Three Months?! Already?

Three months old?! Where did that last month go?? You can see his latest video here to see how much our sweet boy has grown.*

Because really: our little baby is growing up so quickly. Case in point - I went to put him in washed-but-never-worn six month jammies and they were too small. Des has doubled his birth weight exactly, and as of yesterday was 17 pounds 9 ounces. He's almost twenty six inches long. If you stand him on his feet he pushes so hard for so long we really only hold him for balance. Today he stayed in a sit-up position by himself on the changing table. He's recognizing books he likes, cooing when we show him the Lion book or the Fish book. And  he is grabbing at his "friends" on his play mat, holding onto them, feeling their fur, staring at their stripes.

Big (Star Wars) Baby

Before even becoming pregnant I was thinking about how I would one day tell Dique that happy news; I'm dorky like that. Last Summer on Etsy I discovered this onesie and knew we had to have it since Dique is a huge Star Wars guy.

Not a "dress up like Jabba and attend Comic Con every year" kinda guy (thank goodness) but we have his weathered 1981 movie poster of The Empire Strikes Back proudly hanging in our hallway, we watch The Trilogy annually (last night we watched Return of The Jedi so we're done for 2012) and we were announced as husband and wife at our wedding reception to the tune of The Imperial March.

You know. He's into it.

So, I ordered a onesie for the hope chest and when I got a positive pregnancy test on October 29th, I gave him the onesie to help make the announcement. It was around 6am on a Saturday morning, Dique knew I was going to take a test since, well, Des was very much planned and eagerly anticipated. I came back from the bathroom shaking and asked Dique to "hold this for a minute" as I turned on the light in our room. He thought I had given him my socks and was confused, until the onesie fell open in his hand and he registered the shape and thus the article of clothing. Then he read the words. I watched his sleepy expression go from curious to elated.

"REALLY!?!?!"

Big smile. The hugest smile.

Really. That was the best and happiest day of our marriage until July 9th of this year.

We were too excited to stay home so we went for an early morning walk, got eggs and pancakes at a greasy spoon in Cole Valley then spent the morning at The Academy of Sciences, picking up stuffed toy monkey for our minuscule little one. We talked about telling our family, our friends. We wondered if he was really a he as we both thought. July seemed so far away.

Des has worn the onesie a few times in his three months with us and alas today I must put it away and save for his future sibling. It's too small now for his growing frame. Too short for his long torso and his super tummy stretches out the words in a very un-Star Warsian way. We snuck in a photo shoot last weekend, after coming across a Yoda hat at a baby fair in town. He even wore the ensemble to a family birthday party. He wasn't sure about the hat, but we were. Pretty adorkable stuff.

We love watching him grow, seeing him smile, hearing his early laughs, even seeing some teeth buds forming is exciting - and that's coming from a nursing mom. It's just happening so fast. Soon he'll be watching The Trilogy with us and won't let his mother dress him in Yoda hats. Like everything else, I'm trying to soak it all up as much as possible and enjoy my big baby while I can.

Getting a Kick Out of Playtime

At around eight weeks old, Des really started getting into his activity mat - and we took some video. Now that he's close to 13 weeks, he can spend up to thirty minutes playing here happily by himself. On his back. We put him on his tummy for 10-minute stints, but he'd much rather be on his back, kicking and batting at his animal friends dangling above. And while the kicking and cycling is cute, I particularly enjoy the fact that his shirt is way too small and his glorious tummy is sticking out throughout this playtime session.

We've since retired the shirt, but the mat remains a constant source of entertainment.

Introducing Desmond!

We are sending out Des' birth announcement this week and while his birth isn't really news - I mean, the kid is nearly three months old - I hope people will be happy to receive the cards. I'm happy to share them!!

Take a peak, we think they turned out pretty cute... just like our boy.

Major props to Shutterfly for making it so very easy to create cards we love!

Hokey Cokey with Gan Gan

One Friday afternoon at my parents' home right before Des' eight-week birthday, the boy needed a little distracting. My dad, otherwise known as Gan Gan*, was happy to oblige.

I'm not sure if Desi enjoyed the Hokey Cokey (that's Hokey Pokey for us US-born folk) as much as my mom and I enjoyed watching the number, but at least it stopped some fussy baby action.

*My parents' first grandchild, our niece, couldn't say Grandad when she was learning to talk a few years ago and thus Gan Gan was born. Now we all call him that and one day Des will, too.

Snoozing and Stretching At Six-ish Weeks Old

Desi is definitely a noisy sleeper, which is great because in the middle of the night we know he's fine and breathing! He has a little snore and squawks in his dreams. Happy squawks, usually, thankfully.

One Sunday afternoon in August, however, he fell asleep while Dique was coaxing bubbles out after nursing. This moaning was new - and gave us a giggle. Apart from putting Dique in a funny position on the couch, it seemed like a comfy place to snooze. Des stayed asleep moaning for a good 45 minutes like this.
Be still my heart.

For long sleep stretches we swaddle Des up - if we don't he flails and those darn arms distract him, waking him up. He is our cozy boy - he LOVES being warm warm warm! We typically swaddle him in two blankets - and that's over a nightshirt AND undershirt. In addition to socks and a hat. And blankets on top. We have no idea where his penchant for heat came from since Dique and I prefer a cooler climate. Swaddling has really worked for us, though, and while helping Desmond happily get through long sleep periods at night the best part about swaddling is the stretching that ensues afterwards. Below is a short video taken after a nap and he wasn't really ready to get up but I was still nursing every couple of hours and needed to feed him. Please disregard the TV in the background (it's an episode of The Closer, if you're interested!). This is the quick version of the routine - in the morning he can stretch in the bassinet for a good 10 minutes before needing to be picked up. While the length of time varies, the routine always involves both arms up, both legs up, grunts and squeals, a little (or a lottle) gas and many faces. Thirteen years from now he'll hate that we posted this but oh man, it's so cute.

Time To Go Home

I recently stumbled upon videos I have taken of Des in the last couple of months. Including this one, the very first video of Desi - ever.

I can barely believe the boy in this video is the very same who is gurgling and smiling and cooing and drooling and chortling and, yes, even wailing these days - filling our house with big boy baby noises. He was so very little, we knew so little about him then.

In the moments after this video we put him in his car seat for the first time and drove home from the hospital through Golden Gate Park. I remember sitting in the back of the car next to Desmond as Dique drove us home. I remember looking out the window at people walking, running and biking through the park - thinking how it was just a normal Wednesday for some folks that day, while for us it was huge. My mom called while we were en route and asked if they could bring anything over later - I asked for chocolate cupcakes with vanilla frosting. I told her crappy cupcakes from Safeway would be perfect, but she brought the yummy organic ones from New Leaf.

We got home and Dique carried Des upstairs in the car seat. Once inside, I got him out and walked him around our flat, introducing him to each room as Dique brought in our luggage. Then the boys had some bonding time while I made grilled cheese sandwiches and a pot of tea. We called family and friends, letting everyone know we were home. Dique's parents and my parents' came over and visited with us until after sundown. They cuddled the boy, they encouraged me through nursing, they helped Dique make dinner and tidy up, they ate cupcakes with us.

Watching this video makes me love my boys so much. So tender. And it makes me realize I need to reorganize the dresser in Des' room - those pants barely fit anymore. That shirt has been too small for weeks. We can't find that hospital hat to save our lives. My baby is bigger now, thankfully, healthy and growing with every morning, every load of laundry, every bath. He's my big kid - my eldest (because, yes, we're planning on doing this again some day). I'm so glad I took this video, so glad we have this video. So glad we have this baby home.

Month 2 of Cuteness

Desmond's second month brought with it some terrific firsts as well as real joy - our dear friends were married AND Des started to smile!

Please check out this slideshow* for a monthly recap in photos. The song is Rockabye Baby's version of the Guns N' Roses classic, Sweet Child O' Mine.

Month 1 of Cuteness

We're catching up over here in DesiLand, and owe you some pictures. My iPhone is working overtime to catch all of Des' silly faces and special moments with friends and family - and I still feel like I've missed a ton of shots! Oh well. For a play-by-play and picture's of Desmond's birth, check out this post.

The slideshow captures a lot of great times from our first month as a family. Check it out here!*

Water Baby - Des' First Bath

There was much discussion around Des' first bath. First, we needed to wait for the cord stump to fall off and fully heal - D was 11 days old. Then, we needed to decide if it would be a kitchen sink sort of thing or a more formal tub experience. Who knew bathing was such serious business?

It's a truth nationally (and somewhat internationally) acknowledged that when pregnant you buy silly baby things strictly because they are adorable. I fell victim to a cutesy baby bathing pillow, something you're supposed to be able to fit anywhere, in any sink. Let's be honest, it's really just a giant plush sunflower. And yes, we could put it in the kitchen sink, but it looked so very big and Desmond looked so very small.

So? Dique went into the tub with the sunflower and the baby. I got scrub-down duty. Desi did really well, he loved the tub so much that he wet himself (Dique tells me this is a very common thing for little boys - news to me!). He only was a little fussy getting out of the tub. And who wouldn't be, when you're as cozy as this kid?

And Then There Were Three

Desmond Michael MacGregor Holt was born on July 9th at 12:35pm in San Francisco's California Pacific Medical Center. He clocked in at 8 pounds 12.5 ounces and 22 inches long. Light brown hair, dark squinty eyes and very pink. We just love him.

Yep. Still Pregnant.

Happy Fourth of July from the Holts - still just two of us... for now!

Ready & Waiting

It's been a few months since we've posted - our New York trip simultaneously seems like ages ago and yesterday. Time has flown! We've been busy feathering the nest - a cliche, but true! With my parents' help and that of friends we repainted our whole flat. Dique and his dad have been busy updating all the wiring in the joint. With refurbishing furniture, getting new furniture or just rearranging furniture our place looks nearly new!

It probably goes without saying, but the most fun has been putting the nursery together. There isn't really a theme, we just wanted to create a cheerful and bright space for Des to play and grow that would also be soothing. Here's a sneak peek with more photos to come. We love being in there and hope he will, too.

Alphabet cards hung by my dad, animal and sailboat bedding, Star Wars books and toys, a sweet rocking horse... all that's missing is a little boy. 

See you soon, Desi.

Week 20... came and went and, oh yeah, we're having a boy!

Dique and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary on February 21st - conveniently this date fell during the 20th week of the pregnancy. For you experienced folks at home this means our anniversary fell the week in which you can find out your baby's gender. Some people find out beforehand or later - it depends on your ultrasound schedules and your baby's modesty. Luckily for us, our son had no shame and we confirmed boy status almost immediately. Not that anyone was surprised; Dique and I both thought we were having a boy, most everyone we talked to also agreed, there's a woman at my work who can't keep her hands off my tummy and told me every day leading up to the ultrasound "boy, definitely, boy!" Well, we were all right.  Look at that cute little profile! We can't wait to kiss that little face and meet our boy, Desmond.

The weekend leading up to our anniversary and the big baby gender reveal was an excellent one. Dique and I wanted to sneak in a final trip together (what some folks call a "baby-moon") and after debating Mexico and Hawaii, we headed east instead. We took the red-eye to New York on Friday the 17th of February and arrived in Manhattan on a crisp and clear morning. We flew Virgin America which we both love for the WIFI and entertainment options, Dique can even rest a bit stretching his long legs in an aisle seat and I was as comfortable as one can be in a middle seat at 20-weeks pregnant. We dozed on and off and that was fine. The cold air and energy of the city kept us going all day Saturday, anyway. The only disappointment was that our flight was delayed and thus our plans of getting in line to see that night's taping of Saturday Night Live were thwarted. We still got in line, but we were WAY back on the waiting list. Spoiler alert: we didn't make the taping of the show, though we did try to get into both the dress rehearsal and the live show. Alas, all we saw of the NBC building was the lovely Art Deco lobby. So we picked up some cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery and watched the show from our Waldorf Astoria hotel room, a mere six blocks away from where it was happening.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

So, yeah. I turned 30 last year and we had a great day with friends and family. Dique and I walked San Francisco's infamous Bay to Breakers race without costumes but with camouflaged libations. It was sunny and warm - a perfect Spring In The City day - and I was so happy to be living my life exactly how and where I was.

Summer began and we started thinking about the future: our home, our family, our lives. We didn't just think, though, we actively got going on some longtime plans. By which I mean we got pregnant and our upstairs tenant moved out, thus commencing work on our units.

We are so overjoyed to add to our family and can't wait to meet our little boy in July. Desmond Michael MacGregor Holt is due 7/7/12 but we'll be happy to see him whenever he arrives. Thanks to the powers of modern technology we've seen his little face on 3-D ultrasounds (I think he looks like his daddy) and we feel him kick with more strength every day. Baby D (or Des) is joining the world at a time when many of our friends are also welcoming little ones so we're thrilled to be experiencing this at the same time of other couples we know and love.

We continue to work on our home - can't decide what to do with the upstairs space - rent? Use for ourselves? Sell? Either way, we're so excited to move forward - I'm transitioning to a new role at work, Dique also has been promoted and our house is coming along.

It hasn't been all work and planning - we've snuck in some really fun times, too. I'm hoping to get back in the habit of writing regularly so we can share all the good times had here at Camp Dique and Tuni.

Hope you're well and I hope this is the last time I apologize for a year's sabbatical. :-)

xx

Tuni