Almost two weeks old now!

Tomorrow will be Elliot's 2-week-a-versary! Time really is flying now that we have a little one in the house. It is a riot. We are mindless dingbats half the time and as the saying goes "we don't know whether to wind our butts or scratch our watches!". Elliot is adjusting to life on earth really well =). He sleeps well and gives us at least 3-4 hour chunks at night - which is do-able. We are still totally nuts about him even though he tries to test our patience with his incessant crying at 3 am.

ALL BUCKLED NICELY READY FOR A CAR RIDE!

We took our first road trip up to Mt. Hood this week. The sun was shining and we could not spend another second in the house. We needed to get out. It was marvelous. Elliot slept the whole way, woke up when we arrived, piddled on himself out of shear excitement and then ate lunch with us - thanks mum!

JJ, ANT, ELLIOT, AND I ENJOYING LUNCH AT TIMBERLINE LODGE

JJ can really take some great pictures. She made us hop out and take some pics in the snow. It was freezing, even though the sun was shining, and the glare was crazy so we had to keep our eyes shut till the photo was taken!

Such a fun day!

JJ, ANT, AND I POSING FOR SOME PICS ON THE WAY BACK FROM TIMBERLINE LODGE AT MT. HOOD

The baby story

WELCOME ELLIOT GRAHAM ROA
8.1lbs and 20.25inches

Our little angel decided that he would arrive and join the world on the 28th of February 2009. I cannot believe that 40 weeks came and went so quickly and that little Elliot is finally here.

We had had a few doctor appointments near the end of my pregnancy where his heart rate would have a rather irregular rhythm. We were closely monitoring it with quite a few sessions on monitors and ultrasounds. Everything inside looked great but these heartbeat rhythms were not getting any better with time and so my doctor decided that at my 40 week and 2 day appointment that it was time to try and get this little guy out. He was not making any progress on his own so we thought we would help the process along and induce me Friday the 27th @ 1pm.
After a night of getting my cervix ready we began the induction @ 7am Sat morning. After 13 hours of progressing and laboring he still was not progressing to any point that was considered ideal. His heart rate was still showing divets that, according to our doctor, suggested placental insufficiency and were also not improving and at 8pm we decided to move ahead with the c-section. I was reluctant at first but seeing how he was not getting any closer to coming and his heart beat not getting any better it was decided that surgery would be the best decision to make sure that my little man would be healthy and happy and in his mom's arms. So at 8:30pm I was wheeled off to surgery.
Anthony was right at my side being the most amazing supporter and cheerleader and at 9:18pm our baby boy took his first breath and screamed his head off. We both began crying with joy and could not believe that at that moment we had become parents and our life would change forever. I could feel my heart explode and expand and I had just fallen in love with another person (I still had not met him yet!). Anthony went to get him and you can see in his pic just how proud and happy dad is with the arrival of his little boy. I cannot believe the pride and joy I could see in Ant's eyes. I think that he will never be able to find a moment that tops this one!

Our doctor told us after he was born that the umbilical cord was too short for a vaginal delivery. I have not heard of this but apparently it happens! So our decision to proceed with a c-section was a blessing as who knows what he would have gone through if we had of waited to see if he would progress any more, which of course he would not have.


I finally got to hold Elliot when we were in the recovery room and I could not believe how absolutely perfect he was. Just look at him :)
It was very emotional and if you have had children then you understand the amazing sense of completeness at that point in your life. There is very little else that compares to holding your own child. The love you feel cannot be explained.

It has been 5 days now and we are slowly learning the routine of parenting. It is taking its time and comes with its ups and downs but is amazing. I did not think that it was possible to cry this much and will find myself randomly bursting in to tears and the next second be so happy that you cannot wipe the smile from my face. Thanks to the combo of hormones, lack of sleep and some very strong drugs they have me on from the surgery!!! It is really funny and Anthony is just one heck of a dad and husband and is entertained by these random outbursts but is the first to grab tissues, rub my back, and tell me everything is going to be okay :)
Today was a great day though and am proud to say that no tears were shed today and we are getting better and figuring out the routine and making life run a little smoother with this new family member.

Life has now begun!
The Roa family is one happy clan and life is just getting better with each day. I love being a mom and wife and am just in my element.

Well hope you enjoy the tale and thanks again for all the amazing support, prayers, messages and visits. We are forever grateful :)

The ever changing present

Today is Sunday, January 22nd. We are basically counting down the hours until Calie gives birth to our baby, expanding the Roa family by one. We cannot express how excited we are to meet our little Elliot. We know that it's going to be a huge change for our every day shenanigans, and that it's going to require a bit more effort, but Calie and I have never been so ready to make the sacrifices associated with caring for our own conglomeration of deoxyribonucleic acid.


Luckily, in this transition phase of life for the Roas, Senorita Kloke, has flown over from London to help us take care of little Elliot. It's been fun having her around since around the 11th February and we are looking forward to the help that an extra pair of loving hands will bring to this household for the next 5 months.


Even though Calie is about ready to give birth to our baby, she is still a trooper. She was drilling, filling, pulling, and crowning teeth all the way up to this last Friday. I can just imagine her drilling and filling while her belly rests on her patient's head. HAHA. I wish I could have gotten a picture of that!


We went to the Winterhawks Hockey game last night and sat center rink, about 1/2 way up. Calie and I have been to hockey games before, and it's always been fun to watch. Jehanne, on the other hand, had never been to a hockey game and absolutely loved it. I think she was even more thrilled when she got to "pose" with TOMAHAWK, the Winterhawk's Mascot. What she wasn't thrilled about, was how bad she smelled after HUGGING the Mascot (I don't think Jehanne is accustomed to smelling like BO and beer). I think those mascots are pretty dodgey! haha.

Tuesday will be my last day of work at WaMu (now a part of Chase) for a little while. I'm going to just stay home and take care of Calie until she has the baby and then take care of Elliot after he is born. It's going to be a great bonding time for the Roa family. I'm really looking forward to it.

Hopefully, the next post will involve pictures of our baby boy with Mom and Dad holding him....stay tuned.

February 6th, 7th, and 8th.

The conclusion of this week started at 10pm on Friday night. Friday, of course, was my last day at the Hillsboro Branch of WaMu (now part of Chase) where I've served a solid 25 months. I'm moving down the street (about 2 miles) from my old branch, but to a completely different atmosphere. Probably the most difficult thing about making this switch for me, is leaving a group of co-workers that I've really gotten to know, and care about. 10pm, Friday night, one of my co-workers, Bianca, organized a bowling party and all of my co-workers showed up to have a good night of throwing balls at white pins 100 feet down the lane. Little did I know, but everyone had bought stuff for our baby, and threw a surprise baby shower for me. I don't think I've ever felt so loved as I did at that point from co-workers. It was truly remarkable to have all my colleagues (and friends, might I add) go out of there way and take concern for my baby.
Saturday, Calie and I finished up with some nesting (Me, probably a bit more than she, but she needed a day off with the girls for a pedicure, laughs, a stamp-it-up party, and some shopping). I managed to get all of our jam-packed closets cleaned out and moved to the garage, shelves and pictures hung, laundry done, car cleaned out and much much more. Saturday night, my work was rewarded
twofold. Calie had bought me a new pair of stylin' shoes and we were invited to the Schmidty's house for some pizza, a movie and great company (including the Schmidts, the Scotts, and my best friend....).
Sunday was almost a day of rest. Calie and I woke up around 7:15am and made our way to church. After church, Calie and I headed out for some Olive Garden and took advantage of the soup/salad/breadsticks combo. Calie LOVES the Olive Garden ( I think her second love is the breadsticks that are served there ). I've had most of the day off today (except for some last minute cleaning, cooking, and laundry) while Calie has been studying diligently for her mid terms that have sneaked up on her.
The weekend seems to have sneaked past us already, but we feel really blessed because we get to go to work and school after a weekend to ourselves. We know that there are many people who choose to work, but cannot find any at this time.
We are also counting down the hours until Jehanne gets here and plays the role of super-nanny. Only 44 hours 'til Aunty Jeh gets here!

Now I am going to add some pictures.....

Well the week has already been busy and I am glad that I am only on a half day (doctor's orders!). I am wiped out by the end of the day and nap times are becoming a lot more frequent!

As you can see I am getting bigger and bigger! Three weeks to go and even that might be a stretch the way Elliot has been acting up :)

He has been kicking like nothing else and my ribs are taking quite the whacking from him. Why I oughta......

Anthony and I have been taking our birthing classes and on Monday we got to watch a real birth movie. It was quite the experience actually seeing what is going to happen and as scary and unpredictable as it is, we were both speechless and I was a little teary eyed. What a crazy experience this is going to be and I am happy that, for all that you go through, you end up with such a wonderful gift of a baby in the end. Would not put my body through this for anything else!!!

Here are Tim and Anthony figuring out our wonderful sofa couch from Ikea.... it was really funny as you can see Timothy is pointing!!! The men did a wonderful job and got the couch assembled with no problems what so ever. So proud of them.

Well am off for a fun night at church. Later.....

This is the beginning

Well The Roas are finally joining the blogging world. Brittany Schmidt has finally got us going on this and we can finally communicate with the world about what is going on in our lives. It is a fine Superbowl Sunday. The men are yelling at the TV, food and snacks are slowly dwindling and we are enjoying the laziness of the day.
Anthony and I have had a pretty busy weekend.
Friday was a whirlwind day with a visit to the doctor and Elliot getting a little too excited about meeting the world. He is going to stay put for now, which is good because he still has a solid 3 weeks till his due date.
Saturday was busy busy! We had a wonderful baby shower at yummy Olive Garden with some wonderful women who spoiled me rotten. Anthony enjoyed a male bonding golf day with Timothy and Tyler and walked his cute little tail off. After our separate adventures we all met up for a rendezvous at IKEA to buy Jehanne's sofa bed!!! YAY... Lisa, Tyler, Tim, Brit, Macy, Ant and I tucked into some yummy swedish meatballs, hotdogs, cinnamon rolls, and icecream! Yup... all of it! Ant and Tim spent the evening assembling the MANSTAD sofa with the directions that were very international (no words, only pointing!) - very funny! And if this all was not enough, we watched the basket ball game (Blazers vs. Jazz - we won!!!).

So busy Saturday, deserves a lazy Sunday!
After a visit to the hospital today to find out how our little man is doing we came home and vegged!
Elliot is just fine. Strong and healthy and I guess just a little excited about being in the world but not ready and primed just yet. Hold on little guy!!!!

So enjoy the Superbowl everyone!