Zoo!

Molly, Wilder, Naomi and I went to the Woodland Park Zoo today. Molly is my best friend from high school and Wilder, her son, is one year old. I've been a "conscientious objector" of the zoo for as long as I've been vegetarian (13 years), but now that I have a kid, it's not about my moral obligations anymore. It's all about looking at the pretty animals in small, easy-to-maneuver-around cages! It was a total stroller mecca, so this was the first time I didn't feel self-conscious about carting around a screaming baby in the SUV's answer to a strolling travel system. We bought a membership with unlimited admission for a year, so I hope by the next six months she will actually care where she goes. Plus the Woodland Park Zoo is a non-profit with a great wildlife preservation program, so our money is going toward the greater good. This makes it kind of a wash, I guess.
Here is a picture of her crying in the morning, while it was still chilly. Maybe she is shedding a tear for the gorillas who sat listlessly in front of the viewing glass, devoid of freedom and hope. El oh el.
Click on the picture to go to the album.

From 2008-07-20

Oh, Happy Day!

Little Naomi had some great news yesterday! The antibiotics have been working and her abscess is finally gone. They took the PICC line out of her leg and now she can have a real bath tonight! She's on oral antibiotics now and she will be for up to six months or when/if she has corrective surgery. The idea is to prevent another infection because her wiring makes her prone to them. As of right now, her hydronephrosis is pretty severe, although it has not increased since her last ultrasound. They will continue to monitor this, but it does indicate that she still has some sort of blockage.
Here I am, teaching her some bad habits. We are celebrating!


Here is Garrett with Naomi at Point Defiance park, celebrating Elias's 3rd birthday.

Road Trip!

From Discovery Bay

Naomi spent her first 4th of July in Discovery Bay with her Grandma Jay and great-grandparents, Nana & Papa. It was about a 3 hour drive from Seattle, and we stayed in a really nice motel-style condo. Lucky for us, they let us pick the best room with a king bed and a huge jacuzzi tub. We were right on the waterfront, but we were so far from civilization that there weren't any fireworks nearby. The plan was to head to Port Townsend to see the firework show out on the water, but after I got us lost and we drove around an extra hour after going to the store to buy diapers, we decided to stay in and watch a movie. Even though it was only one night, it was a really nice vacation and it was great to get out of the house and do something.

Naomi is doing so much better. She's just over six weeks old now and we're getting to see some of her personality coming out. She's extremely particular in how she likes to be held and fed and taken care of and she is not shy in letting us know when we are making a mistake. Even though she's fussy, it's a relief to me that she will always vocalize her needs to us, no matter how small. I have peace of mind that she's not always in pain, like before, and she's starting to enjoy herself and her surroundings. Naomi and Garrett have really bonded over the guitar - he has created an instrumental version of the song he made up for her, and also created a "sleep song" that actually puts her to sleep. She loves to watch him play; her eyes dart from his face to his fingers on the strings and she smiles the whole time.