Adjusting and Enjoying

It's been a busy couple of weeks of adjustment in the Hoffman Household. Adjustment to being a family of three (without live-in help!) has been tougher than I thought it would be. For someone who loves making and crossing things off her lists, I've had to adjust my expectations of what is a successful day by measuring it not in tasks completed, but in spending time with my rapidly growing and ever-amazing daughter.

Eleanora is more alert every day. She is becoming more interactive by following our movements, making lots of fun noises, and showering us with new expressions and smiles.

Matching Dad/Daugther Shirts

Loving Bath Time!

More Eleanora Pictures

Firsts

On Monday, Ben and I had our very first post-baby date. My Mom watched Eleanora for an hour while he whisked me off for a romantic lunch for two. I'll admit, I was a little nervous about leaving her for the first time but she slept in the "magical sling" the entire time and didn't even notice I was gone. Ben and I feasted at a nearby restaurant on yummy Greek food and some quality alone time. It was a perfect first date!

Over the weekend, Ben and Eleanora showed their University of Arizona pride together for the first time before Ben headed off to the Homecoming football game with John.

While he was gone, Erin came over to have a little ladies night with my Mom, Eleanora and I. The night started off great, but Eleanora neglected her hostess duties in favor of a good old-fashioned crying fit. Erin was a great help - putting together the swing, doing dishes, and spreading her cheerfulness around. Hopefully next time, Eleanora will be a little more polite to our company!

Today was Eleanora's two week check-up. She's in the 5oth percentile for weight and 90th percentile for height (up 2.25 inches since birth!). Ben is already making plans for her volleyball career!

Grateful

I have been so blessed to be surrounded by various members of my immediate family for the last three weeks. My Mom arrived in Tucson a week before Eleanora, allowing us some sweet time together to finish my last few nesting projects, taking long walks, and just being together.

Both my Dad and Natalie arrived within 24 hours of Eleanora's debut. Mom, Dad and Natalie were able to visit with us each day in the hospital. Introducing Eleanora to her new home for the first time surrounded by adoring family was so special. Our house was literally glowing, it was so clean (thanks, Mom!), and I can't imagine a more excited welcoming committee! The many hands to help in those first crazy days was invaluable. There was always someone willing and able to soothe, burp, or just cuddle our sweet girl while I caught a nap, had a meal, or just rested.

Natalie's visit was brief, but I'm so glad she was here to witness Eleanora's first few days. We are already counting the days until she returns for a blissful week over Thanksgiving!

In addition to being a super baby soother, Dad was also an amazing help around the house with a million little projects Ben hasn't been able to get to with school. He hung a multitude of pictures and paintings, bookshelves, and just generally tinkered around to make our house better. His week here was wonderful and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Sad to see Opa go!

My Mom just left this morning (sniff, sniff) to head back to Erie. In her three glorious weeks here, it was like there was a magical spell over the house. Every time I'd wake from a nap or time in the nursery, I'd find the house sparkling, dishes done, laundry folded and put away, and the next meal ready to go. She is also a fountain of practical baby advice, tips and tricks, and is an expert at keeping Eleanora happy.

I am beyond grateful for such a loving, supportive and unselfish family who made this transition to parenthood so wonderful.

We have a couple weeks just the three of us before we welcome Ben's parents for a visit. We can't wait to introduce them to Eleanora!

Head Over Heels

The past week and a half has been the most amazing, wonderful and exhausting of my life. I've spent my days in a protective bubble of baby love, supported by amazing help from my husband, parents and sister. I'm not sure I'm ready to rejoin the outside world just yet, because I've so loved this time in the cozy cocoon of home.

Eleanora is completely amazing. She's alert and sweet, with an intoxicating smell and is just oh-so-snuggly. She's a champion eater - already back at her birth weight only 5 days after her birth. She has more than compensated for her difficult delivery by being such an easy and wonderful baby. Every time I look at her face, I'm amazed that she is actually ours and that we get to keep her.

Right now she is snuggled up to her Dad for a mid-morning nap. Ben is a natural, already an expert diaper-changer, soother and general sweet-talker. Eleanora loves the sound of his voice and always responds to it. Seeing them together makes me so happy it's overwhelming. I've never loved Ben more.

I am so blessed and so in love.

More Eleanora Pictures

Our Beautiful Miracle...

It has been a few trying but amazing days for us. On October 15th at 9:45 PM our precious Eleanora Dawn came into the world. She is the perfect combination of beauty and spunk, although her delivery was far from perfect. Since Kara was past her due date and the baby was getting bigger, her doctor recommended that she be induced Wednesday morning. After a long day of labor, it was finally time to push. Kara quickly showed the makings of a pushing champion. Despite all her hard work, after over 2 1/2 hours of pushing, little Eleanora still wasn't ready to introduce herself to the world. After a trying time with the vacuum, the doctor made the decision to do a C-section.

After a whirlwind of getting ready (who knew I would get to wear a spacesuit), Kara was whisked to the OR and our beautiful miracle made her debut soon thereafter. It was a very trying time for Kara, who didn't really get any quality time with Eleanora until almost 3 hours after she was born. After a difficult initial recovery for Kara, they were finally reunited. Kara was amazing throughout the whole day, never complaining despite some very difficult moments. I have never loved her more and am so proud of her.

Yesterday was a much better day: introducing her to Opa and Gigi Gibson and Auntie Natalie as well as Grandpa and Gram Hoffman and Auntie Erin over the phone. We also were able to give the good news to Great Grandma B and Great Mena, both of which are some of our greatest inspirations and therefore inspired Eleanora Dawn's first and middle names. Most of all, it was a wonderful day of just getting to know my daughter. I have never known the feeling of loving someone the very instant you meet them; it is indescribable and has changed my life.

Thanks to all of you for your supportive thoughts and prayers. We love you and are so glad you're in our lives.

Sleeping in Mom's arms

Getting to know the Gibsons

Our New Family

Marvelous Mom!

Today is a glorious, fabulous, wonderful day for us! My Mom is arriving this afternoon after traveling all the way from PA to spend a few weeks helping us make the transition to a family of three. Not only has she selflessly sacrificed time and expense to be here, she also made the cross-country trek on her birthday!

I am so lucky to have such a fun-loving, beautiful and gracious Mom. She gives extravagantly, loves unabashedly, and is one of the best listeners on the planet. She's got style, impeccable taste (her table decorations would put Martha Stewart to shame), and is an amazing cook. She's also incredibly driven and intelligent. She excelled academically when earning her undergraduate and masters degrees, all while running a busy household and caring for her family. I love that she can be prim and proper if the occasion calls for it, but deep down would rather be lip-syncing in the kitchen to Michael Jackson's Greatest Hits album with spatula in hand. Her laugh is a total body experience. Once she gets going her entire body goes limp and she quickly becomes a puddle of gasps and shakes.

She lives like she laughs...with total abandon, completely beautiful, and with her whole heart and soul. I'm so grateful to have her as a model of the mom I want to be.

Happy Birthday Mom!

More Fun Mom Pics

A Lovely Life

The bassinet is set up, the baby clothes are washed, and my bag is packed. While there are still (and always will be) many items to complete on our to-do lists, all the essential pre-baby items have been checked off. We're about as ready as we can be for the life-altering arrival of Baby Hoffman.

I am so excited to meet this little person who enjoys late night in-utero dance sessions followed immediately by the hiccups, ice cream (we must be related), and kicking my ribs. But, I have to admit, I'm slightly terrified about the idea of becoming a parent. I love our life. I love traveling on a whim, fun nights out with friends, and I'm ferociously protective (and completely insatiable) when it comes to time with Ben. I know this new addition to our family will bring more joy than I can imagine, but I'm a little sad about saying goodbye to this sweet season in our lives.

We decided this weekend to live it up non-parent style and go out for a nice dinner just the two of us. We feasted on amazing food, unbelievable dessert (caramelized banana splits!), and wonderful conversation all while enjoying a beautiful sunset over the mountains. It was a perfect evening. When we got home, Charlie quickly assumed his favorite cuddling position - snuggled up to my belly. He's in for quite a shock when both my belly and our cuddling time are gone!

Saturday night we joined our favorite T-birds and Pink Ladies for an evening of 50s style fun. A local movie theatre was screening a Grease Sing-a-long complete with words printed on the screen. We started the evening off right with chocolate malts and french fries...

Since my wardrobe is somewhat limited these days, I focused instead on getting Ben "Greased up" for the evening. He was a little hesitant at first, but soon got into the spirit with lots of hair gel, tight jeans, and cards (I mean cigarettes!) rolled up in his shirt sleeve.

The movie was a blast. Everyone (yes, including Ben) sang their hearts out to "Summer Lovin'" and the crowd went wild when John Travolta first appeared on screen. It was quite possibly the most fun, and definitely the most interactive time I've ever had at the movies!

It was a great weekend full of the things I love about our life now, and preparing for the big-big-big changes coming our way very soon!

MORE Showered!

My dear friends Erin and Lisa hosted a super-fun shower for me here in Tucson last weekend. They did a fantastic job planning fun games (no "guess her girth"!) such as, "Name the Baby Animal" (my years of Wild America watching with Dad paid off here!) and "Guess the Baby Food" (applesauce - yum, squash - yuck!). We also received all the baby socks we could possibly need thanks to the "Guess how many socks are in the Jar" game!

Jenny and Lisa testing baby food

My favorite activity of the afternoon was when each of the girls decorated a little onesie for the baby. I have some very creative friends and they all came out beautifully! Erin even made a little "Obama-Biden '08" onesie that I'm sure will have our conservative family members voting democratic in no time!

The onesie artists hard at work...

Lindsay, Erin, Lisa, Kara, Nikki, Jenny

As if the games and time visiting wasn't enough, we also had wonderful food, and my favorite treat...ICE CREAM! The party was very relaxing and exactly what I would have wished for! I'm so grateful to have such wonderful, supportive friends here in Tucson!

More Shower Pictures

Wednesday at work, I was headed to what I thought was yet another intense meeting when to my shock I was met with a surprise shower thrown by my co-workers. The mastermind behind the party was Lisa (yes, the same Lisa mentioned above) along with my friends Katie, and Lindsay. About 15 people came, including Ben, for a fun and delicious Mexican lunch. A pool was started to guess the baby's gender, birthday and weight. The consensus seems to be boy, born 10/7 (Mom's birthday!), and weighing around 7 lbs. We were showered with sweet gifts, and even got "Baby's First Calculator"!

Thanks to the generosity of so many, we have all the big "must-haves" for Baby Hoffman. This weekend I'm looking forward to organizing all our loot, washing some baby clothes and getting things ready for the big day. I can't believe how soon it's coming!

Showered

The past couple weeks have been filled with fun and family. We traveled to Erie, PA (our last trip pre-baby!) for a beautiful shower thrown by my Mom and sister. It was an amazingly beautiful, elegant, and classy event. I loved every minute of it! The best part was spending time with fantastic women in my life - many who I don't see often and live as far away as Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and even Florida! It was amazing to feel so loved and supported as motherhood is rapidly approaching!

The rest of our time at home was filled with visiting family, talking long walks in the woods, bonfires (with marshmallows, of course), kayaking and enjoying the beautiful Erie beach.

Ben and I both had an especially hard time leaving the peaceful sanctuary of family time. But it is good to be back in Tucson and crossing off those final pre-baby to do's. It's also exciting to know the next time we are in PA there will be 3 of us!

Cabo San Fabulous!

In an attempt to squeeze in one final getaway pre-baby, Ben and I jetted off to Cabo for a glorious week of sun, relaxation, reading and escape from our never-ending to do lists. It was a wonderful time for us to focus on each other and prepare (as much as possible) for the huge change coming our way in October. We talked a lot about the baby, what kind of parents we want to be, and reflected on how grateful we are to have had the last five years together, just the two of us. Oh, and we may have discussed (and we think finalized) names for the little guy/girl... Ben is committed (and I'm going along with him) to keeping this information top secret until the big day arrives, so there will be no sneak preview here!

The best part of our trip was simply time together...time away from the business of life and preparations, away from the endless renovations on the house, away from the pressures of work and school. Time to just be together and appreciate this season of "just the two of us" that is rapidly coming to an end.

More Cabo Pics

Celebrating Natalie

How do I even begin to describe all the amazing things about my beautiful sister? Her love of life, food, music, running, nature, and her family are just a few.

She has inspired me in so many ways...running multiple races and marathons (she's amazingly fast!), using her amazing musical talent, moving alone to a foreign country, carving out a beautiful live for herself in Princeton, and living life boldly and fully. She is my running guru, my source of unending advice and support, my favorite "last call of the day".

I truly believe one of the greatest blessings of my life is having a sister who is also my best friend. Happy Birthday, Natalie!

More Natalie Pictures

Wonderful Friends

As we head into the great unknown of parenthood, we are grateful for the advice of wonderful friends who have gone before us. In May, I was blessed by a wonderful visit from Adrienne who traveled all the way from Pittsburgh to have a girls' weekend in Tucson with me. We saw "Sex and the City", hiked, ate ice cream and talked...a lot. It was the perfect girls' weekend. I'm so grateful for her honest advice and straightforward approach. She is a wonderful source of practical advice and an amazing friend. I am so grateful for her presence in my life.






This past weekend, I traveled to the East Coast for a reunion with my suitemates from college. So much has changed since we were last together a year and a half ago! Between the four of us, there are now 2 babies, and 2 more on the way this fall! As you can imagine, the weekend was full of "baby talk" with lots of advice and tips and tricks. It was such a wealth of information that I took notes! We even took a field trip to Babies R Us where Christina and Deb helped Jenn and I navigate the overwhelming amount of baby stuff out there. Above all, it was a sweet time of catching up with beautiful friends and cooing over beautiful babies.

While I was away lounging and enjoying myself with friends, Ben was hard at work getting the nursery ready. Our selfless friends, John and Erin, came over and helped him move furniture and gave advice to tackle his first-ever paint job. He worked hard all weekend and I came home to a beautifully painted nursery! What a guy!

Cinderella

This past week we were visited by a fairy tale character. She cooked, cleaned, baked, scrubbed, and washed all week long with a smile on her face as bright as the yellow rubber gloves she wore. Cinderella, also known as Natalie, was an amazing help in checking off many of the items on our ever-growing “Before Baby To Do List”. Aside from the multitude of tasks she accomplished, she pampered me to the hilt with backrubs, foot rubs, cookies and anything I could possibly need or want.

We did our best to treat our little servant girl to as much fun as possible (after she finished her chores, of course!). We dined on fantastic Mexican food, ate a LOT of ice cream (three words that changed my life: Thin Mint Blizzards), and Natalie was able to witness her first-ever desert monsoon. To celebrate the 4th of July, we escaped the miserable heat by heading up to Mt. Lemmon, the tallest peak in Tucson. There we grilled out at a friends cabin and enjoyed the unusual sensation of being chilly outside in Arizona. On our way down the mountain, we spotted fireworks exploding all over the city below us – what a beautiful sight!

Above everything else, it was wonderful just to have Natalie’s smiling and cheerful presence around the house, excited about every detail of her nephew or niece-to-be. Thank you, Natalie, for a wonderful visit!