The Cupcake ChroniCals
On February 13th, 2011 my husband and I found out we were expecting a baby! So, until we figure out if it's a boy or a girl, I decided to nickname the baby "Cupcake"; so this blog is dedicated to none other than, Cupcake...
In recent days, God is showing me just how awesome and marvelous He is…
My baby girl is approaching six months old and the time is flying! She is growing and growing, and every day when I kiss her chubby lil cheeks, I’m reminded that my budding gol (translated “flower” in Farsi), as my in-laws say, is a miraculous gift from the Lord. Even Curby is starting to love her…
Over the last three months, she’s had some more “firsts”. Caylin went to her first wedding. Cousin Arman married his beautiful bride Emily on February 18th and Caylin was passed around to all the out-of-town relatives all night long. Everyone thought she was such a beautiful baby…
She has started giggling and laughing, though sometimes she makes us work for it! Checkout my Facebook for a cute video of her giggling at Hamid while he’s hitting golf balls in the back yard.
For a while, we thought Cay might have an ear infection because she continued to put her hand up to her ears, but then we realized that it was just a comfort thing. When I would put her to sleep, I would lay her in her crib and cup my hand over the side of her face so that she could feel that I was still there beside her until she drifted off in to dreamland. Now, she often falls asleep with her hand cupping her ears or cheeks, a habit that I apparently taught her. She also will cover her hears when things are too loud. She did it one night every time Grandma Rosie would talk to her. (Check out my Facebook to see that video too!)
We took Caylin on her first mini-vacation up to Big Bear for Hamid’s birthday because we won a free 3 day, 2 night stay in a resort up there. While we were there, a big storm came through and so Caylin got to see and feel snow for the first time. She loved it! When we tried to put her in her stroller to stroll through The Village, she got fussy; but when Hamid took her out and held her while the snow was coming down, she absolutely loved it!
After we came back from Big Bear, I started my new job. God provided a part-time reading intervention teaching position for me (in the middle of a down economy and in a state where teachers everywhere are losing their jobs, might I add) so that I can help provide for our family while Hamid gets his business established. AND, this part-time position is paying me more per hour than I was making as a full-time teacher in Florida! AND when I move into a full-time position (which I’m sure the Lord will provide in his timing), the district that hired me will count my years of service from Florida so I won’t start at the bottom of the salary totem pole like a first-year teacher! As the bible puts it, “He is good,” – man, ain’t that the understatement of the millennium!
A couple of weeks before I started my new job, I started giving Caylin some formula so that I could stop breastfeeding by the time I started my job. She did really well transitioning to the bottle and the last time I breastfed her was when she was about 5 months old on our Big Bear trip. Going back to work meant some big changes for Hamid. For those first 5 months, I was getting up every night, every time Caylin would wake up. Now that she is no longer breastfeeding, Hamid has started getting up with her some on the nights when I have to work so that I can get some sleep. He’s also had a few “daddy daycare” days where he works from home and watches her at the same time, and he’s even taken her to work with him a couple times! He loves getting to spend that quality time with her. He is SUCH a good daddy to her.
As she approaches 6th months, we have noticed that she is beginning to teethe. She likes to put anything and everything in her mouth… our fingers, her toys, and most recently, celery, suggested by Grandpa Masood. Who would’ve thought I would appreciate celery so much?
Caylin also had her first experience at the beach. She loved the sand, but wasn’t too fond of the cold Pacific water. I’m sure she’ll like water at the beach where Papa Don & Granna Terri live much better!
Just this past week, some Grandpa Masood’s side of the family came to visit from Australia! We have enjoyed getting to know Caylin’s great aunts and her cousin, Sepideh, from that side of the family as they love on our little Cupcake!
We are loving and cherishing every minute watching our little Cupcake grow and develop into the person that God made her to be.
So, the last time I blogged was when my little “Cupcake” Caylin was three weeks old! She is now over three months old and has tripled in size! She is already wearing 6 month old clothing! I can’t believe my little girl is getting so big so fast! My time with Caylin so far has been like a rippling wave racing to the ocean shore only to disappear into the tide moments later…
During the last three months, Cay, as I have started calling her, had a lot of “firsts”. She met her family…
Mom & Dad
Grandma Rosie was in the delivery room, so she was one of the first people to hold baby Caylin…
Grandpa Masood
Aunt Rasheen & Uncle Hootan & her cousins “J” & Emma…
Uncle Hamed & Aunt Rachel (Rachel was also in the delivery room and was SO excited to FINALLY meet “Cupcake”!)
Uncle Pejmaan
Her grandparents from Florida came to visit too. Here’s Granna Terri…
& Papa Don…
I love this pic of Hamid, his dad, & my dad…they are all so proud of this little girl!
The great-grandmas…
And Uncle Pedram & Susan came from Florida and Aunt Rita & cousin Shayda came from Seattle to visit too around Thanksgiving…
Cousin Shayan was glad to see his mom and sister after living at “Camp Rosie” for awhile.
Here is a pic of Caylin’s immediate family - parents, grandparents, & her living great-grandparents…
Caylin also had her first bath in the hospital and her first bath at home…
Curby wanted to see Caylin get her bath too…
Caylin continues to love bath time…well at least the “bath” part, she doesn’t so much like the drying off and getting dressed part!
She also went to church for the first time! She slept through the service and at this point, she still continues to sleep through church. I hope this isn’t a trend for her future…
She also slept through her first Halloween. Since she couldn’t really go trick-or-treating, I dressed her up and took some cute baby pictures.
Hamid likes this one…
Her costume was an owl which was inspired by her nursery decor…
Momma’s got some pumpkin carvin’ skills!
Then Kristi & Ruco came to visit and she had her another photo shoot with Ruco - her first was when she was in my belly. Here are some of the pics from Ruco’s “second” shoot…
Checkout my Facebook if you want to see more of Ruco’s awesome photography skills!
In addition to Kristi & Ruco coming to visit, she also got visited by “Uncle” Chase & “Aunt” Sam & “Uncle” Randy. She ate and slept a lot when they were here!
When Caylin was still tiny she had her first “professional” photo shoot…
And then I took some “professional” pics of my own…
There are more pics from that shoot on my Facebook as well if you want to check them out.
Caylin also experienced her first Thanksgiving with the Yazarlou clan. Everyone oooohed & aaaahed over her.
Then she experienced her first Christmas. We took her on a stroll on Naples Island to see Christmas lights, which she slept through, but mom and dad had a good time sipping hot chocolate and talking about our future as a family…
On Christmas Eve, we took Caylin to see Santa…
Her shirt says “I Love Santa”, but her expression in that picture is more like “Santa? Whatever…” Hahaha!
This was my first Christmas away from my family in Florida, but the Yazarlou’s did their best to make it memorable for us. After having breakfast at home and going to church at Parkcrest 7th Street, I finished cooking some Christmas dishes, and we headed off to Aunt Rasheen’s house for a big celebration.
Then, Caylin had her first road trip. We went to Mesa, AZ to spend New Year’s with “Uncle” Randy & “Aunt” Sam. On the way there, Caylin had her first “blow out” diaper! Hamid & I couldn’t help but laugh through it… A trip that would’ve normally taken five or six hours took us almost eight with Caylin’s feeding/changing needs! But we arrived safe and sound and the Jackson’s had a rockin’ 80’s New Year’s Eve party, so we dressed up in our best 80’s gear and rang in the New Year, while Caylin slept through the party and into 2012! Any guesses on what movie character Hamid is dressed as?
So, like I said at the beginning of this post, she is already over 3 months old and she’s getting so big so fast! She is in the 95th percentile for her age which means she is eating REALLY well! Thankfully, she has not been sick – she’s got her daddy’s immune system, apparently!
Though she’s had some “big” firsts over the last three months, she’s had some “little” firsts too. After the first month or so, her reflexive smiles became real smiles as she started responding to us when we smile and talk to her. She has started cooing and babbling and I can tell she’s gonna be a talker like her momma! She hasn’t quite laughed yet, but when she tries to, it kinda sounds like she’s screaming and sucking in air at the same time and is so incredibly adorable. I can’t wait to hear her giggle for the first time. This week, she has discovered her feet for the first time; she likes to play with her toes while I’m trying to change her diaper which can be a bit challenging! :) I’ve noticed that she’s partial to her left foot and she’s starting to roll from her back to her left side, so I’m wondering if she’s going to be a “lefty”? Only time will tell…
I haven’t been spending as much time writing these blogs because I’ve been busy soaking in and cherishing every moment that I have with my little girl. She has changed me. She has made me see the world in a different light. Hearing at least three stories of people losing their infant children to SIDS recently has made me really contemplate the fragility of life. The other day, Caylin slept from around 8 pm to 7 am. Hamid woke up first when the light started coming through the window, and questioned, “Caylin’s still asleep?” My heart started pounding and I jumped out of bed and ran to her crib to check and see if she was still breathing. She was still lying there sleeping peacefully, like an angel, but it scared me to death – and this was not the first time in the last 3 months where I had a little mini panic attack freaking about about SIDS, and I’m sure it won’t be the last!
Someone once told me that once you have a child, you’ll never sleep the same… I now know why - I am parenting a miracle from God, and with that comes great responsibility and a lifetime of anxiety. But every anxious moment that I have melts away when I’m holding Caylin in my arms and she smiles and looks at me like I’m the best thing she’s ever seen, when she’s sleepy and she buries her head into my neck, when she wakes up every morning and stretches like her daddy, when she…when she does just about anything! I love her more than I can even put into words and Hamid is just as crazy about her too. He’s got a special surprise in the works for her that she won’t get until she gets old enough to understand…I am so in love with how he loves her. He is such a great daddy! We both are so thankful that the Lord blessed us with Caylin and are proudly parenting our little miracle and praying that we are able to see a lifetime of her “firsts”.
It had been a long week after the baby shower on the 25th. I had been on my feet all week preparing the nursery and helping Hamid with work. My feet, legs, hands, and face were all swollen and I knew I needed to relax, but if you know me, you know I can’t sit still.
I was running errands on Thursday, the 29th when Hamed, my brother-in-law called me to take me out to lunch. We went to Lucille’s Smokehouse BBQ and had a great lunch. After lunch, I started having contractions, but at the time, I just thought they were more intense Braxton Hicks contractions, so I ignored them and went about my day.
At around 1:30 in the morning on Friday, September 30th, I woke up suddenly because I felt wetness “down there” and so thought my bladder was leaking. I had been waking up to pee several times a night, so I just assumed Cupcake moved in a way that pressed on my bladder and made me pee. I jumped up out of bed and went to the bathroom and I realized that I had not peed. I thought, is that my water breaking? I was so confused because I thought that when my water broke, it would be a “gush” and there would be no doubt that it was my water. So I brushed it off and thought, that can’t be my water breaking… there was no “gush” and besides, it’s September. I’m not due til October 15th. So I cleaned up and went back to bed.
Shortly after I laid down, I felt another leak and hopped out of bed again. This time, I was sure that I had not peed myself! So, before waking Hamid up, I decided I’d better make sure this was really happening, so I googled “what will happen when my water breaks”. I learned that when your water breaks, it doesn’t have to “gush” like I had always heard; it could be a slow, gradual release of small amounts of water - a leak. I had sprung a leak!
My mind raced as I walked slowly back into the bedroom. I was standing beside the bed trying to decide what to do next when Hamid woke up. He saw me standing there like an insomniac and said, “What are you doing, you freak?”
That’s when I said, “I think my water broke.” I started to explain to him what had happened, and before I could finish, he said, “You just peed yourself. Go back to sleep.”
“No, I googled it, and I’m pretty sure that my water is breaking,” I argued. I began packing my bag. Hamid said that I should call the doctor before I “get all crazy,” so I called the labor and delivery unit at the hospital and told them what was happening. The nurse that I spoke with said, “Yep, it sounds like your water is breaking. Come on in and we’ll check you out to make sure.”
I told Hamid what the nurse said, and I said to him, “You go back to sleep. I’ll drive myself to the hospital and if I’m really in labor, I’ll call you and you can come in.” He started to go back to sleep, but after about a minute, he was out of bed getting ready to accompany me to the hospital.
As we drove to the hospital, I noticed that I was starting to have more regular contractions and emotions began to overwhelm me. This was really happening. We were about to be parents. Our lives were about to change forever…
We arrived at the hospital and got checked in. The nurse checked me out and determined that my water was, in fact, breaking and I was about one centimeter dilated. As they hooked me up to an IV and devices to monitor my contractions and Cupcake’s heartbeat, Hamid was busy notifying family and friends and he began posting updates on Facebook. That’s when it hit me…
I realized that it was certain that my family would not be here for Cupake’s birth. I had been holding on to the hope that Cupcake would arrive a few days late so that my family would be here, but now that was impossible. Cupcake was coming two weeks early. My parents wouldn’t get to meet Cupcake until he/she was over two weeks old… Then I melted down. I sobbed and sobbed letting all of my emotions drip onto my hospital gown.
Hamid had a great idea that instantly lifted my spirits. He suggested that we Skype my parents in on the delivery. What a great idea! We had Skyped my mom in during the baby shower, so why not Skype them in on the birth? As long as the doctor approved, we would be able to Skype them in. Having them there virtually was the next best thing to having them there in person. I was content with that and my mood completely changed from that point on. Though I was in pain, I was happy and eager to meet Cupcake.
By about 3:30 in the morning, they moved us into our delivery room. Hamid passed the time by napping, taking pictures, and playing on Facebook.
Here is one that he took of me before my pain got intense…
My labor was progressing very slowly, so the nurse suggested that Hamid and I take a walk around the hospital floor for half an hour or so to see if it would speed things up. That didn’t really help too much. My mother-in-law came to the hospital and when she realized my labor was very slow, she went in to work for a few hours and came back later. Her sister Rasheen was in the delivery room for awhile too as my labor progressed. Also, Hamed’s girlfriend Rachel took the day off work to be with me during labor. She brought magazines and movies to occupy our time as we waited for Cupcake to arrive. She also brought lots of hard candy for me to suck on since I couldn’t eat anything all day!
Since the walk around the floor didn’t help, the nurse hooked me up to a breast pump to try to naturally stimulate my contractions. That was working for a while, but my breasts couldn’t handle it, so they took me off of that and gave me Pitocin. Once the Pitocin got in my system, the contractions really intensified and through tears, I requested the epidural. At this point, they made everyone leave the room so they could insert the epidural. My pain disappeared as the numbing medication worked it’s way to the lower half of my body. However, as everyone came back into the room, I soon realized that something was not right. I was itching intensely all over the upper half of my body. Apparently, some women have an itching reaction to the medication in the epidural and I was one of those women! So, they gave me some Benadryl and that knocked me out for awhile.
During this time, Rasheen left to go pick up her kids, J and Emma and Rose had come back from work and decided to take a short nap too. Hamid and Rachel watched a movie while Rachel scratched my back with a cold, wet cloth to try to soothe the itching. When I woke up, they checked me and told me that I was ten centimeters dialated and ready to push! They called my doctor who was on call and while we waited for her to arrive, Hamid “got ready” for the delivery…
…and decided to take some more “interesting” pictures…
We got the computer set up to Skype my parents in on the delivery. The camera was pointed towards my head, so my mom, dad, & grandma couldn’t really see what was going on, but they could hear everything that was happening during the delivery. They were thrilled to be there virtually!
When the doctor arrived after I had been in labor for 18.5 hours, I began pushing. Hamid was holding my left leg, and my MIL Rose and Rachel were on my right. All three of them were great encouraging me through my pushing. I couldn’t feel any pain, but I could feel pressure. At one point, my doctor said that some women push for four hours or more. I don’t know what came over me, but I was thinking, there is no way I’m doing this for “hours” so I kicked my pushing into high gear and within 20 minutes, Cupcake was born! After the head and shoulders came out, I was able to reach down and pull Cupcake out the rest of the way. As I laid Cupcake on my chest, Hamid rolled her over and said, “It’s a girl!” Caylin Taylor Yazarlou had been born…
There are no words for what my heart was feeling at that moment as I held Caylin and listened to her soft little cry for the first time… I thought I would be “grossed out” from all the “stuff” that is on babies when they come first come out of the womb, but I didn’t even notice it. I laid there with her, bonding skin to skin, for half an hour or more. I was so wrapped up in her that I didn’t even notice that I delivered the placenta and that I had been stitched up by they time they took her to give her the first bath.
Caylin Taylor Yazarlou was born at 8:12 p.m. on September 30th, 2011. She weighed 6 pounds 11 ounces and she was 20.5 inches long. She was absolutely perfect…
She is now almost 3 weeks old and has gained about 3 pounds since she was born. I’ve been so busy adjusting to being a new mom that I’m just now getting the time to write this blog. Since her birth, it has been a whirlwind! We spent the weekend after she was born in the hospital.
Hamid’s grandmother stayed home with me during the day those first two weeks home from the hospital. She was such a big help!
Caylin had a bit of jaundice during her first week home, but she’s okay now. I’m breastfeeding her, so it has been quite an adjustment learning to live my life in 2-3 hour increments, but I know it’s the best thing for her right now. My parents and my grandmother arrived on the 15th from Florida, and we have been soaking up our short time together. Everyone is in love with her!
She has been such a good baby. On October 7th, she was one week old and it was our 5 year wedding anniversary. We took her with us to dinner to celebrate and she was perfect the entire time. She was our gift to each other this year. We are both crazy about her and we both feel like we don’t deserve her. She is such an incredible blessing and we are so thankful that God has given us the privilege of being her parents. We are cherishing every precious moment with her.
On September 25th, 2011, Hamid’s Aunt Rasheen, my MIL Rose, and & my soon-to-be sister-in-law Rachel, threw me a baby shower. Since none of my friends and family could travel across the country for my shower, most of the guests were Hamid’s family and friends of my MIL. Though many of those people who are important to me couldn’t be there, Hamid’s family went out of their way to make sure my shower was perfect. The theme was Cupcake’s & Owls - cupcakes because of our nickname for the baby and owls because that is what we were using to decorate the nursery since we didn’t know Cupcake’s gender at the time. We were able to Skype my mom in for the shower so she could be present “virtually” which was really cool. I’m so grateful for the women God has placed in my life who go above and beyond to make me happy! Thanks again ladies! I love you all!
The day after the shower, one of Hamid’s friends from high school, Jennifer Sang, came over to help me put up a giant tree decal on the wall in Cupcake’s room. Then my MIL came over and she, Jen, and I began unwrapping, unpacking, and organizing all of the shower gifts. The rest of the week, I was on my feet a lot getting the nursery ready, helping Hamid at the office, and running errands. My feet and legs began to swell (even more), and I thought to myself, I should probably chill or this baby might come early! Well, that’s exactly what happened… I’ll explain it all in my next post. Stay tuned… :)
After our babymoon in San Francisco, Hamid suddenly got bit by the nesting bug that has been biting me for the last two months!
After speaking with a friend from Florida (thanks Ralph), Hamid suddenly started feeling the urgency that “HOLY COW THIS BABY IS COMING AND WE’RE NOT READY!!!” So, in the last couple of weeks, we have been working little by little to get the nursery ready.
With some help from our neighbor Rob, Hamid was able to put up the chair rail. He also put together the changing table that my parents sent us and the glider that his grandparents gave us, and he has started converting a TV armoire into a closet for Cupcake. And we started going through all of the baby stuff that has been given to us by various friends and family over the last few months, mainly from Hamid’s aunt Rasheen. She has been a lifesaver! She has two children under the age of five, so she has given us a ton of their stuff: crib, car seat, stroller, baby carriers, bassinet, pack-n-play, and so much more… I seriously don’t know what we would’ve done without the generosity of Rasheen and her husband Hootan.
Rasheen is also throwing my baby shower this coming Sunday in her home with the help of her sister Rose (my mother-in-law) and Rachel (Hamid’s brother’s girlfriend). They are going all out to make this shower special for me since pretty much none of my friends and family from back home will be able to come all the way to Cali for a baby shower, which is totally understandable, but obviously a little disheartening for me. I mean, for the past however-many-years, when I looked ahead to the future and pictured my pregnancy and my baby shower, I never thought I would be living so far away from so many important women in my life and that they would be absent on that special day. But it’s okay, because we are going to Skype my mom during the shower (thank goodness for technology), and I will have the women from Hamid’s family showering me with love. I love these ladies so much and I’m so thankful that God has provided these women in my life.
I’m also thankful that God led me to the right OB out here in Cali. We finally got our insurance stuff situated, and I’m now connected with a great group of female doctors from Complete Women Care, any one of which will be delivering Cupcake at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center sometime around mid-October! The doctors, nurses, physicians assistants, and staff at this facility are wonderful. They also give FREE 4D ultra sounds to all their patients, which is hard to find these days!
We recently had our free 4D ultra sound - a little later than expected due to the insurance stuff - and Cupcake was not being very cooperative, which might be foretelling about his/her temperment. Cupcake appeared to be sleeping with his/her little hands snuggled right in front of his/her face, so we couldn’t get a clear picture of the face. I guess Cupcake wants us to be surprised. Here are the ultra sound pictures, though kind of hard to see…
This first one is Cupcake’s face with his/her hand in front of it…
This is another pic of Cupcake’s face (tilt your head to the right to see it more clearly)…
And here was my baby bump the day these 4D pics were taken…
So now, I’m at about 36 weeks - 4 weeks or so to go. I’ve gained nearly 40 pounds. Pregnancy symptoms at this point include: swollen feet, legs, hands, & face; peeing at least twice in the middle of the night; heavy breathing pretty much after doing anything but sitting still; random Braxton Hicks contractions; and generally, being uncomfortable about 75% of the time. I was getting to the point where I was finding myself complaining about my discomfort, and then I went to church…
This past Sunday, I went to the high school service at Parkcrest Church and listened for the first time to a sermon from the youth pastor, David Miller. He spoke about how “uncomfortable” it must have been for Jesus’ disciples, this circle of followers who were all very different. A zealot and a tax collector having dinner and praying together must’ve been uncomfortable at first. But once they figured out their common ground, they came together for a purpose and had an incredible side-by-side journey with the Son of God!
David asked us to question within ourselves what makes us uncomfortable, and for me right now at this point in my life, I found myself thinking about this pregnancy. It is uncomfortable and I’m sure “uncomfortable” will be an understatement during labor and delivery… But, I know that in a few short weeks, I’ll lay eyes on Cupcake and I’ll fall in love and I’ll forget all about my pregnancy discomfort as I begin the journey of motherhood. As David said in his sermon on Sunday, “The journey may be uncomfortable, but it will be incredible!”
In the meantime, I’m sure Hamid & I will keep “nesting” as we anxiously await Cupcake’s arrival… :)
On our last day with Kristi & Ruco, after having breakfast at the famous Bette’s Ocean View Diner, we bought a Cupcake and finished off the maternity pics with a tribute to none other than CUPCAKE! :)
More maternity pics from inside Kristi & Ruco’s house…
