John Soothing Kelly

Here's daddy John rocking Kelly before we went out to Chucks the other night. He's a very good dad. Very sweet to see them together.

Go here to see All photos of my outing to Grandma Albies on Flickr

First Journey Out to Grandma Albie's

Kelly was very cranky yesterday b/c of all that gas. Today she is much better. I had to let her sleep with us in the bed to get her to sleep. She must like the warm body and the feeling of my heartbeat. It makes sense since she had that for 9 months in utero.

Luckily most of the time she sleeps in her bassinet which is in our room. We want her to be able to sleep on her own.

Today, we took our first journey out to grandma albie's house. I drove Kelly there and we both survived. Kelly actually fell asleep in her car seat on the way over. And it's only a 7 minute drive! I carried her up to mom's 3rd floor condo and we felt quite proud of ourselves for having made it over. No one was there yet so I fed Kelly and she got sleepy. Then mom and John showed up. John brought subs from Giovanni's --- mmmm they were delish! We all hung out there until about 5 pm. Just relaxing and taking naps. Kelly is taking a liking to sleeping on the bed. My mom set up all these pillows on the guest bed so that she could sleep there. I'd say she napped there for a good 2 hours. That was great so that we could have lunch and john and I could both take a nap.

Right now we're waiting for Chinese food from China Pavillion that my boss Kristen ordered for us. Can't wait. It sounds really good.

35th Birthday Yesterday!

Yesterday, I turned 35! Whoa, what a milestone! John and I celebrated by going to Chucks of Hawaii (my favorite) on Upper State. My mom stayed at our house and baby sat little K. First time I've put on makeup in weeks. My feet are also not swollen anymore and I was able to wear cute shoes. (They were terrible - it felt like I had two throbbing bricks for feet.)

We had a nice time, got Baskin Robbins after and brought it to my mom to celebrate. John gave me an iPhone for my birthday!!! Now to find the time to learn how to use it!

Poor Baby K had gas all day yesterday. I think it was because I drank half a bottle of Dixie Peach from Trader Joes and Im guessing it made her gassy. Poor thing. I won't be drinking any more juice. It's weird to see how what you eat can really affect poor little baby.

Does anyone have tips for what to eat / not eat while breastfeeding? Please post comments here. Would really appreciate the advice!

Dropping Off the Cliff

Yesterday, Sunday was the first day I didn't have any more darviset (pain pills). It was a bit rough. I only cried twice. But then I ate lunch and felt better. I still have the Ibuprofen from the Dr and am supplementing with the tylenol. Thank God. But did you know that calling the Dr on the weekend that they WILL NOT do prescription refills on the weekend. So why the heck do they make it so they stuff is going to run out on the weekend???????????

Anyway, one day later and I feel better and now I'm off the stuff. It's probably for the best anyway. Although I am extrememly tired.

Baby K is doing great. She's sleeping right now. Been napping since 1pm. She's about to wake up and I will change her and feed her. Then rock her in the rocking chair. She's a real love. But she hates dirty diapers!!!

Grandma Andrea and Auntie Laura visit

On Saturday, John's mom Andrea and sister Laura came to visit us for the day. It was fun for all. They got to visit with baby K for the day. Both got to hold baby and get acquainted. Very cute.

Laura made dinner - my personal request was this pesto pasta she makes that has penne, pesto, chicken, sun dried tomatoes, olives, feta. It was awesome. I craved it b/c I havent had feta in 9 months. It was so good. She also made figs wrapped in prosciuto and tomatoes and mozzarella and basil. This was no slacker meal. It was all so deliscious. Andrea brought olalaberry pie from the Avila Barn which I highly recommend if you're ever in Avila Beach. Go to the Avila Barn and get this pie.

Going to See Dr. Iris

Mom and Baby waiting for Dr. Iris
Originally uploaded by uidiziner

This morning we all went for our first outing with Baby K. It was time for her first baby doctor visit with Dr. Iris. Here we are waiting in the cute room for the dr. Kelly was very well behaved.

She weighed 8lbs 6 oz so she is now back up to her birth weight. Dr. said this is excellent and great for 13 days old. She said we looked good and the baby did too. Thanks to all that are supporting us so that we get to care for the baby.

Good news: I get to have coffee!!! B/c I had it while I was preggers, I can have it now, says Dr. Iris. So first thing we did was rush over to Starbucks on Victoria and John got me a latte and a blueberry muffin will baby K and I waited in car. Wow! Did it taste delicious!

Pictures of the first doctor visit are at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/uidiziner

Recovering at Home and the Blessed Food Fairy

Well, recovering at home has been interesting. I came home on Saturday. Man, let me tell you Sunday and Monday were really tough. I felt really terrible. Plus it was really really hot here in SB. Tues, Wed and today Thurs were each progressively better.

My mom has come everyday at 11 and stays until like 8 to help us. How would we adjust to our new life with baby K without her??? She's really good with the baby and loves her more than I thought she would.

John is great with the diapers and the burping. He's also really good at getting up in the middle of the night. I'm adjusting to getting up every 3 hours. Who thought of that??? There's got to be a better way.

Kelly is perfect. She sleeps really well. She feeds well. She loves to stretch out her arms and legs. She loves the swing that Heidi H loaned us. She really doesn't like wet or doodled diapers.

The food fairy that Lori D set up for us is AMAZING!!!!!!! Basically someone delivers food to us every night so we dont have to cook or do any dishes. WE LOVE IT. Lori sent us SB Chicken Ranch on Tuesday and last night Grace B brought California Pasta. Both were delicious. Thank you to everyone that is bringing us or arranging delivery of dinnres. IT IS SO HELPFUL. Thank you to Lori D for organizing it and making sure we get fed.

Lindsay Has Posted Lots of Pictures too

Hi Lindsay, my brother Jim's fiance, has posted lots of pictures on Kelly and the family on Shutterfly. Check them out:

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AZtWLZw1cNGLEWA&emid=sharview&linkid=link5

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AZtWLZw1cNGLElA&emid=sharview&linkid=link5

Kelly Pictures!

Finally found a moment to post all the pictures that I've accumulated since Kelly's first appearance. Enjoy! Click this link below:

http://flickr.com/photos/uidiziner/

Love, Carey and John

Kelly is Here!

Kelly Ann Caulfield arrived at 8:05 am on August 25. 8lbs 6 ozs. 20 inches. We are very happy to have her here!!!

It was a bit of a process as I bet you can tell since I haven't posted for a week and a half. Long story short - we went to Cottage Hospital in SB on Thursday, August 23 to be induced, labored all night and day long and then night long again and finally Kelly Ann made her debut at 8:05 am on Saturday, August 25. Both mom and dad are proud.

Unfortunately I had some complications in the hospital starting on August 28 and got really sick. My intestines weren't working. In other words, no #2 for a few days and a lot of gas. OMG!!! So painful. I was swearing like a sailor. These pains were worse than the labor. Luckily by Thursday Aug 30, they finally figured out what the problem was (after having not eat or drink even water for 3 days!!!). The good news was that the baby was doing fine the entire time. Luckily I got better enough to finally leave the hospital on Saturday, September 1. Total 9 days in the hospital. Uggggggg!

John is Great!

Last night he went out to get my special request list of snacks for labor. They were:

- Triscuits
- Strawberries
- Luna Bars
- Caster Oil (don't ask: those that know, know. Those that don't - you don't want to know.)

We are going to go to lunch now. I'm not hungry at all but know I should eat. Nothing sounds good. (Except of course the triscuits I just ate.)

Baby K's Nursery All Set to Go!






Some haven't seen the baby nursery yet. We love it. Lots of people worked on it and contributed to it. Just to name a few:

- John, Steph and Marc painted the room
- Ben and Maryann lent us the crib
- Chris and Karen lest us the changing table
- John Sr and Sandy got us the lady bug bedding set
- Laura S made the quilt
- Heidi H and Lori D have lent me tons of items. Their generosity is amazing.
- My mom covered the chair, got the lady bug lamp, curtains (not up yet) and helped me hang and wash everything
- Lots of family and friends gave us clothes, books, sheets and everything else to get ready for baby K.

As they say, it takes a village! :) Thanks everyone we love it. The pictures don't really do it justice!

Another Preggers Photo


My mom was here for dinner on Monday night and took another photo of me. I don't feel that big but I guess I am. Doesn't it look like I'm holding a watermelon? :) Tomorrow Wednesday at 9am we go to see Dr. Mimi. Cross your fingers that we're getting close!

Zelda's Bat Education 155

Zelda's Bat Education 155
Originally uploaded by tootieu

Here's a cute idea for making those Altoid tins. My mom is going to love this! :) (Carey said sarcastically!)

Come Out Kelly

Come Out Kelly
Originally uploaded by uidiziner

Everyone is wondering when Kelly is coming out so I made this for her as a way to let her know it's time. :) 4 days until my due date still. I feel good. Not overly tired. I'm waddling, I mean walking through the neighborhood. John has been talking to Kelly a lot saying "Come On Out." It's really cute.

People love talking to me on the street. "When are you due?" "Is it a girl or a boy?" Today, one man that literally looked like Hulk Hogan said in a husky voice "When's the baby due?" I said, "Saturday!" He said, "No way, you're too skinny to be having a baby on Saturday!" Made me smile. :)

How I Feel Pregnant

How I Feel Pregnant
Originally uploaded by uidiziner

Today, I found "DailySomething" on Flickr by this designer Ali Edwards I've been following. She urges you to do something, anything artistic everyday. So this is how I'm feeling today just 5 days before my due date. I'm ready to have the baby if you can't tell. I would be ok if she came early especially if she really truly is big. I'm happy with how this page turned out. Comments?

Inspiring Links for today
http://www.creatingkeepsakes.com/mag/article.ihtml?index_field=1904#favorites

http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction.php?transaction_id=5834345

http://digifree.blogspot.com/ - FREE STUFF

http://nancykubo.typepad.com/

Donna and I hung out yesterday and today. She's a great, great friend. We have such a good time together.

Yesterday we got our pedi done. Hot pink for both us. We look terif!

Today we had craft day at her house. We havent done this in a long long time. We accomplished alot. Checkout the earrings we made. Also see where the magic happens.

I also finished making 2 bday cards that I cannot post here b/c it's a secret. Shhh.

Last night, John and I went out on a date. It was really fun. We had a romantic outdoor patio dinner at El Cazador, then on to see the Bourne Ultimatum at the Arlington. The best part was going to Trattoria Victoria for a drink. The bartender girl was soo nice she made me a special virgin cocktail that was really good and didnt even give me heartburn. Next to us we ran into Anna Maria who we met at a party before. She's so stylish and friendly. I decided she will be my new friend. :)

The Zaca Fire 2007 has been spewing ash all week. Thursday and Friday were terrible. Here's just one snapsot of the smoke clouds we see over the mountains. This was the view from Five Pts shopping center after having a terrific lunch with Laura S at Fresco.

I then went and had my eyebrows done and that made me feel fabulous. Later I went for my last prenatal massage with Joanne. Also made me feel fab. Then Andrea (john's mom) came down from Los Osos and we had a fun evening feasting on chicken ranch and watching a french movie. The Spanish Apartment.

Sat morning Andrea and I went to the Assistance League thrift shop since it's her favorite. We had a fun time.

Picture of the Pink Ladies - probably about taken about 2 years ago

Lunch was a lot of fun today with Emel, Heidi W and Heidi H. Everyone looked gorgeous and the food was terrific. Good lively conversation. I think we've probably sat at every table at the place!

"A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words."

We had an ultrasound on Monday. Why? Dr. Doohan thought the baby is big. So, the computer says she currently could be about 8 1/2 lbs. Wow, what great constitution this little girl will have. Think positive thoughts and please pray for a safe labor.

I made this cute little jewelry box. It has a Parisian and French theme. Comments?

IMG_1359
Originally uploaded by uidiziner

We had a great party on Saturday at my mom's house to celebrate Grammy's 93rd birthday. Here she is opening her presents. Check out this Photo slideshow:

http://flickr.com/photos/uidiziner/tags/grammys93rdbirthdayparty/show/

My birthday is 9/12/1972 which means I'm 34 years old and about:

55 years 10 months younger than Walter Cronkite, age 90
51 years 2 months younger than Nancy Reagan, age 86
48 years 3 months younger than George Herbert Bush, age 83
41 years 0 months younger than Barbara Walters, age 75
38 years 10 months younger than Larry King, age 73
32 years 7 months younger than Ted Koppel, age 67
29 years 2 months younger than Geraldo Rivera, age 64
26 years 2 months younger than George W. Bush, age 61
21 years 2 months younger than Jesse Ventura, age 56
16 years 10 months younger than Bill Gates, age 51
12 years 1 month younger than Cal Ripken Jr., age 46
6 years 2 months younger than Mike Tyson, age 41
2 years 2 months younger than Jennifer Lopez, age 37
3 years 4 months older than Tiger Woods, age 31
9 years 9 months older than Prince William, age 25

and that I was:
28 years old at the time of the 9-11 attack on America
27 years old on the first day of Y2K
24 years old when Princess Diana was killed in a car crash
22 years old at the time of Oklahoma City bombing
21 years old when O. J. Simpson was charged with murder
20 years old at the time of the 93 bombing of the World Trade Center
18 years old when Operation Desert Storm began
17 years old during the fall of the Berlin Wall
13 years old when the space shuttle Challenger exploded
11 years old when Apple introduced the Macintosh
10 years old during Sally Ride's travel in space
8 years old when Pres. Reagan was shot by John Hinckley, Jr.
7 years old at the time the Iran hostage crisis began
3 years old on the U.S.'s bicentennial Fourth of July
a 1 year old when President Nixon left office

You can do this to at:
http://www.frontiernet.net/~cdm/age1.html

Just cruising around the web finding great resources for my digi scrapbooking. I'm posting them here for me to go back to them. But you may want to use them too! You can see from the images posted here I'm having a lot of fun playing with this stuff!

http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18319 - where I found these I like
http://www.larabiefonts.com/
http://www.imagechef.com/
http://www.says-it.com/






I made this for John! :)

I'm really excited about our Dr. Here's her website. http://www.mimidoohanmd.com/5drmimi.html

I really really like her and feel so comfortable with her.

First Christmas Party 2002 standing with Magne when he had long hair.
First Christmast Party I went to in 2002 with Karin Cotter




Well, it's August 10. Finally here. My last day before my maternity leave. I can't believe it. I've worked at Expertcity/Citrix Online for 5 years. I got my watch last week BTW. :)

I can remember the first day coming to work here. I hated it for a long time. I think I cried every morning driving in for the first two weeks. I wondered what I had done moving from the Bay Area down to sleepy Santa Barbara. Luckily, my mom talked me through it and I joined lots of clubs and danced a lot to get me through those first 6-9 months. Again, it's hard to believe that 5 years have passed that I've been in SB and been at this job. The job has changed a lot and I was lucky to move up pretty quickly and make some sort of impact. My favorite part are the people of course. So many colorful characters and I could go on and on with fun stories about them all.

Bookcase Repainted

Bookcase Repainted
Originally uploaded by uidiziner

Remember I said I found a bookcase on the side of the road and repainted it? Well here it is. Total cost $1.

Quilt Laura Made

Quilt Laura Made
Originally uploaded by uidiziner

My colleague and friend Laura and her daughter Sophia made this quilt for the baby. I love it! The handiwork here is terrific!

Grammy's 93rd Birthday Card

Grammy's 93rd Birthday Card
Originally uploaded by uidiziner

So now that I'm into this digital scrapbooking thing, I made this card for Grammy's birthday which we are celebrating this weekend. Printed it looks really good too.

Family Fun at the Zoo

Family Fun at the Zoo
Originally uploaded by uidiziner

In July, we went to the SB zoo after Steph, Marc and Ian helped paint the baby nursery. This is another scrapbook page I did. It took about an hour.

Possible Baby Announcement

Possible Baby Announcement
Originally uploaded by uidiziner

I made this on my computer utilizing my new digital scrapbooking skills. Didn't take long and it was so fun to make and do it quickly. I think it will be no problem creating the baby announcements ahead of time!!!

Fabulous UX Team, originally uploaded by uidiziner.

Today was a fun day. My colleagues at work threw me a baby shower out on the back lawn. It was great. So far this week has been terrific.

Here's the UX team gathered for a team photo. Great people working really well together. Such a beautiful thing sans ego.

I might want a MacBook soon. Matt told me to wait because they might be coming out with something new in the fall. That said, my mom always asks me what I want for my bday, so I might as well start my list now:

Birthday list:
Craft Suitcase from Michaels
SpaceBags
New Sonicare Toothbrush
Slippers - No backs. Slide in. Really cushy and soft.
Anything Martha Stewart Crafts at Michaels

Sites to get to know better:

flickr.com
etsy.com
craftster.com
blogger.com
istockphoto.com
http://www.scrapscene.com/ - has links to celebrity scrappers!
http://thescrapbookoasis.typepad.com/
slide.com

Things are going well. On Saturday, we will be 4 weeks away from D day. Delivery day. It's getting exciting. We are looking for a doula so any SB leads would be great.

I will be finishing up decorating the nursery tonight. My mom is going to come over and we will put everything in place. Looking forward to that. We will still need to get curtains. Maybe we will find some tonight at Ross.

I also want to install the car set and have it checked at Goleta Valley Hospital.

My job is going well. I only have about 2 1/2 weeks left here before my M leave starts. Yahoo!

Some recent digital Scrapbook pages I made. Click on them to see the full image.

My aunt and mom at the Baby Shower on July 14.



Me and John in the airport in Austin after going to the Livestrong Conference in October 2006.

Update on the free furniture found by the side of the road: I painted the bookcase a butter ivory. It looks very good I might add. It's perfect for the baby's room. It only took like 2 coats of paint. Paint was oops paint at $1 for quarter gallon. So total cost was a $1. :)

Additionally, my cousin Steph, Marc and Ian all came down on Saturday and helped John paint the baby's room the same butter yellow. It looks fantastic. Steph might paint lady bugs on the wall too the next time she comes - I need to think about it. These would match the baby's bedding. Slowly but surely everything is getting done!

I'm wondering how I can get more google ads on my site. Anyone know how?

So now my latest thing is scrapbooking. I found this magazine called digital scrapbooking and i bought it. It was $12 at Ralphs. I nearly never by magazines at retail .. but it struck me.

Anyway, I read it cover to cover and it inspired me. I started thinking up biz ideas (naturally)! I started scouring the internet looking for sites that were doing this. I found a few - zscrapbook and something else.

Then on Thursday of last week I scored with 6 Creative Keepsakes magazines at the Thrift store. 20 cents a piece what a deal.

Yesterday, I went to Michaels and got inspired. I came home and started the very basics and made a tiny photo album for my niece. I have some ideas. I want to post them here so stay tuned....

Click to play Make your own Smilebox

I made this on Smilebox yesterday. It's pretty cool to try these things out. This is the free version and not the paid. It was very easy to use and I would recommend it if you don't know how to create layouts in PS / PSE.

I did the best thing today. On my way to work, I saw some furniture marked FREE on the side of the road. I drove by it and then, I thought, HECK, this is what I want to do. So I drove back and threw it in the car. I want to take old furniture, paint it and design it. Two of things I needed: a dresser and a bookcase for the baby's room. God was smiling on me! So far all the baby furniture has been free!!!

Today was an interesting day. I don't feel like I'm doing all that I can do to be creative. Good news is that the baby is kicking all the time. Today is June 4 and the baby girl is due on August 25. I just need to wrap up everything at work.

I posted jewelry on ebay today. My current auctions are here. I haven't donet that in awhie. Let's see if I make some dough. Making a quick buck is one of my favorite things.

I'm fascinated by crafting today. Just discovered cool craft sites like:

craftster.org
illustrationfriday.com
Nurseries on Apartment Therapy

We still don't have a name for the baby. I think we'll try to keep it a secret.

Here is the specification for blah

and yada