Baby Bottles and Burp Blog

The Boogie Woogie Piggy.

2010-06-28T09:32:00.000-07:00

Christmas 2008

2008-12-25T18:00:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry I haven't updated my blog since school started. I've been busy posting daily entries on Facebook instead. I'll write more later but wanted to post a few pictures from Christmas.

My Grandma Clare came out to visit me while I was on winter break. The first picture was taken at church where my Mommy just finished playing the piano at Christmas mass. After we got back from church I opened up my presents. Here I am painting a pumpkin on my new easel that Santa got me.

We celebrated Christmas Eve with my cousins, Grandparents and Great-Grandma, in Temecula, which is a 45-minute drive north from my house.

Here's an angel I made at school. Look closely...can you see my hand print and my foot print?

Here I am posing in front of our tree that I decorated. I only broke a few ornaments. Soon after that, my Mommy bought plastic ornaments for me to hang on the tree.

I hope you had a wonderful holiday season as I did!

-- Marissa

First day of School...Pre-school that is

2008-09-02T17:00:00.000-07:00

I started pre-school at City Tree Christian School in downtown San Diego. I get to carpool with my parents everyday to and from work. My school is just down the street from where they work. I have made lots of friends the first week of school. There are 8-10 children in my classroom and I already know all of their names. We are learning the color red, identifying the letters A,B and C, finger-painting, learning how to share and just having fun. They also made my class a "nut-free" zone just for me. I feel very fortunate. I love my school!

~~ Marissa

Go Padres!

2008-08-17T20:35:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures from my parents' company picnic at Petco Park. Unfortunately, the Padres lost to the Phillies, but I had a fun time anyway!

-- Marissa

I've Entered the Terrific Two's

2008-07-22T15:00:00.000-07:00

I celebrated my second birthday at my grandparents' home in St. Louis. I met lots of friends and family including my Dad's elementary school counselor and high school wrestling coach. It was a fun day!

Happy 4th of July!

2008-07-04T16:54:00.000-07:00

First we went to my cousin Italia's house for a BBQ and swim,

then we went to a party where they had this BIG American flag cake. I watched my first fireworks show overlooking San Diego Bay. It was beautiful!

~ Marissa

Kitchen Set from Japan

2008-06-16T10:04:00.000-07:00

My Ojichan (Japanese for uncle) sent me this wooden kitchen set. I love to make tea and cook eggs on the stove. Yummmm, oishi!

~ Marissa (23 months)

Pa Pa and Ga Ga Come to Visit

2008-06-01T16:06:00.000-07:00

My grandparents from St. Louis came to visit me for a whole month! We did lots of things together and I had so much fun spending time with them. I can't wait to visit them next month where I'll be celebrating my 2nd birthday!

~ Marissa (23 months)

BIG GIRL BED!

2008-05-26T21:42:00.000-07:00

Mommy and Daddy put me down in my crib and I started to climb out! I haven't seen my parents scramble so fast! In no time they put together a BIG GIRL BED! Yep, I am now sleeping in my own bed and I don't even need side rails! I just love my room! It's so pretty!
Mural painted by Joan Bonetti.

~ Marissa (22 months)

Playing with my Grandparents

2008-05-21T20:39:00.000-07:00

Go Chargers!

2008-04-06T21:04:00.000-07:00

~ Marissa (21 months)

Grandma's here!

2008-01-27T23:50:00.000-08:00

I'm so happy when my Grandma Clare comes to visit me!

--Marissa (19 months)

We wish you a Merry Christmas!

2007-12-25T23:48:00.000-08:00

Hanging out with Grandma Alice, Grandpa Nick and cousins, Joshua & Mikayla.
--Marissa (18 months)

Christmas Eve at Legoland

2007-12-24T22:30:00.000-08:00

This is how we spend the holidays in sunny Southern California!

Playing with the Song brothers. Where's the water?

-- Marissa (18 months)

Shalom

2007-12-01T22:13:00.000-08:00

I was folding laundry and Marissa put my skirt on like this.
No doubt imitating her sitter's native dress.
(17 months)

Pretty in Pink

2007-11-02T21:50:00.000-07:00

-- Marissa (16 months)

Land of the Rising Sun

2007-11-02T19:41:00.000-07:00

I am a world traveler now. I visited my great-grandma "Obachan" in Tokyo. My Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Tyson, Mommy and Daddy spent two weeks visiting the beautiful country of Japan. It took us 18 hours to travel from San Diego to Japan. I rode in bullet trains, subways, trains, cable cars, boats, buses and Daddy's backpack carrier all over the country. We visited the Peace Park in Hiroshima, the deer in Nara, the hot springs of Hakone, the Imperial Palace in Kyoto and the largest fish market in the world, Tsukiji. We were watching Japanese news and saw the San Diego wild fires from our hotel room. It was pretty scary being so far away from home. It was fun meeting my relatives -- even though I couldn't understand what they were saying -- everyone was calling me by my Japanese name, Natsumi. I learned Japanese nursery rhymes, ate different foods and got to see a different culture. I can't wait to go back when I'm older.
-- Marissa (16 months)

Life's A Beach

2007-08-19T22:30:00.000-07:00

On August 18, 2007, Marissa took her first official dip in the Pacific Ocean. The family headed to Del Mar Beach and the sand was cool, the water was warm and Marissa had a big smile on her face. -- Click on Marissa's face to view more pictures of her first beach adventure.

First Dip In The Ocean

My First Birthday

2007-07-22T21:05:00.000-07:00

It was my first birthday today!

2007 Abrenica and Kanoya Mother's Day

2007-05-13T12:37:00.000-07:00

I celebrated my first Mother's Day, spending the day with both my moms and grandma. Here are few photos (click on any photo, and a larger one will open in a new window).
-- Sheila

My First Shopping Cart Ride

2007-04-29T23:49:00.000-07:00

This is How I Sleep

2007-04-19T23:58:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!

2007-04-08T12:30:00.000-07:00

Me (9 months old) and my cousin Italia (2 years old).

Baby Mozart?

2007-03-23T22:24:00.000-07:00

At 8 months old, Marissa gets her first piano lesson from Mommy. Click below to her the sweet sounds. NOTE: To play the video within the blog, be sure to click on the small play button at the left. Clicking on other locations may direct you to the video on the YouTube website.

Climbing Cowles Mountain

2007-03-20T00:15:00.000-07:00

On a cool, clear day the Kanoya family head out for a 3-mile hike up Cowles Mountain. Click the picture to see the full album.

Climbing Cowles Mountain

On The Move

2007-03-18T23:44:00.000-07:00

Marissa has hit another milestone as she started to "low crawl" this past week. Just push play and see her trek to hug her favorite baseball mascot. NOTE: To play the video within the blog, be sure to click on the small play button at the left. Clicking on other locations may direct you to the video on the YouTube website.

Marissa's First NASCAR Experience

2007-02-26T23:46:00.000-08:00

Marissa travels to Fontana for her first stock car racing experience.
Click the picture to see more.

First NASCAR Experience

Kickin' It

2007-02-26T23:15:00.000-08:00

Every morning when Mommy and Daddy get ready for work, I watch Baby Einstein in my Boppy.

-- Baby Marissa (7 months)

1/2 a Year Old!

2007-02-16T21:20:00.000-08:00

I'm six months old, 16 lbs. heavy and 26 inches long. Just think, in six months, I'll be walking. Time flies! I'm drooling a lot, I think my teeth are coming in. Oh, I just got my ears pierced. Boy, I was screaming my head off and made my Mommy feel really bad. It was worse than getting shots! I'm fine now. Daddy tried to take a picture of my earrings. You can't see them because my ears are hidden behind my chunky cheeks!

-- Baby Marissa

Hit the Road!

2007-02-03T00:31:00.000-08:00

It's time to get back to our hiking and we'll have a little extra cargo now...16 pounds extra. Here's a test run of the new Kelty carrier from REI. Click on the picture to see more trekking pictures.

The Kelty Carrier

Marissa's First Food

2007-02-01T08:32:00.000-08:00

At six months, Marissa's doctor gave us the go ahead to start giving her stage one food. After looking up what that meant, we bought some ground up carrots, sweet potatoes and apples. Click the picture to see more of the messy details.

Marissa's First Food

Ringing in the New Year!

2007-01-06T11:52:00.000-08:00

May 2007 bring you lots of love and laughter!

-- Baby Marissa

My First Christmas

2006-12-26T11:35:00.000-08:00

I had a fun Christmas! I really didn't know what was going on.
All I know is that everyone was passing me around to take pictures with me.

I received lots of presents...

...and was able to "virtually" open some with Grandpa Kanoya
in St. Louis via his computer camera! Technology is so cool!

My friend, Colin, from San Francisco visited me. He was born nine days after me.
We had fun playing together and talking "baby talk."

Turn, Turn, Turn

2006-11-28T18:31:00.000-08:00

After spending the first three months of her life on her back, Marissa has discovered there is another side to things. What started as an unsure roll to her chest with her head wobbling around, has now become a fairly routine exercise. She holds her head high and smiles when you look her sqaure in the face. She'll stay in this position for several minutes before she gets tired and starts to scream. The screaming is loosely translated into, "please turn me over on my back."

In this particular photo, and most of the time she is on her chest, she reminds me of a turtle. Her head wanders back and forth and her legs flail about, though her body goes nowhere. Marissa's head shape reminds Sheila of a Peanuts character, Lucy I guess. To that I say "good grief."
-- Justin

4-Month Check-Up

2006-11-21T23:20:00.000-08:00

Here are my stats: 13.5 lbs., 23.5" long and my head circumference is 16". This picture was taken with my Daddy's new Blackberry Pearl phone. I was showing off during my doctor's visit by rolling from my back to my tummy. Its very easy for me to do this...I would make a very good turtle.

--Baby Marissa

We Are Family

2006-10-30T15:58:00.000-08:00

Here we have four generations on Daddy's side:
Grandma Clare, Great-Grandma Clara, Me and my Daddy.
A lot of people say I look like my Grandma Clare.

Now add four generations on Mommy's side: Grandma Alice, Great-Grandma Mamang and my Mommy. I was crying because they woke me up and made me take this picture.

-- Baby Marissa

Yay! Cards Win! Padres Lost First Game.

2006-10-02T23:11:00.000-07:00

I went to my second full baseball game and it was a play-off game at that! I was such a good girl! The three of us, Daddy, Grandma Clare and I wore our Cardinals gear. We outnumbered Mommy in her Padres gear. It was a fun day.
-- Baby Marissa

I'm 8 Weeks Old!

2006-09-29T09:31:00.000-07:00

Wow, have I grown in the past 4 weeks! I weigh 10 pounds and have found my thumb! At 8 weeks old I've done sooo much! I did my first road trip to Anaheim because my Uncle Tyson from St. Louis ran a 1/2 marathon at Disneyland and Angel Stadium. Mommy and Daddy also took me to my first Padres game. We stayed through 9 whole innings to see Trevor break Major League Baseball's all-time saves record of 479 games! It was very exciting and loud!

I smile, coo and laugh a lot when you talk to me. I sleep in my crib now and I let Mommy and Daddy sleep through the night! Every morning I walk 2 miles with Mommy, we sight-see and listen to the birds chirp. My Grandma Clare from St. Louis is coming to stay with us in October so Mommy can practice going back to work. Grandma is going to teach my Daddy how to feed me a bottle. My Great-Grandma Clara and my Grandma's brother, Miles, will be visiting us from Hawaii too! It's going to be a fun month!

-- Baby Marissa

One For The Ages

2006-09-19T09:19:00.000-07:00

Marissa ... It's daddy. Last night around 10:30 you were getting fussy so you and mom went upstairs for a late night snack and some sleep. But then both of you missed one of the greatest baseball games ever.

We were debating whether or not to feed you downstairs, this way mom could watch the last few innings of Padres/Dodgers game. But knowing your sleeping pattern, mommy and I figured you would fall asleep downstairs and as we carried you upstairs you would wake up. So up you girls went.

Typically we would not have even debated this, mom would just go upstairs and I could tell her how the game ends. But this game was different. Why? Well baseball in September is different. Baseball in September against division rivals, well that's just special. The Padres had a slim 1/2 game lead on the Dodgers with just 12 games to play. A win would have put them a 1.5 games ahead.

You actually watched a little bit with me, including the Padres bullet dodging sixth inning when Clay Meredith came in with the bases loaded and no outs. Meredith miraculously didn't allow a run and the score remained tied. I was holding you and you perked up when Kenny Lofton grounded into the inning ending double play.

Fast forward to the ninth inning, by now you were off in breast milk heaven, and the Padres had 9-5 lead going into the bottom of the ninth. Figuring the game was well in hand, I retreated to my office while Uncle Tyson stayed on the couch to watch the end. All of a sudden I hear him call out my name and I see Jeff Kent circling the bases. It's 9-6. No big deal, I go back to the office and then I hear again, "Justin." I run back into the family room and see JD Drew circling the bases. It's 9-7, no outs, things are getting interesting and the Padres bring in closer, Trevor Hoffman.

Hoff is 55-57 in save opportunities against the Dodgers. On his first pitch to Russell Martin he serves up a dinger, this time Uncle didn't need to call me in, I saw it with my own eyes. And then I missed something that surely will not happen again in either of our lifetimes.

Exicited to share this news with mom, I ran upstairs to her mom what was going on. While I was there, I heard Uncle yell my name again. I ran back downstairs and saw with the score 9-8, Marlon Anderson continued the home run derby and tied the game with another solo shot. The score is 9-9 and Hoff is now 55-58 in save opportunities against the Dodgers.

The game would go to the 10th and the Padres would manufacturer a run in their half, clinging to a 10-9 lead going into the bottom half. Of course this night could not end with a simple three up, three down. The Padres pitcher walks Kenny Lofton and up comes Nomar Garciaparra. Nomar works the count to 3-1, and then on one swing, this crazy night was over. Dodgers win 11-10.

Daddy has so many pre-Marissa baseball memories to tell you about. Like Ozzie Smith's 1985 NLCS game winning homer (coincidentally against the Dodgers), Cal Ripken Jr. breaking Lou Gehrig's consecutive games played record or they day mommy and I saw the Cubs play the White Sox on Fourth of July at Wrigley Field. But those were moments that we anticipated. No one in their right mind sits down with a four run deficit and says, "Maybe we can hit four home runs and tie this thing."

I'm sorry you missed it, but the beauty of this game is there's always something new and we have plenty of can't miss moments to share.

-- Justin

4-week Check-Up

2006-08-19T21:18:00.000-07:00

August 19, I am four weeks old today. I had my check-up yesterday. Mom didn't tell me that I was going to get my Hepatitis B shot, so I screamed for about 5 minutes in the doctor's office. I am proud to say that I gained a full pound and grew an inch since I was born. I am 7 lbs. 8 oz. and 20 1/2 inches long! Hooray! My parents were worried that I wasn't gaining any weight. I have the nursing thing down...just cry and milk arrives instantly!

Today I get to meet my other Grandma! She's flying in from St. Louis and I get to meet her around midnight. Don't worry, I'm sure I'll be up for my midnight feeding. Grandma Clare will be visiting me for 10 days. I'm their first grandchild and I can't wait to get spoiled! I'm sure she'll bring me a cute St. Louis Cardinals outfit!

My eyelashes are growing. I have baby acne on my forehead and I like to poop a lot! My nails have to be cut often because I like to scratch my face. I've filled in and have chubby cheeks and a double chin now. My parents want me to eat more so my legs will get chunky and not look like frog legs. Before you know it I'll be 10 pounds! I sleep through the night, but like to wake up my parents around 3:30 to get an early morning snack. I'm nice and usually let them sleep until 7 a.m.

I went to my first birthday party, my Mom's 40th. The party was held at our house and the whole Abrenica clan came over for Dad's delicious pannini sandwiches, cake and ice cream. I've been out twice with my Mom shopping. I got hungry in the store and she had to multi-task --- nurse me and push my baby carriage at the same time! Pretty impressive.

That's it for now until my 8-week update. Oh...thank you to everyone for visiting me and showering me with gifts! I'm finally getting girly pink clothes and don't have to wear yellow or white all the time.
---Baby Marissa

Road to C-Section Recovery

2006-08-04T22:09:00.000-07:00

They say the typical C-section recovery period is 4-6 weeks. Yikes! Although I feel fine, I need to just take it easy. I can drive a car in two weeks and start exercising in four. My incision healed and the steri-strips were removed. I have mild pain in my abdomen and have occasional contractions when I’m breastfeeding. Last week it hurt me to laugh, cough or sneeze. My mother-in-law told me to hold a pillow against my incision to ease the pain and it works!

The swelling in my legs got worse after birth and has since gone down. Here's a picture of my "kankle" Fred Flinestone foot. Even a pedicure couldn't make my foot look attractive. I still sleep propped up and getting out of bed is still difficult. If I drop something I can't bend over to pick it up. I use my feet to pick it up or just stand there and wait for Justin to pick it up for me. Justin has been absolutely wonderful.

We went for a walk yesterday to a neighborhood park. I can't believe how slow I was walking and I wasn't even pushing the stroller! Everytime I’m in pain, I just look at her and smile knowing that it’s all worth it. I am somebody’s Mom. I can’t wait to get back to normal again, until then I thank God for her!
--Sheila

2-week Milestone

2006-08-04T20:09:00.000-07:00

Marissa 2-week pediatrician check-up was today. She is pretty much the same weight as last week. She weighs 6 lbs. 3 oz. Her umbilicord fell off today and I'll save it for her baby book. Now we can give her a bath! I'm kind of scared, so we'll probably stick to sponge baths until she gets a little bigger.

We are quite blessed that Marissa cries only when she needs a diaper change or when she's hungry. Her last feeding is around 11 p.m. If she could she would sleep through the night, but we wake her up for an early morning feeding around 3 a.m. She lets us sleep in until 7 a.m. then back to the every 2-hour feeding sessions.
--Sheila

Milk Machine

2006-08-01T21:35:00.000-07:00

Wow, I am definitely Marissa's personal milk machine. Nursing her every two (2) hours is a task! Fortunately (for now) she only wakes up once throughout the night. I have to set my alarm to make sure that I wake up for her early morning feeding. In between the her feedings (which is usually an hour or less) I attempt to take a nap or catch up on things around the house. Next thing you know, its time again.

The day she was born I didn't know what I was doing. Marissa dropped 10% of her weight. I thought everything was fine, but she wasn't latching on correctly. I felt as though I failed as a mother because I couldn't provide for her. My only responsiblity other than to give my child love was to provide her with her only nutrition. Several nurses and an actual Lactation Nurse gave me hands-on lessons. I learned techniques on how to massage and prep "the machine" prior to operating it.

Marissa eventually gained her weight back. Yipee! I feel much better now and pretty much have breastfeeding down, although I am so tired. I know, I know, some of you can't believe their ears when I say I am tired. How long do these two-hour feedings last? Oh well, time's up and I have to prep the machine.
-- Sheila

After the Splish Splash

2006-07-27T14:05:00.000-07:00

We gave Marissa her first bath today. This is is a pic while she was drying out. I didn't get a chance to take a picture during the bath, but we just laid her out on the bench in the shower. We probably could have done it on the countertop in the bathroom, but I wanted her to see the new shower!
-- Justin

Oh Baby

2006-07-25T22:33:00.000-07:00

Looking up

With Grandma Alice, just a few minutes after being born.

Pictures With Cousins

2006-07-25T22:23:00.000-07:00

My crazy Uncle Lawrence

Breanna

Elijah and Alyssa

Marissa Makes Some Money

2006-07-23T15:00:00.000-07:00

On Marissa’s birthday, I was also scheduled to share an important day in another set of lives. Christine and Patrick Tasto were getting married and I was their DJ. At the beginning of all my gigs, I say a few words with obligatory phrases like “good evening,” “how’s everyone doing” and “are you all ready for a great time.”

But on this special day, I wanted to change it up. Here’s what I said.

“Good evening everyone welcome to the Estancia Hotel in beautiful La Jolla. I want to especially welcome all of you that are joining us from out of town.

Today is July 22, 2006, a very special day indeed for Christine and Pat. But I want to mention what a special day this is for me. No less than eight hours ago, my wife gave birth to our very first child, a beautiful girl, Marissa. It’s pretty cool to be able to share in the beginning of two lives on the very same day. Indeed this is a day to celebrate.”

The party was amazing, definitely the best this year and perhaps the best I’ve had ever. Everyone had a great time, the floor was packed all night and Christine and Pat were very happy. I concluded the evening by saying:

“This has been one of the best days of my life personally and let’s once again congratulate Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Tasto.”

Christine’s father came up to me after the gig and offered me a generous tip by saying, “Since you had a daughter today and I gave mine away, please accept this. Buy her something nice or start a savings for her, but most off all, don’t blink your eyes. Before you know it, she’s going to be right over there.” And he pointed to his daughter, who looked like she was having the time of her life.
-- Justin

Making a Baby

2006-07-23T13:30:00.000-07:00

I have eagerly anticipated Marissa’s arrival, because I was so curious to know what I would feel when I saw her for the first time. It’s hard to explain but it really was a spectacular feeling.

But what I really love right now … her eyes. After Sheila nurses her, and gives her to me, I burp and then re-wrap her in her blankets. I then pick her up and she just stares at me with her wide open eyes. I wonder what she thinks, or hears, sees.

I know there will be many moments to cherish and remember. But I will never forget these stares and I will try and capture as many of them as I can.
-- Justin

Choosing Marissa's Middle Name

2006-07-23T10:43:00.000-07:00

夏美

We wanted Marissa's middle name to be a Japanese name. Justin's cousin, Leilani, visited me the day after Marissa's birth. She printed 25 pages of Japanese boy's and girl's names with their meanings. I really liked Takara (Treasured One) but it sounds like a boy's name. Justin's parents and relatives from Japan gave us some options to choose from:

Shi zu ka - Calm or quiet Summer
Hatsue - First girl
Natsumi - Summer Beauty
Narumi - first Kanji (Heisei era - the era that Japan is currently in) Second Kanji (Jitsuko)
Michiko - Beautiful wise child

Justin and I both agreed on Natsumi...for our "Summer Beauty" baby.
-- Sheila

Tale of the Tape

2006-07-22T11:14:00.000-07:00

Name: Marissa Natsumi Kanoya
DOB: July 22, 2006
TOB: 11:14 a.m.
Weight: 6 lbs, 8 oz.
Length: 19 1/2 -inches

"It’s Marissa"

2006-07-22T10:30:00.000-07:00

After 39 weeks, the thing we kept calling “the baby,” finally arrived and we can start referring to it as Marissa.

In terms of the pregnancy she was early. But in terms of the labor, she was late. After a minor scare at the office where Sheila and I work, we calmly drove to the hospital and checked Sheila into triage around 10 a.m., Friday, July 21. With blood mixed in with other fluids, the doctor thought it would be best to admit her and begin the birth process. We checked into our room an hour later and Sheila got settled in.

Between noon and 4 p.m. I was running errands and getting things in order. Marissa was not supposed to arrive for another week and a half. But we were prepared, mostly, for this and I was back at the hospital by 5 p.m. Sheila had been induced with the Pitocin, which speeds up the labor process. Her contractions were mild for several hours and she really didn’t feel much pain until midnight. It was around then that we knew we would be in for a long night.

The cervix was only dilated to around two centimeters. It needed to be around 10. Hours would go by, and I would finally end up taking short naps on the wood floor. Sheila’s contractions were getting more intense and frequent. Her discomfort was very high, and she finally had to order an epidural around 3 a.m. This seemed to calm her down and she complained much less about her labor pains. More hours went by with not much change. Soon we would see the sunrise, and things seemed to be looking better. The hospital staff had prepped our room for delivery and I thought a new arrival was imminent. But it just seemed to be more waiting. Around 8 a.m., Saturday, July 22, Sheila was examined and she was fully dilated to 10 cm. This seemed to be a good sign. Sheila tried a few pushes over the next couple of hours only to see very little result and the baby was not dropping at all.

At 10:30 a.m. the decision was made to move forward with the caesarean section. This was not what any of us wanted, especially Sheila. So with a tear in her eye, she obliged and within minutes we found ourselves in the operating room, prepping to say hello to baby Marissa.

I entered the operating room, all scrubbed up, with Sheila lying on the table. She looked like Jesus on the cross the way they had her arms spread out. I remember most the doctors and nurses just chatting about current events. They talked a lot about President Bush and Iraq. I’m guessing they encourage this because it felt more like we were around a water cooler at the office and not in an operating room. Sheila, while awake, was a bit groggy. I asked her what she wanted to talk about, and she said “anything.” So we chatted back and forth, our final moments as a twosome. I can’t remember really what we talked about, and before I knew it, I heard a loud cry. I peeked around the curtain and then came back to Sheila.

Now with a tear in my eye, I said “It’s Marissa.”
-- Justin

Sitting, Waiting, Wishing

2006-07-22T10:00:00.000-07:00

As we wheeled Sheila to the operating room, she laid in her bed while the nurses, her mom and I walked alongside. When we entered the room, I was able to continue on while the doors shut behind us, leaving her mom on the outside. I could see in her eyes the hint of worry and anticipation. I wish she could have been there too, but I knew that she knew her baby girl was in good hands.

As the staff prepped Sheila, I was asked to wait in a long hallway. For about 10 minutes, it was just me, an empty chair and a Martha Stewart Living magazine. It was an emotional time. It was nervous anticipation, and I felt like I was waiting in the wings for my next match at a big wrestling tournament. I’m sure many occasions there are several, soon-to-be fathers in that hallway. But on this day it was just me, by myself, waiting to never be alone again.
-- Justin

Our Little Slugger (click here)

2006-07-19T23:16:00.000-07:00

Check out this video by clicking on title above. A local San Diego news channel did a story on our baseball-themed wedding and ended the story that we were expecting our our "Lil' Slugger" soon! A star before its born!

What's in a Name?

2006-07-19T23:08:00.000-07:00

Not finding out what the gender of your baby can be challenging, especially when your baby is due in two weeks and you don't have names yet. The other night I dreamt that I was painting a name on a room wall, then I woke up to take one of my early morning pee breaks...the large letters painted on the wall were "MARIS" - which means "of the sea" in Latin. You see, our baby was conceived on our honeymoon cruise. My husband, Justin, made some seaward name suggestions, i.e. Oceana and Marina. So, if we have a baby girl, we'll name her ... Marissa. If we have a baby boy, we'll name him Maris after the New York Yankee or would that be after T.V.'s Frazier's ex-wife, Maris. Nah. We need a boy's name...soon!
-- Sheila