New England

Ah, the Patriots go 16-0!
Very exciting!!
We watched the game tonight & were very happy that the Pats pulled if off in the end. There were a few tense moments... but Tom, Randy, and the boys managed to pull through in the end.
We were at the Endless Summer (spot of the rehearsal dinner, for those of you who remember that)(actually, was Cyanne's first trip to the place...) and there was quite a contingent of Giants fans or if not Giants fans at heart, were those who just wanted the Pats to lose...
So they cheered more towards the beginning but in the 4th quarter - we definitely did our fair share of cheering and got many dirty looks towards our corner. =)
Gotta show Cyanne how it's done, right? =)
Cyanne was sporting her Red Sox get-up. She was representin' Beantown.
(We have no Pats baby gear at the moment).

So all turned out well tonight for Boston sports fans!!

Welcome Anna Sophia Gustafson!

Congratulations to Karen & Zach on the arrival of their new baby girl!!!
We Blabeys are so so very excited for them and to meet the little one. The Blabey family loves the name... =)
Also - props to Karen for such an excellent effort during the entire labor and delivery process.
It took a while and while not super fun - is now in the past!
And look who decided to come out and join the party.

Welcome to the world Anna!
Cyanne can't wait to meet her new friend!

Recent Photo

Here is a recent shot taken by our wonderful local photographer Ms. Jennifer Secord.

Cyanne's First Trip to the Christmas Tree Lot

Last weekend, Tom, Cyanne & I ventured out to get our Christmas tree.
We tried to explain the differences between the Noble, Douglas, and other Fir trees... but I am not sure how much she'll remember.
The brisk Southern California air and the scent of pine trees seemed to have put her to sleep.

Cyanne & her buddy Max in the Pack n' Play

Before some of you freak out about my mixing cats and babies - We try and take Max out every time he jumps into the Pack n' Play. Evidently, we missed him jumping in this once and this is what I found when I went to check on her.
As I said, they're going to be buddies.
I love the fact that they both have the same sleeping position - arms/paws over the head.

More of Cyanne & her baby group

Here are a few more shots of Cyanne and her baby group. It was quite a task lining all of the babies up and having all of these moms shoot photos before there were a few meltdowns... Cyanne behaved perfectly =).
She's already learning quickly that she'll have to have a good amount of patience posing for Mommy and her ever-present camera. =)

Please note her sporty Red Sox footed PJ's... It was the only thing that I had
that looked remotely "Christmas-y" - being red and white.
The Red Sox candy cane look...

A few amazing moments

This first photo is my favorite thus far.
I love the expression in her eyes.

Cyanne & her Daddy.

Cyanne's Baby Group Christmas Photo

Cyanne's baby group took a promo Christmas shot to do some fund raising.
She's 2nd from the left in her red & white Red Sox footed PJ's.
I have a few other group shots with all of the babies - probably 30-40 of them all lined up on the floor. Very cute.
I will post those shortly!

Three Cheers for Food Network and ESPN

So as I sit and nurse Cyanne, often I am sitting on the couch in our living room.
Straight ahead of me happens to be the TV.
While there are times I sit there in silence or listen to music I happen to have on - often times I watch TV.
Frankly, it makes the time pass more quickly and keeps me occupied. Especially at 4:30 AM or whatever time it happens to be... I suppose then it helps keep me awake =).

That said - these are the two channels I watch all of the time:
Contrasting you may say but hey... it works for me.

Everybody give a big cheer for Food Network and ESPN!

I laugh because oh, a few years ago, I never watched ESPN. Ever.
And now I watch it all of the time - I know various shows, commentators, and yes, I miss not watching SportsCenter if it's been a couple of days... I think Tom is entertained/scared by my sports watching these days.
Oh how things change.

The Food Network watching is less surprising - I have learned many many
new techniques and have picked out several new recipes.

Ah, good times while nursing.
Hey, a girl has got to do what she can while having no free hands.
=)

Vaccinations, Acid Reflux and all things less than fun at the Doctor's Office...

Cyanne had her "2 month" check-up this morning (even though technically she's actually 9 1/2 weeks old now.)
The 2 month visit - as most of you know - brings shots. 4 of them! And two oral doses.
However, one of the oral ones was Infant Tylenol so that one was okay. Cyanne really wasn't sure what she thought of the cherry flavor. Quite different than milk, that's for sure!

Here's the update:
Weight: 10 lb, 1 oz.
Height: 21 1/2 inches (she grew 1 1/2 inches since the last visit)


The Ped. gave her an "A++" for this visit. =) Everything looked great.

We also then discussed some of our difficulties when feeding her as of late and he determined that she is experiencing some "acid reflux." Poor girl.
So, we are now equipped with some Zantac in liquid form that we're going to try and see if that helps her upset tummy.

Then... the nurse came in... bearing a tray of shots (4!! as I said above...) and the oral doses.
Cyanne was a trooper.
She was a very good little girl - she did cry - but stopped right away once the ordeal was over.
I did okay... =) (as did Tom). I didn't cry though it was hard and I had to fight it off as I was holding her, staring down into her little face and eyes as they filled with a look of shock followed rapidly by pain as she got each shot. I just felt so bad because she had no idea what was going to happen, what was happening, and why it was happening.
And we get to do it again in 2 months time.

She's been okay so far - we have the Infant Tylenol close at hand to give it to her if she gets fussy - but she seems to be handling it all well at the moment. Perhaps I shouldn't say that until we get past a couple of days so as not to jinx myself.

Just wanted to post this so you could have the update.

I will post several posts w/photos this weekend - we've had several "blog-worthy" events happen recently.
Plus she's getting pretty darn cute and that's reason enough, right?

Walk along the ocean

We grabbed "the BOB" and took Cyanne for her first walk along the ocean.
We ventured down to Cabrillo Blvd. and walked along the ocean first from the wharf down to East Beach and the back up all the way to the Harbor and then back to the car.
It started out sunny with blue skies and then turned dark with approaching clouds from the mountains.
Lucky had a fantastic time as an entirely new world of smells was his for the sniffing...
There were lots of people - we passed kids, bikes, Rollerbladers, a massive drum circle with all sorts of um, shall we say... eclectic dancers embracing the beats, families, dogs of all sizes, and a few other baby strollers.

Update with the Ped.

We went to the Pediatrician today as we had a question about 2 red spots Cyanne has been developing.
We got our questions answered (nothing bad - just 2 clusters of capillaries which are supposedly common in babies; they grow until 9 mos. and disappear by 2-3 years or so) but even better yet, we had another official weigh-in!

Currently:
8lbs, 9 oz. !!

She almost gave us 10 oz but said for today, 9 was a tad more accurate. =)

We're very happy with Cyanne's weight gain... it's what we like to see!

Next Ped. appt. and weigh-in: Nov. 30th.
We're gunning for the upper 9 lb. range.
Go Cyanne! (or in addition, I should say - go mom's milk production! =))

Recent Baby Shots

A few recents shots. She's definitely getting bigger!
And more alert... This is a shot post-burping... Ah, the relief =)


We're experimenting with the bottle. Another way in which Tom gets to lend a hand =).

A few shots in the evening when she's more awake... All clean post-bath. Or as some of you I know would say: "alive, alert, awake and enthusiastic!"

Sleeping...

Ah, the wonders of sleep. Even better yet, sleeping on Daddy's/Papa's chest...

The clothes are still a wee big - note the risque off-the-shoulder look she has going.








Sleeping with her hands up by her head is a favorite position these days...

Santa Barbara Grandparents

The other night, my parents brought us dinner and spent the evening hanging out with the three of us. We took some of the first photos of the two of them and Cyanne.

Cyanne was doing her "fight the power" arm move... But we got a quick face shot =).

Showers

There are things in life that I've always enjoyed.
Since having Cyanne, there are things that I've always enjoyed but prior to her birth, never really thought all that much about.
One of those things is showers.

I can't even tell you how much I now treasure taking a shower. It is such a luxury. Only when Tom is watching Cyanne can I run and hop in the shower.
I mean sure, before, I enjoyed taking showers - especially at night to help me fall asleep. (Falling asleep is not an issue now either... but that's another entry.)

But now... it is 10-15 minutes when I can close my eyes, try and relax, inhale the steam, and realize that for a few quiet minutes, I'm all by myself. It is a brief period during my day but one to which I very much look forward. Those of you with children (or those of you soon to have kids) I am sure know what I mean.

At this point in life, few things are better than hot hot water where the only sound is water pounding on the walls. That is - aside from watching Cyanne sleep on my chest seeing her breathe in and out softly. That is pretty amazing too.

Fall comes to Santa Barbara

We have had some very neat autumnal weather of late.
Tom spent Sunday afternoon reliving living on the East Coast by raking our lawn area -

we had enough leaves to make two pretty good sized piles. I had vivid flashbacks of opening up the Lake House and creating pile after pile of leaves and pine needles... =)
Lucky then enjoyed digging for the ball in the pile!
The weather has been very clear, cool, breezy, and sunny. The only thing we're missing are leaves with lots of color - we've got yellows and browns all covered!
Here are a few shots of our "fall colors..."

Cyanne's 4 Week Pediatrician Visit

Today we went to Cyanne's 4 week "wellness visit."
He was "extremely pleased" with her weight gain. She's now up to....
7 lbs 6 ounces!!
Yeah!

Tom & I were very happy to hear that she'd put on this much weight in the last 18 days (she'd been 5 lbs 9 oz at the last visit). Some of her preemie clothes are even seeming small - we might be able to progress into the 0-3 months clothes soon!

She grew an inch to 20". Her head also grew... not sure on those measurements.
All else looked okay which is good!
He also gave us the booklet on vaccinations - poor girl... which will happen at our next visit at the end of November.

She was very well behaved as he examined her. Good little girl she is =).
We apparently have a smile to look forward to within the next 2 weeks or so.
We also have an intense period of gassiness and fussiness for the next 2 weeks which we have been experiencing the last few days.
It's amazing the change really - since Friday she's been super gassy, upset, harder to soothe and the least fun part of all for Mom & Dad - doesn't sleep much at all. Two hours in a row is considered long these days... So we're feeling a bit tired, to say the least...

But - sleep deprivation aside - i'll take the excellent MD visit!

Her next visit - November 3oth - seems so far away. Post-Thanksgiving!
I'm sure though that if the upcoming weeks pass as quickly as the last four, it'll be here before we know it.

World Series Champs!!!!

Whoo-Hoooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Red Sox are the 2007 World Series Champions!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Very very exciting!!!!!!

Tom & I just finished watching game 4.

It was quite a different experience than the 2004 World Series win where Tom & I were at John Harvards Brew Pub in Harvard Square surrounded by screaming fans who then poured out into Harvard Square - people everywhere, impromptu bands playing, cops watching with grins from ear to ear as people ran through the streets and the square...
Flash forward to our scene tonight as the final out was recorded -
Me nursing Cyanne on the couch with Tom sitting next to me, our glasses of water in front of us...
It was still very exciting... just, well, different. =)

I knew she'd be a Red Sox World Series baby. Her due date was Sat. the 27th - and in 2004, that's when the Sox won the WS... I had envisioned us at the hospital during the Series but I'll take nursing on the couch =)...

Again - YEAH!! Very exciting!!
Now they just need to resign Mike Lowell and NOT sign A-Rod!

I'm honestly very sad that now we have to wait until next spring to watch another baseball game. Watching ESPN SportsCenter and Baseball Tonight at 3 AM (among other times) while breastfeeding is not going to be nearly as much fun... At least the Patriots are kicking some serious ass!

Fires in Southern California

As I'm sure you've all seen on the news lately, Southern California has been experiencing lots of wildfires. We had a few days with really poor air quality - air filled with ash, smoke - generally gray and unhealthy to breathe. We kept the windows closed and tried to keep Cyanne out of it - especially since she was battling her first cold (not fun... but that's another story entirely).
However, due to the smoke in the air, the sunsets have been pretty incredible.
Here's a shot from our back porch - it doesn't nearly do it justice.

A few recent baby photos

For many years, friends who know me well have said "wow Kristen, I can't imagine how many photos you'll take when you have kids if you take THIS many now."
Well friends...
I hate to disappoint.

So... Here are a few recent shots of Cyanne.
Some sleeping. Some awake.

She's started to make lots of fun expressions (intentional and not), funny noises and sounds, and to look pretty darn precious when she's sleeping. (I love the side sleeping pose - ankles crossed, hands up by her face).

And a few shots from this morning...

Cyanne's meets part of her French family

Cyanne met her "first cousin once removed" (thanks Tom, for the family relation lingo) Louie Marie. He's promised to speak french to her... starting her French education early =).
She looks so small compared to him!

One shot of the two of them and one shot of Louie and Cyanne's great-grandmother, Lillian/Nanny!

Baby's First Bath

Cyanne had her first bath on October 12th.
An interesting time was had by all!


The water/bath experience was a little new and surprising at first, eliciting a few cries and vocal protests... but then she decided that it wasn't so bad.
Tom, Anne & I just took a little too long!
A few photos during the bath process... and one at the end with Tom holding her that cracks me up.
It's quite the look from her... as in "Daddy, what did you just put me through? You think this is fun?! You can't fool me..."

Visit from Cyanne's Grandparents!

We had a wonderful visit with Anne & Richard who flew out from Cooperstown to see their new (and 1st!) grandchild two weeks ago. They had to buy tickets quite a bit sooner than they (and we!) thought they would...
I suppose it's a
good thing they didn't already have tickets to come at the end of October!
It was so special and helpful to have them here with us. Richard was here for a long weekend while we were lucky enough to have Anne stay with us for 10 whole days!!! I'll say it here and again later, we were all very sad to see her go and want them to come back soon!
We enjoyed their company, love, and support - as well as their help. So helpful those Blabeys! Tom recruited Richard to help with some curtain hanging, the staining of a huge armoire... Anne was roped into baby diapering, laundry, cooking, cleaning, and a few hours of baby rocking and soothing =).

Cyanne loved meeting her grandparents - even though most of the time she had her eyes closed. It was really interesting to see how much more alert she became as the week went on. Amazing what getting rid of some jaundice and upping the food intake will do!
As I said above, we loved having Tom's parents visit and cannot wait for them to come back. Anne & Richard - if you're reading this... we miss you!! Cyanne asks each and every day when you're going to come back and visit. She'd like to put on a request for another visit & promises the airlines and weather will cooperate this next trip!!
Here are a few shots of the new grandparents with the newest Blabey Baby.

Red Sox!!

Whoo-hoo!!! We will post baby photos and updates in a few minutes but I just wanted to say - It was a great game last night!
Very very happy the Sox won Game 7 against the Indians (sorry Zach) and are advancing to the World Series again! Yeahh!!
Cyanne will definitely be sporting her Red Sox outfit (thanks Jenn =)) even if it is a tad big during the Series...
It's funny - I was telling Tom that all the while I was pregnant I thought Cyanne would be a World Series Baby - as October 27th, 2004 was when the Sox won last time... which was her due date. At least now she'll be able to watch it instead of being born during a game. I kept envisioning Tom and myself watching a game while in the hospital during labor. Not to be! At least I was right about the Sox going to the Series part!
Baby updates to follow - I promise!

Proportions

Tom & I are constantly amazed at how small Cyanne is - her hands, little feet, her body in general. It's so amazing to see.

Introducing...

Cyanne Marie Ellis Blabey

Born September 26th, 2007, 5:56 pm
5 lbs., 9 oz.
19 inches


More details to follow soon. Mother, baby, and proud Papa are all doing well, if not a little tired (Mom and Dad, at least!).


















Thanks for the many phone calls, text messages, and emails over the past few days.

Off to the Hospital... (4 1/2 wks early!)

During a visit to her OB for a routine pre-natal visit, where Kristen expected she might be told she would be put on bedrest for the remainder of her pregnancy (due to low amniotic fluid), she instead learned that she would be induced that day, within a matter of hours! After a quick call to me at the office, we both scrambled to tie up loose ends at our respective work places and met up back at home to gather our senses, call our parents, and pack for the hospital. For the record, we took a minute to take a few final photographs of Kristen's pregnant belly!

Then, off to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital we went...

Symptoms and Complications of Pregnancy

So... We had yet another ultrasound this evening. For the most part, all things look good. She weighs 5 1/2 pounds and is now in the head ward down position - which is where she should be!
She's in the 50% for growth/size so right in the middle. He said we were on course to have approximately "a 7 pounder." He said he couldn't do length measurements anymore as she's too large to fit into the screen and as he said "we can't uncurl her and there's not enough room to do measurements like that..."
We got to see her head, heart, liver/stomach area, spine etc... I inquired what the hard ball in the upper top half of my stomach was and as I suspected - it's her behind... with her legs that kick me quite frequently in the ribs...! So - it was nice to get that confirmed! It all makes sense to me - as I can completely feel her butt and then each of the kicks.
The other thing we learned though... Wasn't as good.
My amniotic fluid is very low. He said it was low and so we asked what the range is for normal. Normal is 14 and up. Mine is 7. He said "once it hits 5 to 5.5, we induce."
Basically, what it means is that I need to take it easy and that I've been doing too much, too often.
No more walking the dog, no more gym trips - per doctor's orders, I'm to cut out "all intentional exercise."
The placenta isn't getting sufficient blood flow and therefore, the baby is dehydrated and isn't peeing like she should which creates a low amniotic fluid level.
I have a sinking feeling that what this means is bed rest. My OB already told me to "cut back a few hours each day" from work when I saw her on Tuesday for my weekly check-up. I am sure - once she receives the fax from the MD tonight - that tomorrow she might very well tell me I need to go on partial or complete bed rest which is really, really not what I want to have happen. (we still have so much to do and I have much to do at work!)
As I'm told - I need to make a concerted effort to sit down, put my feet up, and/or lie down on either side - all to increase flow to the baby. Otherwise... I deliver early as they have to induce if the fluids drop. A couple/few weeks early is okay but she really should stay in there a couple more weeks at the very least to get larger so we at least get to 6 - 6 1/2 pounds. And hopefully avoid having a baby that needs to go to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
So..... Yet another 'fun' symptom/complication of pregnancy. At least I'm trying out quite a few this round. Perhaps the next go at it will be less 'exciting...'
With 5 weeks to go - bed rest for that period seems like a long time and I'm sure the folks at my office wouldn't be too pleased. However, if it comes to that - hopefully I can still read and write and work on a laptop - while lying in bed... maybe??
But as we know - making sure she's as safe and healthy as possible is the first priority. If that means bed rest for the next 5 weeks - so be it. I have a very helpful, useful, efficient, and loving husband... who will, I'm sure, relish all of his new "tasks..." =)
And the thing is - it's a very busy weekend coming up!
I have to speak at the Laguna Blanca School 75th anniversary kick-off celebrations tomorrow then we have Karen's Baby Shower (very exciting!! Lots of cheese!!) tomorrow night.
Saturday is Tom's 30th Birthday!!!
The day starts with one of my showers hosted by Missy & my Mom - and then we all go out to toast Tom and the end of his twenties...
Plus... Devon has amazingly flown in from Boston for the weekend - so I want to go around and see the town with her!!
Perhaps 'bed rest' can wait until Sunday afternoon?

Shower at the Mislang's

Last Saturday we spent a wonderful evening at the Mislang's at a baby shower for Tom and me. The night was filled with excellent food (not that I'd have expected differently from those Secord women... talented as they are in the kitchen) - Shrimp with basmati rice, green beans with toasted sliced almonds and lemon zest (it is a real dinner party when zest of any variety is involved, after all...), bread, and an amazing dessert served in a martini glass (I was sadly pleased to be able to 'use' a martini glass, though not for its original purpose) of strawberries, fresh cream, and lady finger type cookies. There were mai tais and margaritas which I'm told tasted good... I may have had a sip or two (or five) when concocting them to make sure I wasn't passing along sub-standard beverages to my good friends... That would, of course, be unacceptable.

It was a great mix of friends and I'd say family because Dan, Mary, Lara & Jenny are basically just an extension of my family in my mind.

The setting was beautiful - it is hard to top an early fall evening in Santa Barbara when the mountains turn a deep purple-blue while the sun sets over the ocean. They had a table, under a large oak tree, decorated with white phalaenopsis orchids, candles, and quite the table cloth with matching place cards... But I'll leave the secret of that success to Lara.

Tom & I had a wonderful time and are so thankful and appreciative of all that Lara, as well as Jenny and Mary, did getting it all ready. Lara does have a few other things going on these days... namely Miles and Danika... so we were also very glad they gave their Mom a little time to get everything organized as well as some time to sit and enjoy a mai tai or two...

It was a fantastic way to celebrate the shortly to arrive Blabey baby. =)

We were lucky enough at the end of the evening to have a Danika sighting when she came back home - man, those kids are ridiculously cute. Lara & Robert are going to have their hands full down the road, that all I'm going to say. =)

Again, thanks to all for a wonderful evening.
Should I get photos... I will post them!

Pets in People Places

Ah... very funny.
Max & Sonsie decided to hang out in the baby's pack n' play... making she it would be comfortable for her arrival...




And Lucky decided to see how it felt to be behind the wheel.