Almost walking!

Quickly approaching 10 months, Freda is walking with assistance. Pretty exciting. We will show more baby trick videos soon.

9 Months

3/4 of a year came and went with barely a notice. She is almost walking, talks up a storm and is busy harnessing the theories quantum mechanics and space folding in her relentless pursuit to invent either a time machine or a doggie.

daddy is sooooo funny.

Bathanticipation. Freda loves the bath and once she hears that tub start you cannot get her into it fast enough.

Teeth keep comin'

Toothy #6 decided to show up. 4 on top, still two on the bottom. She got her two front teeth for christmas!

Boogie Face

Until she learns how to blow her nose, Freda makes this face and snorts when she gets boogers.

Freda's first snow!

She stands in the snow. So much fun.

Thanksgiving wrap-up

We had a great Thanksgiving holiday even in the middle of all that teething. Thursday morning we stopped by Brent and Lisa's to see the cousins before heading down to Bayview. Next was a stop off in Bayview to visit the Grandparents Schumacher, John and Krisiti and family. Got to visit with Freda sra. and Tom and Bobby over dinner. Then off to the Speedy gathering to catch up with Grandma Leslie/Tim, Great Grandma Sharon and Katie as well as meeting Uncle Martin and Uncle Eric and thier families. Being the center of attention is hard work as Freda was pretty worn out and insisted on going home. So we rallied back to Bellingham to reflect on our productive yet tiring holiday with our families and doggies and ticky-tickies(cats). Thanks everyone and Happy Thanksgiving.

manic pace

3 new teeth this week on top. She is so not happy about it. Even though she she is dancing up a storm. Lotsa ice cubes and frozen mangoes in the baby strainer. Last night she perfected the art of standing up with the help of large stationary object. She says "Hi", 'woofs' when you ask her what the doggies say, and a ton of "whoah" and "ooooooo's". And 'tikol' what ever that is (which also has accompanying dance move).

teeth cometh

Tooth #3 cut through today and it looks like #4 and #5 are going to follow in the next few days. All of the teeth are on the top, although 2 of the 3 new ones are not her front teeth. She has been quite a pill, but is still very cute.

santa

OMG she started 'dancing'!

I was reading Hands Hands Fingers Thumbs last night to Freda and she started bobbing her head. So I tried humming and singing some songs to her. What do you know, she dances now. She bobs her head and upper body and flails her arms! We noticed her doing this last week but did not make the connection to rhythm.

Peek-a-Boo 2

Mad Baby

Freda does not like her nose wiped. I try to console her and fail, for she is also too tired.

Halloween!

We had a great time handing out candy at Studio Galactica on Halloween. We made the rounds downtown, visiting with all the regulars like the Grandmuzzy and the record store kids (Jeff Mitchell had the day off). Freda was a punkin.

oh yeah Freda was a dragon this week too.

Interesting note: We have decided that this will be her Christmas outfit as well. I mean damn, a Christmas dragon? C'mon!

The First Sick

Freda got her first cold. Little runny nose and fussy sleeper so far.

Dear Freda,

I could stare at you all day.

I remember:

The first time I saw her heart beating

The first time I felt her kick inside Mandy

The first time I saw her kick inside Mandy

Almost passing out in the delivery room

Like Mandy, falling in love with someone I just met

Learning to swaddle

Sleeping with my eyes open

Merconium

The colic

Her floppy neck

Her fisrt cognative "dada"

Missing yesterday every morning

Being immature

Peek-a-boo

We play peek-a-boo alot with Freda, but we do all the 'work'. She just enjoys it. Yesterday, Mandy called and told me Freda grabbed a shirt and held it over her own face then dropped it and laughed. Over. And. Over. When i got home for work we played some peek-a-boo before going over to great grandma and grandpa Sherwin's for dinner.

A not so subtle reminder that she is taking in everything we do.

little naps

i can only imagine what she dreams of...

7 months ago today

Seems like so long ago already.
Happy birthday baby girl, life without you would be unbearable.

Happy Halloween

Freda the giggler

She thinks the animals are so funny.

it's been a while...

It's been almost 2 months since my last entry. Freda is so incredibly amazing and adorable.

She can sit up on her own now and is almost crawling. As much as we are not looking forward to her becoming mobile, it's definately an advancement that will be very exciting. she says "dada" for dad and calls the doggies "gees". She loves to play pattycake and waves at people when they wave at her. She is very talkative and loves to look around and examine everything, especially animals. She is so happy when she wakes up she sings songs in her funny little language. It's a big world and there is a lot to take in. She is afraid of the dark, especially riding in the car at night.

She is eating alot of food now and her favorites have to be winter squash and cheerios. She also knows that she can get the dogs attention with a few dropped pieces of cereal. We can take her anywhere as she is very well behaved.

She still only has two teeth, but the top two are poised and ready to drop into place anytime. She was off the chart for her height percentile and in the 75th percentile for her weight.

Tooths!

Tooth number 2 broke through this morning. Fussy little baby says "i-da-da".

Tooth!

Freda's first tooth broke through today! She was being extra fussy and drooly today. Tonite I checked her gums and sure enough her first tooth has cut through.

Mustachio!

Guess who eats food now?

Freda eats food now.

New

[x] peek-a-boo
[x] focused on the dogs
[x] looks to see noises/voices
[x] toes in mouth
[x] tries to sit up
[x] loves being read to
[x] talks in sleep?

4 Months Now

Into the fourth month, things are definitely in a rhythm. She is still sleeping all night, and taking short naps during the day. We are also getting used to this whole parenting thing. Her laughter is contagious, she loves us so much. Play time is so fun. It has been in the 90's the past few days and we are looking forward to it cooling down this weekend. The air conditioning we added to our heating system has been a life saver. I could not imagine a screaming sweaty little baby when there is no escape. Freda, could you be any more beautiful? Could you love mommy and daddy any more? Could you be any more aware, alert or expressive. No, no and no. We gave birth to a little person. She was never a baby, i swear.

[x] Freda owns.

Wait till you see the fake moustache photos...

New Pictures

We have been so busy lately that I have fallen behind posting up new pictures. Over the next few days I will try and update her gallery.

Here are some from the beginning of June when we went on our first family trip to Leavenworth.

And some now from Father's Day.

And finally, our first official family vacation and freda's first swim at Soap Lake, WA.

freda's first sushi

We took Freda to Miyoshi sushi on my birthday. Grandma Judy met up with us and fun was had. Just look at Freda, so much fun she passed out!

New(s)

1. Scooching continues.
2. Very alert and aware of people and voices.
3. Motor skills greatly improved, sense of touch in high gear.
4. Teething? Signs are definitely there, but no teeth yet.
5. Can roll front to back and back to front.
6. Laughing and chattering a lot.
7. Loves mommy and daddy.

Leavenworth

We took Freda to Leavenworth last weekend and had a great time. We ran into a couple pairs of friends up there proving that yes, this is a small world. It was great to see Juice and Lindy as well as Erin and Charlyn! Freda visited her first beer garden, where Mandy and I enjoyed a German beer and we ate brats. The brat cooks were hilarious. Good times were had by all. The weather was great. I went to the skateboard park, I had it all to myself, with a fractured toe.

yer mama

OMG Freda I looooovvvvvvvvveee you so much. Every time I look at you my heart breaks a little. Sometimes you smile at me when I least expect it and it's like you're letting me in on an inside joke. I never thought I would meet someone that could melt me so quickly and completely. I cannot wait to wake up with you every morning and listen to you laugh and laugh; I hope your sense of humor stays with you always. You have very serious eyebrows and you need your beautiful smile to disarm the masses. I gotta go squeeze you right now!

memorial weekend 07

Freda has become quite the little talker this last week. Cracks us up. She started laughing and doing alot of sound 'mocking'. Whenever she hears anyone launging live or on t.v. she totally copies it and laughs too.

Also, an accomplished roll-er-over-er, she started scooching on her elbows, or pre-crawling.

She looks at noises and really notices the dogs when they are near.

cousins

We had dinner with my brother's family on Sunday and had such a great time.


Dylan and Freda


Cousins for life!



The ever-elusive Sawyer

mom's day

bouncy chair fun


mandy and freda

Freda so mad

She got her first round of (4) shots yesterday. Not a happy camper. All 4 in the thighs. Still cute tho, still cute. She really is focusing on things now, taking it all in on many levels. Lots of babbling and mouth/voice emulation, especially with her grandmas. Mandy got her a bouncy chair that makes her crack up which makes us crack up.

doctor visit

12.1 pounds today. 75th percentile weight, 100th percentile in height/length and her head size was around 75th percentile. Like her dad, she'll wear a large hat. Looks like she's gonna be tall, thin and a brainiac! I'll post up some mother's day pics tomorrow or the next day.

The Mallard ice cream girl has voted Freda the cutest baby at the farmers market 3 weeks in a row.

two months

Today is Freda's 2 month birthday!

Wow, she has changed so much this first little bit. The colic is definately coming to an end. She wiggs out for no more than an hour a day, if she does at all. Well, except yesterday. I was reading the other day that they are narrowing colic down to either acid reflux or a allergy to milk protien (humans are lactose intolerant). She is very alert now and bats at things in front of her, sleeps all night, and loves to ride in the Baby Bjorn facing out.

Last weekend, Freda went to Mill Creek to swappy's house for a baby party for Tom and Tracy's future addition Imogen, due on June 17. Then she went with Mandy and Kaori to Seattle to buy some new Fluevog's. Fun for all.

The '4th trimester' is almost over and we are excited for it to be.

Happy birthday kiddo, I love you.

smiles

cutecutecute

Man alive, she gets cuter every day. Freda's neck is getting alot stronger all the sudden and she really looks around alot. She is very attracted to familiar voices, especially Mandy and I.

So, here in the 7th week, our new family is doing great, even the colic is at an all time low.

she cries.

the girl can cry. click on the pic to see a gallery of crying.

new pics added 4-27-07.

every day is new

Crazy how freda changes daily. This weekend Freda seems very aware and responsive to things moving around her. Also, it seems as though she figured out her voice can make different sounds and volumes. She started making deliberate sounds not just blurting out noise by forcing a bunch of air through her voicebox. The evening screaming is definately getting much better now. We are starting to figure out what her different cries and whines mean, which is making it easier to help her with her needs.

"Kids only get better with age. Whatever age your kid is at, you're gonna miss it someday." - jim

11+ pounds

Weighed freda at the olsen's yesterday, she is 11 lbs. 5.5 oz. fully clothed. She is laughing and smiling alot now, looks at things and responds to sounds (especially mom and dad's voices). She sleeps all night long from around 8 or 9pm till around 10-11 am. Which is awesome. She is still fussy from 5pm till bed, so if you want to visit I would suggest doing so before 5.

easter

Easter was fun, got her all dressed up in easter duds and had grandma leslie and great grandma sharon up for a visit. Had a nice brunch and Freda slept most of the time. Then she woke up and smiled and laughed.

hostel Lucia Freda, Florence, Italy

I can't wait to take Freda to hostel Lucia Freda in one of our favorite cities, Florence, Italy. Contrary to popular belief, she is not named after this hostel, but after her great grandmother, Freda Schumacher.

new pictures

I put some new pictures up on www.fredalucia.com. Freda met her cousins Dylan and Sawyer this weekend for brunch at grandma and grandpa McCoy's. We had some bath, tried on some new clothes. All is well. Having a baby is fun in between the colic.

hospital birth announcment

Go ahead and click the link to sign her guestbook, view her birth stats, and check out some info about march 9, 2007.

fredaluciamccoy

she likes the milk

freda had a doctors appointment today and all looks very good. she now weighs 9lbs. 8oz. that's a 22.581% gain in weight in 20 days.

babies cry

alot.

the hair

a mohawk on the 7th day!?! nice!

freda lucia arrives!

Birth Statistics
Weight: 7 pounds and 12 ounces
Length: 20 1/2 inches
Time: 3:54 am
Date:Friday, March 9, 2007

the wait...part 2

Contractions have all but stopped since my last entry. If we don't see Freda by Thursday, Mandy is scheduled to be induced at 8 a.m. at the hospital.

Which is fine by us.

it's a fact

You're 14 percent more likely to give birth on a Tuesday than any other day of the week — and least likely to deliver on the weekend.

today is here

Well, today is the due date set according to the conception date.

We had contractions from 7pm-10pm last night about 5 minutes apart. We packed our bags, and went to bed fully thinking we would be woken up to go to the hospital. She had about 4 in the night that woke her up. So I am at work, waiting for the call. I have never seen her in that much pain, yet so excited at the same time.

the wait...

266 days will have passed this Wednesday, Feb 28th.

Mandy saw Dr. Tu today and everything is progressing great. Both of them are in tip-top shape. Things are physically moving towards labor, but officially it has not started yet. Thursday March 8 we will be induced at the hospital if Mandy does not go into labor before then.

7 days to go

Well, here we are with one week to go until our due date. It's probably going to be the longest week of our lives. This week seemed so far away last june. Dr. Tu said she won't let us go more than one week over the due date, so at the most we have 14 days until we see freda. Mandy's last day of work was Saturday, Feb 17 and she has been organizing and cleaning and hanging out around the house.

valentines day

253 days down, 13 to go. It is definitely starting to become much more real with two weeks to go. Soon my pregnant wife will be pregnant no longer, but will be a mother like no other.

Our partners in crime delivered their baby Simon George last week, re-affirming that this is not a test, this is not practice, this is life happening.

Simon George:

week 37

Congratulations! Your pregnancy is now considered full-term — meaning your baby is developmentally ready to handle life outside the womb. Your baby probably weighs a little over 6 pounds at this point and measures between 19 and 20 inches, head to heel.

doctor and contractions

Mandy saw Dr. Tu yesterday, everything is normal, nothing to report. There are now 23 days until we all bathe in the splendor of ms. freda lucia. Mandy had some rapid fire big contractions last night. Four in a half hour, then a couple aftershocks a bit later.

peek-a-boo

4 weeks to go and here is the latest baby picture of Freda's little face.

the sickness

Monday, I was really sick with a 24 hour bug.

Tuesday night Mandy was up all night getting sick. Wednesday she went to see Dr. Tu because she was getting worse and could keep no liquids down. They sent Mandy to the hospital where I met up with her. They checked on Freda and all was well with the baby. Mandy was hydrated intravenously and given a prescription for anti-nausea medication. I took her home where she slept all day and night. She ate a couple of fruit-sickles and drank some ginger ale. Today she is feeling a little bit better.

all is well!

Mandy had a Dr. Tu appointment yesterday and freda weighs 5 lbs. She also predicted freda weighing 7.5 to 8 lbs at birth. We got a new ultrasound of her face. Mandy thinks she got daddy's nose.

braxton-hicks

from americanpregnancy.org:

"It all started in 1872 when an English doctor, John Braxton Hicks, described the contractions that occur before real labor."

"Braxton Hicks contractions can begin as early as the second trimester, however they are most common in the third trimester. The muscles of your uterus tighten for approximately 30 to 60 seconds or as long as 2 minutes."

mandy has been having 15-20 a day for the last week.

almost there...

44 days until baby makes three and all is well. Freda has dropped, is head down and Braxton Hicks are in full effect. We can't wait to meet you little baby.

the most recent ultrasound

It was a while ago (9-25-06), but hey, there she is.

due date

freda lucia mccoy is due on febuary 28, 2007.
now taking bets on date/weight/length.