SO, here is our Maxi Cosi Foray... We got it for a little less on ebay. New... we still have to buy the car seat.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Push chair/pram/stroller
We have finally decided upon a stroller (pram/push-chair for the British folk). We happened upon it a long time ago, and liked it for two reasons. First, it takes a maxi cosi car-seat, which has a super safety record. it's a top brand in Europe and Europe, from the reading I've done, apparently has higher safety standards than the US. The other reason we liked it is that the seat adjusts so that the baby/toddler faces you as you push them. In academic geek mode, I happened upon some research which indicated that the babe feels both more secure and is good for their development. It's also very stylish :)
SO, here is our Maxi Cosi Foray... We got it for a little less on ebay. New... we still have to buy the car seat.
SO, here is our Maxi Cosi Foray... We got it for a little less on ebay. New... we still have to buy the car seat.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Holiday in snippets and snapshots
Day One
We're pretty excited for our holiday! We haven't been on one for close to a decade. Trips to the UK don't count :) The boys are at their doggy spa, my car is having a tune up, and poor Dafty is at home on her lonesome (though Linda will be keeping her company at times). We fly out of Portland and bump into three students on our flight to DC!!
We make our connection from DC to Florida, pick up the hire car (of course we're first talked into getting an upgrade), and, after getting a little lost, find our hotel/apartment. Rafi seemed to enjoy the flight... he was really moving about!! Once we've dropped our things off we head immediately to the main beach resort. En route I spy a dolphin as we drive over the causeway.... the palm trees are beautiful and the sun is shining brightly.
We feel so luck to be here...
Our first moments on the beach:
We lay on the beach... soaking up the rays, me trying to find any comfortable way to lie and read. This bump really is getting in the way!
Day two
We wake up to a lovely sunny day.... and decide to go on a hike. It looks beautiful, from what we can see online, and there are plenty of paths for walking and some paths for biking. It's really busy when we get there, but immediately can see why it's so popular. It's just beautiful.
The trail is very well marked... Here we are all cheery at the beginning of the hike:
And then we get lost... our plan is to find some gully which will take us to the main biking loop... and of course we don't find it and end up walking for more than 4 hours in the hot sweltering Floridian sun. The scenery is lovely, though, and we do see an armadillo (actually 4!):
Inevitably, perhaps, we miss the gully and have to walk two more hours... We manage very well not to blame one another!!! We're tired, hungry, hot and lost and this would usually be a recipe for a marital spat - and while it is HARD for me not to blame Rich for this mess (and vice versa!) we get back to the car without venting our frustration on one another. We're trying to practice for when poppet arrives :)
By the evening, though, my right foot is in agony and I can't walk. Boo. I expect to be better in the morning, though.
Day three
Alas, no better whatsoever. In fact my foot is worse, and so we decide to spend the day taking it very easy. We read, lie in the sun, and take dips in the pool. I do, unfortunately, own the most unflattering maternity swimming costume in the world. It's an all in one lap swimsuit; certainly it's not made for a vacation in Florida!
In the evening we sit on the hotel's little beach reading, watching the sun go down:
Day Four
I have joined a few online pregnancy bulletin boards... there are a group of us on one who are all due on July 16th! Angie is one of those women.. she is just lovely and happens to live in St Petersburgh. She recommends that we visit Fort DeSoto park, which apparently has won lots of awards for its beauty.
We're not disappointed! it is gorgeous... and since my foot is still hurting it's another perfect day for lying on the beach and reading!
Rich - taking it easy....
On the way home we spy a place to rent kayaks in the park... we plan to do it tomorrow.
Day Five
And kayaking we go...
Day Six
The foot situation is posing a bit of an obstacle. We'd planned to go on many hikes and to play lots of tennis. I can't imagine that it'll be very easy to play a month from now. As it is I was wondering how my center of gravity would impact play! Oh well... Tonight we have plans to meet Angie and her husband, Dennis. They suggest the Vinoy Renaissance in St Petersburgh. We spend the morning at the pool - reading and napping and swimming. Perfect! We head to St. Pete early so that we can walk (well, hobble) along the marina before we meet them on the hotel's veranda. St Pete's is beautiful!
We don't hobble very far and decide to head to the Vinoy early and get a drink.... Well, this place is beautiful... very stylish and very out of our price range :) I discover that it's the only 5 star resort on the West coast of Florida, and, really, you can tell! We sit on the veranda and we're joined by a few of these fellas, who aren't in the least bit shy about foraging amongst the guests.
I mean to take a pic of Angie and I but completely forget! We have a lovely evening... and I hope Angie and I get to have some play dates. As it happens she'll be in Boston for maternity leave.
Day Seven
I'd really wanted to go on some sort of boat trip while we're here, and so we find a dolphin watching trip which leaves from St. Pete's, Rather than a big boat, we're on a yacht with 9 other people. There's a little girl on there, too; only 9 months. Rafi will be almost 9 months this time next year :) We do plan to come back with him next Spring break.
As soon as we board the boat we spy a dolphin!! IN fact, we see so many as we cruise out of the bay. I'm amazed at how close we are to them... pictures will likely say it better than I can.
What a wonderful day! En route home we pop to Clearwater, which is an exceedingly busy resort. We walk along the promenade, eating an ice cream, sort of glad we didn't hang out there too much. It boasts beautiful beaches but we're so grateful we happened upon the quieter more serene Fort DeSoto.
Our holiday is coming to an end...
Day Eight
We don't fly out until the evening but we have to check out by 11. We're sad to leave. Rich and I have both developed some sun rash on our arms (clearly our winter skin was shocked by the sight of sun) and we decide to stay out of the sun as much as possible. As it happens I'm also beginning to panic that I haven't done a thing to get ready for poppet's arrival. Angie had just ordered all of the furniture and most people online are really pretty organized with supplies, baby showers, registries, and more. ANd so that morning I begin to panic. I wake up at 3:30am and the poppet is doing acrobats, making it hard to get back to sleep. Between that and the rumination over 'nothing is done' I lie awake for the next couple of hours. Eventually I realize that Rich is awake too, and, for the first time, since poppet is moving, moving, moving, Rich tries to feel for some movement! I'll let him comment on that... but he feels a couple of blows :)
We'd decided to watch the sun rise and so go down to the beach to wait for it to come up. Alas, it's the only cloudy morning since we arrived and so there's not much to see. We return to our room to pack and Rich finds Baby Stories. now, I usually don't watch these shows, owing to the fact that we don't have TV, but I am glued to them now, as is Rich. I almost start to sob when the baby's born....
.... and then i panic more and more about having nothing done, so I start browsing online for strollers and cribs, etc. And, as one usually does on their holiday, we go to Baby's R Us near Clearwater. At least we pick out our stroller (pram/push chair for you Brit readers).
And then we're off home... We get into Portland very, very late. And, boy, is it cold!
We're pretty excited for our holiday! We haven't been on one for close to a decade. Trips to the UK don't count :) The boys are at their doggy spa, my car is having a tune up, and poor Dafty is at home on her lonesome (though Linda will be keeping her company at times). We fly out of Portland and bump into three students on our flight to DC!!
We make our connection from DC to Florida, pick up the hire car (of course we're first talked into getting an upgrade), and, after getting a little lost, find our hotel/apartment. Rafi seemed to enjoy the flight... he was really moving about!! Once we've dropped our things off we head immediately to the main beach resort. En route I spy a dolphin as we drive over the causeway.... the palm trees are beautiful and the sun is shining brightly.
We feel so luck to be here...
Our first moments on the beach:
We lay on the beach... soaking up the rays, me trying to find any comfortable way to lie and read. This bump really is getting in the way!
Day two
We wake up to a lovely sunny day.... and decide to go on a hike. It looks beautiful, from what we can see online, and there are plenty of paths for walking and some paths for biking. It's really busy when we get there, but immediately can see why it's so popular. It's just beautiful.
The trail is very well marked... Here we are all cheery at the beginning of the hike:
And then we get lost... our plan is to find some gully which will take us to the main biking loop... and of course we don't find it and end up walking for more than 4 hours in the hot sweltering Floridian sun. The scenery is lovely, though, and we do see an armadillo (actually 4!):
Inevitably, perhaps, we miss the gully and have to walk two more hours... We manage very well not to blame one another!!! We're tired, hungry, hot and lost and this would usually be a recipe for a marital spat - and while it is HARD for me not to blame Rich for this mess (and vice versa!) we get back to the car without venting our frustration on one another. We're trying to practice for when poppet arrives :)
By the evening, though, my right foot is in agony and I can't walk. Boo. I expect to be better in the morning, though.
Day three
Alas, no better whatsoever. In fact my foot is worse, and so we decide to spend the day taking it very easy. We read, lie in the sun, and take dips in the pool. I do, unfortunately, own the most unflattering maternity swimming costume in the world. It's an all in one lap swimsuit; certainly it's not made for a vacation in Florida!
In the evening we sit on the hotel's little beach reading, watching the sun go down:
Day Four
I have joined a few online pregnancy bulletin boards... there are a group of us on one who are all due on July 16th! Angie is one of those women.. she is just lovely and happens to live in St Petersburgh. She recommends that we visit Fort DeSoto park, which apparently has won lots of awards for its beauty.
We're not disappointed! it is gorgeous... and since my foot is still hurting it's another perfect day for lying on the beach and reading!
Rich - taking it easy....
On the way home we spy a place to rent kayaks in the park... we plan to do it tomorrow.
Day Five
And kayaking we go...
Day Six
The foot situation is posing a bit of an obstacle. We'd planned to go on many hikes and to play lots of tennis. I can't imagine that it'll be very easy to play a month from now. As it is I was wondering how my center of gravity would impact play! Oh well... Tonight we have plans to meet Angie and her husband, Dennis. They suggest the Vinoy Renaissance in St Petersburgh. We spend the morning at the pool - reading and napping and swimming. Perfect! We head to St. Pete early so that we can walk (well, hobble) along the marina before we meet them on the hotel's veranda. St Pete's is beautiful!
We don't hobble very far and decide to head to the Vinoy early and get a drink.... Well, this place is beautiful... very stylish and very out of our price range :) I discover that it's the only 5 star resort on the West coast of Florida, and, really, you can tell! We sit on the veranda and we're joined by a few of these fellas, who aren't in the least bit shy about foraging amongst the guests.
I mean to take a pic of Angie and I but completely forget! We have a lovely evening... and I hope Angie and I get to have some play dates. As it happens she'll be in Boston for maternity leave.
Day Seven
I'd really wanted to go on some sort of boat trip while we're here, and so we find a dolphin watching trip which leaves from St. Pete's, Rather than a big boat, we're on a yacht with 9 other people. There's a little girl on there, too; only 9 months. Rafi will be almost 9 months this time next year :) We do plan to come back with him next Spring break.
As soon as we board the boat we spy a dolphin!! IN fact, we see so many as we cruise out of the bay. I'm amazed at how close we are to them... pictures will likely say it better than I can.
What a wonderful day! En route home we pop to Clearwater, which is an exceedingly busy resort. We walk along the promenade, eating an ice cream, sort of glad we didn't hang out there too much. It boasts beautiful beaches but we're so grateful we happened upon the quieter more serene Fort DeSoto.
Our holiday is coming to an end...
Day Eight
We don't fly out until the evening but we have to check out by 11. We're sad to leave. Rich and I have both developed some sun rash on our arms (clearly our winter skin was shocked by the sight of sun) and we decide to stay out of the sun as much as possible. As it happens I'm also beginning to panic that I haven't done a thing to get ready for poppet's arrival. Angie had just ordered all of the furniture and most people online are really pretty organized with supplies, baby showers, registries, and more. ANd so that morning I begin to panic. I wake up at 3:30am and the poppet is doing acrobats, making it hard to get back to sleep. Between that and the rumination over 'nothing is done' I lie awake for the next couple of hours. Eventually I realize that Rich is awake too, and, for the first time, since poppet is moving, moving, moving, Rich tries to feel for some movement! I'll let him comment on that... but he feels a couple of blows :)
We'd decided to watch the sun rise and so go down to the beach to wait for it to come up. Alas, it's the only cloudy morning since we arrived and so there's not much to see. We return to our room to pack and Rich finds Baby Stories. now, I usually don't watch these shows, owing to the fact that we don't have TV, but I am glued to them now, as is Rich. I almost start to sob when the baby's born....
.... and then i panic more and more about having nothing done, so I start browsing online for strollers and cribs, etc. And, as one usually does on their holiday, we go to Baby's R Us near Clearwater. At least we pick out our stroller (pram/push chair for you Brit readers).
And then we're off home... We get into Portland very, very late. And, boy, is it cold!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
A holiday list
Hi folks,
This internet connection is too slow to blog much of anything, much less post photos... so a quick placeholder entry:
A quick list:
1) It is beautiful here... the weather has been very, very kind: in the 80s, sunny, with a light afternoon breeze.
2) We've visited some lovely beaches. our favourtie is Fort DeSoto. We're about to head there now to go kayaking.. hopefully :)
3) We have done one hike. This was a bit torturous, actually, as we got hopelessly lost. I now cannot walk without some serious limping. This has placed a big obstacle in respect to our tennis plans, but I can still lie next to the pool or on the beach and read. Phew!
4) We've had many plans to visit lots of nice restaurants... alas, I am so tired come 6pm that we invariably stay in and cook our own food (we're staying in an apartment).
5) We LOVE watching the little kiddos imagining little Raffi on holiday. But, I have also noted how horribly judgmental I have become of others' parenting. But, boy, these poor kids...
This internet connection is too slow to blog much of anything, much less post photos... so a quick placeholder entry:
A quick list:
1) It is beautiful here... the weather has been very, very kind: in the 80s, sunny, with a light afternoon breeze.
2) We've visited some lovely beaches. our favourtie is Fort DeSoto. We're about to head there now to go kayaking.. hopefully :)
3) We have done one hike. This was a bit torturous, actually, as we got hopelessly lost. I now cannot walk without some serious limping. This has placed a big obstacle in respect to our tennis plans, but I can still lie next to the pool or on the beach and read. Phew!
4) We've had many plans to visit lots of nice restaurants... alas, I am so tired come 6pm that we invariably stay in and cook our own food (we're staying in an apartment).
5) We LOVE watching the little kiddos imagining little Raffi on holiday. But, I have also noted how horribly judgmental I have become of others' parenting. But, boy, these poor kids...
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Off on our hols!
HI folks, we're just getting ready for our trip to Florida! We fly out of Portland in the early hours and we'll be there a week. It's very exciting. We've not been to Florida before, and, in fact, this is our first vacation in around 9 years. Visiting family in the UK doesn't count as a holiday :)
I didn't get a chance to post yesterday about it but I saw the periontologist for a consult about the effects of lupus on the baby. Fortunately I'm on no meds so that isn't a concern, and the pregnancy won't make the lupus worse (though I should be prepared for a flare-up of symptoms on delivery... apparently the baby might exhibit symptoms, too, though they won't have lupus). The biggest concern is what my antibodies might do to the baby. One of the biggest worries is that something will happen to the placenta and thus the baby will not thrive... and the other potential issue is the electrical circuitry system around the heart. However, I feel confident that things will be a-ok.
It does mean, though, that I have to monthly ultrasounds. So much for the idea of going through pregnancy with few ultrasounds! Jeepers, I've already had 4... I think it's probably worth it, though.
The Dr. was a really lovely fella, and seemed not to think that my plans for a natural birth at Mercy would be an issue. As long as everything looks good on the scans it'll be fine. From 24 weeks on, then, I'll be heading to the high-risk OB for my checkup. These will be in addition to my appointments with Deb.
I'm more than half way through the pregnancy. It's really glaringly obvious now - although I did have to gently point it out to a couple of people today. I feared they thought I was just getting quite rotund.
Oh, we think we've decided - at least for now - on the name Rafael (Raffi, Rafa, etc). My parents are not shy in offering their opinion on names, and I was quite certain they wouldn't like it, but they seem to. I said 'raffi' with a Scottish accent to my Dad (who would love us to use a Scottish name) and that seemed to help!
Thanks for reading this blog, readers.
I didn't get a chance to post yesterday about it but I saw the periontologist for a consult about the effects of lupus on the baby. Fortunately I'm on no meds so that isn't a concern, and the pregnancy won't make the lupus worse (though I should be prepared for a flare-up of symptoms on delivery... apparently the baby might exhibit symptoms, too, though they won't have lupus). The biggest concern is what my antibodies might do to the baby. One of the biggest worries is that something will happen to the placenta and thus the baby will not thrive... and the other potential issue is the electrical circuitry system around the heart. However, I feel confident that things will be a-ok.
It does mean, though, that I have to monthly ultrasounds. So much for the idea of going through pregnancy with few ultrasounds! Jeepers, I've already had 4... I think it's probably worth it, though.
The Dr. was a really lovely fella, and seemed not to think that my plans for a natural birth at Mercy would be an issue. As long as everything looks good on the scans it'll be fine. From 24 weeks on, then, I'll be heading to the high-risk OB for my checkup. These will be in addition to my appointments with Deb.
I'm more than half way through the pregnancy. It's really glaringly obvious now - although I did have to gently point it out to a couple of people today. I feared they thought I was just getting quite rotund.
Oh, we think we've decided - at least for now - on the name Rafael (Raffi, Rafa, etc). My parents are not shy in offering their opinion on names, and I was quite certain they wouldn't like it, but they seem to. I said 'raffi' with a Scottish accent to my Dad (who would love us to use a Scottish name) and that seemed to help!
Thanks for reading this blog, readers.
Kicking up a Storm
Wow, this past few days the little fellow has been making his presence very much felt. I have felt movement - and even some muffled kicks - for a few weeks, but usually I have to be focusing to feel much of anything. But now that's changing, because as I go about my day, not thinking about the little Poppet too much I get a quick, sharp reminder that he is very much there.
Yesterday, during a meeting (about the tenth of the day), I was sat there with 12 other faculty discussing many pressing issues(!) and all of a sudden Poppet started to move and move and move. And in this very public forum of this large meeting, I thought how wonderful it was that I was having this very, very private moment with my little son (yikes, that's the first time I've really used the word 'son'.. makes me want to call him 'Sunny', or something).
Then, this morning, around 3am, I woke up for my twentieth run to the loo that night, and when I got to bed he was once again kicking, kicking, kicking! these weren't little flutter kicks that one can mistake for gas, these were little thumps that made it all but impossible to get back to sleep.
It is very, very surreal when I step back and reflect on what's going on, to think that there's a little person forming in there. Indeed a little person who has formed - but is just working on getting bigger.
This time is beginning to go really fast. And we don't have a single thing!
Yesterday, during a meeting (about the tenth of the day), I was sat there with 12 other faculty discussing many pressing issues(!) and all of a sudden Poppet started to move and move and move. And in this very public forum of this large meeting, I thought how wonderful it was that I was having this very, very private moment with my little son (yikes, that's the first time I've really used the word 'son'.. makes me want to call him 'Sunny', or something).
Then, this morning, around 3am, I woke up for my twentieth run to the loo that night, and when I got to bed he was once again kicking, kicking, kicking! these weren't little flutter kicks that one can mistake for gas, these were little thumps that made it all but impossible to get back to sleep.
It is very, very surreal when I step back and reflect on what's going on, to think that there's a little person forming in there. Indeed a little person who has formed - but is just working on getting bigger.
This time is beginning to go really fast. And we don't have a single thing!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Nursery Themes Part 2
... so I am now starting to feel quite anxious that I didn't even THINK about stuff such as should the bedding and bumper be organic, should the dyes be natural, should the nursery be green...
And with those thoughts my image of the nursery is changing. I have been thinking about making sure the mattress is toxic-free, etc., and my sense is that I ought to do the same with the bedding. Organic bedding tends to be less bright and cheery - which is actually more my cuppa tea, and Linda could do some wonderful murals on the wall to brighten things up a bit.
These are the ones I've just found... and quite like (and won't break the bank)
I am quite partial to the willow set, which might be a nice backdrop for trees and woodland animals on the wall...
And with those thoughts my image of the nursery is changing. I have been thinking about making sure the mattress is toxic-free, etc., and my sense is that I ought to do the same with the bedding. Organic bedding tends to be less bright and cheery - which is actually more my cuppa tea, and Linda could do some wonderful murals on the wall to brighten things up a bit.
These are the ones I've just found... and quite like (and won't break the bank)
I am quite partial to the willow set, which might be a nice backdrop for trees and woodland animals on the wall...
Monday, March 2, 2009
Nursery Themes
Another snow-day here in Maine, and I am really, really ready for winter to be over. And then I remember that I'll be VERY pregnant come June/July, and I am feeling nervous about the heat, the swelling.. yes, the rather large tummy :) But, before I have to contend with that we have our Florida vacation on the horizon!
We can't wait... 7 days on the Gulf Coast, doing nothing but reading, relaxing, playing tennis, swimming, hiking, and sitting on the balcony watching the sunset. And EVEN if the weather wasn't too wonderful, anything has to be better than these frigid temperatures and the mountains of snow we're dealing with.
While we're there we'll be thinking hard about nursery themes! I realize that this is all for ME, especially since we'll likely co-sleep or, in the very least, the baby will be in with us. But the thought of a nursery is just lovely, to me at least! So we're thinking of 'themes' - something to orient the room, something bright and colourful.
Or... maybe neutral and organic :)
I rather like these safari animals
Our friend, Linda, is a wonderful artist and she's offered to paint us a mural... which would be super. But what to do... The other thought is more of a woodland theme.
Would love your ideas...
We can't wait... 7 days on the Gulf Coast, doing nothing but reading, relaxing, playing tennis, swimming, hiking, and sitting on the balcony watching the sunset. And EVEN if the weather wasn't too wonderful, anything has to be better than these frigid temperatures and the mountains of snow we're dealing with.
While we're there we'll be thinking hard about nursery themes! I realize that this is all for ME, especially since we'll likely co-sleep or, in the very least, the baby will be in with us. But the thought of a nursery is just lovely, to me at least! So we're thinking of 'themes' - something to orient the room, something bright and colourful.
Or... maybe neutral and organic :)
I rather like these safari animals
Our friend, Linda, is a wonderful artist and she's offered to paint us a mural... which would be super. But what to do... The other thought is more of a woodland theme.
Would love your ideas...
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