my first sushi in 10 months

Tonight Leila, Diggy, David and I enjoyed takeout from Katsu-ya. Isaac was well worth worth the sacrifice, but im thrilled to be back on the sushi bandwagon. We ordered enough for 8 people... but the leftovers will make wonderful appetizers for New Years eve.

uncle jamie and auntie allie's first visit

Today uncle jamie and auntie allie came to visit their new nephew. Auntie allie brought over two beautiful orchids for mom, and they spent some time getting to know Isaac. The were both a little tenative at first to hold him, but after a few minutes, they seemed really comfortable. They were joined by Carol and Gary who are in from Montreal.

our first hike as 3

Today was our first hike as a family of 3. We decied to test out the bugaboo, and take a stroll down avenida del sol. I was pleasantly surprised at how great it felt to get the exercise, and home much easier it was than during my last weeks of pregnancy. I am sure that hiking throughout my pregnancy allowed me to feel this great 5 days post delivery. Isaac loved the fresh air, as did mom and dad... and hopefully every day we will go just a little bit farther.

there's no place like home

It has been so wonderful to be home with Isaac, in the comforts of our home. For the most part he has been a delightful baby, and has been feeding and sleeping with ease.
With that being said... he has absolutely no interest in sleeping on his own between 11-2am. David and I have been trying to figure out methods to put him down, but all he wants is to be held. After two, he seems to sleep well, and is very content.
I am still waiting for my milk to come in which I am hoping it happens today. Hopefully once Isaac has a full belly, he will be more content.
We have had lots of help and visits from friends and family, and a lot of nice time to relax as a family.

Our Family Has Grown

Isaac Louis Soren was born two and a half weeks earlier than we expected at 11:49pm on December 24th, 2006. He weighed 5 lbs 15oz.

Doctor Rabin predicted I would deliver later than my due date (January 9th), taking after my mom, but someone had different plans. My water broke at 8pm on the eve of the 23rd,and slowly trickled until David and I though... hmmm... maybe my water broke. We called Dr. Banooni, because of course this is the one week Dr. Rabin is on vacation... and he instructed us to head into the hospital. So in we went at 5am the next morning, and sure enough my water broke. They induced my labor with pitocin, I recieved an epidural, and I spend the next 10 hours in labor - the most amazing expreience of my life. Isaac was easy on me, the labor and delivery nurses were a dream, and Dr. Banooni was god. I truly can say I enjoyed every minute of my labor, and delivery. Thank you to every person who sat in the waiting room - FOR HOURS - waiting for the news. You too made my experience very special.

We are all home from the hospital, and getting to know eachother. For all of the pictures of little isaac, take a look at our Flickr site.

thank god for MOZZA

David and I ate at Mozza tonight. Its Mario Batali and Nancy Silverton (of La Brea Bakery's) new project. For those, like myself, who have never found good pizza in Los Angeles, you too will thank god for Mozza. Hands down: best pizza in LA, and both David and I thought, best pizza anywhere. Their antipasti were unbelievable, the salad wonderful, and dont leave without tasting the butterscotch pudding. To make weekend reservations you will need to call about a month before... but they seem to be more open during weekdays. To read more, check out the LA Magazine article: http://www.mozza-la.com/press_articles.pdf

36 weeks

David and I thought we would visit mom today, and bring over some bagels. Because of the blood thinners she is on, she cant use a knife incase she were to cut herself. SO... David offered to cut her bagel, and CUT HIMESELF.
We just got home from urgent care where my brave patient got three stitches. Luckily it was quick and pretty painless, and we are home relaxing. I am hoping to stay out of the hospital until it is my turn, but it seems every week we are there for a different reason.
Today we are exactly 23 days away from my due date. This week we visited Dr. Rabin (we are now on weekly visits) and he did an ultrasound of the baby. He thought based on the measurements that he did that I would deliver right around my due date, and that the baby would be between 7 and 7 1/2 pounds. He thought everything looked great. We will see him again next week.
The baby has been super active. I have been feely pretty good considering. Im not too tired, just dealing with the same rib and indigestion discomfort. Looking forward to the holidays, and to seeing the Kohns next week.

35 weeks

This posting is coming a little late. Last week was a tough one as mom was in the hospital from complications from her oblation heart surgery. I spent a lot of time at the hospital with her and dad, and dad shacked up on our air mattress so that he could be close to the hospital.
Mom is now home and doing much better. Her leg is definatley sore, but every day seems to be a little bit better.
As for me this week, I noticed that my feet started to swell more than they have been. My yoga instructor showed me a pose that is supposed to lessen the swelling, and I didn't believe it until I tried it. The pose is called virasana (picture above) and has reduced the swelling in my feet and legs significantly. http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/490_1.cfm

baby poll

Yesterday at the not so shower baby shower, I took a baby poll. We would love everyone to participate, so please email your answers to the above questions to: haileysoren@gmail.com
There will be a very special prize for the winner!

34 weeks

Well the belly is definitely getting bigger, and the movement stronger. All of the maternity clothes I bought at the beginning are snug as a bug. I am also starting to see some real changes in my face. Breathing has become a little more challenging this week, especially in the morning, but sleeping has gotten much better as the weather has cooled down. My "floating rib pain" continues to be the worst of all my bothers. There is apparently no way to get relief, so I am just trying to get through and create my own ways of sitting and lying down that seem to help. Yoga is also especially helpful. I cant believe how quickly the weeks are flying by. David and I can finally say, we will have a baby next month!

my not so shower baby shower

Today was my not so shower baby shower hosted by Alexis (and the Royce/Rappaport family). It was so nice to have all of my girlfriends in one place to celebrate my journey over the past nine months. Some highlights... alexis' wonderful lunch, sprinkles cupcakes, erin's homemade mobile and ball, and catching up with people I hadn't seen in a little while. I was so happy that I had this special time to spend with my ladies prior to having the baby.

33 weeks

This has been such a great Thanksgiving weekend. David and I had a yummy dinner thursday and mom and dad Friedman's house. Every one contributed something delicious, and the nibblet very much appreciated the good meal.
The rest of the weekend David and I spent preparing the baby's room (which is looking great). David painted several pieces that we have framed in antique frames we got at the Rose Bowl flea market years ago. To see all of the painitngs in detail you can go to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sorenspace/
I have been feeling pretty good. Same little things are bothering me... my right rib, indigestion, general discomfort from getting bigger...but the holidays are definately great for getting my mind of off the pain and onto the bigger picture. As the weeks go by, I am more and more excited to meet the little nibblet.

32 weeks

Here Marni and I are having the best gelato of my life. It was stiff competition for even the best I had in Italy. This week Marni and I met in Newport beach for a preggers retreat. The two days consisted of spa treamtents, shopping (although there is nothing i can actually buy), eating (of course) and a whole lot of complaining. It was nice to catch up with Marn, and of course to get another pregnant ladies perspective. David and I also met my old friends from Cal Poly, Jerry and Lisa, in Malibu. Lisa is also pregnant, so again it was a lot of fun comparing our stories. Oh, and David and I checked out Jamie and Allison's new pad in Camarillo. It seemed to be the perfect place for them, and it was nice to spend time with their friends again.
This week was the beginning of my 3rd trimester aches and pains. My ribs have been killing me as the baby gets larger and pushes up against them. Sitting has become very challanging unless I lodge a rolled up towel behind my upper back. Sleeping, as always, is getting more challanging. I have learned that certain milk products help the indigestion, so I have been trying that out. I cant believe how fast the time is going by. Only seven weeks left!

31 weeks

This week has been full of visits with friends and family. Its funny to watch peoples reaction now when they see me... because I am clearly preggers. I had dinner with Jen last night, and her reaction was great. Must have been strange to see her friend from the 2nd grade knocked up. Also had lunch with Chris yesterday, but he sees me fairly often, so the change wasn't as different for him. Had lunch with Stella and Erin, and ran into Beth... AND... Barb was in town for a conference in Pasadena, so i got to spend time with her as well. She brought some adorable slippers for both me and baby. I was really happy she was able to see me this pregnant.

I have finished some knit animals and stiching in the past couple weeks. You can check it out at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sorenspace/

I have definately been a little more tired this week. I am not sleeping well, and the weight is starting to become more difficult to carry around. Dr. Rabin said that women after 28 weeks start to wake up every 2-3 hours in preparation for what is to come. I found that really interesting. I also have been feeling a lot of pain in my right side which apparently is my floating ribs being stretched open by my uterus. The indigestion continues to be a huge drag... but only 8 weeks left!!!

30 weeks

This weekend was very productive. We had a moving crew move all of the things from our office down to the pool house. It was like a whirlwind, but incredibly efficient. They finished everything in an hour, and it was a great relief to finally have our "nursury" empty. In addition, having this new space made everything feel much more real.

David spent much of the remainder of the weekend painting the formerly blue wall to its new chartreuse shade. It looks wonderful, and will really look great with our dwell dots linen.

I have started to feel much more tired this week, and am still struggling with digestion issues. The baby is now getting hiccups, which is amazing to feel, and is incredibly active at night time. Sleeping well is now nearly impossible and I cant get comfortable, have to pee, and have terirble heartburn. I am also feeling lots of aches and pains in places I didn't even know I had. Mostly I am getting very excited to meet this person, and to start this new journey.

even my face is changing shape

Today for the first time I noticed that my face has begun to change shape. My body has been in constant flux for the past 30 weeks, but until now (other than the acne of course) I hadn't noticed a huge change in my face shape. I suppose it is all part of the process - but very strange. For now, my eyes are the last remaining reminder of what I looked like before entering this alternate universe.

29 weeks

We spent tonight with the Gehle's and their 10 week old bundle, Stella. We dined on homemade pizza's and cupcakes... and David and I picked Shawn and Erin's brain about all things related to babycare. David spent some time holding Stella in different positions, and learning from Shawn's example.

In terms of our pregnancy, we met with Dr. Rabin this week, and interviewed a pediatrician, Dr. Waldstein. The Dr. Rabin appointment was uneventful. Everything thing looked good, and as of now the baby is in a great position, head down butt up. We also really liked Dr. Waldstein, and have decided to use him as our pediatrician.

I have been suffering from a ton of heartburn and indigestion. Tums have become my best friend. I am also having more trouble sleeping than I used to as it is hard to find a comfortable position. We can now see the babies movement on the surface of my stomach and it slithers around under the skin. It is both amazing, and VERY strange to observe.

28 weeks

David and I spent this week of the pregnancy along the Oregon coast. Once I have organized the photos I will do a seperate post about our trip.It was great getting away for a week... at times I almost forgot I was pregnant. I was lucky as my body was really good to me. With the exception of the usual heartburn and indigestion, I felt really good and was able to enjoy the trip at full force. The nibblet can now reach new places and is able to kick me in the ribs. The activity has dramatically increased, and is very reassuring to feel.

Pro Chef Graduation

Yesterday maked my graduation from Epicurean's Pro Chef 1 program. After 24 weeks of gastronomic delight, I now feel fairly confidant in the kitchen when it comes to just about anything. Our final class consisted of an "Iron Chef" battle... secret ingredient: chicken. Despite the fact that my culinary education was classical french training, I decided to go with some gourmet pizzas. Pizza #1: basil pesto base, grilled tomatoes, fontina cheese, dijon marinated chicken tenders, parmesean topping. Pizza #2: olive tapanade base, roasted garlic, goat/feta cheese, grilled onions, ground chicken and shallot topping. The teacher decided not to do an official judging (boo!) but the pizza's were very well recieved. I still have two more weeks of Pro Baking 2, and that will be it until after the nibblet comes along.

27 weeks

I have just started feeling some jabs to the ribs. The little nibblet has developed quite a strong kick. Apparently its head to toe length this week is over 15 inches... so it makes sense that I am starting to feel some more intense movement.
Had a doctor's appointment with Dr. Rabin this week. Heard the little heart beat on witht he doppler. Dr. Rabin gave us a couple suggestions for pediatritions that David and I will have to interview in the next month.
David and I ordered our nursery furniture yesterday. It made the fact that we will have a third Soren seem all the more real. We were both really pleased with all of the pieces we got. Special thanks to Bubie and Papu Friedman for the crib and changing pad!
Spent some time knitting with Bubie Y this week. Almost finished with the Turtle and Chimunk. Of course I need Bubs help to finish it to perfection. Also started painting the dots in the nursery. Have a few more dots to paint along with cleaning the edges up, but I am liking the way it is turning out.
David and I just got back from seeing "The Departed" and the grove. I liked it a lot more than expected. David loved it as expected. Picked up some Wood Ranch take out that I am about to endulge in. More next week...

26 weeks

I cant believe we are at Week 26! As we enter the 3rd trimester exciting things have started to happen. The little "nibblet" as we call him or her has been incredibly active (especially at night). I can now see kicks and punches on the surface of my stomach, and David is having a much easier time feeling the movement as well. My back pain has been persistent, but the heating pad seems to help. I also pinched a nerve in my neck this week - yuck!
I made some great progress on cleaning out our hosue this week, and David helped by making a giant delivery to Good Will. I am starting to feel like all of the organizing may actually get acomplished.
Today after a ton of cleaning we checked out "The Last Kiss", and made a stop at Amoeba records. I shouldn't forget to mention our fantasic lunch at The Artesian Cheese Gallery. Finally we have found something that rivals Silverlake's "Say Cheese". Our sandwhiches were to die for. We are hoping for some much needed R&R tomorrow, and a little sushi at Katsu-ya.

25 weeks

This week was great with the exception of some back pain. I have been organizing our house and getting it ready for the little one. The closets are getting emptied, and the house is feeling great.

Thursday night we headed up to SF for Kevin Martel's wedding. Needless to say a unbelievable experience that ended in the grooms men having to clean up the entire wedding. It was filled with a dead pig dinner, the tackiest wedding cake possible, crap hip hop music, 40 minute speeches, and "Aunite" rambling away. We stayed at Alan and Nancy's new house which was very comfortable. We got home smoothly Saturday night, and spent the night in recovering from the traumatic wedding experince.

Sunday we had Rosh Hashana dinner at Mom and Dad's and Marni stayed over the night. It has been great catching up with her and sharing our pregnancy war stories and complaints.

24 weeks

This week I definitely feel fully fledge pregnant. There has been a noticeable increase in my belly size as well as a new pain in my lower back. I have spent a lot of time this week organizing and packing up our house so that there will be room for a 3^rd Soren come January. I think all of the bending has caused the back ache, but it could just be the added weight on my front side. I have also been having a lot of dreams about the baby (it is always a boy). These new dreams have been more pleasant than the original ones I was having where the baby would fall off the changing table. I have been waking up excited to meet this new person and start our journey.

Our crazy **** neighbor moved her 30 year old son into her house with a giant moving truck knocking down a bunch of trees on our driveway. Consequently we have been unable to drive our cars up to the house and David has been parking on the street below… and Friday night someone broke into his car stealing our phones, ipod, and a bunch of other things. Needless to say, and aggravating weekend.

The little frog in the picture about is the first knit toy I made. I am working on a chipmunk and a turtle as well. Bubie, mom and I have been having a lot of fun with these little knit toys. More little guys to come.

23 weeks

This week has been very relaxing. I spent the majority of the week in Santa Barbara. This weekend David and I went hiking a couple times. I have been busy knitting (trying to finish a blanket I am working on.) Last night we went to the Archlight to see "Hollywoodland". Neither of us were very impressed. We went to dinner at Caioti Pizza Cafe on Tujunga http://www.caiotipizzacafe.com which was wonderful, and then got gelato at the newly opened gelataria.
In terms of our pregnancy, this week I have noticed a big change in my belly. Others are just starting to realize that I am pregnant. I am feeling very self conscious about my body in general, but trying to find a way to accept all the changes. My skin has started to clear up a little bit for whatever reason. In addition, I had an appointment with Dr. Rabin on Tuesday where he listened with a doppler to the hearbeat, and everything sounded perfect. He spoke with me about which classes he thought were worth while (baby cpr, and a tour of the hospital). He thought birthing classes were unnecessary if I did yoga.

Santa Barbara with Mom

Mom and I just got back from Santa Barbara. We stayed at the Bacara Resort. www.bacararesort.com. The spa experience wasn't the best because they refused to do the treatments I signed up for (apparently they induce labor). We did a lot of walking, knitting, and shopping. Overall a very relaxing week. We ate at a wondeful restaurant there called Olio e Limone. http://www.olioelimone.com/
The banana bread pudding was to die for.

22 weeks

This past week has been super busy, but filled with fun. As always I had cooking school Monday with mom where we had 8 hours of bread baking. I finally learned how to make bagels which were very tasty for breakfast the next morning. I had a great prenatal yoga class on Tuesday. Wednesday I spent my annual father daughter day with dad for his birthday. We went to lunch at Aroma Cafe, saw The Illusionsit (which I highly reccomend)http://www.theillusionist.com/, had dinner at Wolfgang Puck's newest steakhouse "Cut", and went to see George Benson at the Hollywood Bowl.
This labor day weeekend has been very relaxing as well. David and I went to MOCA to see the Rauchenberg show before it closed. We went for a romantic dinner at "French 75" where I found a worm in my food - yuck! We visited our friends the Gehle's and their new daughter Stella... and we even got to the beach. David has been painting a series of vignettes for the baby's room. They are great! I am almost finished knitting my baby blanket.
As for how I am feeling this week: i can feel the baby's movement much stronger. david is yet to feel it, but i bet he will in the next couple weeks. besides a little bit of a pain in my side, feeling awful about my body, and ongoing difficulty sleeping... i feel pretty darn great!

sorenspace is launched

we have decided to create this blog to share all of the exciting things that are happening in our lives with out loved ones who live so far away. we hope this helps our canadian compadres fee more involved in our day to day. more to come soon...