Alisa Day

It was the summer of the San Francisco Five. My friend Alisa needed a ride home to San Francisco, and our friend Ann offered to drive her. Alisa met Johan, a recent transplant from Peru, and invited her. Ann invited her Bosnian refugee colleague, Irma. I also got invited. So the five of us took a little vacation to San Francisco. Alisa showed us around town--we had a blast. Then one morning, she told all of us, "Today is Alisa Day," and I thought, "Cool, we're going to do all of Alisa's favorite things today." Then she said, "I want each of you to tell me what you'd like to do today, and I'll do my best to make your wish come true." I can't remember everyone else's requests, but mine was to go to the Oakland Temple, and Alisa made it happen. She made all of us feel special and important that day.

It was during my Birthday 5K (this year I ran by myself) that I decided that I needed to make the day Alisa Day. Things are always so clear when I'm outside running. I wanted those around me to feel special and important. The people I live with couldn't care less if the house is a mess or the clothes are washed or I've run my errands. For them, it's all about quality time. They want to spend time with me. So I took Squeak to see the geese and pigeons. Then we went to the park. We colored together. What is Pip's favorite thing? He just loves to be held. So I held him as much as possible all day. He was such a happy boy! And D, if he can't have my time (like when he has to study all day), he loves good food. So I made him food (I hope it was good). I wrote a bunch of thank-you notes I've meant to write. I didn't take a nap and didn't even feel like I needed one. I didn't worry about washing the clothes or cleaning the house or going shopping. And I had a great day! And at the end of the day, I thought, "I need to do this more often."

Way to go, Piggy!

Pip's birthweight (7 lb. 9 oz.) was pretty average, but his weight gain since birth has been exceptional--four pounds in four weeks, putting him in the 95th percentile. Way to go, mother's milk!! We're kind of hoping it tapers off...I don't really want a 60-pound one-year-old!

So sleepy during the day...

The first thing I noticed after he was born were these two cowlicks--one on his right side and the whirlpool in the middle of his forehead

We also noticed that he got his dad's hairline. I hope all of our kids get their dad's eyelashes too.

There he is, snuggled up in his manly butterfly blanket in his manly pink bassinet

Squeak LOVES the new baby. I just have to make sure she doesn't hug too hard.

Our Mothers

Medical school is not a convenient time to have a baby. Black January is the least convenient time during medical school to have a new baby. Black January is January of the second year. This was Black January for D. He had around ten really hard exams which means he needed to spend lots of time studying and he also had to be rested in order to do well on his exams. Kind of difficult with a new baby.

We have survived Black January thanks to our mothers. They each came to help us for a week. They cleaned our house, did dishes, bought us food, changed diapers, held the crying baby, did laundry, helped me get organized, kept me company, and best of all, helped Squeak feel like she's an important person (she has thankfully had a remarkable adjustment to becoming the big sister). We are so grateful that they helped us in our time of need, even though it wasn't easy or convenient for them.

Our latest family photo--we're still sleep-deprived, but this time Pip isn't crying! We're smiling because D is still passing all his classes--hooray that Black January is over!

President Hinckley

Like everyone else, when I heard the news of President Hinckley's passing on Sunday night, I was very sad. When I told D, he said, "Can you imagine how happy he must be to see his wife?" And I think President Hinckley would want us all to have this optimistic attitude instead of being sad about not having him with us anymore. Still, he is truly a beloved prophet to me. I love his energy, work ethic, and most of all, optimism. He is such an inspiration to me for all he has done, even when he didn't feel well physically (for health reasons) or emotionally (after his wife passed away)--he didn't let anything slow him down. He is also a humble man. I remember attending his grandson's (Elder Pierce) mission homecoming with my family (he served in my parents' mission), and President Hinckley was there. After Elder Pierce's wonderful talk about the church and the gospel, the person conducting asked President Hinckley to say a few words. Instead of stealing the show, he stood up and said something like, "We came here today to listen to Elder Pierce. Wasn't that a great talk?" and then sat down. What a dear man. He has been a great influence on me during my young adult years. I hope to honor him in the way I live my life.

Back in the Saddle

If you've had a baby, you'll know what I'm talking about when I say I welcome the postpartum return to normalcy--being able to get myself up, showered and fed by 10 am, fitting back into those pre-pregnancy clothes, not having to use lanolin at least five times a day, not leaking breastmilk all over my bed, my clothes, and my baby, sleeping through the night, not having to consume 500% of the "normal" daily value of fiber, losing the flabby belly, etc. Well, not that I'm "back to normal" yet, but today I went on my first postpartum run, and it felt AWESOME!!! I honestly felt like going running a few weeks ago (thanks to a healthy pregnancy and a great birth), but I was still having trouble dragging myself out of bed, plus D was leaving really early in the morning (he's taken something like 9 exams since Pip was born) and couldn't stay around to watch the kids. A week ago I asked him if he'd hang out at home a bit later today so I could go running (yes, I'm so spontaneous now that I have two kids!), and he said yes, and he even encouraged me to get out of bed this morning because I wasn't moving very fast. So I got up, I pumped, I pulled on my running clothes, and I went! SO NICE!! I'm working on getting a double jogger so I can take the kids. Last year I did a half-marathon for my birthday in February. This year I'm shooting for a 5K. Oh, the ambition!

The elusive 5:30 mile

At the beginning of this school year, D and I decided to set some goals together. We each chose an intellectual goal, a spiritual goal, a physical goal, and then we set some joint goals, all to be accomplished by the end of the school year in May. D's physical goal was to run a 5:30 mile, something he had never done before. D is a great runner, but he spent all of last year sitting at a desk and was not in racing shape. He started running again this school year, doing speedwork and distance and also strength training. I was surprised when he announced that he was ready to attempt the 5:30 mile in mid-November (I won't be ready to attempt my physical goal of an olympic distance triathlon for several more months).

First Attempt: mid-November

There he is, dressed in his lucky color red, ready to conquer the mile

Squeak and I dressed up too, to cheer him on.
He missed it by a hair; D's time was 5:32.

Second Attempt: mid-December

Due to illness and sleep-deprivation, this one didn't go so well. He still did a sub-6:00 mile though. Again, lucky color red!

There we are, D's fan club, all dressed up for the occasion!

Third Attempt: Christmas Eve

My runner brother Jonny came to visit and offered to pace D on the high school track. Squeak and I weren't able to be there because she was still asleep. I asked how it went when they got back, and D said he'd just missed it and handed me his watch to look at the splits. I started going through them and each lap was under what he needed to get. Then I saw the total. What a tricky husband!

There he is, after his 5:21 victory! Way to go, baby!

D, your girls are so proud of you!!

Noche Buena Feast and Nativity Program
With all the excitement of a new baby, I've neglected to post these gems.

Delicious middle eastern food eaten while sprawled on the floor. Mmmm! We let Squeak eat in her high chair for obvious reasons. My parents and several siblings attended this year! It was really fun to have everyone over. This year (and this will not happen again for at least 10 years until loans are paid off) we had LAMB cooked by a Lebanese man as part of our feast!! We were fortunate to attend a family gathering for D's side here in Phoenix in the fall, and they had too much lamb. We were the happy recipients of the excess, and we promptly put it in the freezer to save for our Christmas feast. Thank you, Sid!!

My dad was the narrator for the nativity program

I, being great with child, was Mary. D played a dual role, first as the donkey...

...and then as Joseph. Squeak was an angel bringing glad tidings.

"And there were shepherds (Jon, Kev, my mom, and Melissa) abiding in the fields..." when the multitude of heavenly hosts (angels Aimee, Sara, and Squeak) came to announce the birth of Jesus

"And they were sore afraid!"

Here they are paying homage to the baby (Squeak decided she'd like to be with the baby too).

"And there were wise men (Daniel, Jared, and Bryan) in the east..."

"And they brought gifts of gold (Asics), frankincense (Reebok), and myrrh (Nike)"

I couldn't keep a straight face with my family's superior acting abilities on display. I'm so glad I got these photos for posterity!

A post that my dad wouldn't appreciate

My dad wouldn't appreciate this one, but I don't think he reads my blog anyway, so for all you out there who cringe every time our president speaks, enjoy this clip! (For the record, I did vote for him, but I still feel embarrassed when he utters anything in front of a camera). Vote for Ron Paul!

Recent family photos

Here we are after church the day before Pip was born. I was in labor, but it wasn't too intense to keep me home from church. You can see that Squeak was NOT excited about the photo session.

My mom brought Squeak to the hospital to see us. There was an RSV restriction that prevented kids from coming upstairs, but I sneaked down to the lobby to see my other baby.

"Suave"--Squeak finally got to meet her little bro when he came home on New Years Day, and here she is, practicing touching softly.

Here's the most recent family photo. Pretend we don't look sleep-deprived.

The missing photo

Well, from the comments I got on the last post, it looks like I forgot to post that photo of Pip's genitals. All right, all right, enough with the mystery--Pip is a BOY! We were definitely surprised--it seems that D's brothers all produce two girl children before they have a boy (three brothers have manifested this already), so we thought number 2 would be a girl. It turns out that D is not just an "X-man" after all--he is thrilled to also be a "Y-guy." Being a "surprise" definitely has its benefits. Pip sleeps cozily in his sister's beautiful pink bassinet, wrapped in a butterfly blanket. Lots of yellows and greens in his wardrobe (although I did remove all the pink and purple newborn clothes from the dresser). Well, we think he's beautiful! More photos coming soon.