Jacob Holding his Head Up High

I know...two posts in one day...but I couldn't resist posting this photo of Jacob that I took last week.

Some things to point out here are that he's wearing a sweater that his Nana Judie knit for him, and he's sitting up with his head held high in his Bumbo chair. This chair is great for giving babies a head start in sitting up; he loves it. Pretty soon he'll be sitting in it for his first bites of rice cereal..stay tuned.

My Nephew Liam

This weekend Jacob and I got to meet my nephew Liam in Eugene, Oregon. Here is the little cutie all dressed up in his halloween attire at 3 weeks old. I'm thinking he does look a bit like my brother Rob, at least in the hairline. :)

It was a bit of a hectic time since I had my hands full taking care of 4 month old Jacob completely on my own for 3 days and 2 airplane flights. So it was definitely nice to get everyone together (minus Paul), but I'm glad to be home.

The next time we all get together this summer in New York, both little boys will be much bigger and hopefully playing together!

Back to VA

This month we went back to Virginia for the first time as a family since Paul and I moved to Colorado in 2007. The impetus for our trip was the wedding of my good friend Kristen Dunne in Leesburg on October 10. It was a beautiful wedding and we were so excited to be able to be there to celebrate with Kristen and Walter. Being in VA, we also got to visit with lots of other friends and introduce them to our little peanut.

And as an extra special bonus, Jacob got to see Grandpa David and Grandma Jacquie who came down from NY to spend time with him and babysit while we were at the wedding. There were so many terrific photos which I've posted on Facebook, but this one with Grandpa and Grandma is just too sweet.

Announcing Liam Jennings Inerfeld

Paul and I are so excited to welcome our first nephew and Jacob's first cousin Liam! He came as quite a surprise on October 5 since his due date wasn't until November 15, so he was a month and a half early. Though he's a premie, Liam is a healthy baby boy at 5 lbs 6 oz and 18 inches long. He's currently being monitored in the NICU and hopefully will be going home soon.

The coolest part is that Jacob and I were already scheduled to visit Rob and Stephanie at the end of October. Now we'll get to meet Liam while we're there!

Sleepyheads

Mr. Giggles

My Dream Come True!

Ever since we got Gus last summer, my dream has been that I would wake up one morning and find Gus and Mable curled up together.

This weekend we got close...I found them sunning themselves right next to each other!

Since I'm usually the one taking all the pictures of our little peanut, there are so few of me with him! I forced Paul to take this one since he was looking so cute snoozing away in his sling.

Paul as the Stork

My new friend Claudia Landau was so kind as to lend me a couple of awesome baby wearing devices: a fleece sling and a moby. The moby is this incredibly long piece of fabric (about 10 feet) which I wrap all around me and slide Jacob into. I'm like an African woman going out to work in the field with her baby, LOL.

Paul loves to wear the baby in the sling, and once he's in there Jacob just passes out. Here you can see Paul holding Jacob in the sling after he's taken it off. Doesn't he look like the Stork?!? And below is little peanut Jacob happily snuggled in his sling.

The Mountains

We've now lived in Colorado for almost a year and a half and while Paul has been skiing many times, I haven't spent much time in the mountains. This weekend we were invited to a party with the Zedecks in Steamboat Springs.

Not only did this give us the opportunity to bond with Paul's cousins and see Nana Judie and Grandpa Fred, but we also got to visit a new part of the state and drive back through Rocky Mountain National Park. The park is amazing! It's too bad we couldn't stop more since we had to keep up with baby feedings, but we both look forward to going back soon when we have more time.

Population of Pookie Nation Grows by One

Hard to believe it's been 6 weeks since Jacob Inerfeld Zedeck was born on June 25, 2008! He surprised us all by making his debut 10 days early and was mercifully easy on his mommy who was only in active labor for 5 hours.

He's wonderful, adorable, and challenging. It's a whole new world.

Comparing Baby Bellies

Did you know that my brother Rob and sister-in-law Stephanie are also pregnant?!? They're due in late November and Stephanie's about halfway there. It was fun to have them visit this weekend and especially funny to compare our baby bellies.

Baby Jacob's furniture arrived today courtesy of Babies R Us and Grandma and Grandpa Inerfeld. Gus couldn't miss a chance to get in on the action.

3 more weeks 'til due date!

Baby Body

Ok, so the cake is hiding the belly a wee bit, but you get the idea. Big belly and boobs! And that's my mom Jacquie with me who threw a wonderful shower with help from Michelle and Esther.

Pre-Baby Body

Just found this awesome picture of me from cycling last summer. Hope I can get back to this body after baby Jacob arrives. Soon will be posting baby belly photos from the upcoming baby shower this weekend. Stay tuned!

12 Weeks to Baby Jacob!

In case you haven't heard the big news, baby Jacob Inerfeld Zedeck is on his way. He's scheduled for his big debut on July 4. Here he is at his last ultrasound 2 months ago; already smiling for the camera.

Miracles Abound!

In a miraculous turn of events, I got laid-off from DoubleClick this week courtesy of the Google overlords. Sure, I was crying in my Cheerios for about a day, but now I sees it truly was a MIRACLE! My severance package will provide me with almost fully paid maternity leave, and I now have the opportunity to pursue my own consulting business which I've thought about doing for a while.

I'll also have the chance to stay home with baby Jacob at least part-time, and won't need to leave him to fly all over the country for work.

My consulting will focus mainly on projects involving training and documentation, and I also have skill in software usability testing.

Any suggestions for business names???

My Sister Hailey

Didn't you know that I had a sister? Yes, her name is Hailey. She's what my mom calls a "designer dog". My dad carries pictures of her in his wallet in lieu of me or my brother. And why not -- she worships him! Not like us troublesome kids who give him a hard time for being a Republican.

Whenever I tried to take her for a walk in Greenport, she cried and cried to be taken away from her "parents". This little dog can really pull your arm off. On one walk though, I did manage to get her to go a few blocks down to the park next to the beach. There were a bunch of kids there at a day camp who hundled around to visit Hailey. Imagine seven little girls petting her belly all at once while she lies on her back in bliss. Yup, that's my sister.

Dad the Kayaker

Since biking didn't work out too well, we got back to Dad's prefered activity of kayaking. One of the best aspects of the house in Greenport is that it's just a few blocks from Pipe's Cove which has an ideal beach for putting in the kayaks and a nice bay to paddle in with views of Shelter Island.

Dad's First and Last Ride

Dad hesitantly agreed to go biking with me today on his new Schwinn. He's very busy "relaxing" out here in Greenport with gardening, cleaning, walking the dog, swimming, kayaking, etc. and has viewed the whole idea of biking as an unwanted imposition on his already full schedule. But since my mom went to the trouble of buying him a bike, he reluctantly agreed to give it a try.

We biked the half mile into town and made one stop at the grocery store to pick up Stella D'Oro cookies to bring back to my friend Jess in Colorado. Apparently, all the pedestrians and ferry traffic were t0o much for a man trying to figure out how to shift gears and remember how to break. He's vowed to stick to his other more pleasurable pastimes. So for any guests to Greenport -- there's a new bicycle for you to use!