Just call me "Moo-my"

On Dec. 30th Chase has his two month appt.. and he weighed in at a whopping 15lbs 2 ounces.. completely off the charts for weight.. luckily he is at the 80% in height at 23 and 3/4 inches and 85% in head size so doctor has no real worries on his weight..

Chase's One Month Appointment - Love those big cheeks :)

We recently had Chase's one month appt (ok so we are a few weeks behind) and we learned that Chase was in the 99% in the weight category at 12 lbs and 10 oz.. and in the 75% in height at 22.5 inches.. Overall the doctor said he was a very healthy looking one month old...

It is such a relief as a parent to hear this..

Last night I was "that mom"

I was that mom carrying the pictures of her kid and spending way too much time talking about him.. AAUGH!! I always swore I would never be that person... but I just could not help it.. :) We had just got some of our Christmas pictures developed and it was the first time without my little Chase..

Chase meets Aunt Christy and Aunt Kelly

On a recent Saturday outing, we surprised Chase with a visitor to Aunt Christy and Aunt Kelly Irving's house. They got the full Chase experience - Eating, Sleeping, and Farting. Chase was in heaven as he was spoiled as usual and is already asking when he go back and visit again!

Both Christy and Kelly were so great with Chase and are going to be awesome moms someday. In the meantime, we get to have them as awesome aunts. It is truely a blessing having such wonderful friends.

Cheers to Chase!

Our little beer baby - Doesnt he look right at home? Ok, maybe a few years off but we thought we would at least introduce him to the bar scene.

Following a morning of flag football, Steph, Chase, and I joined our friends Kevin, Karen, Doug, Mo and a few others from the league at The Irish Channel in Crofton for a light lunch and a beer. Don't worry, we made sure Chase only got 'light' beer.

A toast to our little man - We couldnt imagine life without you!
Love Mom and Dad!

*Note: For anyone interested in a flag football, the league we play in is Social Sports of Anne Arundel County (S2A2) run by our friends Kevin Boursiquot and Karen Bedingfield. Feel free to email me for more info.

The fun of labor recap

we apologize for the lack of posts.. and are planning to post a bunch of stories from the past few weeks..

However, I realized that I never actually posted my "labor" story so for those of you who have not heard it yet I thought we would start there... In terms of the labor story.. it actually starts two days before I went into actual labor when I went into the doc for my 38 week appt and she determined baby was big... and I am pretty sure during my exam she ruptured a few membranes to move things along...

Then on the morning of the 30th at 4AM I awoke a little before 4am with my first "real" contraction (trust me there is definite difference between "braxton hicks" contractions and the real thing).. and for the next three hours contractions came every 15 minutes and then slowly moved toward every 10 min.. all while Danny was sleeping and would check if i was ok on the hour:) from 7am to 9am they steadily moved toward the 7 minutes apart and became even more painful... finally we called the doctor when i was in quite a bit of pain and they sent us directly to the hospital based on the fact i was already between 2 and 3 cm dilated at the last appt..

Upon arrival, it took almost 30 minutes to get checked in (so fun sitting in a waiting room with contactions) and then when we finally got back and they put the contraction monitor on.. they seemed to stop and I got so nervous they would send me home especially since Danny seemed to believe this was not it (in fact he had yet to pack when we called the doctor).. but after examination they determined I was already 5 cm.. woohoo.. baby time!

Well not that quick.. the pain steadily got worse and then I started getting physically sick (good thing i had not eaten that morning so just saw some of my dinner).. and finally when I thought I could not take it anymore the epidural arrived a little after 12:30pm.. what an amazing thing.. to go from mind numbing pain to not even knowing I was having a contraction.. and after 2 hours of "hanging out" - both danny's mom and my mom had arrived... the doctor came in at 2:00 and said time to push.. so I "kicked" out the moms.. and the real fun began.. unfortunately in my head i was thinking I would meet baby Chase in less than an hour.. so after 90 minutes I was quite discouraged and after 2 hours I was upset, tired and in pain.. the doc was in and out with the nurses and Danny doing the work of holding the legs and cheering me on..
at the 2 hour mark.. Aimee's mom (an in charge nurse at the hospital) arrived and really helped to keep me motivated.. and then after 2 and half hours.. a few tears and one large cut.. baby Chase arrived.. and with a loud scream - our life had officially changed forever..

Steph as a Photographer

So in between feedings I have been playing around taking pics of Chase... The above was my fave and the below shows the torment :)




Here is a link to a lot more photos...
http://picasaweb.google.com/stephanyspahr/MorePicsOfChaseWeek2#

Chase and Dad

Fingers to Toes Photography

On Friday, we had the joy of having Jennifer from Fingers to Toes Photography come to our house for a few hours and take pictures of Chase as well as a few of us! While she is still working on the full gallery she did give us a sneak preview of a few pictures which are attached here.

Her website is http://northern-va-photographer.com/fingers-toes-and-a-cute-little-nose/

Life in the Nursery

Decorating has never been one of my strong suits but in this case I spent quite a bit of time creating the nursery.. As most of you know, Danny and I both love Disney and particularly Pooh and Tigger - and therefore went with that theme.. and after this first week.. I must say I am glad we spent that time for a few reasons

1) the last thing you want to do when you get home is organize things

2) At least in my case, I feel like I have spent more time in that glider feeding than I have out of it..

Here are a few more pics from the nursery:

Chase is doing great but as a growing and relatively big baby his favorite activity when he is awake (and sometimes when sleeping) is to EAT!!

He also has not quite figured out the difference between night and day.. and seems to sleep his way through the day and then is up half the night...

But we are working our way through the 5 S's according to "happiest baby on the block" and will let you know how that works out :)

You had me from Hello.. (or the first cry/scream)

As I spend quite a bit of time in my glider listening to music.. I began to laugh to myself this morning as I started thinking of the country song by Kenny Chesney in relation to Chase rather than just a love song...

"Well you had me from "Hello"

I felt love start to grow...

The moment that I looked into your eyes, you won meIt was over from the start

You completely stole my heart

And now you won't let go

I never even had a chance you know

You had me from "Hello"

Which led me to my my top 5 list that made me realize I am now a Mom

5. Thinking of country love songs in terms of a child

4. You can hold a full conversation on poop (and you get excited when the baby poops change from black to yellow)

3. Your schedule revolves around when he needs to feed

2. You can stare at him all day long and still think he is the absolute cutest kid ever..

1. When you put him to bed you are hoping for four straight hours of sleep but when he does finally sleep that long you wake up after 2 hours, 2.5 hours, 3 hours and 3.5 hours and then actually wake him up to make sure he is ok...

Few new pics..

Walking in as 2 - Wheeled out as 3

Someone once said to me "The oddest thing about the trip to the hospital is you go in two and you come back three.. and your life will never be the same." At this point it seems nothing was ever truer...

Since there is so much that has happened both emotionally and physically in the past few days - I thought I would highlight just a few things..

1) The birth of a child takes marriage to a whole new level. Without getting gory - Anyone that can watch you in labor and still love you - loves you for alot more than looks....

2) Instant love - It is something you may only experience at the birth of your own child

3) Breastfeeding is not a simple task but definitely possible and rewarding (and i highly recommend requesting a lactation consultant at the hospital if at all possible.)

4) It is possible to function on 3 to 4 hours sleep but I still am not sure what I think about waking the child up to feed.. but that is whole other blog..

More to follow in a few days but some additional pics are at

http://picasaweb.google.com/stephanyspahr/ChaseOct2008#

Chase Foster Spahr - Welcome to the World

Chase Foster Spahr

The day has finally arrived!!! Chase Foster Spahr was born into our family at 4:19pm on 10/30/2008. Chase arrived weighing a healthy 9lbs 1oz a full one week early. (Good thing we didnt go to term!)

Steph was absolutely amazing and I couldnt imagine having a more perfect mother for our boy. We will be staying at Holy Cross Hospital until Saturday afternoon when we get to venture home to go it alone.

We can not wait for Chase to meet all of our wonderful friends and family. We will be home for the next 8 weeks together so if you are in the area, give us a call and stop on in... I know Steph would love to see everyone.

We are truely blessed and are excited to see what this little life has in store for all of us...

Living the Dream - dSpahr

Latest Doc Appt...

Just thought I would provide a quick update.. based on the Dr. Appt yesterday I am now between 2 and 3 cm dilated and 80% effaced.. and as of this morning the mucus plug is gone (ok may be too much info for some of you).. :)



For the most part feeling good.. but have been having quite a few braxton hicks contractions.. for awhile yesterday I was really convinced I was going into labor.. but after a nice long hot shower at home all was back to normal.. except that I had a burst of energy and washed all the babies clothes and organized a little more.. again leading me to hope he was on his way... but no such luck yet :)



I just can't believe the time is really here.. the doc did confirm yesterday it is a big baby (not sure exactly how big) but she is not going to let me go too far past my due date and will set be up to be induced likely the week of Nov 10th if he has not arrived on his own..



Well that all from my side.. hope all is well!!!



love ya!

Steph

Steph's Baby Belly

Just thought I'd give everyone a peek at Steph with a huge belly :)

Less than 3 weeks away now, it is amazing how fast the time flies. Junior has a heavy kick and feels like he is going to kick his way out if he doesnt come soon...

Later - Danny

Ocean City Trip PHOTO UPDATE

Here are some new photos from our recent trip to Ocean City courtesy of Erin and Nathan Spahr. We've got some great shots of our nephew Nathan and his younger brother Tate "tater tot". There are a few labeled 'Photos by Nathan' taken when Nathan decided he wanted to play photographer. I dont think a professional could have captured more candid moments ;) - good job Nathan!!

Ocean City - Spahr Family Trip

September 2008 - Now that Steph is officially barred from flying, we have taken to the ground for our road trips :). We joined the whole Spahr clan for our annual Ocean City beach trip in the middle of September and had a great time. Our Spahr mom heads to the beach once a week every year, a tradition that has continued since before we were born.

On this particular trip, we were joined by more people than we've had in years. My dad and my stephmother, our Uncle Pat (check out his website www.tenthousandjoys.com - he owns a cool little shop in downtown Frederick) and his girlfriend Rhonda, our sister Robin, our brother TJ and his wife Erin, and their 2 sons (our nephews) Nathan and Tate. These kids are awesome and you can get a peak of them throughout the photos in the above slide show.

While Steph and I were only there for 3 days, we packed in a ton of adventures. We got to check out Sunfest, we got a Jet Ski AND a conversion van stuck in the water- which took an Explorer to get out, and we found the Notre Dame game on at the local Green Turtle. Weather was perfect and Junior got a sneak preview of the ocean. Another perfect weekend with the perfect wife...

Living the dream... Danny

Pregnancy Update : Counting down til Nov. 8th!

Hey Everyone!



I realize we are now a few weeks behind on the blog and we will work to catch up over the next week or two on some of the fun things we have been up to like a trip to the beach with the Spahrs and a great wedding in NJ!!



But thought I would share a wonderful pic of me courtesy of Danny (ok not wonderful but you can get the idea of why I am having some sleeping troubles)..



Also we had a sono today and all news to date is great.. We even could see that Junior already has hair! The heart rate is normal, you could see him practicing breathing and all the organ measurements are great... the only small issue (if you want to consider it an issue) is he is BIG baby! They are already estimating him at 6 and half pounds and if I go to full term he could be well over 9 lbs.. I am still trying to figure out exactly how he is going to get out ;)

Shea and Yankee Stadiums

Sept. 13, 2008 -Two National Monuments are set to be tore down after the end of the baseball season so Steph set up an awesome trip for us to catch a baseball game at both Shea Stadium and Yankee Stadium. What a cool experience - There is over 120 years of baseball history packed into these 2 stadiums from 2 franchises that have been the cornerstone of America's pasttime. We will at least be able to tell our kids that we saw a ballgame at each.

The trip itself was adventourous, as it always is with Steph :).

The area around Shea is quite interesting - We stayed in Chinatown, within walking distance to the Stadium, which we figured would allow us to watch some college football at the local bar before the game. Hmm, well, no bars anywhere within a 5 mile radius of Shea for starters, and second, it really was China. I almost thought i might need a Passport to get into the stadium. Ok, not that bad, but still a trip.

The area around Yankee stadium was a little more accomodating as far as bars. We were able to catch some NFL football before heading into the stadium at which time we proceeded to fry under the ridiculous heat. Poor pregnant steph must have been even more uncomfortable than me! But, as everyone knows, Steph is a trooper and sucked it up until we headed out for the drive home.

Looking forwarded to heading back next year to see what $1.3 Billion dollars can build (the cost of the new Yankee Stadium)...

Living the Dream... Danny

Baby BBQ vs. Hurricane Hannah!

So after a month or two of my parents planning this party with the goal of having a big outside BBQ with lots of games.. we get these reports of Hurricane Hannah arriving at the same exact time as the party..

However, after many discussions with my parents about changing the date we determined we had to go ahead with the original plan.. Of course the morning of the party the news is reporting people should not venture outside unless necessary and there will be lots of rain and huge wind gusts up to 50 MPH.. so the option was give it a go or cancel..

I am so happy to say we gave it a go.. and what a party it was. At times, I am almost overwhelmed at the good friends Danny and I have. We had over 50 people show up including Katie flying in from Chicago, Jen coming down from the Big Apple and both Kirsty and Melissa making the drive in from Jersey... And as a bonus the weather cleared up enough to allow us to go outside and even get a competitive game of Cornhole or "Bags" going.. Some of the highlights were definitely the six pack of Miller lite with bottle nipples, a "cake" made of diapers and an embroidered outfit for Junior with Dan's nickname "D-Unit" on the hat and sweatshirt. Some of the more practical were a bag full of J&J products plus all the fun Pooh stuff for the nursery - hope "Junior" likes Pooh :)

Thanks again to all of you for a day we won't forget! love you all! I will try and get a few more pics from my parents.. as I realize we just did not take very many!

Seattle and Portland Adventure

Click on the photo for the full album

Another 2 states down, 20 more to go! Steph and I just arrived back from a great trip to the Northwest. We were led out to the furthest corner of the continental US for a wedding in Portland for Stephanie Trautman, a good friend and roomate of Steph's from Notre Dame. Since we had to go out for the wedding on Saturday we said, hey, why not just take 3 more days and head to Seattle as well? Sounded good to me so off to Seattle we went. We arrive Wednesday at around 11:00am just in time to catch the mighty Seattle Mariners (that's a joke for anyone who doesn't know baseball) battle the Twins. We got to see a great game and another cool stadium.

We spent the next 2 days touring the city. We visited the famous Pike Place Fish Market, the original Starbucks, checked out the Seattle Music Experience, and took a boat tour around the bay which offered awesome views of the city. Of course we hit a few local Brew Pubs (Steph is a trooper) and sampled the local cuisine. (Click on the photo above for all the pics!)

From there we headed to Portland where we found one of the coolest resorts on the planet! McMenamins Edgefield had a beer garden, brewery, winery, concert pavilion, and 20 hole golf course all within walking distance of each other. Talk about all of life's basic necessities!!! If you are ever in Portland, this is one place you gotta check out. (we found out later that this was one of 60 bars, resorts, breweries that 2 brothers own throughout Oregon and Washington - probably not stuggling to get by).

The wedding ceremony was beautiful (held at an outside Grotto - check out the pics) and the reception was a blast. Free drinks, lots of food, and lots of woman... what more could you want, life is good! :)

-Danny

Another Doc Appt (and my last international Trip..)

Thought I would let you all know that I had another docs appt today and all is well.. except the baby is BIG!! Based on today's sonogram they reconfirmed what Luci said - that this baby is the size of a baby at 30 weeks and 4 days (or due date of Oct. 26th) and not the 28 weeks that I am currently supposed to be at... After much discussion, the doc agreed to move up my first established due date of Nov 12 to Nov. 8th.. but thinks it will just be a big baby (especially based on the fact I was more than 9 lbs when I was born and we know the Spahrs have slightly larger heads :) I will have another sonogram at 35 or 36 weeks just to check on his size at that point. But nothing to worry about :) He did kick all last night which was quite a fun night sleeping..

I am off to Germany tomorrow.. wish me luck on the flights..

WE LOVE IOWA!!

Danny and I just returned from a great weekend in Iowa for our family reunion. From canoeing down the river, to wine night (Danny seemed to enjoy it more than me), to an exciting trap shoot (Congrats Jeff!!), to a great potluck and winding it all up with a firework show that would rival some small towns on the 4th (thanks again Matt).. we again realized how lucky we are to have such an amazing family.
But this year Pam threw a little baby shower for me and I was again amazed at the generosity of all the gifts.. but almost even more fun were the advice cards I got and thought I would put down a few highlights

1) Give them whatever they want
2) Start saving now for college (ouch!)
3) “Kids can be wild and weird sometime so be aware” from a 9 year old cousin
4) Work and cleaning can wait until tomorrow – hugs and kisses can’t ( a personal fave)
5) Dad can learn to change Diapers but Grandpas can’t

There are so many more that I will post a few more next time..

Here are few of my fave pics from the reunion!!!

Lessons Learned….

Danny and I had the fun this weekend of spending time with two couples who both recently had a child. Charlotte is between 3 and 4 months while Annabel is almost 14 months..

Top 5 lessons
5. There is no such thing as a perfect baby product
4. Teaching a baby to sleep through the night requires letting them cry...
3. Breastfeeding is not completely natural and can be quite painful…
2. Learn to take naps whenever you can the first 6 weeks...
1. Our life as we know it is over but it’s all worth it! (Just check out the pictures below!)























Isn't Charlotte the cutest!! Great job - Dave and Jenna!!




Cutest One Year old ever.. our favorite was the Baby Signs...



Please mommy can I stay up just a little bit longer??

















Hopefully we are as good of parents as both of you!! We love ya!

Just checking in..

Just thought I would drop a quick line.. all is well at this point in my world.. Feel good, eat like a horse and besides getting really tired at 8pm and the no alcohol thing.. am starting to enjoy the pregnancy.. Still hard to believe that in about 3 months I will be responsible for baby..

I had the fun of hanging out with Aimee and her little boy, Jake, last night and can't get over how quickly he is growing up.. here are a few of my favorite pics of Jake as he turned one last month..

So nice and clean..

and then the fun begins!!

I WON!!! I BEAT THE CAKE!!

Quick Update: Doc Appt

We had a doctor's appt this morning as a follow up to last week's "fun" visit to the hospital and the doctor said all seems well to her.. the heartbeat is fast and strong at 150 beats per minute (which they say is normal) and she could tell the baby has grown quite a bit since the last appt two weeks ago..
I thought I would include a picture two from our trip to the lakehouse for those few of you who have been asking how big am I - as you can tell from the picture below I am not too big yet but somehow already feel huge :) and here is one of my favorite pictures from the water relay..

Slight Scare...

It seems as though I went from the proud pregnant person to the slightly paranoid pregnant person.. Last Wednesday night/Thursday morning, I awoke with what seemed to be horrible cramps.. but as it did not fade I got up for awhile and did a little interneter research on the internet and convinced myself it was likely just the pain of my uterus stretching and so I tried to force myself back to sleep. However, after a night of tossing and turning the pain did not seem to subside so headed off to work and then called my doctor. He advised I put a heat compress on my stomach, take a Tylenol and drink lots of water. However by 1PM they had not gone away and with the knowledge that I was headed out of town for the weekend and would not be near a doctor I put another call into the doctor to see if I might be able to come in for a quick appt that afternoon. However, much to my surprise they decided that I needed to go straight to the hospital to check if I was actually having contractions. So after 3 hours of being strapped to a machine that checked for contractions and a few calls to the my doctor, they sent me home with little more information then what I walked in with.. as they said I may bed having very mild contractions or it was just an irritation, that I should stick to a bland diet and that I should make an appt with my doctor for early next week.. However, unfortunately I was still in pain (and now with a small idea of how painful labor will be if this was mild) but am happy to report I woke up feeling 100 times better and have had no similar pains..

Woohoo! Watch that baby kick!

I'm afraid I am already turning into one of those parents who thinks their kid is amazing and mine isn't even born yet.... I must say I am amazed at the strength of this little 1+ pound baby to kick/punch or whatever he is doing in there. Danny was able to feel the movements last week and now at night you can actually just sit there and watch my stomach jump..

The 20 week sonogram went great.. according to those measurements they are estimating my due date to be Nov. 6th - a full week ahead of where it was before.. so at least that means the baby is growing quite well. I have only added 5 pounds so far and according to Danny (and a few of this friends) that would be mostly in the chest area.. :)

Well I will have Danny add the sono pics soon..

With love from Singapore

With Love From Singapore
So it looks like my air sickness was just a part of the pregnancy that has luckily seemed to subside.. I made it to Germany and now Singapore with little nausea and the ability to keep food down.. YEAH!!! (ok well I actually wrote this on the plane on the way to Singapore and must have jinxed myself.. since as soon as we landed – I “lost” my breakfast.. definitely something about flying and lack of sleep that just does not do well with me.)

On that note, I must say I am still not sure about the people who say they absolutely loved being pregnant ( I mean not being able to drink alcohol, play contact sports or wear my normal clothes plus these shots I have to take to travel still does not quite strike me as wonderful….however please don’t take this as complaining.. more like if I had a choice in the future I would probably let Danny carry one…) However, I do agree it is absolutely amazing to feel little Junior kicking or punching away…. I actually just wait in the morning for that first little kick (a little more than a flutter at this point) that signals to me he is doing ok (or so I hope)…. The stomach has continued to grow although depending what I wear people still don’t automatically guess that I am pregnant.. I actually can’t wait for the next sonogram (July 3rd for those who want to see the next pic) as I love seeing how much bigger he has gotten…..

Well that is all from this side of the world.. I am currently in Singapore in the midst of the great Shopping sale so I think I will head out and see the “damage” I can do on my Amex..

Hello from Germany!

Hello from Germany..
Here is a pic of some of my favorite ND girls.. what a wedding it was - Carrie was stunning, the event was 3 days of good times and overall a reminder how much good friends mean in life!!! I can honestly say I have been blessed with meeting so many amazing people.. I just wish they all lived in Maryland..

On a another topic.. I thought I would share one of most scary (and embarrassing) travel stories.. So after a 3 hour delay getting out of DC.. I finally made it to London a little after midnight.. and headed straight to get a cab to the hotel.. Well the cabbies wouldn’t take credit cards.. so ran back in to get some “pounds” from the ATM.. well all 3 ATMs were broken.. then luckily changed my only US dollars over at the American Express place (what a ripoff) anyways.. back out to get a cab.. but now of course there is a long line.. but finally get in the cab.. well half way to the hotel I realize I am not sure where I put my passport.. pull everything out of my purse.. my computer bag.. nothing,. Nada.. its gone.. so I tell the cabbie I need to go back to the airport.. however I then realize after I pay him I will no longer have enough cash to get back to the hotel.. amazingly the cabbie feels so bad he does not charge me.. on this drive back I am starting to realize how bad this will be.. I mean I can not take my flight to Germany in the morning.. I can’t go on my trip to Asia as I no longer have the necessary visas.. I mean this would be pure disaster..
So once we get to the airport - I run in like a madwomen.. over to the ATMs to look around.. nothing.. run over to the AMEX guy... and he looks at me with a blank stare as I ask about my passport.. but then says.. what is your name? I said Stephany.. he says oh I just turned it into security.. MIRACLE!!! So yes.. I am now the luckiest person ever!!!

“I’m not fat.. just pregnant’

Sometimes I wish I could wear that saying every day…. I had my first little breakdown on Friday as I realized I had finally have grown out of all my pants and that many of my shirts no longer covered my little belly….

But at the same time I do sit here in amazement that this little boy is growing inside of me…. I am finally truly feeling better and have an appetite and for the first time can say I am excited that I have finally returned to my previous weight and have actually finally put on a few pounds.. I was so nervous going into this last sonogram that my lack of food would have hurt “junior’ but they actually said he is ahead in terms of where they thought he would be.. WOOHOO!!
Well I am off on Thursday to Carrie’s wedding.. then another around the world trip for work (Germany, Singapore and China) so if you get a moment send up a quick prayer for my flights..

16 weeks: Latest photos of Junior

Now that we know it is a boy, we have graduated from calling him 'it' to calling him 'junior'. The chances of me actually getting to name him dan jr are slim, so this is my consolation. :)

It is amazing to see the progression - he has developed clearly defined feet, hands, mouth, and well since he's a boy, a nice package. ;)

The doctor appointments have all gone very well and he is growing quite nicely.
Keep him in your prayers as he continues to grow...

Drumroll please....