Meet Gavin Alexander

"I'm a sexy little man!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adventures in San Francisco

Our espresso machine took us on an adventure to the repair shop in SF so we decided to take advantage of a perfect day for G's first outing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Easter Egg Decorating with Grandma

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Introducing... Genevieve!

We finally had the pleasure of meeting my first niece for the very first time.

 

And while we're at it, let me also just show off my brother and sister-in-law's labor of love -- baby Genevieve's nursery. Isn't it so precious?!

 

 

And look at her sweet bassinet... so fitting for the princess this little girl is. (And how awesome is it that my brother did almost everything himself? I can already tell he's such a great dad.)

And I love this one... my brother made a cast of his wife's belly just before giving birth. Apparently all it takes is paper mache, faux flower petals and a glue gun. They're going to hang it in Gen's room as a momento from her journey from the other side (of the womb).

 

My Niece is Born!

Arriving just before midnight on Sunday night, she is undoubtedly the most beautiful baby girl ever! I'm so excited she's finally here (fashionably late, of course) and Ava and I are so ecstatic to meet her this weekend.

Adjusting

When my previous company was acquired a few months ago, I was forced to give up this perfect lifestyle and get a new job where I am commuting, at least initially, over an hour each way five days a week. (See this interview post on OneHotMama for more about juggling my current lifestyle and my mommy style.)

This is an awesome job in so many ways, and I love working in the city again for so many reasons:

• Lunch at the Ferry Building
• Walking along the Embarcadero
• Happy Hours
• Finding time to read again (some book reviews to come!)
• Feeling like I have my own personal identity again
• Knowing Grandma is taking great care of Ava (and cooking and cleaning--I know I'm spoiled)

But, as with most things, there are also things I don't love about working in the city:

• Time wasted on the commute
• Less than sanitary public transportation
• All the extra time it takes to get ready in the morning
• Loss of control in running my household (I don't want to sound ungrateful because trust me, I know how lucky I am and I'm sincerely appreciative, but there is something comforting about knowing exactly where everything is in your house because you put it there... and I'm a bit of a control freak)

The biggest challenge, of course, is spending so much time away from my precious little angel baby:

Flying

That is a placemat she is wearing. Don't ask.

Moving on to my sweater. At least it's clothing.

She can walk in these better than I can. And her pretty pearl bracelet from Kristen that she wouldn't take off for days.

(Why does she never have clothes on when I get home?)

Spending just an hour or so with this sweet little morsel in the evenings is not going to cut it for long.

But even beyond that, this new lifestyle has required some serious adjustment. This is what I've been feeling:

• Exhausted
• Bloated
• Nauseous from the urine and homeless funk on BART
• Swollen feet
• Rapid weight gain
• Anxious sleepless nights
• Getting up to pee several times a night

Which is what led me to finally bight the bullet, accept the odds (while slim at best), and do this (I was in denial about it for way too long even though I'm sure it was glaringly obvious to you after reading my list of symptoms above):

And just like that, the first trimester is almost literally over before I even know it.