Family Matters

With it being Thanksgiving time and all, this post is all about gratitude- specifically for family.  This last month, Sydney has gotten to meet some extremely important people in her life.  First, Molly and Lucy Auld visited.  They stayed for almost a week which allowed us a lot of quality time.  Hopefully, Lucy and Sydney weren't too overwhelmed being introduced to each other as best friends.

Then, Brian and Jaime came here on a work trip.  Seeing Sydney in her aunt and uncle's arms was so special- they looked at her almost as adoringly as we do!  Plus, they are both "baby whisperers" so we got some great tips for calming her down!

Last week, TJ, Syd and I spent the whole week in Omaha.  It was Sydney's first trip there and second flight!  She met uncle Jeff, aunt Kelly, all SIX cousins, and lots more friends and relatives.  Her Grammy Fay and Grandpa Buddy even drove in from Memphis!  It was so awesome to see relatives shower Sydney with affection for the whole week and it'll be a beautiful thing to witness these relationships as they grow over time.  I took MANY pics and they're posted on the picture share site: http://thejasonoggs.shutterfly.com/

Developmentally, Sydney is changing all the time.  She just turned three months old!

She's now holding up her own head pretty well, smiling more often, grasping on to things, and chewing on her hands.  She also is putting her hands on the bottle when she eats and pulling out her own pacifier, even when she still wants it.  I'm savoring each moment of these last two weeks with her home full time. 

Sydney Reese is one month old!

Four weeks ago, on Friday, August 24th at 5:17pm, Sydney Reese Jason arrived into our lives.  She came out with dark hair and big bluish/greyish eyes.  And, man, was she tiny!

When I've gotten some down time since her birth, I've thought how difficult it would be to write my first entry post her arrival.  There is simply too much to say and it's so hard to put all of these emotions and new experiences into words.  My life has not been the same and will never be the same.  Now there is this new human- who we created- who brings us such joy and we are responsible for her survival.  She is an absolute love.  It feels impossible to summarize the high highs and the lows of the last month, so I'll include a few lists of things both surprising and things I don't want to forget.

Top Surprises since August 24th (in no particular order):
1.  It doesn't feel weird to be someone's mother.  The second she was out of the womb, I felt like I had been her mom for some time already.  Maybe it has something to with sharing a body for 9+ months.

2.  Mothers have to recover after coming home from the hospital too- both physically and emotionally.
   
3.  I've fallen more in love with Todd and wasn't sure that was possible.  When he first saw her smile, he said, "Not that she doesn't already, but if that's her real smile, she is going to own me".  He's also extremely cute when trying to file her tiny fingernails.

4.  New parents don't sleep.  I guess I've heard people say this before but never took it literally for some reason.   

5.  I have not yet referred to Sydney as "Shorts" since she joined the world.  She looks too delicate to be a "Shorts" at this point.  She does have a few nicknames though- Syd the Kid and Munchkin.

The Best Sydney-isms so Far (in no particular order):
1.  All things hands: Touchdown arm movements whenever she begins to eat, wanting to keep her hands very close to her face (they even creep up her tight swaddle somehow), gripping one adult finger with her whole hand

2.  Snorting and grunting noises; very loud breathing

3.  A wide range of involuntary expressions- she goes from looking like she's going to cry to looking like she's elated in a span of seconds

Okay, okay.  So, maybe these are just baby-isms, but they're so endearing and I don't want to forget them.

This life transition would not be possible without all of the love and support we've gotten.  Our parents and uncle David have stayed with us and have showered Sydney with love.  Our friends have done airport runs and have brought homemade food.  Friends and family who live in other cities have reached out often to listen and to set up Skype dates and don't expect calls in return, knowing how busy we are with this steep learning curve of new parenting.  Some pictures of Sydney are below.

 

A Whole New Way of Looking at August

Growing up, August was the time school started.  While I loved shopping for trapper keepers and labeling my paper bag covered books with a thick black marker (nerd), I was always sad to see summer end.  

Two days ago when August began, I felt major excitement about the month.  Why, you ask?  Shorts is going to be making her debut this month- woo hoo!  She'll likely share a birthday month with Cousin Avery, Grandma Fay, Great Aunt Char, and Cousin Laurie Brock.  I've been looking into her astrological signs and she may be a Leo (the Lion).  Some characteristics of Leo include creative, enthusiastic, warmhearted, and extroverted.  They are also known to be bossy and domineering at times.  In the Chinese zodiac calendar, 2012 is the year of the Dragon.  Similar to Leos, Dragons are characterized to be ambitious, natural born leaders.  Sounds like a dynamo to me!  Todd doesn't believe in this stuff but I find it really interesting. 

I simply can not wait to meet her.  Grandparents have been booking flights, etc and it's all becoming very real.  Plus, lately I've been looking down at my stomach in time to see her movements ripple.  I think her space to move around is becoming pretty limited.  So far the doctor sees no signs that my body is getting ready to go into labor but I hear that can change very quickly!  It could be that the next time I write is to introduce Baby Jason!

Signing off for now.  

Goodbye, Grandpa

The world lost a wonderful man today- this man was my grandpa, Buddy Studna.  I liked to call him "Buddala the Studala".  As I sit here crying and trying to wrap my head around the fact that I won't see him again on earth, I know how lucky I am to have been his granddaughter.  He was a man who loved winning at gin rummy, drinking a good glass (or two) of scotch, engaging in a heated political debate, living in the state of Nebraska, and spending time with family- even if he was nodding off on the couch.  He's one of the few people I know who truly smiled with his eyes and found humor in most situations.  My grandpa would have been 90 years old in September and he lived nearly 89 years in great mental health and good physical health.  In many ways, he had what a lot of us would wish for- a full, happy life surrounded by those he loved and loved him in return.  Those he left behind are very sad today yet we know he will be more comfortable where he is now.  While Shorts won't get to meet her great grandpa in person, we will make sure that he lives in on stories and through pictures.  Maybe they'll even cross paths on their journeys to and from heaven.

Grandpa, you will be greatly missed.  Tonight Todd and I will play some gin rummy and drink root beer floats in your honor.  Please know that while we aren't able to travel to your funeral service (Shorts could be coming at any time now), you are very heavily on our minds and in our hearts.  I love you forever and a day, as Grandma Betty used to say, and hope that you're reuniting with family and friends who went before you.

Circle of Life

Lately I've been witnessing the ever present circle of life up close and personally. In the last three weeks or so, dear friends have been losing grandparents, getting engaged, and announcing pregnancies (and babies!). It's a constant reminder that every day- and piece of positive news-is to be celebrated. Meanwhile, Shorts is continuing to grow. We had a 7 pound growth spurt last month (you can imagine my surprise when being weighed at the doctor) and she's quite active these days. With only 6 weeks or so to go, the trusty Baby Center website tells me she's about the size of a pineapple (woah)!

A few things I've noticed about Shorts lately: 1. Even though I'm tired, I can't help but dance for long periods of time if there's a dance floor and music which leads me to believe she likes to dance. The type of music and setting don't change the outcome. 2. A few nights ago for Todd and Adams' birthday parties we went bowling. Usually, I don't score much higher than 80, but together Shorts and I scored about 115! Do we have a future bowler on our hands? Her daddy is a Big Lebowski fan after all!  3. Last weekend in the car, Todd and I were chatting to future Zayde (grandpa in Yiddish) Jason on speaker phone. Shorts began doing in-utero somersaults! Could she already be taking a liking to her grandparents' voices? I realize these are all guesses but it's been fun to dream up her interests and personality traits.

Todd definitely deserves some public recognition for cooking ridiculously good pancakes lately, telling me I'm a good sport and beautiful (and meaning it) even though I'm occasionally complaining and sharing not-so-attractive information with him, making me laugh by greeting me with his stomach out too, and being proactive with the "just say yes" campaign.  We've been living it up the last few months between road trips, going out on week nights, and generally trying to say yes to all things fun.  Come August, our lives are about to change in a big and wonderful way and I've heard from other parents out there that the "fly by the seat of your pants" mentality changes pretty drastically.

Lastly, as many of you may know, we've decided not to share Shorts' name until she's born. This is for a few reasons- the main one being that we know life is delicate and that this whole process- when it goes smoothly- is nothing short of a miracle. So, when our hopefully healthy baby girl comes into this world and we see her for the first time, then we'll introduce her and her name. Also, who knows? It could be that she comes out looking just like a "Shorts" and that'll go on the birth certificate! Just kidding. By the way, an extra special thank you to those of you who have donated to LeaderSpring by supporting my pregnancy "marathon" efforts! In the next few weeks I'll be having my week of being ice cream free and walking 13.1 miles in a week. It's not too late to give to this amazingly impactful organization: http://www.leaderspring.org/donate.htm.

Below are some pictures that show the evolution of the baby bump.  

Painting a scene

Let me paint a scene for you, dear friends: Todd is on all fours being caressed and coo'ed by an attractive woman nearly 20 years his senior.  They are being watched by a humored crowd of 40 people or so, including his wife.  "Is this a messed up dream?" you ask.  No, it's reality and not just reality in this crazy town called San Francisco where costumes and nudity are the norm. 

This scene was something I witnessed first hand in Childbirth class last night!  When Todd and I arrived at our first class, I was exhausted from the day- and from the extra weight I'm carrying in front- but I was pleasantly surprised by how engaging the instructor was!  We learned about all sorts of interesting topics like preterm labor warning signs, labor terminology, phases, timeline, etc.  When Todd was in the vulnerable position mentioned above, the instructor was asking the partners of pregnant women to act out strategies to cope with labor pain. 

On a separate note, but related to the "painting" theme, Todd and I got the baby's room painted last weekend!  It's a grey color with hints of light blue and lavendar.  Fun stuff.

Signing off for now.  Coming soon: Pictures of the evolution of the baby bump. 

Getting Started

Inspired by cousin Carly, I have decided to start a blog to write about the adventures of married life, pregnancy, and eventually parenthood in the city by the bay.  Tuesday marked the beginning of the third trimester of pregnancy and what an journey it has been so far!  Life has felt so different and exciting from the moment that Todd and I spotted the smiley face on the at home pregnancy test.  The main differences so far have included eating more baked goods and Indian food than I thought humanly possible, not recognizing my reflection in the mirror, getting offered seats on the train, and feeling so close to someone I haven't met yet (Shorts).  We chat to her sometimes and we've been lucky enough to feel her responses lately in the form of big stomach pulses- especially at night.  Last week at the Marco Benevento concert at Yoshi's, she was really kicking up a storm!  Maybe she has a thing for handsome, talented piano players.  Can you blame her?


The name of this blog (thanks, Momma Nogg, for the idea!) is inspired by the nickname of our baby to be.  Several years ago, I was given the nickname Anniepants (or Pants) by Sierra then Len gave our baby bump the nickname "Shorts".  I figure she'll deal with it at least until adolescence... it has really stuck.  Len tried to give Todd various clothing-related nicknames but no winners yet.  If you have creative ideas, send them my way!