Hello Noah

Noah is the first grandchild on Jawsh's side and the first grandson on my side. Needless to say everyone is really excited that he is here. He had some visitors at the hospital... who will hold him more, Harabujee or Halmoni???

Noah Min Smith

Noah arrived today, November 25, 2006 at 5:00 AM. He is 7 lbs. 3 oz., 19.5 inches, and absolutely beautiful. We went into the hospital the night before around 10:00 PM and I thought they would send us home because I was not feeling any contraction pains. But we found out that I was already 5 cm dilated! They checked me in and my wonderful support team, Jawsh, and my doula, Michelle, helped me deliver Baby Noah. The birth went very well... all natural with no epidural! It went so great that it begs the question... will there be a next time???

Thanksgiving

This year we celebrated Thanksgiving at my parent's home. It was really nice to see family and friends before the baby arrives. It's weird to think that this will be the last holiday that Jawsh and I share as a twosome. What will it be like at Chanukah and Christmas when we're a threesome???

Library on wheels

Here is a picture of the baby's first library. We received the wagon from Grandma Tina and one of Grandpa Art's favorite books, Watership Down, is in the baby's collection. I wonder when Grandpa Art will read the book to the baby???

Professional pictures

Jawsh had been asking me to get pregnancy photos. I finally succumbed and we met with a great photographer who captured my very pregnant belly! What a fun and great experience... I wonder what the baby will think when he sees these???

Lucky 7

Today marks our first date anniversary! Jawsh and I have been together for seven years and to celebrate we went to one of my favorite restaurants, Ruth's Chris. Our first date was in San Diego... he took me to one of his childhood favorite restaurants, Corvettes, and then we watched a Mexican rock group, Cafe Tacuba, in downtown. Who knew that it would lead to this???

Piece #2

The baby has his second piece of furniture: his changing table. We really like the design because it can change into a small desk or shelf. What will be the next piece that goes in his room???

Dinner with the Deputy

"Deputy Commissioner" Joel and Kristie took us to dinner in Eagle Rock to a restaurant called Fattys. It was a great meal and nice to catch up with the man who married Jawsh and I just over a year ago and his lovely wife. Now that we're in the final stretch it's hard to meet up with friends, and we hear that once the baby comes it's even harder. When will we see them again???

Baby's bassinet

Jawsh assembled the baby's bassinet although we are not expecting him for another 5 weeks. We love the Stokke brand not only for the design but also because it converts to a crib and then a toddler bed! I also had to attach the sheep sound machine that will soothe the baby into sleep (we'll see). Will the baby fall fast asleep in his new bed???

Voting

Jawsh and I hope to teach our son how to make responsible choices for the betterment of our society. It's never to early to start thinking about these things. The baby and I went to the polls to cast our vote against Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Will that be enough to get him out of office???

Harabujee

Harabujee means grandfather in Korean... and my dad has finally reached that stage. Here he is holding Kaitlyn under the watchful eyes of her parents. My dad loves kids and it's going to be so much fun watching him interact with both babies. He feels very fortunate that he will have one of each. Mark my words, the grandchildren are going to be spoiled. Just how much, who knows???

"Healthy baby"

This week we saw a different doctor in the practice. After my examination she said to expect a "healthy" baby. When pressed about what she meant by healthy, she replied, "don't expect a 5 or 6 pound baby." Jawsh is predicting 7.5 pounds. How big is the baby going to be???

Just breathe

Instead of passing out candy, we went to our last childbirth class at Cedars. We learned all about the different stages of labor, pain management, and of course, breathing techniques. Who knew there were so many different ways to breathe! I wonder how we're going to do???

Aunt Kelly

I was so happy to see Kelly this past weekend. She has been really busy working but she somehow found the time to host a baby shower for me. She was really surprised to see how big I have grown... sometimes I still can't believe it! I wonder what the baby will think of his Aunt Kelly???

My favorite things

As the pregnancy progresses, I am finding that my feet are growing and sore. Thank goodness for Aveda products! I really love the foot cream and the body lotion... especially the scent. I also started using cocoa butter for my stomach to help prevent stretch marks but I do not like the smell. How long will I have to keep this up???

Lakers' baby

Today we were able to spend a few hours with our niece. She is absolutely wonderful. I cannot describe how amazing it felt to hold her in my arms. And because she is Billy's daughter... she has a few Kobe outfits and a Lakers mobile! Too funny. What will our baby decor be like???

Angels

Recently Grandma Bella passed into the spirtual world to be with Grandpa Marshall. We were so fortunate to spend time with her on her birthday. She lived a fulfilling life and we will miss her dearly. We take comfort in knowing that the two are united. I will always remember how they told Jawsh and I the importance of "compromise." I wonder if they will be the baby's guardian angels???

Birthday blessings

We had a lovely birthday lunch for soon to be Grandma Caryn, or should we say Bubbe (Yiddish for Grandmother). Instead of cake, we had delicious lemon meringue pie. We were also blessed to spend time with soon to be Great Uncle Steve and Great Aunt Julia who were in town. I wonder when we'll make our next trip to Reno???

Bell(a) of the ball

We were so happy to celebrate Grandma Bella's birthday. We enjoyed all the sweet desserts... cake from a great bakery called Piece of Cake and cherry pie from Julian (famous for their apples). This was the first time I had cherry pie and it was really tasty. Will this be my next craving???

Moving

We recently moved into a bigger place. It was an easy move thanks to Zach and Cindi... if it wasn't for them Jawsh and I would have had a stressful time. Now that we have a second bedroom, the baby can share it with Jawsh. Will the baby be inspired to be an artist just like his dad???