52 Celebrations!

What difference a year makes!

2012-01-02T16:07:00.000-08:00

growing up fast baby to boy!

When is he not "super" ?

2010-10-31T23:24:00.000-07:00

We did a couple fun things today in the beautiful CA sunshine. Oh the Giants won game 4 of the World Series and it was Halloween.

Gap Baby?

2010-10-20T21:30:00.000-07:00

What do you think?

Dress Up and Date Night

2010-09-15T22:41:00.000-07:00

A friend from work got married up the street here in Berkeley which provided us a great opportunity to get all dressed up and go out. B was sporting his LA dressed up look, jeans, tennies and all- look while mom rocked a 40s Lucille Ball look. Fun! B inherited the shirt and clip on tie from a coworkers son, it was a 4T so a little big but I just couldn't resist. Felt a little "Michael J Fox circa Family Ties". He didn't hate it as much as he looked like he did...he was just really tired.

After the wedding we took B home to play with our neighbor and Olive for the evening while we had dinner and a night out. We returned to pick up B and he and Olive were still chasing each other around the house laughing and playing at 11:00 pm. Too much fun to sleep!

One Year! Happy Birthday.

2010-09-15T22:08:00.002-07:00

Wow! We made it...all the way around the sun. Lots of love for the birthday.

Grandma and Grandpa Moore traveled all the way from North Carolina and The Metry grandparents and Tita Tinah traveled from Minnesota to celebrate the happy birthday boy. Friends joined us for a playdate in the park with Tamales and chips and pie! Yummy and fun. It was unseasonably cool so B had to pull out the long pants and shirt with his short outfit.

Happy Birthday to the cutest boy in the whole universe. Daddy made a little video of the first year, make sure the volume is on.

11months

2010-09-15T22:08:00.001-07:00

10 months

2010-09-15T22:07:00.002-07:00

9 months

2010-09-15T22:07:00.001-07:00

8 months old

2010-04-10T22:16:00.000-07:00

If I keep you in a Onesie until you're 5...will that make you my baby forever? I like how the Onesie is the great baby equalizer. Age is hard to determine, socio-economic status, even gender. And all babies look like, well babies in the Onesie.

Eight months has included lots of change for our family. For us this month change came in the form of me getting an unexpected job offer. I knew my job situation would be changing but I thought I had a couple more months to do the part time thing and spend more time with B. I've been a working girl for the past 24 years and this new job at 32-40 hours a week (my choice) is providing me and the family full time benefits, for me the first time EVER in 24 years I have job benefits! That alone is what is getting me up at 7 each morning to take BART to the big city (SF) to work as the office manager at Yoga Journal. It's a good fit and I've been there before when I was first PG with B -I covered my friends maternity leave. So 3 days a week I barely get to see the boy and 2 days a week I am home just after lunchtime. Not bad. He is getting some serious daddy time.

My mom came to help with the transition and it was wonderful. We had her housekeeping and babykeeping aide for 2 weeks, we miss her tons!

So once again I have the perfect excuse for not posting sooner. It's that darn change, getting in the way again.

Face the Change

2010-02-12T21:59:00.000-08:00

Banneker is almost 7 months old- phew! Everyday he gets a little bigger, as in big boy. Not in size, but in growing up. Earlier in the week B was in good spirits but not himself, when I got home from work, I had a feeling about teeth. Up until this day, I had said, no no no he's not getting teeth, he will soon but not now, with varying symptoms, many people have suggested teeth. But on this day I had a feeling, I reached in his mouth and felt a little something on the left. It took several tries to get a gander, he kept putting his tongue over the little protrusion but there it was, the first little tooth. It was so weird, I had a genuine sense of excitement, a little rush followed quickly by my eyes welling up. My little baby is getting a tooth! It was exciting and sad all in the same minute. How will I get through his whole life? I've been thinking of all the milestones, yet to come. The sitting, crawling, walking are developmental and happen over time but BOOM! there it is -a tooth! I get a lump in my throat thinking about it. The very next day taking another look to be sure, there was #2. Two teeth in two days, I get a break now I hope, I can only face so much change.

6 months

2010-01-25T23:37:00.000-08:00

WOW! half a year has gone by. little B is growing up fast. he's six months old today. it's winter here in northern cal, it's raining. been raining for a while now. good thing B can sit up by himself now, with being indoors most of the day he entertains himself by disassembling the puzzle board, tearing down the block towers we make, ripping apart any paper he can get his hands on and so on. you get the idea, one has to tear down to build up. i think B is tearing down his infant self becoming a baby, ready to do baby things, like sit, eat, crawl, discover. it is a really amazing thing to see a little human brain develop and learn on a day to day basis one little thing after another. he's blissful every moment he is not crying. he doesn't cry much. jeff and i are both crushed and elated with each giggle and bright-eyed smile we get for our efforts at silly faces and silly voices. when B gets up in the morning and sees us he smiles with recognition, what a way to start each day with a full and happy heart. when one of us walks in the door from being gone a few minutes or hours, he happily greets us with that same grin of, "i see you." those yogic/avatar words. he sees us, we see him. he is both robust and fragile in body, mind and spirit but we see him we recognize every day the wonderful gift he is and we get to experience it day in and day out. happy 6 months on planet earth little B ---we see you. namaste

Generosity

2010-01-14T12:00:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year, lots of firsts

2010-01-14T11:59:00.002-08:00

5 Months holiday+family

2010-01-14T11:59:00.001-08:00

Double Time

2010-01-14T11:58:00.002-08:00

I used to go to the gym in my late 20s. I took classes because I lack the self discipline to workout on my own. There were all sorts of new funky classes to take but once I got the hang of it I really liked step aerobics. There comes a time in the class where you amp up before the cooling down begins, and sometimes it was hitting the step "double time". This requires a bit of accuracy, energy, concentration, and speed. With a brain and body running basically on naps and hormones for the last 5 months, step class would be a little much for me right now, though I could sure use it. But my whole life is actually a series of "double time" exercises. I get in the shower, between washing my own ass and face I am cleaning poop off clothes and diaper covers. Well at least the hot water is running down my back. While B naps on my lap I cut his finger and toe nails. I have to do it- those little things get razor sharp and cause the smallest scratches that oddly take days to heal. At least I get to watch him sleep peacefully. I go to work, pump in the bathroom while reading Wired or PC magazine, keeping up on the latest technology solutions, if I am really desperate for time, I actually go to the bathroom while pumping, tmi but this is the life of the double time mom...is that a super hero name by any chance..."Jeff!?" It should be. Where are the superhero mom characters? We really exist! Double Time to the rescue, able to leap diaper heaps in a single bound while holding a screaming baby, faster that a speeding bullet, dinner is made and the dishes are done all during the last 40 minute nap of the day. Yay! for Double Time mom!

4 months old- Thanksgiving

2010-01-14T11:58:00.001-08:00

The Calendar Boy

2009-12-02T12:50:00.000-08:00

So they are making a VERY limited amount of these calendars, but the pages are posted on the website, if you want one let me know asap. Otherwise email TinyTots like I did and tell them they should print more and sell in online store and donate profits to charity. They DID turn out pretty cute. And they did make Banneker "Mr. July"!

http://www.tinytots.com/info/2010cal.html

Happy Birthday Papa.

2009-11-24T23:11:00.000-08:00

It's Jeff's birthday today. I guess for me everyone is getting the gift of Banneker this year. Hey, it gets me off the hook easy for creative gift giving, and it is a great gift for anyone after all.

For Jeff's birthday my sister and I embarked on B's first art project. I could not have done it without her, we needed all the hands we could get. I wanted to make hand and foot prints. They no longer do this in the hospital, and I have always loved seeing the little hand and foot prints that are from babies. So we greased up B and went to town with some water soluble paints. The result was adorable and my favorite is this unprompted Vulcan greeting...and this is how we know he is his father's son.

Happy Birthday Papa.

the daddy blog

2009-11-12T23:35:00.000-08:00

Jeff started a fatherhood blog.
He will be posting video there, go check it out.

Here is a link to the most recent activity. Good stuff!

http://jeffspoplife.blogspot.com/2009_11_01_archive.html

Value

2009-11-12T22:44:00.000-08:00

We are broke. I know it’s true for many American’s right now. For us after an extra month off work for me with no FMLA or Disability and Jeff on unemployment for several months, it is catching up with us. Don’t get me wrong, we eat and pay the rent and a few bills, but for now that’s about it. Jeff hates it when I say anything in terms of lack or negative, it’s bad energy and he is right- it is, but I am just being honest.. We are broke- nothing extra being purchased here. The thing is I don’t miss much and if I just don’t go out or online, I don’t feel lack or negative. We have what we need and it makes what we have all the more valuable.

Of course what we value a lot right now is our time with Banneker. I only work part time and Jeff can be with B while I work and we do not take this time for granted. But we thought hey, why not put Banneker to work too?

First stop, diaper service 2010 calendar contest. “Green Babies Wear Cotton Diapers” theme. I told Jeff it would be silly if we didn’t come up with something to send in, so Jeff’s idea was to throw B in with a bunch of diapers and take some pics. So we did. The contest deadline was last Wednesday at midnight. B had taken a nap a little late (poor child was all mixed up with daylight time) and I kind of panicked because I thought he was confused and would sleep through the night and we’d miss the deadline. Sure enough, he woke up less than an hour later, his regular nap length and he was in a GREAT mood. We clicked away and not only got this shot but about 50 other priceless ones. Not to mention a few giggles from him. So off the image went at about 10 p.m. to the diaper service and the very next day, it was official, we won! He is a 2010 calendar boy. One month of free diapers, way to go B! Next stop…well any suggestions? Contests? Agents you know?

He has no idea what we have done, making him work for his diapers at such a young age. And he doesn’t care, he had a great time laying in all the soft cotton diapers and giggling and having both mom and dad smile and give him lots of attention. I value what we did together as a family to accomplish this silly little victory. That’s how I see it not negative, not lack, not broke. That’s what value is anyway, right? It’s not about a deal you got at Walmart. It’s about what is positive and abundant and full in your life. In that little evening photo shoot I was reminded how rich my life is with the cutest baby in the world, a skill set to help me capture and share that and knowing some how some way we are truly doing all right.

Not too scarey

2009-11-12T22:08:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween!
We met our neighbor Stefanie and her daughter Olive to walk around to a couple houses in the area. Mostly to show off our cute little babies. Olive was wearing a cow suit and Banneker had inherited a "trick or treat" shirt with glow in the dark stars, we also had a little green top (hat) for him so his costume was a "human bean" I think it was Stephanie who said it.

The girls who live next door go all out with the decorations and an adult after party. It's creepy scarey cool and draws lots of attention and shreeks. So we took a picture in their graveyard. Then down the street this other guy was all decked out and Jeff was more scared than B (see pic). It all just looked like lights, shapes and smoke to B so he wasn't startled or scared.

What I think was really interesting about Banneker's non-reaction to it all was, well his non reaction. He has no history that tells him a story about how he should be or feel in a situation so he just is seeing it for what it is, interesting lights, and sounds and colors and darkness. He only reacts when his needs are not met and that is his short history. The usual: hungry, tired, bored, wet. It's so great to witness that newness, untainted by stories and history. It seems real and true with a capital T! Sheesh we make up a lot of stories as we grow up- don't we? And we get attached to those stories and we think they are us, but really it's all just lights, and sounds and colors and darkness. And really it's not too scarey.

3 months old

2009-10-25T22:37:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrated B's 3 month birthday by hanging out with friends at the park. Then we got our chocolate dessert, a torte this time and B performed his caped flying baby routine for us. Enjoy!

the making of a human being

2009-10-22T00:18:00.001-07:00

10 fingers
all exactly like dad’s
10 toes
big toes are mine, the rest dad’s
2 ears
perfect, mom and dad have good ears
2 big brown eyes, long eyelashes
dark ring mine, lashes mine, brown, dad
2 expressive eyebrows
50:50
long torso
mine
long legs
dad
alert in the world…
we may never know where that is from but likely a huge part of the reason he is here with us as his parents.

Seal and Heidi Klum had their 4th child recently and Seal had this to say… "It's difficult to imagine loving another child as much as you love your existing children," "Anyone who has a family will tell you this. Where will one find that extra love? If you love your existing children with all of your heart, how then can one possibly find more heart with which to love another?"

At 7:46 p.m. on Friday, he continued, "the answer to this question came in the form of our fourth child and second daughter... From the moment she looked into both of our eyes it was endless love at first sight. She is beautiful beyond words and we are happy that she chose us to watch her grow over the coming years."

When your baby is brand new, you don’t know him or her, they are a perfect stranger. You know the baby is yours but you don’t know the baby. I think the first 6-8 weeks are getting to know who your baby is and learning to love love love them too. Yes, it’s love at first sight but you don’t know them. As Banneker approaches 3 months. We know him more. This will change, but for now we know him. His 10 toes and fingers. His scrunched up nose when he cries. His morning ease. His tight grip on our fingers. His favorite toys. How he loves to be tightly swaddled to sleep. His little sucking mouth on my shoulder when he’s hungry. How he grabs his hair when something is intense for him. His pooping face. He loves to “fly”, likely thanks to his dad making up a theme song for him that is oddly like the Superman song. He is secure now knowing that we take care of him. We are secure knowing we can take care of him and each day we know him more and love him more. We made him, that trips me out the most, we made another human being. I recognize the physical part we made, the things that are like me or like Jeff and that is really amazing. I also see he has his own unique spirit that we are not responsible for him having, but incredibly blessed that he chose us to share it with. Like any parent, I consider him quite perfect and I really heart him!

Numbers Game

2009-10-01T04:27:00.000-07:00

2 months old
3 a.m.
13 pounds

All I have to report these days seems to be wrapped up in numbers. I was going to post the 13# blog when we had him happily weighing in at 13#s and that was after spitting up on the pediatrician's floor 2x (see #s). The Dr asked "Does he do that often?" To which we replied yes and he said well weight doesn't seem to be an issue so... So, I did my research and think Banneker is a "happy spitter" more of a laundry and social problem rather than a medical problem was how they put it.

He is 2 months old, 2 months, again seems like he should be 2 years and also wow 2 months, its true we don't get any younger. He's more chatty, more smiley,more engaged. We took him to Minneapolis for a visit before the snow flies and he did awesome on the plane and awesome with all the attention and activity he had while there. Thanks for all the love friends! Wish summer and fall lasted longer there.

And here it is 3 a.m. well now 4 and I am writing this lame post because I wanted to post pictures before he is 3 months old. I was the recipient of MN germs and got a cold while there so by the time he goes to sleep for the first time at night around 8 or 9 all I want to do is join him that leaves little time for writing and posting, so here you go. Enjoy 2 months, 13 # and 3 a.m.

social smile

2009-09-07T12:51:00.000-07:00

From Loka Yoga’s Blog and Alice Joanou-Oakland’s finest yoga instructor:

When I am, not Mother Theresa patient with the girls...
When I imagine the Berkeley Bowl going up in flames...
When I use words that would wilt a flower...
When I manage to fail at each and every one of the yamas and niyamas in ONE SINGLE day...
When I shove the cat off the bed without remorse...
When I am mentally cruel to myself and others, especially when in front of a mirror...
When I am quite sure that the Galileo was wrong and that surely the earth is rotating around ME
I think, Jeez Louise, this Yoga is not working...
And David says: "Just imagine what your life would be like without it."

Though my practice is slow going. My life is still yoga and Alice’s quote from her blog was apropos. Six weeks into this and I have finally rested in the place where I realize life is different and I now have 2 priorities, one to go to work to make a little money to pay the bills and two to take care of Banneker. It’s incredibly simple and yogic. Now I just have to convince Jeff of the same thing. When he is at home the short 3 hours a day I go to the office, I told him he has to look at it as the 3 hours he feeds, changes, plays with and puts down to nap Banneker and if he gets one more thing done it’s a bonus. It takes some (ok, a lot) of reconditioning. But it’s really pretty cool when you think about it in our busy life’s: it’s paring back, getting down to the good stuff. It’s one thing to have a partner in life and have to consider their feelings and take into consideration their choices. It’s another entirely to have someone depend on you and realize there is something more pressing and important than if you get to shower today. Humbling.

Then there is this 6-week landmark, the time your child begins to recognize you and even smile. The book said “it’s the most emotionally gratifying thing” and they are so right. All this time you make yourself crazy with no sleep and a lifestyle change beyond, what you could ever conceive.
… and then this little shining, beaming, cooing, glowing, sparkling gem shows up in the form of a little smile on your child’s face and it’s aimed at you and it feels like the biggest, warmest, sweetest hug around your heart and you feel everything is good in the world and it is. And like my yoga practice, I can’t imagine what my life would be like without it.

Happy BIRTHday

2009-08-25T20:19:00.000-07:00

It's hard to think about Banneker's actual birth day. All the events leading up to him getting here, and dealing with kaiser are disappointing to say the least. The short of it is that I thought by going to the "KP Birth Center" in Walnut Creek we would have a good chance of having a staff that trusted birth and supported a natural birth. In the end the KP Birth Center was just a hospital, and we ended up with a hospital birth, in other words a C-section. You hear the staff and other mom's who have had an unexpected c-section say that in the end it doesn't matter, as long as they arrive healthy. It does matter, it matters that the one thing women are predisposed to do is marginalized and the work we are set up to do to get babies here is seen as something we really can't and shouldn't do and so we are not supported. And as with all institutions- financial, political, educational, medical-fear establishes what is normal. Really think about all the decisions we make on a daily basis that are motivated by fear. We have even forgotten how to trust our intuition, and if someone warns us of an impending danger, real or manufactured, we are afraid and our once sensitive nervous system no longer accurately tells us to fight or flight. So it does matter, it matters that we fight and not be afraid. I don't want to raise my son in fear and worry, and I won't so if I am "that mom" forever, forgive me Banneker, I am sorry if you are embarrassed, but you will be strong and healthy and free, and you deserve that. So happy BIRTH day Banneker after being here just ONE MONTH, you are the most beautiful reminder of love, compassion and freedom, thank you for choosing us to be your mom and dad.
And... Happy 4th Birthday to my little friends Evan and August who entered the world with just a moments notice 4 years ago and taught me and their mom and dad (Laura and Rob) all about trust and love and compassion and freedom. I know little bits of day to day freedom are widdled away with every new being, but Evan and August taught all of us that freedom is also one moment by one short moment. I cherish each short moment of freedom I spent with them starting August 23, 2005, those moments allowed me the courage to have Banneker.

LOVE

2009-08-22T22:52:00.001-07:00

I remember my friend Andrea said that there was more love in the world after the birth of her daughter. It's true every little being that finds his or her way here adds more love, because they make every living thing around them see more love, feel more love, express more love. I think it goes back to that purity that comes with being brand new in the world. We hope you find more love in your day today and if not we are ready for your visit so you can see for yourself. Thanks for all the love Auntie Tinah, we will miss having you nearby. And thanks Andrea (other Andrea) for being so inspired, check it out: www.chooselovemore.com

3 weeks old

2009-08-14T23:37:00.001-07:00

Already... and it seems like it's been 3 months.

Life- when it gets in the way-breathe

2009-08-09T12:46:00.000-07:00

Life: the thing we DO everyday. What's that saying? "Life is what happens when you are busy making plans" We come to have this idea that life is what’s happening to us and in a sense it is happening to us with each inhale and exhale. Not exactly the same kind of life we plan for though, you know all the things you want to do and be and have and accomplish. It’s my awesome yogi students who are reminding me to breath to experience the here and now with each breath and I do and I have to remind myself of it now more than ever- each breath is for me so that I can be there for my son and husband too.
The other kind of life is experienced through each new breath. The miraculous thing that we don’t have to plug in, that is both voluntary and involuntary- the thing that connects us to the infinite supply of the universe. I think of Banneker taking his first breath. I couldn’t see him, I wasn’t there to help him or experience it with him, but I heard him breath life here on this planet. The first breath, so clean and pure and new. Now when I watch him breath in his sleep it speeds up and slows down and he pants like a little puppy and there are all these little interruptions in the clean and pure and new that was and I feel a little sad and it reminds me how quick life moves, get’s in the way of our plans, and in the way of our breath.
Life is on a spectrum from birth to passing and the spectrum eventually becomes circular and closes. My dear mentor and friend Hilary is at the other end of life’s breath with her mother right now. Cheers to the first and the last breath and all the breaths in between and here’s hoping life doesn’t get in the way. And to Mrs Bullock and her life, especially her last breath it will be as clean and pure and new as the first one.

We Are Family

2009-08-02T22:43:00.001-07:00

Weekends are always different than the week even though neither Jeff or I have a "normal" schedule. We have a family schedule now and both of us are tripping out about it. I wonder when you change from whose baby is that? To whatever is next.

My good friend Erika is here this weekend celebrating his one week birthday with us, cooking and cleaning and holding a baby on demand. We know each other well so it's very easy for me to have her here, and I am sure she's glad it's only the weekend. I wish she lived down the street. Thanks for everything Erika! Which reminds me Banneker turned one week old yesterday. Jeff was supposed to post but looks like he forgot, I 'll have him try again.

So they say it's best having family nearby after the birth of a child. Okay I get it. We are officially overwhelmed. I know time marches on in all circumstances and things change so I try not to get caught up in the moments I realize... I can't and have no desire to return a phone call, I am once again behind the 8 ball due to the antics of kaiser with breast feeding, when I can't bend to get something I dropped, when I feel absolutely no core strength, when I miss running around doing nothing with Jeff on the weekend, when my yoga practice consists of sitting up straight or using the door frame for a simple side stretch, when I have nothing to do but sit in the back yard and knit.
Time marches on and we are a family now.

good night

2009-08-01T02:30:00.000-07:00

One week ago we were still uping the Pitocin drip at about this time and hopeful we would be more actively in labor soon. Our hospital room was well worn and our favorite nurse Katharyn was getting ready to leave our shift. She was the angel that got us through our kaiser experience I think of her everyday. When she came to introduce herself she said "I really trust this process." Which was exactly what I was hoping to hear from anyone at kaiser. I thought of writing on my belly before we got there "trust birth" and "today is my birthday" as she left she told us she was excited to see our son and us on her next shift, she said we were a beautiful team and our baby was lucky to have us. So good night Ms Katharyn we are thinking of you.

The Advantage of Being a Photographer.

2009-07-29T22:09:00.000-07:00

he's here

2009-07-29T06:41:00.000-07:00

Banneker Lewis Moore

named after Benjamin Banneker look it up!

July 25, 2009

8:54 p.m.

8# 6 oz

20 inches

Yes he really IS that cute.

At home now.

Visiting hours: not now

donations at the door: accepting 24/7

more info as we can

send your "out now" vibes

2009-07-23T01:11:00.000-07:00

So today is officially 42 weeks. It's a long time to be in the mama. Lots of women hold them in longer. We aren't trying to keep him in too long but we have been letting him have his own time in there and in true Metry Moore fashion, he's chillin'. So now we are telling him he has to come. Not because we have it out for him or we've run out of patience or whatever but because now is the time. Like when you move your baby from the crib (or your bed) to his own bed.

We have had to endure the absolute ridiculousness of Kaiser Permanente and their protocol for a woman at 42 weeks, which is geriatric to them. To give you a small taste of how "seriously concerned for my well being" they are...they called the police when we missed an appointment to come to our house and see if we were okay today. Seriously they did...any lawyers out there? I think it's an invasion of privacy or something. So we had him checked on today (monitored), strong little heartbeat, all is well and we SPRUNG up out of there, determined to come back in labor on our own without their well meaning concern.

So send us out your energy for labor now and protection from the evils of KP!

We love you and hope to have news tomorrow. He's a LEO now.

Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

2009-07-19T19:50:00.000-07:00

Well we are rapidly approaching the day where we are going to have to check ourselves into the hospital and bring our son into this world and the one thing I have learned from all of this is.....patience. This Journey with my wife has been an amazing one as I know all fathers, old and new can attest to. We have both grandmothers here at the house and they are eagerly awaiting their new grandson. Here's Nana Moore having a bite of lunch and braving the chilly Emmeryville Marina. Hopefully She will see her new grandson this week.

fruit

2009-07-17T20:12:00.000-07:00

…low hanging fruit,

...fruit of our labor,

...fruit of the loom.

We had a midwife appointment today that turned into a lot of things besides just an appt to check out our health and wellbeing. Which we are all doing fine, strong and healthy. What started as a scheduled appt became a Kaiser induced series of fear-based procedures including 2 ultra sounds, combined 90 minutes of fetal monitoring, an induction date set, admission to the hospital labor and delivery department, discharge from the hospital labor and delivery department and of course that warm Kaiser reception we were totally expecting (not really). In the picture are my admission bracelet and discharge papers, solid proof of the administrative fees we will now owe Kaiser because they don’t want us to take them to the bank.

And so it feels a little like we have labored today and not really seen the fruits of our labor however if you count the fact that we are now safely at home in the VERY early stages of laboring for our son, and not connected to Pitocin and epiderals, we have the first fruits of our labor. We are depending on some of the classics (walking, warm baths, staying busy), and some of our preferred methods like- herbs, acupuncture and some patience. With all that Kaiser put us through yesterday, I said to Jeff maybe they were wrong about the boy part, but we did see him looking adorable in the ultra sound and still sporting his little boy parts waiting to fit into his first pair of fruit of the looms . So we will wait and see and trust the process. I am feeling a little like he is the low hanging fruit right now, the kind that is ripe and within reach but still connected to the tree. We will let you know when the pickin' happens.

07.08.09

2009-07-10T06:38:00.000-07:00

The guess date.

But sheesh the pressure.

The natural birth community will tell you not to hang on to the date but it's hard not to AND when it's that cool of a number, you get a little invested. If we did it again I'd ask them to go ahead and add two weeks and tell me that number. You spend the first 35 weeks trying not to deliver then all you want to do is deliver. It's like how you spend all those years trying NOT to get pregnant and then when you want to it's not easy. Well, for some people.

I stopped working this week and spent the week preparing what we can for the arrival. It was kind of nice, like a little UNPAID vacation. I sat in the sun, grocery shopped, cooked, cleaned, rearranged, organized, finished knitting (see pic) and relaxed. In the meantime Jeff started working this week, nothing permanent yet but something for him to do and apparently a great excuse to not hang out with the Metry gals. My mom is here and doing all she can to help prepare, thanks mom!

I am going to go type out our birth plan now. That and pay the bills and we should be REALLY ready to go. Check back for updates.

52 Celebrations!

2009-07-10T06:21:00.000-07:00

I thought about changing the name of the blog today and then decided -every week should be a celebration if you are a newlywed, newlyparent, newlyemployed or whatever. I am also celebrating this blog as our way to stay connected and will use it to update you whenever possible. This is OUR Facebook and if you are interested add it to your bookmarks and check it whenever you need to do a little celebrating.

We are here celebrating..life.
Join us we have a new page, do you?

Then celebrate it!

Check out what we celebrated back in February.

Thanks for the memories!

2007-08-28T16:05:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,
Amy and I have been pacing ourselves and we are happy to announce that thank you cards have been sent out and we are almost done. thanks for everything, Amy and I appreciate your kind gifts and services and most of all your support. I know we say this a lot but you should all know that we care a great deal about you. Also, here a few pics of the wedding. I wanted to get most of our friends and family on our blog so you can see some of the great pictures that were taken (don't fret if you're not on here yet i'm still going through and editing). And pretty soon I will be working on the video that was shot by my baby sis (on her camera) my video camera and footage from Kelly and her husband. Stay tuned.

8-20-07 The Hills are alive......

2007-08-20T18:42:00.000-07:00

Okay everyone Jeff (aka the "J" in jamy) here,
This past weekend Amy's friend Vasna took us to Mt. Diablo and surprised us with an impromptu photo shoot. the view was awesome as you can see but I swear I was about to break out in song like I was trapped in a musical (can you guess which one?) we enjoyed a light dinner and conversation as we watched the sunset. We owe everyone 5 "moore" (pun intended) posts so don't worry they are soon to come. I am currently about to start my new job as a production assistant for a dot com company doing virtual golf, which is cool and I am still plugging away at my documentary that i am putting together now after my trip to canada for the second time went off well. So stay tuned moore to come.

Jamy

O7.14.O7

2007-08-13T09:34:00.000-07:00

We did it!
We got married in Minneapolis on July 14, 2007. We decided to follow it through for a year with 52 Celebrations of...you know, like the invite said, above all things LOVE.
Stay tunned, we will post a link for pictures soon.
Thanks for all the love and support.
Jamy