My lovely laptop is being taken away from me because I am now officially on an unpaid leave of absence. Up until this past Friday I was using vacation time, a company paid 2 week bonding leave, and then the California Paid Leave (which is 6 weeks of pay at 55% pay). Now that the "gravy train" is over, apparently they want me lifeline back! ;-) This policy had changed recently (at least for a coworker of mine in another group within my company), and while he was on leave they sent his laptop back to him. Well... it seems my group is not interested in being able to continue contact with me while on leave, so they want my aged laptop back. Pooey to them! :-P I'll send it back... fine. But now I don't know how they expect to reach me with updates on my return from leave since the contact info they have for me is all work numbers/email which I will no longer have.
Such a bummer. Never fear though, I will stay connected to the wonderful world of blogging! I'll be getting my hands on a replacement somehow... and hopefully before the dreaded moment when I must encase my laptop in it's new, foamy home and send it on it's way to be stored in a warehouse somewhere. Awesome.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
7 months old
Yesterday was Olivia and Ezra's 7 month birthday. Wow... hard to imagine. I still remember the utter shock at seeing the email with their referral at a mere 5 weeks old. Where does the time go once you get them in your arms?!
Here's a little update on where each of them are at in their miraculous little lives:
Olivia
Ezra
Here's a little update on where each of them are at in their miraculous little lives:
Olivia
- Weighs 15 lbs 4 oz and is 25.5 inches tall
- Starter crawling 5 days ago and is really starting to get the hang of it
- Can stand incredibly well with a little help balancing (or all on her own if she's got the edge of her crib to hang on to!)
- Can keep herself entertained for relatively long bits of time (at least compared to Ezi!)
- Melts our hearts with her incredible smile and giggly, grunty laugh
- Sleeps through the night (and has 100% consistently since about 5 months old!)
- TOTALLY has her daddy wrapped around her itty bitty finger
- Is completely and utterly obsessed with my hair and plays with it (often jerking on it VERY hard) and twists it around her tiny fingers every chance she gets.
- Finds our dogs to be hilarious. If you want a nearly foul-proof way to get her laughing, allow Chloe (who is STILL obsessed with Livi) to pant and circle my feet while holding her and she'll giggle over and over again.
Ezra
- Weighs 17 lbs 2 oz and is 17.25 inches tall
- Can get up on all fours but just doesn't seem to care about staying up there or moving forward yet
- A total attention hog... and doesn't like to play on his own
- Has the BEST laugh and is super ticklish... yes, I exploit this characteristic to hear that boy grunt and giggle!
- Has an incredible gummy smile that is now being graced with the beginnings of his FIRST tooth! (The bottom, left, front tooth)
- LOVES to jump... constantly. I don't think this boy cares about standing or walking one bit. He'll just hop and jump from one place to the other. Yep, he's our little kangaroo.
- ALSO sleep through the night and has since about 5 months old too... sleep training and a rigid schedule DEFINITELY worked for all four of us!
- Screams better than ANYONE I know
- Has JUST developed the CHEESIEST, biggest, and cutest grin ever... don't know where it came from, but he just started doing it on their birthday yesterday!
I have no idea how we had the incredible fortune of being blessed with such amazing, fun and loving cutie-pies, but we are so thankful for every day we have them. There are some trying times (read here: the flight home from Colorado) and more incredible moments than I could ever have imagined. Ezra Tewodros and Olivia Yodit - you have filled our lives with more love, fun, excitement and hope than we could ever have imagined. Thank you for allowing us the incredible honor of being your parents. We love you!
Monday, July 21, 2008
Changes abound!
I barely know where to begin. I think I'm still trying to catch my breath from the craziness of the last week. I've definitely become one of THOSE parents that is unbelievably proud and thrilled at my babies' milestones.
We headed out last Thursday evening for our trip to Colorado. Events in the two days leading up to our departure had me already exhausted... and there's nothing like a "vacation" with Ezi & Livi to help you catch up on much needed rest! (Please note the sarcasm here) On Wednesday I found myself zooming around running last minute errands, taking E&O to the pediatrician for their well-baby exams, and then rushing to the Labor Office for work permits. Work permits, you ask?? Yes, work permits for Ezra and Olivia! Long story short... they've been asked to be in a major TV show and how could I possibly refuse them this fun little moment of fame?! I'm definitely NOT into the idea of one's childhood becoming consumed with this sort of thing, but do think they'd have a blast getting the attention of so many for the day and having the experience to look back on when they're older. So, on this Thursday we head up to Hollywood for the big shoot! Once I have more info I'll pass along details on the show and when it will air. From what I understand it's a little background type role... but still really cool to me anyway. My little stars! ;-)
After a grueling hour+ in the dim, gray, and window-free hallway on the 8th floor of the state building, I had their work permits in hand. Nothing like feeding the babies whilst stooped over the stroller and then spending a solid 45 minutes tickling and tossing into the air your growing boy. Poor Ezra gets so fed up with sitting still and not being held, so it was a trying experience. Of course, this was also following a shot for each of them at the pediatrician's office, so they did so well considering. As for the shots... it's ALL about distraction. They did great. A VERY brief protest and bit of tears from both, which was quickly ended by silly ole' mommy being her silly ole' self. Thank GOODNESS I have no pride and am willing to act so ridiculously in front of the nurse! ;-)
Thursday was a whirlwind as I tried to get the four of us packed and pull the house together for our departure. Our wonderful Tia Claudia was coming for the weekend to take care of our furry babies and I didn't want to leave the place a total wreck. The kids did remarkably well with mommy running around the place like a madman and even seemed to get a giggle out of it here and there. Little did I know that while I was in the midst of this craziness, a cute little tooth was making it's final push to come into view in Ezra's gummy grin. This said tooth was finally noticed while we were waiting to board our flight, and boy did I get excited. Seriously, how lame must I have looked?! I was shouting to Joe as he walked up carrying our bags of McDonald's nastiness, "Hurry, run! Come HERE! FASTER!!!! Joe, RUN!" As Joe rushes to my side, I pull back Ezra's lip and point out the source of all this excitement. I think half the airport was looking our way for the big moment as they were sure there was some sort of emergency. I am such a dork. Who cares though... cause my baby boy is about to be the proud new owner of his first chomper!
The flight went quite well, despite screwing up the rather rigid sleep schedule Livi & Ezi keep. No meltdowns on the plane... just a little, brief fussing, some sleeping, and lots of lap jumping for Livi. Oh yeah.
Here's the REALLY big news...
Olivia is CRAWLING now!!!!!! She began crawling the next morning at her Grandma and Grandpa's house. She's been so close for so long and she finally started SLOWLY moving those adorable little arms and legs forward. She still has a very slow and hesitated crawl... but she's doing it! And with more and more confidence each time! Soooooooo cool! I can't believe what a little stud she is! She also does the downward dog (yoga move) incredibly well and can stand on her own with a little help balancing. This little button of our's will be cruising in no time! I know I don't REALLY want them mobile as life will REALLY get interesting... but I can't help but be so excited for her! Ezra's getting close too... spending more time on all fours each day! It's hard to believe how far they've come in the last three months home! And, just because I think it's cool, I'll point out that on Friday (the day Livi started crawling), we'd be home exactly 3 months as a family!
Saturday we went to a dear friends' wedding and the kids amazed us yet again. The ceremony was outside and the temperature was a mere 99 degrees. It was just a tad bit toasty. BUT, not one fuss from either of them! Another baby there started wailing pretty early on... and I admit that I am petty enough that I did the "Yesssss!!!!" thing with the downward arm motion and all. Soooo happy someone else's baby lost it first JUST in case ours had a meltdown too. :-S After the ceremony we fought our way into the A/C for the reception and were blown away by Ezi & Livi's patience. They allowed us to stay until about 8:00pm by having a bottle and then catching a nap in our laps. No crying. Good stuff.
The whole weekend I enjoyed that Olivia showed quite a bit of nervousness about the change in scenery and clung to me for security. She's normally much more independent than Ezra and doesn't particularly like to be cuddled to sleep. But, that's the ONLY way I could get her to sleep was to snuggle her close for a while first. She was such a snuggle bug! LOVED that!
We also got to briefly enjoy the company of my brother. Not surprisingly he's spending his leave time ridiculously busy.... first a week in Mexico getting open water certified for scuba diving, and now spending this week climbing in Colorado and hiking 14ers. Oy. I was bummed I couldn't spend a longer time in Colorado and see more of him and my parents, but we couldn't work out who would help me home with the kids, and due to carry on bags, their car seat strollers, etc. there was just no reasonable way for me to travel with the two of them alone. And let me tell you how THRILLED I am about deciding that! The flight home was much closer to a nightmare. One of those flights you wish you could erase from memory. One of those flights in which everyone around you was wishing you were NOT on their flight. Let's just say that Ezi & Livi were NOT in the best of moods. Both of them were fed up with sleeping in our arms I think, because they fought the crowded conditions quite a bit. Bleck.
Oh, and today I learned my laptop is being confiscated. I nearly cried. What WILL I do?! ;-) My laptop is my lifeline... I'm an online junky. I check email and blogs all the stinkin' time! I can't even begin to tell you the withdrawals I had just from leaving the laptop home for this past weekend... let alone for good! Joe thinks I'd better get myself a new computer... and FAST! I also need it for some freelance type work I may start doing... so maybe that helps justify it. Maybe. But seriously, I'm an IT professional. I NEED this stupid thing. :-D That's all for now. Off to pout... or maybe order myself a laptop. ;-) That is ONE perk of working for a major IT company... discounts! :-D
We headed out last Thursday evening for our trip to Colorado. Events in the two days leading up to our departure had me already exhausted... and there's nothing like a "vacation" with Ezi & Livi to help you catch up on much needed rest! (Please note the sarcasm here) On Wednesday I found myself zooming around running last minute errands, taking E&O to the pediatrician for their well-baby exams, and then rushing to the Labor Office for work permits. Work permits, you ask?? Yes, work permits for Ezra and Olivia! Long story short... they've been asked to be in a major TV show and how could I possibly refuse them this fun little moment of fame?! I'm definitely NOT into the idea of one's childhood becoming consumed with this sort of thing, but do think they'd have a blast getting the attention of so many for the day and having the experience to look back on when they're older. So, on this Thursday we head up to Hollywood for the big shoot! Once I have more info I'll pass along details on the show and when it will air. From what I understand it's a little background type role... but still really cool to me anyway. My little stars! ;-)
After a grueling hour+ in the dim, gray, and window-free hallway on the 8th floor of the state building, I had their work permits in hand. Nothing like feeding the babies whilst stooped over the stroller and then spending a solid 45 minutes tickling and tossing into the air your growing boy. Poor Ezra gets so fed up with sitting still and not being held, so it was a trying experience. Of course, this was also following a shot for each of them at the pediatrician's office, so they did so well considering. As for the shots... it's ALL about distraction. They did great. A VERY brief protest and bit of tears from both, which was quickly ended by silly ole' mommy being her silly ole' self. Thank GOODNESS I have no pride and am willing to act so ridiculously in front of the nurse! ;-)
Thursday was a whirlwind as I tried to get the four of us packed and pull the house together for our departure. Our wonderful Tia Claudia was coming for the weekend to take care of our furry babies and I didn't want to leave the place a total wreck. The kids did remarkably well with mommy running around the place like a madman and even seemed to get a giggle out of it here and there. Little did I know that while I was in the midst of this craziness, a cute little tooth was making it's final push to come into view in Ezra's gummy grin. This said tooth was finally noticed while we were waiting to board our flight, and boy did I get excited. Seriously, how lame must I have looked?! I was shouting to Joe as he walked up carrying our bags of McDonald's nastiness, "Hurry, run! Come HERE! FASTER!!!! Joe, RUN!" As Joe rushes to my side, I pull back Ezra's lip and point out the source of all this excitement. I think half the airport was looking our way for the big moment as they were sure there was some sort of emergency. I am such a dork. Who cares though... cause my baby boy is about to be the proud new owner of his first chomper!
The flight went quite well, despite screwing up the rather rigid sleep schedule Livi & Ezi keep. No meltdowns on the plane... just a little, brief fussing, some sleeping, and lots of lap jumping for Livi. Oh yeah.
Here's the REALLY big news...
Olivia is CRAWLING now!!!!!! She began crawling the next morning at her Grandma and Grandpa's house. She's been so close for so long and she finally started SLOWLY moving those adorable little arms and legs forward. She still has a very slow and hesitated crawl... but she's doing it! And with more and more confidence each time! Soooooooo cool! I can't believe what a little stud she is! She also does the downward dog (yoga move) incredibly well and can stand on her own with a little help balancing. This little button of our's will be cruising in no time! I know I don't REALLY want them mobile as life will REALLY get interesting... but I can't help but be so excited for her! Ezra's getting close too... spending more time on all fours each day! It's hard to believe how far they've come in the last three months home! And, just because I think it's cool, I'll point out that on Friday (the day Livi started crawling), we'd be home exactly 3 months as a family!
Saturday we went to a dear friends' wedding and the kids amazed us yet again. The ceremony was outside and the temperature was a mere 99 degrees. It was just a tad bit toasty. BUT, not one fuss from either of them! Another baby there started wailing pretty early on... and I admit that I am petty enough that I did the "Yesssss!!!!" thing with the downward arm motion and all. Soooo happy someone else's baby lost it first JUST in case ours had a meltdown too. :-S After the ceremony we fought our way into the A/C for the reception and were blown away by Ezi & Livi's patience. They allowed us to stay until about 8:00pm by having a bottle and then catching a nap in our laps. No crying. Good stuff.
The whole weekend I enjoyed that Olivia showed quite a bit of nervousness about the change in scenery and clung to me for security. She's normally much more independent than Ezra and doesn't particularly like to be cuddled to sleep. But, that's the ONLY way I could get her to sleep was to snuggle her close for a while first. She was such a snuggle bug! LOVED that!
We also got to briefly enjoy the company of my brother. Not surprisingly he's spending his leave time ridiculously busy.... first a week in Mexico getting open water certified for scuba diving, and now spending this week climbing in Colorado and hiking 14ers. Oy. I was bummed I couldn't spend a longer time in Colorado and see more of him and my parents, but we couldn't work out who would help me home with the kids, and due to carry on bags, their car seat strollers, etc. there was just no reasonable way for me to travel with the two of them alone. And let me tell you how THRILLED I am about deciding that! The flight home was much closer to a nightmare. One of those flights you wish you could erase from memory. One of those flights in which everyone around you was wishing you were NOT on their flight. Let's just say that Ezi & Livi were NOT in the best of moods. Both of them were fed up with sleeping in our arms I think, because they fought the crowded conditions quite a bit. Bleck.
Oh, and today I learned my laptop is being confiscated. I nearly cried. What WILL I do?! ;-) My laptop is my lifeline... I'm an online junky. I check email and blogs all the stinkin' time! I can't even begin to tell you the withdrawals I had just from leaving the laptop home for this past weekend... let alone for good! Joe thinks I'd better get myself a new computer... and FAST! I also need it for some freelance type work I may start doing... so maybe that helps justify it. Maybe. But seriously, I'm an IT professional. I NEED this stupid thing. :-D That's all for now. Off to pout... or maybe order myself a laptop. ;-) That is ONE perk of working for a major IT company... discounts! :-D
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