Last Week of Maternity Leave

I return to work on Monday and although I know I will be teary eyed for a few days (or weeks) going into work, I know that I am ready and everything will be ok. Shaye and I are now having much more fun together. She smiles so much and is discovering her toys and just loves making fun little noises to chat with us. We are able to take her out and about now, including her first visit to the mall and a restaurant. She is very well behaved for the most part and I've been able to meet up with a couple friends for lunches and go on walks daily. Lisa and Landon have been fun walking buddies around the Woodbridge Lake once a week. My mom and Joyce have been really helpful in watching Shaye on days that I need to run out and take care of errands or doctor's appointments, etc. We now have the house decorated and are gearing up for the holidays. Shaye is especially excited to see her favorite Auntie Kara and Uncle Matt as well as meet her Great Uncle Jeff and Aunt Lourdes and the whole Wharton clan on Christmas day.

Brunch on the Hill

Because Ryan's Portland family was in town, Grandma Barbara wanted to do something special and arranged for a fabulous champagne brunch for the family at Orange Hill restaurant located around the corner (and up a steep hill) from our house. The views are breathtaking and the food was incredible. A buffet with everything from waffles, omelette bar, osso bucco, baked salmon, sushi, prime rib, muscles, shrimp, king crab legs, a chocolate fountain and much more had us enjoying every minute of the meal and family time. Thanks, Barbara, for bringing us all together for a fun end to this memorable weekend!

Birthday Week

Well, I made it to 32. In fact, 32 feels pretty darn good. Yesterday was a great day but really I spent the past week celebrating my birthday starting with a lovely dinner at Joyce and Rick's. It was fun to get together with everyone and Joyce and Rick made me feel so special. On Wednesday night, we went to Javier's for dinner with our friends Brian and Jen. And Friday night we headed to Gabbi's in Old Town Orange with Lisa and Jason as well as Kevin and Heather, Ryan's cousin and wife who were in town from Portland. We also hit up the Gastropub down the street for drinks. On Saturday (my actual birthday), I woke up to a card from Ryan that made me cry and a few gifts. We had a fun day shopping with the Portland Flower's (including Craig and Margo). The rain even held off for us! Then, we went to my parents' along with Grandpa and Claire to visit, have a delicious birthday dinner and watch the USC/UCLA game. Mom and Dad were so thoughtful and made this the perfect birthday! It didn't hurt that UCLA got stomped either.

Lots To Be Thankful For

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. We get to gather 'round with family, eat a wonderful meal and enjoy the company of our loved ones and appreciate our blessings. This year was no different. We all went to Rick and Joyce's, including my parents, Nana & Pops, Ryan's Portland relatives - Uncle Craig, Aunt Margo and his cousin Kevin with expectant wife Heather, Grandma Barbara, Brandy, and Shawn, Brianna and Hailee. Shaye was very good and spent time with everyone and did well taking her naps. It was so much fun to spend time with our Portland family since it's so rare that we get to see them. Joyce did a terrific job preparing the house for this day. The only thing missing was my sister (and Matt).

2 Month Check-up

Shaye survived her first round of immunization shots on Monday. She was such a trooper! She only cried a little and unfortunately choked and spit out much of the liquid vaccination, but we survived. The pediatrician said that she looked great. She is at the 66th percentile for weight, average height and the 17th percentile for head size, which is apparently genetic. These are just baseline measurements and will change over time. We are thankful that Shaye is doing so well!

Dad's Retirement Party

Northrop Grumman gave Dad a wonderful Retirement Party last night and I hope it is something he will always remember. I certainly will. It was held at The Reef restaurant overseeing the harbor and Queen Mary in Long Beach. About 60 people came for the celebration and enjoyed a filet mignon or salmon sit down dinner. It was fabulous. Jim Connolly, Dad's former colleague and family friend, was the MC and was very entertaining and said some of the kindest words about my dad personally and professionally. 7 other colleagues (former bosses, direct reports, etc) all spoke jokingly and seriously about Dad and how he made such a huge affect on them and throughout the organization. Although this was no surprise to me, it was great to hear it from them and I know my dad was really blown away. Dad also spoke and did a great job thanking everyone and talking about his excitement for the future. I have never been more proud to be his daughter.
Here's a couple photos. More at the link to the right.

All Smiles

We've been laying low, hanging out with the baby and things are getting a bit easier. The last two nights she has only woken up once in the middle of the night! I can't tell you how thankful I am! I still feel like a zombie, though, as I don't sleep well since I have new mommy syndrome - always have one eye open. However, if she keeps up this sleep schedule, I'll catch up. We are also thrilled that she started smiling almost 2 weeks ago. At first it was only once a day, but now she smiles quite a bit and it is the best thing in the world! Just those little responses make it all worth while. Shaye is also able to focus on objects and loves to stare at anyone that will talk to her with some animation. She is holding up her neck on her own most of the time. Her 2 month doctor's appointment is in another week so I'll give another update then. Ryan and I have been able to get out together thanks to our parents' offers to stay with Shaye. Last night was dinner and a movie. We saw 'This Is It', the Michael Jackson movie, and were thoroughly impressed. He was truly an amazing and talented artist.

Landon's 1st Birthday

Lisa and Jason's son, Landon, turned one on Sunday. Since he and Shaye will be play buddies, she wanted to go to his party. We put her in her party dress and headed out to the pool in Irvine. It was a fun time and thoroughly enjoyed the mass destruction Landon caused on his birthday cake. It was impressive!

Bath Time!

Shaye likes being in the warm bath. She is so adorable in the tub and is growing fast! She weighed in at 9 pounds today. I call her the Hungary Hippo!

Four Week Milestone

Shaye is 4 weeks old today and I'm hoping that things will start getting slightly easier. The first couple weeks were tough. The combination of not being able to leave the house due to her demanding feeding/sleeping schedule, feeding problems and obviously a lot less sleep was rough on both of us but especially me. I was on my own as Ryan went back to work right away and I was the only one that could do the feedings anyway. During week 3, it was determined that my milk supply is low due to my thyroid issues (that have been treated) so I stopped nursing. I am still pumping 5 times a day but supplementing significantly with formula. Although I planned to solely breastfeed, the best I can do is supply her with some of my milk, and we have to focus on a well fed, happy, loved baby. So, I am no longer a nursing, pumping, bottle feeding machine. We have Shaye on a good schedule but we have to be well disciplined to make sure she eats, plays and sleeps at increments all day long. She is doing well with it and this will help her to gradually sleep longer at night and know what to expect. I am finally able to get out with Shaye to run an errand or two and have started going on walks each day. This has me feeling more refreshed and in touch with the world. Although it's tough raising a newborn, Ryan and I laugh at her every day. She has the funniest expressions and makes us smile. We can't wait to see how she grows and progresses.

4 Generations

We took some generational pictures while Grandpa Netro was in town for Kara's wedding. Here's Shaye with me, my mother and her father as well as Shaye with me, my father and his father. Couldn't be more special!

They Said 'I Do'!

Kara's wedding was the event of the year. And it lived up to all of our excitement. She is no longer a Netro, but has taken the name Bowdish as Matt's wife. We are thrilled for both of them.

The weekend started on Thursday with the arrival of my family from Ohio. Grandpa Netro, Uncle Mark and my cousin Rob and his wife, Sarah, got to meet Shaye. Rob and Sarah stayed with us and were great guests. That evening was the the rehearsal at The Hacienda followed by dinner at El Ranchito in Newport Beach. This was a reunion of the wedding party and out of town guests, many of which I had not seen in ages. The highlight was getting to see our "family" that flew in from Spain - Mati, Pepe and Andres. They stopped by our house to see the baby on Friday and thus, the picture below.

On Friday night, we went over to my parents' and enjoyed dinner with the Ohio Netro clan. It was great to visit with them.


The wedding was on Saturday. As the Matron of Honor, I was involved in hair and make-up along with the rest of the girls during the afternoon. We left to take pictures at the Santa Ana train station. I can't wait to see the pictures - they should be quite artsy! Then, the whirlwind wedding. The Hacienda was a great venue - Spanish themed which was really beautiful. The ceremony was lovely and very emotional. The reception was another reunion of many faces that we had not seen in so long so it was great to catch up with out of town family and friends. I sucessfully executed the Matron of Honor speech and my dad gave a great speech as well. His dance with Kara was great - he pulled off the waltz! Ryan and I really enjoyed being out together without the baby since I had not really left the house in weeks. She was in good care with Lisa's mother. Kara and Matt are finally married! Here's some of my favorite shots from the photographer (many more pictures are on the link at the top right).





On Sunday, my parents held brunch which was super nice. It was great to get together with some of the folks we didn't get to catch up with at the wedding under a much more casual environment. My mom did a great job coordinating the brunch.





Kara and Matt left for Anguilla that night for their honeymoon. As I write this, they are heading back to Colorado (after a fabulous week in the Caribbean) to continue their life there, this time as man and wife. We wish them all the best!