The Norquist's

More to follow.....

2010-02-06T22:01:00.000-08:00

wow, it's that time of year again!!!

2009-12-20T21:34:00.000-08:00

Christmas is almost here and the last post i did was halloween.......you can tell i've been busy. i will try to post pictures to catch everyone up, but i am going to start with the most recent.
Rell is growing her vocabulary daily...it seems like she adds new words by the minute.
We still don't have our christmas cards done and i really wish we would have used some of these photos done by a patient of mine, Sharon Barney with Chosen Rose Photography. she is amazing and we actually did some family pics today, but we will post those later. so the cards will be in the mail hopefully by tuesday...better late than not at all.

the cutest little fairy

2009-10-23T09:13:00.000-07:00

a quick update

2009-10-20T14:04:00.000-07:00

a quick update for any of those that follow this blog (are there any, i wonder???)
rell had her 18 month check up, 22.5 pounds and 32 inches long. i think she is currently undergoing another growth spurt, lots of eating and lots of sleeping (but the sleeping doesn't necessarily happen at night time!)
her list of words grows daily, i will try to list some that i can remember, and i cannot spell them how she says them so use your imagination.....shoes, no(just started this the last few weeks), butt, grandpa, nana, grandma, papa, momma, elk k, milk k k, book k k (and yes those are additional k's, is there such thing as a k stutter....), snack, eye, bebe, stainless steel, lawn mower, dog, agua, (lots and lots of animal sounds) and lots more. i might have to write them down as she says them because i can't seem to remember too much these days!!!! she can point to almost all the body parts and knows the correct anatomical name and the slang names for them.....having a chiropractor for a mom she has to know the proper terms!!!
she loves to throw the ball for the dog, ride the cat, and yes spooky is getting a little more tolerable of this one. loves her grandparents. loves to play with other kids, although this one was a bit challenging at times as she is definitely at the stage of possession, pushing, hitting etc. parenting class has been so helpful on how to handle these types of situations, advice is to just let it happen as it is totally a normal developmental stage as long as they are not harming each other.
she loves to give hugs and kisses.
still uses lots of signs and also uses the words along with them. i was worried with teaching sign language that her speech would be delayed, but that is definitely not the case with her.
and we are having a blast. i am sad the weather is taking a turn and we will not be outdoors quite as frequently, but it is getting beautiful out there with all the colors of the fall.
i will slowly attach pictures as time allows and i don't want to bombard (is that how you spell that...???)you with too much since i have been lost for so long from blogging.
have a wonder afternoon and i hope this finds everyone happy and healthy

2009-09-07T10:40:00.000-07:00

check these out.......they are giving away a free one every week

2009-08-27T11:37:00.000-07:00

part of july update

2009-07-26T23:02:00.003-07:00

a few pics from 4th of july. we have been busy busy busy as usual. not enough time to blog......

monthly update!!

2009-06-28T22:03:00.000-07:00

granma norquist's 86th bday party!! (she is on the right)

teaching her early!!

her cousin brayden giving a helping hand, she sure was into him today!!!

after the first crash on the trike

it was a rough day for her, lots of falls...and that monkey made a lot of noise

chillin with papi

cleaning up after the party

time flies when you're having fun!!!

2009-05-31T18:28:00.000-07:00

well, we have been up to lots. we have taken a long needed break a few weekends ago and went to Cannon Beach. saturday when we arrived, it was beautiful, 69 and no wind at the beach and clear!!!! we had a nice relaxing trip. stayed till monday, ate way too many fresh cookies at the inn's lobby and watched a few movies while rell napped. i think that is the first time i've watched a movie let alone tv since she was born!!!
last weekend we went camping at riffe lake (not sure if that is the correct spelling). mike's parents were camp hosts there and invited us down. we grilled, made smores and got to hang out by the lake.
two nice weekends in a row!!! and away from home. that is good for the soul sometimes!!!
this weekend, i took my first mountain bike ride since rell was born at capital forest. it was a bit technical right off from the start, but i kicked it into gear mid ride. i'm getting the itch to ride again. any takers for watching rell??? i haven't figured it out how to safely wear her while i ride.
sunday morning, we hitched up the "rv" and rode down to the farmer market with rell in tow. then off to our friend quinn's 1st bday party. they are growing up fast.
hope this finds everyone well and enjoying the beautiful weather we are having in olympia.

rell turned ONE!!!!

2009-04-08T21:26:00.000-07:00

we had rell's 1st birthday luau at my parents house on sunday. it turned out to be a beautiful day and we had a great turn out. thank you everyone who helped out and came to help celebrate rell's birthday. we had a wonderful time and can't believe it has been a year already!!!

happy birthday grandma norquist!!

2009-03-19T21:49:00.000-07:00

happy birthday. we wish we could have spent the day with you to celebrate your day. we miss you so much and can't wait to see you when you come back to washington. enjoy and don't soak up too much sun, you have to bring some with you when you come up here.

captain farwell finally retires!!

2009-03-19T21:36:00.000-07:00

most of you know that my dad has been a pilot for alaska airlines forever. he finally retired on feb. 28th, 2009 after 28 years with the airlines. for his last flight, we flew a turn to san jose. in san jose they got the approval to get the fire trucks out and my dad rolled throught the water spray. we enjoyed the flight with my mom, mike, rell and i and a group of his friends and co-workers. we will attach more pictures tomorrow, since i have encountered more technical difficulties AGAIN.

just about gave up on this blog thing

2009-03-19T21:34:00.000-07:00

i am finally back in the game after multiple days of frustration on the uploading of pictures. it finally worked today!!!! grandma and grandpa norquist, sorry it has taken so long, i know you have been waiting. here are a few from the last few months.

more pics for grandma norquist!!

2009-03-17T20:14:00.000-07:00

update on rell's new tricks

2009-03-10T20:50:00.000-07:00

rell is adding words to the bag every day. horse, dog, duck, thank you and mama and daddy, and i almost forgot my favorite, stinky and icky!!! i'm sure there are more, but my mind is a bit ticked off from trying to upload photos for the last half hour and didn't succeed like i wanted.
she is fulling walking everywhere, even walking up and down our sunken living room step with the help of the cat scratcher. "talking" constantly. waving, clapping, raspberries, stinking out her tongue and learning how to blow kisses. she can point to your eyes, ears, nose, mouth, belly button and feet and toes. we almost have hands down. most of all this happened about 9 months, but she is now over 11 and just rapidly adding things to the list. everyday is something new and exciting.
she still looks for the dog first thing upon waking, loves to chase the cat around and "pounce" on her. we have learned to keep the claws trimmed way back. sorry spooky, i know we have lots of critters around the home, but if she continued to leave scratch marks, she would no longer be our cat, my dad has warned me before.
i will try to post more pics soon.
my dad also retired late feb. and we all went on his last flight. it was so fun and sad at the same time. we took tons of pics, but they are all on my parents camera. i will steal it this week and upload some soon. now my dad has all the time in the world to do "stuff". congrats papa and i'm proud of you.

for grandma norquist

2009-03-10T20:16:00.001-07:00

i haven't been posting pictures, because i haven't hooked the computer to the camera in a bit. but i also realized i posted some to facebook and not on here. sorry grandma....here are a few from feb.
and having difficulties posting these. i will try more tomorrow.

these are her first time on the swings!!!

Please vote for FARWELL CHIROPRACTIC at www.bestofsouthsound.com voting ends Mar 8th

2009-03-06T20:44:00.001-08:00

Please tell everyone you know to vote for Farwell Chiropractic at www.bestofsouthsound.com Voting ends March 8th. You can only vote once per computer, so let your friends and family know. You will scroll down to the very last category and you do not have to do every category. thanks a million. it would be such an honor to get this nomination!!!!

quick update

2009-02-16T21:11:00.000-08:00

not the greatest pic, but the only one i have of all the teeth right now!!

well when there was 1, 3 others followed. she cut 4 teeth in one week. rell is a trooper, only one night of a few cries and that was it. we are also becoming a lot more confident with walking and back at it again!!! i have never enjoyed anything more in my life than becoming a mother. and of course a wife to mike!!!
valentine's day was great, we did some shopping and had lunch up north and then had dinner with my dad, my mom was out of town (we missed you) and skip and julie.
so here are a few pictures, i've been bad lately on taking them and then getting them on the computer.

break through.....

2009-01-23T22:19:00.000-08:00

the tooth has emerged.....
only the finger can feel the emergence of the first tooth, bottom right to be exact
she has only 'fussed' a few times during the night the last few nights and didn't think much of it, until i felt the tooth today
so we can now join the ranks of all her little friends and hopefully never learn to bite her mommy
pictures are coming i promise
can you believe she is 9 1/2 months already

first steps....watch out

2009-01-19T21:15:00.000-08:00

ok, my mom was watching rell while i was working today and i got a phone call.
rell had taken 3 steps........
scary
i'm not quite ready for this new milestone we all wait for, but i know she will not be tiny forever.
i know i haven't blogged for awhile, just haven't hooked the camera up to the computer, that's my best excuse.
she still has no teeth, not too much hair (but it's definitely growing), lots of babbling, crawling, standing whenever she can and loves her dog.
she went through another growth spurt and is getting long legs (i hope she takes after papi in this category!!)
last week she is really into pointing at everything, she can point to your nose, mouth and eyes. you have to watch out for those little nails, she likes to grab onto your nose and take some skin with it.
did i mention she really likes her dog?

rell's first christmas

2008-12-25T22:20:00.000-08:00

I wish i knew how to do a collage, but too tired to figure it out.
i hope everyone had a wonderful christmas
we had a wonderful, small christmas due to the weather, but enjoyed it just as well
i will post more pictures soon
(last night rell got her first bloody lip, i guess it is the first of many for these kids that want to walk but can't yet!

more pics!

2008-12-19T00:06:00.000-08:00

computer not working right
we will try again later!!!

where has time gone!

2008-12-14T23:27:00.000-08:00

it has been way to long since my last post. i think we've had another holiday in there. thanksgiving came and went way too fast. and can you believe we failed at taking any pictures of rell's 1st thanksgiving. i guess we just had too much fun and didn't even think about it. we did get some the next day, not quite the same but it is more about the memories. rell got to eat sweet potatoes, i bet she can't wait till next year to eat it all!!
so, to catch up on rell's achievements, she has officially mastered the world of the 'four legged'!! she waited for the audience and crawled on thanksgiving. i hope this is not a sign that i am going to have a performer on my hands! the next day, at our house (we have a sunken living room) she mastered going up and down the step, and no face plants! this kid is amazing.
but she really wants to walk, she pulls herself up on everything and already is climbing up on boxes or whatever to reach things higher.
so as to no posts in awhile, i have been way to busy. there is just not enough time in the day for me to get accomplished what i want to every day and i would just rather play with rell then do some of that stuff. so the internet, as far as posting, has been pushed aside.
i will leave you with a picture from our photo session for xmas, but i will post the rest after xmas cards are printed and mailed. hopefully that will happen before xmas!
and she babbles away all the time. no teeth yet thank goodness, but the drool comes and goes, along with the rash on her chin.

more little bugs!!

2008-10-29T21:16:00.000-07:00

and a few more

my little lady bug!!

2008-10-28T21:58:00.000-07:00

here are a few of the pictures, i will post more when i get the disc.
Thanks again Sharon and Jack for the wonderful photo shoot!!

busy, busy, busy

2008-10-26T22:22:00.001-07:00

this weekend has been a busy one!! first of all we had beautiful weather, this is the fall i love to enjoy. friday we took rell back to the pool to see her friend grant. they had fun getting back into the water and grant already has multiple teeth and is crawling right along. then we went home and had a play date with Quinn, who is also cutting her first tooth!! they both had so much fun and quinn is developing into quite a rolly polly bug!
saturday we got up and went to lattin's cider mill to see more halloween festivities. mike and i got to eat fresh apple fritters and hot apple cider. we even tried to win $25 bucks at the apple sling shot. i think anthony was the closest. thanks Jenny for holding rell while i tried to win some money!!
then rell and i went off to a baby shower in shelton. what a beautiful drive. i'm not sure if anyone else has noticed, but the tree colors are amazing this year. it seems like we have had more time with the leaves on the trees this year!
and we finished off our night with a few friends and watched the UFC fights! mike made wonderful nachos!
sunday, mike woke me up with breakfast almost in bed (rell and i had already made it to the living room to play!) and then we bundled her up and packed her in the burley for a bike ride to the market. upon arriving, i had a flat front tire so we quickly made it to the bike shop for a tube and a quick change. then we rode around capital lake and back home. i think we bundled up a little too much, or maybe it was just the fact that i was pulling rell and our groceries back up the hill!!! i guess it is a good way to burn calories.
when we got home we carved out rell's first pumpkin. i had such a nifty idea for rell to fit inside. more pictures of this to follow.
then we were off to my parents house to help my dad move the plane. rell got to meet the cows again with her papa and mike rode his enduro while osa chased him around.
then, i know i'm also done, i told you we had a busy weekend.
we went to yelm to one of my patient's/friend's house to take some pictures of rell for her first halloween! osa was in for a surprise, jack had a bone waiting for her and she chased after apples being thrown by jack and mike. after the photo shoot, jack had homemade peach pie still warm from the oven and homemade ice cream. what a treat!! thanks sharon and jack, we had a fabulous time and can't wait till next time.
then we ventured back home, after a stop at lowe's to buy some bulbs on sell and get a filter for the furnace. mike made dinner, we played with rell, played more with rell, tried to put her down (only lasted 20 minutes) read books to rell, played more with rell and finally got her to go down again. and that little stinker just woke up again as i'm typing this. she does not want to miss a thing.
okay---so enough typing, enjoy the pictures and i'll post more later

sweet home alabama!!

2008-10-20T21:54:00.000-07:00

we recently went to alabama to surprise my grandmother daisy for her 86th birthday. mike and rell finally got to meet my mom's side and we had a blast. always tons of laughs and of course sad goodbyes. hopefully we will make it back next year. rell had a blast and did so well with everyone. i do have 9, make that 17 aunts and uncles, i think 27 1st cousins and the spouses and something like 17 2nd cousins. so she did very well despite the lack of sleep and crazy laughs from aunt bobbie's mouth!!!
we also went to panama city beach one day to get a bit of quiet time in with just the family and let rell see the beach for the first time. she did not like the water, i think it was a bit cold for her.
enjoy a few more pictures.

pumpkin patch!

2008-10-19T23:23:00.000-07:00

we finally went to the pumpkin patch today. it was a bit chilly, but we had fun. rell had her first tractor/trailer ride and first time down a slide.

i will post pictures from our last vacation soon.

the balance in life

2008-10-08T08:21:00.000-07:00

well to start off with the good. rell had her 6 month check up yesterday and is doing wonderful. she weighed in at 15.75lbs and is 26 1/2 inches long. so for all you wondering where she is percentile-wise, i found out. she is 50% for weight and about 75% for height. hopefully she keeps the height thing going. and she is just developing at an astronomical speed. i will get more pictures posted too.

on the other side of it all, we had to make a tough decision yesterday. we decided it was time for gar to be at peace. he has graced us with 14 years of pure enjoyment, laughter and a true companionship only a dog could give. he was there for us, no matter what time he got feed, how late we got home, how much we ignored him at times, he was just the greatest dog ever. he will forever hold a special place in our hearts. i just keep telling myself that it is nice to allow this passage with decency. mike is having a very hard time. he cherished gar soo much and they were the best of buds throughout the years. it is mike's last link to his previous life before being with me. gar, you will forever be in our hearts and we will meet up again soon. for now, find all our other pets and family members and let them enjoy you as we did. we love you!

some more stuff

2008-10-05T21:47:00.001-07:00

to add to all the stuff we've been up to, our friend samp was in town and we got to hang out with him a few times. did i mention it was my birthday last month. let's see what else, we took rell to see john butler trio and g love and the special sauce, making her concert count (outside the womb) to 3. and don't worry her ears were protected.
rell also sits up like a champ and we put her in a high chair the other nite and mike and i got to eat at the same time since she was born.
we have found out that rell is really into glasses and will not let go. she can also do a pretty good hula hooping dance and bounces like crazy.
OK, i promise the next posts will not be so long and have so many pictures, but i did have 200 to choose from!

cheers!

october begins

2008-10-05T21:07:00.000-07:00

well i finally found the cord to hook my camera up to my computer to download pictures and i remembered all we've done recently. our friends cheryl and mike celebrated their son's 1st birthday in sept. last sunday rell took her first long ride in the burley downtown olympia and to the market for our weekly veggies, i also toured her around capital lake and rode her all the way back up capital hill to home. it was such a nice weekend and i only wish we had more in store. this past friday we took rell to her first arts walk in olympia. it was rainy, but we got to see a very interesting phos-florescent painted sealife exhibit (not sure if that is the right word or spelling...) saturday i went to a fabulous natural/organic toy store in tacoma with katie, erick (only katie will understand the misspelled name for eric!!!) and their baby girl quinn. i bought to much, but with my birthday money i got, i spent on rell! then today we ventured to puyallup for oktober fest and the weiner dog races. none of that was exciting, but we got some cute pictures.
so i hope to keep this updated every few days or so and i need to take more pictures!

AND for the best part of today...rell said her first word, can you guess what it was??

september update...

2008-09-30T17:50:00.000-07:00

okay, i said i was going to try to keep up with this blogging thing, but it has been a month and no posts ;(
so lots has gone on, rell is growing way to rapidly and can barely sit still. she is a wiggle worm. and milestones, not that i am keeping track of them, but one day i just happened to sit her down and she sat, no tripodding (is this even a word) and does pretty well. a bit unstable if she is going for a toy, she will topple right over. she can grab things, pass them from hand to hand, and scream and spit. she is pretty comical right now.
my patient met with us the other day to take more pictures of her. i will attach a few and post more later
hope everyone is doing well and staying healthy!

willie nelson and her 1st swim

2008-08-29T23:34:00.001-07:00

this is the best one of the group that went to open swim. grant is the baby on the left, rell is the one on the right and quinn is the one in the back. we had a great time. rell was apprehensive at first, but loved it at the end. can't wait till next friday.

i took my parents to the willie nelson concert on thursday night. we stopped by claimjumpers to eat a little grub before the show. rell was amuzed by the spoons and liked to lick them like a sucker, especially after they were chilled in ice water.

could not figure out how to get this one posted the correct direction and didn't want to go back and save it. i'll turn it later. rell's 2nd concert out of the womb! she did awesome this time and i think more people watched her instead of the opening acts.

the family at her first swim!!!

jack johnson!!

2008-08-28T08:37:00.000-07:00

last weekend we ventured to the gorge to see jack johnson. this was rell's first concert outside of the womb and we sure had a hard time coming up with ear protection. no doctor would give us any advice since she was not a patient and i had a hard time finding anything to fit her tiny ears on such a short notice. (note to self: do not wait till the last minute next time!!!) we ended up finding some moldable ear plugs at cabela's. i guess it is really important when you shoot guns around babies to make sure that the earing is protected...
well we had a nice time, rell was a bit on sensory overload and didn't want to nap, thus she was a bit fuzzy. it was a good time.
we also went to leavenworth on saturday and shopped and ate. i can't wait to go in the winter with the snow. i think it will be even more beautiful then.
all in all we had a nice weekend.

in need of some reasonably priced pix???

2008-08-15T21:57:00.001-07:00

i have a patient of mine who just did a photo shoot of rell and i this last tues.
she did a fabulous job, is affordable and i got the whole cd of pictures
let me know if you are interested.

a few till the next time

2008-08-13T22:53:00.000-07:00

lake fair firework show

posing on the adjusting table

trying to take a picture with her new tutu
a walk around capital lake

cara's babe taylor

she's already 16 weeks old!!!

2008-07-31T17:17:00.000-07:00

this is a month late, but these are a taste of her 3 month pictures

newly found mexico picture!!!

2008-07-19T23:24:00.000-07:00

gotta love mexican hats!!!

finally some sun!!!

2008-06-29T20:41:00.000-07:00

we had a hot one this weekend. visited mike's parents for bbq on saturday, my parents for bbq sunday. and stayed cool inbetween.

here are the most recent pictures from this weekend, still haven't figured out why my camera will not download to my computer. i'll try to figure it out.

RELL is 3 MONTHS OLD today.
wow, how time has flown by. everytime i look at her she is growing.

slacker

2008-06-19T20:31:00.000-07:00

it has been way too long since i've posted any blogs--no excuses, just didn't want to find the time.
rell was at 10lbs 2oz about 1 1/2 weeks ago and about 23 inches. i can't believe she is growing so fast.
i have been having problems downloading pictures onto my computer from my camera, have no idea why it isn't working when nothing has changed. so any suggestions or there will be no more pictures posted. i could post some more pictures of when she was first born, but would rather give updated ones instead.
i will try to update at least once a week from now on and be better at this blogging thing, it is just hard to find the time when i would rather play with rell or sleep!!!

finally

2008-05-23T23:31:00.000-07:00

so these are a bit outdated, but just got them downloaded. had to get the other side of the family in here. hope everyone is doing well.

rell is growing like a weed, last monday she was already at 9lbs 4oz.

granma norquist

great granma norquist

Granpa Norquist

Daddie Mike

Daddie Mike

Papa Mike always adjusting!!

always a tad late...

2008-05-06T10:44:00.000-07:00

great great uncle trevor

great great aunt frances

my little kisser

so i didn't get pictures posted on sunday, it was just to beautiful of a day here and i had to take advantage of getting outside.
anyways, here are a few of the latest photos, i will definately post more later.

i think we captured a smile ;)

Rell checked out "normal"

2008-05-03T11:32:00.000-07:00

for all of you who knew we were having to test rell for the 3rd time to make sure she didn't have cystic fibrosis--she is perfectly healthy!!!! what a relief it is for both mike and i to know that rell will never have to suffer through such a tough disease. so enough of that junk

rell will be 1 month tomorrow!! i will try to post some pictures to celebrate. i can't believe how much she has already changed. she weighed in at 6 lb 11oz at birth and was up to 7 lb 12.5 oz on last monday. she knows how to eat!!

other than that i'm still trying to get things accomplished around the house and at the office. it's just hard when all you want to do is play with rell...
yesterday i did get some yard work done and hopefully today i will actually get my thank you cards done from 4.5 weeks ago. i'm terrible about that stuff ;(

hope everyone is doing well

till tomorrow......

2 1/2 weeks

2008-04-24T21:55:00.000-07:00

wow-i thought that i would get so much stuff done being off work and at home--but as all you moms know, nothing has gotten accomplished. all i've done is watched rell grow, squirm, squeak, feed, etc. i can't believe how much she has already grown. i'm trying to take lots of pictures, but then it takes me awhile to get them on the computer and then some more time to post them. i will get around to it. maybe tonite if she decides to keep me up all night again!!! she is actually really good, with exception of the last two nights. we had eventful days, i started back to work--yes i am a workaholic. i have a hard time not adjusting, plus my body feels amazing. so i'm moving back into it slow. so back to the sleepless nights--she is just paying me back for all the nights i used to keep my mom up!
i will try to post pictures tomorrow and maybe write more of our birth story for all those interested in a great homebirth story ;)

pictures!!

2008-04-14T21:35:00.001-07:00

finally more pictures!!!

2008-04-12T21:46:00.000-07:00

let me give a little into our birth story...
saturday, 11-5-08 at 12:00 we were having our pregnancy pictures taken--i will try to get some of those posted eventually too--at this wonderful place in Mud Bay. we took crazy pictures of me walking on a tight rope, in trees, mike pushing me in a wheelbarrow, and many more wild picutes. we were there for about 3 hours, had a nice lunch with them, soup and homemade rootbeer. we were on our way home when my friend Kristin called to see if she could stop by and get adjusted, so i told her to meet us at my house. i was sitting on the couch when she arrived and got up to see her and thought, oh my god my water just broke!, or did i just wet myself?...
so i went to the bathroom and then a little more started coming. i called my doula, KC to ask some questions, i called Jessica but she wasn't home, i called my midwife to let her in on the details. i collected some fluid and it definately was not urine. what a relief, i really didn't think i had wet myself. so my midwife, audrey and her student midwife rhonda, stopped by to test it--it was really was amniotic fluid. by this time mike is freaking out. he doesn't want to believe it is really happening--3 weeks early.
okay--i'll pick up on the story later.
here are a few pictures to catch you up with--okay i tried to attach them three times and they keep telling me there is a problem--i'll try in the morning.

Rell Nicole Norquist

2008-04-08T20:27:00.000-07:00

Start of Labor around 11:00pm 4-5-08

In process around 7:30ish am 4-6-08

Rell Nicole Norquist 4-6-08
6 lbs 11 oz 19 in

so it is taking me some time to get pictures posted. i will post more later.
thanks to all the calls, we are trying to keep her as quiet as we can and learn this new little baby routine.

3+ weeks early!!!

2008-04-07T23:32:00.000-07:00

baby Rell has arrived. we had her at 8:15 sunday morning at home. it was the most amazing experience i have ever had and i would love to tell the story about the home birth. i will update in detail hopefully tomorrow. the whole family is healthy and doing well. rell weighed in at 6 lbs 11 oz (exactly 1 lb less than what i weighed) and was 19 inches long. she is absolutely amazing.

we are still asking the phone calls and visits to be very minimal the next few days--please call us first if you need to see her. we just don't want to interrupt the sleeping schedule of any of us--since it is very sporadic. thanks for the understanding.

i will post pictures tomorrow and give more of our story.

mike was also very supportive and did so much better than i ever imagined. he is truley a natural at all the daddy stuff ;)

home birth ready!!

2008-04-02T09:00:00.000-07:00

we are now cleared to have the home birth!!! we had our home visit last night to discuss where the birthing tub will go and make sure we have everything we need. it was exciting to know we are all that much closer to meeting this little baby in my belly. things are still going very well, except the swelling thing. it's not out of control, just more annoying for me. it is not toxemia like everyone is freaking out about. my blood pressure is 109/65ish on most visits and there is no other factors. it's just that i can't slow down working so my ankles disappear by the mid afternoon. i'm trying my hardest to take more time off, but obviously i'm having difficulties.
we had one of the baby showers this weekend at my moms house and it was very special. had family, friends and some of my patients came which made it even more of a special day for me. my moms friend patricia helped out so much i don't think i could thank her enough for helping my mom stay more relaxed. thank you to everyone who came or was thinking about us. mike also expresses his thanks to everyone.
i'll try to keep everyone updated more, we finally got a computer at home so i'll have more time to do posts!!!

edema......

2008-03-23T11:22:00.000-07:00

so i've had a very easy pregnancy until the swelling began. it's not that bad, but really annoying to not be able to see my ankle bones at the end of the day. i'm going to work one more regualar week and then switch to half days the last few weeks before the little one arrives. i just don't get the opportunity to sit down when i'm at work and that is when the ankles disappear.
other than that, everything is going well.
mike and i met jessica and heath in seattle last nite for a citizen cope conert at the moore, making the babies concert list to 3, matisyahu was the 1st, groundation the 2nd and now this one. then we will take the baby to it's first outside of the womb concert to see jack johnson in august. i'm really excited!!!
citizen cope was amazing in concert, the sound was perfect.
other than that mike is up snowboarding with our friend samp today while i sit at the computer trying to get our taxes finished...i thought i was going to get them done earlier, but it didn't happen ;(
happy easter to everyone!!
don't forget my baby shower is coming up next sunday at 2pm!

my super d racer!!

2008-03-19T11:52:00.000-07:00

Sunday mike had is first super d mountain bike race of the season. considering how nasty the conditions were, greasy mud and all, he did really well. it got 5th place, and he only rides like 2-3 times a month compared to the guys who ride 2-3 times a week. i guess i'm going to have to let him ride more during the week!!

baby shower!!!

2008-03-10T17:39:00.000-07:00

for all those who would like to come to our baby shower, it will be 30th March, Sunday at 2pm at my moms house. we haven't gotten the invitations yet, but they will be sent out shortly. for those of you who didn't get one and would like to come, please call my momma at 360.459.9121 so she can know what to plan for.
we will also be having another one AFTER the baby has arrived in may sometime, so if you can't make the one in march, you will get another opportunity in may. the first will be more like a birth blessing for us, we will let you know more later on that.

the update on the pregnancy: getting bigger, swelling is uncomfortable since my work involves my hands 100% of the time, baby is very active--and i found out just absolutely loves girl scout cookies!!!
other than that, mike and i are extremely excited for the birth and of course to see our baby!!!

catching up

2008-02-29T11:58:00.000-08:00

mexico was awesome. we had such a relaxing time and did nothing at all but lay in the sun and hang out. mike was adorable, he kept telling me to cover up the baby because i was 'cooking' it!!! so i didn't lay in the sun as much as i would have liked but still enjoyed the warmth. my parents were with us for part of the time and we enjoyed their company--i actually had to keep in eye on them for once. they also got to feel the baby moving which was exciting for them.

i have not experienced the swelling like everyone warned until flying to mexico!!! i had no ankles for two days--until everyone finally let me walk around and work it out. my ankles have returned and hopefully to stay.

we also started our hypnobirth class last saturday. it is such an amazing class and i am actually excited for labor. it is such an empowering experience that we get to have and i feel this class is wonderful for both of us to understand that our bodies have the ability to do this with minimal amounts of pain and they it can be a very relaxing time. ---we will find out in 8 weeks!!---

hope everyone is doing well and staying healthy in the season of bugs ;)

finally a belly shot!!

2008-02-26T15:59:00.000-08:00

So here it is...7 1/2 months!!! we had a wonderful relaxing vacation in manzanillo. i'll write more later :)

off to mexico!!!

2008-02-13T08:53:00.000-08:00

it has been one hectic week, recovering from the bug, had to do the gestational diabetes 3 hour test--which was negative!!! (now i just have nice track marks on my arms to go to mexico with ;), had a great Neurology seminar last weekend, and finished one of our birthing classes. i think mike is more confused after the last class- we went through birthing positions and mike just over thinks them all and got a little frustrated. i think he will do fine when the time comes.
we leave in the morning to have one last vacation just being husband and wife. we will synthesize lots of vitamin d and gets lots of relaxation time. when i get back i will finally post a picture of the pregnant belly-can you believe we have only taken one so far!

expressing my health!!!

2008-02-04T09:31:00.000-08:00

what a week. i have been expressing my health to the extreme. i have not laid on the couch and done nothing in years. it was really difficult, but i know that it was very well needed. the other hard thing was not wanting to eat--and being 29 weeks pregnant. needless to say, the appetite is slowly returning as of sunday, but a little difficult to eat any quantity. whatever this swarm of bugs is going around is nasty. started off with a headache, then laryngitis (which i'm sure some people overly enjoyed:)!), body aches, stuffy nose, runny nose, zero energy, fever, chills, more runny nose--i swear i went through 3 boxes of kleenex, coughing, and now just trying to regain energy again.
so for all those negative minded people, i wasn't 'sick', my body was just expressing it's health. i worry when people don't have symptoms because that is our bodies way of letting us know it is working properly and strengthening it's immune system.
i have to get back to work--since i took almost a week off!!!

catching up

2008-01-21T08:57:00.000-08:00

i just got back from an amazing seminar held by a holistic MD. i'm impressed and can't wait to share the information that i learned and some that just needed a little help to resurface. i'm amazed at how the medical professionals are taught in our culture and what their mindset is in how to care for children. no wonder parents are confused these days. any moms and dads that want some great information regarding the health of their children adn their own health need to speak with me. it is all jaw dropping information-especially coming from a MD.

well i'm definately starting to feel pregnant. mild low back pain, but it could be the amount of sitting i had to do this weekend. i'm not one to sit down so my body feels it. and this belly is starting to get in the way. no more squeezing through things without it hitting something.

we will keep everyone updated, but i think the baby shower is to be in March sometime, but will let you know as the scheduling begins.

have a wonderful day, it is sunny and beautiful in Olympia this morning, and i'm at work of course, but hopefully getting off early to take a hike with Osa.

pregnant brain already

2008-01-08T12:41:00.000-08:00

well i guess branches breaking through your roof are easily forgotten to a pregnant brain. the wind storm we had last friday sent a branch through our roof about 6 feet and broke two rafters. we weren't home when it happened and i couldn't go to sleep to a crazy noise i first thought was the furnance. it ended up being water dripping through the ceiling, so we got up at midnite to tend to our roof. at least the weather was fairly decent and not pouring down rain.
so mike is out with the boys working on the roof this morning, with his dialated eyes. he went to the eye doc to get his eyes checked, which improved!!!
till the next event ;)

what happened??

2008-01-07T13:45:00.000-08:00

the new year is already here. i didn't even get out cards this year, i thought about doing new year cards, but that was just a thought. had a nice, calm christmas with both of our families. just can't believe it will be the last quiet one--but very excited about next years. it will be the first christmas we have at our house!!
not much new going on, just doing all the NESTING stuff already. every drawer and cupboard and corner in our house is getting organized and throwing tons of stuff out. i can't believe how much we have accumulated over the last 9 years that Mike and i have been together.

Tomorrow is our 3rd wedding anniversary and our first childbirth class. what a way to celebrate. we might just have dinner on wednesday for the anniv.

Here is the unofficial kiss in Kauai January 8, 2005!!!!

we'll keep everyone updated as exciting stuff happens. and we'll post pictures when i actually download them to the computer.

ultrasound!!!

2007-12-18T15:21:00.000-08:00

well the ultrasound was last nite and we DIDN'T find out what the baby is...but i do have it sealed in an envelope in an undisclosed place--and i'm not telling!!!!
it was exciting to see the little tiger moving around, but i felt really bad putting the baby through all that distress just to settle our minds that everything was where it is supposed to be. i did have a dream the nite before that the baby was born with 4 arms, but everything turned out well and we donated the other arms to babies that didn't have them...lol...this is the first crazy dream about the baby i've had, i guess there is lots more to come.
here are the 2 pics they sent us home with, i still need to get one of the spine, i just was too excited to remember that when we were there. my favorite is the one of the hand, first finger straight out. the others are of the face looking directly at you. i also have a video, but you'll have to come over to see that one.
my mom and dad were also there and i think were more excited than mike and i, but it was great to have them there.

parents have to change everything

2007-12-10T15:12:00.000-08:00

well i HAD an ultrasound scheduled for Thursday, but my parents insisted on being there so it is now rescheduled for monday afternoon. i will let you all know how it goes, but we AREN'T going to find out what it is, we still want some suspense.
Nothing much else going on, we installed can light in our living room and entry way just for the mood lighting at the birth!!! And the little baby was practicing kicking his mom already, i guess i'm in for an active 2/3 term!!

twenty weeks

2007-12-06T11:59:00.000-08:00

we are officially half way there. it's always amazing the way time can fly by. i think these next twenty weeks will be a bit longer than usual as the baby grows very rapidly. can't wait for the weight gain either, so far i haven't put on any weight, or at least haven't gotten back up to the 'pre-pregnancy' weight.
the baby did start to show a bit more and mike is thoroughly disgusted at deep palpation of my uterus, but this baby is going to be well 'massaged' when it is born. if you haven't gotten to feel an expanding uterus it is pretty amazing. my patients are all getting lessons on this wonderful pregnancy of mine.
so no more lying on my stomach, it finally feels like there is a ball in there. i would highly recommend getting a tempurpedic/comfurpedic bed to anyone, as i get to sleep on my stomach longer than usual!
as everyone heard, WA was flooded out pretty bad, but we were not affected by the flooding. and as a true washingtonian, we do have webbed feet ;) but it is sad that the snow didn't get to stick around. i would rather enjoy the snow than the rain. but once again we are in wa.
we are scheduled for an ultrasound next thursday, so we'll post pictures then. we are NOT going to find out the sex, unless by some chance the technician slips with a he/she comment. we want some surprise when the day arrives.

another amazing fact is our newest addition Osa, is becoming increasingly more protective of her momma. it is frustrating, so any suggestions on how to conquer this would be great.

darn round ligaments

2007-11-30T12:54:00.000-08:00

so just as i wrote that pregnancy has been a breeze, i get nailed with round ligament pain last nite. it's not too bad, but since i've had nothing so far, it's a bit of a surprise.
mike is getting excited too as this baby starts to emerge from the confounds of my pelvic bowl. it's so wonderful to see him transform into "daddy" and getting involved with baby stuff. never thought i would see this happen.
have a great seminar this weekend on Neuro Sensory Integration, so i will write next week. if you don't know what that is, you need to get in to see me!!!
we are expecting snow this weekend too!! just hope it sticks around, we are soppose to get a warm front in on Sunday ;(

first entry

2007-11-29T16:35:00.000-08:00

be patient as i learn how to get this thing started. not too computer literate until i've done it a bunch of times, so here it goes.
mike and i had our first midwife and student midwife meeting this morning, everything looks fine and all our blood work is perfect (actually i carry a lot of oxygen on my RBC so maybe that is why mike calls me Turbo!!). we are 19 weeks or somewhere around there, i can't keep up with all the dates people go by ;)
mike said he is going to keep me pregnant all the time because i'm nicer and don't have to deal with those dreaded horrible monthly cramps. they say that will be good training for the big day.
as most know already, mike and i are going to have a home birth to ensure the healthiest environment for the baby and me to be in for our special day. we are not opposed to hospital births, but want to stay away if at all possible--but you all know that OB situations can change, we'll keep you updated.
we are scheduled for an US Dec 13, but hopefully we won't find out what sex it is as we want to keep it a surprise.
so far pregnancy has been a breeze, no morning sickness, just one 10 second bout of nausea and that's it. finally starting to bump out just a bit, so exciting to finally feel pregnant.

okay, that's enough for me to type today.