Dr. Grin and Barrett

The Christmas Tree

2011-04-20T21:54:00.000-07:00

Drake and Santa at the Christmas Tree Lot
(Drake was a little scared of Santa.)

Playing with the trees and trying to decide which one to pick!

Dad loading up the tree!

Decorating the tree with mom!

Mom's masterpiece! Viola!

Uncle Ben's Bike

2011-04-19T22:35:00.001-07:00

In November, we went into the city to visit Uncle Ben. We ate some down home cooking, chicken and waffles at Little Skillet, Yum! Drake loved riding Uncle Ben's bike and riding on his skateboard. Uncle Ben Rocks! (He also watched Drake while he napped so Sam and I could do some shopping in the city, Nice!)

The Lillians

2011-04-19T22:32:00.001-07:00

Our friends we knew when we lived in Michigan, The Lillians, came to visit us in November. It was so fun to see them. They have two cute little girls, Lucy and Brynn, and Drake was in heaven!

The passing of great man

2011-04-19T22:00:00.000-07:00

On November 14th, as I was getting ready to walk out the door to work, I got a phone call from my mom. She was sobbing and saying, "He's gone, he's gone". At first I didn't realize what she was talking about. Then it hit me. My grandpa, the only one I had really known my whole life (my other grandpa passed away when I was two) was gone. I dropped to floor, hugged my little guy and cried. It was a sad day and I rushed off to work (the show does not go on with out me) and mourned for my mom who had lost her dad that day.

The consolation to this kind of thing was that I got to see my family when I otherwise wouldn't have. We stayed in a huge vacation rental home in Lehi, UT (of all places!) that had a hot tub. Sam and I had not brought swim suits so underwear (or in Sam's case a shirt wrapped around himself) made do to enjoy snowy evenings in the nice warm tub with family. I enjoyed cuddling with my new nephew and watching Drake and his cousin play so cute together. It was great to see my family, immediate and extended.

We had some really great services (viewing, funeral, grave dedication) for my Grandpa. He was so well loved and respected. He had been a volunteer fire fighter for many years and it had been a true love of his. My cousins and I sang "Daddy's hands" (not very well, might I add-but who gets a lot of practice in these situations?) and my mom sobbed through the whole thing. My grandpa's casket was transported to the cemetary on an old fashioned fire engine that my grandpa had helped the fire dept procure. It was so neat to see. They also gave him one "Last call" at the grave where the fire dept went out over the radio on a speaker honoring his memory. It was really neat to see so many people honor such a great man.

The next day, my sister had to get up early to head home before the snow storm hit in the mountains and that was really disappointing. It was just too little time! Most of the family though headed to the Fireman's museum so we could leave his medals there next to his Father's. Drake had a blast playing on the Fire Trucks as you will see. He was truly a light during a somewhat sad time.

I am thankful that families are forever.

Grampy and Drake

Dad and Drake

Technically he wasn't supposed to be playing on all these trucks, but who's going to say no to this cute little guy? We got Drake a Fireman piggy bank to always remember his Great Grandpa by.

Catching Up

2011-04-17T23:20:00.000-07:00

I really want to be a better blogger. Sometimes I ask myself, Why? Is it really that big of a deal? I was thinking about my son's significant moments in life ie crawling, teething, walking, first words, etc and realized I only had a vague idea as to when these things happened. I felt sad that I had not written it down that day (or shortly thereafter- in some cases I have here). I really want to document his important life's moments so our whole family can view his and our life's history. This is why I say it is a big deal and why I should make it more of a priority. So, please bear with me for the next week (that is my goal) while as I try to make up for the past few months of absence.

Happy, Happy! (Happy Halloween in Drake talk)

2010-11-14T22:16:00.001-08:00

The Halloween Festivities began when we headed to the Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival. Drake was intrigued by the parade and the fact that they "throw candy" of which some hit Drake in the head as he was on his dad's shoulders. He has talked about it several times since. We ate all things pumpkin and headed to this pumpkin patch. Again, Drake can't stopping talking about "pumpkin patch".

The night before Halloween we went to the ward party. Sam dressed up as something that resembled Charles Manson, I dressed up as a scarecrow and Drake made his debut in his dragon costume. We trick or treated around the church and Drake got his first "taste" of what Halloween is all about! Unfortunately we forgot our camera so no pics.

Halloween day we had Sam's family over for dinner which consisted of brains, fingers, and worms. We then made the trek around the neighborhood. Drake loved getting candy! He would take his dragon hood off after every house but I easily coaxed him into putting it back on in order to get candy. We had a blast. He didn't say "trick or treat" but when asked what the dragon said he let out a big roar!

The only post halloween problem is his incessant request for candy. When he wanted candy for dinner we pretty much had to nip that in the bud. He is now getting over that somewhat but sure has a sweet tooth like his mama.

It's Potty Time!

2010-09-18T23:17:00.000-07:00

At Drake's 18 month appt with the pediatrician she suggested I buy a potty for Drake as some kids become interested in potty training around his age. I bought it and for the most part it has just sat in our bathroom collecting dust except for when Drake puts it on his head and wears it as a hat. Recently though, we have been putting him on the potty before bath time every night and sometimes randomly through out the day if he shows interest. He has never actually done more than just sit there and point out his body parts using the anatomically correct terms (except the belly button is called beebo) and wipe his back with toilet paper. Tonight was a different story. He actually peed in his potty! We were so excited! I am not sure if he is ready for the full out potty training (or if we are ready either) but I think we had a good start today. Yay!

On another note, due to Drake's monkey ways and climbing out of his crib while we are trying to put him to bed we installed a toddler rail on his convertible crib. Tonight was his first night sleeping in it. We have also had to take the nob off his door handle to prevent him from getting out of his room. (I know it sounds cruel locking him in his room but he has just been so difficult to get to bed lately and I worry about him getting up and wandering around the house, ok?) Tonight he cried when I left him in his room to go to sleep and cried at the door. I went back into his room after 5 minutes, stayed there for a little while and left again. Again he cried at the door for 10 minutes. I again went back in and put him in bed stayed for a few minutes and left. He again got up and cried at the door. This time I was going to leave him for 15 minutes but heard no crying after a few minutes. A little while later I went to check on him and sure enough he had fallen asleep on the floor by the door. What a crazy kid! I put him in bed and hopes he will stay there and sleep well. After it taking almost a year to get him to sleep completely through the night we have been so spoiled to have a great sleeper for the past nine months or so. This has rocked our world but as all the parents out there know that every time you get into a routine with your child you know that it is sure to change!

My baby is growing up way too fast. Slow down, love!

My little monkey

2010-08-19T21:50:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning I woke up to a start when I heard one of the doors in our house open. I jumped out of bed and opened our bedroom door only to find Drake's bedroom door open and him standing in the middle of his room with this blankets. He had been able to climb out of his pack n play for a month or so but this was his first time climbing out of his crib. At first I was panicked thinking he was going to fall and that I needed to hurry and run out and buy the toddler rail for his crib. Sunday afternoon Sam saw him gracefullly and carefully climb out of his crib and he has done it every morning ever since (and even one night while trying to put him to sleep). I am a little sad that I have no place to "trap" him for awhile (is that bad?) and that he is growing up too fast. He is no longer my baby anymore he is my little boy.

Trip to UT

2010-07-02T15:07:00.001-07:00

Last weekend we went to UT for the first time since Drake was born for the Fowler Family Reunion.
My dad grew up in the small town of Lehi, UT and we went to the Lehi town celebration, The Lehi Round up, Rodeo. Drake loved the Horses, "Nay, nay" he would say, the motorcycle show and especially the snow cone.

Drake and dad, as usual.
Horses and cowboy hats, Yee Haw!

Snow cones!

That night my dad, sister and nephew arrived into town. The next day we went to the park for the Fowler family reunion and enjoyed reunited with family. Drake played in the water, grass, play ground and had a blast. I didn't get any pictures of this but thankfully we had a lot of family who did! That night we went to the Lehi parade. Drake enjoyed the music, candy and again another snow cone. They don't make snow cones anywhere like they do in UT (except maybe in Hawaii).

Dad and Drake watching the parade together.

My sister and nephew, Gideon

My handsome dad

Grampy and Drake eating candy in the street.

Grampy with his grandsons. He is in heaven!

After the parade we went to Cafe Rio (Yum!) and then went swimming at the Lehi city pool. Drake had a good time until Sam took him down the waterslide. I thought it would be a mild waterslide being as we were at a small town pool. Not the case. I went on the slide myself after Sam and Drake went and I cannot believe they let Sam take him on it. It was fast! No wonder the kid was traumatized! Oh well.

The next morning my dad and I ran the Lehi 5K. He did well but I stunk it up as I had a bad cold and my lungs were just burning the whole time. We then went to IHOP where a nice lady made the boys balloon animals. We then went to more Fowler Family Reunion activities at the park. This time it was not just my dad's immediate family it was his extended family. Wow! Quite the crew. That night we had shakes and fries and hung out with my grandma and grandpa and the Chadwick crew. Sam and I were supposed to head up to Salt Lake that night to go see my friends preemie baby but alas I was sick and could not visit :( I am still bummed about this. Hopefully I can make another trip soon to see her.

The next day we went to my cousin's homecoming on the Chadwick side and hung out with that side of the family.

It was a busy weekend full of family time, dry weather and UT heat. It was fun but we were happy to head back home to the moderate climate of the bay area.

Fathers Day 2010

2010-07-02T00:28:00.000-07:00

Father's day this year got off to a bit of a rocky start. We had spent the whole weekend with Sam's family and due to all the hustle and bustle I completely spaced it the morning of Fathers Day. I hurriedly was getting ready for church when my mother in law said to Sam, "Happy Father's Day, sweetie." I felt horrible. I hadn't made him breakfast, got his gift ready or even wished him a Happy day. It was terrible. I am still trying to make it up to him. We went to church that morning and spent the afternoon at Sam's aunt and uncle's house with his family. That evening I gave him his card (which I had previously bought proving that I didn't completely forget about the day) and promised him a whole day in which he could choose to do anything he wanted for the day. This could be with Drake and I or with out. Whatever he wanted. Despite my forgetfulness, I really do appreciate all my husband does as a father and am grateful for his role in our family and in the life our son. He is a better dad than I could have imagined!

The guys.

Uncle Eddy

Gigi rocking it.

Keely

Uncle Neb lookin' sexy as usual

Connor showing of his skills.

The man of the hour

Drake watches with awe.

Drake wants to play. He is so grown up!

The best dad ever. #1!

Santa Cruz with the fam

2010-07-01T23:57:00.001-07:00

Drake like his dad already. Listening to tunes on the way to Santa Cruz on the Ipod.

The whole Fam.

Drake with Gigi

Drake and dad. Hand in hand on the beach. Picture perfect!

Mom cheesing it up as usual.

The boys (and Stella)

Drake loves the beach.

Drake loves the dogs.

Sexy Beasts! Brrr. That water was cold!

Love it!

2010-07-01T23:55:00.001-07:00

I just loved this pic and had to share. Isn't he just the cutest?

Swim Class

2010-07-01T23:50:00.001-07:00

Drake took a five week swim class that involved singing songs, kicking, jumping and blowing bubbles. He loved the kicking part and getting to play with the water toys (especially the balls) at the end of the class. So Fun!

1,2,3 Jump!

Point Reyes

2010-07-01T23:38:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day at Point Reyes

Light house

Drake loves his dad!

Foggy but beautiful!

Easter 2010

2010-04-11T23:45:00.000-07:00

Easter was so fun this year. It was very low key. It was raining cats and dogs outside but we made the most of it. We just relaxed, napped, watched general conference and had our own little easter egg hunt for Drake in the living room. It was perfect. It was so fun to watch his face as he saw the eggs. He thought they were balls and threw them on the ground. He was pleasantly surprised to find treats inside.

Easter Egg Hunt

Bubbles from his Easter Basket

Hawaii

2010-04-11T23:24:00.000-07:00

We took Drake on his first family trip to Hawaii. We went there with my whole family. It was fun to see him and my nephew Gideon play together and how our family has grown. It was the first time I had been to Hawaii (or any tropical vacation) with my baby. You know how much your life has changed since you had a baby but sometimes you forget those days when you didn't have one. Vacationing isn't quite the same. No more just laying by the pool/beach for hours napping and reading and sunbathing. You have to watch your child's every move, make sure they get their naps/meals and they don't sleep all that well on the trip in general. It was great to be with my family and be in such a beautiful place for sure but it was realization that these trips will never quite be the same and that is ok. I do have one of the cutest kids on the planet so I can't really complain.

Drake and his cousin Gideon

Drake playing in the sand with dad. He loved the sand more than the water.

Drake with Dad's three boobied, pregnant mermaid

St. Patrick's Day

2010-04-11T23:22:00.000-07:00

Drake and his first words

2010-04-11T22:59:00.000-07:00

Drake is communicating more and more. Sometimes his communicating comes in the form of a loud ear piercing scream when he doesn't get what he wants but other times he is starting to use words. Here is a video of me trying to get him to say his first word.

He can also say Dada (He has on a couple of occasions said mama but that is rare. He loves his dad!) and Ball. He has become assessed with balls lately. That is all he wants to play with. Such a boy.

He has also spelled out his first word in the bath tub.

*Viewer discretion advised

Again, such a boy. Was dad involved in this?

Happy 1st Birthday!

2010-02-18T23:10:00.001-08:00

Drake's first birthday came during one of the craziest times ever in our lives. We had just moved to a new part of the bay area (Albany, CA near Berkeley), I had just bought an orthodontic practice and during the week leading up to his birthday Sam's brother, Ryan, who had been watching Drake temporarily while were looking for new child care went missing. I had been tempted to cancel his birthday party but wanted desparately to celebrate this great event. Fortunately, an hour and a half before his party Ryan and his girlfriend were found stranded in the woods and we were able to celebrate both Drake's birthday and the finding of his brother. In fact, the media showed up to Drake's birthday party to interview Sam and his mom (http: abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/east_bay&id=7235894). Sam's mom wasn't going to be at the party and because she was down looking for Ryan she was able to attend. My moming and sister also came down for his birthday and my sister announced she was pregnant with a new little one. We celebrated in true Drake style with a pirate themed party as you'll see from the photos. So exciting! It was an eventful time and Drake handled it like a champ in his adorable way. We are so grateful to have him in our lives and look forward to many more birthdays with his smiling face! Thank you to all who came to his party!

Mary and Chase (Drake's former babysitter-we miss her!)

Molly (and my cousin Brooklyn in the background)

Dave (my cousin's husband) and Conner (Sam's cousin)

Sam's mom, Ginny his aunt Patty and my mom, Mary Ann

My sister, Gentry, myself and baby Stella

Cake!

Drake's cake and my cousin's girls Cambria and Maya

Drake's actual birthday with leftover cake

My mom and sister (So glad they came!)

The happy FOUND couple Ryan and Viola

Drake likes to clean

2010-02-18T23:01:00.000-08:00

Drake loves to sweep. He knows how to open the closet and pull out the broom or the swiffer and push it around the house. If only he could put his love to good use! I am going to guess by the time he can he won't have the love anymore. Oh well. Gotta love this kid!

Drake's new trick

2009-11-11T22:51:00.000-08:00

Why are we always wearing sweatshirts at the Beach?

2009-09-29T22:59:00.000-07:00

Not this past weekend but the one previous, I had wanted to stay home and continue our quest to baby proof our home and organize our storage area. BORING. The weather was nice and Sam decided that since we have few nice weekends before fall and winter hit we had better head to the beach for one last summer trip. We checked the weather and decided to head to a beach that we had never been to 1) because it appeared to be warmer and 2) it was closer to our house. We went to San Gregorio beach. Well, it wasn't that great of a beach, there wasn't a cute little town associated with it nor was it in any way warm. But, we had a good time anyway as a fam.
I do need to add a side note. The Bay area is full of beaches and coastline. I keep hoping to head to the beach at some point for the true beach experience and lay out in the warm sun in my bathing suit, get a tan, dip in the ocean, etc. This has yet to happen here. The beach is often times cold, foggy and rainy and the water is freezing! Guess I need to head down south for the "real" beach experience.

A tooth! Makes mama proud.

2009-09-29T21:54:00.000-07:00

Preface: I normally only work three days a week but the last two weeks I have had to take some continuing education courses on one of my days off in order to keep my dental license. This past weekend was also quite busy as my mother-in-law and one of my best friends were in town. Then yesterday Drake had to go to a new babysitters house as our normal babysitter is out of town for the week.
So, yesterday at the babysitter Drake would not have anything to do with his bottle. He would suck on it for a few minutes and then push it away. He normally drinks anywhere from 12-16 ounces during the day while I'm gone but yesterday he drank 3-4! I breastfed him when I got home and of course was ravenous. I then also fed him some solid food and he ate a lot but seemed a bit fussy. He had been acting kinda weird all day. I didn't know if it was the busy weekend, the new surroundings, me being gone more or the new nipple on his bottle! I finally put my finger in his mouth to check his gums and sure enough I felt something hard. At eight months he was finally getting his first tooth! As a dentist mom you worry about these things but now I can relax as his dental development is proceeding forward. His sleep hasn't seemed to have been to interrupted by the whole thing so that is good. Oh wait, I think I hear him awake now...Ugh! (Sorry no pics yet. He won't even let me have a good look at it let alone hold still long enough to take a picture. Maybe later.)

Summer trip to Seattle

2009-08-22T21:56:00.001-07:00

We took a week long trip to Seattle this summer to be with family at the end of July. It was a crazy time with record breaking heat in Seattle (110 degrees!) and lots of bouncing around between family but it was great to see everyone. We spent two days at Sam's aunt's house on Mason lake. We then spent two days at a cabin my family had rented on Lake Kushman. We spent two days at Sam's mom's house. Sam left to head back home and to work and I spent the remainder of the trip at my family's house and bouncing between friends. I also got to babysit my nephew Gideon which was a real treat! Here are some of the highlights that we got on camera...

Drake with Great Grandma Roberts

Drake with Gigi

Drake with Uncle Neb

Sam wake surfing (I wimped out on the whole water sports thing)

Drake's first boat ride (He didn't really dig the life jacket!)

Drake's first dip in the lake with Great Aunt Serena

Drake with Grammy

Drake with Great Grandpa Chadwick

Four generations!

(The newest generation had just woken up from naps if you can't tell.)

4th of July 2009

2009-08-22T21:00:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I am posting this a little late but that is just the way it goes.

This year for the fourth we didn't really have anything in particular planned. We had tossed around ideas all week long but come Saturday we really hadn't made any plans. Early that morning we had to help with our church fourth of July breakfast, but following that we were undecided. It is at these times that I feel a little blue that we are not closer to my family to make plans so I had pretty well decided it was going to be a lame holiday. Sam insisted though that we do something fun. He researched all the fireworks shows in the area and decided that we should head to Half Moon Bay. We had already missed the parade that day but there was to be a fireworks show off the water that night. We did a little shopping, at some italian food, walked along the beach and snacked on some delicious fresh cherries while waiting for the fireworks. I was skeptical, but it turned out to be a great day as a family!

Funky antique store in Half Moon Bay

Fuzzy pic but there was a group of dolphins swimming right off shore.

Me and my little guy on the beach

Sam. What else can I say?

Self taken family photo

Waiting for the fireworks

There they are!

Feed me!

2009-06-28T21:50:00.000-07:00

Drake had his first solid food (rice cereal) on Friday his five month birthday. I think he enjoyed chewing on the spoon more than the food but as you can see we had a good time. He is growing up way too fast!

Best 30th Birthday Ever, a Total Surprise!

2009-06-28T21:24:00.000-07:00

Turning 30 was not a pleasant thought for me. After having a baby I am still 10 pounds too heavy so that is not a good place to start at 30. My health insurance company informed me that my premiums were to go up $100 a month because of my advanced age. My husband also asked me, "What happened to my young bride?" I know we should grow old with grace and dignity but I just wasn't feeling it. Besides all that, I hadn't heard of any big plans for the big day and less than a week before my birthday Sam asks me if I want to have a few friends over from our ward (of which we have only attended for a few months and don't have a ton of friends). I politely declined. I was feeling a little blue being away from my family and thought my birthday would be a total flop.
Sam traditionally does a "birthday week" celebration and kicked it off on Sunday night (Thursday being my actually birthday) by giving me a pair of cool earrings. I was pleased and thought perhaps I would get a little gift every day leading up to my birthday.
The next evening I got a card from Sam and inside it said, "Wicked June 9". I was a little shocked as it was 10pm at night and I had to work the next day. He had made plans to see the show the next night and then told me we would spend the night in the city. He told me that my brother-in-law's girlfriend would be watching Drake overnight. This was all a bit overwelming to me. First of all, I was ready to go to bed and finally get some sleep and now I had to pack and get everything ready for the next day and night for not only myself but for Drake. I would also have to rush home after work, pick up Drake, drop him off with the sitter (of which I was not feeling fully comfortable with) and rush into San Francisco to see the show. I had a little break down but Sam reassured me that all would be well and if I did not feel comfortable then we could come home after the show.
The next day I started to feel better about the whole thing and decided to go with the flow. I picked up Drake that night and when I dropped him off at home my sister was in my house! She had flown in to hang out for the week and watch Drake for the night. I was so happy and surprised and rushed off to see Wicked with Sam. We ate sandwiches at the show as we did not have time to eat dinner but it was a great show. We stayed the night at this rock star hotel in the city. I got some sleep (finally), we swam in the pool and ate soul food in the Tenderloin. I then came back home to hang out with my sister.
Thursday was then my actual birthday. I worked that day and my sister watched Drake. She met me for lunch and had a great time with Drake all day. That night we went to sushi for dinner. When we arrived at the restaurant both my mom and my BFF Jessi were there waiting for us. I was in tears at this point! It was too much. We went to the movies that night after putting Drake to bed and saw The Ghost of Girlfriends Past which I had been wanting to see but did not have any "chicks" to go see it with.
Friday: Jessi and Gentry and I all went and got pedicures while my mom watched Drake. We ate lunch and headed into the city to meet up with Sam. He took Drake and the girls all headed up to Santa Rosa to go to The Harmony Festival to see the band Cake. The GPS routed us through wine country (which ended up being a fun detour!) and we arrived at festival. It was full of hippies, organic/vegan food and a thick haze of smoke and we had a great time! We spent the night up in Santa Rosa. We visited my great aunt and went to Golden Spoon (I loved that there is one that still exists!)
They all left on Sunday after a wonderful birthday week that was more than I could have imagined. I have to thank Sam for orchestrating the whole surprise and thank my mom, sister and Jessi for the time, money and love they shared with me on my special day (no,week!). Maybe growing old isn't so bad after all.

Mother's Day in the Park

2009-05-26T22:25:00.000-07:00

I was quite excited this year to officially celebrate Mothers day. I say officially because I have made Sam buy me Mother's Day gifts every year since we have been married claiming that I was the future mother of his children and that deserved to be celebrated.
On Mother's day, Sam made me oatmeal for breakfast and let me take a nice long afternoon nap. We then ventured to a park Sam had seen on the map that looked cool. We drove through the Los Altos Hills to Foothill (?) park only to discover you have to be a resident of Palo Alto (they check your ID as you enter) to be able to enter the park. Lame. Talk about being exclusive.
Anyhoo, we just decided to go to the park a few blocks from our house. We relaxed, played with Drake and had snacks. We took Drake down the slide for the first time and it was faster down than I thought a little kiddie slide would be. Drake and I just about flew out of the slide. Sam thought the look of shock and fear on my face was hilarious.
Sam and Drake got me a massage for Mother's day which I thoroughly enjoyed the following weekend. We ended up having cereal for breakfast that night though, but you can't have everything, right?

Just Eat It!

2009-05-26T21:12:00.000-07:00

Drake has started to enjoy playing with his toys. "Playing" is a relative term as his favorite thing to do is to shove them in his mouth and chew or suck on them. His favorite toys are his stuffed animals and he loves to find the nose, ear or other appedendage that he can easily fit in his mouth and go to it. All of these toys are now either wet or crusty looking from being wet. He cracks us up with the ferociousness in which he attacks these toys. When they say babies put everything in their mouths, they really weren't kidding!

Drake's duck

Drake's dog (his favorite-he loves the dog's nose!)

The hiatus is over, hopefully...

2009-05-20T22:45:00.000-07:00

So, I am full out admitting that I am a horrible blogger. I have not written (except for last nights most recent post) since Drake was born (he is now almost four months old). There is so much to say about him really but not enough time and energy to write about it (he is not a great sleeper). I hope you can bear with me as I play a little catch up here. I am now committing to try and be a better blogger but I really can't make any promises. Those with newborn babies know what I am talking about.

La Dee Da!

2009-05-19T21:30:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid we used to pull our shirts over our heads as we were taking them off and let them sit on our head. We would then shake our head back and forth and say "La dee da dee la dee da dee." We found this to be hilarious. This family amusement now continues with out my help as Sam finds Drake's clothing on his head to be quite funny. Almost every night as Sam is undressing Drake for his bath he yells, "Hey mom, look at me!" as Drake's shirt is draped over his head. Here you will see a sampling of these photos and the entertainment it provides us as new parents.

Drake at two months

Drake at three months

Diaper

Bib

Drake passed his first test!

2009-02-01T20:43:00.000-08:00

Drake passed his first test with flying colors when he was only a day old! Mom and especially dad were so proud! They tested his hearing at the hospital and his hearing is perfect! Dad was really worried about this and when the test took a little long to complete he was quite concerned. But all turned out well. Sam even kept the little head phones as a momento of the joyous occasion. Now Drake is ready to become a musical genius!

Drake R Barrett

2009-02-01T20:35:00.001-08:00

Drake R Barrett was born Monday January 26, 2009 at 4:10pm. He weighed in at 8lbs 7oz and measured 20 inches. For those who are curious, his middle name really is "R". We wanted to name him after Sam's Grandpa Roberts because he has such a long body, arms and fingers but his grandpa's first name was Ralph. I just couldn't do Ralph for the poor kid so "R" it is. I love it!

Time goes by so slowly for those who wait

2009-01-22T11:31:00.000-08:00

Three weeks ago the Doctor checked me and was surprised that I was already dilated and my cervix was "ripening" (Hope that isn't too graphic for anyone-you get so used to all this body talk when you are pregnant you sort of become immune). He said he didn't think I would make it to my due date. I was then in a panic. I was supposed to work for two more weeks (all those patients to reschedule and money I wouldn't make if he came early!), the nursery wasn't ready and my bags for the hospital weren't packed. Not to mention all the little things yet to be done like having the car seat checked or the breast pump ordered. Well, I ran around in a tizzy to get everything all ready, driving my husband crazy in the mean time with all the projects to wrap up. By the way, he refinished the dresser and the rocking chair. I recovered the rocking chair and painted the bookshelves. Sam's dad made (from scratch) the beautiful cradle. But alas, today is my due date and I am still pregnant.

My bags are all packed...
(With more stuff than I probably need)

The nursery is all ready...

And here I get to sit and wait for his arrival. It's enough to make a girl go insane!

Babymoon

2009-01-13T21:22:00.000-08:00

My husband and I have been married now for almost eight years. We have moved three times to different places in the country where we have known no one or relatively few people. We have had a lot of time to spend together just the two of us and rely solely on one another.

We are very excited to now have a child on the way but we realize that those days spent just the two of us are numbered. As such, we decided as a Christmas gift to each other we would go on a little "babymoon". I was too far along to travel far nor did we have the money for an elaborate vacation so we opted to take a small road trip to Monterey, CA and spend one night there.

We headed to Monterey and it took us about an hour and fifteen minutes to get there. Sam let me play all my favorite songs from my MP3 player all the way down there. It was very nice of him as he doesn't always enjoy all of my cheesy tunes.

We arrived at our hotel and checked in. It was called the Spindrift Inn and was absolutely adorable! We had a huge king size bed with a huge down comforter, pillow top and several pillows. It had a sauna in the bathroom (of which I could not use but cool none the less), a huge armoire, a balcony and best of all a cozy fireplace!

We decided to wander around Monterey's Cannery Row and check out all the shops. We then had dinner at a great seafood restaurant and ate like a king and queen. We got hot cocoa at Ghiradelli's and retired to our room to enjoy the fireplace. They came by to turn down the bed and give us a chocolate as well.

The next morning the hotel brought us breakfast to our room. It was so fun to sit on the balcony and eat it. Sam started the fire again and closed the damper therefore setting off the smoke detector.

We then went to the Monterey Bay aquarium. It was great! We saw octupus, penguins, sharks, sea otters and more. It was quite crowded but so much fun!

We ate lunch and did a little more shopping around the city. We made our last stop at the Antique mall with a few fun finds for our home. Too bad we got a parking ticket while we were in the mall.

We stopped at fishermans wharf on the way home and headed back to Mountain View to prepare for our new lives as parents. For anyone that is pregnant with their first child I highly recommend a babymoon in whatever form it may take. Enjoy!

Pregnancy: A great time in your life

2009-01-12T22:41:00.000-08:00

Well, since I am nearly done with my pregnancy, I can make an honest assessment about it. I had several friends tell me to "enjoy this time" and "it is so fun being pregnant". I would have to say that I would have to disagree.
I mean, I have had a relatively comfortable pregnancy. Relatively no morning sickness, constipation, stretch marks or varicose veins. I really should have nothing to complain about. But, I haven't really enjoyed it.
I haven't liked growing out of my clothes and buying new ones that really aren't that cute. Let's just be honest. I mean they have made improvements in maternity style but it still doesn't compare to your regular clothing selection. They are also kind of expensive and many times of poor quality.
I haven't enjoyed weighing myself at every Drs. appointment. Watching the pounds creep up is no fun. I always ask them if they really need to do it. At this point in my pregnancy (38 weeks) is it really necessary? I mean, I think I've gained enough. Come on!
I haven't liked my changing body and my increasing awkwardness or instability. Does anyone like having trouble putting on their shoes?
I haven't liked how I haven't been able to wear my wedding ring for the last couple months and that only a handful of shoes now fit (I read somewhere that my shoe size may never be the same! What would I do with all my shoes!).
I haven't enjoyed being treated like I am handicapped either. People are always trying to help me or telling me I shouldn't do this or I shouldn't do that. I know how far to push myself!
I haven't liked being an emotional basket case and driving my husband crazy.
As much as I have complained here, I have liked feeling my baby move around inside me. I've liked the excitement of preparing for his arrival with the registry, the books, the showers and more. Ultimately, I have liked the health of the pregnancy and my baby and the joy I feel that I will soon have the chance to experience motherhood and love something like I never have before.

Its time to start a blog

2008-11-05T20:23:00.000-08:00

As everyone and their dog has a blog (I'm a poet and didn't even know it), I figured I might as well join the crowd. I am not usually one to always follow the trends, but as I am finally finished with school and a baby is approaching I figure I should make my entrance into the blogging world. I don't know if I will have anything profound to say about life, but perhaps those I know might find my take at the very least amusing...