Wow Christmas is over and the new year is 3 days away! I can't believe how fast the year has gone by. Well...I say that now, but when I was pregnant the year went by slower than ever. At the same time, it was a fun, celebratory year what with all the weddings, showers, birthdays, and engagement parties we went to and/or hosted. I'm going to use this post to reflect on 2006 because it truly was a wonderful year.

I remember the first week of January when Chris and I sat down together to talk about some goals we had for 2006. Chris had goals for himself as an attorney, we talked about improvements we wanted to make to the house, I had goals for my career as a therapist, and we decided to start trying to get pregnant.

February rolled around and we took an amazing weekend wine-tasting trip to Paso Robles. We also celebrated Chris's birthday at the Saddle Ranch Chop House which was fun. That was the last time I had anything to drink.

On March 6, I found out I was pregnant. That was a really exciting yet scary day and I remember calling Chris with the good news. He was so calm and this aspect of his nature kept me somewhat sane throughout my pregnancy. We also realized that we had to go on our honeymoon soon because I wouldn't be in any mood or condition to travel within a few months. So, we started planning a trip to Spain.

In April, my close friends Deep and Anna got engaged which was really neat. They met through me at my graduation party in 2004. They went on one date that year and then didn't see each other again until my wedding in 2005 where they rekindled their romance. They continued dating after that and got engaged in April. The sweetest thing was that I was the first one they called right after Deep proposed to Anna. I was so touched and I cried on the phone when they called me. They set their wedding date for August 2006 and the planning began right away! I volunteered to throw her bachelorette party and started planning for that.

May was a very busy and exciting month for us. Chris and I FINALLY went on our honeymoon to Spain. It was an amazing two week trip. The only bummer was that I didn't get to taste authentic sangria because I was pregnant. Other than that, it was a wonderful, breathtaking trip I'll never forget. Three days after we got back from our trip, my brother's wedding celebrations began. He got married on May 28. It was a wonderful, sentimental day that I'll never forget.

June was a fun month because we went to a friend's wedding in New Jersey. I had never been to New Jersey so that was interesting. The wedding was amazing and Chris and I had a great time. On the way home, on June 11, I felt Naveen move for the very first time. That was an awesome and weird experience! The weekend after we came back from that wedding, we went to a reception at the St. Regis in Dana Point for the same couple. The hotel was awesome and beautiful. On June 28, Chris and I found out through an ultrasound that we were having a boy :)

July was a fun, mellow month. I threw a dinner party for some friends which was really nice. I also went to Anna's bridal shower which was exciting. Anna is an amazing friend and has done so much for me. As a gift to her, I took all the pictures and created a scrapbook for her of the whole event that I gave to her at her bachelorette party. At the end of July I went to my friend Cheryl's wedding and that same night we also attended an engagement party for another friend.

August was another busy month and for the first time during my pregnancy, I actually began feeling tired, big, and bloated. The third trimester set in and I really felt it! But, I did my best to continue having fun and living life because there were so many fun things coming up! I threw Anna's bachelorette party with a western theme since she moved to Texas. That was a fun but sad night filled with a lot of good memories. Chris and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary (YAY!!!) by having a couples massage. That was relaxing and we had a wonderful day together. A couple of weeks later we went to Deep and Anna's wedding in Texas. We had a good time there and were happy to celebrate with them.

September was the month of 3 baby showers and a wedding. We went to a wedding on Labor Day weekend which was really fun but tiring for me. And on every Sunday in September after that, Chris and I attended baby showers that people threw for us. We got so many gifts, ate a lot of good food, and had so much fun celebrating the special occasion with everyone.

So we come to October...I spent the first couple of weeks working really hard because my last day of work was October 12 and my maternity leave started October 13th. I spent the month adjusting to being at home everyday for the first time in my life. I've worked since I was 12 years old and have NEVER just stayed at home. I found it to be fun and relaxing, but I also got bored sometimes. Plus I was waiting for Naveen's arrival which got to be frustrating. The fun day this month was my birthday for a few reasons. Chris did something for me everyday for a week before my birthday. It was very sweet and cute. The actual day of my birthday was the same day as Chris's friend Tony's Halloween party. Chris and I dressed up and went to the party where I also celebrated my birthday. That was an interesting night because I was huge and ready for Naveen to get out! As you can see in the picture, my costume was "a bun in the oven" and Chris's was "the bun maker."

November...well you all know what happened in November because I started the blog. The most momentous day of November? Hands down, definitely November 22...the day Naveen entered the world as our son. What a wonderful day that was and what an awesome Thanksgiving we celebrated.

And of course, December. Naveen's first Christmas and New Year's Eve. That's a picture of all of us in our Christmas pajamas on Christmas morning.

It's been an outstanding year and I can't imagine what 2007 is going to bring. What I know is that I'm really excited about it because it will be filled with joyful moments with my new family (Chris and Naveen), more great moments with family and friends, and if possible, even more happiness than we experienced this year. I can't wait!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EVERYONE! I'm sick today so this post isn't going to be very long. I have a slight cold and a little bit of a sore throat that are fighting to become full blown but I'm not going to let them! I was so horribly sick last year during the holidays that we had to cancel our honeymoon and didn't celebrate Christmas. There is NO WAY I'm going to let that happen this year, especially because it's Naveen's first Christmas.

It's been a long time since I've blogged. What I'm discovering is that now that Naveen is here, I can plan my day all I want, but it's not going to go the way I want because what I get done depends on him. If he takes his naps on time, I get a lot done. If he's in a playful mood, I don't get a lot done (but I end up having so much fun b/c he is very interactive and smiles and coos a lot). Now I've learned to adjust and be flexible so the days go pretty smooth.

I'm very excited about Christmas this year because Naveen is here. I got a personalized stocking for Naveen and I put new pacifiers in it for him :) We also got him Christmas presents to open on Christmas Day. I know...he's only a month old but it's way too much fun and so exciting to have him here for Christmas. And everyone is coming to our house on Christmas Day this year to open presents and have Christmas dinner. It's going to be really fun and I can't wait!

If I don't blog before then, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year!! We feel very blessed to have so many wonderful friends and family and wish the best for you all.

Wow...time flies. I can't believe it's been a week since I've blogged. It's been a busy week! My sister-in-law Chrystal came in last Tuesday and left today. She flew here from Connecticut to help us out with the baby. It was so nice having her here and she was a huge help. She was also fun to have around as company and I miss her a lot. I cried today when we dropped her off at the airport. Hopefully her and her husband will come back to visit us next July. Chris's other sister Cleta also visited us over the weekend. It was so nice to have family over this weekend, especially because the holidays are near. We put up the Christmas tree which was fun.

So...after complaining so much about the annoying parts of pregnancy, I have to write about a few positive things that I miss: 1) Being warm. Now that it's cold outside, I need the body heat and I don't have it!; 2) No headaches. I get migraine-type headaches monthly that last about a week. During pregnancy, I had NONE. This past...welcome back headaches!; 3) Strong nails. My manicurist told me today that my nails are dry and brittle. THANKS...I KNOW! I know it's going to take a while for my body to adjust back and get some hormonal balance, but I'm really glad I'm not pregnant anymore. I can shave and put lotion on my legs, bend down, drive, and get off my couch by myself. Guess what else I can do!? Drink alcohol and caffeine!! WOO HOO!! I had a glass of wine over the weekend and I'm back to having my morning cup of coffee. I had my first taste of Dr. Pepper today after 11 months..WHAT A TREAT!! I'm also excited because Chris and I are going to a Christmas party on Friday night and I can actually have a drink instead of standing around watching everyone else drink and dance, like I did at the 5 weddings I went to this year. I also bought myself a new pair of sexy, red high heels to wear to the party. I haven't worn heels in months! It's the little things in life, isn't it?

Naveen update: He gets cuter everyday. He's smiling more and is getting stronger everyday. He actually grips our fingers with his hands and his kick has got some serious strength. He kicked my still sore abdomen today...WOW. It was not pleasant.

Naveen had his first bath last Wednesday and his second bath today. Poor thing gets cold during them and I race to get them over with so I can get him warm again. I'm trying to perfect the bathing routine so it's quick but it's hard because his cute little neck is still floopy and I have to focus on lifting him so his neck doesn't flop around while also trying to get him nice and clean. And he's so good about the whole thing...he never cries during the baths. It's so cute. He's such a good baby. I don't know how I got so lucky...he sleeps through the night (or wakes up only once), doesn't cry during baths, and only cries for 3 things: food, dirty diaper, or needs sleep. He's spoiling me.

We took our holiday card picture over the weekend so look for the card in your mailbox soon! And as always...you can check out new pictures at www.naveendsa.com.

So today is my and Naveen's first day alone together because Chris went back to work today. Naveen and I really miss him. The good thing is that we've established somewhat of a routine. The best part of it entails dancing with Ellen Degeneres at 4pm. Naveen naps from about 3-4pm and then it's feeding time. Right after we dance with Ellen at 4pm, we sit down and I feed him his bottle. It's pretty fun. After eating he's in a good mood and we play. He falls asleep around 6pm and then wakes up at 7pm because it's his feeding time again. We had a doctor's appointment yesterday and it turns out Naveen lost 8oz. That's not good and apparently it's because Chris and I were not feeding him often enough. We didn't want him to eat too much because he tends to spit up if he gets too full, which is really scary because he gags. The doctor understood our concerns but said he needs to gain the weight back by next week. So we are feeding him more and more often. This whole feeding thing is a huge challenge, whether you go with breastfeeding, formula, or a combination like we're doing. I've never worried about something or someone so much in my life. For the most part though, I guess you could say things are going pretty well. I'm going to have the hardest time going back to work...I don't even want to think about it.

Naveen's Christmas stocking came today. I ordered it from Pottery Barn Kids and had it personalized with his name. It's totally cute. It's a big quilted stocking with a choo choo train on it. Chris and I are slowly getting the house ready for Christmas because my family is coming over to our house this year. I'm really excited for it because Naveen is here and it's going to be his first Christmas. We're going to take tons of pictures!

That's about it for today...

It's been a few days since I've posted because we've been so busy. Naveen is back to his normal temperament. He eats, sleeps, plays...it's great. Chris and I have actually had time to get some housework done and get a little organized. We're still busy ALL the time and haven't had much time to rest, but at least our house no longer looks like a tornado hit it. Today was the smoothest day we've had since our little rascal was born.

If it's possible, Chris and I fall in love with Naveen more everyday. Today, he's been giving us smiles without trying. They come spontaneously so we spent today watching him and hoping to catch a smile. It's so adorable! He also sighs every now and then which is totally cute. I know every parent says this about their baby and I totally understand the feeling now, but our Naveen is the cutest baby! Pictures are updated everyday at www.naveendsa.com.

So I never talked about the "battle wounds" of having a C-section. Here are some of the things that happened to me in the aftermath:
1. I had adhesive residue all over my back, my arms, and my abdomen. This is because of all the taping they due when they insert various things including the IV, the epidural, injections, blood draws, etc. You get the idea. To top it off I discovered I am allergic to the tape. It makes my skin redder than normal, according to the nurses. I think all of that adhesive is finally gone today.
2. My abdomen hurt for about 12 days. It feels like I did 1000 full sit-ups in one session after not working out for a year. Talk about pain. It hurt to laugh, sneeze, take deep breaths, even turn over when sleeping. Today is the first day I'm pain free and it feels great. I'm actually starting to get back into my normal clothes again and I feel stylish! I got my eyebrows and upper lip waxed today too. What a treat.
3. Ahhh yes, the incision. The actual incision doesn't hurt anymore. It actually hasn't hurt since a couple of days after the surgery. However, I will have a scar that I'm not happy about but have to live with. Unfortunately, my incision was longer than usual because Naveen was so big, they couldn't get him out giving me a normal incision size. Oh well. It's so worth it when I compare the costs to the reward :)
4. I had constant pressure on the area below my bladder when I stood up. Taking a shower was hard, standing up was hard, and even getting up was difficult. That's all gone now, thankfully.

So that's the story on my C-section. If we have any more children, I'll have to have a scheduled C-section, no more natural births for me. Turns out that in most cases, once you have a C-section, you don't have a natural birth ever. I know one person that did, but everyone else I know continued to have C-sections. I really don't mind. I like predictability and the way I see it, at least I'll know when the next one is coming! Did I say next one? Shoot...I swore to myself last week I never wanted to be pregnant again...

I ate lunch today!! WOW! The last 3 days (Tues, Wed, Thurs) were HORRIFIC and I forgot to eat every meal except breakfast. Naveen had his first doctor's appointment on Tuesday. The doctor says he's very healthy and looks great. However, Chris and I got scolded by the doctor for giving him formula and breast milk. He got started on formula in the hospital because he had jaundice and had to poop a lot to get rid of the bilirubin, which is a byproduct of red blood cells trying to get rid of stuff (stuff being my blood). We found out in the hospital that my blood type is different than Naveen's and apparently this causes jaundice. After babies are born, their bodies try to get rid of the mother's blood and if the baby can't do it fast enough, they get jaundice because the bilirubin builds up. Anyway, he's fine. BUT, the doctor told me that I had to wean him off the formula and get him strictly on breast milk. So I promptly started to only breastfeed on Tuesday. He got it, but all day Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday he was screaming and crying. NOTHING would soothe him and I spent all of those days crying and feeling depressed because I didn't know what to do. He wouldn't even sleep! On Thursday he was up for 12 hours straight. It was pure insanity. It was the most frustrating thing I have ever experienced because nothing calmed him. I eventually called the doctor on Thursday about a rash he has on his chest and she told me to do an experiment today. Basically I breastfed him and then gave him a bottle of formula and she wanted me to note the reaction. UMMMM...ever since he had the bottle of formula, he's been the happiest, calmest baby. He has slept today like a normal newborn; he's playing and enjoying himself. It's been great. I'm still going to supplement with breast milk, but I think we're going to feed him formula because it satiates him better. I think those 3 days when he was crying he was not full and was hungry all the time. Poor guy...I feel so bad for him. Thankfully today's been a much better day.

My recovery is going great. I feel good and am sleeping at night like a normal person!! I can move from side to side, get out of bed fast, and sit on the couch normally. It's a great feeling. I don't even care that I have to get up in the middle of the night to feed/change Naveen because I appreciate that I don't feel like a beached whale all the time. I went out yesterday to pick up some things from Target that we needed and I also went and got a manicure and pedicure so I could feel like a human being again instead of a breastfeeding machine. Chris watched Naveen which was so nice. I should mention that on Wednesday night Chris and I went out for dinner, thanks to my mom and dad. They watched him for us so we could have some couple time. It's so important to do that because you have to keep your relationship strong so you can support each other through the first few weeks. Plus Chris and I just really missed each other's company and friendship. We had a good time. We were tired while we ate, but we had adult conversation and some good Thai food. We're going to go out together again on Sunday because my parents have agreed to watch Naveen every Sunday so Chris and I can have some alone time. Plus they are excited to spend time with him too.

So, life has totally changed for us in a good way. I love Naveen so much I can't believe it, and if it's possible I love him more everyday. I can't wait until he starts talking and getting even more interactive. It's going to be so fun!