Dedicated to the Ones I Love

I have never taken my family for granted. I have a great support system around me and am very lucky to live close to all my family and friends. This was never more evident than last week when my second daughter decided she was ready to come into the world. Since it was a week ago and I really don't want to blog about the details of her being born (since I have recapped it so much over the last week), I will just send a shout out to everyone in my family for being great.
My husband, of course, is the most awesome. By my side during the c-section and then at home with Diana, making sure that she had normalcy in her life over the past week. He took her to school and soccer and made sure that she knew she wasn't forgotten or out of our minds when Amy came. He's a rock. He had basketball camp this week and with me staying with Amy in the hospital all the way in Walnut Creek, he was basically a single dad for a few days. He was tired, I'm sure, but didn't show it. I can never repay him for being so awesome.
My mom, dad and sister provided overwhelming amounts of love and support over the past week. They drove me to the hospital at 4 a.m. (mom) and then drove to visit without even a second thought throughout the weekend (all three). There's not a greater family in the world and I love them all so much.
I have to also give a shout out to my BIL who got to knock fists with his new niece. I'm sure in no time he will have her turned upside down and laughing hysterically just like he does with Miss Diana.
I was also overwhelmed by the support sent out by my co-workers. Four years ago, when Diana was born, I got lots of support from work types. But now I work with all women and I have gotten flowers, text messages, phone calls and lots of prayers sent my way from moms who know what we as a family are going through. I am truly blessed.
I am truly a very lucky Momma. Not only do I have two great daughters who continue to surprise me every day, I have the greatest family and friends in the world.
I am back at home now, but visiting Amy every day in Walnut Creek. She's doing wonderfully! Like I said, she continues to surprise me every day and is eating like a horse - or a Borchert! :)

Oops..Suprise!

I didn't want to find out the sex of the baby until the day the baby arrived. I don't like taking advantage of modern technology, I love surprises and it's just more fun to find out when the baby actually comes. There's really nothing you can do to prepare if you know the sex in advance. OK, so you go out and buy girl clothes (all pink) or boy clothes (all sports and dinosaurs). But then later on, you find out that the baby doesn't fit into any of them because they are either a) too small; b) too big. We didn't find out what Diana was when she was born and it was the best surprise ever.
Matt wanted to find out from Day one with this baby. I was vehemently opposed and since he was unable to come to the ultrasounds, it was my decision. A couple weeks ago, my perinatologist breathed a sigh of relief when I told her just before she placed the monitor on my belly that we didn't want to know the sex.
"Oh, you have to tell me these things!" We both laughed.
One week, and I'm sure thousands of patients later, she forgot.
As she was looking at the ultrasound, she casually said "She's asleep."
HUH? WHAT?
"Uh, what did you say?" I asked.
"Oh my gosh, you didn't want to know did you?" she said as she looked over at me with a look of horror on her face.
"It's a girl?" I nearly screamed.
"Yeah," she said quietly.
"Oh my god, I can't believe we are having another girl!"
Tears start streaming down my face and I look over at Matt (hmmm, ironic that he made it to this appointment) and he's crying too.
"That's OK," he said. "In the back of her mind, she really wanted to know."
Well, no I didn't, but I did need a big smile and a nice surprise after all I have been through in the last two weeks (well, after all that WE have been through in the last two weeks) and this was definitely a good surprise.
So, a girl. More pink and purple and princesses. So exciting!
The first person we told was Diana and she and Gramma V went back to Babies R Us and purchased about five pink outfits for the baby and a pink and purple butterfly lamp for the room. No, the room is not pink and purple butterfly theme (far from it actually) but Diana just HAD to have it. Diana and her sister also have matching Big Sister, Little Sister t-shirts.
Geez, I hope my doctor was right.

Diana's Four-Year Checkup

Getting out of the house is a rarity these days so I was really excited to take Diana to her four-year check up on Tuesday. Gramma V came with us because Camp Gramma V started Tuesday and Diana is spending three days in Fairfield with her.
This appointment was the big one before she starts kindergarten. Matt and I have been talking about what kindergarten Diana is going to be enrolled in next year and we have to get that process started because it's likely she will need an inter-district transfer to have her go to school in Fairfield closer to where we both work.
Diana did great at the usual checkup stuff - weight, height, etc. Then, she had to get her blood pressure checked. She was a little skeptical at first but the medical assistant said that it would be like a grizzly bear hug on her arm. Diana thought that was hilarious. I told her it was just like when I have been taking my blood pressure at home and that eased her mind a ton. She put the little cuff on her arm and her expression immediately changed. She did great though.
Next, she had to have a vision test. The medical assistant put the "E" slide up on the board and gave Diana a cardboard E. She had Diana practice a little and asked her what way the Es were pointing. Again, Diana did great. Then it was time to put a little Band-Aid patch on her eye on do the test with one eye. Diana wasn't having it. There was nothing I could say to make it happen either. We decided to try later. next was the audio test.
Diana has to do all these tests to get into kindergarten and I explained that to her. She stepped into the booth in the audio room, seemed excited about it actually, but wasn't thrilled about putting on the headphones circa 1952. We had to pass on that one as well.
we proceeded to the exam room where I once again explained to Diana that she couldn't get into kindergarten unless she did those tests. I know she knew what I was talking about because lately everytime she sees the number 5, she says "when i am 5, I get to go to kindergarten!"
The rest of the appointment went well. We love her doctor and were pleased to find out that the new baby will get to go to him as well. He's very hard to book an appointment with these days so I was glad to hear we wouldn't have to get another pediatrician.
Diana is doing really well. At the end of the appointment, the doctor asked us if Diana knew MOST of her colors and shapes. Uh, MOST? Yeah, doc. She knows MOST of her colors...and then some! He laughed at my sarcasm and retorted that she was ready for kindergarten. I said no, we aren't gonna be like that.
Diana had to get three shots. This was hard because I couldn't pin her down to get the shots and Gramma V had never had to do that before. Gramma V is pretty strong, but I felt bad because I don't think she realized how strong Diana is when a needle is being thrust into her leg. Diana (and Gramma V) both survived.
I can't believe Diana is going to start kindergarten in a little over a year. It's crazy to think about it. I am going to drop her off at a school with 11 year olds? That doesn't seem right! I have some time to get over it, I guess.
Time flies.

My new BFF

I guess I am obligated by the title of the blog to keep family and friends updated on the status of our entire family...not just Matt and Diana. Therefore, this will be a post about my new best friend, our couch.
I was placed on moderate bed rest for the remainder of the pregnancy. My numbers (blood pressure and urinalysis) were really good over the weekend in rest mode so the doctor decided to keep me here...on the couch. Granted, I have to work. I love my job. But I love living and I love my family more so this was the right move. Some of my friends don't seem to understand that bed rest, even the moderate type that I am on, means that no, I can't go to work. I have to sit here and rest as much as possible. About the only time I can leave the house is to go grocery shopping and take Diana to one of her many activities this summer (she started swimming on Monday and will start soccer on Saturday).
Bed rest is not fun, but necessary. So the couch and I will bond over the next two months until the baby is ready to come. I went to the doctor on Monday and have an appointment with a perinatologist on Friday. I think they are going to want to do another ultrasound to make sure the baby is growing OK. Fine, do what you have to do, I say. The baby is moving well so I am not too concerned. Honestly, I would rather have overconcerned doctors and overprotective doctors than have doctors who say "eh, you're fine, just take it easy."
I truly believe that all this is going to make us stronger as a family. And that's never a bad thing, right? There are a lot of people out there who are a lot sicker than I am.
The night after my appointment, I had a hard time sleeping so I came down to watch SportsCenter at 2 a.m. There was a story of a 6-year-old kid who had cancer, but it was being treated successfully with chemo, etc. He had a wish to practice with the Dallas Cowboys (Matt's favorite team). I thought, "you know, this kid is going through a lot more than I am and he's 6!" I fell asleep a short time later.
I am monitoring my bp and doing urinalysis at home and all has been good for the most part. I am reading "The Associate" by John Grisham (so good!) and if anyone has any good books they want to pass on, please do. I can get through a book quick style these days!

Time of Her (our) Life

Diana made her first trip to AT&T Park on Friday night for her first Giants game. I am not going to leave out a single detail because that's what I usually do and this experience deserves all the space the internet will allow.
We took the ferry from Vallejo to the Ferry Building in San Francisco. We arrived at the building at about 4 p.m. and had lunch at Taylor's, this awesome little diner. Matt had been planning this trip for a few weeks now, doing a lot of research on how to get to the park from the Ferry Building without using the mode of transportation that we would normally use - our legs.
It turns out that the Muni station that could take us to the park was quite a walk from the Ferry Building. By the time we would have gotten to the station, we would be halfway to the ballpark. So, we just started walking - very slowly, as we had two hours until the start of the game.
(Also, in an act of rebellion, I wasn't supposed to even go to the game. I was placed on modified bed rest for the weekend on Wednesday afternoon at my doctor appt. I didn't go to work on Thursday and didn't do much of anything Friday morning before we left.)
Anyway, I am so glad that we walked. Diana had a great time walking downtown ("Look at the big buildings, Mommy!") and I got some exercise. The weather was perfect as we were walking...about 68 degrees or so.
There was a small park right next to the ballpark so we stopped there for a couple minutes and let Diana run around and play. She had a great time. We proceeded to the ballpark after that and Diana was in awe! I can only imagine how big the place looked in her eyes.
After our long walk, I was sequestered to my seat for the rest of the night. We found our seats and Diana got to watch a little batting practice. Matt took her to the Coke slide, the Build a Bear workshop store and the Fan Lot where she got to hit a few balls and run around the bases of this little makeshift field they have out in left field. Apparently, she had a blast and nearly brought Matt to tears!
When the game started, the Giants dominated from the start. Pablo Sandoval (our favorite player now because Papa John bought Diana a panda bear for her birthday and we named him Pablo because Pablo Sandoval is named Baby Panda or something) hit a home run in the first inning and the crowd went absolutely berzerk. It scared the bee jeezus out of Diana and she started crying. She was OK a minute later and danced the rest of the night whenever music played. She was in heaven and really, Matt and I were too. Who would have imagined that a 4-year-old would sit as still as she was the whole time, never complain once, never cry that she wanted to leave and just go with the flow?
Diana continues to amaze us. The game got out of hand fast...the Giants went up 13-0 right away and the Astros never came close to threatening to score. It was fun! Matt got the chance to take Diana back up to the Fan Lot and went down the Coke slide a few more times. He even let her pick out her own baseball hat...pink with a magenta "SF" on it...and the best part...it has a fairy on it. Seriously? Pink, magenta AND a fairy? That hat has Diana's name all over it! She wore it the rest of the night!
In the top of the eighth inning, after Diana and I returned from the bathroom, we made our way around the ballpark to where the ferry would pick us up after the fireworks show. Now, keep in mind that Diana has never seen fireworks. Matt and I usually fall asleep before they go off and we don't like big crowds anyway so we have stayed away from all that for the past seven or so years. But this was a great chance for Diana to see them for the first time. Across the bay, while we were waiting for the Giants' fireworks to start, there were some fireworks (green and gold). We couldn't hear them, but Diana could see them. She loved them!
Then, the lights went off in McCovey Cove and the fireworks started blasting overhead...very loud. The tears and screaming started. It only lasted a couple minutes and once she realized all the pretty colors (magenta, especially)she liked them. If you ask her now what her favorite part of the night was, she will tell you it was the fireworks. Go figure.
By the time we got on the ferry, it was nearly 11 p.m. and Diana was still going strong. She didn't need to be held, was still dancing around with a big ole smile on her face. It was three hours past her bedtime and she only took a 45 minute nap earlier in the day because of all the excitement of going to the game.
We got on the ferry finally and headed out. And that's when Diana crashed out...like a light. She crawled up in my lap and fell asleep. She stayed asleep for the most part until we got home at 12:30 a.m. and stayed in bed this morning till 9.
It was quite a night. Matt and I were beaming with pride. It was so great and something the three of us will never forget.