Ada at Two Months

On Monday, Ada celebrated being two months into her life! She went off for her well visit and ... dum dum DUM! ... SHOTS!

She clocked in at 9 lbs and 13 ounces, 22 inches long, and is doing all the developmental stuff babies do at her age -- though much of it was not verified by the doctor, so for all she knew I was lying (She can do math! I swear! In fact, she's the president of that organization!)

Her shots were deployed into her little fat thighs, so just in case, I've agreed to not poke her in her Band-Aids. She, on her part, decided to sleep for the rest of the day and pretend it didn't happen.

We're a great team!

This morning she woke up pretty cheerful -- like she does most mornings because she is a baby and has no reason not to!

Life in Prescott: An Update

We like to stick baby in the corner ... of the couch and make her practice her sitting.

Ada considers Shirley.

Welcome to Jerome!

That's Jerome, AZ, a town originally funded by copper mining and now by cute cafes and junk shops run by hippies.

Walking around Tuzigoot National Monument (Ada and I stayed in the car sleeping)

The Prescottonians!

Our friend Maria (connection, Jeffrey graduated from law school with her and her fiance Dave. My dad refers to them as "the rat people") is an official Cardinals cheerleader and the squad was in Prescott doing a little mini-practice at the YMCA.

Last weekend, Jeffrey's mom was here for a visit. Shirley visits mean lots of lasagna, often-confusing stories that somehow relate to people's deaths, and trips to fun places.

While she was here we headed to Jerome, AZ, a town that was developed around copper mining and at one point had the second-largest JC Penney in the country. Then it essentially fell down the mountainside -- as precariously perched mining towns often do when you build them over fault lines and then blast the shit out of the earth -- but was rebuilt and rejuvenated and

"includes a modicum of artists, craft people, musicians, writers, hermits, bed and breakfast owners, museum caretakers, gift shop proprietors and fallen-down-building landlords."

We also had lunch at the world famous Hog Wild Restaurant and the food was delicious -- though none of use took on the celebrated 1-pound pork chop sandwich. (I had the chicken philly -- it was amazingly good -- like, "let's go back and eat lunch at that place in Cottonwood" good).

Sunday we went to see our friend Maria do some cheering. She's a cheerleader for Arizona's NFL team, the Cardinals, and also a fellow law graduate.  We felt a little weird standing around the YMCA gym watching half-naked girls jump around ... but it was really fun to see Maria do something she loves.

This is Jeffrey's second week of work and it is going well. He often pops home for lunch which is nice, and no one at the firm has completely shunned him yet!

I'm back at work and doing my normal work stuff and Ada has been amazingly accommodating -- she basically sleeps through the whole morning half of my work day, wakes up a bit for lunch with us, then goes back to sleep. What a good baby!

Lucy and Lily are liking the house. Lily likes to try to flush out the quail from the porch (poodles ARE hunting dogs after all...) and Lucy is doing really well on the stairs.

So life is good!

"And I want Enya"

Last week my dad and I were talking and he was surprised that they were not doing additional ultrasounds before Ada arrived. My understanding is that unless there is something wrong with you, which my pregnancy is beyond textbook perfect so no one is worried, they don't do more ultrasounds because the insurance companies won't cover them.

I made the mistake of mentioning that there were non diagnostic clinics that offered ultrasounds and by the end of our chat I was scheduled for a 3D ultrasound experience at a Phoenix office.

The office provides 3D imaging and 4D recording (this is fancy "sounds like science" for video of the 3D imaging). They'll even set the video to music.

"I want Enya."
"Ok, I'll ask if they can do that."
Shit. They can. If you bring in a CD. This means I have to purchase Enya. *head desk*

Jeffrey wasn't able to come along, but my friend Jessie was bored at work and decided to take a "lunch appointment" with me to discuss "publishing" while we ate defrosted mini eclairs and a tech smeared ultrasound goo on my belly.

And then there was Ada.

Now of course this is 3D imaging, so how close it actually looks to what is in there is debatable, and Jessie and I joked that they probably just had some random imaging recorded a while back that they looped for duped parents, but since every time they tried to get a shot of her face, she'd block it with her arms and the movements corresponded to the movements going on in my body, I can only assume 1. It's really the kid 2. She is already practicing her "no paparazzi" hand gestures. 3. She does not like her space invaded by ... well ... anything (when I sneeze I can feel her roll and adjust in what feels to me like disgust that she has to share a body with me. Kid, you have no idea how I look forward to having you out in the word and I get my vital organ space back.

It was kind of cool and I'm glad I did it. I know lots of people like the old school birth surprises -- seeing what their baby looks like, what gender it is, etc., the day she comes into the solo oxygen-breathing world. I, on the other hand, kind of like peeking in there and seeing what her world was like beforehand.

Here are a few more "shots." She has huge cheeks apparently (which I attribute to her being puffed up with fluid in preparation for the birthing and my dad attributes to me having big cheeks) and really long fingers. And as far as I can tell from her 3D expressions, she doesn't like being bothered while she's napping. She just looks pissed. So obviously this little girl is genetically related to me.

Just hoping we'll go away.

Hand over face. Look how long those digits are!

STOP POKING AT ME!