Beans and Rice Soup

It's been a while...

2010-03-03T22:25:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the 3 month gap in posts, it's tough finding time with a 1 year old smart "ass" running around the house :-). Every day Amelia grows and learns more and more and is quickly becoming her own little person. The little person she's become in totally a blend between Thea and me. I'm having the best time of my life playing with and learning who our little "Chochi" is becoming. Life doesn't get any better than when I get home and say "Where's my girl" and at first I hear Amelia's heavy footed run/waddle towards me, then to see her big smile and excitement to give me a hug and tell me about her day. Granted she's telling me all about her day in babble, it's all makes scence to me. This moment justifies all the sacrifices worth it!

Amelia loves to be out and about and makes sure everyone withing ears reach knows she's there. Other than being a baby model, the perfect job for Amelia would be a Wal*Mart greeter. She loves to tell any and everyone hi and if someone tells her hi back she'll say it back. Amelia will play the hi game until the other person gives up. Much like her daddy, she likes to get the last word in.
Some time last month I was surprised and had my heart just about ripped out. After being huged and brought up to speed on her day Amelia had a few new things to show me. Thea's dad asked her "What does a cow say?" and Amelia eyes got huge with excitement said "MMMOOOOOOOOOOOOO", then I heard the sound of a lamb, chicken (with chicken arms). Since then Amelia has expanded her aminal repitwar to dog, cat and monkey. Animal sounds are super cute, however nothing beats her robot moves! That's right ROBOT moves!! When asked "What does a robot say" Amelia says "beep beep beep" and alternates her arms going up and down.

The other morning I decided taking a shower with Amelia would save some time. Everything worked out great however there was a minute of "awkwardness". Amelia looked up and me and asked "what's that?" I then asked "what's what?", Amelia pointed at my "manhood" and asked again "what's that?". This question caught me off guard so I side stepped it with questions about how old Amelia is and where her ears are. That seemed to work, for now...

To me Amelia is just a little baby girl, but Thea's dad pointed out she's as tall as the stools in his kitchen. This little bit of info blew my mind, but who cares! Amelia will always be my little girl. As Amelia grows so does her vocabulary. She started putting two words together. So far Amelia will say "hi fish", "right dere" and "um, don't know". She's also starting to speak more and more Cambodia every week. Her little FOB voice is super cute!!

368.4 Days of Amelia!

2009-11-30T12:14:00.000-08:00

Can you believe our sweet little girl is a year old? Doesn’t it seem like last week that Grandma Kim, Grandpa Sean, Uncles Eddy, Jeff, Ryan, Paul, Richard and Aunties Robin, May, and Rathana were all spending Thanksgiving eve in St. Vincent's waiting room until 4am (Thanksgiving morning) awaiting Amelia’s arrival?

Before we talk about November and Amelia’s birthday party, lets talk about October and Halloween. Amelia was the sweetest Tinkerbell the world has ever known! Thea and I took her to Cedar Hills Mall for some trick or treat action. Amelia had no concept of Halloween or candy; however, she did love all the kids dressed up as animals. Her eyes got as big as her cheeks when saw a little boy in a cow costume. Amelia pointed and took off running towards him, when she reached the little boy she had not idea what to make of him. All she could do was smile and laugh.

November update!!! This month has been amazing. Amelia’s little personality is certainly developing. We taught her to make a monster face, which she makes while wrestling with daddy. J Amelia has also learned the meaning of the word "NO". Maybe that's because daddy uses it a lot. When she doesn’t want to be picked up or give something up to daddy, she’ll shake her head and say "No, no, no" and mean it. Amelia loves books, she’ll point to one and say "BOO BOO," when she wants Thea or me to read to her. Two weeks ago Amelia would show where her ears, hair, toes, belly and other parts when you asked. But now, she will only respond when she feels like it. It's the cutest thing when we would ask “Amelia, how old are you?” and she would smile and show you one finger.

Thea bought an igloo tent from IKEA that Amelia loves. The first night Amelia decided her favorite toys and stuffed animals belonged in her tent with her. Amelia’s face is all smiles when she’s playing and wrestling with daddy, piggy or giant bear (courtesy of Uncle Ryan) in her tent.

Thea did an amazing job decorating the house and cooking until 3am to make Amelia’s first birthday one to remember! Amelia had a great time playing and seeing here huge loving family! Even after an hour nap (in her tent) during the party, that night she slept for almost 11 hours. Thanks to all our friends and family for sharing her special day! Enjoy the Halloween and birthday pictures below!

Oct, Halloween and Pre-Birthday Party Pictures:

Birthday Party Pictures (More on the way):

Amelia is a walking machine!!

2009-10-07T08:25:00.000-07:00

That’s right folks, Amelia is strutting her stuff all over the place. In less then a week she’s gone from taking a few baby steps to walking across to the room. It’s amazing how quickly children pick up walking and just about everything else you can teach them. Amelia has been a little sponge this past month, learning how tons of things work, especially mommy and daddy! When she takes a big fall she looks to see how mommy and or daddy react. Thea is definitely the nurturer where I play more of the “coach” role. Thanks to Ed and Erin we’ve got a gate to prevent Amelia from venturing too far into the kitchen. Amelia has been working really hard to break out of her “area”. She’s figured out where the ends are how to squeeze her body against the gate and the wall. She hasn’t made it out yet, but it’s only a matter of time.

Amelia is also learning what her boundaries are. Like most baby children she loves electrical outlets. Even though ours are protected she still is fascinated by them. The first "no" is typically just the warning, which she sometimes responds to, but if she doesn’t, she will get the disciplined “NO”. Being a selfish dad, I like to give out the disciplined “No” because Amelia will get a little sad and walk over to daddy and give me a big hug to tell me she’s sorry. (Disclaimer: the disciplined “No” is only used when necessary).

Our little girl has also become such a little love. She loves to give kisses to all her stuffed animals. Her favorite thing to kiss is other babies! Every time she’s around another baby/toddler Amelia has to hug and kiss each one. A few weeks ago while we were up in Seattle, Samuel (Bong Nan and Big D’s little boy) was crying about something and Amelia worked her way over to him and gave him a big hug and kiss as to tell him everything will be alright!

It’s amazing how many times Amelia loves to hear the same song over and over and over again. I’ve probably heard Elmo sing his ABC’s 14,987 times since buying her Singing Elmo this past Saturday. One a super positive note, if she had to choose to listen to Elmo or Daddy sing, I’m about 89% positive Amelia would pick Daddy. There’s no better feeling in the world when your little girl places her head on your chest and listens to you sing while she’s playing. It’s simply the best!!!!

Walking videos to come soon!!!

3/4 Year Post

2009-09-02T13:50:00.001-07:00

Can you believe our little girl is almost full year old? Amelia is in her first visible “sponge” stage; she’s learning new things like crazy. My heart crumbles every day as she quickly becomes a little person and less of my little baby girl. Apparently Amelia has been was crawling for a few days for Thea or I noticed, but my mom didn’t want to ruin the surprise. One day after work she placed Amelia in the middle of the living room and told me to flick the door stop. When Amelia heard the sound of the spring vibrating she darted straight for it. My ticker skipped a beat and I filled with excitement watching her motor across the floor. Having a mobile child sure changes how you look at your living room!!! We’re constantly moving chairs and ottomans to block things around the living room.

Crawling stopped my heart, but when Amelia screams “DADDY” (yes Daddy, not dada or dad or da da da da, but the full word Daddy) my heart implodes! Unfortunately Amelia doesn’t just come out and say Daddy when I walk in the room yet. To get her talking I’ve got to butter her up a bit by playing and laughing with her. After a few minutes of playing she’ll try to say anything. We’re working on “please”, “thanks you” and ofcourse “Mommy” :-)
Here are a few other “tricks” Amelia does these days:
• Point at each finger as you count to 5 in English and Cambodian
• Combs her hair
• Says Ke when she sees a cat, Pu for dogs and Li for lights.
• Points at Mommy, Daddy, Grand Ma and Grand Pa when you ask her where they are.
• Dances to David Bowe and various others
• Smacks her lips when she’s hungry
• Loves to drink out of Daddy’s cup
• Bites while playing (not sure who she get that from)

Amelia may only be 9 months, but dang she’s only fits into 18 – 24 month old cloths. By this time next year Amelia and Thea can share cloths!! That should save me a few dollars… :-)

Enjoy some of her most recent photos!
Update
Amelia has graduated to big girl car set. Oh what a day!! :-)

7 Months of Amelia

2009-06-30T13:04:00.000-07:00

Month 6 has been so exciting for Amelia, Mommy and Daddy and now we’re onto month 7!! Amelia has become quite the momma’s girl! Once Mamma walks in the room, Amelia can careless about how much fun she and Daddy are having. All her attention is focused on getting Thea’s attention. It’s super cute to see Amelia get excited to see Thea. She wraps her little chubby arms around Thea and a place sloppy kisses on Thea’s cheek. Yes I admit it, I’m super jealous, but I know my day will come! It kinda already has in the form of sounds. Each morning Amelia love to talk and whisper DA DA DA DAD. She probably doesn’t understand what she’s saying, but the simple fact that she saying it melts my heart.

Amelia isn’t doing a whole lot of crawling yet, she really dislikes being on her belly any longer than she needs to be. She will just roll over onto her back and try to sit up. We let her struggle a few times then help her up. She has learned pretty quickly that flinging herself backwards when she’s frustrated hurts her head. Thea and I think Amelia is going to skip crawling all together and start running pretty soon. She loves to stand against the ottoman or against daddy and bounce up and down. Amelia stood with out help for almost 10 seconds the other day. She was smiling as if standing was the best thing since eating grapes through a feeding net.

Thea and I have been pretty lucky in the teething department. Amelia started pushing out her third tooth a few days ago, which is the upper front left tooth. Thea and I think she’s gonna have the DeCoste gap. Anyone who’s seen my grill knows what I’m talking about. Fortunately for Amelia, her gap will be fixed with modern brace technology. J However, Thea’s excited to take the first picture of Amelia and daddy smiling together after both of Amelia’s top teeth come in.

Amelia also has a new best friend, her Auntie Monica. Having Monica in Portland has been amazing!! Not only is she great company for Amelia, Thea and I, but she’s also a blessing. Monica has been able to care for Amelia while her regular sitter is on vacation. Watching those two play is super cute. Amelia really enjoys the Jane Fonda work stretches Auntie Monica helps her with. Auntie Monica continues to tell us Amelia needs a kitty or puppy and we continue to say hellz no! But when I see how excited Amelia gets around the neighborhood cat “Kit Kat” or hear stories of how excited she gets around a puppy…..who knows what will happen in the years to come. This month would have been super stressful and crazy without Monica. WE LOVE her so much!

UPDATE:
Amelia's 4th tooth is on it's way down. Soon she'll have 4 front teeth...

Until next month…..

6 Month Update...Yeah 6 months!!!

2009-06-04T16:20:00.001-07:00

Holy cow has time just flown by! Can you believe our little girl is 6 months old? While looking over past postings and pictures it was hard for me to "keep it together". For 15 minutes I sat here at my desk replaying the memories of when Thea and I first meet Amelia after 27 hours of labor, our first night at home alone as a family, how much Amelia loved her first bath and how much Amelia hated her second car ride. Seeing how much Amelia has changed and grown in just a short amount of time is insane!

In the past 30 days, our little girl has grown up so much. Amelia has pushed out two baby teeth. We've been pretty lucky so far with Amelia's teething. She's not too fussy and the cold teethers seem to really help. Two Sundays ago, Thea and Amelia went out for a day on the town. Little did Amelia (or daddy) knew that she would be getting her ears pierced. I must admit she looks so much cuter now. A few nights ago Amelia started playing "peek a boo" and melted my heart. She wasn't using her hands to cover her face, but she would slowly move her head into Thea's chest then turn real fast at me and scream. At first I didn't get what she was doing, but Thea knew right away. I left the gym early because I couldn't stop smiling and wanted to play with her more. At her 6 month appointment, we found that Amelia weighs 19 lbs and is 27.5 inches long. Unfortunately during the same visit Amelia was given a few more shots which she didn't take too well. Poor little girl cried so hard she pooped twice, one outburst even got on Thea. :-)

Pa-Pa (Amelia's baby sitter) is gone for the next 3 months or roughly the entire summer. We're sure Amelia will miss her "big brothers" Isaac, Ethan and Andrew. Amelia is nothing but smiles and laughs around them. The boys sure do love spending time with Amelia as well. Each morning when I drop her off, at least one, two or all three of the boys stand at the top of the stairs waiting for me to leave so they can start playing with Amelia. Once they start running down the stairs, Amelia screams or yells and laughs at them. I'm sure we'll be talking to Bong Pat to schedule a few play dates while Pa-Pa is away.

Time to go for now, we can't wait to share what happens this next month!

4 month Update (a few weeks late)…

2009-04-06T14:40:00.000-07:00

It’s amazing that only four months ago Amelia was a “tiny” 8.5 lbs. Today I think she’s around 17 or even 17.5 lbs and growing. It blows my mind how quickly Amelia is becoming her own little person. Watching her learn how her feet taste or attempting to role over is hours of fun. Now that she’s older, it’s so much fun and easier to make her laugh (see video below). Grand Pa Sean has begun singing lessons and Amelia loves them. She really enjoys screaming jibba jabba to Grand Pa during their lessons. Thea and I have been real lucky with how sweet our little Amelia is. Each morning she greets us with smiles and a few farts. Her smiles are 100% genuine and not at all fart induced, they’re all for mommy and me. We’ve been surprised at how well Amelia sleeps in her crib. It’s probably due to the fact her daddy is not rolling around all night looking for Thea or a pillow to hold on to. J Now that Amelia has discovered how tasty her thumb is, she no longer wants a pacifier. What’s going to be even better is when she can hold her bottle up by herself. She can grab and hold her bottle, but the concept of tilting it for more milk isn’t quite there yet. I’m sure in a few weeks we’ll get there. Next week we’re going to start baby sign language DVD’s. Not sure how this will turn out, but I’m excited to try.

Yesterday was such a beautiful sunny day here in Portland that Thea and I decided it was a perfect time for Amelia’s first kickball game. I think Amelia really enjoys being in the sun and being the center of attention (not sure where she gets that from). She loved hanging around the team and just generally checking out the world. It took a lot out of our little girl. She slept through most of dinner and all the way home. Must be hard being so cute in this world of ours.

Our little one is now 3 months old...

2009-02-28T09:15:00.000-08:00

It's amazing how three months blows by, Amelia is almost double her birth weight. She attended her first wedding a few weeks ago and stole the show. For the first few hours Amelia was passed around from family member to family member like a jeweled egg. I'm sure she had no idea what was going on, but she smiled through most of it. Once Amelia let us know she had enough of the party, Thea and her spent the rest of the night hiding in a quite room escaping the ear deafening band. We were surprised how well Amelia handled the wedding. She's becoming such a social butterfly. Wonder where she gets that from. :-)

Amelia met her new best friend this month and she goes by the name Wella. My mom aka Wella came up to help out with daycare once Thea returned to work. The past three weeks have been great. Neither Thea or I can get Amelia to giggle the way Wella does. Wella will be heading back to AZ next Saturday and she will surely be missed.

For her daddy's 30th birthday party she was allowed to wear the coolest onesie ever made (thanks Kapow). For those that don't know, the onesie was embroidered with a Luchador mask, a championship belt and the words "Lil Lucha". Seeing Amelia finally fit into the onsie melted my heart.
Daddy is hoping to get her out to a dodgeball game wearing her Lil Lucha onesie.

Amelia has discovered how delicious her hands are. She's pretty much turned her back on pacifiers in favor of her index finger. Amelia has expanded her vocabulary within the month. I can't spell the sounds she makes, but they are super cute. Amelia has rolled over a few times in bed, but has yet to do so on her "lay and play". I'm sure that day will come all too soon.

Enjoy some of Amelia's recent pictures...

We've Got A 95 Percentile Little Girl!

2009-01-29T09:46:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Thea and I took Amelia to her two month doctors appointment. The beginning of the visit was great, we learned our little girl is now 12 lbs 10 oz and 24 inches long. Apparently Amelia is in the 95th percentile, not quite sure if that's good or not, but where I come from, that's an A. The last 10 minutes of the visit were heart breaking. That damn devil woman nurse stuck three needles in Amelia's leg. Because of that, Thea and I now know what Amelia's "pain" cry sounds like. Let me tell you, we never want to hear that cry again. Fortunately Amelia was given her shots around lunch time, so a tasty bottle "relieved" her pain. Unfortunately, the pain / discomfort stuck around most of the night.

A few days ago, I had my first "WOW, she's really is my daughter" moment. Don't get me wrong, Amelia's birth was the greatest "WOW" of my life. However, this "WOW" is a bit different and much cheesier. This time it was, "WOW! Amelia has daddy's double jointed thumbs!" For those who don't know, both my thumb can pretty much bend back on itself. Now I'm not sure why, but my heart melted when I noticed Amelia has "my thumbs". It's crazy how something as tiny as double jointed thumbs can make my day. I'm sure the next few years will be filled with other "WOW" moments, but this was the first.

Amelia is becoming more alert and loves to converse with mommy and daddy. Her sounds aren't very big or long, but she's definitely making noises back. Her smile is super cute and she loves to use it. The more I see her smile, the more it kills me see her frown. Wella's (my mom) heart is going to crumble when she sees Amelia's smile in person.

Thea is very excited about Feb 14. Not because it's Valentines Day, but because we're heading up to Seattle for a wedding. Thea and Wella can't wait get out there and hunt down the perfect dress for Amelia. Grandma and Grandpa are just as excited to see Amelia sport her fancy bling. Which means Amelia might be getting her ears pierced soon. You can see pictures of her bling below.

The past two months of learning how to become a parent has been great! Though tough at times, I wouldn't have it any other way. I can't wait to see how our little girl will change in the next 8 weeks.

When I get home, more photo's will be added. Enjoy these 10 until then...

Until next time,
Rich

Hey Kido's

2009-01-12T22:04:00.000-08:00

It's time for an Amelia update.
About a week or so ago Amelia decided she loved her mommy and daddy so much she gave us the gift of rest. Amelia has been sleeping about 5 to 6 hours each night. After daddy leaves to work, my two ladies take a two hour nap. Which is really nice for Thea. Leaving them each morning kills me. It crazy and super cute how much Amelia shares her moms "sleeping style".

Amelia is becoming a little socialite. Each time we go out for dinner or lunch she gets better and better. Last night we had dinner with Uncle Ryan and Aunt Robin at The Road House, Amelia was a super sweet little angle. Amelia spent some quality time with Aunt Robin checking out lights and stff without getting fussy. Watching her get comfortable away from home is great. Can wait to get her out to a dodgeball game. :-)

Amelia is discoving her little voice. She really enjoys hearing about daddy's day and she'll give me a few goo goos and gaa gaa just to let me know about hers. Her smile is her favorite form of communication right now. Amelia has begun using her smile for more than letting us know she passing gas. It's great seeing her smile as we play with her.

There would be more pictures but they got accidentaly erased...oh well we'll just have to take more.

3 Week and 2 Day Update

2008-12-20T21:36:00.000-08:00

The past 3 weeks and 2 days have been fun, sweet, happy and crazy tiring. One after another each day seem to disappear fast than the one before. Other than the few doctor appointments, a trip to my office and another to WinCo Amelia hasn't much of your small town. With the weather this past week, Thea hasn't left the house much either. We got almost a foot of snow, what's that about??

It's amazing how big Amelia's getting. Ya ya ya, it's only been 3 weeks but she can't even fit into the outfit we brought her home in. At this rate I estimate Amelia will be taller than mommy in just over 4 weeks. :-) A really neat part of her "growing up" are the new facial expressions she makes. Today I was able to get a few pictures of her smiling. Even though I was talking and making funny noises at her, I know they had nothing to do with her smiles. Amelia love to smile while she dirtying her diaper. Amelia got her looks from mommy and well she got a few good things from daddy too. :-)

A few days back Amelia was sleeping while Thea and I were admiring her. Thea said to me "You know she's just like us. We've got ourselves a little us". I thought that was the cutest thing I've heard in a long time and thus a new nickname was born. Since then Amelia has been know as "Us", it seems to fit just perfect. I still call her Mamacita, Princes and a few others but Us has a nice ring to it.

Watch out world because on Christmas day Amelia is going to be looking fly in the holiday dress daddy bought her.

Enjoy your weekend and more to come soon!

9 Day Update

2008-12-06T20:45:00.001-08:00

Thea and I have learned quite a bit about our little girl the past week. Daddy's stories and songs relax her, however they seem to really annoy mommy. 1 out of 2 isn't bad. :-) Amelia can't stand to be in a wet or dirty dipper for to long. However, her cries for a clean dipper have nothing on her cries while removing said dirty dipper. Who would think a baby so tiny and so cute can make the insides of your ears vibrate so fiercely. It's like having a roman candle go off right next to you head. The only other time she screams like that is during bath time. Go figure, the baby that hates to be dirty, really hates to get clean. Amelia is definitely her mothers and fathers daughter.

Amelia has gotten so big since leaving the womb. She grows faster than the bamboo in the back yard. It's sad to think that before we know it she'll be walking and talking. Tomorrow we'll find out exactly how much she's grown. Thea and I are amazed how much Amelia has changed in 9 days. I'm guess she'll weigh around 8lbs 10 oz and be about 22 1/2 inches. One of the nicest things to change in recent days is Amelia's smell. Once her umbilical cord feel off, she lost her distinctive "odor".

Check out some recent pictures of our little angel.

Is Everyone Ready to Meet Amelia Amara DeCoste

2008-11-27T22:38:00.000-08:00

SHE'S HERE, SHE'S HERE!
Amelia Amara DeCoste was born at 4:44am weighing in at 8lbs 5oz and 21 inches long. Total labor time 27 hours. Once the epidural set in Thea was an angle. :-) The last 2 hours 44 minutes was when the magic really happened and the last 10 minutes were super intense. Going threw this experience puts everything into perspective.

Thanks to Ma Kim, Pa Sean, Uncle Ed, Uncle Fooch, Bo Pete, Uncle Ryan, Aunt Robin, Aunt May and little Uncle Paul for sticking around close the to end.

We're looking forward to introducing Amelia to everyone really soon! Until then please enjoy the slide show!

Ma please don't cry, you'll ruin the computer!!

Amelia has a great Uncle!!

2008-11-20T21:44:00.000-08:00

Thea and I would like to share the sweetest text message any unborn little girl could ever receive.
Hi Amelia, This is your friend Ryan. You many even call me Uncle Ryan if I'm lucky, which would make me very happy being an only child and all. Anyhow, the reason I'm writting you is to tell you how excited we all are to meet you! You have us all waiting in great anticipation which is probably the way you want it. Your dad's an attention maker too. But I see your plan. So, if you don't mind I've been playing with your mobile, and toys, and cloth books, and stuffed animals, and I took a nap in your crib while I'm waiting. Also, I've been hanging out with your mom and dad, aunts, uncles, and cousins. We're having such a great time! So you just take your time, well be waiting right here.
Sincerely,
Ryan

Not only is Ryan the sweetest man alive, but one of our near and dear friends. Every little girl should be as lucky to have and Uncle half as great as Ryan.

Uncle Ryan, thank you for making our night!

Nov 19th have come and passed....

2008-11-20T08:38:00.000-08:00

And still no Amelia. Thea is hanging in there can taking care of our little lady. If the baby doesn't feel like moving out of her nice warm and cozy mom by Wednesday, we're gonna induce her out. :-)

Other than that nothing new to report. Hopefully Amelia will be here soon!

3 Days Left.....

2008-11-13T08:52:00.000-08:00

We're closer than we've ever been (until tomorrow) to becoming parents. Thea is doing a great job protecting and feeding our little "Jelly Bean". It's crazy how the first 7 months flew by super fast, where these last few weeks have felt like 10weeks.

Last week the office threw a little cupcake and advice party for me. Here are some of our favorite pieces of advice.
"Rich, if the diaper stinks, give her to Thea to change." anonymous
"If she cries, whines or pouts; it's her personality. If she's happy go lucky; it your personality." anonymous
"If you buy child raising books, get the ones with the hard covers; they're much more effective." anonymous"
"Have the next one ASAP" anonymous
"Keep plenty of Benedryl on hand for traveling. Be flexible (for about 18 years). Let'em cry" anonymous
"Don't feel bad if you feel like giving the baby back. Just realize you can't!" anonymous
"Enjoy the last few weeks of being physically fit. That baby will find your soft center. Next thing you know, you're hosting a fifth birthday party and you're soft all over. It's the best." Matt

The past few weeks have been full of new arrivals.
Congratulations to Corey and Natascha MacMillan on the arrival of little Thomas James (aka TJ).
Congratulations to AJ and Leaha (sp) on the arrival of their little Bella.
Last and definitely not least, congrats to Chad and Linda Nelson on the arrival of little Issac.

With all our friends having their babies, Thea and I are getting a little impatient. Our new lady will be here any day now!!

Oh Snap....

2008-10-17T07:30:00.000-07:00

Amelia is just about done cooking. After Sunday, Thea is technically full term and if Amelia decides she's had enough time in her mom, well that's just fine. :-)

Amelia is still getting a few gifts here and there. Yesterday a married couple at Thea's office gave Amelia the cutest little pink Adidas track suit. I can wait to see her run around the house in it. On Monday, Amelia received what I think is one of the coolest gifts a baby could receive. Below you'll see pictures of the raddest crochet crab ever created. Our friend Mindy asked her friend Sasha to make it. Sasha crochets various animals and creature, but the crab by far takes the cake. Thea wouldn't leave the poor crab alone Monday night. I wonder what Amelia will name her little friend.

From behind you'd never guess Thea is pregnant, but once she turns slightly to the left or right, there's the belly. Last night while rubbing some belly butter on Thea, I notice her belly button is all but gone. It's super cute!! Amelia has been getting the hiccups quite a bit lately. I told her to slow down when she eats, but she's too much like her mom to listen. :-) It’s crazy to think how big she is right now and how you can easily find her in the belly. Just feel for the hard spot, it’s either her head or butt.

Next Wednesday we've got our 36 check up and possible ultrasound. EXCITING!! If we get the ultrasound you'll definitely be seeing the pictures.

Have a good weekend everyone!

The Crab:

6 Weeks Left!!

2008-10-01T09:26:00.000-07:00

That's right kido's, only 6 short weeks left before Amelia arrives. This past weekend Thea and I knocked out 90% of the nursery. The crib is up, the dresser was finished and Amelia's cloths got organized. We've still need to pick up a shag rug and decide on whether we're putting up shelves or a mirror above the dresser. These are big decisions that will shape our daughters life. HA!

With the color and butterfly theme we went with, it’s been pretty hard to find bedding that goes well with the room. Fortunately Thea is any amazing seamstress has been a sewing machine the past few days. She made the crib bumper, crib skirt and is working a quilt. Once the quilt is finished I hear she’s plans on making cushions for the rocking chair. Thea is already a wonderful mother. 

This morning I learned that Thea will be able to stay home with Amelia threw most of February. That's so awesome! I think it’s very important for Thea to be with our Amelia as much as possible, not only for Amelia but for us too.

Check out the nursery pictures below

Hey Folks

2008-09-22T12:54:00.000-07:00

With Amelia arriving in just under 2 months, we figure it's time for a little family update. Tonight with the all the wonderful gift cards and family donations, Thea and I should be picking up Amelia's new crib and stroller/car seat. If everything goes as planned, Amelia’s nursery should be 90% completed by nights end. I’ve got a little dresser project that makes up the final 10%. The dresser project “should” be finished this weekend.

Last Sunday (Sept 14th) Thea’s mom and Rathana threw our last baby shower at Thea’s mom’s place. The food was kick arse and everyone had a lot of fun playing the different games. Thea’s cousin Vichara (aka Bull) bought Amelia the cutest little pair of shoes, they’re actually “heels”. Thea got so giddy when she saw them, so being the superb husband and father that I am, I broke down and bought Amelia a pretty pink pair as well.

Check out Heels:

and her beanies:

Thea has been making some super cute little beanies. I keep telling her “daddy needs one too”, so hopefully I’ll have new stylish beanie any day now. Speaking of Thea, it’s with great sadness that I must confess her awesome sense of smell has returned. Yippy….

Amelia and Thea's Baby Showers Were Awesome!!!

2008-09-08T19:39:00.000-07:00

Big D, Phet and Chantha pulled off a wonderful baby shower up in Seattle. Thea and I had (like always) a wonderful 3 days familizing. Who would have thought potatoes and paint could be so much fun! Amelia is going to look great in her custom onesies, HOLLA! Chantha put all the Iron Chiefs to shame, her food was amazing. Our bellies were full beyond capacity all weekend. Thanks to all our "Seattle" family for the wonderful gifts and even better time! We'll see ya'll soon.

Robin, Erin, May and Maggie also pulled off a wonderful baby shower here in Portland. You ladies did an amazing job pulling everyone together. People are still talking about the food and what an awesome shower you gals pulled off! Tony was bummed that he didn't win the "Candy Bar Diaper" game, but you shouldn't taste what's in the diaper! However, if there would have been a prize for the most interesting gift, well Tony would have won with the breast pad and milk pump accessories. It's so Thea can think of him everytime "she milks the baby", per his words. Way to go Tony!

Amelia now has enough clothes to last her into the third year. Thank you again to everyone for the support and awesome gifts. I wouldn't say we're blessed (because that's not how we feel about things), but I will say we are very lucky to have each one of you in our lives and we all love you very much.

Here We Go!!!

2008-08-28T21:05:00.000-07:00

I know these are super cheesy, but I love my wife and she looks so beautiful!
Check out the link below for a little slide show! Bong Nan (aka Cham) is an awesome photographer!

Check out all the photo's at:
http://www.ckaophotography.com/p700261309/?slideshow=1&photo=id#615414858

We've only got a few months left until we meet our little girl. We're getting so excited!! Thea and I have so much going on this September, I'm looking forward to a boring October. We've got our first of three baby showers this weekend up in Seattle. Next weekend our awesome friends Robin, May, Erin and Maggy are hosting a baby shower for us and all of our in town friends and family. The following weekend we've got the CMOs on the 13th, followed by another shower Thea's mom is hosting on the 14th. Natasha's baby shower is on Sept 20th and finally Jen's wedding is on Sept 27th. Before we know it, Amelia will be keeping us up all night. :-)

Enjoy the pictures everyone!!

Our First "Family" Photo Shoot!!

2008-08-26T15:58:00.000-07:00

Sunday Thea's awesome cousin Bong Nan (a.k.a Cham) snapped some really nice pictures of Thea and me out on Mr. Bone's farm in St. Helens. Thea looks so beautiful and I look, well like me. :-)
We'll have some posted soon!

She's Already Like Her Mother!

2008-08-11T21:00:00.000-07:00

For over a month now we've been able to feel Amelia move around. It's super cool to feel Amelia kick my hand as I tell her about my day or the random thoughts that enter my head. The other night while chatting with my ladies, Amelia decided enough was enough. She took matters into her own hands and take care of business the way her mom has only dreamed of. Amelia thrusted either her foot, fist, elbow, or possibly her bottom at her sweet loving fathers voice. I'm pretty sure she (just like her mother) is getting tired of my 30 minute rants. I'm also sure Amelia and Thea will share the same raised eye brow, crocked mouth look when they want daddy to just shut up. Oh the next 40 years are gonna be great.... :-) Pregnant Thea pictures coming soon!!

Amelia Kicks!!

2008-07-21T09:51:00.000-07:00

For the first time last night I felt Amelia kick (or punch). That experience was super crazy and cool. Just another awesome step in the path to parent hood.

More to come soon!

7/17/2008 Update

2008-07-17T10:22:00.000-07:00

My ladies are doing great! At our doctors appointment yesterday it was discovered that Thea gained 1 more pound. This brings the grand total to 1lb 6oz (I think). From what I gather, Thea is feeling 110% better these days. No more morning or evening sickness, her sense of smell is still there and her fatigue is fading away.

Thea bought Amelia the cutest little hemp shoes and dress from Baby Gap yesterday. I'll post pictures of them when I get home tonight. :-)

Nothing to exciting is going on right now. Hopefully we'll be getting some "profession" pregnant photos up for everyone to see. :-)

Week 21 update

2008-07-07T13:10:00.000-07:00

Thea and Amelia are doing great. Thea's belly is growing which in turn means Amelia is growing, which is nice. Thea said she felt Amelia moving around last night, wish I hadn't fallen asleep on the couch and missed it.

Would you say Thea and I have a plethora of friends and family? YES, yes we do!! This is why Thea and I have decided to have two baby showers. The first shower will be around August 31st, up in Mill Creek, WA to accommodate our family and friends there. We figured it much easier for the 3 of us (Amelia included) to travel to Washington, rather than ask everyone from Washington to come down here. Aren’t we nice?J The second will be on September 6th here in Portland / Beaverton for the plethora of family and friends in town. Evite’s to come shortly.

Here she is!!

2008-06-27T09:29:00.000-07:00

These are from the week 20 ultra sound. Doesn't she look so beautiful?!!!!!

Danger Danger Danger!!

2008-06-25T20:09:00.000-07:00

This is a warning to all little boys! No boy will be getting close to my Amelia Amara!!! Thea and I are extremely excited to bring a little princess into the world! I used to think having one Thea was enough, but with Mini Thea on her way, I'm gonna be on cloud nine. Ultra sound pictures coming soon. :-)

June 25th is Tomorrow!!!!!

2008-06-24T12:53:00.001-07:00

Holy smokes has the past week flown by! We're 25 hours away from getting a glimps at our baby. Our excitement is too much to handle! To be continued tomorrow......

June 25th is just 7 days away!!

2008-06-18T13:42:00.000-07:00

Only 1 week, or 7 days, or 168 hours, or 10080 minutes or 604800 seconds until the Ultra Sound! Can you tell I'm excited?!!!

Thea is doing super good! As the baby bump grows, so does Thea's keen sense of smell. She went as far as to throw away my Degree deodorant and is insisting I use her scent free stuff. Her deodorant may be strong enough for a man, but its ph balance is way off! Her deodorant didn’t stand a chance after a bike ride and 2 hours of dodgeball. My sister in law suggested I shave my arm pits. Shaving does nothing other than chaffing your pits. Really who has time to shave them everyday?? Any way…..

We’re right on schedule, next Wednesday feels like a life time away!

It's Perfect!!!!

2008-06-10T10:46:00.001-07:00

Meandering the intardweb I came across the saweetest baby shirts ever! Wink Wink to all friends and family members!!

Below is the url for the shirts..
http://www.cafepress.com/buy/lucha%20libre/-/pv_design_prod/p_storeid.61414155/pNo_61414155/id_12949198/opt_/pg_/c_/fpt_

6/25

2008-06-09T11:13:00.001-07:00

That's right kido's, in 2 weeks and 2 days we'll discover if Jellybean's real name is Amelia Amara or Sean Danger. We're super excited!!!!

Everything is great...

2008-06-04T21:53:00.000-07:00

No new announcements this week, Thea and baby are right on schedule. Thea is getting a bit more "gassy" and unfortunately the nausea hasn't subsided. Lately I've found myself smiling while noticing all the cute little babies and kids running around. My smiles are not that of a pedophile but of an excited daddy to be. Each day that passes my excitement builds and builds. Thea and I can't wait for our little one. T-minus 3 1/2 weeks until we discover the sex of the baby.
Not sure how many of you watch John & Kate Plus 8, but Thea and I can't change the channel. Those little shits are super cute and super good. We'll that's about that for tonight...
Good night peeps!!!!!

Conversations with Jelly Bean

2008-05-21T18:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a stressful day at the office. I figured 3 tacos for a dollar and $2.50 PBR's would get me back on track. Tacos and beer were status quo and the company was great, however I left with work still haunting me. When I got home Thea was laying on the couch looking cute as ever. That alone made me most of my stress wash away. Laying my head on hear lap I began a conversation with Jellybean. In less than 3 minutes and a few good laughs my stress was gone. I've decided to end my days with a little conversation and a smile.

GOOD DAY!!

Things Are Great!!!

2008-05-18T11:55:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let everyone know Thea and Jellybean are doing great. Thea is getting more and more beautiful everyday. Our last doctor visit went super swell. We got to hear Jellybean's heart race at a "meager" pace of 150 beats per minute. In only 5 more weeks, the world will know if it's meeting Sean Danger or Amelia Amara.
More to come later, right now we're taking off for another day in the sun. :-)

PREGNANCY SICKNESS

2008-05-07T12:02:00.000-07:00

Although I am very excited about our little jelly bean growing inside me, the first trimester has brought some tough times.

I constantly have a metallic taste in my mouth. Rich came home a few times to find me with a wad of paper towel shoved in my mouth because I feel like I have to constantly spit.

My sense of smell is greatly heightened. I can smell everything! Poor Rich, I tell him not to breathe on me and turn my face away every time he speaks directly at me. It's not that he has bad breath, but it's just this weird scent he exudes that I cannot describe. Also, I am not sure how much cologne Jeffrey douses on himself, but I can smell that stuff hours after he has left the house. It sends me gagging into my room and I have to put a towel under my bedroom door to keep the smell from seeping in. I have stopped cooking as well because of my smell issues.

Nausea strikes me throughout the day, and it's worse in the evenings. The nausea does not usually cause me to involuntarily yak. It just feels like I am constantly hung over all day and that's not a fun feeling.

However, there have been occasions when I do throw up, like last Sunday. I spent the early morning hugging the toilet and barking into the bowl. It was miserable. After that, I told some friends the following day I did not want to be pregnant again based on how I've felt to date. For the last two days, I seriously contemplated adoption if we decide to have another child because I did not want to go through these symptoms again. Then last night, I dreamt I gave birth to quadruplets, 2 boys and 2 girls. The babies were so darling, and I felt such a huge surge of love, joy and happiness. When I woke up, I was really sad and disappointed that it was all just a dream. Despite what I may have felt before, there's no doubt in my mind now that I will be pregnant again if we decide to expand our family….

THE SWEETEST COMMENT

2008-05-07T11:57:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, our nephews, Ethan and Liam came to visit us for the weekend. We had a super busy Sunday, we went back to the Childrens Museum in the morning then to Alberta Park for a picnic and Rich's kickball games. On our way to Alberta Park, we stopped by a minimart to grab some drinks (a 40oz of PBR for Dave). Rich went into the minimart and came back out and asked me if I had any cash because the store did not accept debit cards. As I handed Rich a few bucks from my purse, Ethan yelled from his car seat, "Uncle Dickey! You have to pay Aunt Thea back right away because she has to save up for a baby!!! You owe her ten dollars, no, you owe her twenty dollars!" Chuckling, Rich turned his head and said, "What! That's more than what she gave me!" Ethan piped up and replied, "Well the longer you wait to pay her, the more you owe 'cause she's having a baby!"

I thought that was so sweet...

Ultrasound part duex!!

2008-04-25T00:01:00.000-07:00

Monday night while Thea and her mom were making salad rolls they had a little conversation that went something like this:
"When is the baby due?"
"Not sure yet, we'll find that out Wednesday"
"Don't you know when you got pregnant?"
"No, I'm not sure exactly when."
"How can you not know when you got pregnant!"

Thea did not respond, but thought to herself, "Damn, it's not like we do it once a month and then wait to see if we get pregnant!"

Since then I've wondered if Thea's mom knows the exact date both Thea and Peter were conceived. It's not like I've been thinking about it all the time, but here and there it's popped in my head.

Yesterday Thea and I went in for the "internal" ultrasound, HOLY CRAP this was an experience. Remember when we were kids and your parents constantly say, "You only hear what you want!" Well, I saw what I wanted to see. So what if the sex of the baby won't be "determined" for a while, I swore there was an extra little limb (wink wink). Even if that "little" limb doesn't grow, who cares! I'm still the most excited I've ever been.

The image of the baby's face was super crazy!!! The baby's eyes took up half the head, the nurse assured us everything was normal and babies grow into their eyes. Just after we saw our baby's face, Thea noticed the baby's ears and said "Oh my god, those ears are huge!" and we laughed nervously together. A big sigh of relief came when the nurse showed us what we thought were ears were actually little hands. During the entire ultrasound both Thea and I were amazed that we made this little person and can't wait to meet him or her.

At the end of the ultrasound the nurse told us we were exactly 10 weeks along with a due date of November 19th. If by some chance we have the baby on my mom's birthday (Nov 11), my mom would fall apart. She'd be so ecstatic she'd probably die from dehydration after crying so much. On a different note, the next time Thea's mom asks her, "When was the baby conceived?" Thea can honestly say either February 11th or 12th.

Once we're around a scanner the ultrasound pictures will be up.

Update Sunday 4/27/08

We Went Shopping

2008-04-22T09:17:00.000-07:00

Jenn Bernards (SLE dodgeball captain) will forever go down in history as the first person to buy our baby clothes. She bought the cute alligator one piece and the alligator towel. With inspiration from Jen, Thea and I decided it was time to start shopping for baby's clothes. It took all of two seconds to convince Thea, you all know how much she loves to shop!
Early Sunday afternoon Thea and I meandered around Lloyd Center shopping for either Amelia or Sean Danger. The experience was surreal and a bit nerve racking. Nerve racking because we're just coming out of the first trimester and I didn't want to jinx the whole thing by buying clothes too "early". Once Thea showed me the baby argyle socks I was sucked in. What hooked me was when I found the "My Daddy Rocks" one piece! Thea was a little let down they didnt' have a "My Mommy Rocks" one piece but we'll keep looking. We picked up the hip hop hat so the baby can style like Uncle Pete. We didn't get much for our first time out, but there's a lot more to come. The pictures were taken with my phone so they're a little weak. We're getting a new camera soon!
People say pregnant women get the "pregnant glow", we'll Thea definitely has it. Except when she's nauseous or hiding under a blanket because I smell of garlic.
It's only been a few months, but I'm loving every moment of it.

In the beginning...

2008-04-21T10:19:00.000-07:00

A beautiful big eared girl was born in Thailand. Thea learned how to walk in Cambodia but learned how to run in St. Helens, OR. A few years (or 5 to be exact) after Thea arrived, a big eared egomaniacle boy was born in Phoenix, AZ. It took 25 years and a business class for us to finally meet. After a few study sessions together I thought "Man, this girl is hot and cool she needs hang out with us more!" Over night we became part of each others lives. Three years later, 500 of our closest family and friends attended our wedding. Nine months into the marriage, we pulled the goalie and scored. We're having our first baby!

This little blog is to keep our family and friends up to date on our pregnancy. Happy reading!!!