We survived

So Brian left on Sunday for his first business trip... and while it wasn't a cake walk... we survived. I know Brian missed her... and boy did we miss him!

So it turns out that the irregular afternoon naps were what was making everyone cranky at the end of the afternoon. Thank goodness that Sally counselled me on the wisdom of a set afternoon naptime!

We already had that figured out for the mornings, but the afternoons were still kind of tricky.

So here are some pictures of the happy baby! She's beginning to warm up to the swing... which is nice! She appears to enjoy her high chair from time to time- being in the kitchen with me watching a bit of tv and cooking dinner. The picture of her in the hat is my favorite all-time picture of her- she looks like a little gardener already!

I'm thinking that tomorow I will take Ivy up to Auburn to take some pictures- for recreation. I like doing that- and we'll see if she likes it too- so we can plan a trip to San Francisco for the day soon.

Oh, last night on our walk we ran into our neighbor Becky and she told us that the goats had arrived in the creek green space (clearing underbrush for the week) and did we want to take Ivy to see them. Another neighbor, Lisanne, lives right next to the creek, and the goats were right hanging out practically in her back yard. She had trimmed some shrubs and was feeding them through the porch railing. We took Ivy back there and showed her the goat herd. She appeared to be looking at them, but who knows! It was fun for us anyway!

She continues to be a true pleasure to be around. We both love her so much and are constantly amused by her many adorable facial expressions!

It isn't easy to find the time to blog...

While Ivy is truly a perfect child in every possible way, a small portion of her time is spent being fussy-- and that makes me tired at the end of a day....

I truly intend to update once a week going forward! So these pictures are not as exciting as the ones in Tokyo- but give you a glimpse into what we have been up to! Saturday we went for a bike ride with Ivy in the carrier-- it worked out great for her size- she is way too little to ride in the bike trailer we bought on craigs list last week. It was fun to be out getting some exercise! The picture of her in the chair features her wearing one of her Japanese Kimono outfits that had a laundry mishap the first time we washed it in Tokyo. I can't even remember what color it was to begin with- but now its kind of plum colored.

Chillin' in the stroller with her shades on... she is definitely a California girl. She will have to grow into the shades too- they kept falling off her face!

Sleeping in her bed with her squirrel pajamas on... she works her feet out of the bottom of those every time she wears them- I had to take a picture!

Asleep in her new high chair- it has owls on it! She will sit in it for a while... but still would prefer to be in my arms. I gotta cook dinner though... and she appears to like to watch re runs of Friends on tv like I do!

The last picutre is of a fantastic gift basket we got from our friend Sue in Georgia. I've never seen anything like it in my life! So girly and feminine! We enjoyed looking at every single thing- and immediately put her in the dress and went out to dinner. Thanks again Sue!!!! She could be on her way to being spoiled!

I just added one more picture in the stripes- out to dinner with Mom and Dad last week- super cute outfit- and we needed to balance the sleeping and awake pictures.

So... we all went back to work last week at the office. Ivy and I stick to an 8-11:30 schedule- but she gets to take naps! It's working out pretty well. Hold her in my lap, dad's lap, Brian's lap- feed her- change her, nap her, let her play with her play mat... hold her again... and then its time to go home! I've discovered that I really can do graphic design with Ivy on my lap-- who knew!

Sunday Brian left for his first business trip after getting Ivy. It's been interesting.... and not very easy. I'm up to the challenge, but I definitely miss him- and I think Ivy does already too! Doubly sad that Brian's gone this week, because he's turning 40 tomorow and we won't be with him to celebrate! We'll make up for it when he comes home on Thursday.

We've had lots of visitors this week... old friends, new friends and family- Ivy's a big draw in our house! I guess that's all that we've been up to...

Think it's bed time for this mama!

Reader's Digest Version...

Ok, so obviously we are home! Though I miss Tokyo for many reasons, I'm deligted to be at home with Ivy! The flight was largley a positive experience. Ivy cried her head off for about 20 minutes or so soon after we got on the plane, but settled down after a bottle and changing into her night attire. She proceeded to sleep for 7 hours straight in the bassinet on the plane. It didn't stop me from glancing fearfully at the bassinet like it was a ticking time bomb... but she just slept and slept! Customs and immigration went smoothly.... got all of our luggage! My parents picked us up at the airport in San Francisco and we drove home to Roseville last Saturday. Our lovely neighbors surprised us with special Ivy themed decoration (pictured here). It seems impossible that we've been at home for a week already! We've already had lots of visits with friends, family and neighbors. Everyone has been so excited to see Ivy!

Brian was looking at the video that we took in Japan a couple of nights ago, and was astounded to already see changes in how she looks and what she can do. It's amazing!

She makes great eye contact, is super social with everyone she meets and also can grasp and play with a toy now.

She continues to delight us. Not to say that each moment has been picture perfect... We all suffered from some serious jet lag, and the perfect sleeping schedule that we had enjoyed in Tokyo was disturbed when we got home. New noises, new smells, curious pets... all combined for a perfect storm of sleep deprivation for a few days. Yesterday she suffered from a very stuffed up nose... which seemed to make her miserable. As new parents, I guess I can tell you that what makes Ivy miserable, really makes us miserable too. Its so hard to watch her uncomfortable for some reason that you can't quite figure out...

Today was a grand day- so a grand day to blog!

We promise to continue to take more pictures-- just needed to get settled in.