Phoenix

Last weekend we headed to Phoenix to see Grandma Pam and Grandpa Tom. We have not visited since April of last year so the visit was long overdue. Thank you lower gas prices!

The weather could not have been more perfect.. in the 70s and sunny. This is the kind of Arizona weather Todd and I love! We had a ball. Grace loved waking up each morning with Grandma and Grandpa... They got to have a lot of quality time with her which was so nice for them. It is difficult to live so far away from them. Pam spoiled us with too much yummy food, and bought Grace a bunch of adorable outfits including a pink Adidas sweatsuit (can that be any cuter?). Pam also gave us Todd's old Fisher Price record player (the one where you wind it and it plays records) and I can't wait for Grace to use it.

On Saturday, the Andersons came over to Pam and Tom's house for a visit. Ryan and Ethan are getting so big and mature! It was so nice to catch up with Jeff and Sara. The last time we saw them was when we went to Palm Desert about one and half years ago. They bought Grace a few toys including a computer which she LOVES!

We always feel so lucky and blessed to have such a wonderful family!

Big girl Grace at SFO

Grandma and Grandpa sending Grace off to the airport. Sadly, this is the only picture that we got of her with them. We have not been as good at taking pictures.

Grace making a funny face!

Sara holding Grace

Jeff and Sara with Grace. She was wearing the G shirt that they got her for Christmas!

Ethan picking oranges. The boys occupied themselves for quite awhile. Ryan kept asking can we pick one more and then 2 more? I think they got 20 oranges in all!

Doctor Visit and Sleep

Grace had her four month appointment today. She is a BIG girl (the doctor even said many times). She weighs 13 pounds 10 ounces (55 percentile- she really is not a tiny things anymore) and measures about 25.5 inches (93 percentile). And, I was VERY wrong about her budding tooth (what do first time parents know)! Turns out it was cyst that babies often get in their mouths. Looks like we will be having more weeks of the teething. Doctor Tam says she is healthy, alert and engaging.

The sleep issues with Grace have been bothering us for awhile, so Todd and I have decided to do some things to change them. It has been 4 weeks of gradual unraveling of everything sleep and I have been fearing that things are never going to go back to what they used to be (we say she went from an A+ sleeper to a C+). We know it will be hard at first, but hopefully we can get our little sleeper back. Last night when she woke up in the middle of the night we let her cry on and off for almost 30 minutes. She got quiet for awhile and we were excited that she had gone back to sleep, but then she woke herself up again. Our pediatrician recommended trying out best not to feed her when she wakes up (which trust me, I have but at a certain point you are TIRED and it seems to be much easier to feed her because she goes to sleep after). She is teething and we know that this can have a big affect on her sleep. On a slightly happier note, last night she did sleep a good 6 hours before she woke up for the first time which was much longer than she has been doing. Ugh!

We'd like to see less of this:

and more of this:

*These are not pictures of Grace. Just some random babies I found on the internet.

Teeth

For the past 3 weeks, we have been suspecting that Grace was teething based on the fact that she puts EVERYTHING in her mouth (including once sucking on Todd's face), sucks on anything close to her, is constantly drooling, and has not been sleeping well at night. It was confirmed on Monday. I saw a little piece of tooth poking out from her gum! She has been in a little pain and we are hoping that it pops through soon. Needless to say, we have tried everything under the sun to ease her discomfort.

We bought Hylands Teething Tablets (which are a homeopathic remedy) and they seem to ease some of her irritability and wakefulness. We also gave her a frozen star teether for the first time on Monday and she really did not know what to do with it. She sucked on it for a little bit, made a funny face and dropped it. We tried an ice cube wrapped in a cloth which she liked, but then she spit up twice afterwards. Baby Tylenol seems to be the only thing that helps with the pain. I am hoping to get to sleep again like I used to get... Please Grace, I'm tired!

The Weekend

Todd, Grace and I had one of those glorious San Francisco weekends that makes you fall in love with San Francisco all over again. I think the unseasonably sunny weather contributed to our good spirits.

Friday night we headed to Dolores Park Cafe to hear our friend Meghan Baker sing. It has been a long time since we saw Meghan perform; I think it was April 2007! She is a wonderful singer-songwriter, and Grace sure enjoyed her voice. She even sang a lullaby for Grace. Funny, the only time Grace let out a cry was during the lullaby (I think it was starting to put her to sleep) which made the audience laugh. Grace was so happy to be up past her bedtime. I was excited to see that they served Roshambo, "Rock, Paper, Scissors" Chardonnay- which we love. It is a great winery that Alli and Brandon turned us on to and they make some fun and interesting wines.

We ended the night by getting Birite ice cream (http://biritecreamery.com/) from across the street (there was a long line even at 9:00!). Todd had snickerdoodle and cookies and cream and I tasted coffee toffee and malted vanilla peanut brittle. The snickerdoodle ice cream had pieces of snickerdoodle cookies in it and was flavored with fresh cinnamon- it was really like heaven in your mouth. The coffee toffee ice cream tasted like fresh brewed coffee; so rich and intense (the best coffee ice cream I have had by far)

Saturday was the PERFECT day. After messing around with Grace (who was NOT a happy baby) for an hour trying to figure out a new way to carry her in the sling, we headed to the Ferry Building Farmer's Market.

I did end up figuring out that the sling is a bit more comfortable when you pull the ring closer to your shoulder, but it still worked nicely and she fell asleep in it.

Yes, the Ferry Building Farmer's Market is always crowded and pricey, but we still love it. I enjoy to sampling the delicious fruits, vegetables, cheeses and other delicacies, and it is one of my favorite places to people and dog watch. It was a sunny day, and everyone seemed to be in good spirits. We bought Stinging Nettles (which I have had in a restaurant, but have never seen before) and fresh (not frozen) Walnut Gorgonzola Herb Pasta Ravioli. Stinging Nettles look like a weed with little pokers that sting you when you handle them. I am not sure who decided that it would be good to eat them, but they are super delicious- I would say they kind of taste like spinach, but more pungent.

For lunch we ate at Taylor's Automatic Refresher, a burger joint in the Ferry Building. It is pricey (like all places in the building), but very yummy. My veggie burger was perfect, served on a soft, grilled egg bun with pickles and sweet sauce.

Along the way home, we say this:

They were letting you throw shoes at Bush for Free. Only in San Francisco!


We then walked to Union Square (always crowded and crazy), and took Muni home. We took another walk through our neighborhood and bought the rest of the food we needed for our dinner. We made the raviolis that we bought, sauteed in browned butter and parsley and served them over a bed of stinging nettles. I had to call Alli to see how to make the nettles. Basically, you boil them for a minute (which magically takes away the stingers) and then cook them like you would cook any green. We also made a delicious roasted beet, arugula, and pistachio salad with shaved parmigiano-reggiano (we got this recipe from Anne Burrell on the Food Network. Great show, by the way). For dessert, I had made a banana bundt cake with walnuts, chocolate chips and coconut (finally getting rid of the ripe bananas that I had stored in the freezer).

Sunday was Rachel's Baby Shower in Palo Alto. Todd spent the day with Grace, while I got to enjoy an afternoon away. It was such a special baby shower, and it was exciting to see Rachel and Jeff open all the gifts for their baby. I cannot wait until their baby is born. Sadly, I did not take any pictures of the occasion. I took a purse for the first time since Grace was born, and left the camera in the diaper bag!

I am grateful for such a nice weekend.

Happy Baby

There is a yoga pose called Happy Baby, where you lay on your back, grab your ankles or the soles of your feet and rock back and forth. It is one of my favorites. I know this pose is supposed to mimic what a baby does, but I had yet to confirm this.

Grace mastered the Happy Baby pose this weekend, and now does it ALL the time.

Four Months Old

We have some very happy news to report! On Thursday, January 8, 2009, Carter Thomas Kavanagh entered this world, weighing 8 pounds 13 ounces. We have seen pictures and can't wait to meet him. He is truly a beautiful baby boy. Thinking about Carter's birth reminded me of Grace's birth and all the amazing feelings associated with it. The feeling of meeting, touching and kissing your child for the first time is utterly indescribable. Congratulations Staci and Brian... May you enjoy this ride as much as we have!

Grace turned four months old today, and I cannot believe it. Each day that we get to spend with her continues to be a day of excitement, delight, and utter amazement. Our love for her grows each day as we count our blessings.

When we first brought Grace home from the hospital, we would place her to sleep in the crib vertically, as to make her feel more secure in the crib. We have long abandoned that way of sleeping, as she has grown much too long. The picture on the top is Grace the day we took her home from the hospital. The one on the bottom, we took on Sunday. Can you believe it?

Grace LOVES, LOVES, LOVES to stand up now! We always hold her up by her arms and she rocks out! I think it makes her feel big and strong!

Every time I look at Grace, I am struck with the most insane feeling that I am looking directly into Todd's eyes. Although I do see that she has some qualities of mine, she definitely is her father's daughter.


Here are some pictures of Grace getting ready for her bath. I always place her on the bathroom rug while I fill up the bath and she gets really excited and kicks up her legs until I pick her up to place her in her bath.

Every time that she smiles, our hearts melt. Is there anything better than a baby's smile?

Happy New Year!

Grace wishes everyone a Happy New Year (my, we do seem like torturous parents)!

Wishing everyone a joyous 2009! May 2009 bring you and your loved ones prosperity, good health and happiness. We also hope that the new year will bring hope and a new beginning to our country as the new administration takes office. We know that this has been a humbling time for many Americans and maybe as we come out of this economic down turn, we can shift our priorities to what is really important in life- family, friends and good health and happiness.

We have been enjoying the new year with Grace. On New Years Eve, we went to Brian and Staci's house and celebrated with them and Teresa. Staci was due on the 1st, so we were all hoping that she might go into labor that evening. Unfortunately for her she did not, but we still had a great time. I have been anxiously awaiting to hear if she has gone into to labor because we can't wait to meet their baby (I really think it is a boy, we'll see).

We tried Bi-Rite ice cream for the first time and let me just tell you it is the most delicious ice cream that we have ever tasted. I think the browned butter pecan was my favorite of the four flavors we tried (yes, four flavors!). On New Years Day, Todd and I made this great soup that encompassed the 3 foods that are supposed to bring you good luck: black-eyed peas, greens and stewed tomatoes. We are hoping for a new home in 2009. Now if we could just decide what city we should live in...

Grace was testing out Baby Kavanagh's new toys. Notice Sebastian, who was very interested in the baby. He was never more than a few feet away from her. Grace loves to suck on her fingers and fists.

Staci and Grace. I think her tummy made a perfect shelf for holding Grace.

Teresa having fun with Grace

Todd opened the door to the refrigerator and Sebastian jumped in!

Grace discovered a new thing on New Years Eve- she can suck her pacifier and her fist at the same time.

A not so happy Grace at midnight.

Mark and his fiance Nicole came over this weekend. They were in town planning their wedding, which will be in Napa in June. We are excited for them and can't wait for their wedding. It sounds like it will be just perfect. We were also happy to meet Nicole for the first time! Grace just loved Nicole!

Grace kicked off the new year with poor sleeping habits, much to our dismay. She has always been a wonderful sleeper but for some reason the last few weeks she has been getting up 2-4 times a night. I don't mean to complain because I know that we have definitely been spoiled, but I think it is difficult any time that your baby changes her behavior. Plus, I have been used to getting more sleep so the change has been jarring for me. Hopefully she is just adjusting to the last few weeks of her routine being changed and it will sort itself out soon.

Grace has also developed a new thing that she likes to do during her bath. She frequently turns her head to the side, opens her mouth and drinks the bathwater! She has even choked several times which we thought might prevent her from doing it again but she goes right back in immediately after! We now have resorted to filling up the tub so low, that her body really is not submerged in the water. This makes for a very boring and cold bath for Grace.

Todd and I have begun to call and schedule interviews for childcare for Grace. This has been difficult for both of us. Going back to work was always in the distant future, but now it is around the corner. For some reason I thought this process would be easier because she will be 5 and 1/2 months, but it surely is not! It has created anxiety within both of us because the thought of someone else watching her is really scary.

I don't want to speak too soon, but I am pretty sure that we found the perfect family! We met with her yesterday and we were instantly in love (she is only the second person we met with). It actually made me excited because I could picture Grace being at her home and I felt that she would be very happy and flourish there. It was strange because the second that she opened her door, I knew she would be wonderful.. We plan to interview a few more places, but we are pretty set on her.

Grace in her very cute cupcake sweater that Anna bought her. She can now stand up on her own when you hold her arms. What a strong girl!

**I wanted to also add that I have added some new things to the blog. I found this great search engine that searches websites and blogs for Vegetarian Recipes. We have used it several times and you get great results. Also, Walkscore is another site that I have linked. It rates the "walkability" of your neighborhood and lists nearby restaurants and stores. And not to assume that you are at all interested, but I have posted the link to my good reads site, which lists the books I am currently reading. If you have not joined Good Reads, it is a great site! You get updates and ratings from books that your friends have read.