When Grandma and Grandpa Lutz visited us in Denver, they brought Sophie a duck that sings and quacks and is super cute, which she loved! Well, it got dirty and I kind of a little bit maybe forgot to wash it - until now. Whoopsies. So I washed it and gave it back to her. Here is a video of her making it sing and her reaction to the music. So sweet!
12/17/09
12/10/09
Birthday pictures
Sophie turned one last Monday, where had an intimate family celebration separate from the Cirque one. We did presents [she got a dolly, books and some blocks] and she had her very own cupcake that I made just for her! Here are a few pictures of the birthday princess.
12/7/09
One year ago...
Hello, my name is Adrienne, and I’m in denial.
Hello, Adrienne.
My sweet, adorable, beautiful baby girl is NOT turning one. She is NOT leaving infancy behind and turning into a *gulp* toddler before our very eyes. She is NOT becoming her own person. *sobbing* She is NOT gaining independence and leaving her parents behind!
Aaaaaand I’m breathing.
Sophie Adele, once so small in our arms, won’t stay there anymore. She’s too busy exploring, wanting to crawl and move. Every so often, she’ll look back at one of us and give us the biggest six-toothed smile, reassuring herself that we’re here [and us in the process], and that’s where we’re staying. Having her, she has unknowingly made our lives inherently better and has blessed us in a million ways. Her toothy smiles, her noises and babbling, her sighs when she sleeps, her toots and burps, her laughs, when she shares her paci and her sippy cup, when she waves at complete strangers at the store, when she giggles after she sneezes, when she claps when I sing to her, when she sticks out her tongue when looking in the mirror at herself, when she squeals with delight being on the swings. These all make up this little person she is. My heart swells and I don’t ever want to forget how she is right now, before she grows up any more. I want to keep looking back, as Sophie does every so often, but I know I can’t. All we can do is be there when she looks back, teaching her everything we can about life and how to make the right choices, equipping her for her future, whatever that may be. I may not be ready for it, but it’s happening nonetheless.
Yesterday, we decided since it was a double dark, that we should have a little get together on site to celebrate. I bought balloons and the people at the store gave Sophie a free balloon with “Baby” on it. Apparently they did not tie it on well enough, and it flew away. As it was drifting higher and higher, farther and farther away, I had a moment. You ever have that, like in Calvin and Hobbes, when something ‘clicks,’ Calvin has an asterisk over his head? I had one. I was watching Sophie’s babyhood float away. Literally. That action perfectly sums up exactly how I am feeling.
I remember the day she was born so vividly. It was a Sunday and we were living in Alexandria, VA. I was 35 1/2 weeks pregnant, clearly NOT even close to my estimated due date. Jim’s alarm went off. And went off. And went off, always hitting snooze. He got up and I was going to stay in bed a while longer, seeing as making a baby is hard and tiring work. He was eating breakfast and getting ready to leave soon, and since I had a baby’s head pushing on my bladder, I decided to use the restroom. I got up and there was a gushing of liquid. And I wasn’t peeing. I barely made it to the bathroom and called Jim. He came and brought me my cell phone so I could call the doctor. After he kindly offered to make breakfast for us, I think figured this was probably the real thing. Thank goodness I ate those eggs he made me, ice chips and popsicles for a day as exhausting as that is NOT OKAY, but that’s another post. Anyway, he made sure I ate and brought garbage bags to sit on in the car (heh heh!), grabbed my overnight bag and body pillow and we were out the door. He went to get the car while I got dressed and met him in the front. Anthony Gatto, the juggler, was leaving to go to work when he noticed that Jim was driving a bit fast for a parking lot. He called to us and Jim quickly said, “Water broke!” and he nodded knowingly and wished us luck.
The drive to Fairfax, VA was a quick one, since it was Sunday. [We had two “scares” earlier that week, with horrible traffic!] Jim dropped me off to park, and I went upstairs to check in. I remember them asking, “Are you in labor?” “Well, my water broke, so yeah!” She got me checked in and asked if I wanted a wheelchair. Nope. I met Jim by the elevators and we walked to Labor and Delivery together,
They put me in a room, and Jim started doing all the right things: turning on relaxing music, massaging my shoulders and feet, talking to me, reminding me to breathe. This was it. Here we go. The nurse came in, put me on an IV and hooked me up to the monitor. A few hours later, the contractions were getting pretty uncomfortable, so I asked for the epidural. I won’t get too graphic here, but honestly, that was the worst pain I had all that day. The guy took four pokes to get it right. Whew! After that, it was all worth it.
So, this same scenario went on for a few more hours, waiting for the baby to descend. She never did. In fact, every time I had a contraction, her heart rate went so far down that the nurses and doctor came rushing in. They put me on oxygen and didn’t tell me or Jim what was going on. The doctor recommended a c-section. Scared could not even begin to explain how I was feeling. I didn’t really want one but about a month before had a gut feeling it was going to happen. Later on, the doctor told me that the cord was wrapped around her neck TWICE. I am so thankful they acted as quickly as they did. There are so many ‘coulds’– she could have had brain damage from lack of oxygen, or worst-case, she could have died.
They wheeled me into the room, making Jim stay outside while the prepped me. I was so cold I was shivering and nauseous. They gave me warm blankets and a shot of something in my IV to make me not get sick. All I wanted was to see my baby and see my husband. I did not want to be alone. Finally, Jim was allowed to come in and he sat facing me. He held my hand and talked to me, knowing I was scared. I didn’t feel anything and the next thing I knew, Sophie Adele was born on December 7, 2008 and 9:48 pm. Her cry was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard, over all the symphonies and overtures I had experienced in my life. I knew at hearing her cry that everything was going to be okay, that we were a family now, and we would work through everything together.
A year later, she has grown into the most beautiful person. A beautiful TODDLER. She has a gentleness I cannot explain, and a sweet, soft nature. She’s genuine. This year has gone by faster than I can ever fathom, but every second we have spent with her has been a blessing, and a pure joy!
Before:
Currently:
Hello, Adrienne.
My sweet, adorable, beautiful baby girl is NOT turning one. She is NOT leaving infancy behind and turning into a *gulp* toddler before our very eyes. She is NOT becoming her own person. *sobbing* She is NOT gaining independence and leaving her parents behind!
Aaaaaand I’m breathing.
Sophie Adele, once so small in our arms, won’t stay there anymore. She’s too busy exploring, wanting to crawl and move. Every so often, she’ll look back at one of us and give us the biggest six-toothed smile, reassuring herself that we’re here [and us in the process], and that’s where we’re staying. Having her, she has unknowingly made our lives inherently better and has blessed us in a million ways. Her toothy smiles, her noises and babbling, her sighs when she sleeps, her toots and burps, her laughs, when she shares her paci and her sippy cup, when she waves at complete strangers at the store, when she giggles after she sneezes, when she claps when I sing to her, when she sticks out her tongue when looking in the mirror at herself, when she squeals with delight being on the swings. These all make up this little person she is. My heart swells and I don’t ever want to forget how she is right now, before she grows up any more. I want to keep looking back, as Sophie does every so often, but I know I can’t. All we can do is be there when she looks back, teaching her everything we can about life and how to make the right choices, equipping her for her future, whatever that may be. I may not be ready for it, but it’s happening nonetheless.
Yesterday, we decided since it was a double dark, that we should have a little get together on site to celebrate. I bought balloons and the people at the store gave Sophie a free balloon with “Baby” on it. Apparently they did not tie it on well enough, and it flew away. As it was drifting higher and higher, farther and farther away, I had a moment. You ever have that, like in Calvin and Hobbes, when something ‘clicks,’ Calvin has an asterisk over his head? I had one. I was watching Sophie’s babyhood float away. Literally. That action perfectly sums up exactly how I am feeling.
I remember the day she was born so vividly. It was a Sunday and we were living in Alexandria, VA. I was 35 1/2 weeks pregnant, clearly NOT even close to my estimated due date. Jim’s alarm went off. And went off. And went off, always hitting snooze. He got up and I was going to stay in bed a while longer, seeing as making a baby is hard and tiring work. He was eating breakfast and getting ready to leave soon, and since I had a baby’s head pushing on my bladder, I decided to use the restroom. I got up and there was a gushing of liquid. And I wasn’t peeing. I barely made it to the bathroom and called Jim. He came and brought me my cell phone so I could call the doctor. After he kindly offered to make breakfast for us, I think figured this was probably the real thing. Thank goodness I ate those eggs he made me, ice chips and popsicles for a day as exhausting as that is NOT OKAY, but that’s another post. Anyway, he made sure I ate and brought garbage bags to sit on in the car (heh heh!), grabbed my overnight bag and body pillow and we were out the door. He went to get the car while I got dressed and met him in the front. Anthony Gatto, the juggler, was leaving to go to work when he noticed that Jim was driving a bit fast for a parking lot. He called to us and Jim quickly said, “Water broke!” and he nodded knowingly and wished us luck.
The drive to Fairfax, VA was a quick one, since it was Sunday. [We had two “scares” earlier that week, with horrible traffic!] Jim dropped me off to park, and I went upstairs to check in. I remember them asking, “Are you in labor?” “Well, my water broke, so yeah!” She got me checked in and asked if I wanted a wheelchair. Nope. I met Jim by the elevators and we walked to Labor and Delivery together,
They put me in a room, and Jim started doing all the right things: turning on relaxing music, massaging my shoulders and feet, talking to me, reminding me to breathe. This was it. Here we go. The nurse came in, put me on an IV and hooked me up to the monitor. A few hours later, the contractions were getting pretty uncomfortable, so I asked for the epidural. I won’t get too graphic here, but honestly, that was the worst pain I had all that day. The guy took four pokes to get it right. Whew! After that, it was all worth it.
So, this same scenario went on for a few more hours, waiting for the baby to descend. She never did. In fact, every time I had a contraction, her heart rate went so far down that the nurses and doctor came rushing in. They put me on oxygen and didn’t tell me or Jim what was going on. The doctor recommended a c-section. Scared could not even begin to explain how I was feeling. I didn’t really want one but about a month before had a gut feeling it was going to happen. Later on, the doctor told me that the cord was wrapped around her neck TWICE. I am so thankful they acted as quickly as they did. There are so many ‘coulds’– she could have had brain damage from lack of oxygen, or worst-case, she could have died.
They wheeled me into the room, making Jim stay outside while the prepped me. I was so cold I was shivering and nauseous. They gave me warm blankets and a shot of something in my IV to make me not get sick. All I wanted was to see my baby and see my husband. I did not want to be alone. Finally, Jim was allowed to come in and he sat facing me. He held my hand and talked to me, knowing I was scared. I didn’t feel anything and the next thing I knew, Sophie Adele was born on December 7, 2008 and 9:48 pm. Her cry was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard, over all the symphonies and overtures I had experienced in my life. I knew at hearing her cry that everything was going to be okay, that we were a family now, and we would work through everything together.
A year later, she has grown into the most beautiful person. A beautiful TODDLER. She has a gentleness I cannot explain, and a sweet, soft nature. She’s genuine. This year has gone by faster than I can ever fathom, but every second we have spent with her has been a blessing, and a pure joy!
Before:
Currently:
11/27/09
Flashback Friday and Thanksgiving
This FF is one of my favorites! She was almost 5 months old, and we were in Sears getting the tires rotated. I put them on for fun and snapped a picture. So cute!
Yesterday was Sophie's first Thanksgiving. She's still a little young to know the full meaning of the day, but she's the living example of how significant the day is to us. We are so blessed and thankful to have her in our lives. We went to site for dinner and I made cupcakes. Here is a sampling of what I made.
Turkey cupcakes
Red velvet football cupcakes and
Banana cupcakes with homemade Nutella buttercream frosting
with leaf sprinkles
Stripe cookies with chocolate-covered marshmallows
to look like pilgrim hats
Yesterday was Sophie's first Thanksgiving. She's still a little young to know the full meaning of the day, but she's the living example of how significant the day is to us. We are so blessed and thankful to have her in our lives. We went to site for dinner and I made cupcakes. Here is a sampling of what I made.
Turkey cupcakes
Red velvet football cupcakes and
Banana cupcakes with homemade Nutella buttercream frosting
with leaf sprinkles
Stripe cookies with chocolate-covered marshmallows
to look like pilgrim hats
11/18/09
Update
Grandma Mallory came to visit us last weekend, it was wonderful! That's the one downside to being on the road, being so far away from our families. That's the whole reason I started this blog. Plus it helps me write down all the cute stuff that happens so I won't forget. When Sophie is graduating high school we can look back and have these blog posts here to remind us how she used to be.
Anyway, Grandma, Sophie and I went to Universal Studios and had a great time. There were hardly any people on a Sunday and no lines for anything. Sophie met Dora the Explorer, Bart Simpson and was a total sweetheart. Of course, she has no idea who those characters are, but anyway...
SO! Lots of stuff happened within the last week! Sophie is CRAWLING!
She is clapping and waving now too!
She is a pro at eating finger foods! She even uses her pincer grasp and puts them in her mouth herself! This is a HUGE milestone! Her favorite are the sweet potato puffs, green puffs and Cheerios. Here is a video of her eating a puff, then showing me it's "all gone!" [Note: make sure your sound is off, I may have squealed excitedly a little bit during the filming of this puff being demolished.]
Anyway, Grandma, Sophie and I went to Universal Studios and had a great time. There were hardly any people on a Sunday and no lines for anything. Sophie met Dora the Explorer, Bart Simpson and was a total sweetheart. Of course, she has no idea who those characters are, but anyway...
SO! Lots of stuff happened within the last week! Sophie is CRAWLING!
She is clapping and waving now too!
She is a pro at eating finger foods! She even uses her pincer grasp and puts them in her mouth herself! This is a HUGE milestone! Her favorite are the sweet potato puffs, green puffs and Cheerios. Here is a video of her eating a puff, then showing me it's "all gone!" [Note: make sure your sound is off, I may have squealed excitedly a little bit during the filming of this puff being demolished.]
11/10/09
A la plage
Today Sophie experienced the So Cal sand for the very first time! We had a lot of fun and she thoroughly enjoyed playing. Surprisingly, she did not attempt to have it for lunch. Here's a quick video and a few shots of her playing.
11/1/09
Halloween '09
Today was Sophie's first Halloween. A few days ago, we carved a pumpkin and roasted the seeds, which turned out yummy! It was the first time in the 11 years that Jim and I have been together that we've done this. It was very fun and I think we're going to continue the tradition!
This morning, we went to Kindermusik in Hollywood [www.littletreblemakers.net] where all the kids had their costumes on - except Sophie. Whoopsies! She did have a Halloweeney t-shirt on, and the costume she was going to wear is from the show, and would have required a bit of explaining.
Then I brought the 112 mini cupcakes I baked and decorated to site where they held their Halloween party. I made four different kinds: mummy red velvet; spice with and without chocolate chips; cookies 'n cream with spider rings; and vanilla with ghost sprinkles.
We trick-or-treated with the school and showed off how cute Sophie was. Her costume? The Innocent from our very own KOOZA.
About a week ago, I bought some material and a very nice and generous woman from wardrobe named Collette dyed, cut and sewed it together to make this beautiful garment. It was perfect. Plus, we paid her in cupcakes. We owe her some more.
And here's when they met for the first time. Stephan had no idea.
Kooza had a separate party, and we took Sophie. I was dressed as a guilty prisoner and Jim was a judge. Get it?! Innocent? Guilty? Well, we had fun anyway!
This morning, we went to Kindermusik in Hollywood [www.littletreblemakers.net] where all the kids had their costumes on - except Sophie. Whoopsies! She did have a Halloweeney t-shirt on, and the costume she was going to wear is from the show, and would have required a bit of explaining.
Then I brought the 112 mini cupcakes I baked and decorated to site where they held their Halloween party. I made four different kinds: mummy red velvet; spice with and without chocolate chips; cookies 'n cream with spider rings; and vanilla with ghost sprinkles.
We trick-or-treated with the school and showed off how cute Sophie was. Her costume? The Innocent from our very own KOOZA.
About a week ago, I bought some material and a very nice and generous woman from wardrobe named Collette dyed, cut and sewed it together to make this beautiful garment. It was perfect. Plus, we paid her in cupcakes. We owe her some more.
And here's when they met for the first time. Stephan had no idea.
Kooza had a separate party, and we took Sophie. I was dressed as a guilty prisoner and Jim was a judge. Get it?! Innocent? Guilty? Well, we had fun anyway!
10/29/09
Mini update
Howdy all! Not a whole lot going on here in Santa Monica, but I thought I'd give you an update.
Here's a [notsogreat] pic I took of site, next to the pier and the ocean.
Sophie has 5 teeth, with one more on the way. She really enjoys grinding them together so you don't forget she has them. It's really a fantastic sound. Really.
She just recently started picking her belly up off the ground and is really scooting up a storm, but no crawling yet. She is confident in sitting, sitting up from laying down, and going to the crawling position. She is pretty much always happy and sweet. She says "mama" and "dada" and "hi" and waves. We're working on clapping and saying other simple words. Solids aren't going well, anything with texture is not a good thing, although we are making progress with the sweet potato puffs. She has had a few a day with no gagging, so we're headed in the right direction. I really can't wait until we can just go on site [where she eats for free] and she can have what we're having. It's going to be a lot easier I think. We also tried whole milk and she seems to like it. We'll talk to the pedi when we go home to MI for Christmas to see what we should do about the bottles. She gets one 8-oz bottle at night, and three 8-oz meals of a fruit and veggie every day. We'd like to try and wean her off of her bottle, but I think that will come when she's on solids for good.
Last Monday on our day off, we went to a local pumpkin patch to pick out a pumpkin to carve. There, we snapped a few pictures with Sophie in her cute Halloween shirt.
On site, there have been quite a few celebrity sightings. When Sophie and I went and sat on the couch last weekend, Sharon Stone and her son were there. She was super appreciative and even took a few pictures with the cast. Earlier that week, Cher was there. At the premier party, Jim and I met Neil Patrick Harris, who was super nice, down-to-earth and just plain cool! He put his hand out and said, "Hi, I'm Neil." I thought I played it pretty cool, but when he left, I seriously lost my sh*t! He said it was nice to meet us and he even blew Sophie a kiss. He is one of my all-time favorite actors [even more so now!] and it was definitely the highlight of the city!
Last weekend, there was a joint 6-year-old birthday party with the theme "Mermaids and Pirates." I made Little Mermaid cupcakes and pirate cupcakes based on these. [These are not mine, but you get the idea.]:
Since Halloween is this weekend, I will be making Halloween cupcakes for everyone on site, so I'm a little nervous and excited. No fondant this time! :] I'll post pictures of Sophie in her costume soon!
Here's a [notsogreat] pic I took of site, next to the pier and the ocean.
Sophie has 5 teeth, with one more on the way. She really enjoys grinding them together so you don't forget she has them. It's really a fantastic sound. Really.
She just recently started picking her belly up off the ground and is really scooting up a storm, but no crawling yet. She is confident in sitting, sitting up from laying down, and going to the crawling position. She is pretty much always happy and sweet. She says "mama" and "dada" and "hi" and waves. We're working on clapping and saying other simple words. Solids aren't going well, anything with texture is not a good thing, although we are making progress with the sweet potato puffs. She has had a few a day with no gagging, so we're headed in the right direction. I really can't wait until we can just go on site [where she eats for free] and she can have what we're having. It's going to be a lot easier I think. We also tried whole milk and she seems to like it. We'll talk to the pedi when we go home to MI for Christmas to see what we should do about the bottles. She gets one 8-oz bottle at night, and three 8-oz meals of a fruit and veggie every day. We'd like to try and wean her off of her bottle, but I think that will come when she's on solids for good.
Last Monday on our day off, we went to a local pumpkin patch to pick out a pumpkin to carve. There, we snapped a few pictures with Sophie in her cute Halloween shirt.
On site, there have been quite a few celebrity sightings. When Sophie and I went and sat on the couch last weekend, Sharon Stone and her son were there. She was super appreciative and even took a few pictures with the cast. Earlier that week, Cher was there. At the premier party, Jim and I met Neil Patrick Harris, who was super nice, down-to-earth and just plain cool! He put his hand out and said, "Hi, I'm Neil." I thought I played it pretty cool, but when he left, I seriously lost my sh*t! He said it was nice to meet us and he even blew Sophie a kiss. He is one of my all-time favorite actors [even more so now!] and it was definitely the highlight of the city!
Last weekend, there was a joint 6-year-old birthday party with the theme "Mermaids and Pirates." I made Little Mermaid cupcakes and pirate cupcakes based on these. [These are not mine, but you get the idea.]:
Since Halloween is this weekend, I will be making Halloween cupcakes for everyone on site, so I'm a little nervous and excited. No fondant this time! :] I'll post pictures of Sophie in her costume soon!
10/27/09
Ode to eyebrows
As parents, Jim and I are as lucky as they can get. Not only is our beautiful daughter a super sleeper, eater, snuggler and all-around great kid, but she has these facial expressions that cannot be beat. If they gave awards for expressive eyebrows, hers would win every time!
Paparazzi, already? In the hospital, Dec 8 2008, 1 day old
Atalanta, GA 1-2 months old
Baltimore, 4 months, trying sweet potatoes for the first time
New York City, photo shoot for Mothers' Day, 5-6 months old
St. Paul, 7-8 months old
On the road to Denver, 9 months old
And one to grow on
Paparazzi, already? In the hospital, Dec 8 2008, 1 day old
Atalanta, GA 1-2 months old
Baltimore, 4 months, trying sweet potatoes for the first time
New York City, photo shoot for Mothers' Day, 5-6 months old
St. Paul, 7-8 months old
On the road to Denver, 9 months old
And one to grow on
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