Tax Day Tea Party

All across the nation on Wednesday, April 15th, people gathered together for Tax Day Tea Parties in protest of large government spending.


Danielle was nice enough to stay home with the new baby so I could attend. The protests took their theme from the iconic December 16th, 1773 Boston Tea Party that protested taxation without representation.

taxdayteaparty.com explains the modern tea parties:

The Tea Party protests, in their current form, began in early 2009 when Rick Santelli, the On Air Editor for CNBC, set out on a rant to expose the bankrupt liberal agenda of the White House Administration and Congress. Specifically, the flawed “Stimulus Bill” and pork filled budget.

The protesters were ordinary Americans concerned about the out of control government spending on entitlement programs that will enslave ourselves and generations ahead with crushing debt.

I attended the nearest tea party which was in the Plaza de Cesar Chavez Park in downtown San Jose from 5-7 pm. I made a sign from an image I downloaded and drove down hoping to find someone else when I got there. It wasn't hard. There were several hundred people in the park and multiple news stations with their big vans covering the event. In case you missed all of that, you could not miss the constant honking as rush hour commuters drove by and honked and gave big thumbs up in support. It was a blast!

It was a pretty easy crowd to to join too. There were people from all walks of life: young parents with kids, senior couples, war veterans waving flags, and young adults. Luckily it wasn't the wild chain-yourself-to-a-government-building protest. A kinda geeky engineer like myself fit in much better. :) Probably more effective too.

There were also some entertaining signs. Some of my favorite were these:


Here's a quick 360 degree view of the group with cars constantly honking in the background.


Here's a couple pics I snapped with my phone:

Caleb, Day 5 and 6

Day 5 Caleb went to the grocery store for the first time. He was looking around a lot when we first got in, but after about 3 minutes he just conked right in my arms. I could see a few people whispering, "Look a little baby." Little babies are so cute. Here's proof:

Day 6 Caleb wore his onsie with Dilbert on it. Derrick happened to be wearing his Stanford Engineering shirt. We had to get a picture of that combo. Also, another video. I can't get enough of that cute face (neither can either Grandma)!

Caleb Derrick Isaacson...the first days of life

Well, he's finally here. The sweet little addition to our family. Saturday morning I woke up to contractions. I didn't know that's what they were at first but we figured that out soon enough. We got to the hospital at 2:30pm and when they checked me I was 6cm dilated but since my water hadn't broken yet she could stretch me to 9cm. I got an epidural and as soon as that kicked in I felt no pain whatsoever. It was amazing! I'd recommend it to anyone. Here's us after I got the epidural.

After a little bit of time they broke my water and I quickly got to 10cm. This is the amazing part--I pushed for a total of 13 minutes and through 4 contractions. Again, no pain at all. They told me not to tell anyone that it was so easy because most women don't have it that easy. He was born at 6:28pm. As soon as he came out he was peeing all over the doctor, then they put him on my chest and he peed all over my arm too. He was crying and crying but I was so happy to see him. I was totally crying at that point because I was so overjoyed to see my baby here and healthy.

They cleaned him up, weighed him in at 7 lbs 14 oz and measured him at 21 inches.

Then they took me to my room and then Derrick went to the nursery where they were bathing Caleb, putting up on the security device and clothing him. When they broug ht him back to me I loved holding him. It's hard to believe he is my baby. Derrick and I are totally in love with him. We think he is so cute especially when he's awake and his big blue eyes are looking at you. This is my favorite video of him.

We had a bit of a rough time at the hospital since we had a shared room and the baby next door screamed the entire night. Even though Caleb slept for a few hours we couldn't enjoy that time to sleep. That was frustrating. Also, we had a hard time with eating. Before we left the hospital he dropped down to 7 lbs 1 oz. The doctor was a little worried because that's a little more weight than is normal to lose. She told us to rent an electric pump and after he's done with a feeding give him a little more with a syringe and then have a check up the next day to see if he's doing better. I felt totally sad because I felt like I was doing a bad job and frustrated because I didn't know how to help him latch on.

We left the hospital Monday evening and had to stop at the drug store to pick up my pain meds and then at another store to get the pump. Caleb slept the whole time and even through us making dinner. He woke up right when we finished eating...what a good boy. However, we were then up almost the whole night for one reason or another. After many hours of me being up with him Derrick offered to watch him and let me sleep. When I woke up Derrick was really happy and he said how he just had quality father son time. I am so glad that I have Derrick home to help me. There is no way I could get through this early stage alone.
On Tuesday we went to the doctor's office and Caleb gained 3 oz. Yay!!! He's doing so much better with feedings and I felt a lot better when I heard he was gaining weight.


Here's Caleb in his lamb seat. My mom gave it to us and I'm so glad we have it because he'll sleep for 4 hours straight in it...what a life saver.

Random

When I posted our trip to Yosemite last September I said I would try to figure out how to flip a video and then I would put it on. Well, 7 months later I figure it out. Here's Derrick's amazing ability to skip rocks. I couldn't see very well in the screen while I was filming but he didn't skip the rock 4 times like I said...it was like 10! See for yourself!


Also, here's another stomach picture from 1 1/2 weeks ago. I went out yesterday to the bank and Walmart and even though I'm due on Saturday I swear every other pregnant woman I saw was bigger than me. How is that possible?

Nursery...almost done

I went to Michael's yesterday and got these letters and stuff to make these lambs. All I used was cardboard, felt, yarn and glue. I felt so crafty making them. I also felt a little pain too. I totally gouged my left palm when I was cutting the cardboard. It doesn't look bad but it's kind of deep. That's ok because I like how the lambs turned out so it was worth it :)



On the wall above the crib I still want to put this picture of Christ as the Good Shepherd. It's my favorite!


Above is a little container with lambs on it. It is going to be our dresser for now. I love the cute stuffed lambs we got!

Here is the glider we just bought...it matches the crib perfectly! We ordered it online for in-store pick up so we won't get it for another week or two but I'm excited!

Doctor Appointment, Moving and Stretch Marks

I had a doctors appointment on Friday. The doctor said I'm a good 1 1/2 cm dilated and the baby is really low. She said she was surprised I wasn't waddling more when I walked and whenever the baby decides to press the button he will be ready to come. I told her my husband didn't want the baby to come for about another week (so he can get more done at work before paternity leave). She said that he better not have me doing any lifting or hard work then.

Well, guess what Derrick and I did on Tuesday night? We picked up a desk and tv we found on craigslist. I didn't help with moving them into the car because the people we bought them from helped Derrick with that. But what to do when you get to the apartment? You guessed it, I helped Derrick lug a desk up the stairs and then a 92 pound tv.

Another thing, I have really bad stretch marks. They keep getting worse and I can feel when I'm getting more of them. Cocoa butter did not work for me! I told Derrick that hopefully my stomach losing it's cuteness will just go into the baby being more cute. That's how it works right?

Almost Home Sweet Home

I thought I put up pictures of our new apartment since some people have been asking. Nothing is in there yet except for baby stuff, a metal bed frame (you'll see it in a picture) and the cable line for tv and internet.

So here we have the front door. We are on the second floor in apartment #16.

Here's what you see when you walk in the front door to the living room.



Here's the front window in the living room...nice tree right there :)




Our lovely kitchen. I still don't know how we're going to fit a dining table but I guess we'll work something out.

Here's the bedroom. We are a corner unit and have a huge tree right outside our window there on the left and the managers told us it keeps our apartment a little cooler in the summer...something we'll definitely need with a little baby.

We didn't take a picture of the baby room yet because it's pretty cluttered. As soon as we get all settled in I'll take a picture of the nursery!

Me now

I've got to keep taking these right? I just think I look bigger in the last picture than I do in this one. Oh, well. One month to go!

Mom's Visit

My mom came up last weekend for my baby shower. We were really busy doing a lot of fun things. Thursday night when she got here I showed her the apartment we're moving into in 2 weeks. On Friday Derrick, my mom and I biked around Stanford campus. First we stopped at the Hoover tower followed by lunch at a yummy frozen yogurt place called Fraiche. My mom said the last time she had yogurt that tasted like that it was in high school. I was glad we could bring back a memory from her past. Then we biked over to the Stanford Church where we walked around the inside. Every time I see it I can't believe how beautiful those windows and tile pictures are. We all loved it.


After the art museum Derrick stayed home to do homework and my mom and I went to the Winchester mansion. It was a crazy place and definitely interesting to walk around. They said at the end we had walked over a mile and through 110 rooms. After that we went to dinner at Sweet Tomatoes.

You're probably thinking this is the last of the Friday activities but there's more...after dinner we picked up Derrick and went to the Stanford theater to watch an old sci-fi movie. We got in free because our housing complex was putting on the activity...not only a free ticket but free snacks too! Can't get any better than that.

Wicked!

February 25...I finally get my Christmas present--tickets to Wicked! I've wanted to see this for over 2 years now. So, we went and saw it today at the Orpheum Theater in San Francisco. We both loved it.

We had something kind of funny happen during the play. Derrick and I were holding hands in my lap so that part of Derrick's arm was touching my belly. Caleb totally kicked Derrick's arm during one of the good songs and Derrick looked at me and I confirmed it was a kick. Derrick replied that Caleb was enjoying the music.


Here's me super excited to go see the play!

Valentines Day

Derrick and I had a nice Valentines Day. After lunch I opened one present from Derrick--chocolates (which I asked for). Unfortunately, Derrick's present didn't come in the mail yet so I had to show him it electronically. It's a Get Fuzzy comic book. He just finished his Calvin and Hobbs book and he was ready for another one. Derrick always reads a few comic cartoons right before he falls asleep. He always goes to bed happy that way :)

Right before we went out to dinner that night I opened another present from Derrick. A chick flick movie, Sense and Sensibility. Perfect for Valentines Day.
That night for dinner we went out to PF Changs since we had a gift certificate there from Christmas. It was yuuuuummy! We even bought a piece of their 6 layer chocolate cake to bring home for later. We just had some today and it was fabulous!

We both got dressed up. I cut Derrick's hair that morning and he wore my favorite sweater. Which we call "the money shirt." I curled my hair, wore pink and white and even put on special earrings (something I don't do enough). That night for family prayer Derrick said that we were grateful for a day to celebrate our relationship. It really was. I did think about how much I love the boy and why. What a great day!

Stanford Basketball

Derrick and I went to Stanford men's basketball game vs. Washington State on Thrusday. While there, it was the first time I ever saw the mascot. It is hideous! A Christmas tree with a face. The real mascot is cardinal (the color) but it seems like the tree is the one that represents. I thought Derrick's high school mascot was bad...beet diggers (he claims he likes it). Boy am I grateful BYU is cougars. Cosmo never seemed so cool to me before.

While at the game, Derrick leaned over to me and said, "Remember the last time we were at a college basketball game?" I did. It was 2 years ago on Valentines Day. It was a BYU game. Right after that game is when we decided to start dating. I responded to Derrick, "Yep, and look where were are now." Then I patted my belly. Since that BYU basketball game my life has never been better.

Is this guy kidding?

Derrick and I were laughing so hard at this we were literally crying. There's a project due on Thursday in the class Derrick TAs and some kid seriously emailed this to the staff:

4 hot Australian chicks are visiting Stanford tomorrow to see both me and one of my partners.

We are requesting an extra 24 hours of padding (for the project to be due Friday at midnight instead of Thurs) because if we were given late days in this class we would opt to exercise one of them for this.

Tomorrow we would like to spend our evening with them at EBF instead of with each other at our normal Wednesday night hangout spot in the basement of Gates.

Again, that's 4 HOT Australian chicks.

Thank you,

Kyle

The professor of the class replied:

Umm... I think that's more information than we needed to know, but okay, you can have until Friday night if need be.

David

Doctor Appointment

I really enjoyed my 30 week appointment today with the doctor. Mostly because I didn't gain any weight since last time...which is a good thing because at my last appointment I had gained 8 pounds in a month! Christmas was too good to me :)

When the nurse took me into the room she said to me, "You seem really happy. There are a lot of pregnant women who are miserable." It sounded like she had quite a few cases of them. The doctor made a similar comment about me being really happy. I am!

I actually saw a different doctor than I normally do and I liked her a bit better than my other one so I'm thinking I'm going to switch. I came with a list of questions (I had never done that before) and she answered them really well and wrote down on sticky notes things that I wanted to know.

As always, it was good to hear a nice healthy heart and hear that things are looking good.

What's not to love?

Even though we haven't had too much going on lately, I am loving life! I'm not going to post any pictures with this one but just say what we've been up to.

School
First off this is Derrick's last quarter of school and we are way excited for him to graduate and start work at Microsoft! He is A LOT less busy than he was last quarter and so we have a lot more time for each other and other people. Last quarter we would do our companionship scripture reading in the car, I did almost all the chores, we didn't have as much time for our calling as ward missionaries and life was crazy. Now, Derrick has so much more time and it is wonderful!

Baby
What can be more exciting to a girl than getting married or expecting her first baby? I am loving life but I really can't wait until the baby comes. People tell me to enjoy myself now and that everything will be so different but I'm too excited! Planning baby shower stuff, getting baby things, seeing other people with their babies...I can't wait. I'm not feeling uncomfortable yet, acid reflux has gone away and Caleb is moving more than ever. We can now see him move from my stomach, not just little kicks, but actually moving...it is the coolest thing ever. We've also been lucky with Derrick's job offer because he's going to get a 4 week paid paternity leave. Can't get better than that. 2 1/2 more months to go!

10K Training
Derrick made a new year's resolution to train for and run a 10k this summer. He has a calendar printed out and on the wall of what he's supposed to do everyday. He's on his 3rd week now of training and has kept up really well with the schedule.

Salvadorian Food
Derrick and I went out with a friend from school to get some Savadorian food last week. We had pupusas and some other stuff. Really good!

Family Dinners
We are so luck to have Derrick's Aunt Mary and Uncle Mark in San Jose. We get to go over to their Sunday family dinners whenever we want and we always have a good time. We went there this last Sunday and also played a game afterwards. Going there is nice since we aren't close to either of our parent's.

Piano
I feel like I've been on a roll with music lately. I had quite a space of time where I wasn't writing anything and then all of a sudden, one day, things just started coming to me. Those are the times that make creative hobbies worth it.

In Conclusion
I am so grateful for my life. I just read my friend's blog where she wrote about things that made her happy. It touched me because it reminded me of how happy I am. I don't know why but Heavenly Father has given me more than I can ask for. Life is wonderful!

Tummy Pic #2

Here's the updated tummy photo. I really am getting big. It's been so fun to feel Caleb kicking. What I think is funny is when I feel him kicking on polar sides of my stomach at the same time--like he's stretching or something. Derrick's now not only felt him but has seen him kicking too. It's so fun!

Acid Reflux?

Since morning sickness I've been good until now. I'm pretty sure I am getting acid reflux. For the past 5 days around mid afternoon my throat will start burning and get a throw-uppy taste...blah! It lasts the whole rest of the day and unless I'm eating I'm feeling the burn. I wake up in the morning fine but then it comes again. At least I'm still a comfortable pregnant even though I feel like I look huge.

Facebook

I just created my facebook account and that took a good 4 hours. I'm sure it will be easier now. Oh, and anyone that I didn't find feel free to add me as a friend and search for Danielle Cooper Isaacson.

All Things Christmas

Christmas Day
Wow we did so much on our Christmas trip to San Diego! Christmas day we opened presents in the morning, had yummy omelets for breakfast and spent time with my dad's side of the family for dinner.

Like every other girl in my ward, Derrick got me Wicked tickets for Christmas on February 25th!!!! I can't wait. Dun, duh, da, da...da. For those who know the music backwards and forwards like me I hope you could have figured out that was Defying Gravity :)

Coronado
We stayed with my grandparents, who live in Coronado, one night. We went to the Hotel Del and saw the huge Christmas tree they put up every year.

The next day my grandpa gave us a personal tour of the Naval Base there in Coronado or North Island. Derrick was like a kid in a candy store looking at the aircraft carriers, planes, helicopters and buildings.


Friends
I was able to see some of my friends from high school who were able to meet Derrick for the first time because they were on their missions when we got married. I was so glad Derrick met them and we had a lot of fun talking and playing music for each other. My friends are in a band (that I used to be in for about a year). Here's a link to their myspace. I like the song called Loving Without Argument.
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=4424426

5k
Derrick ran a 5k with my 14 year old brother Andrew. They both did great (especially Andrew who beat Derrick by 3 minutes) and one of Derrick's new year resolutions is to train to run a 10k.

Holiday Bowl
My dad gave Derrick and I tickets to the Holiday Bowl. Oregon University vs. Oklahoma State. We didn't have a team we were really hoping to win so we cheered for Oregon since we sat on the side of the stadium with the Oregon fans. We were at the 30 yard line and about 30 rows up from the field. The seats were great and Oregon won! Go Ducks!


San Diego Zoo
My parents also gave us tickets to the zoo. They won the tickets in a raffle and gave them to us and bought Jenna a ticket so she could go too. We saw everything except the panda in only about 3 1/2 hours.

Huntington Beach
Before we headed back home we stopped in Huntington Beach for 2 days to visit grandparents, cousins, aunt and uncle. We ate yummy food, watched movies, played games and opened Christmas presents. Caleb got lots of love, or should I say presents. Baby things are so cute! I can't wait until he's here. Getting all the baby stuff just makes me more anxious for him.

Thanks to Everyone who made Christmas so wonderful!!!