Two in case you haven’t noticed[s].

1. I have a LOT of odds and ends posts that I’ve been saving, haven’t gotten around too, or have been otherwise held up on and am getting to them in fits and bursts. Is that a saying?
2. I recently uploaded pics from both Tony’s phone and mine. Like, a year and a half worth of pics. I’ll start with Tony’s. View his full collection here.

I was in early labor!

Remember this?!?!

Perfection.

At Off Our Rocker in January.

Jordan and Becky outside of his new apartment.

The view from his balcony.

On Easter Sunday….fell asleep during service.

Just last week.

…to be continued with my phone. Probably later tonight.

*sigh*

I feel like the last week has been so busy. Or at least free time has been lacking. Welcome to motherhood I guess! Ali has continued her insatiability…and coupled it with hours of crankiness for a number of days. Most notably was Monday and Tuesday, when Tony’s family from Iowa came out to visit us/meet Ali and I. We took probably a hundred pictures and, going through them, too many were too cute not to include. Since time is always of the essence when naps feel few and far between, I’ll let the pics do most of the blogging.

Meet Aunt Martha (left) and Aunt Georgia (right). They are thirteen and ten and cute as can be. Note Ali’s hat representin’ the Hawkeyes.

Anthony’s stepmom, Grandma Karen.

Tony’s dad and Ali’s grandpa. She’s screaming as was frequent. But isn’t the barrette cute?

What a striking family.

Monday evening we walked down at the waterfront in Edmonds and then had our first dinner out with Ali, at Anthony’s Beach Cafe. She slept the whole time and it was loud in there!

Tuesday we drove down to Gig Harbor for a picnic. This is Ali, gangtsa-style.

Screaming with Martha.

Daddy knows what to do.

Playing some football.

I love Georgia in this one.

She was good for a little while…looks kinda smiley even here.

They roasted marshmellows.

Ali nursed.

We went back to the RV park…look at everywhere they’ve been! This last trip they added Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.

Everybody needs to hold her before we leave.

Poor Georgia.

Ali looks like she’s expecting some food.

Three generations. NOT the happiest little girl.

Lastly, here are some VERY cute shots from yesterday…almost one month old!

Strolling through the neighborhood.

The park’s newest structure. Rather dangerous looking, right?

This last week or so, Ali seems to be almost insatiable. She’s beginning to be awake for longer stretches….which sometimes makes for a very cranky three week old. On the flip side she’s sleeping more, and longer at a time, during the night. Except for last night. And the one before. But that’s the insatiable thing. She just wakes up to nurse, so most of the night she just sleeps next to my boob!

Tony has still been able to work from home, which allows us a lot of flexibility. We walk through the neighborhood a lot (to keep from going crazy locked up in the house….and in an attempt to catch some of summer so quickly passing us by), Thursday we even ventured down to the waterfront in Edmonds for a change of scenery. Other than that…we frequent Target pretty regularly, made a quick stop at Costco for toilet paper and water the yesterday, then stopped by Kris’ to show her how Ali’s grown. We go to the grocery store for the essentials…I can’t remember the last time we actually stocked up. It seems like too much effort usually. We have been doing a good job of cleaning out the cupboards though, and getting inventive with things in the freezer! We’ve been watching a TON of television too (Big Brother 8, King of Queens, Airline, Good Eats, Top Chef, Hey Paula, Intervention, That 70’s Show, Real Estate Pros). Thank you Dish Network and DVRs!

Deep in thought?

Sleeping through her walk.

Tony trying to pick an apple.

Those lips!

Sometimes she’s awake.

Visiting Kris.

Check out the ‘thumbs up’ here!

Friday night my parents and sisters came up to visit….and, mostly, see the baby. My mom and Alyssa (fourteen-year-old) hadn’t seen Ali since she was two days old, my dad and Trista (seventeen-year-old) had yet to see her. Friday was a really strange day, Ali was awake from four or so in the afternoon until just past nine. Every time she’d drift off it was just for a few minutes before she’d wake herself up as if she was determined not to sleep. She finally drifted off about fifteen minutes before everybody arrived and proceeded to sleep for a stretch, feed, sleep again…etc. But the night was weird. She ate around midnight, then at two or two-thirty, then was up from five to seven, ate again a little after nine….then I think Tony took her…and fed again after ten. Somebody is such a growing girl!

My brother Jordan, who has yet to meet Ali but hopefully soon, graduated college in June and got a super nice camera. If anyone is camera savvy, they may have noticed the high quality of our birth photos…my mom took them with that camera and brought it with her again so we were snapping pics the whole time they were here. Which, unfortunately, wasn’t for too long. Saturday we all ventured to Alderwood Mall, where my dad purchased Harry Potter (I’m more than half-way through!) and then they went to visit a nearby Business Costco. My mom made a bunch of scalloped potatoes and weeded our garden while the rest of us watched cable (my family has never had it). Then we all watched Red Eye and they headed back to Gladstone a little after seven.

Ali chilling, all ready to hit the mall.

The whole time at the mall.

Kids always love Trista.

They both look pretty crazy.

Trista and Tony tag-teaming.

It’s big, but the outfit is still super cute!

Aunties.

Everybody loves a baby.

Grandma and Grampa.

Probably the best picture I’ve seen in a long time.

Long time no post. We’ve been busy this week. Tuesday I had a dermotologist appointment in downtown Seattle. Tony and Ali came along. It’s been about five weeks since I’d been last (I’m in the process of getting a scar on my chin injected to flatten it), so I was very pregnant at the last appointment. First, they tell us the doc is running half an hour behind. Ugh. Then they take us out of the posh waiting room and leave us to wait in the exam room that whole time. Ugh again. UW (University of Washington) is a teaching hospital so you see much more of an intern then the doc there. Finally our guy comes in, and the hilarity ensues. Although, to those of you a bit less sleep deprived then we were at the time, it might be a bit less funny.

The intern walks in and says, "Mr. Lewis?" Tony and I say, "Uh, no….Ms. Lewis?" He then mumbles something about being from the south where Ashley is a boy’s name, turns to Tony and says, "Well, then you must be Mr. Ashley." This time it’s Tony that mumbles, "Um, something like that." Tony is holding Ali and the guy asks, "And who is this?" We say, "Alizabeth," and he says "Oh, Alizabeth Ashley." At this point we’re completely perplexed but whatever…names are hard sometimes and you know how in the medical field it’s always last name – first name (i.e. Lewis, Ashley) so maybe he just got confused. Also he was Asian so I thought he might now be very familiar with American names. Then he starts glancing through my chart and asking me all sorts of dumb questions they’ve asked every time I go in there (the joys of a teaching hospital). He asks me if I’ve been going to my OB appointments regularly (I was initially referred to the derm during by my OB because of the way some of my moles ballooned during pregnancy). I say I have and then he asks my how far along I am! I kind of glance at Tony, this did that just happen look and answer, "She’s two weeks old?" To which the intern looks confused, stumbles a bit and then comes back together, "Oh, so you already had your baby?" Tony just pointed at her in response.

The guy was then completely flustered the rest of the time. I was trying so hard not to bust up, but not doing the best job, which caused his to become more flustered. It was seriously the most awkward, unbelievable, doctor’s trip. When they went to do the injection he didn’t perform it, instead he observed the doc do it (a first…my other two injections were given by the interns, one observed by the doc, the other unsupervised) and when they went to lower the chair/bed thing he didn’t even know how to work it. It was then I remembered the warnings I’d heard about having a baby in July. All the med students graduate in June and, in July, new interns flood the medical community. I really hope that was the case with this guy and he learns a lot. Quickly.

Tonight my mom, dad, and sisters are coming up to see Ali. This is the first time my dad and Trista are seeing her, which is so exciting! Also, at 12:01am Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is released. Not sure when I’ll get my hands on a copy, but I’m eagerly anticipating the seventh and final book of the series. Though it’s conclusion will very definitely be bittersweet.

Susie and family came over for dinner on their last night here.

Seventeen days old. Sleeping yesterday afternoon.

Big yawn on a walk last night.

She’s got some "baby acne."

Tony checks out a nearby playground.

I think his sunglasses make him look mean.

A rare picture of Ali and I. Me beyond my boob at least…

As previously mentioned, Ali had her two week check-up today. Little girl is healthy as can be and growing before our very eyes. Poor thing had to get a second PKU test (the heel poke) which is torturous to watch and hear. Then we had a nice nurse in the post office parking lot (you all should be checking your mailboxes!) and stopped by Subway to get lunch and introduce Ali to Nena, my old manager.  

She loves her milk.

Eight pounds!

Daddy and daughter. They’re quite the photo-op…again and again and again

Eight pounds exactly. Not bad for less than two weeks old. Especially when she weighed in at 6lbs. 15oz. on the sixth. That’s a pound and an ounce in ten days!

Friday night we went to Billie’s house for an amazing brisket Susie’s husband, Steve, slaved away making for, like, twenty-four hours. This was Ali’s first visit to her grand-mere’s. She was unusually awake and active throughout, feeding twice without drifting off (more or less unheard of).

Ugh, I feel bad about my lack of writing lately….pictures are much easier to post. Plus, they sat 1000 words or whatever, right? It’s hot here tonight, or maybe that’s just because I’ve been cooking this half-turkey for two-and-a-half or so hours. Anyway, it needs to be checked and I’m suddenly completely overheated.

Some notes on these pics: Ali is the same size as Tony’s sandwich, the quilt was lovingly made by Great-grandma Swalla and turned out great, can you tell the boys had been swimming?, and Ali loves to suck on fingers…even if they’re not her own!