Hayden's Birth Day(s)

On Wednesday night (5/20/09), Jason and I went out for one last date before Hayden's arrival. We were scheduled to induce labor the next morning because of some liver problems I was experiencing. We had a great time @ the Chart House and after dinner went to the airport to pick up Hayden's gran.



On Thursday morning, we arrived at the hospital at 8 am for the induction. Here's a last pic of my pregnant self.



I was induced and was able to walk around, went to have lunch in the cafeteria with Jason & my mom but once I got back to the room, I was put on pitocin. At that point, I was hooked to an IV pole so I wasn't able to do a lot of the natural measures for dealing with the pain that I'd intended to. At about 2:30 in the afternoon I decided to have an epidural put in. My labor continued to progress but slowly, and the nurses kept increasing the pitocin. It was nice to be able to rest and sleep here and there Thursday night. Unfortunately, my labor eventually stalled out when I reached about 4 cm and I stayed there for several hours. On Friday afternoon, I had been in labor 30 hours at that point and still wasn't making any significant progress, the doctors recommended we have a c-section.




Things moved very quickly after that and Hayden was born at 2:35 PM on Friday. She was perfectly healthy with an APGAR score of 9 out of 10. After spending a couple of hours in recovery and getting to meet both Gran and Nana, we headed up to our room. That evening, nurse Mary came in to give our girl a bath...





Gran and Nana picked out an outfit and got her all dressed up.





Here's a pic of Gran holding Hayden today- thanks to Daddy Jason for the amazing roses. :)



I will get some pics of Jason & I up soon, I'm up and walking around today and feeling much better. I even lost some of my pregnancy chubby face, which I'm thrilled about. :)

Cook for a Day, Eat for a Month

On Friday, I joined Heather in her beautifully remodeled kitchen for a cooking marathon. We made several meals that can be stored in the freezer for future use. In case anyone wants to duplicate our efforts, I have links to my shopping list, menu and recipes.

We started about 10 am and worked until 4:30 pm. Our goal was to make 20 entrees and 3 desserts (ambitious, eh?). We ended up with 19 meals and no desserts but agreed to do some additional "homework" to come up with the items we were unable to finish and we'll be swapping those with each other today.

The total cost for the meals (each of which serves 4-6 people) was just under $200. We also walked away with quite a few good leftover ingredients (a bottle of BBQ sauce, 3 boxes of ZipLock bags, shredded cheese, eggs, etc.) which will come in handy for future meal prep.

Here's a list of the items we made and links...

Chicken Hot Pockets (great for lunches)
Cranberry Chicken
Boursin Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Mexican Lasagna
Chicken Enchiladas Verde
Beef Enchiladas
Lasagna Bolognese (with homemade Bichamel sauce)
Sweet & Savory Meatloaf (courtesy of Melinda Lee.com)
Tamale Pie
Beef Stroganoff
Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Pulled Pork Tacos
Sausage, Spinach & Ricotta Stuffed Shells
Turkey Meatloaf Florentine
Make Ahead Turkey Meatloaf
Farmer's Casserole (breakfast)
French Toast Bake
Lemon Chicken (for grilling)
Red Chile Marinated Chicken
Red Velvet Cupcakes
Brownies
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

MENU & SHOPPING LIST
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pl4_PcXWTaQSfYKcwUlVeTQ

RECIPES
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=d97dw8x_14g9mrj6hs

It's so nice to have a freezer full of entrees with the busy weeks ahead of us. We should close escrow on Tuesday and then will get to work on the house. We plan to move in by the end of the month and then Hayden is due to arrive around June 11.

Here's a pic that was taken a couple of Saturdays ago when I was 31 weeks. We're going to the tulip festival this weekend, so I'll be sure and take some pics there. I hear it's just beautiful!

Our new home

Well, since Jason and I felt like having a baby wasn't enough of a challenge, we decided to buy a house that needs some work just to make things interesting.

We had been looking for the right deal and found a house that was undervalued and had a lot of the elements we were looking for (good schools, large lot, 3 car garage, bonus room, etc.) so we came in with a low ball offer and soon we were in escrow.

Here are some pictures from the inspection last week. We plan to close by 5/1 and will paint the house & put in new carpet & refinish the hardwood floors before moving in. After that, Jason will be fencing the yard so that Meg and Jake have a nice place to play.


Nice high ceilings in the entry way. The chandelier has GOT TO GO!


I have big plans for this kitchen, new granite on the counters and new appliances should greatly improve things, but it is livable in the meantime...


Nice view for me as I do dishes...


Future home of 2nd oven & microwave...


family room is off the kitchen, our realtor is sitting at the table, "Hi Debbie!"


I'm so excited about having a desk in the kitchen. I'm thinking a Mac would look great there!


Living room and dining room


Den/Playroom


Stairs




Bonus room upstairs


Hayden's Room. Going to remove chair rail, paint, etc.




Our room. Love the double doors going into it! Needs a lighter paint color though...


Upstairs Laundry Room - this is one of my favorite things!


Future guest room.


Perfect place for a window seat!

Underneath the house, with it's own entrance is a shop for Jason. The man who lived here before, did some interesting things to it...We've requested that the seller put this back to it's original state (by a licensed electrician/contractor) so we can have it properly inspected. As you can see from the pics, nothing was done correctly or up to code. It is also all unpermitted. So, if anything holds up our closing, this will be it!


we call this "drywall mosaic"


and this is why we need an electrician...






Imagine Jason's surprise when he discovered the toilet actually flushes! And the vanity sink works as well! This all needs to go!

So, that's it. Sorry I don't have any pictures of the front of the house or the street. I will snap some and add them to my next blog post.

My Little Sister's Wedding

You know you're getting old when your baby sister gets married. :) I can remember when my mom came into my room and said that it was time to go to the hospital. I also have fond memories of sharing a room with her when she was a baby, and now she's starting a family of her own.

Bekah and Brandon had been dating over a year when they decided to get married. They had a beautiful beach wedding and reception at my grandma's house in Ventura on March 21, 2009. Chelsea referred us to a great photographer, Araxi Dertavitian who captured some great shots of the wedding. Here is a link to the photo gallery and Araxi's blog of the wedding. I apologize for not embedding pictures into the blog, but my bridesmaid duties kept me from taking pictures. :)

http://www.araxiphotography.net/pickpic/gallery/splash.php?gallery_id=16

Passcode is 032109

And a link to the blog:

http://araxiphotoblog.com/wordpress/?m=200903

Baby Shower #2

On Sunday, March 15th, my BFF Chelsea threw me and Hayden a shower for my friends on the other side of the grade. It was so great to see old co-workers and my girls night friends!

Chelsea took some great pics which you can see below. We had a fabulous time and nobody wanted to leave which is a sign of a really good party!!!


Chelsea's Entry Way with my chocolate favors- YUM!


This was a gift from Judy Gerry who attended the first shower. It's so special!


Chelsea set a beautiful table for the party.


Guests could write a me note with their best mommy advice!


Close up pic of my favors. Hershey's Chocolate Bar inside!


Jill playing the Ribbon Game...


My mom trying to calculate the size of my belly...


I have the best girlfriends in the world! Me with Reem & Zhipi


I hope Hayden loves to shop as much as I do!


Her 1st Little Black Dress, Thanks Auntie Asha!


Mimosas anyone?


Fabulous cupcakes!


Shawnah brought over baby Shane as the party was winding down...


Look at that face!!!


Chelsea's a Natural with him!

Baby Shower #1

On Saturday my mom & mother in law threw me and Hayden a shower at my Grandma's house in Ventura. We had such a great time! I really enjoyed seeing friends and family. Here are some pics from the day...



Thank you to everyone who came to my shower and to my mom for putting together such a fabulous event. Janet did a bang up job with the invites & games & it was so nice of my grandma to host even after having surgery on her foot! :)

And the winner is...

Wow, my blog readers are GOOD! After only 2 weeks, someone had guessed the middle name. At 3 weeks, many someones had guessed both.

So, without futher adieu....

THE BABY'S NAME IS...........

HAYDEN ELIZABETH VORHEES

Congrats to Chelsea McCormick for getting the middle name right and to Stephanie Long for getting the entire name. I will bring your prizes when I see you!

Nike Women's Marathon

Some of you may remember that about a year and a half ago, my good friend Elizabeth Egel and I walk/ran the Nike Women's Half Marathon. It was a great time - the course starts in Union Square in San Francisco and heads down to the Embarcardero, then up through Golden Gate Park. I've never seen the city this way before and it was just beautiful!

During the race, there are lots of fun things going on- a "chocolate mile" where they hand out ghirardelli chocolate, pedicure stations and lots of other giveaways and entertainment. But the best part is the end. Not just because you are finished walking 13.1 miles, but because there are cute firefighters dressed in tuxedos handing every woman who finishes a Tiffany necklace designed especially for this event.

The race benefits the leukemia/lymphoma society and there were ALL types run/walking it. Elizabeth and I saw some older women, some really big women, some super athletic women, and all types in between. The great thing was, that everyone cheers each other on and it's a great atmosphere where everyone feels comfortable.

So, you might wonder why I'm blogging about something that happened almost 2 years ago.... Well, I've decided to try and run/walk (mostly walk) it again this year. The race is scheduled for 10/18 and due to it's popularity, they have to raffle off spots. So, if you are interested in joining Elizabeth and I for another great time, please follow the link below, then when it asks for your group, enter "NPRuns@gmail.com". That way, we will either all get in or none of us will.



I hope you'll consider joining me in October!

Name Game #3

Today I am officially 100 days from my due date. It's kind of scary how fast this is all moving. I'll be in California most of March so this month is going to fly by!

Here's this week's clue:

This clue is a cipher that is used to translate binary code into safe text. It is used to send attachments in email and to change small bits of unsafe high-character data into stuff that is a lot nicer for text-based system.

In this cipher the baby's name is: SGF5ZGVuIEVsaXphYmV0aA==

Clue by Jason (in case you were wondering...)

Previous Clues:

Clue #1- The baby's name ends in a consonant.
Clue #2- The baby's middle name ALSO has an "A" in it.

I CAN'T WAIT TO HEAR YOUR GUESSES!!!

Name Game #2

Last night, Jason was able to feel her move. After the first movement, we were so excited! Then about 30 seconds later, she gave the biggest kick I've ever felt. We were both surprised at how strong it was. It was like she was saying "Hi Mom & Dad". Very cute!

Here's this week's clue:

Baby's Middle Name ALSO has an "A" in it.

Name Game Kickoff

Jason & I had so much fun putting the list of clues together that we decided to start the Name Game today. I'll be posting a new clue every Thursday and when I go into labor, we'll post the remaining clues (if any) and a word jumble with all the letters of Baby Girl Vorhees' first & middle names.

If you'd like to guess, leave a comment at the bottom of the blog post. I will not respond to guesses until after she's born, but those who guess her name first will win a prize! There will be 3 prizes available - one for whoever guesses her first name, one for whoever guesses her middle name and one for whoever guesses both.

Here's some inspiration that may help...



Good luck!!!

Clue #1
Baby's name ends with a consonant.

Parents Weekend 2/12-16/09

Last weekend my parents came to visit. It was so much fun! I picked them up from the airport at about 1:30 on Thursday and later that afternoon we went to look at a house. Let's just say it wasn't "the one". It was in a great area in the hills above Portland and was on about 2 acres but to say it needed work would be a HUGE understatement. It didn't even have walls! It was down to the studs throughout and had plywood floors. Jason is handy, but with the new baby coming and his job getting busier and busier, we decided to pass. :)

Friday, Jason had to work but took some time off in the AM so that we could go see our baby on 3D/4D ultrasound. It was amazing to see her features in such detail and she is still ALL GIRL! J posted a video to YouTube (Scroll to about minute 3 for the 3D portion):



Friday night we went to the movies to see Paul Blart, Mall Cop. It was pretty funny but you guys can probably wait til it comes out on DVD. :)



Saturday we went to Multnomah Falls and the Columbia River. We had lunch at the Multnomah Falls Lodge & hiked a little bit. We tried to stop & take pictures at each of the falls.



Sunday the boys went out exploring & the girls went to the outlet mall & other shopping. Mom & I went to the CAbi outlet where she got some really cute stuff. I bought socks. :) Nothing fits right now so it's pretty inexpensive for me to go shopping. I did buy a cute "I love grandpa" onesie at gymboree for the little one. :)



Monday came way too soon and my parents left on an early AM flight. We had a great visit and I can't wait to see them and all my Cali friends when I'm out 3/10-22/09!

February 07, 2009

It's been a busy couple of weeks! We had some friends come visit from Cali a couple of weekends ago and this Thursday my parents arrive for a visit. The guest room is getting lots of use these days. :)

I've been keeping busy with bible study (2x/week), MOPs, and meeting up with friends for walks, coffee, etc. in between. Jason's job is still going well and he has enjoyed having weekends to putter around or watch movies in the Man Cave. He is looking forward to the Genentech golf league which should start up in May.

Thursday afternoon I'll go pick up my parents @ the airport then we are meeting J & our realtor that evening to take a look at a house. J & I are looking for a smoking deal and who knows, this might be it! We still have a lease until August, so we aren't in any hurry to buy.

Friday, we are going in for a 3D/4D ultrasound. I'll put the video on YouTube so everyone can see our little girl. :)

Saturday, we will probably head out to Cannon Beach to show my parents the beautiful Oregon Coast. I'll be sure to take lots of pics & video for everyone. :)

I'm more than halfway through my pregnancy. Our baby girl will be here in no time! Here's the latest pic taken Sunday. I'm 22 weeks, 3 days in it. :)