Kissy Boy

Isaac loves his Auntie Renee!!

Isaac's Hospital Stay and Homecoming

Week one has been filled with lots and lots of rest, recovery and relatives! We spent the first 3 days in the post-partum unit at Swedish Medical Center. Isaac taught us the new meaning of "Labor Day", with 19-20 hours of labor on Monday and a last-minute delivery by c-section. We survived the first night after surgery and no sleep for 44 hours! Isaac woke up a couple times to be changed and fed, but let the new mom and dad get some rest. The visits from the nurses and doctors kept us up more than he did!

Here's a pic from Day 2, holding hands with Grandma Tamara:

Day 3 in the hospital. One more day until we can go home! Isaac had visits from all the grandparents, and friends Sayuri and Emily. Once alone, Jesse had some nice bonding moments with his new son.

They say to sleep when the baby sleeps. Grandpa Leon took that advice while visiting us in the hospital:

Day 4. After both Isaac and I passed our final tests, we were discharged from the hospital.

Luckily, Jesse read the instructions for the car seat beforehand and was able to strap Isaac in properly for our grand departure.

And formal introductions were in order when he arrived at home. Kaley, our 8-year old Shih-Tzu, has been intrigued by Isaac ever since their initial meeting.

Once home, we all settled in and enjoyed the newest addition to our household.

Welcome Isaac Henry Knappenberger!

We're proud to announce that Isaac Henry Knappenberger was born September 3rd at 10pm! He's a healthy baby boy weighing 6lbs 12ounces and measuring about 17in long.

We went to the hospital at 4:30 a.m. Monday morning after Greta had been having contractions since 1am and her water broke at about 2:30 or so. We hung out and walked around as Greta coped with contractions that became more intense and more frequent. At 9:30 a.m. we got into a room and Greta got some awesome drugs (sadly, none for dad). The middle of the day was not too exciting as the nurse and doc monitored her progress.

Greta started pushing at about 6:30 p.m. and made great progress, however after three hours of that fun, a specialist determined that Isaac's head was not going to fit through the space between Greta's tailbone and pubic bone. (Ahh, all those times Greta fell on her tailbone while snowboarding....Must've put things out of whack!) So, without wasting much time we all went into an operating room and Isaac was delivered by cesarean section soon after.

We're very excited that the little guy is finally here, and that everyone is healthy and happy. Stay tuned for more as we will be coming home from the hospital tomorrow and getting settled in with Isaac.

Oh, and Happy Labor day!!

Week 39 and feelin' fine

Week 39 is here and we're in the home stretch. The doc said I could go any day...or it could be another week...or even two! Hopefully it'll sooner rather than later, but baby knappy will make his appearance when he is good and ready.

Tomorrow is my last day working at the office. I'll be working from home until the baby arrives, which'll be must more comfortable for me. Plus Granny Tamara and Gramps Leon will be arriving on Sunday, so I'll get to hang out with them.

We'll keep this up-to-date so all you east coasters will know when anything exciting happens. Not that pictures of my growing belly (and Kaley) aren't exciting...but ya know........

No lunar baby!

Sorry to disappoint all you believers, but baby knappy did not come during the full moon/lunar eclipse yesterday. I even went to the doctors for a check-up, and while she said I look very, very close...the baby will most likely come next week close to (or after) my due date.

I found this article on the "lunacy" of the correlation between birth rates and the full moon:

For years people have tried to blame the full moon for increasing just about everything from the birth rate to the aggression of professional sports athletes.

No scientific study has conclusively proved that child births go up around the time of a full moon. Also, no study has proved that crime, suicide, or emergency room visits increase either.

The theory seemed to gain momentum briefly in 1978 when Dr. Arnold Lieber published a book called The Lunar Effect, which introduced the world to the "biological tides theory." Lieber argued that the moon affects the human body (which is 80% water) in much the same way as it does the world's oceans.

Critics blasted the book and the theory. Astronomer George Abell reviewed the book in 1979 and said the moon's gravitational pull on the human body was in total less than that of a mosquito.

Despite the studies, the idea of the lunar cycle and the moon casting mysterious spells on humans survives as a popular myth today.

Scientists fielding this question usually take the opportunity to point out that the word "lunacy" is derived from "luna," the Latin word for moon.

The only thing that came early this year during the lunar eclipse was the burning of the man four days early by an arsonist.

So there you have it! More updates as the week progresses.....

Week 38!

We're in the final home stretch...literally and physically! While this past week has flown by, I've been experiencing some new "sensations" which turn out to be early signs of labor! This includes the baby "dropping" or lightening, where the baby drops lower into the pelvis. It feels like I'm carrying around a large bowling ball now, instead of a oven stuffer roaster.

Speaking of...Jesse has been on belly button watch the past month, and after a few false alarms, we think the baby is almost "fully cooked" ....if my navel is any kind of gauge.

I've also been experiencing more Braxton Hicks contractions and stronger nesting instincts. Occasionally, I'll wake up early in the morning (say 2-3am) unable to sleep but feeling energetic, raring to attack dust bunnies under the couch, set up the crib and arrange the baby's outfits according to color and size. But then reality sets in and I go back to sleep.

I have a follow-up appt. with the doc tomorrow, so we'll see how I'm progressing. I've had no less than 5 people tell me that they think the baby is coming tomorrow, as it's a full moon. This includes co-workers, friends and clients...who are all "in the know" since they had their babies during a full moon. Not sure I belive any of this, but check back tomorrow to see if it's fact or fiction!

So, we're close but no cigar yet! Well, Kaley may disagree with that....

Week 37

Less than 3 weeks to go until d-day!
Jesse is getting ready and is anxiously awaiting the arrival of his son!

Kaley can't wait for her little brother to arrive either....

Week 36 - Baby Shower in Seattle

4 weeks and counting!

This week-end, Theresa hosted a co-ed baby shower at her house. The weather was perfect and the company was great!

Jesse even got to practice holding a real baby! Yes, it's true! Anastasia was very cooperative and let Jesse hold her for upwards of 10 minutes without making a fuss. Both seemed very happy at the time.

People got pretty crafty for the party! Theresa and Aunt Kathy made these gorgeous and delicious chocolate mint and peanut butter cupcakes. And they were dairy-free...woohoo!!

During the party, there was a onesie painting table, where there was some serious creativity going on.

Uncle Chuck, aka "The godfather" crafted this awesome design. Nothing beats a binky on a gold rope chain.

..and Mom contributed her great design skills by creating these personalized candy bar wrappers. Oddly enough, almost all the candy bars were taken with the exception of the "Kryin Kid" ones...most of those were left for Jesse & I...I guess as a gentle reminder for what lies ahead!

More pictures are here of the day's events.

Progress of baby nursery

Thanks to the unstoppable help from Grandma Theresa, we were finally able to tackle the baby nursery this past week-end. After emptying out all the "office" stuff and other miscellaneous stuff that seemed to accumulate here for years...Theresa helped us pack, organize and move all the above items...clean the room from top to bottom, then assemble the crib and move the other furniture.


We don't really have a "theme" in the room..but are going along with the pale green color scheme to decorate.

This is the "darth vadar" rocker glider we bought online. We know black isn't a typical baby color, but we like the look & feel of the leather and found it incredibly comfortable.

This is our only "accessory" so far, thanks to Granny Tamara and Grampa Leon.

More pix later as we fill the room up with baby stuff!

Week 35

I seem to be growing exponentially now. Feeling great though, although getting up off the couch seems to be getting much harder! I've been able to keep up my activity level...walking a lot, taking swimming classes and doing prenatal yoga. Now I just have to try to keep up with Kaley!

Week 34

Jesse was in Chicago on a business trip...and visiting Renee, so this is my attempt at taking a pic of myself. Next time I'll clean up our room and maybe make the bed!

Fiesta!

For Jesse, Sherri and Emily's b-day, we threw a Fiesta at our house. I'm kinda lookin like a stuffed pinata in this picture......

Well, here's the real pinata...it looked like Elvis combined with Chucky.

The real excitement was playing Wii on our new 50" plasma!


More party pix here

32 weeks and growing!

Hot momma!

We had the hottest day of the year, with temperatures reaching almost 100 degrees here in Seattle. While I managed to stay inside most of the time, the occasional moments where I was outside was pretty unbearable.


Even the skies were on fire! This is the incredible neon sunset, photographed from the top of Gatewood Hill near our house:

(pic from WS Blog)

Good thing our basement is pretty much done, as it stays nice and cool and we were able to spend the entire evening down there in relative comfort.

THANK YOU JESSE!

Happy Birthday Jesse!

Today is Jesse's 32nd birthday. Woohoo! We'll be celebrating tonight with dinner at Theresa's...and capping off the b-day week with a big fiesta at our house on Saturday.

Happy B-day my love!

Summer Vacation

Ahhh...summer vacation. 9 days of uninteruppted fun, sun and relaxation. With the exception of Jesse catching a cold the last few days, we really enjoyed the time off. Pictures and more details to follow soon..........

Happy Fathers (to be) Day!

Happy almost Fathers Day to Jesse! In a couple short months, he will officially be a baby daddy.

We celebrated by having a nice brunch, then Jesse headed to the basement to work on his remodel project (which is going along very nicely, I must say...). Later in the day, he hung out with the guys for a rock session in Bellevue, then came home to a yummy BBQ.

Soon, instead of home improvements, bbq, beer and rock n roll... it'll be diapers, bottles and burpies.

Happy Fathers Day!!

7 months - Week 28

I'm officially in the third trimester. As you can see, the baby bump continues to morph and grow! I'm supposed to gain about 1 lb a week. We've also been gaining one+ baby item per week. Last week, we got a crib and pack n' play. This week...well, it's not really for the baby, but we bought a bookshelf/wall unit for the "den". We have to start his reading collection sometime, and have somewhere to put all the great works. This week, well we'll see what we get!

Happy 2nd Anniversary

Happy Anniversary to us! Jesse and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary on June 4. I can't believe it's been 2 years already. It seems much longer ;-). The craziest thing is that Jesse reminded me that we've actually been together for 5 years now. I guess time flies when you're having fun.

Monthly Update

Wow, where did the month of May go? It seemed to just fly right by. It's been over a month since our last posting, so here are the highlights from the past month:

• Baseball: Jesse & I went to a Yankees vs. Mariners Game. We were "lucky" enough to hear Blake Lewis (finalist in Americam Idol) sing the National Anthem. The Yankees weren't as lucky, as they lost the game 3-2. No gloating allowed, Jesse!
  
  
• Mother's Day: This year, we hosted Mother's Day (and Mother's-To-Be Day) at our house. First, Theresa came over for Brunch which Jesse skillfully prepared for his ladies. We had french toast, vegetable fritatta, and fruit salad. It was wonderful, and gave us an excuse to use Granny's china.

• Mother's Day, continued: After breakfast, we opened gifts which included a really nice photo album for Theresa, and some supportive pillows for the pregnant momma. Next, we took Theresa on a suprise road trip. As a big Frida Kahlo fan, we thought she'd enjoy the exhibit at the Tacoma Art Museum. Afterwards, we drove around town a little, and stopped to admire the view. I was really tired (and hungry) when this pic was taken. Watch out for the hungry pregnant lady..she might bite your head off!

• Cooking School: I took a great Sourdough Baking class at the Culinary Communion. We learned about making a starter, care and feeding of our "pet" starter, proofing and baking. The bread was absolutely amazing. We even got to take some dough home and bake it ourselves. (I'll save you all from the "bun in the oven" jokes). I volunteer there about once a month as a student assistant, which means I get to particpate in the class for free but have to help during and after the class with dishes. It's been a great experience, and I love the chefs that run the school. I'm taking advantage of any "free time" I have now to enjoy leisure activities while I can!



• New Jersey: For our last flight for a while, we took a nice trip back East to New Jersey over Memorial Day week-end. It was a great 5-day visit where we basically got to see the majority of my relatives and friends, go into NYC, and eat, eat and eat some more! Mom & Dad celebrated their 40th anniversary, so they threw a big party at the house. It was fun to see everyone, especially Grandma Anita and my Nephew Nathan.

• Memorial Day: Here we are at Edgemont Memorial Park. We missed the 'official' ceremony, but managed to check out the monument, where people were paying their personal homage to citizens who had died while serving the United States. We received a lovely painting of this location from the Guiffra's as a wedding gift, so we thought it would be fun to check it out.
  


• Baby Shower, part 1: My wonderful friends from Montclair were kind enough to throw a baby shower for me during my visit. It was hosted at Gillian's house, and attended by Kendra, Peggy, Jen, Grandma, Mom, Tori and Gwen. (And Shea & Ciara too, of course!). We had a lovely time, and I really enjoyed getting to spend some time with my friends that are all seasoned pros at parenting.

Well, that pretty much concludes all of our activities from the past month. I'll try to post more frequently now, as I'm officially in the third trimester!