Zoe's First Days

We are home from the hospital and Diana and Zoe are doing great. I am so lucky to have the most incredible wife in the world.

Zoe's loves to feed, but does not like to be independent and sleep outside of someones arms. Now we know why everyone said to enjoy sleep while you can.

Thank you so much for all the wishes. We are so incredibly lucky to have the support of the best family and friends in the world. We have not wanted for anything. You have made this incredible experience manageable for us.

I know everyone is eagerly awaiting some pictures, sorry for the delay:

http://www1.snapfish.com/share/p=345181234971922156/l=468278070/g=16710076/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB

Welcome to the world Zoe Emma Schwartz

Zoe Emma Schwartz was born on 2/15/09, at 12:07 PM, 7lbs 0 oz, and 19 inches long.

Diana and Zoe are doing great. Zoe is the cutest baby ever, but we are probably bias.

P.S. We have dedided to spell Zoe without the 'y'.

We will post more pictures soon.

Happy Birthday, Edin!

Happy Birthday yesterday to my favorite niece! I'm sorry I did't get a chance to post yesterday on her proper birthday. I really cannot believe E is already 3 years old. It's been so much fun lately talking to her on the phone and actually understanding what she's saying. She is just getting to be such a big girl. So much fun.

With the gazillion toys these two kiddos have, they really seem to be enjoying this box the most!

Shower Power

I vowed not to post any more pics of myself up here until post-baby, but I liked this sister shot.
This is a gorgeous blanket Jody's mom knit for the baby. Making it even more special was that it was her very knitting project.


The milk and cookie bar. So cute, so yummy! Cookies courtesy of Heather.

Still no baby. This is how I have to answer all emails and phone calls these days. This little one is taking his/her time, that's for sure. I really thought yesterday was the day. I was feeling bad, having contractions all day and well into the night and then, boom, they stopped and I slept like a baby. I never thought I'd be bummed to get a good night's sleep and wake up feeling refreshed. But seriously, I'm just so ready to meet this baby--and so ready to be done being pregnant!

I've realized that the last few weeks of pregnancy are definitely not my favorite part of this whole 9-month process. But, having the baby shower a couple weeks ago definitely helped make things much more fun in the final weeks.

A couple weeks ago my sister, Beth and Courtney held such a nice, fun shower for the baby. It was so fun having Lisa in town for the weekend, and I had her all to myself since she left her hubby and kids in DC. We have not really had sister bonding time like that in so long and it was really fun. My mom also came into town and even stayed an extra day, so I was totally spoiled with Mirel girl time!

The shower was at Beth's house and the three of them really outdid themselves. With Jefferson Hill Tea Room-inspired foods (where me, Beth and my sister all worked in high school school), a milk and cookie bar, adorable decorations and great friends and family, it was such a nice day.

I had been unsure about having a shower, but I'm so glad we did. It was awesome having so many of my favorite people all together to celebrate the baby. Jody and I know how lucky our baby is to be coming into a world with so many people who already love him/her so much. Thanks to everyone for such a fun day. It really did make the end of this pregnancy road very special. And and a huge thanks to Lisa, Beth and Courtney--the hostesses with the mostestess!

Large But Not in Charge

You know you're entirely too pregnant when...

* you actually can't get out of the car at the grocery store because the car next to you is too close. I almost got lodged in there tonight before Jody told me to just get back in the car and re-park. He definitely did not like the looks of what was about to happen...and was probably concerned on how he would pry me out.

* you forget how simple measuring works when cooking. We're having a soup disaster tonight with me putting 2 Tablespoons of black pepper in homemade tortilla soup rather than the appropriate 2 teaspoons. I added double the broth and double the tomatoes and beans, but it's still pretty lethal. Maybe all this spice will help bring on labor...if the heartburn doesn't kill me first.

* you're scared to go to the gym because you don't want to be the girl whose water breaks on the treadmill. Seriously, prior to being pregnant myself, I would have probably freaked out if I was running on a treadmill in a non-pregnant state and a preggo girl's water broke next to me. I'll just stick to walking Charlie around the neighborhood at this point.

* you were jealous of M.I.A.'s ability to bust a move at the Grammy's last night on her actual due date when you, on the other hand, are avoiding just having to walk up steps. Yes, her outfit was pretty disturbing, but I give the girl props for getting up there and rocking out.

* And finally, you know you're too pregnant when you decide not to post any more pictures of yourself on the blog until after the baby.

I'm Lovin' It

I never eat fast food. The only times I indulge are at the airport (always McDonald's) and on road trips (usually Arby's). Even throughout pregnancy I've steered clear of the drive thru.

But, a couple weekends ago Jody and I were running errands and we were starving. It was freezing and neither of us wanted to get out of the car, so we hit the McDonald's drive thru, despite my objections. I ordered a cheeseburger and, seriously, it was the best thing I've eaten all pregnancy. Really, I should have eaten more of these over the past nine months. Apparently, my mom craved McDonald's cheeseburgers throughout her whole pregnancy with my sister, so maybe it's a genetic thing.

Anyway since that yummy Saturday, I keep thinking I should go get another cheeseburger sometime, but I have yet to make the trip. Hopefully the baby will come soon so I can stop thinking about McDonald's cheeseburgers.

BFFs

Our pooch is all grown up. Charlie has a girlfriend. She's a little Brat Terrier (Boston Terrier/Rat Terrier hybrid) named Olive and he's totally in love. Everytime he hears Olive in the hallway Charlie starts barking and whining. She, in turn, comes over to our door and whines right back at him. Usually Jody caves and lets him run out in the hallway for some wrestling and face eating.

Charlie and Olive pretty much live for their playdates. They run around our hallway, our condo, Olive's owners' condo and the lobby with the a few of their other pooch pals after the last walk of the night time. They are so cute together, and Charlie is always so happy after chasing Olive around and letting her kick his ass a little.

Tonight we walked Olive for our neighbors and gave them a little midweek playdate at our place. We decided to test out the Flip Camera I got Jody for his birthday on them. Check out the video here: