eva's workout

Eva likes working out. She sits in her vibrating chair and kicks her toys. She giggles while smacking this bird in the face...not sure what I think about that but look at this smile!

who does she look like?

Here are photos of me and Joe at 2 months and also Eva...she's the cute one. Who does she resemble more? She's definitely got Joe's beautiful eyelashes and my fickle nature. Possibly blue eyes and dark curly hair - we are in for trouble.

Our little Evangelina had her first round of shots today. I don't know who it was more painful for - us or her. She's sleeping it off now. Good news - all her test results have come back negative and she's gained 3lbs and 4 inches since birth!

eva's new chairs

Eva got a rocking chair from Grandma & Grandpa Smith during their visit this past week. She also got a Bebe pod from us which helps her sit up. She loves the new perspective and feels like such a big girl. Doesn't she look happy?

eva @ 2 months

Here's what Eva's been doing the last month:

• She's smiling, cooing, and laughing all the time.
• She's getting somewhat of a routine and sleeping up to 6 hours at night - yippie!
• She's entertaining herself with her toys and exploring her surroundings.
• She's starting to hold her head up and scoot around on her belly during tummy time.
• She's loving bath time and getting massaged with soap.
• She's been marathon eating which means she is going through a growth spurt.
  
• She met her Grandad Austin & spent two weeks with Grandmommy Austin.
• She met her Aunt Chuck & Yuichi.
  
• She met Aunt Mere & Cousin Candice...she likes watching Candice dance.
  
• She went to the annual Ocean Beach Street Fair.
  
• She went to the San Diego Zoo and was quite an angel for 3 hours.
• She's even cuter than she was last month!

eva's new toy

Eva got a new toy - a Baby Einstein play mat. The photo above is her smiling when we first put her on it. She is looking at a star that flashes lights and plays music. The photo below is later that night when she decided to start responding with laughter and cooing. We love to watch her reaction but even more it is great having a babysitter!

joe's first father's day

Here's Joe with his new baby girl. You can see the furry first baby, Oliver, in the background. Joe had a splendid first father's day. He got to surf, had a couple of margaritas at brunch, cuddle time with Eva, nap time and then a nice dinner with wifey while grandmommy watched the baby. He's quite the proud papa. Here's Eva playing after we got back from dinner. She's really starting to understand her world and smiling a lot!

i wonder what she's planning...

eva's first bath

Well, she has technically had many sponge baths but today was her official first bath. We had to wait until her umbilical cord fully healed...I think it took so long to heal because of our strong mother/daughter connection. The bath started out a little scary but by the end, she was content.

eva's first month

Our little girl has had a big first month:

• She met her maternal grandmother and paternal grandparents.
• She attended her first concert with papa on guitar.
• She has taken many strolls along the ocean and pier.
• She is gaining over an ounce per day.
• She is grasping our fingers and skin when we hold her.
• She also loves to squirm and kick when we hold her.
• She loves to pull away from eating with her arms up victoriously.
• She is starting to enjoy tummy time and able to lift her head a bit and turn side to side.
• She has mastered the bottle and pacifier - mama needs a break!
  
• She has already toured Little Italy.
• She looks in our eyes when we hold her.
• She loves constant movement - especially bouncing on the yoga ball.
• She can already sleep up to 5 hours at night.
• She's received tons of well wishes and gifts from adoring fans.
  
• She's starting to smile.
  
• She has the nickname Squeaky "Cheeks" McGrunty - Squeaky because she squeaks when awake; "Cheeks" because she's got pinchin' cheeks; McGrunty in honor of her Irish heritage and grunts while sleeping and stretching.
• Shockingly, she gets cuter by the day!

eva's first concert

Eva joined me in the audience to watch papa play the North Park Arts Festival. You can see how much she enjoyed watching papa rock out.

eva on the hosptial's website

http://www.sharp.com/baby/gallery.cfm?babyID=164512

She's got a silly look on her face but nonetheless, Eva is on another website. She is destined for musical greatness...not only because of her papa but look who shares her birthday!

my first mother's day

Eva has great timing. Only ten days old and she gave me the most wonderful first mother's day. She let me sleep in, I got to take pictures of her napping on papa, we introduced her to Oli's beach, and she was a quiet sleeper while we enjoyed a nice dinner with friends. To top it off, I had great well wishes from friends and family. I am a lucky mama!

making her mark

eva's first five days

Editor's note: I do know proper grammar but the captions won't allow apostrophes ;)

say hello to our daughter!

Evangelina Viola Amato
Evangelina - bringing joy and good news
Viola - lovely, violet, musical instrument
Amato - loved

born May 3, 2007 at 3:15 p.m.
8lbs 5.16 oz & 20 inches


Eva is amazing. She is already teaching us how to deal with last minute changes and be patient. Her facial expressions and chubby cheeks make everything seem ok. We learned how to work as a family during the last four days in the hospital. We are now home and doing wonderful.

We feel blessed to have such great family and friends sending us well wishes. We are on baby time so the responses won't flow as quickly as they did before. However, keep checking this blog for more updates on Baby Eva and lots of photos!

labor of love

My last day of work was Friday, April 27. I originally planned to work up until the due date but I was getting very tired and was hoping to coax Baby Amato out early. My wishes were granted. After my nightly shower on May 1, I started having contractions. They continued steady through the night. Things weren't progressing as I had hoped so we took a walk on the beach. The photo to the left is the last one of Baby Amato in the womb on the morning of May 2.

My contractions continued steady all day on May 2. By the evening, they were getting very strong and it was time to call in help. We went to our doula's birth center to wait out our hospital arrival as much as possible. I wanted to have a natural birth with as little interventions as possible so the best advice is to stay out of the hospital until close to delivery time. After a very long evening of very strong contractions, my water still hadn't broken and the contractions were not getting any closer than 3-5 minutes apart. By 6:00 a.m. and 32 hours of labor, I was getting very frustrated. The doula recommended we go home and rest, then see what is happening later in the day. I reluctantly agreed. We napped for about an hour then woke up to see that my water had broken and we were back on track. I opted to go right to the hospital. We arrived at the hospital around 9:00 a.m. and they checked to see that I was already halfway dilated and well on my way to delivery. When they checked me again at 12:30, I hadn't progressed as they hoped so they did an ultrasound. To our surprise, Baby Amato was breech (butt first) and a Cesarean delivery was required. I was very disappointed that I wasn't going to have my natural delivery but also somewhat relieved that I wouldn't have to deal with labor any longer. From here, it is all kind of a blur... I get a spinal epidural, Joe gets into his fancy scrubs, and then Baby Amato arrives ...

enjoying oli's beach

our first baby - Oliver the Puppy

A year ago this week, we lost our beloved Oliver to cancer. While we are very grateful that he died painlessly in our arms, it is by far the most painful experience we have ever dealt with. In his honor, we will often visit the beach where we scattered his ashes. He loved to swim and play at that beach. Oliver was much more than a dog. He was our best friend and a devoted companion. Check out Oliver's myspace page: www.myspace.com/oliverthepuppy

Long live the puppy!

place your bets!

We are exactly one month away from the due date. It is time to start placing your bets! Is it a girl or a boy? When will s/he be due?

I call a girl on 5/6/07 -- I just like the look of the date!
Joe thinks a boy on 5/1/07 -- in honor of Grandpa Amato.

What do you think? Leave a comment for your bet!

35 weeks down & 35 days to go

Here's Baby Amato rockin' out to latin music. We went to hear a Brazilian jam band and baby really, really liked it... s/he was dancing the whole time!

I think I was bragging about how "easy" this pregnancy has been and then wouldn't you know, the swelling and hugeness is really starting to get to me. I require regular rest now and Joe is great about pampering me. We are going to try to sneak to Baja next week for a little lobster and R&R as one last vacation before baby's arrival. Not long now!

shadow belly

This photo shows a bit of Joe's artistic side. Baby Amato is getting bigger every day. S/he is now anywhere from 3-8 weeks from arrival...I'm hoping for an earlier due date so my body can get some relief! At least I get to enjoy a two week spring break starting today!

more baby classes and another shower!

We completed a baby basics class this week and learned how to change diapers, clothe and bathe baby, as well as comfort baby when crying. Aside from our doll having jaundice and some abuse marks, we were model students. Upcoming classes include: breastfeeding, CPR/first aid and baby bedtime. These last weeks are going to be busy but at least I get to enjoy a two week spring break starting this weekend...nap time!

I'm finishing my last credentialing class before baby arrives. I've been an online student but the university requires some face time and I'm putting in my dues while I can use the pregnancy to my advantage (like finishing the class early). I did a majority of the work on a group project that we aced and my team members rewarded me with a surprise baby shower in class! It was very kind, especially since I just met these folks a month ago. Baby Amato got a few more trinkets and I got to stuff my belly during class - how lucky am I?

surviving childbirth classes

Joe and I completed our childbirth classes this weekend. Aside from him feeling a little nauseous by descriptions and videos, it went well. All our reading has paid off because none of the information was brand new, plus our years of yoga will really come in handy. We were strongly encouraged to have a doula, which we luckily already have. We got to see the delivery room- pretty swanky for a hospital room and apparently we are going to be at the best hospital in the area. Neither of us are really jazzed about the blood and other fluids associated with the delivery but are super excited about seeing Baby Amato in about 50 days! I was very proud of Joe...he's going to be a great coach and papa.

31 weeks and nesting

That's Papa putting together Baby Amato's armoire. We are definitely in the nesting phase. We were concerned that we may need to move but our landlord either smartened up or took pity on us and is finishing the work he promised to do for us; thus, we can stay for a while longer. We are getting ready for baby... cleaned and put away all the baby clothes, got the hospital bags packed, and starting childbirth classes next week. The next photo is my buddha belly this week. If one more person asks if I am having twins, I may cry. I love that my belly is large and baby is healthy but it isn't easy to hear daily how huge I am. Gotta go now, the girl scout cookies are calling me...

surprise baby shower!

I feel so blessed to have a wonderful place to work and amazing people to work with. Today, the ladies at work surprised me with a baby shower! Most importantly, the students were actually able to keep the secret. They all pitched in to provide a scrumptious lunch, a few baby clothes, a diaper bag, changing pad, and a jogging stroller. I feel honored to know these great women and call them friends!