Thursday, December 30, 2010

Christmas - the Harris Family way

When I was growing up, my parents emphasized that Christmas was about being with family and spending time together.  They made a point to celebrate Christmas with each family, teaching us that Christmas was whenever everyone could be together.  So as a kid I always had three Christmases.  One in Mentor with our immediate family, one with my Mom's family and one with my Dad's family.  It meant that I got to see all of my cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents, spreading the excitement out across a couple of weeks.  It made the holidays so much fun and as an adult I realize it probably made things a little less stressful to eliminate arguments about whose family got December 25th.  Starting this year, we have the same thing going for Nate.  We hope he has equaly fond memories of spending quality time with this aunts and uncles. (and hopefully, someday, cousins)

We started our family celebration with Mass on Christmas Eve.  Here's Nate dressed for Mass in his adorable outfit from Tania and Raul.

Christmas morning brought Nate a mountain of gifts.  Santa brought him blocks, a stride-to-ride dino and this fisher price toy I can't really describe.  His grandparents bought him just about everything else in the toy store.  He fell asleep half way through gift opening and had to resume after his long nap.


As we all know, Santa has such a busy night, he couldn't possibly stick around and talk to all the kiddies.  So on December 26th Santa came back to Nate's Grandma and Grandpa's house to say hello.  (Thank you Crusher for pulling some strings at the North Pole!)  Nate was able to thank Santa and put in his request for Santa's second visit to our house.
Santa also brought Nate one more gift because it seemed Fisher Price made something he didn't already own.  I imagine Nate is saying,"Yeah, yeah Santa, enough about you.  Let's get back to this toy you just brought me."

And as if that wasn't exciting enough, Nate got to stay at his grandparents' house when Aaron and I left for Maryland.  He is too little to understand what being spoiled rotten means but I'm pretty sure that's what's happening.  He'll fly home tomorrow morning with his grandparents in tow.  Then we'll celebrate Christmas here in Maryland on January 1st.

We hope all of our family and friends had an equally enjoyable and blessed holiday!

A note to my Mom and Dad:  I joke about Nate's haul, but seriously, thank you.  You are so generous with all of us.  Nate is a very lucky boy.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Food

Nate loves to eat.  Specifically, Nate loves to eat sweet food.  Peas and avocado, not a fan.  Bananas, apples and pears?  More, more, more!

He had a bit of a stomach bug for a while so we're just getting him back on solids.  He really wants to feed himself, prompting the lack of clothing (making my life easier as I took him directly from here into the bath).  And then Guinness helped with clean up by licking the pears off the bumbo while I bathed the baby.  My boys are so helpful.

And yes, he is looking around me to see the television.  Our baby loves TV.  At least we were watching NBC Nightly News.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

On the Move

Nate doesn't quite understand that he doesn't have to move both legs at the same time.  So it's more like he's hopping.  Frog Baby.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Eight Natey Nights

Happy Hanukkah!  Okay, so Hanukkah is over but Nate enjoyed (almost) every minute of it.








Wednesday, December 8, 2010

professional pics

Our friends Greg and Lydia (and Charlie and Cooper) bought us a really thoughtful baby gift.  They gave us a baby portrait session with a wonderful photographer.  We had the pictures taken in November and got the proofs this week.  The images are beautiful, we are so happy with how they turned out!

Danielle featured a few of her favorites on her blog - www.daniellesaraphotography.blogspot.com

Monday, November 29, 2010

Another month

Four months old!  Nate is continuing to explore and learn, he seems to have a new trick every day.  His current favorite activity is bouncing.  He loves to bounce in the jumparoo and whenever he's in our laps, he pushes his legs up and down to jump.  He has so much energy and smiles so much, you can't help but smile back.  He even had the doctor laughing this morning with his jumps and smiles.

We saw Dr. Porras this morning for Nate's four month checkup.  Everything looks good although his growth has slowed down.  His height and weight are down in the 34th percentile but the doctor said he's not concerned.  Tonight we started him on solids, dinner was baby oatmeal.  He's not a huge fan but he's still figuring out how the spoon works.  We'll try bananas or sweet potatoes later this week, hopefully he'll consume a little more and spit a little less.

We spent Nate's first Thanksgiving in Mentor.  He was fine in the car until the last couple of hours.  On the ride back to Maryland, I sat in the back middle seat squished between Nate's car seat and Guinness.  If Aaron finds a job sometime soon, we're heading out to find a new car with a bigger backseat!

A few pictures from Nate's four month birthday:
four months old (DSC_4209)

four months old (DSC_4207)

Monday, November 15, 2010

Big Boy

Nate's growing up so fast, we can't believe it.  A couple of weeks ago he started actively rolling over.  He's been rolling over here and there since he was little, almost as if by accident.  But starting in November he rolls over with purpose.  Which meant the end of the swaddler and the end of his 10-12 hour sleep stretches.  (Thank you to my friend Leigh for the wonderful gift of the Miracle Blanket, we couldn't have lived without it!)  He's rolling over in his sleep and waking himself up in the middle of the night.  And just as he seemed to be getting back on track, poor little guy caught a cold at daycare.

The cold hasn't slowed him down though.  Yesterday we were playing on the floor and I noticed he was holding himself up a little bit.  So I took away the pillow that was propping him up and guess who sat all by himself?


sitting up and spitting up from Maura Davis on Vimeo.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Halloween

My Mom and Aaron's parents were all here to help celebrate Nate's first Halloween.  Dino-Nate was a big hit at our neighborhood Halloween parade.  After the parade, our friend Sam (the monkey) came over to help hand out candy.  The dinosaur costume was too big to see out of, so we switched to a giraffe half way through the night.  A fun Halloween all around!
DSC_4163
Sam and Nate (DSC_4182)

Saturday, October 30, 2010

3 months old

Time for his three month photo shoot.  Aaron's out of town for a little while, he's in Pennsylvania helping his boss campaign for reelection.  Although we miss him tremendously we're just hoping for a win in next week's election.  While Aaron's out of town, my Mom was kind enough to take a a coupe of weeks off work and come help me with Nate.  This past Wednesday we celebrated his three month birthday.  It was one of those horrible mornings, starting with a flat tire in the pouring rain while I was wearing a skirt suit and heels.  But spending a few minutes taking these pictures reminded me how lucky we are to have such a happy little guy.

He is still growing but he seems to have slowed a bit, falling closer to the 60th percentile in weight.  He is still sleeping like a champ, typically 10-12 hours every night.  Aaron and I are convinced we're in for some major sleep deprivation with our second child because there's no way we can get this lucky again.

Sadly, three months old means the end of my maternity leave.  I head back to work full time on November 1st.  There have been a lot of tears over here and none of them from Nate.  We were fortunate to find a daycare opening in the same daycare as our good friends so we feel very comfortable and confident that we're leaving Nate in good hands.  But that won't stop me from missing our days together!
3 months old (DSC_4144)
3 months old (DSC_4145)

October

I have no idea what happened to the month of October.  I swear, one minute we were celebrating Nate's Christening and the next minute it was Halloween.  Somewhere in the middle there we managed to squeeze in our annual trip to the apple orchard and pumpkin patch.  A lot of cute pictures but one of my favorites was from brunch.  These are the same friends were Nate's first play date a couple of months ago.  Charlie, Cooper, Nate and Ramsey.  Such cute little guys but growing up so fast.
Nate gets kisses from Ramsey (DSC_4093)

And even though he's not looking at the camera, I love this picture of our family.
DSC_4114

Monday, October 4, 2010

Two Months Old

Last week was Nate's two month birthday which brought his two month check up and vaccines.  He was a trooper with the shots and tipped the scales at 12 pounds 11 ounces.  Growing like a weed!
2 months (DSC_4002)


Yesterday we celebrated Nate's Christening with family and friends.  He was lucky to have all of his Harris aunts and uncles in town to help mark the occasion.  Nate squawked a little during the baptism but he didn't mind the water on the head.


Monday, September 20, 2010

Traveling

September has been a busy month, Nate took his first plane ride the weekend of the 11th.  It was just Nate and I for a short trip to Cleveland. The plane wasn't even half full so we had a row all to ourselves. Nate kicked back and stretched out. First class flying for this guy.
nate first boarding pass
nate first flight

He was a great flyer. We flew in the morning which is usually his happiest time and he kept up his positive demeanor for the short flight from BWI to CLE. He was awake the whole time but just looked around and smiled.

The flight home was an evening flight, usually Nate's "witching hour." And I got nervous as we waited and waited and the flight kept getting delayed. But thankfully for the other passengers, he slept most of the trip,  He woke up when we hit some bad turbulence on the descent. While I repeated "please don't cry" over and over again in my head, he was fascinated by the overhead reading lamps and the lighted "no smoking" signs. Not one peep.  Not sure where we'l fly next, but we're excited to take him traveling with us!

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Humor in the Davis house

Nate started smiling at us last week and it is our favorite thing to see.  In an effort to share the cuteness, I took this short video which provided a different source of entertainment but we found it too funny not to share.

nate's smile from Maura Davis on Vimeo.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

One Month Old

Yesterday was Nate's one month birthday.  He is doing great, eating and sleeping like a champ and still an easy going baby!  Here are a couple of pictures from the one month mark.

CLICK HERE for more from the birthday photo shoot.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Two Week Check-up

Nate saw Dr. Fishman yesterday for his 2 week appointment.  He weighed in at 9 pounds 11 ounces and 22 inches long.  He's healthy and obviously growing.  The doctor commented that he's so calm and settled that he looks like a 4-6 week old.  But next to the little boy we met in the waiting room (9 months old and almost 30 pounds!), Nate still looks like our little newborn peanut.

Aaron's favorite moment of the appointment was when the nurse put him on the scale and he immediately produced an arc of pee to spray all over the window.

Monday, August 9, 2010

Jellybean arrives

Sorry for the lag in posting.  Between adjusting to life with a newborn and a houseful of visitors, we've had our hands full.

As you all know by now, Nathaniel James Davis arrived on Tuesday, July 27th.  Nathaniel is Hebrew for "God has given." We thought that was a very appropriate name for such a beautiful gift.  James is after my Dad and my Pop Pop (both James Harris) and the "J" is for Aaron's Grandpa Joe.

He was 10 days late and had to be coaxed out by the doctors and some pitocin, but he was worth every minute of waiting!  He came home on Thursday the 29th and we've been settling into life at home and our new routine.  He sleeps and eats on a pretty regular schedule, we have been very lucky to get 4-6 hour stretches of sleep most nights.

Last Monday Nate had his one week check-up.  He was 9lbs 3 ozs at birth, 8lbs 12 ozs when we left the hospital and by day 6 he was back up to 9lbs 2ozs.  The pediatrician said he's perfect and growing on track.  We head back to the doctor tomorrow for his 2 week check up.  Based on the rate he has already outgrown most of his newborn sized clothes, I'm betting he surpassed the 10 pound mark.

On Tuesday, August 3rd, we had Nate's bris here at the house.  We had about 20 people to help us celebrate.  It was my first bris and considering it was my baby being circumsized, I was very nervous.  But the Rabbi was very reassuring and in the end, I (and Nate's Bubbie) cried more tears than the baby did.  The ceremony was lovely and it was a nice celebration of our newest family member.

On Thursday we had his very first playdate.  I'm in a book club with 7 women.  There are a total of 7 kids with one more due in October.  All boys!  My friends Lydia and Danna brought their little ones over for lunch.  Here's a picture of Charlie and Cooper Teal and Ramsey Stanyard.  All three boys were born in March.  They look so much bigger than Nate, it's hard to believe they'll be the same size, chasing each other around before we know it.

Nate's already been out to the park, a couple of restaurants and visited Kate and Anthony's new apartment.  A busy baby!  Here is the album capturing his first couple of weeks.  http://www.flickr.com/photos/ajdavis/sets/72157624556865493/show/

Monday, July 26, 2010

Could have been a dramatic birthday

Baby's still holding out!  Apparently it is very comfortable in there although I can't imagine there is any room left.

Yesterday we had a lot of excitement around here with a major storm.  Unfortunately the storm hit hard and caused significant damage to our neighborhood including a tree right through our neighbor's roof.  I can't help but think how lucky we are not to have a tree right in the middle of our new upstairs addition especially when we're about to bring home an infant.

While we managed to avoid damage, we did lose power and with that we lost our air conditioning.  Frightening when it was over 100 degrees all weekend.  But leave it to Aaron to make the best of a situation, he got our neighbors together and we had an impromptu cookout in our backyard.  Everyone brought perishable food from their fridges and freezers and we had a really nice dinner.  And to make the night even better, our power came back on shortly after everyone left.  So no baby but all in all we've been pretty lucky.

We go to the hospital tonight at midnight and they'll induce me Tuesday morning.  Hoping for a Tuesday birthday, we'll keep everyone posted!

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Still waiting

A good appointment today, we got to see his or her little face up close on the ultrasound.  Baby's heartbeat is strong and everything looks great.  Of course, this means I'm still pregnant but as long as baby's healthy we can't really ask for more!  If nothing happens this weekend, they'll induce me on Tuesday morning.  Here's hoping baby comes on his or her own before then.

Monday, July 19, 2010

40 weeks+

We were not surprised to see our due date come and go without baby's arrival.  But we're ready!  Had an appointment this morning with the doctor and things are looking good.  They did an ultrasound to check the amniotic fluid levels.  There's plenty in there which means baby's good and comfy and there's no reason to induce earlier than planned.  They estimate the baby weighs about 9lbs 4ozs as of today.  She told us that could be off by about 5% in either direction.  Me, "So you're telling me I'm definitely not having a 6 pound baby?"  Technician smiles and says, "I'm telling you that you're not likely having an 8 pound baby."  But he or she is healthy and content, what more could we ask for?

I'm currently scheduled to go into the hospital the night of Monday, July 26th and they'll induce me Tuesday the 27th.  But I think we're all hoping we don't make it that far.  I go in to the doctor's office again on Thursday the 22nd for another appointment and ultrasound.  We'll keep everyone posted!

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Full Term

I don't think we knew how grateful we'd be to hear those words one day. At 37 weeks, this baby is officially full term. Meaning he or she can survive on his/her own outside the womb and can arrive any day. Aaron and I are hoping for at least three more weeks before the birthday.

We had an appointment this morning with Dr. Lizardo. He's happy with our progress and the baby's growth. He had some trouble when he tried to get a heartbeat because the baby was moving too much. He commented on what a very active baby this is (I could have told you that by the constant kicks and punches I get all day long) and that we might have an athlete on our hands. Taking our natural athletic ability into account, that's pretty funny. Maybe little Jellybean will be blessed with his/her Uncle Cullen and Aunt Meghan's talent and not my total lack of coordination.

We're looking forward to the long holiday weekend and a visit from the Healy family including baby Meredith!

Monday, June 21, 2010

A wonderful celebration weekend

On Saturday we were blessed with family and friends helping us celebrate Baby Davis at a cookout in Rockville.  The day was hot but thankfully it didn't rain.  A few pictures of the fun.

On Sunday we had Maura's family over for a Father's Day lunch in our backyard.  It was a gorgeous day and a nice way to end our family weekend.  We can't wait for people to come visit again when the baby's born!









Thursday, June 17, 2010

One month!

It's June 17th which means our baby is due one month from today! Had a great doctor's appointment this morning, everything's looking good and progressing on track.  My Mom was able to be there and heard her grandchild's heartbeat.  It was really special to have her with us.

A lot of progress in our family these past few weeks.  We moved to seeing the doctor weekly, took a tour of the hospital and preregistered at Holy Cross.  Baby's furniture is here, the room is painted (Aaron is already the best Dad ever) and we'll get bedding, etc. set up.  And after 19 months of work, we finally moved into our new addition!  Still a little work to do but we're 98% of the way there, enough to settle into our new master bedroom.  Pictures to come one of these days.

This weekend we are so lucky to have friends and family coming to town to help us celebrate Baby Davis at a baby shower cookout.  My Mom flew in last night to take care of the food and other arrangements.  My Dad, Megh, Will, Conor, Amy, Flann, Ashley, Kate, Jackie, Anthony and Dave all come into town on Friday.  Aaron's family and most of my cousins come down on Saturday.  Put our family together with our wonderful friends, a moonbounce and beer and I think we're in for a great day!  Just praying for no rain.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Our big, stubborn baby

Another great doctor's appointment this morning.  We started with an ultrasound but unfortunately we have no pictures to share.  Baby refused to cooperate and wouldn't look at us.  More importantly though, everything looks great.  Plenty of fluid and baby's in the right position for birth.  Heartbeat is 147 bpm.

The technician took baby's measurements and it appears that he or she is going to be a big baby.  The in utero measurements can be off up to 1.5 pounds in either direction.  But right now they're measuring our jellybean at 4 pounds 11 ounces.  And the head is quite large.  The average baby gains about 1/2 a pound a week at this point so we're looking at around 8 1/2 pounds of baby if he or she arrives at 40 weeks.

Then we saw Dr. Lizardo who we haven't met before.  Aaron and I are both really pleased with everyone in the practice.  All the doctors are comfortable, personable and laid back.  We'll be happy with whoever's on duty when the baby's born.  Baby and I are both healthy and Dr. Lizardo cleared me to keep exercising.

More painting this weekend for poor Aaron.  We bought paint for the baby's room and that will go up so it can dry in time for furniture delivery.  The crib, dresser and glider are being delivered next weekend, June 5th.  Once we start to get the room in shape, we'll post some pictures.

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Doctor's Appt

We saw Dr. Tyau on Friday for a quick check in.  Everything looks good, Baby's heartbeat is 135 bpm and growing on track.  We'll go back in two weeks for another appointment and they'll do an ultrasound to start measuring the baby.  We can't wait to see him/her again!

Thursday, May 6, 2010

30 weeks and counting

Saturday marks the end of week 30.  Only 10 more to go before our due date!

Lots of travel in the Davis family since I updated last.  Aaron and I went to Charleston and had a wonderful time.  We spent the weekend walking and eating.  It was a great long weekend, we both commented several times how happy we were that we took the time to make the trip.

Last week my parents came to town for a wedding but unfortunately I had to leave for New Orleans.  It was great to see them even if just for a few hours.  My Mom commented on how much the baby's grown in the 3 weeks since they were last here.  It's hard for me and Aaron to see it since we look everyday, it's always fun for someone who hasn't seen me in a while to gauge how much baby has grown.

My trip to New Orleans was for Digestive Disease Week.  Life at a GI medical association is just that exciting!  We worked long hours and spent most all the time on our feet, walking up and down the entire New Orleans convention center.  I felt great the whole time, had no problems and didn't get tired despite the 5am wake-ups everyday.  We've been so blessed to have an easy pregnancy.

Last time we were at the doctor, they tested my glucose levels.  The first test levels were high so I had to go back for the 3 hour glucose test.  Luckily the doctor called right before I left for NOLA and gave us the good news that everything on the second test was normal, meaning I do not have gestational diabetes.  So naturally I celebrated with a couple of beignets at Cafe Du Monde.

And on that note, here I am enjoying a gorgeous day in the French Quarter:
29 weeks + 3 days

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Quick note from doctor's appointment

Based on our appointment with Dr. Band this morning, everything looks/sounds great.  The baby's heartbeat is strong, about 153 bpm.  Aaron commented how different it is to listen now compared to December when we heard it for the first time.  The doctor was able to find it right away and the beat is loud and clear.

I also had my glucose challenge test this week to test for gestational diabetes.  The test involves drinking this liquid that reminded me of the orange stuff at McDonald's.  It wasn't nearly as bad as people led me to believe.  Results should be in later this week.

Big plans this weekend as we're heading to Charleston to celebrate our anniversary and one last get-away before the baby comes.  Two great reasons to relax and spend some quality time together!  Cullen and Ashley are coming to Maryland on Friday night and staying with Guinness for the time we're out of town.  We're looking forward to seeing them, our Christmas visit seems like a long time ago.  And Guinness seems excited about having friends come to visit.

Speaking of the little guy - Kate, Anthony and their dog Hoss sent Guinness this great t-shirt last week.  So while I have no pictures of the human baby to share, here's some of our doggus baby.

Friday, April 16, 2010

3 months to go

Nothing big (except my belly) to report here.  Tomorrow marks the 3 month countdown until our due date.  I can't explain how time has flown and crawled all at the same time.  We're celebrating the start of the third trimester with dinner at Central.  I'm hoping to run into some of the Top Chef people who are out and about here in DC.

We have accomplished a few things in the last couple of weeks - namely ordering the baby's furniture in early April.  We're hoping they come in on the low side of the 10-14 week delivery time frame they gave us.  We also got doorknobs upstairs - yes, this is what constitutes excitement in our house these days.  This weekend will hopefully find us ordering a new bed for ourselves as we continue to anticipate the move upstairs.  So close!

Last weekend I took a trip to New Hampshire to celebrate the impending arrival of Mary-Ellen's daughter.  She's due May 15th and we cannot wait for her to get here.  Mary-Ellen looks great and it was wonderful to see my girlfriends.

I feel great, he or she is moving so much now that it feels almost constant.  Sadly though I have to cross running off my list of exercising until after the baby's born.  I did a couple of miles last night and I'm still paying for it today as I attempt to waddle around the office.  I guess I'll stick to the cardio machines and the pool.  It just seems such a shame to be indoors with this beautiful weather outside.

We have a doctor's appointment next Wednesday and I'll post then with an update on the baby's progress!

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

24 Week Appt

We just had a quick visit with the doctor and everything's looking great. Baby's heart rate is about 140 bpm and they started measuring my belly, I'm 23 cm - right on target.

The baby's kicking, punching and moving pretty regularly. I notice more movement after I eat and especially when I'm lying down. Aaron's been able to see and feel it several times now, although the baby seems to stop as soon as he tries to watch. Disobeying his/her father already.

We're excited this week to get visits from both sets of our parents. Aaron's Mom and Dad are coming Sunday for Aaron's birthday and then on Wednesday my parents come for a long Easter visit. My parents haven't seen me since Christmas so I'm excited for them to see how much baby's growing! Also on the VIP guest list at Chez Davis this week, our very good friend Anthony. We'll only get to steal him for one night but we can't wait to see him.

Other to-dos on our list for the next couple of weeks: order the baby's furniture (first we need to settle the white wood vs. dark wood debate), pick out a paint color for his/her room and hopefully order our own bed for the new upstairs bedroom. That's right, after 17 months of working on it, our move to the new space is right around the corner.

Happy Passover, Happy Easter, Happy Spring! It's hard not to be in a great mood when the weather's turning nice and the baby's healthy and growing.

Sunday, February 28, 2010

new pictures

We had an ultrasound this week at 20 weeks. Half way there! Everything looks great, the baby is moving all over the place, kicking and punching. My favorite part was when he/she looked right at us and started "talking", opening and closing the jaw like we were chatting. Amazing and so beautiful to see. Also amazing to compare it to the sonogram from 7 weeks. So much growth and still so much more to go.

After the ultrasound, the doctor tried to get the heartbeat on the doppler and had a tough time chasing the baby around to get a reading. I guess Baby Davis is swimming laps in there. Dr. Sine was happy with everything, she encouraged us to pick a pediatrician (done) and sign up for childbirth classes (also done, we start in May). It's to-dos like this that makes the baby's arrival seem so much more real.


Is that a little Jersey Shore style fist pump I see?