Baby 2 36.5 Weeks!

It was on this day I was told there was a 40% chance I would be having this baby within a week because my fluid was low. This was when I was told to go on partial bed rest in order to keep my fluids up and continue on the path into natural labor and hopefully a vbac. But bed rest....UGH. I had been spinning 3 times a week and going to my jazz class once a week...those activities keeping me feeling amazing, strong and happy. Those combined with the diet I was on for gestational diabetes (yup, got that this time), I was actually losing weight in my third trimester. Go figure. But to take away my exercise was torturous. And to have to sit/lay down for several hour stretches throughout a day, that proved to be the worst part. Barking orders at people when you have the biggest nesting urges is just awful. Seeing 2 things get done to every 10 things I would have already taken care of...painful. But, I was determined to keep this little one thriving in there as long as possible and all my drs were on board for the possible vbac ahead. So we kept on truckin', on the couch though. This photo was pretty much the only good 4d glimpse we got during the entire pregnancy. It's amazing how much this photo actually resembles Deia!

Happy Birthday Deia!!

Deia had 3 requests for her 3rd birthday...A bouncy house, face painter and everything purple. We managed to succeed

3 Years Old!!

"I'm Deia, D-E-I-A Deia, Campodonico. I'm fwee yeas ode." And she says it just the way you always dreamed your kid would...while holding up 3 little fingers...that took her a minute to position out of the palm of her mini hand and into the air. What an AMAZING age. The language, the comprehension, the compassion, the sympathy, the sense of humor, the negotiating, the curiosity, the abandon, the imagination...incredible. She continues to be a lover...a very physically and verbally affectionate, yummy, cuddler. She has no problem expressing her feelings and tends to like to be in close proximity to people when communicating and likes to make contact when chatting. For some kids, it's too much. For Deia, it's just her way. We love that she loves. But, she also has strong words, like, "I need some space." Before school started, and for a bit when school began, she had a REALLY hard time negotiating with her "things." Sharing is difficult at this age. But with the support of well handled conflict resolution being enforced in school, her language and desire to make peace is starting to show in the way that she does share now. Of course, some days are better than others :) She still poops in a diaper...saying every day that she'll try to go on the potty "next week." "Next week" is one of her favorite sayings. She also says she'll go on the potty when her sister arrives...so we'll see. She has waffled between cups and bottle for her milk, and still clings to the ever present Manu. With the little one on the way, it doesn't feel like the right time to take away any of her small comforts. I think she'll feel her older role soon and being 3 and bigger will make her choose to take mature steps. She gives my belly A LOT of love and attention. Constantly touching it, singing to it, kissing it, rubbing it. She tells us she'll protect her sister from crickets, dogs and boys and will teach her how to eat cous cous. The transition with baby will not be seamless, but I think Deia is ready to do some serious smothering. She sleeps in her big girl bed, 7:30pm to 6:30/7am. She still doesn't get out of bed in the morning and calls for us, "Please Mommy, Please Daddy." She still asks if she's going to Conrad's :) Deia is great with her bed time routine. Brushing her teeth, washing her hands and face, picking two books, pjs and 2 books. She picks her 2 books and we read them in bed together. It's a special time we try to have both of us around for. Deia also likes to say some last words as we are shutting her door. They are usually pretty cute, including thoughts on her day, the next or comments like, "Mommy, I love you - you're adorable." Then you have to go back in and kiss her again :) Deia just wrapped up dance classes at the Creation Station and just started "real" ballet at Miss Marie's at Studio Moon...right next to Intelligentsia on Abbot Kinney. She is going to start soccer in Venice shortly too! She's very into the idea of playdates and asks for Tal, Flynn, Ella Ever-Hadani, Andrew, Kyle, Piper and Sasha. It's pretty cute. She REALLY enjoyed seeing Puss n Boots and talks about the Theater, Disneyland and Fairyland ALL the time. Her favorite color is STILL purple. Almost everything must be purple on/around her. She still adores Beauty and the Beast, she wears her costume and calls to daddy - her beast that she wants to marry - for a dance together. Saturdays are called Daddy/Deia days and she has grown to love that saying. Deia LOVES her grandparents and talks about them constantly. The most fun thing about Deia at this age is how crazy, social she is. She goes up to EVERYONE to say hello, how's your day, what's your name (first and last of course). She will strike up a conversation anywhere at anytime and it's adorable. She tells people their names are cute, that she likes their sweater, asks about their kids/moms/vacations/bandaids, you name it! People are usually startled by how forward she can be. Then they are really shocked that she only just turned 3! Her vocabulary and comprehension levels are pretty impressive for her age. It's fun because we communicate with her in very logical adult terms and she is receptive to it. She also says "excuse me" when she passes gas or burps :) She likes to get dressed herself, she likes to look in the fridge and choose her own snacks, open her own containers, put on her own shoes, turn on the the iphone/ipad alone, get in her seat alone etc etc.

Boogie Boarding With Daddy

This was an amazing day...especially for daddy. He bought Deia her own wetsuit and grabbed the boogie board. She LOVED wearing the ankle strap and was happy to be in shallow water knee boarding with him. She called it surfing...well, that's the ultimate goal. We are just so happy she loves being in the water!

Snack At NSW

There is something really cute about Deia returning to her lunch box at about 3:00 to finish her food, for snack. She is so hungry at the end of her day, fortunately she is happy to go to town on her leftovers!

Abbot Kinney Festival 2011

This year was really fun! Deia, Alecs and I headed out there in the early morning, so as to avoid some crowds. We ran into just about a million friends with kids. Alecs was astonished, maybe annoyed, that we couldn't walk more than 5 feet without stopping to say hi to someone. It was an incredible reminder that we really have changed our life and have so many new and awesome relationships in our community. It feels so good :) Deia LOVED all of the booths and people watching. She bought a cool pair of fairy wings and a t-shirt for her sister. We went to the kids area and she got her face painted too, of course. We sat on the sidewalk and had gyros and went back to nap just as the crowds were getting horrendous! Still, we ventured out post nap with daddy, directly to the kids area. We ran into Ruth Steinberg of Little Saplings and Deia planted a plant with her and decorated the vase...just like at her 2nd birthday! We pet snakes and decorated a crown and danced to the bands that were playing. A little round in the bouncy house and we cruised to Hal's for an early dinner. It was a REALLY fun day!!! LOVE our neighborhood!

Morning Flirt

The body language here is just too much. Deia and Ben walked to school from the "secret steps" on Venice Blvd. They compared lunch boxes, they talked about poop on the sidewalk that hadn't been picked up, they talked about reading books before circle and what colors they were wearing...Deia specifically referencing the sparkles on her shirt. Then she leaned on the post and they exchanged these chuckles instead of words. OMG. His dad and I just stood there with our hands over our mouths...watching a perfect morning flirt before us. Awesome!

Always Reading

Deia really began her intense interest in books when she got her big girl bed in June and we instated the 2 books at bedtime routine. We put out a gazillion books on the bookshelf downstairs and in her room, and she gets to choose her 2 books. She loves know what they are...so often times she'll just sit with a few books during another part of the day...on a recon mission, sort of. It's amazing to listen to her make up stories, read to her dolls or even try to remember parts of a book we already read to her. Her memory seems to be amazing. She's also sharp enough to know if we have skipped a page!

Pretty Girl

Forgive the proud mom here...But sometimes I look at her little face and can't believe she's real! The sweetness in her cheeks, the soul in her eyes, the yumminess of that mouth!!! I want to inhale her!!!!!!!

Local Boating

Daddy really wants an ocean boat.... But until we can get one, we have a secret boat hook up in the Marina and every once and a while we'll head out on a journey to see the sea lions on not so far away buoys. Deia loves the bumps and loves getting splashed :)

Party Girl

We finally got the pix from Chelsea's wedding...and came upon this quintessential Deia moment. She commanded several dance circles...for almost an hour. She couldn't be stopped! She drank in the attention at times, and at other times she was being completely guided by the music...changing her expressions and body language to match the mood of each song. It was amazing!!!!! That's my girl :)

Avid Reader

Deia always had enough patience for a book here or there. But since June, when she got her big girl bed and we started a 2 book a night routine, she has been obsessed! She loves being able to pick out her books based on having checked them out on her own before. It's wonderful to see her enjoy sitting amongst a pile of books, reading to herself, making up stories and sometimes sharing them with her dolls.

Costume Corner

Here is the costume corner I created for Deia on her first day at school. I think she felt pretty great coming home to something special created just for her. I did it because I missed her :) It was a hard day for me, haha.

School Friends

This photo was sent to me by Silvana, one of Deia's teachers, on the 2nd day of school...post goodbye tears. Here she is playing dress up with Charlie and Aurora....clearly doing just fine :)

First Day Of Preschool!!!

The first day at New School West was a successful one! Deia loved getting dressed and carrying her purple backpack and purple lunch box. We went to school, put her things in her cubby and nap basket, read two books and then she pushed me over the red line at the good bye area. All was fine?! Some of us parents met at a home down the street to chat about how crazy it was that we just left our kids at school! I imagined I needed to stay close by...but they didn't need me. So off I went to dance class...and then felt sad. I wanted Deia to know how much I had been thinking of her all day. So I quickly created a "costume corner" in her bedroom! All of her heels, crowns and jewels had their place. And on hooks were all of her princess dresses, costumes, scarves, bags and hats. When I went to pick Deia up, she had little to say about her day. She didn't eat her lunch, she didn't sleep AND she made pee on her nap mat. All par for the course on a first day.... But she seemed happy. Just deliriously tired. All those things continued for another 2 weeks, PLUS she started to cry every morning at drop off :( It was SO hard to say good bye. So we started a routine of 2 books, writing a note and having a teacher help her back to circle time after a tear filled good bye. Then all of sudden, despite continued tears in the a.m., she started to sleep...and started to eat...and when I would pick her up she would tell me she wasn't ready to leave yet. Cut to, 2 months in and I have a child that "loves preschool," knows all her classmates, throws her body around her teachers with so much love, with total autonomy and confidence around her place there and all of the things she makes/does/eats/plays etc. It's incredible. And the detail with which the teachers have shared since the beginning is mind blowing. From Day 1, emails, texts, verbal updates etc have kept me in the loop of her progress, relationships, interests and smiles. Now we read 2 books, write a quick note and sometimes Deia likes to go straight to circle, or decides if she wants to push me out backwards/soft/fast/slowly/hard... The other day she just looked at me and said, "you can go mom." What an amazing transition. What an amazing school!

Deia & Tal In Lake Arrowhead

What can I say about these girls on vacation together that weekend...It was magic! They enjoyed each other's company so thoroughly, it warmed us to the core. From frolicking naked in and around the lake, to floating on rafts busting rock on signs, rides at the amusement park, lollipops, concerts, fishing, drawing, dancing...you name it, they did it and all with big smiles. Nothing will ever replace the vision of their little tushies running around everywhere...often just peeking out below their matching life jackets :) LOVE THEM. LOVE THEM. LOVE THEM.

Fishing With Daddy

Deia's first fishing experience was on Lake Arrowhead this summer! Chris and Daddy bought fishing poles and worms that all of the kids could use. It took a TON of time and patience...and a few failed attempts. But one finally bit and Daddy was able to get it in the net and show Deia! She was very excited because, when he was able to release the fish back into the water, he was able to "save the shishy." She enjoyed fishing MANY times while we were away. And watching Daddy and Deia chilling at the edge of the dock was a beautiful sight!

Deia, Magnus & Flynn In Lake Arrowhead

We enjoyed a really special summer in Lake Arrowhead...this time in our absolute favorite bay. The kids were all swimming in their life jackets in the chill nook of the lake. This particular weekend, Magnus and Flynn joined us. There was a pretty decent spread between the ages, so activities weren't exactly shared always. But the fresh air, the boat trips, the weekend concerts and the warm lake provided fun for all.

Face Paint

I graduated from Brentwood in '95...and hadn't been back since! So when the Alumni BBQ came up and there seemed to be activities Deia would enjoy, we decided to make an appearance. The bouncy house, the yogurt truck and the face paint where highlights....seeing high school people definitely was not :) But this was her first face painting experience...and she sat so patiently!!!! Fast forward to her 3rd birthday when I hired this woman for her bday party :)

Baby Girl # 2!!!!!!!! 18 Weeks

At 18.5 weeks, we are finally pleased to officially announce baby girl #2! It was a crazy journey to get this exciting moment. At 6 weeks, we got a phone call from our OB, Dr. Thordarson, telling us that upon my first blood screening, some random antibodies that were pleasant were a bit off the charts. As it turns out, Corey has a protein on his red blood cells (Kell) that he passed on to Deia. When Deia was born, and I was exposed to her fetal blood, my body recognized this component of his/their blood type and immediately rejected it...creating the antibodies. So we tested Corey's blood to get more information and, fortunately, he is heterozygous for this blood type....which means that there is a 50/50 chance that he passes on Kell to any pregnancy. If Kell were to be present in baby 2's blood type, then in time my body would recognize it as foreign and begin to attack the baby...plummeting it's blood supply and causing her to become anemic. There was nothing we could do but wait until 17+ weeks to get an amnio that would tell us if Kell were present or not. The 10 days after that test might have possibly been the most intense, most torturous and traumatizing days of my life so far. We've seen this baby in multiple ultrasounds and I had already begun to feel her movements. The thought of terminating a pregnancy almost mid way through a full term was too much to bear. And knowing that the only options ahead would be to do that or multiple blood transfusions in utero via umbilical cord...with very little evidence and case studies that prove it to be foolproof... Words don't exist to describe the thought process behind door 1 or door 2. Thankfully, we got the best news of all!!!!!!!! It didn't ring true until I was able to barely reconcile being so indifferent about the pregnancy for all of those months. But slowly my belly grew and the movements were more consistent and we were in full swing of it! What a ride. Thank gawd for modern medicine......

Chelsea's Flower Girl!

Deia was honored to be Chelsea's flower girl. Chelsea could be the white (dress) princess and she could be the little one princess. Deia announced to many people, strangers before the wedding, that she was going to have this role. She practiced at home and read the flower girl book that Ce-Ce bought her.

Deia's A Big Girl

Deia has taken a serious liking to kids younger than her. They are "babies," of course. And she knows that they need love and hugs so they don't cry. Here she is escorting Maddie Wynholds down the street at the New School West Trike-A-Thon. They did walk the entire block like that!

Catalina Camping W/ Altmans

Our very first camping trip was to Hermit Gulch in Avalon on Catalina Island.

First Recital!!!!

Deia's 1st Tap Recital was Broadway themed. They danced to Sherry (baby).

Face Paint

Deia has already been to Disneyland twice! The second time we went, we were there with Tracy & Griffin, Miranda & Jake, Lisa, Luca and Marcos. We did the carousel, flying dumbo, finding nemo ride, small world and then the boys split off from the girls. They hit up toon town and left early with melt downs. We went to visit the princesses, bought them ice cream and got face painted while waiting in line! Never thought Deia would go for it...but when she saw another little girl with princess makeup, she needed it too. She sat patiently and was SO thrilled with the results :) Luca did it too and the two of them sitting and chatting with Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Princess Jasmin...priceless. Deia told S.B. that she loved her nail polish :) Ah, girls :)

First Mani Pedi

We walked by a nail salon...not the one I frequent. But Deia got excited and said she wanted pail nolish :) So we went in and she picked out her color, purple, and she sat in a chair. She let them file and buff, but HATED the remover. She settled down watched the polish go on...very skeptically. But she was happy about it and was very quick to answer yes when asked if she wanted flowers on her toes and sparkly polish on her fingers. She actually kept her feet and hands flat for the drying time and spent some time with her nails in front of a fan. She's very proud of her mani pedi and already knows what color she wants to do next time :)

Who Me?!

Deia has become the most expressive little girl. From the ways she uses her vast vocabulary, to the inflections in her voice, to the waving of her hands and the squinting of her eyes....the cocking of her head and the raising of her eyebrows...sometimes her entire body is involved in conveying a message. When she speaks, I stare. Watching her pouty, heart shaped mouth speak makes you starving to bite it. And when those teeny little teeth are revealed, you just wish you were a toothbrush!

Tal & Deia

Deia and Tal remain great little buddies. They get along SO well! We'll let them be for hours and hear mostly giggling. Now-a-days, we are hearing very complete conversations between the two of them! It's amazing! Deia, "Why are you sad?" Tal, "I want you to sit with me on the couch." Deia, "I don't want to sit on the couch." Tal, "Come watch TV with me." Deia, "OK!" It's incredible. Every once and a while they will push each other's buttons, which is so normal. And Deia has a tendency to get a little too much in Tal's personal space. But when they do hug....it's magic. LOVE those little girls!!!!!

Tap

Deia just began tapping! Her "2's" class at the Creation Station is half ballet and half tap....and moms are not allowed in the room anymore. It's actually better for her. They are currently "rehearsing" for their first recital scheduled for June! Adorable!!!!!

Tough Day At The Beach

This was one tough day at the beach :)

Wahini

This image has been captured before, almost a year earlier on the same beach! Jaco Beach, Costa Rica.

Black Sand In Jaco

There's nothing like Jaco Beach at low tide....flat, black, glistening sand as far as the eye can see. ...although it can look like mud, the sand is very fine and makes for great body painting. Deia loved running around at low tide, collecting rocks, looking at the sand snails and worms, pouring sand over her legs and then bolting into the waves to laugh and splash. Deia has no fear of the water. She'll stand armpit high and say, "look at me!!!!!!!"

Tamarindo Sunset

Deia and mommy, on "cation" together in Tamarindo, Costa Rica.

Corey's Birthday

Sometimes simplicity brings about the most joy. We left the house on bikes at 6:30 Pm. It was really windy, which is why Cor didn't get in an evening birthday surf, but we braved it on the bike path to the Washington Pier. We frolicked down the pier and watched seagulls at a standstill between the wind and their attempts to fly. After a gorgeous sunset, we cruised over to Baja Cantina, where Chris, Shelley, Stephan and Tal spontaneously met us. Great night! ...only to get better when we got home and Deia sang happy birthday a billion times.

More Beans Please

Who knew how much Deia would LOVE black beans! She is never more silent during a meal (even with noodles!), than when gorging on beans. Her favorite meal out right now is black beans & guac from Casa Linda on Abbot Kinney. Second to that, the summer crunch salad (most importantly the radishes, persian cucumbers and iceberg lettuce in there) from 3 Square on AK also. AND, she has a particular liking for the Chinese Chicken Salad from Cal Chicken Cafe...although she does fish for the spiral pasta more than anything. She still loves her noodles and annie's "pizza pockets," but will go to town on asparagus and baked kale chips...loves cherry tomatoes and will destroy an entire, adult-size artichoke. Her snacks are pretty standard for her - dried mangoes, seaweed, apple sauce squeezies, cheerios, cheddar bunnies, tangerines, apples, grapes and tortillas. Gelato is probably her absolute favorite food on the planet. And we're talking yogurt tubes that I put in the freezer for her :) She is a good eater and remains a large consumer of Manu.

Beach Moment

I just love this moment. It's the way life looks to me on a Sunday. Naked child and daddy on the beach.

Wax

Deia loves to help wax Daddy's surfboard! The words, "I wanna do it," are yelled with great enthusiasm when the board comes out and she knows what needs to be done!

Disneyland!!!!

It was a spur of the moment decision...a nice day, post nap, a few hours. Deia got excited by the fact that we parked on the Daisy Duck level, then thrilled as we passed goofy and mickey billboards on the tram, then confused and elated when we walked into the park. But NOTHING could ever replace the look on her face when we made it down Main Street far enough for her to see the castle. "Mommy, mommy the castle!!!!!!!!!" We couldn't get there fast enough for her. She walked through the castle and off we went to enjoy the carousel, peter pan, toon town, small world and dinner next to pirates. Her eyes were wide open and she loved her time there. The highlight...waiting in line for and meeting Minnie. Deia was so eager and silly. Somehow she had patience to wait, and after meeting Minnie, all she wanted was for her to come into her house and sit on the couch. Priceless dialogue. Priceless memories.