My baby's turning 1!!

You guys!!  My baby is turning one on Sunday!  Such a range of emotions recently.  As soon as he turned 11 months, I started getting excited about planning his birthday party, or wondering when he will take his first steps.  Now as his birthday is even closer, there's a part of me that's sad.  My baby is no longer a baby.  I cherished the newborn/infant stage- the tiny baby squeaks (or grunts, in David's case!), the late night snuggles, his soft baby skin.  But now we're entering a new phase.  David's growth and development has skyrocketed in the past few weeks- he does something new every day.  It's amazing to watch.  It can also be exhausting chasing after him.

For his party, I wanted him to have a special outfit.  There are tons of cute ones on Etsy, but I decided to make one for him myself.  It was super easy and quick.  I just picked out some scrap fabric for the number one and ironed it on.  I sewed ribbon down the sides for suspenders, and added a bowtie to complete the look!

Here's a sneak peek of his first birthday photo shoot!  Stay tuned for more pictures of his big day!

Peaches N Play

I have been meaning to write a post for a few months now, but between keeping little David entertained and going back to work part-time, it's been difficult to find time to write. 

David learning about fruit at the Springfield Mall

David will be 11 months next week and if I had to describe him in one word it would be...busy!  This little guy just does NOT stay still.  He's constantly moving.  I'm slightly dreading the day he learns to walk, because I'm worried I won't be able to keep up.  I'm going to have to start working out!  He really likes music, floating in the pool, and studying new toys.  His babysitter told me he's going to be an engineer, the way he really studies new toys to see how they work.  He's also pretty good at entertaining himself. On a recent flight to Minnesota, the flight attendant gave him two plastic cups to play with, and that kept him busy for a long time!

 David's a pretty good eater too.  I first started him on purees at 5 months.  I decided to buy different baby foods to see which ones he liked before making them myself.  Other than green beans, he likes everything!  So for the past few months I've been making his food myself.  I take 2 hours once a week to steam fruits and vegetables, blend them, and then freeze into ice cube trays.  Then we're set for the week. He also gets fresh food that is good as is, like yogurt, as well as foods that can easily be mashed with a fork, like bananas and avocados.  He has a pretty strong aversion to texture, so it's only just recently that I've started giving him little bits of things to eat, like eggs, fish, and rice.  Whole wheat waffles are also a big hit.  Most mornings he eats whatever smoothie I make for myself for breakfast.


I decided to make my own food because a) it's cheaper and b) I think it tastes better.  It's been fun coming up with new recipes for him.  At first I did each fruit or vegetable separately, but as time went on, those got boring.  On Pinterest you can find dozens of baby food recipes, like apple/blueberry/spinach, or chicken&sweet potato.  I try not to make it too complicated.  The important thing is to get him to like a variety of different foods, and not have an aversion to vegetables (like his father!)  We've been having fun at meal-times- David's happy when he's eating and likes to babble between bites.  I can't wait until he starts saying words; I'm dying to know what he's thinking :)

This is an example of what David eats in one week

Green beans/carrots; Blueberry/apple/spinach; Sweet potato

One happy little man!

David's Birth Story

Hello friends,
I started this blog 2 years ago to share my adventure of moving to Italy and travelling through Europe- living 'la bella vita'.  I'm state-side again, and now my life is beautiful for a new reason- I have a son!  I'm going to be blogging about my adventures with David IV- starting with his birth story.

Thursday Sept 3rd started like any other day.  I was more tired than usual, had even considered calling out of work the day before, but chalked it up to the stress of our move the next day and being near the end of my pregnancy.  I finally dragged myself out of bed and went downstairs to eat breakfast.  David and I started talking about the logistics of the move- we had friends coming over that evening to help me pack some things.  David again reminded me (as he had done repeatedly over the last few weeks) not to have the baby until after the move.  I again told him he had nothing to worry about- my due date was 3 weeks away.  I stood up to get some cereal- and felt a gush of fluid.

 "David- I think my water just broke".  I looked at him with excitement/fear in my eyes.  Was this really happening- today of all days?

"Oh s***, are you serious?"  David had that 'you have got to be kidding me' look on his face.

And so the flurry of phone calls started.  I told the midwife I thought my water broke, but I wasn't having contractions yet.  She told me to get showered and eat breakfast and then make my way to the hospital.  No need to deal with rush-hour traffic.  I contacted my supervisors to let them know the big news.  David also called his office, and my parents so they could come down from DE to be with us.

David took me to the hospital, got me checked in and settled in triage, and then went to our new townhouse for a move-in inspection that had been scheduled for 9:00.  I was waiting for confirmation from the midwife that my water had truly broken before I could get a room in Labor & Delivery.

When David returned, I was settled in my room waiting for labor to start.  He told me the walk-through went well.  He would arrange for the moving truck to come a day early, and my parents and some of his friends would help us unpack.  I want to say that he was pretty awesome for arranging for everything from the hospital!

Around 11:00 the midwife came to talk to us, and said that if contractions didn't start at a certain point I'd have to be induced to decrease the risk of infection.  Soon after that my parents arrived for a short visit before they headed out again to help with the move.  They commented on how calm and upbeat I was.  And I was upbeat- I was going to get to meet my baby soon!  Since the contractions hadn't started, I felt comfortable.  I was patient to wait and let things happen when Baby C. was ready.

And so we waited...and waited...and nothing happened.  At this point my sense of time is a bit hazy.  I think around 4:00 in the afternoon I was given Cytotec to help contractions start.  They did, but not consistently enough to start labor.  So I was given Pitocin for induction.  At this point I knew I could kiss my dream of a natural birth goodbye.  The Pitocin caused the contractions to come too strong and right on top of each other- I just wasn't able to keep up with them.  David was so supportive and helpful- he basically gave me a continuous back massage for hours.  My parents came back after finishing with the move, but I was in a very different state of mind this time, and wasn't able to talk to them at all.  David sent them home and said he'd call with updates.  Since I had to be hooked up to an IV, I had to have continuous monitoring- which meant I was trapped in the bed.  I begged the nurse to bring me a birthing ball to labor on, but every time I got in a comfortable position, the baby monitors came off, and the nurse would come rushing in and put me back in bed.  I don't remember how long I struggled with trying to find a comfortable position and deal with the IV pole and all the wires, but eventually I asked for an epidural.  It kicked in fairly quickly and I was sitting quietly in bed, but the nurse still kept coming in the room every few minutes fussing with the baby monitors.  Apparently the problem was the computer, not the monitors themselves, so I got moved to a different (much nicer) room- where all the equipment was working.  I sometimes wonder how different my labor would have been if they had figured this out sooner rather than later.  Finally, I was able to rest.  I think around 11:30 or 12:00 David and I both fell asleep.

The midwife woke me up around 1:00am on Sept 4th saying that the baby wasn't handling the contractions well- the heart rate kept dropping, so she wanted to check me.  "The head is right there!"  she said.  I woke David up saying, "It's time!"  David was a wonderful birth coach.  He encouraged me every step of the way.  As I was pushing, the midwife told me that the baby had a full head of hair!  I asked for a mirror so that I could see, and that really motivated me to keep pushing!  I remember looking at the clock and thinking, I don't want to have to push for more than an hour.  I ended up only pushing for about 30 minutes.  I simply can't describe how I felt when the midwife pulled my baby up and I saw that it was a boy!  He was, is, beautiful.  He came out perfectly healthy and screaming.  David and I were overjoyed to finally meet him.  He was such a little peanut- only 6 1/2 pounds!  My husband cut the cord while little David nuzzled at my chest.  I stroked his hair and counted all his little fingers and toes.  He was so soft!  He started breast-feeding right away.  The three of us enjoyed some quiet time alone together bonding.

 David called my parents and let them know they had a grandchild, but I told him to keep the gender a surprise until they came to the hospital.  However, he passed the phone to me to chat with my mom briefly, and I accidentally gave away the secret!

While I was in labor, I was very discouraged that things weren't going according to my 'birth plan' because my water broke prematurely and my body never went into labor on its own.  Looking back though, I've come to terms with it.  Getting the epidural ended up being the right decision- it allowed me to rest and get the strength to safely deliver my son. The Lord has blessed us greatly, and we are so very thankful!

"For this child I have prayed and the Lord has granted the desires of my heart."  I Samuel 1:27

Buda- pesht!

David and I had a lot of fun in Budapest! 

We got to experience local culture:

We rubbed a hussar's belly to ensure a good meal:

 Even our food was happy:

We found Gandalf:

Seriously, though, I was impressed with the beauty of Budapest.  The capital of Hungary is divided into 2 major sections by the Danube- Buda, on the west side, and Pest (pronounced 'pesht') on the east.  Many beautiful bridges span the Danube, the most prominent being the Chain Bridge:

On the Buda side, the main attraction is Castle Hill where we saw the Royal Palace, Matthias Church, and a great view of Pest.  You can either walk up a long set of steps or take a cable car to get up the hill.  We did both- once at night and once during the day.  It was worth it- the sights were beautiful both times. 

Since Budapest was the end of our journey through Central Europe, we treated ourselves to dessert at Cafe Gerbeaud, one of the most famous traditional coffeehouses in Europe:

We spent the entire next day at the Szechenyi Baths, soaking in the sun's rays and the warm thermal waters.

 I'll always fondly remember Budapest- we had a great time!

Prague

Prague- the "City of a Thousand Spires".  From its many churches lining cobblestone streets to the swans peacefully swimming along the Vltava River, it's no wonder that Prague is one of the top tourist destinations in Europe. 

Prague's skyline is dominated by its Castle, the largest ancient castle in the world, according to Guinness.  It's also where David and I started our tour of the city.

Within the grounds of the castle we toured the stunning St. Vitus Cathedral, the Royal Palace, and the Golden Lane, a tiny alley of brightly colored houses where goldsmiths used to live.

St Vitus Cathedral

Royal Gardens

Royal Palace

  It also offered some incredible views of the city:

On our hike back down the hill we stopped for a trdelnik, which I can only describe as soft pretzel dough wrapped around a stick to be grilled and then topped with powdered sugar, cinnamon, nuts, jam, or nutella. 

While I'm on the subject of food, let's talk about meat.  Whatever meat I lack in Italy, I fully made up for it in Central Europe.  We had meal after meal of amazing pork, beef, and more beef.  My favorite restaurant in Prague is Staroceska krcma, which has no electricity.  Tables are lit by candle, and your meat is cooked in a large fire in the center of the restaurant.  I highly recommend it.  Here's David tackling a pork knuckle:

Day 2- We decided to tour St. Nicholas Church and then cross the Charles Bridge into Old Town Square.  With its pink and white marble and colorful frescoes, I thought St. Nicholas was even more beautiful than St. Vitus.

Charles Bridge is a pedestrian bridge lined with 30 statues, mostly of saints and religious figures.  Either end of the bridge is an ideal spot for picnicking along the banks of the Vltava or watching the swans. 

The Astronomical Clock is the highlight of Old Town Square, which we saw at noon when its little figurines are set in motion to announce the hour.  According to Wikipedia, it's the oldest working astronomical clock, built in 1410.

We ended our stay in Prague where it began- admiring the view of the river and the castle. 

Prague had been on my "bucket list" of places to visit for a long time, and it certainly lived up to its hype. 

Stay tuned for Budapest!