Thanksgiving/Sedona!

Thanksgiving this year was so fun!! Daniel's mom and stepdad came in town from Victoria B.C. I am so lucky to have such wonderful inlaws! We had such a great "feast".. Daniels Turkey was by far the best turkey I have ever had. I watch all the shows on food network... I idolize Bobby Flay (and yes I did make his vanilla pecan pomegranate roasted brussel sprouts which were amazing) I compare Daniel to him!! Daniel makes perfect meat. It is always tender juicy and full of flavor. So Daniel has one uped Bobby Flay!!!

We also headed off to beautiful Sedona. that place makes me excited to be old. It's the best place to retire to! The homes all have breath taking views of all the red rocks! Living in Az has it's benefits. You can drive 2 hours and be in snow! We had fun.



We also took Natalie Horseback riding! She loved it!

Baby Colt!

Congratulations to Sam and Amber and their beautiful baby boy Colt Steven Daley! Amber did absolutley amazing! The whole family is doing great! I was honored to be in the room when little Colt was born. It was a very beautiful and spiritual experience witnessing a new life enter into our world. Amber and I arrived at the hospital around 1 pm, Sam followed shortly after. Amber was calm and in no pain!!! By 9pm she was ready to push... 23 minutes later Colt was here! It was so amazing to be apart of his birth. It made me excited to have another baby (not any time soon!).

All about Natalie...

Our beautiful Natalie is 7 1/2 months! It is so fun to see her grow. Everyday she's learning something new. In the last month she's clapping, waving, she can go from laying on her back to sitting all on her own, she lays on her back and scoots around the house, and of course eating solids. So much in a month.. i'm excited to see what the next month will bring.

Speaking of solids...

Something I love is making Natalies baby food! It saves so much money doing it your self and it's fun. I couldn't do it with out my vita mixer. I have this awesome baby food storage container that freezes perfect portion so I can make a lot and use as much as I need through out the week. Lately I've just been blending up what we have for dinner for her. The other night we had turkey burgers and sweet potatoes.. so did she! I'm not being shy really with seasoning her food (i of course watch out for salt) but as far as spice i've been more lenient. She is getting to the point that she won't eat the store bought stuff... uh oh another food snob :)

Long Time No Blogs!

Seriously I have not Blogged since we were in Washington!! So much has changed! Our little Nat-a-tat is 7 months! We Live in Arizona! Well... I guess that's really all that's happened! We are loving it here! Being close to my family is great! We love our little house.. especially just being a few doors down from Amber and Sam. We are both loving our jobs. Daniel is a chef at Whole Foods, and I'm a stylist at Habit Salon. So it's been a pretty smooth transition. We do need to get back on top of our finances (the move was not cheap)... we want to go on vacation!! :)

What I'll Miss

I am kind of freaking out! We move to Arizona in less than 2 weeks!! I thought I would totally loose it by now, but I have a strong stable husband that keeps at least the tips of my toes on the ground. If he wasn't so mellow I would have lost it. There is so much I wish we could do before we go, but we just don't have the time. I guess I will just have to reminisce instead.
I WILL MISS....

#1 The city. It is gorgeous here. The mountains, the water, the rain! I will miss it all!
#2 My Friends! They have challenged me and inspired me to be better!
#3 The food! I know I know... Daniels a chef, but the northwest has something the southwest doesn't! Fresh Seafood!

4 months.... and I'm a little worried!

Little Miss Natalie Parker only 4 months old and is getting a little too close to the boys! I thought we wouldn't have to worry about it until she was a teenager.. but I'm wrong... Daniel's going to have to watch her like a hawk... these boys are putting the moves on to his little princess :)

It's Official....

So it's all come true.... Daniel and I and of course our little Natalie are moving.... to... ARizOna!!! *Craziness* It's all happening so fast. We first talked about it back in December when we were down there for Christmas. Daniel really felt like it was the right thing to do and of course once Natalie came.. I felt the same way too. This is secretly kind of Harlos fault (if you're reading Brian and Brianna)... I really want Natalie to be surrounded by family and have little cousins to run around with.. so if we're going to blame anyone for making us move that we have to blame sweet little innocent Harlo :) But then of course with Amber and Brenda also expecting... than we better blame their babies too. Plus we have so many Crandall cousins too so it's just going to be a madness of adorable babies we get to throw Natalie in the middle of!! We just can't resist exposing Natalie to this side of the Family!!! Natalie has been blessed with wonderful grandparents as well.. and we are sad to Move further away from Daniels family... however they understand and are very supportive of our decision... plus they said they will visit lots!!

So the plan is to move August 20th!! AHHH thats only 6 weeks away! I don't know if i can be packed and ready by then! Sam and Amber are flying out to help us drive. I'm going to drive my car with Ambers help and company and Sam will drive with Daniel. We appreciate their help...especially with Amber being prego! We'll drive to SLC and stay with Rach for a day and then set off to Mesa, Az our final destination!

I've been in Seattle for 7 years... Daniel born and raised... so it's defiantly going to be a shock.. esp. the HEAT!! We do have a plan for work we're just crossing our fingers and toes that once we get there everything falls into place! So if you need your hair done or are hungry... we will hook you up! We will miss our dear friends that have been such a huge impact on our lives! I am thankful for Facebook... so we can stay connected.. although it's not the same as seeing their faces! We love you all!!!! We will miss the wonderful city of SEATTLE!!!

** p.s...I am sad to leave all of my dear dear clients that have been so loyal to me!!! I will miss their friendship and will never forget them :( Please do not hunt me down or threaten me... I promise I will make sure you are in good hands with one of the many talented stylist I have been honored to work with :)

13 weeks

Natalie is officially 3 months old! No longer a new born! It's amazing how fast little babies grow, one day her head is floppy the next she can hold it up all by herself! Everyday she has something new she's discovered she can do. For the first time we witnessed her first laugh! We went to have dinner at our friends Kristen and Aarons place. While Kristen was holding her she heard this little giggle. We look over and Natalie is totally laughing at their dog. Their dog was throwing his little blanket up in the air and Natalie thought it was the funniest thing! I of course got a little emotional witnessing this little milestone! We thank goodness got it on video!! Since then we can't for the life get her to laugh... she gives us lots of smiles, but i guess we aren't very funny to her.

We have been so frustrated with the weather lately! I know for all my AZ family they'll think i'm crazy for saying this , but the warmest it's been so far this summer is 75.. and that was one day..it's so inconsistent. This whole week it's going to be in the 60's!! it sucks! we need warm sunshine we are getting depressed! We will be in for a shock when we are in Az come August. I just really want to put Natalie in one of adorable swim suits before she grows out of them!

So I have finally been able to start running again!! It feels so good to loosen up and get exercising. I really thought it would be tough to start back up, but my body totally remembers and so it's been a smooth transition. My goal is to try and run a half marathon by the end of the year and a full next year... I hope I can do it!!

Growing Girl

Our little Natalie is 10weeks! She is everything more than I ever imagined! She is getting stronger and stronger everyday! She is holding her head up, standing, and rolling to her side...my favorite is i get to wake up to her with the biggest smile on her face! She loves her toys... she can't quite figure out how to grab them... but I can see her determination.. any day she'll just grab one right out of my hands! The best thing of all is she sleeps!!! I hate to brag but she's never once woken us up crying in the middle of the night!! We wake up around 6am, fall back asleep until 9:30... i know it's un heard of!!! i get more than enough sleep! i have an easy baby... i feel so lucky! It's hard to go to work, but it's only 2 1/2 days and Daniel is just so amazing with her! I just love my little family!

cousins

I really can't wait till August so these 2 girls get to finally hangout!

chunky monkey

Natalie is a chunk! She's 8 weeks and weighs 12lbs! My milk must have the same calorie count as an oreo blizzard! What a little rolli polli. I believe it's true that a fat baby is a happy baby...(unless you take her to Target)

Daddy's Girl

I just started working this past Tuesday! It was so overwhelming... I should've eased into it.. I instead worked a double booked 10 hour day!! Not fun :( I missed my little baby so much, but she is in the best care... her Dad!

Those 2 are having the time of their life.

Someones Smiling!

I love experiencing Natalie's little mini milestones. Everyday she's growing.. I love spending every second I can with her. It's hard capturing the first few smiles but i was lucky this morning to have the camera just in time! Natalie is 6 weeks and is now expressing to us what a happy girl she is! I woke up to one noisy girl this morning and as soon as I looked at her she was wide awake with big bright eyes and a big smile on her face! After getting her dressed and ready for the day i laid her down and told her what a pretty pretty princess she is, and she got so excited, kicking her legs while cooing and smiling at me!! What a little sweetheart!

Mothers Day!

I just Love being a mom to this little girl!!!

Chubby Cheeks!

The first thing I asked the doctor when Natalie was born was if she had chubby cheeks!!! Natalie's cheeks are getting chubbier everyday! We love to squish them, and pinch them, and of course kiss them! We pretty much kiss her face off any chance we get! She just has that face you can't resist!
Am I a terrible mother to think this is the cutest picture in the world?? This little girl has a tendency of pulling her headbands over her face... if i turn my head for 2 seconds I hear a little grunt and there she is with her little headband across her eyes! This photo is perfect it captures her little puckered lips with those adorable chubby cheeks!

Grandma and Grandpa Garrity

We lost Grandma Nola Garrity this past Saturday. She was an amazing women and I am honored to have known her for the short time that I did. We will miss her so much. Grandma was so excited when she found out we were expecting. She told me she hoped we were having twins, or even even triplets (in hopes that we would give her one to keep). She loved babies, and it breaks my heart that we weren't able to see her with Natalie before she passed. (in the photo above, we went to see grandma after we found out we were having our baby girl... she was so excited)

Monday we went to visit Grandpa Eugene Garrity. Grandpa is 92 and so sharp! He was emotional holding Natalie and told us Grandma was right there looking over his shoulder at our little baby. What a beautiful moment. Our daughter is truly blessed to have such a great family. One thing I really admire about Grandpa is his amazing scrap books. He has kept a scrapbook for every family event dating back to even before Daniel's dad was born! The Garrity family history is amazing. Grandpa was even on the cover of Forbes magazine! I look forward to our visits and hearing all the fun Garrity stories.

My Perfect little Princess

I just have to say.... I flipping Love this little Girl! She has been such a joy to have! She is 3 weeks old and everyday I see her grow. Her eyes are so big and love to look around. I swear we lucked out with the perfect baby. She NEVER cries! She is noisy but not in a fussy way. If she needs us she makes these little grunting sounds. It's really cute. For those of you who are expecting.... cherish it! The whole process of having a baby is truly a miraculous experience. I would do it all over again... well in a few years!

Head Bands, Cousins, and Play Dates!

I just love these little head bands Rachel told me about! They're from peanutposh.com... they even have cute ties for boys! I can seriously make a head band to match any outfit!
Yesterday Laurie came over with Zach, Julia, and Ashlyn to visit Natalie! It was fun having them over.

Today my friend Stephanie came over with her son Anders Kai! It was a treat.. she brought me lunch and vacuumed for me. I really appreciate the help since my body is still recovering. Anders is now 3 mos. old he was Natalies age the first time i met him... babies grow soooo fast! Hopefully in time our play dates will be a little more eventful... Clearly Natalie would rather sleep than socialize.

Our Sweet little Family

We just love out little Natalie! She has been such a perfect baby! Today we had her 7-14 day check up! Our pediatrician is so great, she is so down to earth, and easy.. which we like. She said we are perfect parents and are doing a great job! It's a relief. When we left the hospital Natalie had lost 13oz but is now up 7oz, she's almost to her birth weight which makes me happy... that means she is eating well and will continue to gain weight as she should! She is a good little eater, I really enjoy the time I get with her nursing, it's such an intimate beautiful time. I love being a mother, Daniel loves being a father.. we just love our sweet little family!

The arrival of our sweet baby Natalie

I just wanted to share the adventure we had bringing our little Natalie into the world. Every second was well worth it.

At noon on the 28th of March my water broke while squatting to pick up something from the ground in the bathroom (good thing I was in the bathroom) I thought I had might of you know... but Daniels mom reassured me that that was my water. I called Daniel to let him know.. he was at work but not to rush home since I wasn't having any contractions. I called the Dr. and they said to come in about 4 hours. So I went for a walk around the neighborhood with the in in laws. When Daniel got home we just watched a movie waiting till my contractions kicked in. I started to get a bit uncomfortable around 2 and by 4 the contractions started to get stronger (about 7 minutes apart). Daniel's mom suggested we wait till they were about 5 minutes apart lasting 60 seconds. By 6pm they did. We started getting ready to leave when all of the sudden i literally hit the floor, I had a contraction that was so intense I couldn't even stand... I knew this was it and our baby would be here soon.

I had several contractions in the car on the way to the hospital, they were getting stronger and stronger. On the way to the 6th floor of the hospital I was hit with another one.. I didn't think I would be able to get off. I couldn't believe how fast they were coming, I barely had time to breathe between each one. We were immediately admitted and set up into our room. They hooked me up. My contractions were 1-3 minutes apart. I was in so much pain. They checked me and I was dilated to a 3.. with in a half hour I was a 5... I was desperate for relief I couldn't handle it. They administered the epidural.. it didn't work! Thank goodness I had a little bit of time so they could redo it. It worked... I was dilated to an 8.. we had been there an hour. I was progressing so fast that the first epidural wasn't able to keep up... The epidural was amazing.. how people have natural births just seems crazy to me! We had friends and family waiting in the waiting room so we had just a bit of time till I was ready to start pushing, so they let my entourage in! Everything was going so fast at first, I was glad to have the relief so I could pull it together and enjoy the last little bit before our baby came. It was so nice to have visitors supporting us they were all so anxious and excited.

It was now time to start pushing. I pushed for over an hour, and although the baby dropped and was right there, she was so posterior there wasn't a whole lot of progression. They had me turn to my side (which didn't settle with my stomach).. I got to rest for a bit to see if they could get the baby to turn. I then proceeded to push for another hour and a half... no change, the baby would creep, but then would go back up.. she wasn't going to come out that way. After 3 hours of pushing the doctor came in the room and said you could keep trying to push for another couple of hours and see if she'll turn, or we could have her out in 20 minutes via cesarean.. I was so exhausted I knew I could push anymore. We all knew the c-section was the best resort.

I was scared and nervous.. I had never had surgery before. I didn't know what to expect considering all I imagined was having a normal birth. They suited Daniel up... and off we went into the surgical room. It was bright, cold and very sterile! The anesthesiologist was there ready to drug me up! I was given all sorts of good stuff so I was completely numb. I was shaking so hard, my teeth were chattering. It was such a surreal experience. I turned to Daniel at one point to ask what was going on.. he lied and said that they were just getting things ready (when really they had already made the incision and were working there way thru) I asked again a few minutes later and he said we were going to have a baby and minute. With in seconds I heard the most beautiful sound. Our baby's first cry. Tears streamed down my face. It was incredible. I saw our beautiful baby girl healthy and strong! They got her cleaned up and swaddled and placed in Daniels arms... I was still so shaky I couldn't hold her. She was beautiful.

We went back to the room were the gave her her first bath. It was such a fun moment. She was fussy up until the nurse placed a warm washcloth on her head... she immediately stopped crying and fell asleep. The nurse said that that was the cutest bath she's ever given. Friends and family left, and I got a moment to myself where I got to nurse her for the first time. It was so natural, she latched right on and we had the special moment together.

This little baby girl is such a blessing to Daniel and I. Daniel took such care of her for those few days in the hospital. He cradled her, snuggled her, and is such a pro at swaddling her. She is so lucky to have such a wonderful Dad who loves her so much. I have enjoyed my time with her, I love changing her, nursing her, and singing while snuggling her. She looks in our eyes.. she know who we are, she chose us to be her parents. We are so excited to have her in our lives.. we have already become so much closer these past few days. We love our little Natalie!

Natalie Parker Garrity! March 29, 2010 3:07am. 7lbs 15oz 20in long

Our Beautiful baby girls has arrived! Little Natalie Parker Garrity is truely a gift. We are so blessed to have this amazing little precious baby. We anxiously waited for arrival and couldn't be more happy to have her. She is such a good baby. We all woke up this morning (our first time home) at 8:30am. I don't think it can get any more perfect than that. I will follow with the birth story later. It was a very intense but beautiful experience. We love our little Natalie so much!

UGH!

I know I've sounded so chipper and happy that I've had such an easy pregnancy.. but I did jinx my self just a little bit. I'm 9 days till my due date, and I'm miserable!!! I had to stop working a week earlier than planned due to horrible contractions, which led to a nasty shot, and an overnighter at the hospital. I thought we were sooooo having our baby that night, but unfortunately the shot put an end to the contractions it knocked both me and the baby out for about 18 hours... I don't feel like i've totally come out of it. Great news though is the baby is doing so well. When the doctor came in to check on us, she said the nurses were all admiring how cute our baby is. She was so squirmy and rolling all over the place, and to top it off had the set of the hiccups.. it was as if they had never experienced this before. It was comforting to know she is doing so well. I'm assuming that's why she is still in my tummy... even though she's out of room, she seems to be fine in keeping herself entertained.

I know with first pregnancies the anxiety of wondering when it will happen is torture, but it's worse being told you are in early labor and then having it cut off! I know I will miss feeling the baby move and having this time all to myself. I'm not looking forward to how fast little newborns grow. Reading Brianna's blog makes me appreciate these last days with her even more.. however, I am so ready for our little girl to arrive. I know Daniel is at the edge of his seat! I'm sad however because each day she's in my tummy gives me one less day before I go back to work... so I try to make that a point every time I have our little chats with the baby. Daniel will be home with the baby while I'm at work which is so great, and I'm only working a few days a week, but I already dread the day I have to go back.

So everyone cross your fingers and pray for us that our little Natalie will make a safe healthy entrance to the world!!! We are so excited to be parents and progress together as a family!

38 weeks!!

Time is flying! I can't believe we only have 2 more weeks till our little Natalie will be here! I don't think we could be more prepared for her arrival. We have everything we need for her to come home.

Crazy me is working all next week. I pulled a 10.5 hour day on thursday... I don't know where I have the energy to get thru the long hours of standing, but I have to say it has made time go by so much faster. When I'm home I find ways to keep busy.. Daniel caught me today on all fours wiping down the base boards with clorox wipes. I'm sure he thinks I've totally lost it, but i want my nest to be immaculate for our sweet Newborn. I do have a confession! It's Zelda.. the dog! I've always been an animal person, but the dog, me, and the arrival of a new baby are not a mixing well. I constantly tell her that she's ruining my life, which is awful... the thing is she's creating more work for me. I've used everything from febreeze, to glade plug ins, candles, room sprays, carpet deodorizer, I even bought a bissell shampooer to help with the hair, and the dog smell. You would think my house smells so fresh and clean but it smells like febreeze and dog. I'm sure pregnancy hormones amplifies everything more than necessary... but I just can't get over it! I need help! The plus side to Zelda is she is a very sweet and very obedient dog, she's been around children, and if Daniel ever wrestles with her she never opens her mouth. If I could just get over my phobia and stop obsessing... I need my baby to come so I can forget about the dog and focus on being a good mom!

Moving on... The baby is doing so well! She actually dropped into the birth canal 2 weeks ago and I am starting to slowly dilate! So hopefully not to much longer. She is super active and we get a set of the hiccups at least once a day. I asked the doctor if I was going to have a 10lb baby.. he laughed and said "No, I don't think so" I hope he's right!! I have no fear of delivering I've seen every type of delivery possible.. as horrible and ugly delivering a baby can be, I see what miracles come of it... so I can't be afraid. We will keep everyone posted!!

Free time!

I now don't work Wednesday's anymore! So I had some free time to work on the baby's room. My sisters, and sister-in laws all seem to be so crafty... I feel like I lack in that department.. If I can cut hair I should be able to cut fabric and make fabulous things, but I struggle in the creativity department.. I took a chance, and I thought I did a pretty good job!

I really don't have a specific theme for the baby's room. I did do a little shabby chic piece with a mirror that I had and wasn't using... I love it! I also painted letters 'NATALIE' and did a few shelves, but they aren't done yet. I'll post the final results when we finish the room! I also made headbands for the baby, I still need more practice, I ended up with a lot of mistakes which was a bummer cause I wasted really cute ribbon :( I had fun, my back hurts a little, but it was worth it!

My bun is almost done!

I've finally reached 36 weeks... I couldn't imagine being this pregnant. I imagined pregnancy a lot worse than this, so for all of those who dread carrying a baby for 9 full months, there's nothing to it... it's pretty easy. I have worked standing on my feet for 10 hours a day, although I do have vericose veins, i have no swelling, no back pain, and no stretch marks! I can even still wear my wedding ring! My trick is tons and tons of water.... I'm talking about a gallon a day. I do get tired and I know the extra weight is straining on the rest of my body, but as long as I get a good nights sleep, I'm good to go. I'm sure now that I've written this these next few weeks are going to be terribly difficult, and I'll be 2 weeks late.....

My wonderful work thu me an amazing baby shower this past weekend. I am so lucky to work with such incredibly talented people. They spoiled our little baby!! We got everything from blankets, to lotion, to even a pair of heels for my little princess, all the way up to the jogging stroller we wanted! We are so excited!
We appreciate everyone so much... we wouldn't have been able to have the things we have if it wasn't for our great friends and family! We are blessed.

LAUNDRY TIME!!

Today ended up being my "it can happen any day" kind of day. I feel the need to over prepare myself for the big day. I have another baby shower coming up at the end of the month, which will make us even more ready.

I have so much clothing for this little girl, but I keep thinking... 'I don't have enough sleepers, or swaddle blankets, or wash cloths etc.' So i broke down and sorted through everything. I carefully removed tags, and those stupid plastic tag holders... I counted over 12 newborn sleepers, tons of onesies, 5 newborn outfits, about a hundred washcloths and burp cloths, and of course plenty of swaddle blankets. Plus I have so much more clothes and sleepers from 3 months on. I decided to go ahead and do a load of Laundry. I got a huge thing of dreft from costco!!! I did a test run with our regular laundry to check the smell (i normally use fragrant, free dye free) I was curious. I'm pretty sure Daniel went to work smelling like a baby... I thru a few of his white shirts in.. hee hee :) I'm not sure if I like dreft for us, but for our baby the smell of it will be perfect!

I just started her first load of Laundry. I just did wash cloths, burpies, towels, blankets, and socks. Since I now have a place to put everything I might as well get a head start on washing the basics. I was told babies provide you with a lot of extra Laundry. I can totally see it! The basics filled my washer! I still have another load to do... yay!

Today I also put together my hospital bag... I kept it simple but included everything I use daily. I appreciate the tips, hopefully I don't forget anything. I have about 5 weeks until I'm due... Daniel was 5 weeks early. So I think that's what motivated me to really get moving and make sure we have everything ready. I couldn't imagine going into labor this early, but it does happen, so instead of stressing I just want to be as prepared as I can.

6 more weeks!

I've decided to have the baby March 25th... so I need everyone to pray that'll happen. I read the birthday book the other day, and it said that people born on this day tend to be the happiest people... so that's what I want for our child. I know I can't control it, but I've been having little chats with her... I hope she gets it. The real reason I want to have her on that day is because I would have exactly 8 weeks of maternity leave.. which gives me little extra time to recover... and enjoy every second I can with our baby girl.

Daniel and I are lucky that we can both work and not have to leave our baby with someone else. I'm cutting back on work to 3 days a week, so the day I work are Daniels off days... plus we'll both still have Mondays off together. It couldn't work out more perfectly. We of course do have friends and family close by to help out when we need them... but I'm grateful that between the 2 of us we are able to make things work!

As the time approaches we really feel like we're ready. I'm not even nervous for the delivery. Daniel is so calm all of the time... It's really hard to get too worked up about anything. I know when the time comes, he will be my rock and keep me focused and relaxed. He's the BEST!

So far we've made out like bandits. We have everything we need to bring our baby girl home. We really appreciate all of the wonderful thoughtful gifts, and gift cards we've received. We feel so lucky to have such great friends, and family. The only thing I really need for myself is to pack my hospital bag! I'm so excited to do that! So any suggestions on things I might need that isn't on the usual list would be great!!

BABIES!!!!

So far in the month of January 5 of my friends (including Brianna) Have had Babies!!! It's making me crazy! We are so ready for ours to come... I'm 32 weeks... so not too much longer. Thankfully both Daniel and I are super busy at work, so this month will fly by!

I had an opportunity to visit my friend Stephanie and her new little baby boy. She desperately needed her hair done and I was anxious to spend sometime with a newborn... since it's been awhile. So I spent the day with them. He was such a good baby... only 3 weeks old. When I held him he would just curl up into a little ball. I got to feed him, burp him, and Change his diaper... I loved every second of it. I was nervous at first thinking that babies are so fragile... but they really aren't. Of course you need to watch their head, but I didn't feel like I was going to break him. He smelled so good... that's one of my favorite things about babies! I am so ready to have our baby girl!!!