Sage has been a blast and a very happy, easy baby. She’ll be five months old next week and a chubby 14 pounds. Considering her birthweight was 6 pounds, that’s some healthy eating. At her four-month checkup, her pediatrician gave me props for producing such a “well-nourished” child.
Everything is healthy and oncourse–with the exception of her not rolling over. Sage hates ‘tummy time’ so we’ve let it slide but now she gets it twice a day whether she’s into it. I think it’s close. I can’t wait for her to actually do something so I can start rolling tape on her. She’s close to sitting on her own once propped up and has great head control. Her squeals and gigantic smiles are heartwarming. I can’t figure out who smiles first. She lights up when either Ryan or I walk in the room. Ryan said last night that he was going to miss this stage. Personally, I am really looking forward to the day she can hug me back.
I love her so much. I see her face in my head everywhere I go. I miss her when she’s not around. Even her cries melt me. Who would have thought? Certainly not me. Tenaya takes it all in stride. She guards Sage and frequently licks her. I’m usually tripping over her to get to the baby.
Taking after her mom, she does tend to watch a little too much TV but I get a kick out of watching her stare at Big Bird. To be honest, she likes music videos a lot more.
She sleeps through the night – her night. Because I don’t usually go to bed before 1 a.m. I’m not getting much sleep when she wakes at 5. But she’s so cute I can’t be upset. She’s still nursing but I have begun to supplement with formula simply because I can’t keep up with the demand. I’ve been skiing every day since Dec. 18 and there’s no way to pump enough. Speaking of skiing. It hasn’t been all that. Global warming? Whatever is it, it’s making for a mediocre start to the season. A storm is supposedly on the way but there’s only 2-4 inches forecast. Life as I have known it has not completely disintegrated. I still ski, talk on the phone, go to movies, go to dinner, surf the web. I was able to find a girl that wanted to trade a place to live this winter for babysitting. I also found a very sweet woman that runs a daycare out of her home for $5/hr. Everything just fell into place.
In four short months we’ve been to Yosemite, San Diego and Boston. The Mass. trip was for Thanksgiving with Ryan’s family. The size of a small town, his circle couldn’t get enough of her. I love that she is so loved but for me it was four days in family hell. It was non-stop ‘visiting’. As nice as everyone was, it was just too much for me. My family fits in one room on one day. That’s what I’m comfortable with.
We drove the baby around to FIVE houses on Thanksgiving Day in pouring rain. Friday, I insisted on alone time by going to breakfast with Ryan only to come back to his house to find six people in his living room passing the baby around like a show and tell object. The only time I held my own daughter was when I fed her or before we passed out at night. To some, I’m sure this is endearing. But as I’ve said before, I come from a more stoic family. They like watching me with Sage and don’t have as much interest in holding her 24/7.
I was screaming inside but Ryan wouldn’t hear it. He’s so used to that scene that he looks forward to it. Ugh. He thought I was being a wuss because I couldn’t handle it for “just five days”. He doesn’t get that even two days without ‘space” is too much for someone who gets space every day for hours at a time. And sleeping doesn’t equal space. And before we left for Mass., Ryan made me promise that I wouldn’t duck out no matter how claustrophobic or stressed I felt because he said it would be rude! There was no escape.
I want Sage to have family on both sides but there has to be a better option than what I experienced last month. Ryan’s mom, stepdad and brother will be here next month. I’m sure we’ll figure something out and it won’t be anything like Thanksgiving. For one thing, they’re staying at his apartment in SLC and Sage and I will be in Park City at my house (Ryan and I stayed in his mom’s basement over Thanksgiving). His mom is supposed to come up here to visit while the boys ski.
Sage will love spending time with her and vice versa but then I get time alone too. Best of both worlds! Her are some pics of the guest of honor :
http://new.photos.yahoo.com/album?c=pcskigal&aid=576460762382401414&pid=&wtok=G7_7N6E0nuM10W8YM3XZjA–&ts=1167889241&.src=ph

**Thanks to Babystyle.com for the killer green sweatsuit and snowflake hat in the photo above. Their stuff is soooo cute!

Baby’s crying real tears now. I never thought my heart could break from something other than a boyfriend dumping me. But when I look at this helpless little creature wailing and wailing with tiny tears in the far corners of her eyes, I want to cry to. It’s usually all about the boob so I can arrest her tears in a flash. It’s times like when Ryan clipped Sage’s thumb instead of her nail that kill me. The poor little thing cried so hard she almost couldn’t breathe. She was so exhausted that she slept the rest of the day and night.
The trauma is long over and she lives a fairly leisurely life- waking at 7 a.m., back to bed until 10 or 11 a.m. , swing in her chair in mommy’s office, nap, eat and get regular diaper changes. Sage isn’t rolling over or sitting up yet. Her latest milestone has been the occasional laugh. But she’s starting to reach out at objects and staying awake and aware for longer periods. Today must have been growth spurt day. She couldn’t go an hour without crying for more milk. I can’t keep up with the demand.
She’s still portable. We saw Babel last week; ate dinner at PF Chang’s and stopped into Ski Utah’s Snow Jam at the Gallivan Center. Though it wasn’t our scene AT ALL (skaterats and snowboarders), it got us out of the house. This week is a different story. We’re attending a wine dinner at Fleming’s. No, we’re not letting her taste- Ryan won’t let me- but she gets exposure to the ‘finer things.’
As for me, I’m tired; but that’s my own damn fault. I don’t go to bed when she does. Ryan and I are both nightowls. It doesn’t help that we are back up at 7 a.m. when she wakes.
Ryan’s been spending every weekend up at my place. Last weekend, we spent two days organizing the garage before it was too late (translation: winter hits). We installed Yakima’s Ground Control rack system and it transformed the space; or shall I say created space I didn’t know I had.
And not a moment too soon! Sage’s first winter began with a major snowstorm Saturday night. The resorts have more than 30 inches of base and Brighton opens Wednesday, with Alta following suit Thursday.
My hunt for a live-in sitter may have ended. A girl training for the Skeleton at the
Oy Sports Park is trading me her time in exchange for a room this winter. My ski season might not be thrashed after all!
Gotta shower and sleep. It’s been a long day. Toodles!
for recent pics of Sage: http://new.photos.yahoo.com/album?c=pcskigal&aid=576460762340005016&pid=&wtok=L1bDcgVWB0mBQn_xA6bjjg–&ts=1163493599&.src=ph

Sage passed her two month exam with flying colors. She now weighs 9 lbs 10oz and is 22 inches long! She’s getting to be a big baby and has already outgrown a couple of her outfits. She stays awake longer and spends most of that time checking out her scenery. She’s more interested in my shelf of nailpolishes than in the faces before her and she’s beginning to clutch at things and can hold her head up. Her next step is rolling over.
She’s sleeping about six hours at night, waking for a quick feed, then drifting off again for another couple of hours. It’s not so bad so long as I can get to sleep at a decent hour (tonight that’s not happening) . This morning, I plopped her into her vibrating chair and took a shower, blew dry my hair and headed to a commercial audition in Salt Lake City. I can’t say that I have the mommy thing down 100 percent but it’s not too overwhelming. Now if I could only motivate to work. I waste sooo much time playing on the internet, loading photos, emailing friends and working on the Sports Guide that I have neglected my other writing avenues. Sage occupies a significant portion of my day but more because I want her to rather than because she demands it. Like her little onesie reads “It’s all about me.” You also begin to feel that nothing else is as important as taking care of a child. This is what it’s all about. This is what we’re here for. Everything else is busy work.
My parents return from Europe this week and I may scoop Sage up and fly out to San Diego so the rest of my family can meet her. Once the ski season starts, they won’t see her until the spring. She’ll be seven or eight months old by that time. Plus, we have a Thanksgiving in Massachusetts that’s bound to challenge even a sentry at Buckingham Palace. San Diego will be an effective trial run if I can corrdinate a time to fly.
I’m beat now. One last thing. It snowed today. It was a blizzard actually- our third winter storm in the fall. I never told you this but it snowed on the day Sage was born- Aug. 12. Ryan and I got a kick out of that. It was a sign!
More Photos: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/pcskigal/album?.dir=/4e44scd&.src=ph&.tok=ph2jwqFB1awdge4J

It seems like just last week that I was still collecting maternity clothes and playing around with outfits. Today, I’m all about nursing tops. The 39 weeks flew by. I can barely remember being pregnant now except for the excrutiating contractions that preceded the big day.
The Outdoor Retailer Show cruised into Salt Lake last week and, determined not to miss an appointment, I booked up the days and made my way to Willard Bay for the outdoor demo day. Why the organizers insist on running that event so far away from everything is beyond me- especially when we have at least three other great reservoirs within 30 minutes of the Salt Palace. Instead I hauled my butt about an hour from town to hang on the shore in the 90-degree heat and meet with a few manufacturers like Teva, Garmin, Hobie. I felt fine and still no one really said anything to me about being pregnant (except when I pointed it out myself and then they offered statements of disbelief.) When are you due? they’d ask. Next week! I’d eagerly and proudly reply. If only to be so lucky. The due date came early.
I hit the show on Thursday, making all of my appointments – including the party at the Depot featuring Flock of Seagulls. I stayed the night at Ryan’s place with every intention of hitting the show bright and early the next day. Then those damn contractions. Imagine your worst menstral cramps (or, guys, diarrhea) then times by 10. Every five minutes they hit, driving me to screams, pillow clutching and pummeling, and thoughts of guns and bullets. I couldn’t take the pain but the hospital told me to wait until these contractions were THREE minutes apart rather than five. You have got to be joking, I thought. After three hours, the status hadn’t changed but I couldn’t sit around. We drove home to Park City at 6 a.m. where I collapsed on my bed from exhaustion and managed to sleep…for 15 minutes before the next round of contractions. Stef called in a prescription for Lortab and I laid low on Friday. By nightfall, I was sick of sitting in the house. Ryan and I headed back to Salt Lake for the OWIC Ramp It Up Party at Port O’Call.
The room spun and the appetizers swing-danced in my belly until I was grabbing for empty glasses on the table and hurling into them. I swear to God, I’m telling the truth. I filled four glasses with puke then covered them with napkins. It was too crowded to make a dash for the bathroom safely.
Home by midnight. Contractions by 2 a.m. it had begun again. At 4 a.m. Ryan drove me to St. Mark’s. At 5 a.m. I was four centimeters dialated and the epidural flowed. A sigh of relief sped through my body. They left us in the delivery room to sleep and wait for further dialation. at 6 a.m. Stef arrived to tell me that they were going to dose me with pitocin because the epidural had slowed the dilation. More drugs? Cool.
At 10:25 a.m., game on. The head was already peeking and though I could feel absolutely nothing from the belly button down, I held my parapalegic-legs and did an upright version of ab crunches to the delight of my doctor. Three ‘pushes’ and out popped Sage. It was 10:33 a.m.
Ryan and I can’t stop staring at this little girl. She’s gorgeous. Of course, I wonder if I just think that because she’s mine but who cares. The 6 lb, 17″ tiny creature is beyond anything I could imagine. She’s a week old now and still I can’t get enough time with her. It’s hard to get anything else done as I find myself watching her every little movement and facial expression. She stretches often- like a kitten. She purses her lips like Betty Boop when she’s about to wake up for feeding; she scrunches her face when she squeezes out a little green poop. And she’s so quiet! Rarely cries and almost always asleep, she’s too tiny for much more.
Sage isn’t sleeping through the night but she’s making a valiant attempt. She’ll wake at 2 a.m., 4:30 a.m. and then 10 a.m. I can handle the hours (look, I’m writing this blog at 2) but Ryan is a mess and can be quite irritating when he’s woken like this. His mom has been here all week as well but she leaves Monday. She came to help out but I don’t need it- not yet. So this was more a time for them to bond. My mom will be here Thursday.
Well, I’ve babbled enough and need to try to sleep before the baby wakes and needs a boob. I’ve posted photos at http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/pcskigal/album?.dir=/e9dere2&.src=ph&.tok=phO3WXFB4LlCA7Fa if you care to surf over to yahoo!
P.S.-We’re still in need of small Happy Heinys pocket and Wallypop All In One cloth diapers if you are thinking of sending a gift. We need about 20 of these things to start cloth diapering her but we only have 5 so far. They are pretty cool inventions. You can check them out at http://babysbottomline.com & http://www.thestorkwearhouse.com.