Half baked?!?!

How could this be? About two weeks ago we had our 'big' ultrasound. Elena came along to check out the baby. We'd watched youtube videos of ultrasounds, so she knew what to expect. Before hand she 'wrote' down her list of questions (she has learned the morning of my appointments I scribble down a few questions).

First of all, Dos looks great. All the parts are there and functioning. We saw everything from all chambers and valves of the heart to the umbilical cord. Dr. Bradford was a lot of fun because she explained everything much better than the ultrasound tech we had with Elena. We got tons of pictures, I just have to find time to scan a few in for you. No good profiles, because the hands and the feet were up by the head. Elena loved that part, 'the baby has his toes in his ears, just like me!' The heart rate was steady at ~160-170...fast, just like Elena's. Now before you go placing your money on the boy horse, Dr. Bradford says that the 'fast/slow' heart rate thing is only accurate 60% of the time...that's pretty close to 50/50 for this scientist. Elena's heart beat was always that fast, so it remains to be seen if I just have babies with fast beats. But if it's another girl, you are out of luck for your sample size, because we are only having two! The baby was measuring right at ~21 weeks for everything and was estimated to weigh about 12 oz. Froggie legs has some serious poundage to put on. As for my poundage - doing good...gained back my early loss from being so sick (and all of the illness after Chile). I'm up about 7 lbs from my first appointment, which means I'm up about 2 lbs over all. (two weeks in the desert while pregnant is excellent weight control, but a regime I cannot recommend for wide spread use). The baby was moving around a little bit and since then has gotten much more active. Still being a tricky little one and the moment Jake puts his hand on my belly, movement stops. Elena has been really wanting to feel the baby move. Maybe I'll have to try to half a coke while sitting down trick for her soon.

Everything else is pretty much on target (except buying or building furniture for the house and unpacking...don't ask about those). We found a good doula, her name is Michal, who we like a lot and have had our first meeting. This is very important to me especially, because I don't know which doctor will be delivering (though I really hope it is Dr. Bradford, when she asks 'any more questions' at the appointments half the time I'm tempted to say 'will you be my friend? can we hang out?' - you know you are getting old when your doctors become your own age!). But being the control freak that I am, I like to know who will be there to support me. Last time Jake and I certainly needed the support of our doula Terri, whom I give a great deal of credit for my wonderful birth experience and Elena's safe arrival. We are also going to get Elena enrolled in a 'sibling' class at the hospital. We are still figuring out what will happen with Elena when the baby comes. Turns out that Blacksburg is still far away from our pit crew - even on emergency standby.

I'll finish up with some pictures from about 22 weeks.

Where is the belly?


Ahhh, there it is...


Never one to be topped, Elena also frequently has a 'baby Haga' in her belly. Haga is the name of her imaginary little brother who gets into a lot of trouble...

Mimosa the Magnificent!

When Elena was just a wee babe, she had this magnificent nanny who swooped in several times a week to whisk her away to amazing destinations such as unlimited shuttle bus rides around campus and the theater workshop. Then the wonderfully nanny graduated and went away...and Elena moved on to school time. Her days with Mimosa have always been treasured. We've moved all over the world and Mimosa has traveled all over the world. But last week, Mimosa, on a road trip with her friend from CT to CA stopped in for a visit.

Oh was Elena excited!





And so were we to see Mimosa.

It's a good thing that her friend Casey was here to supervise...Jake was busy planning a Nanny-Napping for Baby Dos.

Harry and Hermione reporting for duty

Here's a couple photos of Jake and I all spiffed up to graduate the VT seniors and PhD & masters candidates a couple weeks ago.




Gotta love that UC blue and banana slug yellow (take that Berkeley)

Has anyone seen my wand?

Strawberry fields forever

Last Saturday we decided to take a little jaunt over the Blue Ridge to pick strawberries in Glade Hill. It was the only U-pick we could find. Jake also had a Dutch graduate student, Eveline, here to work on some modeling. We offered for her to come along if she would like to see some country side. She may have gotten more than she bargained for - as we made her pick for her lunch! But it was warm and sunny, so like a good Dutchie she passed on the sun screen and soaked up the rays. While we slathered it on, and I still managed to burn my neck and a strip along my lower back were my droopy maternity pants creeped down!




We ended up with 35 pounds or so of berries. Jake and I spend Saturday night washing and coring them to be frozen. Some in syrup, some whole, some sliced, and some pre-crushed for jam.



Stop by for a visit and we'll make you fresh biscuits to go with homemade strawberry jam.

(and for the record - santa cruz/watsonville still holds the record for tastiest strawberry. Even fresh from the field, it wasn't the same, so for those Cruzians still reading along, enjoy a nice basket from the farmers market for us!)

Mothers Day

That's right. That special day of the year when we celebrate that special person who has given all of us so much, our mother. That day when we, somehow, acknowledge the gifts and sacrifices that our mothers gave us to help us get to where we are. That acknowledgment is habitually expressed via cards, flowers, other small gifts, breakfast in bed, special dinner out and so forth. One item not commonly found on that list might be Bass Fishing. Right on the short list of "do not include" with Tractor Pull, Home Depot Power Tool Sale, and $0.39 Wing Night.

For better or worse, we didn't get wings or power tools, but we got Bass Fishing. Maybe Steve was looking to maximize the rural Appalachian experience (think Jeff Foxworthy: "You might be a redneck if...") after our Friday night Bluegrass jam session but whatever the case, we were up and at 'em at 6:30 on Mothers Day and out of the house by 8:30 under leaden skies with a promised high of 55 degrees.

As a willing participant in this little adventure, I'll throw Steve a little lifeline at this point since, unless he knows someone with a really comfortable couch, or who is a little slow, phoning a friend is pretty much out of the question. The "Bass Fishing" trip also involved a "float trip" down a nice, scenic section of the New River. The trip was scheduled long before the weather forecast was known and even in the face of "guaranteed rain", the previous two days had come through sunny. The majority of the participants had a bang up time in spite of the rain and 48 degree temperatures and would absolutely do it again. Unfortunately for Steve, and fortunately for the reading public, none of that makes for a really good story. Sorry Steve...

So off we went, bundled like we were headed skiing, to make our rendezvous at the gas station. No problem. Got there on time, signed away our liability and our rights to consume Mercury laden fish, cajoled Elena into the outfitter's van, and headed for the put in. Rain threatened but held off and optimistic eyes looked for clearing skies. We got to the put in and our two little boats and further cajoled Elena to actually get into the boat (on my lap) and we were off under some spectacular limestone cliffs.

Our guide (we had two boats, Erin and Steve in one, Jackie, Elena, and I in the other) was a little concerned. Jackie was on the "no fishing list" and with Elena in my lap I wasn't going to be doing much except sitting. 400 yards down the river Elena headed for Gram, I took a cast or two, and we were digging out the "Dora the Explorer Bass Master Triton" fishing pole that, miraculously, delivers a caught fish on every cast. The color is a little suspect, but that purplish tinge and rubbery texture are probably side effects of Mercury accumulation. And then Elena discovered "rapids" and "waves". Game on. Fishing, sure, that's pretty good. But Andy, head for those WAAAVEEESS! Our guide was great and willingly and safely took us through every class 0.2 riffle that we encountered to rave reviews from the youngest member of our crew.



And then the fish started biting. Erin caught two:



I reeled in six:



And Steve, in an act of vengeance from the God of Motherhood, was unilaterally spurned by the bass. Elena later summed it up as "Poppa caught hundreds of fish, Little Opa didn't catch any."

The biting of the fish also coincided with the commencement of the rain. Jackie said, "It looks misty up ahead". Then Andy said "I think I felt a drop". Then it started raining. Steadily. Some variation in intensity, but a constant wetting for the most part that slowly escalated over the next couple of hours into outright downpour, thunder, and lighting. Andy spent that last 30 minutes of our "float" pulling like a pirate for a brothel while Elena, who never fussed a whit after getting into the boat, took a nap in Gram's lap. Presumably the body heat Jackie was losing converted the puddled water into a comfortable resting temperature for Elena. In the picture you can see the angelic look on Elena's face and note the intensity of the rain on the water but you'll notice that Jackie's face is not visible, though I suspect it was largely responsible for Andy's efforts at the oars.









When we hit the boat landing we unloaded Elena and rushed under a bridge to get out of the rain. That's right, if Bass Fishing wasn't the Mothers Day treat of all time, throw in the "wino package" and you've got a cherished memory in the making. In the comfortable shelter of concrete, we traded wet clothes for semi-damp and piled into the car for our triumphant return to civilization, hot showers, and "Five Guys" burgers. Reading from the thermometer in the car? 48 degrees. To add insult to injury, the sun shone brightly as soon as we arrived home and continued to do so for the rest of the day.

All in all it was a day that will be remembered for years. If you see Steve after Fathers Day, ask to feel his legs -- Rumor has it that "Fathers Day at the Spa" is going to feature waxing... lots of waxing.

What a party!

Well, we may not have allowed Elena the big birthday bash - but there was quite a special celebration.

What happens when you are the only grandchild...your grandparents FLY in for your birthday, of course!


So Gram and Opa arrived on Elena's birthday and helped get the party ready. We celebrated with Gram, Opa, and our friends Kirsten, Xander, and Brad. The kids ran around and played.


Opa was the pony ride.



After a BBQ sandwhich dinner, we had cake. Elena requested a 'chocolate, strawberry shortcake.' (not surprising, since she always asks for strawberries for her birthday, thank goodness she was born in May!). Of course, she had it. We sang Happy Birthday and in the Gloria (dutch birthday song).


Everyone enjoyed cake. Then...let's see, what did we do next. PRESENTS!

Happy 4th Birthday Elena

Another year. It's hard to believe that our little baby is such a little girl now. But that is what she is.


I guess the theme of this year might be independence with a dash of extreme vocabulary thrown in. Of course, it was another year of large transitions for Elena. One year ago she was a mostly dutch kid always on a bike or cruising through Europe. Now is is mostly an American kid hanging out in the front yard and making cookies. Over this year, she has become much more independent. Part of this is her new school (and no doubt combined with her increased age)...she has her school 'friends.' Mia, Sydney, and sometimes Hannah and Maggie are her crew. Usually she can be found on the playground spinning as fast as possible on the tire swing giggling with Mia and Sydney. Her wonderful school and teachers (Alexis, Jessica, and Jennifer) keep the kids busy with projects and field trips. Elena brings a great deal of this home - sometimes asking us questions about things like how the planets formed or where Thailand is, seemingly out of the blue. She wants her friends from school to come over for play dates. Of course, with friends comes, well comes, the 'not friends.' There have been hurt feelings because someone said, 'I don't want to be your friend.' And the conversations now include phrases like, 'Mia doesn't have to wear brok (leggings) under her dress; why do I?' Great - and you can't start dating until you are 16, either, while we are at it.

Elena is still a big fan of imaginative play. This year's favorites have been playing doctor, music teacher, and mommy/baby. One difference is that Elena will play many of these by herself (except she prefers to have a patient during doctor). She also likes a little 'space' when she plays. She wants to be in her room with her door shut, or our on the front porch (almost) out of sight. She has these odd cycles through toys, just when you think that 'investment' of the brio wooden train was a bad idea and should be put away, she drags it out. Same with the duplos, aquadoodle, etc. She will get them out and play by herself. Often in the morning. She loves dress up, mostly when it comes to fancy 'clicky' shoes and making emotional pleas in front of the mirror.

Physically, Elena is more dynamic and adventuresome than in years past. She did experience what we call the 'dutch slingshot' when it comes to height and isn't the smallest kid by any stretch. She comes in at over 104 cm (41 inches) and 35 lbs--tall and skinny just like the Sewall's and the Dutches grow'em. She hasn't gain but maybe one pound since arriving back in the US, but has continued to gain in length. She is more aggressive (in a good way) on the play ground. She will leave our side to swing and play and often interact. She loves to run and will ask to go for an evening run. She sprints ahead, but will wait at appointed spots for us to catch up. She also likes to garden, play with sticks, help carry things, drill into wood, and water plants. She loves to help with the pigeons, and is definately her father's daughter - she will sit and watch the birds alone for a long time. Like her dad, it seems to calm her.

Speaking of calming her - she has many fewer tantrums and 'bad' nights. Usually brought on predictably by over tired, over hungry, over stimulating days. But she is a rager when she does lose it. Her screams are louder (and probably sound more like a call to CPS to the neighbors than ever before!) and are combined with amazingly illogical requests. What can you do, just ride it out.

She has also started to key in that we are not a 'normal' family. Do you know that other families have TV's and eat chicken nuggets every night. (and you already know that her father doesn't own crocs! gasp!). It's hard to see the crazy huge birthday parties happen and learn that you won't be having one. She quickly transition from the dutch tradition of giving presents to your friends on your birthday to 'all of my friends will come over and give me presents!' So we just stopped going to all the birthday parties for a while. We'll keep her in our little world for a bit longer while we can. So far she still seems content dressing herself in all sorts of crazy ways and is adamantly herself.

Elena has also been very engaged this year in knowing ALL the details of what happens. In years past, we could sort of 'gloss' over things - unhappy events or details we just didn't have the energy to go into. Now, she just keeps prying seeing through our statements like, 'Oh nothing' or 'why do you think?' She drives until she gets the information she craves. This has caused an explosion in her vocabulary (mostly in 5 syllable words that Jake likes to throw in there). She works through this information and process it (often on the phone with her grandparents or over the dinner table). That means that complex topics like death, and birth, and why people are different, are big parts of our conversations as she struggles to understand the world.

Elena has continued to reach out to those around her - worrying about people who are sick, wanting to help her friends, hugs and kisses to her parents. (or doing that popular, throw the phrase back in your face of - 'mom, I think you need a DEEEP BREATH!' - it always makes me laugh because she is usually right.) Of course, like any preschooler, the world still largely revolves around her.

This year she really transitioned her intuition and emotion into more verbal expression. We keep wondering if we can just find a pause button. She is so amusing, authentic, and engaging right now. It's clear that we won't get that pause, because she is going to keep challenging us in the very best way. We love her so much. Next year will bring another round of transitions, not of country and language, but of family as Elena crosses the older sister bridge. It always seems impossible to predict just how much she will grow in one year. She never ceases to blow our minds and fill our hearts.

We love you 10800 times, Elena.

Big News

We have some exciting news...

Elena is going to be a big sister!





We are all very excited. It only took Jake and I four years after the last baby to think of throwing our lives into wonderful chaos again. Elena is thrilled. She is desperately hoping for a little brother and is wanting to 'catch the baby' with her fisher price doctors kit. She loves to 'talk' to the baby by yelling through the portal of my belly button. We only told her about three weeks ago (4 year olds are not known for their ability to keep secrets - well ours certainly isn't!)

A few details:
- I'm due Sept 29th - so baby will come sometime around the end of September, beginning of October. That makes me almost 20 weeks right now and the photo above was taken about one month ago.
- Like with Elena, this baby will be a 'surprise' so we will find out if it is a boy or a girl when they are born.
- No matter what Elena tells you, I'm not having twins.
- I'm feeling well (after the first tough three months of throwing up) and the baby's heart is sounding great.
- We have our big ultrasound next week, and Elena will come along to see the baby.

"I'm cooler than my parents"

Sad but true. Elena has new shoes and one pair are "crocs". For those of you even less hip than I am, "crocs" are sort of like tupperware clogs and, in my opinion, are a footwear sin of Old Testament proportions. But everyone is entitled to their opinion and lots of people find them "cute", "funky", yes, even "cool".



And Elena, and everyone else, teachers and kids, at her school has a pair. Today as we walked to the mailbox the dialogue went something like this:

"Do you have crocs?"

"Nope."

"But Amanda does". (Amanda is one of the undergraduate TA's in Elena's class room).

"Amanda is cooler than your parents."

"I'm cooler than my parents."



OK. Yes, I realize that I spent 23 consecutive years in school and raise pigeons recreationally but...

It just happened so fast.