Adventures in Chaos

Olivia is two weeks old today. It sort of feels like the time went fast but also feels like she was born a long time ago. The past two weeks are almost a bit of a blur. Julie went home on Tuesday morning and I am officially flying solo with the kids during the day. So far, things are going pretty well. I have decided that I am just going to appreciate that my new life really is "adventures in chaos." I have to approach each day with an open mind and minimal expectations of getting much accomplished. I have already made a few observations on how to best function thus far- I thought I'd share them with you.

1. Get a morning shower while I have a chance- this is more important than 10 more minutes of sleep.

2. Embrace two cosmetics: mascara and lipgloss. The mascara does an ok job of making me look less tired. More importantly, the lipgloss diverts attention from my sleepy eyes by drawing attention downward! I realize that nobody is here to see me but when I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror, I feel just a bit better!

3. Spend zero time on planning what to wear- there is a 95% chance I will be puked on or pooped on before noon. And, if those two things do not happen, there is still at least a 5% chance that Gavin will spray me down with the hose when we play outside. While on this subject, make sure to keep up on laundry as all 3 of us seem to change clothes at least twice a day.

4. Do at least one thing for myself each day. Whether that is watering my garden, writing this blog, reading a magazine- I have to maintain some form of balance. Adam encouraged me to go meet my friend for a glass of wine last night. I hesitated but realized that he too wants to make sure that I get out of the house and get a chance to be me and not just Gavin and Olivia's mommy.

5. Finally, when it feels like shit has really hit the fan- look at the picture below, sigh, and count my damn blessings!

Welcome Baby Girl Olivia!

Well, after some dragged out anticipation, our baby girl arrived July 8, 2010. We named her Olivia Hudson deMars. Because she is our little NY baby, we decided to pay homage to the Hudson River Valley. We spend so much time tromping around this area that it only seemed appropriate. Years from now, we can tell her stories about her first years spent in New York. While she is still a tiny little thing, I can already see her in her own set of pink snowshoes.

So isn't it hilarious that I thought I was going to be so early with her and wound up going 5 days past my due date!?! In hindsight, I can also laugh at myself. The best part about her going so long is that she is such an easy baby so far. She is eating and sleeping like a champ! She did turn out to be sort of a big baby though. She weighed in at 8lbs, 8oz and measured 20.5 inches long. I had a long and brutal labor with her but she eventually arrived and immediately put a smile on my face. She is perfect and we are so much in love.

Gavin is adapting well. He is finally acknowledging her presence but I don't know that he actually understands that she is staying with us permanently. I think he'll be a good big brother. So far the funniest thing Gavin has done/said is help wipe her during a diaper change. He said, "oh, yuck! disgusting!" The next few months should be interesting.

My little sister Julie extended her stay and has been a big help. She leaves on Tuesday morning. My mom arrived a day before the birth which was nice. Having them here was great and I think helped Gavin cope. It's really hard to have our families and friends so far away. I will do my best to keep this blog updated with photos, videos, and stories so that it helps to close some of the distance.

Here are some photos of our past week. Enjoy!

"No more paparazzi please!"

Big brother and little sister... pretty darn cute!

My mom, Julie, and I had fun playing dress up with Olivia!

She got a little tired of it!

We took Olivia on her first day trip to Hudson, NY.

So far, life is going great as a family of four!

Hiking the Indian Ladder Trail

Well, as I thought, I'm writing this post about our hike last week and not about our newest family member who is still just chillin'. My due date is tomorrow so hopefully it won't be too much longer. In the meantime, we are doing our best to show Julie a good time. Last Friday afternoon, we took her to Thacher Park to hike the Indian Ladder Trail.

Thacher Park is built around the Helderberg Escarpment, which consists of limestone cliffs that rise several hundred feet. It is believed to be the world's oldest, exposed limestone and many of the rock formations bear fossils. We did not start going to Thacher Park until late last year and by then the Indian Ladder Trail was closed. It is open from late-May until mid-October. I was going to wait until the baby was born to go check it out but I am frankly running out patience. The hike is not that challenging- more of a nature walk with some unsteady ground. The hike was about 2 miles round-trip and was really fun. The limestone cliffs are really impressive. Enjoy the photos!

Julie at the top of the Helderberg Escarpment

Adam and Julie at the top of the Indian Ladder Trail

Adam and Gavin descending the metal staircase that takes you about sixty feet below the cliffs

Limestone Cliffs

Trail leads you under 2 waterfalls

Julie posing underneath the cliffs

One of the fossils we found

Making our way through the trail

Little family photo- perhaps our last one as a family of three

Gavin had a great time and is turning out to be one adventurous little boy