of Hannah, who turned 2 weeks old on Sunday:

Part 1:


Part 2:

Hannah is here!

We'll I have yet to get anything up about our latest change- HANNAH. Mainly because things have been a whirlwind.


For those of you who are interested in her birth:
On Saturday night, August 12th Brian and I went for pizza with my cousin Ross and his fiance Liz at Satisfactions in downtown Durham. I felt slightly weird at dinner and had a little back pain. At dinner I announced that I felt like I was going to have the baby that night. Of course I had been saying that every night, so Brian did not really believe me. We came home and did our normal lounging around the house. I was really tired at about 11:30 and got in bed to rest. I played Hannah some baby Einstein CDs which was our nightly custom for a little while. Brian came up at 12:30 to go to sleep. I had a sharp pain in my stomach and went to use the bathroom. It appeared that my water had broken, but not really knowing what to expect- I was not sure. I called Caron, the midwife on call and told her I thought that my water had broken. It became evident as we were on the phone that it did indeed break. She replied that my labor would probably be a long event and I should try to remain at home as long as possible. She advised us to go to sleep and call her at 8:00am. She asked me what my birth plan was... of course I was thinking- Ummm, well it's 1:00am I can't remember what my birth plan was. Who do you call for support at 1am. Brian and I got ourselves together. He put everything in the car and called our parents. Then we prayed together and tried to get some sleep. I laid down for a total of maybe 10 minutes and that was about all I could handle as I was in a great deal of pain. We went downstairs and I tried to sleep in the Lazyboy recliner. Eventually, I realized I was having contractions, and we started keeping track of them. They were consistently 1 minute long and six minutes apart. I called Caron again around 2:30. She said I could come to the hospital any time I felt I needed to, but that my labor could be really long and I should try to stay home as long as possible if I wanted to deliver the baby naturally. At 3:00 am I was in a lot of pain and decided to call my mom. In the middle of the conversation I threw the phone to Brian and made him talk to her. As he tried to use all the nifty soothing techniques we learn in our childbirth class I started screaming "Don't touch me" "Don't talk to me"-- poor guy. By 3:30 I was screaming through my contractions. This was pretty embarrassing because we thought I was in early labor. I was convinced I would need an epidural. At this time I screamed to go to the hospital. I tried to keep control of myself on the drive to the hospital and we made it there by 4:00am. Brian got a wheelchair and wheeled me into the lobby. I then let out another scream and two guards come running to us. Someone had delivered a baby in the lobby the week before so they rushed us through all the security doors. I made it to the examination room. I could not even put on my robe before I fell down in pain. All the nurses started taking bets as to how far along I was. Caron came in and managed to get me on the table to examine me. She announced I was 10 cm dilated and ready to start pushing. It took about an hour of pushing to get Hannah out, and she was born at 5:18am. I had to have an episiotomy(sp?) and then got a fourth degree tear (I thought the highest tear was a third degree). They had to call in a doctor to stitch me up- which took an hour and a half, so I could not see Hannah right away. Meanwhile, Brian had a whirlwind experience. At one point he had to leave my side to go pray because he was worried about me and Hannah. One plus about having a baby at 5:00 am is that there was plenty of staff to assist me. Only one other person was in Labor and Delivery at the time. It was an answer to prayer that she was born when she was (thanks for all you who were praying she would be born before Monday- especially Carla who I gave such a hard time to) otherwise I would have had to have a series of ultrasounds and be induced. She came out 7lbs. 9ozs. 20 inches long. We loved the UNC Hospital and would definitely deliver there again. I have had a slow recovery (I have just started to feel like I can walk okay and I have not really left the house), but I can't complain because Hannah is healthy and a great source of joy for our family. Brian has been home this week and last week- he goes back to work on Monday. It has been two of the greatest weeks of our lives.