Cameron turns 1 Month

As usual a month flew by and you are growing like a weed. Your schedule seems pretty regular, it's almost like you Babywised yourself on your own. Wake, Sleep, Eat. That's been our routine for the last month and it's been great. I love when things are predictable. Of course that's not always the case, otherwise it would just be too easy. You have your fussy times or when you just don't want to be put down, but I still consider you a super calm baby. You had a few nights where you went 4 to 5 hours between feedings, but I am still waiting for you to sleep through the night. I think you are heading in that direction and in another month I'll actually get 5-7 hours of solid sleep! You are a very easy going baby, you hardly fuss, unless you're hungry or tired. You like your pacifier, and usually want it when going to sleep and you started off not really wanting to be swaddled, but now if we don't do it, you wake up. You make the funniest grunt noises. For a while your grunts sounded like a laugh or a chuckle, it's like there is a little man inside a body of a baby. I certainly don't remember Sascha ever grunting like that. Every so often in your sleep you smile, usually to one side, I love watching you sleep, you look so peaceful. You are starting to track things with your eyes. You are definitely able to focus better on us or random objects that catch your attention. You love being held and carried in the Ergo carrier and unlike Sascha you love baths!

Your stats at 1 month:

Length: 22 inches - 63%

Weight: 9 lbs 14 oz - 28%

Head circ: 14.5 inches - 19%

We had our friend Vanessa come out to take pictures of you when you were just 10 days old.

I just love these photos of you. So handsome already...

With big sister Sascha

Pure happiness to have this little guy join our family

Sascha's 3rd Birthday

For Sascha's birthday we decided to take her to Legoland. We had a blast! She had a great time too :) and Cameron was such a good baby the whole time we were there. We went on many rides and you loved most of them. There was only one ride that you didn't like and cried on. It was a helicopter ride... which is really funny because you also screamed like crazy when we took you on a helicopter ride at the Del Mar Fair when you were 1 and half years old. You must have something against helicopters. One of your favorites was the big pirate play gym area with nets to climb in, obstacle areas, and slides to go down. I think Daddy might have had even more fun following you up, down, and around the structure. I even got to chase after you a little bit while we switched off watching baby brother.

It was so fun to spend the day together especially when the place was so empty and we didn't have to stand in line for any of the attractions. Just walked right up and got on. We also had your face painted your choice of pattern. You excitedly selected the hearts with wings and stars as you sat quietly in the chair until the girl was finished with it, and then you looked in the mirror to see how it turned out. You didn't really react, but when I asked you if you liked it you said yes. Of course, you looked very pretty.

After we were done with Legoland, we went to Islands for dinner where Baba, Deda, Inna and Aaron met us. You opened their gifts, but had to wait until later to play with them. All you wanted to eat was french fries for dinner, and then we had ice cream cake which you really loved. The whole day was all about you, just the way we planned. Of course baby Cameron came along and you gave him lots of hugs and kisses as always.

Hanging out with Bob the builder!

On a ride with Daddy

You were Fearless... I was actually nervous when you went down this long steep slide

At dinner

Blowing out your candles

Our adorable baby munchkin... really not a baby anymore, but will always be my baby!

First Hair Cut

I finally took you to get your first hair cut. I figured it was time, being a week away from your 3rd birthday. You hair has been pretty difficult to brush, the ends have gotten super thin and get easily tangled, so at times you just refuse to have your hair brushed and I end up putting it up in a pony tail the way it is.

So I took you to Bambinos - a hair cut place for kids. They didn't cut off too much, just made it the same length and put small layers in so that it's a bit easier to brush, although it does seem like your hair is a lot shorter now. They also taught me a cute little hair trick to keep hair out of your eyes without clips which end up sliding off. You were such a trooper the whole time, didn't resist or cry. You sat in the little car and pretended to drive with the wheel or you watched Ice age on the TV that they had in front of you. I must say that I got a little sad watching them cut your hair. You are getting so big, and I really don't know where the time goes, it made me tear up. Once we were all done, you got a loli pop and I got a cool little "my first haircut" certificate with some of the hair that they cut off and we were on our way home.

You watched very carefully as she put ribbons in your hair

Such a little trooper!

Life with 2 kids

So we are settling into our new routines with 2 kiddos. It can definitely be a challenge at times, but it's really not too bad. Of course I am super lucky and get to have time with just me and Cameron throughout the day since Sascha is in preschool, and I actually feel bad when she goes, but on the other hand she loves it there and she's learning a lot. She's gotten much better at recognizing colors, and letters, and she talks like a little person now. The things she says crack us up. She is such a little ham at times.

Here are a few scenarios:

In the morning getting a bagel for breakfast from daddy...

Daddy: do you want cream cheese on your bagel?

Sascha: yes

after he puts cream cheese on...

Sascha: No cream cheese!

Daddy: What do mean? What do you want on it then? Strawberry Jam?

Sascha: Yes, jam

after jam goes on the bagel...

Sascha: No jam!

Daddy: What? You are ridiculous!

Sascha: No, you are ridiculous!

We found you in the morning without a diaper. You apparently have taken it off yourself, which has happened before, but not in a while.

So we ask: Why did you take your diaper off?

Sascha: Because I am tired of it!

Haha, now if I can just limit your water in the evening time, you won't really need it. We've seen you have a completely dry diaper in the morning a few times, but we're not quite there yet as far as letting you go without one all the time.

You have the same answer when we ask why you didn't eat your carrots for lunch or why you don't want to do something. You look up and say "Because I am tired of it". Where do you get this stuff?

Also we forget that you are a little sponge and repeat EVERYTHING! Daddy saw an ant crawling on our countertop and yelled "There is a freaken ant right there!" in frustration because he spent half his morning trying to exterminate them. Apparently they didn't get the memo and decided to come back to our kitchen in the evening, so he yelled it out without thinking. Sascha immediately repeated it, and we were rolling on the ground laughing. Of course because of this reaction, she kept repeating it over and over until we managed to pull ourselves together and distract you.

Randomly you say:

"Yay, I am going to Hawaii, Yay!" which is a funny skit line from Crank yankers... Hilarious! We have no idea where you got this from!

Also a favorite is the word "Later". We'll ask you to do something or pick something up, and you'll look right at us, and say "I will do that later" with a little head bob and intonation on the word "later". As if I asked her to do something really difficult.

The other funny thing she's said is "I am too big!" Once again we'll ask her to help with a puzzle and she'll say "No, mommy do it... I am too big!" hahaha... you mean you're too small?

She requested that daddy stop singing "old McDonald song" the other night. She tapped him and said "Daddy, No more Old McDonald... I am too big" It was said in a very gentle way... like sorry daddy I know you will be sad about this, but I don't want you to sing that to me anymore.

Sascha has been super sweet to her baby brother. She says good night to him every night and loves to give him hugs and kisses. It is just the sweetest thing to watch. She gives him stickers and some of her toys too. It melts my heart every time I see them together.

Cameron has been a great little baby so far. He's already 2 weeks old! He's eating well. We're around 7 feedings a day. Night time has gotten a bit easier since he went from every 2 and half hours between feedings to 3-4 hours. I am hoping, that number will keep growing so that i can get some solid sleep. Daddy goes back to work in less than week, so things are going to get a little more busy. It's been nice having him at home to help out.

I love staring at him, or have him lay on my chest. He is just so precious... and I feel so incredibly lucky to be home with this little guy. All the hard work aside, there is just nothing more precious than a sweet little newborn.

It's thanksgiving week, and I am so thankful for my beautiful family. More thankful than I have ever been.

Cameron Michael Lewis has Arrived!

My doctor called me Tuesday, November 9th, to let me know that a spot had opened up the next day to have me induced. I was excited! We were able to wrap things up at home, go out to dinner one last time as a family of 3, make arrangements for who will be taking care of Sascha (Grandpa and Grandma Lewis saved the day), and we were at the hospital the next day at 7am. Surprisingly I even got sleep that night, and I wasn't that nervous. I guess I felt ready...

We arrived at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, got checked in, and were shown to our room. Our nurse Kelly was super sweet, so we knew we were in good hands.

Once we got settled in, they attempted to put in my IV to draw blood as well as administer an antibiotic, but once again my veins did not cooperate. I got poked 3 times, and on the 4th time they just did it in my hand.

I had some contractions on my own (the ones I've been feeling all last week), but once I was on Pitosin, they started to get more regular and more real. Dr. Nguyen checked in on me in the morning and then again at 11:15 to break my water. That was really not very pleasant. She said the baby was super low which is why it was so uncomfortable. I was only 2-3 cm. 15 minutes later contractions got a lot more intense. I got an epidural an hour after my water broke and felt much better by 1pm. They checked me once again and I was around 3-4cm. It seemed like things were moving a little slow. Well, half an hour later after I was feeling really good (and we even watched an episode of Seinfield on the laptop), and I started to feel my contractions again. They had me push the button 4 times which was the max for the hour, but I was not feeling any better. So the anesthesiologist came back to give me some stronger stuff. I was so numb in my legs and feet, but I still felt the contractions which was weird, they were tolerable, but very close together. They checked me again and I was 10cm at 3:30. Wow, no wonder I was feeling those contractions! He was ready to come out.

My doctor seemed to appear in our room almost instantly and said "Well, lets have a baby!" That's when it hit me. I am about to meet my baby boy. I immediately got very emotional and Jeromey grabbed ahold of my hand to reassure me that everything was going to be perfect. I remember at that time I stopped feeling all the contractions, or may be I was just so overwhelmed that I stopped noticing them. Once everything was ready to go they had to tell me when to push since I no longer had any idea if I had a contraction or not. Lucky for me, Cameron was out in just 2 pushes! Sascha was out in 3, and Cameron in 2. These babies seem to just jump out of me which is so awesome because I know so many people who have to push for hours. I definitely feel extra lucky to have them out so quickly. Hopefully that means quicker recovery.

They immediately placed him on my chest and that's where tears came pouring out... my tears. There he was crying on my chest, a perfectly healthy baby boy. Could we be any happier? We are the lucky parents to another little baby! He stayed on me for a little while longer and the nurse cleaned him off a bit and made him cry some more so that he would get some color and less purple.

He came out at 3:55pm November 1oth (His birthday is 11/10/10 which is kind of a fun date) and weighed in at 7 lbs, 3 oz, and 20 inches long. Sascha actually came 9 days before her due date, and Cameron had his birthday 9 days before my due date of the 19th. Little brother was over a pound heavier!

Now onto the name, which we've been deciding on for the last 9 months. We had such a hard time with it. We finally picked Cameron to have a "C" name after Jeromey's grandfather Carl, but the middle name we kept going back and forth on between Michael and my maiden name Rendler. We waited another day at the hospital until we finally came to a decision. We ended up going with Michael after my grandfather as well as my dad. Rendler would have been really great too as well as unique since my dad was the only child and had 2 girls, we thought it would have been cool to have Cameron have that middle name and it would be more unique, but ultimately we decided to go with Cameron Michael.

Back to the delivery... since I got super numb right before the actual delivery, I was not able to get up right away. I had to wait until the evening when the epidural finally wore off. We got some visitors that evening. Unfortunately Baba came down with bronchitis and could not be there, but we had lots of other visitors including Deda who was there 15 minutes after Cameron was born and later Inna & Aaron came, as well as Grandpa who brought big sister Sascha over to meet her little brother Cameron.

Sascha walked in looking bewildered. She started to look even more worried when she saw me in the hospital bed and then saw the IV in my hand. I wonder if it brought back bad memories of her stay in the hospital a few months ago. I tried to reassure her that the IV doesn't hurt, but then just ended up trying to hide it under the sheets so that she would focus on something else. Grandpa Dave took her to the store to pick out a gift for Cameron - it was a superman rubber ducky, while we had brought a small gift to the hospital to give to her from baby brother. Another big gift was waiting for her at home... yes daddy likes to spoil his little girl. She was thrilled to open it, it was all the Mickey playhouse characters in a box. After a little while Sascha was back to her smiley self and even wanted to hold her baby brother all by herself.

We stayed at the hospital 2 nights. You did really well and hardly ever cried. The diaper changes were a bit hard since we're not used to changing a boy. You would soak your clothes and we didn't notice it each time. We had to be really careful since you got circumcised and you can say we were a bit paranoid trying not to touch the area.

The pediatrician was also able to order an ultrasound of your kidneys while we were at the hospital, (I was very pleased because I really didn't want to take you to Children's hospital for this) since that's what was recommended based on some of the measurements they took during the 28 week ultrasound and the VUR history with Sascha. We finally heard about the results 5 days later and everything looks normal and checked out ok. What a relief to know we won't have to go through the same thing and hopefully never have to think about it again.

We stayed the 2nd night mainly to make sure that your jaundice was under control. Apparently the interaction between our blood types (A-) which is daddy blood type, and mine which is (O+), has a higher risk of jaundice and it peaks on the 3rd day. On Friday, they pricked your little foot again and the level was safe so we were good to go home.

Calm and sleepy baby

A mommy to two kids!

Daddy thrilled to have a little boy!

Time to go home!

Halloween, Pumpkin Patch and other Festivities

We finally made it to a pumpkin patch this year. We did not make it to our usual Bates Nut Farm, but we did go to one closer to our house. There were still lots of great opportunities for pictures, the place just wasn't as big and exciting as Bates Nut Farm, but I am sure we'll return there next year when I am not pregnant and have a lot more energy.

Halloween Festivities lasted the whole week. We carved pumpkins one night. Sascha's preschool had a special pumpkin patch treat for them and I was able to come and volunteer and watch her have a great time doing all the activities that they had set up for them. They also had a dress up day Friday before Halloween and a little parade for parents to take pictures. Since she absolutely loves Mickey's playhouse show, we knew she would love to be Minnie, so that was her costume this year. In dance class she also dressed up and then of course on actual Halloween day. She was very excited to put her costume on, unlike last year. She loved going door to door saying "trick or treat!" and then followed it up with "Thank you!" and "Happy Halloween!". She got scared once before we headed out, and it was this green monster mask that a boy had on. She ran into daddy's arms and cried until we took her away from him. That was the only costume that bothered her. Here are a few photos from Halloween.

On other news, funny stories, and updates...

Preschool has been going well, aside from you catching a cold there and then giving it to me. It's now been lingering in our household for over a week! Your teachers tell us that you have adjusted very well. You're very talkative, and social, you listen well and even take a nap (which is something you rarely end up doing at home). You eat most of your lunch too which is surprising because meal times have gotten pretty difficult for us.

It seems that if you get something on your plate that's unfamiliar, you start to whine and freak out and throw a fit. I have to cook something for you separately. Most of the time when we eat, there will be something you won't like, and you'll start crying about it. So we are working on the crying and the whining because it's really starting to get old quickly. The other "terrible twos" thing you love to do is not listen to us, or do the opposite of what we ask. I would ask you not to push the rocking chair and you look at me and start doing it harder and say "yeah, I push it". It's also amazing how stubborn you can be. We'd try to help you by cutting things into pieces when you eat or take smaller bites, but you refuse. You get really mad if we broke things into pieces, or you get upset if things don't stay on your fork or spoon starting to bang at the table or fling things around in frustration. So we try to help, but you refuse... until 2o minutes later you start to come around. Dinner time lasts forever at that rate!

You've been saying some funny things lately. Daddy always sings songs to you right before we leave your room, and usually he starts off with "old McDonald" per your request, well a few nights ago, he started singing it and you tapped him on his arm and said "No Old McDonald daddy... I am too old", haha. You're too old for that song! So then you said you wanted "Twinkle twinkle" and he started singing that one, but once again you stopped him and said "But where are the stars?" Apparently he had forgotten to turn on your lady bug that projects stars onto the ceiling, so he had to stop and go turn those one for you. Then he sang the ABC song and you were done. All these songs you now know by heart and sing with us. Another song you love to randomly sing is Happy birthday to you. We've heard you sing that in bed so many times now.

You have done amazingly well with going on your potty. I have now taken away the small potty's and you just use the cushy toilet covers. You have not had a single accident at preschool or home or anywhere else for nearly a month and your diaper is completely dry at nap time so I stopped bringing your pull-ups to school. And a few nights ago we noticed that your diaper was dry at night too. That only happened once or twice, but still I am very excited to have you out of diapers, except for night time! Especially since we're about to do the whole diaper changing thing again very soon. We always praise you for using the potty and now you seem very proud of it, especially when you go #2. Such a big girl!

Yesterday you got to go to Disneyland with Grandpa David & Grandma Laurie as well as Zac and your cousins Carolyn and Angelina. You got picked up and spent the night at their house which you've done once before, and then the next morning you were off to Disneyland. You had a blast meeting the princesses, going on the rides and seeing Mickey's playhouse at California Adventure. It must have been such an exciting day for you. Mommy and Daddy stayed home and rested. We got to go out to dinner the night before. I wanted to have our favorite Taste of Thai food - spicy noodles, especially since that's what I had the evening I went into labor with Sascha. I was hoping it would do the trick again. Well it didn't this time around. So the next morning we went to breakfast and enjoyed a gorgeous sunny day walking around near the beach. We missed you a ton and would get updates from grandpa on how much fun you're having! Because it was getting so late already, they decided to keep you another night and bring you back the following morning.

It actually seemed like a good idea because to have them take you for the night. I had a ton of contractions fairly close together that night and was convinced that we were going to have the baby, but to my disappointment they sort of disappeared after 4 or 5 hours and around midnight or 1am I fell asleep. It would have worked out perfect since you were already taken care of and we wouldn't have to bother our families in the middle of the night. But it looks like your baby brother is nice and cozy inside and does not yet wish to come out. Lets see how long that will last. I am on the waiting list to get induced Wednesday or Friday of this week. Unless he makes an appearance on his own or I don't get either of those days, then it will be next Monday the 15th for sure. In which case you may be sharing your birthday with Uncle Zac.

This will be my last post until the baby arrives. I am excited and nervous at the same time. I want to spend more time with Sascha because I know she will not get the same kind of attention that she's used to getting and she is still our little munchkin. We really love having a daughter, and we are excited to add a little boy into the mix. That way daddy doesn't feel so outnumbered!

New Rooms

Rooms are almost finished. Sascha moved into hers last week, so Jeromey was able to start painting the baby room.

Her room took forever. It's amazing how slow things happen when you have a little child running around keeping you extra busy. It also doesn't help that we schedule a bunch of other things at the same time. Jeromey just did a 100 mile bike ride from Irvine to Mission bay to raise money for MS. He had a great time, but that meant the whole weekend was basically gone in a blink of an eye! So yes, this little room project (that turned out to be a pretty big room project!) was started over a month ago, and it's finally done!!! I think it turned out great! Now we hope Sascha likes it too. She has been waking up in the middle of the night screaming. Not sure why... night terrors? We had thunder and lighting one night, so that could have scared her as well.
We were finishing it up in the evening, and you were running around like crazy playing with things you shouldn't be playing with and we let you stay up late too because we weren't done with the room. You seemed excited about it. You and daddy read a few books on the bed, and it was time to say good night. You started fussing and saying you want your small bed, and we said that you're a bit girl now and have a big room with a big bed. You got out of the bed at least a dozen times, but eventually you went to sleep. It just takes you a while to fall asleep. Sometimes you stay in your bed for over 45 minutes singing and talking.





A few more things need to go up on the wall, but it's basically done.

Now onto the baby room. It's a work in progress and here is what it looks like so far. We are missing the crib. It's actually broken and we are trying to get it fixed. The wall border is going up this weekend and a few accessories for the walls as well. And we'll be all done!



As for me, we had our ultrasound at 35 and half weeks, and the baby is down which is great. He was measuring big, or about a week ahead as before - 6 lbs (Sascha's weight when she was born). I am already 1 cm dilated and 60% effaced, but of course that doesn't mean that the baby will be here next week, I could stay like that for weeks. I hope to make it to November... my guess or wish is he'll be arriving early November, but you never know! I am definitely feeling ready... I've felt very "heavy" and pretty tired for the last 2 weeks. Some nights are better than others, but I usually get up every 2 hrs and not always able to go back to sleep. Last day of work was this monday! I've just been at home getting things in order, visiting friends. I already feel much better, more prepared, and organized. Must be the nesting kicking in. We can't wait to meet this little boy! I can't believe I am going to be holding a small little baby in my arms! It's all a bit surreal, but I feel very lucky already to be mommy to a little boy.

Photos at the pier

I really wanted to get some pictures of us done while I was still pregnant, and we were able to go to the PB Pier with our friend Vanessa who snapped a few shots of us and my big belly.

It was such a warm and beautiful day, Sascha really enjoyed being outside.

Family Shot


Us with the munchkin

Baby Shower at work

I got a surprise shower at work. I've been asking everyone to not make a big deal about it, and not do anything... maybe just a small lunch with our group, but I came to work Thursday morning to discover my cubicle covered in decorations and baby boy stuff! It was all super cute and completely unexpected. I was about 5 minutes late to a meeting that was set up for 9am, so I was rushing to get there when I first saw the balloons sticking out, and went "Oh No!". I am not a huge fan of a lot of attention, so as usuall I felt my face get flushed and my eyes teary! I don't get surprised often, but they definitely got me... and this is the 2nd time around! Last time I was convinced we were gathering for a "retirement party" for one of the guys leaving our group. It was super sweet of everyone, and I feel very lucky to work at a place with such awesome people!


A few weeks ago I went out to tea with a few girlfriends. It's just something that we like to do every now and then. Go to cute tea shops and hang out for a few hours while enjoying little sandwiches and scones and yummy tea. Well they surprised me there with a few gifts as well. I told everyone that I am not having a shower this time around, I really feel like I just had one very recently and didn't want anyone to go through the trouble of organizing it. I don't think most people have one for their 2nd ones anyways, not that I think there is anything wrong with having one. Plus there is really not much that I need, I have all the big things and I even have a ton of clothes from Marina's son Matty. It worked out very well. She just had a baby girl and I was more than happy to pass on Sascha's girly things to her as well. It makes me happy that someone else gets some use out of them.
Here are a few photos from my coworkers phone camera of my cubicle. Many people stopped by to say congratulations, hard to miss a ton of balloons, garlands and boy things all over. It looked very festive.

Goodbye Russian Day Care, Hello Preschool

Friday the 8th was your last day of daycare and this Monday you started preschool.

I was sad to take you there for the last time. Galia was sad to see you go as well. We've been very happy with sending you there because I know you are well taken care of. You eat well, take a proper nap (which you don't always do at home), and you have always liked going there. The coolest part of you going there was that you learned how to speak Russian, since most of the kids that go there only speak Russian at home, you picked it up very quickly. But it was time to say good bye! You seemed like you were ready for Preschool.

After looking at a few places and hearing people's recommendations we went with Carmel Mtn. Preschool that's right next to the high school I went to. You seemed excited at the idea every time we mentioned that you would go there, and the day finally arrived. We got you up and ready to go, your lunch was packed and you seemed eager to leave the house, especially after I handed you your brand new Minnie Lunch Bag. Your face lit up with excitement! A while back I started to look for one with your favorite Mickey Playhouse characters at different stores, but haven't been able to find one. Finally I came across one on Ebay and decided to get it. We thought even though we spent a little more on it than a regular old lunch bag that we probably already had, you would be so excited if Minnie was on it. We were right. It was all worth it.

We took a few photos at home and headed out. We arrived at the preschool just before 9am which is when snack time starts followed by circle time. We walked in and it was empty so we set all the things I brought into your cubby and put your lunch bag into the bin with the rest and waited a few minutes for the kids to arrive. You seemed a bit overwhelmed and clung to us for a few minutes and then it seemed like it was time to go, so we gave you a big hug and a kiss. I introduced you once again to your teachers, and one of them picked you up and asked if you wanted to be her helper to pass out the Graham crackers as a snack and you agreed.

We walked out and daddy said something to me about how big and independent a girl you are now, and I couldn't help but tear up. Yes... you are getting so big! Almost 3 years old! Where has the time gone? Feels like we just brought you home from the hospital!

We walked into the front office to make sure they knew that we came and one of the Directors Donna said that we can call anytime to check on you and they'll connect us to the classroom. I headed to work, but couldn't stop thinking about you and wondering how you were doing. Around noon, I asked daddy to call since he was home and I was at work and he couldn't seem to get through, so then we waited after nap time and called after 2:30 and they said you were doing great, you had most of your lunch, but you wanted to read books instead of going down for a nap. That was no huge surprise. We've been struggling with you taking a nap for a few weeks now and if you do take one, it's usually not until after 1:30 that we even attempt. So we need to adjust to the new schedule where you wake up earlier, have breakfast and lunch earlier so that you can be tired enough for a nap at 12:30 and then hopefully go to bed earlier too.

In any case I was happy to hear that you were having a good day so far.

Daddy picked you up around after 4:30 when you were at the playground and you didn't even want to go. You wanted to keep playing! Everyone told him that you had a great first day and even the ladies at the front desk commented at how adorable you were.

Once I got home from work you seemed super tired, at one point you laid down on the rug and were making all sort of noises, you were totally tuckered out. Daddy tried to put you to bed earlier, but you still didn't really settle down till almost 9am.

The 2 days went well too. You went in with daddy without a problem and when I picked you up, you had just begun to leave the playground with your class. You saw me from the top of the hill and started running. You ran so hard I was afraid you were going to fall. Your teachers told me you had a good day again, but you didn't eat too well. I think we may have to stick to sandwiches since that you'll pretty much eat those for sure.

On your 4th day, we found out that you got into a bit of trouble on the playground. You threw sand at the other kids, and wouldn't stop when they asked you not to do it. Naughty!!! Just this weekend we were at the beach with our friends Vanessa and David and you were playing so well with their two boys Ethan and Sebastian. There was some sand throwing, but it wasn't that bad and didn't seem deliberately aimed at anyone. I guess you decided to continue to throw sand... and target a few kids. Hopefully you won't keep doing that again since we talked to you multiple times about the fact that it's not acceptable behavior, not that you always listen.

Overall your teacher Ms. Holand said that you are having a great first week. So far you seem to like Mss Holand a lot and Ms. Robin not so much. Funny but we sort of had the same impression when we first met them, but it's only been 4 days!

Last day with Galia and the rest of the kids at the day care

Super excited for the Minnie Lunch Bag

On our way out

In front of your classroom

Recovering

Happy to say that once we got home, things got so much easier. Sascha has been doing very well. The catheter was taken out 1 week after the surgery, which was not a big deal to take out, you fussed for 10 seconds and it was all over. I wanted it out sooner, but the nurse suggested we keep it in for a few extra days. The reason I wanted it out sooner is because we noticed a little bit of blood near the insertion area as well as the diaper after a few days, but apparently that's normal and mostly because she became a bit more active in walking around and even jumping a few days after we got home from the hospital. Once she got it out, we came home and I tried to have her go potty. She refused, cried, threw a big fit and I stopped trying. My mom came over an hour later to stay with Sascha so that I could go to work, but I didn't feel comfortable leaving until I knew she could go on the potty, so we tried again. We sat her Pooh Bear on the toilet, bribed her with stickers and candy and after 5 or 10 minutes she agreed to sit down. Another few minutes went by and she went pee pee. I've never been so releaved in my life! She was very proud of herself as well, and we gave her all the treats we promised. Since she did well that day, I thought she was ready to go back to daycare. Galia was so happy to see her, she gave her a big hug when we arrived. I picked Sascha up, and she didn't have a single accident all day, which I thought was great. When we got home, I asked if she wanted to go on a potty, and she said no. Sure enough in another 15 minutes I noticed your wet pants. You just didn't want to go on a potty at home. Well getting you out of those pants was a whole other story. You had a total tantrum meltdown. I tried to take them off and you refused, then I asked if you could do it yourself and you wouldn't, so this battle lasted for a little while. Eventually I got the pants off, but the underwear you still refused to take off. Well later I realized you just are so nervious about being touched in the lower area of the abdomen, that you don't want us to change you. May be that's why you didn't want to go on the potty, because that would require us to get close to the incision. You have also refused to go #2 on a potty and seem to be totally content going in your pants. :( Well another week has passed by, you have gotten a bit better about it and more trusting. I usually say, "I will be very careful and gentle" and you say it back "be very careful" and "gentle". It's very cute! Another thing you've started to hate is bath time. We weren't able to give you one for over a week and just gave you a sponge bath and tried to wash your hair and it was an absolute disaster. So now, before bedtime you say "no bath! later". Another funny thing you've been saying almost every time we drive is "be carefull mommy". You also say it to daddy. And a few times you have complained that it hurts and you need medicine and you point to your lower tummy. Poor little munchkin, I hope you forget all about it soon!!!

We have a follow up appointment with her doctor next week, and I am pretty sure you'll be cleared for your usual activity. It's been hard to keep you away from climbing up the playground in the back yard, jumping, running and doing your usual active stuff. The tape has fallen off the incision, and it's looking like it's healing up very nicely. I still look at it in disbelief that you even have it. The other interesting thing that we noticed is that you pee differently now. You seem to be able to hold it in longer, and when you go, you sort of take your time, you stop in the middle and then go some more and then some more... seems like you're able to empty your bladder, or at least that's what I am hoping. I will definitely mention it to the doctor and hope that it's a positive and not a negative.

So now that we're over the hard stuff, it's just a matter of time to get the tests done. I am sure 2 months will fly by very quickly. I will try not to think about it too much, just really hope that we did the right thing by having this surgery.

As hard as this experience was to go through, especially being 31 weeks pregnant, I know that people go through a lot worse. I can be grateful for an amazingly supportive and loving husband, the family and friends we have in our lives and for our health. When you go through tough times, it really puts things in perspective for us. What's really important and what's not. The everyday things we may complain about and be unhappy about all dissapear when you or someone you know is going through a tough time. Even when the kid has a cold or other sickness, it's so hard to watch them suffer. You just want to take that pain away, and have it be you going through it instead of them. Really makes you appreciate life when everyone is healthy!

On another note, I decided to take Sascha to preschool for circle time for about an hour to get her familiar with the classroom, her teachers and the kids. She seemed very excited at the idea, and when we got there they were just starting to settle into circle time. You acted very shy at first and clung to me. I pulled up a small chair to where the kids were and sat down, and you stood at my feet the whole time. Once the activities began, you couldn't wait to go explore, you tried just about every station, and didn't even notice that I stepped out for 5 minutes to go to the front desk to make sure the director had all our paperwork. I could hardly get you away... and once the activities were put away, I asked you to say bye to your teachers Ms. Holand & Ms. Robin as well as the kids, and we headed back to the car. You kept saying I want to go to preschool, and then you saw the playground and started crying that you didn't want to leave. I guess I will take that as a good sign. :) I told you that we would be coming back here in just 1 week, and that right now we're going to see Galia at daycare. You said "No Galia" which was very surprising, because a lot of times you will ask to see her.
I think you are really going to like preschool, and both Daddy and I are looking forward to this next phase.

I haven't taken many pictures lately... this one is a few months old, but it's such a favorite of mine. It's been my desktop background at work for a while now

Ultrasound @ 28 weeks

I had this done over a month ago, but forgot all about it with so many other things going on. The baby measured a bit bigger again, so that's good... looks like he's growing well. The main point of this ultrasound was to check the kidneys because of our history with reflux and most measurements taken were normal or borderline. There was one measurement of the cross section of one kidney that was over the normal 4mm mark. The doctor did suggest that we do a follow up ultrasound of the baby's kidneys once he is born. From what I've read, there is about 30% chance of this baby having the reflux that Sascha also has, so we just have to be aware and know what to expect. There may still be nothing to worry about. These measurements are very preliminary and it's one of the most common ones that turn out abnormal, so I am not thinking too much about it at this point, we'll know more when the baby is born.

The ultrasound took a very long time, for some reason something looked "strange" on the image w/the placenta, so after the tech took the images to the doctor I had to lay down again for the doctor to try and get a better picture, when they still couldn't they had to check the cervix and make sure I wasn't dilated, because of the way things looked on the images. I got a bit worried of course, but once everything got cleared up, things were fine and I was on my way out. I won't be having any follow up ultrasounds at the hospital, unless there are other reasons for it. I'll be having one at 35 weeks at my OB's office to check the position of the baby. He's been moving a ton lately! As soon as I lay down and try to go to sleep the kicking begins, and it's strong! It's like a party had just begun. :) The 3rd trimester aches and pains had begun weeks ago, and I am feeling cramps and a lot of pressure once I get up after sitting for a while, and then I am feeling back pains if I am standing up, walking for a long time. I am usually getting up 3 times a night to empty the bladder, so I guess I'll be ready for all those middle of the night feedings that are coming my way. At least now I am able to go back to sleep most of the time. I asked the doctor what her policy on inducing is, and after 38 and half weeks I can be induced, hurray! I of course have a feeling the baby will be here before due date like last time (especially because I just feel like I've gotten much bigger belly w/this pregnancy). I am sure it could mean nothing at all and I hope I don't have any issues and make it to at least 38 weeks, but I am definitely not going over my due date of November 19th. We are getting more and more excited to meet this little guy. It would of course help if we had a name picked out too, but we are still contemplating. We have a favorite or two but we still haven't decided for sure. Seems like girl names are much easier for us than boy ones. We just can't seem to settle on one. At one point we had the middle name decided and now that's changing too. Hope we decide in the next 2 months!

I only got one picture from the last ultrasound and it was of his face.

I am now at 33 weeks, 7 weeks to go! Time is definitely flying by and we are getting more and more excited for this baby to come out so we can meet him. I've also been a little anxious about it. How will Sascha adjust? What's it going to be like - a family of 4, with two little kiddos under 5 years old! Definitely some exciting times ahead!!! For now I am just really trying to enjoy our time with her because I know once the baby comes, my attention will have to be divided and limited, so for now I am still enjoying having her be the center of our universe.

Post-Surgery

At last we are home 3 days later! 3 of the most difficult days we've ever had. This is going to be a record long post of mine. I'll start from the beginning:

We planned to arrive at the hospital on Wednesday at 1pm since the surgery got moved to 2 hrs earlier than originally scheduled. You didn't really have any idea why we were going there, although I told you that we're going to go to see the doctor and he is going to fix your little problem so you won't have to take medicine every day. You seemed ok most of the day without eating (not very surprising since you are not a good eater to begin with). Only, right before we were leaving you started asking for snacks and we quickly put you in the car and left. I remember Daddy and I staring at each other for a moment before we turned on the car. We knew we were about to begin a really tough day.

We checked in, signed all the paperwork, and a few nurses talked to us about the procedure and took your vitals. First they asked you to put on a "special shirt" and explained that little girls who wore the special shirt got a popsicle later. You seemed very excited about the idea of getting a popsicle, and you quickly pulled off your shirt and asked for help to put on the special one. There was also a number of bright fake fish tanks that you seemed very interested in, as well as stickers. You must have asked the nurse who gave you a sticker to give you more about 10 times. She thought you were cute and couldn't resist allowing you to raid her sticker stash again and again.

Then we just waited until about 3pm, at which time the doctor walked in to talked to us about what to expect, and to see if we had any concerns or questions. As usual, we were concerned about the bladder catheter, and whether you shouldn't have it because we thought you would attempt to pull it out at your first opportunity. We agreed that he would simply make the decision during the surgery. After we talked he made a comment to you about how pretty your shirt was, and you immediately replied with "I want to get a popsicle." It was just precious. Afterwards the anesthesiologist came in with the nurse to meet you. They mentioned that we would be going to the "popsicle room" in just a few minutes. It was almost time.

At that point I gave you a huge hug and a kiss, and daddy asked if we could go in to be with you until you went to sleep, and they only let daddy come because of the gas and me being pregnant. Once you left the room, I was really upset, then I saw Daddy come back in and he was upset too. He said that you were happy to be going to the popsicle room and were very excited, but then when you entered the operating room you had a puzzled look on your face. You got to pick a strawberry flavor for your mask, and after Daddy lifted you up on the operating table, you got to smell the mask, but that after a few seconds of laying there with the mask on your face, you started to say "All done!".

We then both moped our way to the cafeteria to get some food and wait. After about 2 hours we were called from the waiting room and talked to Dr. Aligiri who operated on you. He said that surgery went well and you are sleeping in a recovery room where they will call one of us over to be with you once you start waking up. So off we went to another waiting area and in another 40 minutes they called us in. I walked in and could hear you crying, but as soon as you saw me I distracted you with little ducky good luck charms that Aaron gave you the night before and you immediately calmed down. You went in and out of sleep most of the hour or two that we waited there until your room was ready. You seemed really groggy after anesthesia which is to be expected, but you definitely recognized us. You had a few sips water, but you weren't able to keep that down.

Since only one parent was allowed in the recovery room, Daddy and I switched back and forth. While I was in the recovery room, you asked "where is Daddy?" and when Daddy was in the room with you, your asked "where is Mommy?" Grandpa David came and waited in the waiting room with us too, to keep each of us company. Also, our friend Jacob came to see you and he was able to just walk into the recovery area with his badge since he is a second year resident there. He read the surgery report and assured us that everything went well.

Finally we got transported to your room. Baba and Deda came to see you shortly after. The charge nurse allowed us both to stay in the room with you that night even though it was against the policy, however, there was only one chair that pulled out into a semi-bed, and a regular chair. Needless to say it was incredibly uncomfortable. You seemed to be super tired and out of it, so we were hoping you would go to sleep. That is definitely not something you or we did that night. You started to have bladder spasms, so they put you on Ditropan, and then your diaper wasn't wet at all, so a few hours later they had to pull the urine out of the catheter connected through a small incision directly to your bladder, that they put in during surgery. We worried about having this stent in from the very beginning thinking you would pull it out. Sure enough the first night once you got a bit more alert you wanted everything out, the stent and the IV. You started screaming in Daddy's arms saying "take it out!!!" and we had to put arm restraints on you so that you couldn't bend your arms. After all that, you finally fell asleep for a little while and so did we. Most of the night you did not sleep more than a few hours. We noticed that a lot of fluid was leaking out of your incision, so the nurse had to reinforce it with more padding. Thank God we were both there because I don't think we could have gotten through it on our own, I know I couldn't have.

The next day seemed like it was going to get better. You asked to go potty, actually went, and you had a few wet diapers too. This was the best thing you could have done, so we were very excited at the progress. Once the doctor heard that, they decided they would take the stent out, and lower your fluids so that you can start to want to drink things on your own. You walked a little bit and we went in the playroom, and you seemed to be doing ok. A few hours went by and you weren't drinking or eating, and the one time you tried a tiny bite (because Daddy and I were begging you to eat so that we could go home), you once again couldn't keep it down. So they decided to keep you for another night. I think you were very nauseous from the tylenol with codeine, even though they gave you anti-nausea medication, so we switched to regular tylenol.

Later that evening you seemed to be in a better mood, and I started to feel cramps in my tummy so my parents talked me into going home with them so I could get a few hours of solid sleep and come back in the early morning. It broke my heart to leave, but I felt like it was probably for the best, since we didn't want to go into preterm labor. I returned back to the hospital by 6:30 am, but did not get good news. You didn't drink or pee very much, so they upped your fluids again, and you ran a small fever. I found you sleeping in daddy's mini-couch with him. He once again had only a few hours of sleep. That morning was pretty miserable, not only did you not eat or drink, you stopped peeing. By noon that day it had become a big concern and if you didn't pee in the next hour, the doctor wanted to put a catheter in. You were clearly so uncomfortable. Any time we put you on your feet you must have felt the pressure from the bladder and cried to get picked up. You fell asleep on daddy multiple times. You were never as comfortable on my lap, it must have been my big tummy pushing up against yours, luckily you have an amazing Daddy, he knew how to comfort you, and make you feel better, and he helped keep me sane through out these crazy few days.

So for the next hour or may be even two we begged, bribed and did everything to make you go on a potty or in your diaper. You kept saying it hurts, so you were back on tylenol with codeine. Then you kept saying that you will try to go in your diaper, but it didn't happen. We don't know why... may be once you were off the stronger med, you felt the pain and decided you didn't want to do that anymore, after all it's one of the few things you still had control over... your bladder. The staff at Children's even set up a little lunch date for you in the playroom with another little girl who was recovering from surgery. They tried everything they could as well, including outright bribes of Disney and Dora books. Nothing could tempt you.

By 2pm, they had to cath you. Daddy and I felt defeated, frustrated, and extremely upset, the one and only thing we were trying to avoid was going home with any external things that you would be able to pull out. Now, having an extra incision for the stent that was pulled out a day earlier was totally pointless, but who could have known. We certainly did not want to watch you go through getting that put in again like they do during your yearly bladder test. You actually did ok with 3 nurses standing over you putting in a catheter. I was more of a mess. I am sure you were once again frightened, but we turned on the TV to have you focus on something other that what was being done and daddy hovered over you to try and distract you as well. It actually wasn't as horrible as we expected and we could tell how much better you felt once they relieved that pressure, your poor tummy was so hard for hours.

The doctors came in to talk to us an hour later and said that we would go home with it, they assured us that it's actually for the best because you won't have a chance to overextend your bladder and damage the repair that they had done during the surgery. They said if we want we can stay an extra night, or we could see how you do for a few more hours and decide to go home in the evening. We had lunch outside, while Grandpa held you in his arms and you watched a little girl run around on the playground. You no longer had a fever, you managed to eat a few crackers, and seemed like you were drinking too, so we decided it would be best to go home. They showed us how to take care of the bag, and got us ready to go home. Some of the things you constantly said while at the hospital: "Take it off!" - about the IV, "Don't touch!" - when we would open your diaper or touch any other part that would hurt, "Pick - a - me up!" - you hated the crib bed you laid in, and wanted to be held and comforted, "I want to go home!" - this broke my heart multiple times.

As soon as you realized we were going home, you seemed different. You started talking, and you even said bye, thank you, and blew a kiss to your wonderful nurse Jen. Grandpa helped carry you and our things to the car, and we headed home. When we got home, we put you on a chair and I offered you some yogurt and you gladly took it. I was shocked. Then Baba and Deda came, as well as Inna, Grisha and Aaron. You were very excited to see all of them, especially Aaron. After they visited for a little while, we put you to bed. We were going to keep you in our bed so that you can be close, but you said you wanted to go into yours, and once we laid you down, you didn't move much. I checked on you multiple times during the night and we emptied your pee-bag once and you didn't even wake up. You got up around 7:30am and were ready for your milk and requested to see "Beauty and the Beast". You complained about something hurting so we gave you some Tylenol. Your first day at home was wonderful, you ate, you drank a ton, and we kept you busy with all the new books, and toys that you got while at the hospital.

You sure got a lot of things while being there. Grandpa Dave was able to find Donald Duck for you, and that sure put a smile on your face. You've been asking for Donald for months... and I haven't been able to find one for you. You also got a Raggedy Ann doll from Terri - a coworker who passed it along to my mom, Baba also brought a Matreoshka - russian nested doll that you love to play with at their house to look for Malenkaya - the smallest little doll that you find at the very end of opening up all the other dolls. You got a ton of new books from others who came to see you, and a few from the nurses at the hospital. The staff there was just wonderful. What difficult jobs they have to take care of sick kids! Our families and friends have been so incredibly supportive throughout this whole ordeal. Everyone who knows and cares about you called us or our parents, texted, or messaged on Facebook to see how you were doing just about every day that we were at the hospital. We are truly thankful and appreciative for all of their love and support. It was such a tough time for us and we knew that we were in everyone's thoughts and prayers that you would recover well.

So back to being at home.... you wouldn't take a nap, even though you looked really tired. Baba and I tried for a few hours in our bed, your bed, the couch... you just wanted to play. You became so much more active, you were able to get up on your own, walk around freely (even though you had a bag strapped to you leg). We kept you in your footy PJ's all day so that it would hide the bag and you couldn't easily access it, and it actually worked very well. At first you hated when we did anything w/it, but then you discovered that it really doesn't hurt at all, so now you don't seem to mind it. I couldn't be more thrilled with how today went!!! It would have been nice to have you nap too, but hey... we can't have it all can we?

I refused to take pictures of you at the hospital. I think more than anything I want to forget that you were ever there. Daddy took a picture of you with his phone in the playroom the day after surgery when you were actually doing fairly well. So here is one from the playroom in your little gown playing with dinosaurs and another few after we got home.

First few minutes at home surrounded by your toys

The next morning reading one of your new books on the floor with Daddy

Pre - Surgery

Well, it's a few days before your surgery, and I must say even though the last couple of weeks I have seemed to accept the fact that this is happening, I am still so uneasy and nervous. A few days ago, you developed a weird cough at night and I got really paranoid that you're getting sick and we may have to reschedule, but so far no other symptoms, so hopefully this is nothing to worry about.

I have been reading all sorts of things online about your condition (VUR) and the bilateral ureter transplant which is the official name of your surgery. There are definitely risks involved, like bladder spasms, infections and etc, but I have been reading about many success stories as well, after all this surgery has been performed for almost 100 years, and has 98-99 % success rate. I am so thankful that this can be done to fix your bladder problem. We are hoping and praying that you get through it well. I hope to keep it together and stay strong for you, lately I have been able to, but being pregnant I think I am twice as emotional, mostly it's when I think about leaving you for 2 or 3 agonizing hours of the actual procedure where we won't be able to know anything or see you and the fact that even if we explain what's happening to you, you won't really understand and you'll still be scared. I can't wait for it all to be over and hopefully forget all about this.

I already made your follow up tests in 2 months (the dreaded VCUG and an ultrasound), so in December we will find out for sure if you are reflux free and can be taken off the antibiotics for good. Hopefully that will be the last VCUG you will ever have to go through. Of course you will still need follow up ultrasounds to make sure your kidneys are developing well and there are no other issues.

I wonder how I will be able to keep you from eating on the day of the surgery. You can only have a light breakfast before 8am. Sometimes you are not even awake at 8am, and then when you ask for food at lunch, I will have to tell you no. :( You can only have liquids before 11am, and at 2pm we have to cut off everything. We may get a call to be able to move the surgery time to earlier than 5pm which will help this situation.

I've been putting together a list of things to take to the hospital, your favorite things, a few new toys, dvds. I really hope we figure out how to have both daddy and I spend the night with you since they only allow one person and he is insisting that I go home and rest. Hopefully it's just one night that we have to spend at the hospital, if all goes well during the surgery and your recovery, I think we may be going home the next evening.

The following 3 weeks we have to keep a close eye on your activities, keep you away from climbing things and swinging from the monkey bars because of the abdominal incision that needs time to heal. That I am sure will prove to be challenging because you are super active. Galia at daycare often says that you are definitely one of the most active children there. So we may have to keep you inside a lot, I am pretty sure you'll be watching a lot of TV! I guess it's one of the perks of being sick. Enjoy it while you can, since we are planning on you going to preschool a month after this surgery. It's cute, but you've said a few times now how you want to go to school, I think you'll really like preschool!

One of our few trips to the beach this summer. Apparently this summer has been one of the coolest summers in the last 30 years. We only had about a week or two when the temperatures got up to upper 90's. I of course am very thankful for a cold summer. It's no fun being pregnant in the heat. :)

Daddy drew Mickey and Minnie for you. You loved it! They are your favorite!

Great Grandparents

Today your great grandfather and my grandfather Mikhail passed away. We found out a little over a month ago that he had Cancer which has spread to many of his organs, and being 90 years old of course there would be no treatment. The last few weeks have been tough to watch... he got really weak and skinny, slept a lot. Almost 2 weeks ago we took you to see him because he seemed to be getting much worse and when I saw him, we asked if he would like to see you and he seemed to be excited at the opportunity, so I brought you with me. He was happy to see you. Of course you wouldn't sit still very long so it was a very brief stay, but I was glad that he got to see you before he went. He was the last grandparent on my side. My grandma & his wife Sofia had passed away last October and we all miss her terribly. Before that both of the grandparents on my dad's side Maria and Lev also passed away within a few years of each other. You never met grandma Maria because you came along after she passed, but you did see grandpa Lev a few times when you were a baby. Of course you will not remember them which is why I wanted to make sure I said a few things about them and post some pictures.

I was a lot closer to the grandparents on my mom's side, probably because they always lived in the same city we lived in, and as a child I spent many many days at their house. Grandma Sofia was one of the most sweetest and selfless people I have ever known, she lived for her kids/grand kids & great grand kids. There wasn't anything in the world that she wouldn't do for us. You were named Sascha after her because she is just the most wonderful person and I loved her very much. Both grandparents have been through a lot in their lives. They survived World War II. Both grandfathers fought in WW II, and have earned many medals and honors for it. Grandpa Mikhail had even written a book about his experiences with the Nazi's and specific battles he fought in. On his 90th Birthday in November there was a front page article in the San Diego Union Tribune about his contributions in WW II. He was a very brave young man, and none of us could imagine the hardships they've gone through in their long lives. They all lived to 85 and beyond and that's truly impressive considering how difficult life was in Russia, and they adapted the best that they could once we came to the States in 1993. Grandpa Mikhail was especially motivated. I will always admire his drive to learn and to challenge himself is so many ways. He was determined to learn English, he stayed very active in the Russian Jewish Veteran community through out his 17 years here. I've definitely always admired his ability and desire to never stop being curious and taking each challenge as a learning opportunity, it was definitely something he's taught all of us in the family. I am sad that i will not be attending his funeral or the wake. It is sort of a custom Russian/Jewish, I really am not sure who comes up w/these things, but a pregnant woman is not supposed to go to the cemetery or the wake. I was hoping to at least be present at the wake after wards, but my family insisted and said he wouldn't want that. I was really upset at first, but I do understand where they are coming from. Since all of them have passed in the last 5 years, and I've gone to them all, I just wished I could have been there for grandpa Mikhail's too. I am sure there is going to be a lot of great things said, as he was a remarkable man, and many loved him. I will be able to pay my respects after the baby is born.

I also have fond memories of the grandparents on my dad's side. I've spent a few summers visiting them in Odessa on my own as a child and with my sister and we always had a great time. Grandpa Lev had 7 siblings and his parents, who he never saw after he came back from WW II, he was led to believe that all of them died in the holocaust since his family lived in the outskirts of Poland at the time and the Nazi's had come there to destroy the Jews. It was such an awful time in history, and it's something he had lived with his whole life.

I am sad that you will grow up not knowing them.

Us with grandpa Mikhail & grandma Sofia

I will never forget my grandparents dancing at our wedding. Towards the very end of the reception, we did a song where the couples dance and they call out the number of years that they have been married and the couples leave the dance floor who have been married the shortest amount of time. Back in 2005, they were already married over 60 years, so of course they were the last couple dancing on the floor. Grandpa was so into it, he was having a blast, my grandma tried her best to keep up. It was one of the sweetest moments that I will cherish forever... and I am so happy that they were there.

Not a recent picture. Sascha is about a year and a half. But it's rare to find a picture where they are both smiling, and this is probably one of the last ones... so I chose this one.

I could not find any pictures of my other grandparents, most of them are not digital and need to be scanned, but I will be sure to add them here once I get them from my dad.

This was the eulogy that Jeromey read at his funeral... I had written it only an hour before his funeral and emailed it to Jeromey while he was still at work, so he could print it out and read it at either the funeral or the wake. Many of the things I already mentioned above... but I wanted to post it anyways, so that I know I can always look back and read it here. It's about both grandpa Mikhail and grandma Sofia.

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I have so many fond memories of my grandfather Mikhail since we were lucky enough to have always lived within a 20 mile radius of each other my whole life.

I remember spending many days in their home back in Sevastopol where Grandma Sofia and Grandpa Mikhail would help take care of my sister and I. It was certainly a second home for us, and we looked forward to spending time together .

I remember him enjoying going to work, and one time in particular, I even got to visit him in his office in one of the tallest buildings in the city, which was very exciting for me as a child.

During some months of the year, my grandfather would take me to the parades that used to happen in near their home, and I cannot forget walking hand-in-hand with him and grandma in the beautiful green parks.

I always enjoyed the time I spent with both of them. I have always had great respect for both of my grandparents. While Grandma was the rock that kept things together in the house, Grandpa was the determined, motivated, and extremely hard working provider. He took so much pride in what he did, and it was always known that he was doing it to take good care of his family.

As I got older I remember the message he would constantly share with us, "hard work and dedication will persevere". He was always very encouraging to both my sister and I about how important education and learning was. He really practiced what he preached, and by this tremendous example that he provided, both of his children worked very hard to earn & achieve the many things they have been able to accomplish in their lives. I can only thank my grandparents for giving their children and eventually their grandchildren those values.

Grandpa always placed such a strong emphasis on learning. He also used to say to us “Live 100 years, Learn 100 years, and you will still have much to learn.” Coming to the states in his 70's, it was clear that his learning never stopped. He looked at each challenge that was presented to him as an opportunity to learn: learning how to drive a car, learning how to speak English, he never stopped trying, it didn't matter if his speaking was not yet perfect, he would try to get better at it, and he took every opportunity to encourage all of us to do the same each time a challenge was presented.

Another very honorable quality that I have forever admired about him is his desire to help others. Regardless of whether you had asked him or not, he would offer to try and make things better if he saw the need. Not just our family, but other people around him as well. He seemed to be the person people turned to for help, and he would always try to do his best to provide it.

One of the best memories that I will ever have is one that happened almost 5 years ago, when he danced at our wedding with grandma. Towards the very end of the reception, all of the couples were asked to dance together, and as they called out the number of years that a couple has been married, the couples that had been married for the shortest amount of time would be asked to leave the dance floor. Back in 2005, Grandma and Grandpa were already married over 60 years, so of course they were the very last couple dancing on the floor. Grandpa was so into it, he was having such a wonderful time living in the moment, and my grandma tried her very best to keep up. It was one of the sweetest moments that I will cherish forever. I am so very grateful for this lasting image of love and devotion that our grandparents both gave us.

I will always love him and miss him greatly.

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An Update

Potty training is going well. You are now accident free at daycare and at home about 90% of the time which is pretty darn good. We still have trouble when we go somewhere, I have been putting you in a pull up just to be safe, or may be out of laziness because I don't know if I will encounter a bathroom in time, and if you will be willing to sit on one of these folding potties which I purchased. Sometimes you do very well on it, other times you refuse to use it. It just seems a lot harder for you to go when you're not in a familiar place. I try to take you, but you resist, but when you actually need to go, you don't know where to run to like you do at home or daycare and you don't always ask to go. So it's a work in progress, but I would say you're about 80% potty trained. :)

My pregnancy is going well. It's definitely a different experience being pregnant and taking care of a toddler. My back pains go away and come back, usually they come back during the weekend when I am doing way too much. I gone to a few prenatal yoga classes and have regular visits to the chiropractor & massage therapist which helps loosen things up. We have another ultrasound at 28 weeks to check on the kidneys of the baby, so I am looking forward to checking the little guy out on the screen. With Sascha we only had one ultrasound, and w/this one it's already our 3rd one. I feel like I am getting pretty big, and carrying this one very differently, it just looks like a have a big ball under my shirt. I am really starting to gain some weight I think, or at least that's the feeling I get, although my doctor said I've only gained about 15 lbs so far. 3rd trimester is just around the corner... We are very excited to meet this little guy! It's probably time to start working on changing up the rooms, but we haven't really started. Still have 3 months and there is not a whole lot we plan to do other than paint and put Sascha's new room together. It will be so fun to have her go to a big girl bed... we can start reading her stories in bed.

Seems like Sascha is ready for a little sibling to come along. She is so excited when we see our friends with babies. She talks about them, she always asks to hold them. At daycare, most kids have been all around Sascha's age, and recently they got a one year old and a 5 month old, and Galia tells me how she always comes over and is very gentle with the baby, and how she always wants to help. You are especially concerned if the baby cries. So cute! We've always told you to be gentle, and now you kiss my belly almost daily. I hope you have an easy adjustment when this little boy comes. You seem very independent, and a non-jealous type, at least lately so hopefully that means you will have an easier transition. Part of me feels a little bit bad about the whirlwind of things that are all coming your way in the next 3 months. You'll be moving rooms, going to a big girl bed, you will have a surgery, then 3 weeks later you will most likely start preschool and then in another 3 or 4 weeks the baby arrives! I am really going to try to break up all of these events to give you as much time as we can, but some of the events are really out of my hands. I am sure you will be fine, I just can't help but worry.

The surgery has been moved up to September 15th, so we now have more time to recover and probably start preschool in mid October. I've talked to multiple doctors and it seems like all of them have a similar opinion of just getting it over with considering that there has been no improvement in the last 3 years. So it gives me more comfort to go ahead with our decision and just hope that everything works out in the end. Everyone says how fast kids heal and you won't remember it being so young, hopefully it won't be too traumatizing or painful. It's really one of the worst feelings to see your kids in pain, hurt or sick, and not something you can truly understand until you have a child of your own. I have said this many times, but now I can see why my parents would worry as much as they did, and why they may have seemed so overprotective or unreasonable. You really can't understand why until you have kids of your own.

Oh did I mention that we got a huge playset in our back yard now. Early Bday/Christmas present! You waited patiently for a week to get it all built and it took daddy all weekend long, but at last this was your excited face... you love it! And we love watching you play on it!

And here are a few from our latest outing to the zoo