A sound only a mother (or father) could love...

This video was taken within 1-2 days of Lola's birth. It reminds me of how much she has grown and developed in one short month of life. She is so precious and continues to amaze me, but I feel she is already growing up too fast.

One month check up

Lola had her one month check up on Tuesday. She is 8 lbs., 4 ounces and is starting to fit in and fill out her clothes. Although she arrived 2 weeks early, she has caught up developmentally. We did have to switch her to Soy formula (thanks to her daddy's lactose intolerance), but she seems to be adjusting to it. I had my postpartum check up last week and received the okay from my doctor to once again lift heavy objects, clean the house, and exercise. Part of me liked the no strenuous activity version of maternity leave better.

Yards and Hikes

Progress on the yard is steady and will have to hold until next weekend. Plants? Planted. River? Laid. Paving sand and stones? Done. An occasional lunch break at the meth addled Burger King? Completed. I don't know what fast food places look like anymore back in Michigan, but out here they are wastelands filled with meth addicts and an ever present possibility of violence. Today I sat there enjoying my plain cheeseburger and fries while taking in the horror and a man walked past me with ass-less jeans. That scene pretty much sums up fast food here in the valley. Even the birds hate you at Burger King. I walked out to my car and a giant blackbird was pecking furiously at my tires.

Here is another photo of the yard along with some photos that I took while hiking a couple of days ago.

The Dog

Pro-Crass-ta-naaa-sean

I have been working on my landscaping for the past two weeks and so far, it's been a good experience. You see, I live in the Mojave desert in one of the harshest climates in North America. Last year I attempted to grow tomatoes, green peppers, and few other water hungry plants. The plants would thrive as long as I watered them everyday, but once the fruit developed the sun would turn it into a small, black carbon ball. This year it will be different. I have completely ripped out the backyard and turned the soil. Everything that stood in my way has been destroyed. I am to my backyard what the Cloverfield monster was to NYC. All of the plants that I've planted are Mojave desert natives. The ultimate goal is that in two years my backyard will be a multicolored paradise of desert wildflowers. The ground will eventually be covered in "red-ish" rocks with a two foot wide wash filled with river stones. I know that it looks pretty poor in the pictures, but open up yer minds real wide like, turn on some dramatic music, and just try to capture the vision.

Life with Lola

What can I say about our new life with Lola? She is already 3 weeks old, but seems much older. She is already trying to hold her own head up when she is laying tummy down on my chest. Her fussy time is generally from 9pm - 2am, which makes it hard for me to sleep and her stubbornness is already starting to show as she fights sleep (just like her dad did and still does). She has many times throughout the day and night where she is alert and awake. I did not realize that newborns could be so alert and awake. She is noisy and enjoys making squeaky sounds. She is a wiggle worm and prefers to sleep with her arms out of the covers. She hates getting her diaper changed and will cry, fuss, and pull her legs up to her belly, making it very difficult to put a diaper on. She also prefers to pee when she is being changed, which usually results in her peeing on mom and dad or all over the changing table. We are getting better at "catching" her pee before it gets all over everything. She is still small and does not fit into many of her clothes. Her nickname is peanut. She is amazing to watch. We can't wait for everyone to meet her.