spring

Long time, no post! Enjoy this cute video clips and pictures. The last few pictures are of the surprise birthday party Nate planned and threw for me. Believe it or not, we ate ALL of that baklava.

Seedlings

Sisters

Anyway, sorry for the more-than-usual poor format of this post. I am leaving for the airport in mere minutes for a trip to Arizona--yay! Check in soon for many cute pictures of the five cute cousins!!

Uh-oh nose

Emiko is growing so quickly! She can hold up her head, has the same freakishly strong legs as her sister (she can hold her own weight), smiles whenever she sees her mommy, and coos adorably. At her most recent doctor's visit, she weighed in at 10lbs 6ozs. No light weight, this one.

Mayumi is always fidgeting with Emiko; inserting her pacifier, stealing her blanket, trying to insert a sippy cup into her mouth, sitting on her, and kissing her.

I have to constantly remind Mayumi that "Emi is not a toy." Fortunately, she does have her own dolly to 'baby.' Thank you Grandma Mimi! This baby goes where Mayumi goes. My favorite is when she tries to put a pacifier into the doll's mouth, holds it close and rocks it, and 'shush shushes' it. She does all this with a concerned look on her face (knitted brow) and adorably pursed lips (she cannot make an 'sh' or 'ch' sound without seriously pouting her lips).

We have to watch this little Mayumi very closely. For example: Nate picked up these little sticky fake gems to affix to Valentine's Day cards. We had fun with them and only a few remained after our craft project. Somehow Mayumi got a hold of one and next thing we know she's saying 'uh-oh nose' and rubbing at her nose, sticking her finger up inside repeatedly. We expected the worse and, sure enough, Nate spotted it up there with the aid of a flashlight. He got out the pliers. Fortunately she sneezed it out before he performed surgery on her. Whew.

Blizzard '10

I am certain that there are thousands of blog posts with the same title, but that is exactly what it was: a blizzard. Or blizzardS, I should say. For those of you outside of the Eastern Seaboard, you may need a bit of an update: we had three '10-year storms' in Virginia within one month of each other, making this the worst Virginian winter in (statistically speaking) 1,000 years (the math brought to you by Nate). Our back deck is still covered in two feet of snow, and that is after more or less 1 full week of sunshine and melting.

We were blessed to have a houseguest during the second of these three storms. Old roommate and dear friend of eight years Amber Henrie made it down on the last bus from NYC. It was already snowing heavily when she arrived, and didn't stop for several days. She deserves the credit for many of the following photos.

Nate spent hours...hours and hours...shoveling. He had to borrow a shovel since someone stole ours (can you believe it? The nerve). You can see his handiwork here. Can you believe this snowpile in our front yard?

Yumi did her best to keep as warm as possible, but it was hard to keep the snow off her incredibly long lashes (you'll have to enlarge the picture to see what I mean).

The Federal Government was closed for four full days--meaning Nate was stuck at home. He got a little stir crazy, as you will see through the following series of pictures and video clips. Enjoy!

Our master bedroom window.

Amber couldn't be outdone, so she went next:

If you are one of Mayumi's grandmothers, you should skip the next video:

And finally, to top it off, I take the plunge. You'll hear Mayumi in the background...enough to make your heart bleed. She really loves me.

This picture is worse than the Peter DeFazio picture (inside family joke...). You'll have to blow it up to get the full effect, but I won't be offended if you don't. Again, I have to credit Amber for this heinous but most excellent photograph.

Two Months of Darlingness

Happy two month birthday Emiko!! You are an angel, a dream come true. Who knew that an infant could be so EASY!? We love your big smiles and patience when your big sister mauls you. We love how you graciously accept the many 'gifts' Mayumi piles on top of you.

We are impressed with how strong you are; you are already holding your head up, are comfortable on your stomach, and rolling over (if unintentionally).

Thanks for joining our family--we love you!!

Now--a sneak preview. As the few followers of this blog undoubtedly already know, we had a HUGE storm this weekend, receiving over 28 inches of snow! Crazily enough, another is headed our way this moment, with another 12 inches predicted. I'll be posting fun pictures and unbelievable video clips in the next day or two. But for now...a sneak preview! Here is Mayumi sitting on snowbank (created by Nate's expert shoveling) in our front yard.

Sisters

Mayumi and Emiko being cute.

Emi the Angel

Emi does not do much yet except for be sweet and darling. Here she is, doing what she does best.

Mayumi really cannot leave Emiko alone. Here is poor Emi, minding her own business, covered in Yumi's 'presents.'

Ever hear of a 'baby straight-jacket'? Well--this is it.

Emi the Cute.

The Quilt Extravaganza

My mother once was quite a seamstress, but at some point in my childhood she retired her sewing machine and called it quits. That's why we were all surprised when she first presented me with a quilt made from some of my old t-shirts, then next to my sister a quilt made of her old sports t-shirts. Mine is pictured below:
And then I got the idea--a quilt made of onesies--onesies of the then only four grand daughters.


My dear dear friend Stephanie is a quilt master. She guided me every step of the way. Under her tutelage, I put together a 'practice quilt' to gain skills, experience, and confidence (pictured below). After some time, my sisters Monique and Lindsay sent me their quilt quadrants (made from 16 patches of onesies) and (from Monique) the embroidered centerpiece featuing each girl's name and birth date.

Following Stephanie's instructions, I put it all together. It took hours. Hours and hours. I think at least 100 hrs. But it was so much fun--and seeing my mother open it on Christmas day (via webcam) was worth ALL the effort.

Us girls knew she'd love it for many different reasons. First of all--the fact that it is a huge nod to her efforts creating quilts for us. Secondly, the fact that it is made from the onesies from her beloved grandbabies. Thirdly--we used the sewing machines that she gave us. Fourthly--we worked together very closely--many phone calls, emails, etc....and any mother loves it when her kids collaborate--right?

So that's the story! Thanks to my mother for being such a great mom, my sisters for their efforts, to Stephanie for teaching me, and Nate for being so supportive (and fixing the sewing machine a few times).

Mother and child

Emiko was blessed this last Sunday at church. Thank you to Nate for taking some photos and Lindsay for touching them up.

I know this picture is a bit out of focus, but I love the hazy, candid look of it. Nate is holding both the girls and Mayumi is doing what she does MOST of the time with Emi--hugging her.

Sylvester II

If you look back to our previous two Christmas posts, you'll note that we've enjoyed the company of our pet Christmas Tree, Sylvester. This year, however, Sylvester spent the Christmas outside on our deck. See, we thought (think?) he died. In fact, we were certain he had passed out of the relm of the living and had gone to tree heaven. It was only after we replaced him that Nate noticed his branches are still pliable. Stay tuned--we'll know more about the first Sylvester's status in the spring.

In the meantime, we enjoyed Sylvester II imensely. Decorating him was far more problematic this year (Mayumi immediately removed and broke many of his decorations) but he hung in there.

Here's our cute family. Some people have noted that Nate's smile is much bigger when holding his gun (see previous post) but I disagree. He loves his Emiko.

Nate surprised me with a pasta maker! We've gorged on pasta ever since.

White Christmas

Hi everyone. This is Nate typing. Hilary was uploading photos for a post that she intended to write later and I guess I must have hit the publish button or something before she was done. Hilary is busy at the moment and so she wants me to explain what is in these photos.

Snow.

That sums it up. But in greater detail, we have here approximately 24 inches of snow covering everything in the mid-Atlantic seaboard. And I had to shovel it. And it seems like I'm the only one in Virginia who feels any kind of moral obligation to shovel his sidewalk. But I digress. The snow-shoveling habits of my fellow Southerners are not the point here--the point is the snow itself.

Snow. And a lot of it. Enough to keep roads closed for days. Enough to close the federal government two full days afterwards, and give a "liberal leave policy" after that. Enough snow to make Hilary push the stroller through the street because people are too lazy to shovel their sidewalks. But I digress.

On a happier note, snow can be lots of fun. See the exhibits below as evidence.

Here's a little snow house I built on our back porch. This is after a week of melting, by the way.

Here is our back yard as seen from the dining room.

Same location, closeup of what's right outside the door. Notice the 24-inch strait edge ruler sticking out of the snow.

This photograph was not faked. That is indeed a 24-inch strait edge ruler pushed up to the hilt in snow.

And this is the cutest little yuminess in the whole world playing in the snow.

The Double Stroller Dilemma

Knowing I would want to get out with the two girls as soon as possible, I decided to get a double stroller before Emiko was due to be born. I thought. I fretted. I researched. I started to dream about them...double strollers dancing through my dreams. I even considered NOT using a double stroller and relying on my fabulous Ergo baby carrier (featured below) to carry Emiko.

But finally I decided on the Phil and Ted, which I obtained used. I won't say how much I paid for this pricy bit of metal and fabric...it is AMAZING how expensive these babies are. Below is Emiko in the bassinet seat...you have to look cosely to see her!

Here's Mayumi in the top seat. You'll note that the special 'point' of the Phil and Ted stroller is that it is neither double WIDE nor double LONG. The seats are 'in-line.' Some say the kid in the back gets the shaft...but I have high hopes.

Mayumi's paternal grandmother Rosalie (Mimi) was concerned that Mayumi might want her own baby to match mine. She kindly rushed off a package containing a baby doll complete with all kinds of accessories. Mayumi loves it (her?) and takes (and puts) her everywhere:

This is where we found her one morning:

One cute meets another

Our good friends recommended that we get a photograph of Mayumi meeting Emiko. While we tried, our shutterspeed just could NOT keep up with her wild excitement. She jumped. She spun. She laughed. She clapped. She danced. We TRIED to capture the moment but I am afraid we failed. What I DO have are a few photos that are 'classic yumi' (if you ask me) and one short little video clip.

Here we Mayumi offering Emiko Emi's own pacifer. Very considerate of her, I felt, and quite auspicious. Mayumi, you should know, is addicted to her own pacifier.

However, in classic fashion, she changed her mind shortly thereafter and tried to take it back for her own use.

Honestly, my favorite moment was when Mayumi offered Emiko, still snuggly tucked into her car seat, her favorite pink ball. That, too, we were too slow to capture on film. Here, however, we DO have Mayumi doing something she hasn't stopped doing since the moment Emiko came home: kissing her new baby sister.

Many people have noticed that most of my pictures of Mayumi are of her with Nate (and not me). This trend will probably continue--but how can I help it? Nate and his girls are so photogenic.


Emiko's Grandma Glo was very much a part of this experience, but for some reason I don't have any good photos of her with Emiko (yet...I trust she got plenty on her own camera and will send them to me shortly...). I DO have a GREAT one of Papa Astroland giving Emiko her first sponge bath at home.


Emiko so far has proved to be a very calm and contented little girl. Or are we just more confident this time? Who knows. But she is sleeping well through the night and is calm during her wakeful periods. Excellent!

Finally--just a little clip of Emiko at her first doctor's visit (and a nod to Grandma Glo who, along with Papa Astro, were HUGE helps before, during, and after Emi's birth).

Emiko Leila Ayer, Age 20 hrs

Emiko is here!

The following is a pretty detailed description of her birth. Not for the squeamish. :-)

We decided to induce labor so that she could be born well before my parents needed to return home. I knew it would be a lengthy process; it wasn't a short one by any means last time around, and I was definitely 'in labor' when I showed up at GWU Hostpital to deliver Mayumi.

So, we checked in at 7am and by about 1pm I was experiencing quite painful contractions. I was advanced enough to make me think that I could hold on and have a 'natural' birth (although why I thought of doing that after having been induced I have no idea...). But by the time I was 'at a seven' I was in agony. If the doctor thought it could be any minute then I may have held on longer. But the positioning of Emiko's head suggested that I had some ways to go. We ordered the epidural but had it turned on 'light'--allowing me to still feel the peak of the contractions. I was still in pain but it was do-able.

Finally it was time to push. This was (by far) the worst part for me last time; I had no idea that it could take so long (it took well over an hour last time...much longer than the three pushes they show in the movies). I had been discouraged and even angered by everyone's instructions (push harder!) or encouragement (just one more like that, good job!) because it JUST DIDN'T SEEM TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

Well--I ended up feeling the same way this time. Once again, I started to cry when tons of pushing seemed to yield no results and just further instructions.

But alas--it WAS faster this time. I started once, took a break, and then she was born after 25 additional minutes of pushing. Last time, Mayumi was crowing for many minutes and many pushes....but Emiko came right out more or less after she crowned. That is, she came out and got a little stuck (V. PAINFUL), but eventually made her way through.

She weighed in at 7lbs6ozs, almost one pound heavier than Mayumi! Wow. I knew she'd be larger...she felt heavier. She is 20 inches. Dark, short hair (not as much as Mayumi had) and that glorious natural suntan.

And now we have her! I feel just fine--more or less back to normal. She is sleeping, nursing, etc. We are authorized to stay in the hostpital for two nights but I'd like to go home today. It isn't very restful having someone barging in every five minutes, and I can't WAIT for Mayumi to meet her baby sister.

There you have it! We have a few pictures and a video for you to enjoy. Naturally, more will come! (But not necessarily soon...I may not have ANY time now for blogging...we'll see).