August 13, 2011: Pacific Grove Baby Shower

We were so very fortunate to have Mom (Grandma) and Tias Heather, Allison and Kelly throw an amazing baby shower for Baby Gaudette (and me) down in Pacific Grove on August 13. The day started with a little bit of stress given that the shower theme was an outdoor garden tea party, and the weather - as is typical of PG Summers - was wet and cold. Thankfully, though, just before the party started, the weather cleared up, and we were able to stick with our original plan of having the party in Mom's beautiful backyard.

We had a delicious lunch spread with salads and tea sandwiches, a hot tea, iced tea and lemonade bar, and an amazing dessert table (check it out!):


There was a fun array of shower games and activities, and Grant and I could not believe the generosity of our friends and family who got so many amazing gifts for Baby Gaudette. This girl is SET!

Here are some photos from the day (click to enlarge):


Items to note:
*Tia Allison and I have babies due just under two weeks apart! They are sure to be life-long friends, like we are.
*Tia Kelly made Baby Gaudette the most beautiful quilt, with the softest back! It currently hangs over the baby's crib in her room, and I know she will treasure it forever.
*We were so lucky to have so many friends from high school and family friends in attendance. Several even made long trips to be there (thank you Heather, Allison, Kelly, Christina, Purnima, and Stephanie J.)!
*Cute babies: Allison and Christina brought Avery and Kegan to help us celebrate the day!
*Mom (Grandma) worked so hard to get her garden ready for the party. And it looked absolutely gorgeous with flowers in bloom, bright green grass, and clothelines of cute dresses for Baby Gaudette! Thank you Grandma and Tia Heather for the amazing wardrobe our baby will have!
*Dad (Grandpa) was so so helpful with setting up the shower! Special thanks to him for all his hard work, including babysitting Betinho during the party!

Baby Gaudette's Bassinet

Although Grant and I have been spending a ton of time decorating and organizing little Grunka's nursery, she won't actually be staying in the nursery for the first few months after birth. Instead, we're planning to have her stay upstairs with us in our bedroom, which will be much nicer for nighttime feedings, etc. While she's up in our room, she'll be sleeping in this gorgeous bassinet!



Having this bassinet as Baby Gaudette's first bed is so special. This is actually the bassinet that my parents bought for me when I was born. My mom restored it when Betinho was born two-and-a-half years ago, and now it will be passed to our little girl. To make the bassinet special for our baby, my mom made the adorable bumper and skirt, which coordinates with the quilt that I made for our little girl. Baby Gaudette is so lucky to have so many people that love her so much already!

July-August 2011: Setting up the Nursery (continued)

With the layout, furniture and fixtures decided (see my previous post), it was time to start working on details. First and foremost, we needed artwork! We are so lucky to have a resident artist in the family! Grant's sister, Katherine, is an art major in college, and she agreed to paint a gorgeous painting for the baby's room during her summer break. We gave her the color scheme, and a general description that we wanted cheery flowers, and she came up with the rest.



We absolutely love the look of this painting in the room. And Grunka now has a family heirloom that she can keep forever. Thank you, Tia Katherine, for creating this masterpiece!

July-August 2011: Nesting Part 2 - Setting up the Nursery!

As soon as we found out that we were having a baby girl, my mind started swirling with all of the amazing ways that we could decorate the room. We wanted something bright and cheery enough for a baby, but sophisticated and contemporary enough to go with the rest of our decor. We're excited about the progress we've made:

The Guest Bed: Being the biggest item of furniture in the room, the bed would be a major focal point. We found this perfect duvet cover at Garnet Hill. We love the bright colors, and the fact that it brings the outdoors in -- Grunka's room overlooks our patio, so there are pretty flowers everywhere!



The Light Fixture: Our new bedspread clashed terribly with the light fixture in the room, which contained a blue/brown mosaic. Thus, I next went on the search for a coordinating light fixture. Thankfully, Tia Purnima found a perfect fit, designed by Jonathan Adler --



The Crib/Changing Table: With a darker-colored duvet cover, and darker tan walls, we opted for a white crib and changing table. There are about a million models of cribs and changing tables to choose from, so we consulted the experts at www.consumerreports.com, narrowed it down to two choices, and went shopping. Ultimately, we loved the look of the Bonavita Peyton Lifestyle Crib and Furniture, and the size was perfect for the room. Mom and Heather were so generous to buy us the crib as an early shower gift --



With these items decided, we had a basic room in the works. It looked like this:



Next came artwork, bookshelves, crib bedding, etc. . . . more on these to come!

"Smart Baby" Muffins

Many people take Omega 3 supplements during their pregnancy, since Omega 3 is supposed to support brain development, and have a whole host of other benefits. And who doesn't want a smarty-pants baby?!?! The only trouble is that the supplements themselves often worsten stomach aches and heartburn that are already symptomatic during pregnancy. So, rather than taking the pills, I've been trying to eat foods that are high in Omega 3, and have been buying Omega 3 fortified milk and eggs. Little Grunka is going to be valedictorian, Class of 2029!
Here's a recipe that I've dubbed "Smart Baby" Muffins, because they are FULL of Omega 3!

"Smart Baby" Muffins:
(makes about 12-15 muffins)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups whole wheat or all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups ground flax seed (FULL of Omega 3!)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
3/4 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 cups milk (Omega 3 fortified!)
1 egg (Omega 3 fortified!)
Blackberries, blueberries, or raspberries
Cane sugar for sprinkling on top

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Mix the dry ingredients first, then add in the milk and eggs and stir until well mixed.
3. Spray muffin pan with cooking spray or use pan liners. Fill with batter until 3/4 full.
4. Place berries on the top of the batter, and sprinkle with cane sugar.
5. Bake at 350°F for approx. 25-30 minutes.

Note: These are NOT the tastiest muffins in the world -- they are full of flax! In fact, I think the look a lot better in the picture than they taste. Grant refuses to try one! :)

20-30 Weeks: Pregnancy Pics

I didn't start really showing (other than just looking bloated all of the time) until about 20 weeks into the pregnancy. So, from 20 weeks on, I started taking pictures of myself every couple of weeks so I could document the growth. And there has been some MAJOR growing going on, particularly in the last few weeks! Here ia a line-up of the photos I've taken to date. I tried to take most of them wearing the same outfit, so you could really see the stomach expanding.

20 weeks:


22 weeks:


24 weeks:


26 weeks:



28 weeks:


30 weeks:

June 29, 2011 - 20 Week Ultrasound

It's a Girl!!! And she has a very cute profile, if I do say so myself!

Grant and I were so happy to get to see our baby again at our 20 week ultrasound. We knew that we were likely to find out the sex of the baby at the appointment, so we were all excitement and nerves that morning. My "motherly intuition" was telling me that we were having a girl, but then I had a dream that we were having a boy, and the Chinese calendar birth chart that some work colleagues insisted I take also indicated that it would be a boy. So we had no idea what to think!

Before the appointment, we contemplated what the best way to find out the gender was. Some of our friends suggested having the ultrasound technician write the gender down on a piece of paper and place it into a sealed envelope for Grant and me to open on our own. Others suggested taking the sealed envelope to a baker and having them bake a "girl" (pink) or "boy" (blue) cake for us, covered with frosting, so we'd only find out the sex when we cut into the cake. As tempting (and delicious) as these idea sounded, we opted for keeping it simple. We asked the technician to tell us what we were having while we were there at the appointment, looking at our beautiful little baby on the screen.

When she told us it was a girl, we just squeezed each others hands so tightly, and had the biggest smiles on our faces. It was perfect! Of course, we would have reacted the exact same way if she'd said it was a boy. We are just so happy to be undertaking this new adventure together, and we can't wait to meet Baby Gaudette!

June-July 2011: Nesting Part 1 - The Backyard

There is nothing like a baby on the way to get you motivated to crank out those household projects that have been haunting you for years!

Ever since we moved into our little house, we have wanted to spruce up our backyard. The majority of the yard was taken up by a large carport, which over the years had become home to junk, junk, and more junk. To top it off, the grass and flowers in the small yard we did have had become dry and dead, on the one hand, or completely overgrown, on the other.

In late June, we contacted a landscaper and drew out plans and, just after the July 4 holiday weekend, we "broke ground" on our new backyard. The carport came down, the cement and rocky dirt were excavated, and in came a beautiful lawn with a full irrigation system, a beautiful new shed for storage, and some nice trees and flowers. We also put in a small paver stone patio, and a new windowed door into the family room/garage, and a small dog run on the side of the house. Mom and Dad (Grandma and Grandpa) came into town over a series of long work-weekends to help us clear out the carport prior to demolition, paint the back of the house and door trim where the carport had been removed and the new door put in, organize the shed, plant trees and flowers, and much more. We are so grateful for their help! By the beginning of August, right on schedule, the project was finished! Just in time for my Palo Alto Baby Shower (more on that later).

Here are some "before" pictures of the backyard/carport:




And here are some "after" pictures:

March 29, 2011 - 12 Week Ultrasound

Grant had his first test as a father. On the morning of our big 12 week ultrasound appointment at Stanford, Grant got invited to play golf at the Olympic Club, host of the 2012 U.S. Open. The only trouble was, the tee time would conflict with our appointment. Oh, the dilemmas of parenthood . . .

Grant did the right thing! He was such a good husband and father that he declined the opportunity to play golf, and accompanied me to the appointment. This time, he sat through the ultrasound (rather than standing), and he was prepared with a water bottle. And no more fainting for Grant! He made it through just fine, and we both enjoyed seeing our little baby jumping on the screen.

March 4-5, 2011 - Telling Our Parents

Everyone knows that it's so so hard for me to keep a secret, particularly when I am excited about something. So, waiting a month to share the news of our pregnancy with our parents was just about killing me. After we had our 8 week ultrasound and got the chance to see our little sweet pea, we decided that we'd share the news with family. We tried desperately to think of a clever way to get both of our parents together, but - alas - it just didn't happen.

Since Grant's parents were going to be first-time grandparents, we decided we'd tell them first. On Friday evening, March 4, 2011, we called them up on speakerphone and spilled the beans. They were thrilled!

The next morning, we drove down to Pacific Grove to tell my parents the news in person. We had a plan that we would stop by the Bagel Bakery to pick up breakfast, then bring it to the house and tell them at home. But Dad wanted to meet us up at the restaurant. Since we weren't ready to share the news in public, and since P.G. is such a small town, we thought we'd hold off telling them at the Bagel Bakery. But that meant us coming up with an elaborate lie about why Grant had stitches in his forehead! We said that Grant had fainted while having blood drawn, and that led to my mom giving Grant a lot of advice about getting through lab work.
After keeping up the lie half-way through breakfast, I finally just blurted out the news. My parents were stunned! They were so excited, and teary-eyed. It was fun to show them our little ultrasound picture too.

It was so funny because I kept telling Grant that I thought we were having a girl (even though I have no idea why I felt that way) and, as soon as my mom saw the ultrasound picture, she immediately said that she thought we were having a girl too! This motherly intuition is strange . . .

"Grunka"

We have taken to calling our baby "Grunka," from one of Grant's favorite TV Shows, Chuck. To explain, in the show, Chuck's sister Ellie is pregnant, and she and her husband Devon cannot decide on a baby name. Devon strikes down every name that Ellie suggests, and she begins to get frustrated. Ellie tells Devon that she's made an executive decision with respect to the name, and that the baby will be called Grunka. Devon, who cannot imagine naming his baby girl Grunka, plots to have various friends throughout the episode approach Ellie and tell her stories like, "Did you hear about that Armenian serial killer, Grunka . . .?" That doesn't work. Finally, toward the end of the episode, Devon approaches Ellie and tells her that he really does not want to name their baby Grunka. Ellie explains that he dismisses every name she suggests, and Devon responds that he likes the name "Clara." So Ellie says she'll make it easy on Devon: he can choose either Clara or Grunka. Not surprisingly, he chooses Clara. After getting her husband to commit to a name, Ellie exclaims, "I can't believe you thought I was going to name our baby Grunka; that was the name of the spoons I bought at IKEA." Devon had been duped!

To see clips from the funny episode, click here:

Chuck Episode Part 1

Chuck Episode Part 2

And, there really is an IKEA serving set named "Grunka": IKEA Serving Set

So, until we have a name picked out, we will continue to refer to our little baby as "Grunka," "Grunka-bear," "Grunka-berry" and the like. I've even taken to singing our baby the popular Australian children's song "Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree", or - in our case - "Grunka-berry sits in Mom's tummy . . ."

March 3, 2011 -- 8 Week Dr.'s Appointment

Ok - so our first real doctor's appointment didn't go exactly as we'd imagined. Grant had just returned home from a business trip to Puerto Rico, had the busiest day at work, and was running late to the appointment - hungry and exhausted. My stomach was completely in knots about the idea of getting to see our baby for the first time. Part of me was also convinced that this was all too good to be true - that I must just be imagining that I was pregnant, and that the doctor was going to crush us when the ultrasound showed an empty womb.

Of course, all of my worrying was for naught. As soon as the doctor started the ultrasound, we could see the most adorable little bean floating around in my belly. It was so magical and exciting to see; I literally could not take my eyes off of the screen. That is, until Grant came crashing across my legs, breaking through the stirrups and fell onto the floor. I couldn't understand what was happening. As it turns out, with all of the excitement and emotion of seeing our little baby (coupled with his hunger and fatigue), Grant fainted! He immediately woke up, and ended up being just fine, but our trip to the OB for an ultrasound ended in a trip to urgent care for Grant to get "lucky number" eight stitches across his forehead.



What a day!

February 6, 2011 -- We're Pregnant!

Time is flying, and life is changing. It seems like it was just yesterday when Grant and I found out the best news we could ever have imagined -- that we were going to have a baby! I suspected that I was pregnant a week or two before this, but we decided to wait until February 6, 2011 to take the pregnancy test. Why? Because that was the official date of our 12 year anniversary since the day we started dating. We couldn't think of a more fitting way to celebrate the amazing 12 years we've spent together than to find out definitively that we were about to begin a whole new life journey together.

We took this picture lying in bed just after I took the test. Our faces are full of excitement and . . . ok - a little nervousness. Life as we know it is about to change, forever. We couldn't be more thrilled!