The Dowlings

Here We Go

2011-06-30T22:35:00.000-04:00

It's taken us about a month to settle in, so now Chris and I are starting to venture out and discover Quito.

Our first taste was a night tour of the Centro Historico district, which is basically downtown Quito.

It's incredibly beautiful. And a bit sketchy for tourists. Our tour company actually hired local police officers to follow our group. The crime here isn't violent, but there are plenty of purse snatchings, etc., especially after dark. And it's dark here by 6:30 every night. but with night views like this.. I'm not complaining.

Quito

2011-06-25T21:17:00.001-04:00

On June 15th, we packed up everything we owned and jumped off the deep end. We left our cozy home in our cozy suburb of DC, hopped a looong flight
and moved to the center of the earth-- Quito, Ecuador. And while I have yet to venture out with our camera for safety reasons, I can tell you this much.. we love it here. Sure, the crime is rampant and they don't refrigerate their eggs or their milk, but we couldn't be happier. For the first two months, we stayed at the Swissotel. It was comparable to any nice American hotel. The views from our Suite were awesome.
The kids are doing pretty well with the transition. We'll stay here until we can move into our house. Right now, we hang out at the hotel most days, it's better that way until we learn the city a bit more. We have a few toys from home, so we just play "chef" and "doctor" to our heart's content.

Hoarders

2011-06-06T22:03:00.000-04:00

Sometimes when I look around our house, a wave of panic starts to roll in. For months, we've made trips to Costco, Target and the grocery store.. trying to stockpile everything we may or may not able to buy or have shipped to Quito.

We've got everything from two years' worth of baby wipes to two years' supply of Spaghetti sauce. So, we know our babies' butts will be clean and we won't starve to death.

Thanks, Stephanie, for making the trek down from NYC to help me make lists and organize. Mostly I just needed someone to witness the chaos and reassure me that I'm not crazy.

Look Ma, No Pedals!

2011-06-03T22:32:00.000-04:00

We bought Elise a Balance Bike for her birthday. The concept seemed to make sense. Why make your kid learn to ride a bike by abruptly pulling off the training wheels and then watching her fall down and get all scraped up? If she learned to balance FIRST, then riding a two-wheeled bike would be easy. Elise was really excited at first, but her joy soon wore off when she realized it would take her months to learn how to ride this thing.

Big Girl

2011-06-02T23:30:00.000-04:00

On June 2nd, our Elise turned 3. With a week or so to go before the big move to Ecuador, we wanted to do something that was a) memorable for her and b) easy for us to clean.

The answer was the spray ground at Fairfax Corner.

We love this little spot. It's so fun to watch the kids squeal with delight when the fountains shoot up!

What a great way to say good-bye to our NoVa friends!

Lazy Days of Summer

2011-05-28T12:05:00.000-04:00

One of things we'll miss most about Northern Virginia is how comfortable it is. We are 8 miles from DC and all it has to offer.. yet we can always nestle back into our quiet little neighborhood. One of the annual rites of summer for us has been McLean Day. It's like those small town fairs we used to go as kids. The kiddie rides are free, red and blue balloons are flying from every stroller and the food is really, really good.

This year we went with friends and it was even better. Elise's BFF, Gwynne, and her dad met us there. Gwynne's mama was on bed rest, expecting twins, so walking the hot fairgrounds was not an option.

weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Spring Fling

2011-04-15T11:30:00.000-04:00

We finally did it. After four years in DC, we finally saw the Cherry Blossoms! We lured our favorite photographer up here and took her on a wild ride through the city, trying to find the most photogenic spots.

We started at a historic home near Georgetown called Dumbarton Oaks. We found some Cherry Blossoms here, but the star of the show was the plum trees and their gorgeous purplish blossoms.

Then we moved mountains (and police barricades) to get over to the Tidal Basin before the sun set. We made it with about 30 minutes to spare. Way worth the potential jail time.

Fast Forward

2011-01-01T21:34:00.000-05:00

I'll spare you my thousand excuses for not keeping up with this blog. I keep thinking "when I 'such and such' THEN I'll have time to post. Well, life just keeps speeding along and, somehow, things don't settle down, they only speed up.

So, here is a renewed effort to post. If not for the few loyal friends and family who have stuck with me on this blog, but for my own personal record of life as I know it.

Field of Dreams

2010-11-11T21:30:00.000-05:00

Fall has always been my favorite time of year. So, a few weeks after Christian was born I felt the itch to get out and try and capture a few memories.

After a long search, we found a wonderful photographer, Susan Driggers. The only catch.. she lived well over an hour away. But, we loved her work, so we packed everyone up and headed to a random field near Fredricksburg, VA.

We didn't know what to expect, especially with a new baby and a two-year old without a nap.. but in the end, Susan worked her magic and we were so happy to have these photos.

Oh Baby!

2010-10-13T21:42:00.000-04:00

Since my last post waaay back in 2010, our family has seen a lot of major changes. The most notable, and precious, was the addition of baby Christian.

This little guy arrived three weeks early, but still managed to tip the scales at over 8lbs. This was our first time going through the "traditional" birthing process, so it was completely different than our experience with Elise, who was an emergency C-section that took all of two hours. This time around the fun started at 32 weeks when I was put on bedrest because I started dilating early.

We followed that up with three, separate, false-alarm trips to Labor and Delivery and then, finally, on Sunday, October 17th, the contractions from hell kicked in.. and we were off. Many, many, many hours later (it was all a blur) I heard my little guy cry for the first time... and then we were four.

Spring in DC

2010-08-03T10:33:00.004-04:00

We've had our house in DC for three years now, but we haven't really *lived in DC for three years. And, while we've been away, we always seem to miss DC's most famous season.. the Cherry Blossoms. This year, we were determined to see the beautiful pink bursts. We decided to go out the last weekend of the festival. Big mistake-- not a single cherry blossom left standing! But, we did land smack dab in the middle of tulip season!

DC has some great arboretums, too. Elise loves her horticulture!

Setting Sail

2010-04-10T23:44:00.002-04:00

Our long, nasty winter wore us down, so we decided to take a 10-day cruise through the Caribbean. We sailed through about six different islands. We found a great deal on a family suite, so we had this awesome balcony to take it all in!

My mom loves to travel and she'd never been on a cruise, so she sailed with us. The islands were beautiful. St. Lucia was one of our favorites. It didn't feel as touristy and we had a great guide who drove us deep into the island.

Elise loved this African museum.

But not as much as she loved the beach.

All the beaches were this beautiful, white sand and turquoise water.

We had a great day in Barbados. We had a really elaborate lunch at the beautiful Sandy Lane resort. It's apparently popular among the rich and famous.. and two year old girls.

We started and ended our trip in San Juan, Puerto Rico. This was probably our favorite stop. The old part of San Juan has a very European feel.

Let It Snow!

2010-02-19T23:26:00.000-05:00

January brought two major snowstorms to DC. In one week, we got over four feet of snow, pretty much unheard of for this area. It was eery. The entire city shut down for a week. Here's what our grocery store looked like for several days. Totally surreal!

It's going to be a long winter.

OK, maybe it won't be so bad.

Great Visit, Great-Grandparents!

2010-02-05T23:03:00.000-05:00

In January, we visited my grandparents in Mission, Texas. It was a little chilly by Texas standards, but we were still able to pick oranges and grapefruit from Grandma Helen's trees.

Elise is starting to show more and more personality. She's fairly shy at first, but when she warms up, she's the star of the show!

There are few things Elise loves more than "driving", so she was in heaven in Grandma's golf cart.

Good thing this only goes a few miles an hour!

Christmas in Utah

2010-01-15T22:03:00.000-05:00

This was our first Christmas in Utah, now that Chris' parents retired to Orem. We had so much fun, we hardly noticed the 50 degree temperature difference!

A Christmas miracle: we eeked out just enough hair for a bow!

A year and a half year old, not a clue what Christmas is all about, but still the first one up that morning.

Momma and Elise's first time at Temple Square during Christmas. It did not disappoint!

Daddy loved showing Elise around the amazing temple grounds on New Years Eve.

Elise and her good friend Jonah. Maybe they'll meet back here someday.... :)

The Longest Mile

2009-12-19T12:27:00.003-05:00

Well, it's been a looong three months. Chris was extended in Pakistan, so his two month trip turned into a three month trip. He is scheduled to fly home on December 23rd, and we have tickets for Salt Lake City the following day... but I've learned not to get my hopes up until he's on that plane. So, keep your fingers crossed for us!

I wish I could post a new picture of something fun and exciting, but the battery died on my camera about two weeks into this trip to Minnesota and I forgot to pack the charger. So, you'll have to use your imagination. Elise has grown so much these past few months. I hardly think Chris will recognize her. She's gone from baby to toddler, which means instead of flinging her strained peas across the room, she's throwing grandma's cell phone in the toilet. She's a really good girl, most of the time. Just don't aggravate her if she's tired or hungry (aww, just like mommy).

We are so glad to have had this time in Minnesota, grandma has been taking care of Elise during the day while I work for a few hours and we see my dad once a week for Vikings games. They've had a chance to see her grow up a little and it's been really fun.

We're also excited to take her to Salt Lake for Christmas. This will be our first visit to see Chris' parents since they moved from California earlier this year. I cannot wait to see the family and visit Temple Square, all lit up!

We hope you all have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.. and I hope to post some fun holiday photos in the coming weeks!

And The Winner Is...

2009-11-06T23:29:00.003-05:00

Quito, Ecaudor!

We are so excited to get our next assignment, in beautiful Quito! It's high in the Andes and on the equator, so beautiful weather year round!

We'll definitely be working on our Spanish from now until July 2011, when we're scheduled to move.

And studying up on the city's rich history. It's been totally restored, and we hear the Old City is reminiscent of Madrid!

So start saving your pennies so you can come visit us. We'll visit the rainforest, straddle the equator, hop over to the Galapagos Islands, and eat a fancy six course dinner for under $10. Quito, here we come!

Happy Halloween

2009-11-02T19:11:00.005-05:00

Year two of trick or treating.. still not getting the costume part. Definitely getting the candy part.

Gotta love trick or treating at the mall with Grandma!

Only one unfortunate incident.. we obviously don't see many Arabs in Minnesota.

Putting the Walk in Sidewalk

2009-10-20T15:44:00.003-04:00

Even though it's getting cold here in Minnesota, Elise loves to be outside and she loves to walk. She could walk up and down store isles and sidewalks for hours. On this day we were lucky enough to have daddy on speaker phone so he could go for a walk with us.

All By Myself

2009-10-20T14:22:00.003-04:00

While staying at Grandma's we're learning all kinds of things.. like how to eat like a civilized toddler. This is the end of mealtime messes, right?

Halloween Dance

2009-10-20T12:02:00.003-04:00

Thanks to Great-Grandma Helen, Elise has discovered another dance move, the bob and sway.
She loves her singing Halloween card!

I'll Take That One. And That One.

2009-10-07T17:46:00.006-04:00

Well, if Chris has to leave for another two months, I suppose I'll focus on the silver lining. I get to bring Elise back to Minnesota during my favorite time of year. When Fall hits, I know the trees are going to be beautiful, we'll get pick apples at the orchard and the Vikings will be playing. These are a few of my favorite things. Unbeknownst to us, a few of Elise's favorite things now include dancing to Polka music.

On a side note, our family will soon be learning where Chris' next assignment will take us. On October 23rd, we will be assigned to one of the following places: Rome, Quito, Ecuador, Panama, or Cyprus. It's been a long, exhausting bidding process, so we're excited to learn which one we're going to get. It's like Christmas x100. Our start date will depend on which city we get. The earliest would be August 2010, the latest, August of 2011. Cross your fingers for Rome or Quito!!

Lovely Day at Monticello

2009-09-12T23:29:00.004-04:00

This photo sums up Chris' relationship with Elise. Pure wonderment. She is so enamored with him and everything he does.

Sweet daddy-daughter moments that melt my heart.

Elise loves showing daddy all her amazing physical feats!

Daddy loves showing Elise the world.

Perfect ending to a long day.

Finally, Some Rest For The Weary

2009-09-12T22:38:00.003-04:00

Unfortunately, we weren't able to make it out to Utah this summer because of Chris' schizophrenic schedule, so we asked Utah to come to us. Yes, Grandma and Grandpa Dowling were nice enough to fly out and give us a little break. I'm such a wimp about leaving Elise with babysitters, especially for any extended amount of time, so it was nice to spend some time alone with my wonderful husband and not worry about our sweet baby. Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa!

We had some amazing weather while they were here, the humidity was virtually non-existent, so we went sight-seeing! Here we are at the Jefferson Memorial (you'll have to take my word for it).

All those wonderful daydreams I had when I was pregnant could not prepare me for just how precious my little girl would be.

Nor did I ever imagine that at 15 months I'd have to use honey to get a bow to stick to her sparse, but sweet, little strands of hair. :)

So Many Swimsuits, So Little Time

2009-08-21T23:11:00.000-04:00

I forgot how hot and humid DC gets in the summer.. always a great excuse to take Elise to the pool. Although, these days, she's more interested in walking around the pool than swimming in it.

That better not be a mirage!

The payoff.

This Is The Life

2009-07-28T21:19:00.003-04:00

It's been so great to be in our own home, together. Seems like such a little thing, something I've definitely taken for granted in the past, but no more!

Elise is getting so big. She is cruising along furniture, pushing chairs around the kitchen table, ready to walk any time now. She's also such a sweet, sweet baby. She loves to give hugs and kisses and cuddle. Her favorite word is daddydaddydaddy.

Our little sweetie.

Happy Birthday To You!

2009-07-06T23:37:00.004-04:00

It's been a great couple of weeks, no time for updating the blog! Chris came home safe and sound and our little girl turned 1!
We didn't do a big celebration on her actual birthday, June 2nd. We did, however, throw a traditional Korean birthday party and a more American-style party, complete with her first chocolate cupcake.

Auntie Diane made sure Elise had a traditional Korean dress for her birthday. Even more special because I wore Diane's little Korean dress on my 1st birthday.

Elise, chocolate.

Chocolate, Elise.

Elise loves her one and only great-grandma, Helen.

Minnesota Dreamin'

2009-06-04T23:04:00.006-04:00

Elise and I have been in Minnesota for a couple months now, waiting for Chris to come home. The weather has been absolutely beautiful and we've kept busy visiting friends and family. Here are some photos from an outing with one of my good friends from high school, Heidi.

Heidi took us to a petting zoo called Amazing Farmyard.

I couldn't resist.

The little chickie is all worn out.

Tulips From Baghdad

2009-05-23T11:08:00.000-04:00

A thousand miles away.. Chris wrangled up one of my favorite flowers, yellow tulips, and sent them to me for Mother's Day! There were also chocolates. You'll just have to take my word for it.

And here's Elise just seconds after she blurted out, "You're the best mom ever!"

Hi from HI

2009-05-01T22:40:00.000-04:00

A few weeks before Chris took off for Iraq, we found a great deal on tickets to Hawaii. To top it off, our close family friends were nice enough to offer their condo and car in Oahu, so how could we resist!? We were a little leary of the 10 hour flight with the baby, but we knew it would be worth it once we got there. Here are a few of our favorite pictures from the trip, all starring Little Miss Sunshine, herself. She wasn't so sure about the ocean at first..

..but she slowly warmed up to the idea..

..and by the end of the trip, we couldn't get her out of the water!

Here are some of my other favorite photos from the trip.

Not For The Faint Of Heart

2009-04-30T23:41:00.001-04:00

We were just about to leave for Hawaii, when Elise started running a fever. It was our first time dealing with our little one's temperature, but we were pretty sure 104 was not normal and/or good. Although she had no other symptoms, you could've fried an egg on her noggin, so at midnight, we took her to the emergency room. She had just about topped off at 105 when we got there, but still no sign of illness-- she was sweet as pie. They made us put the little hospital gown on her, which was so cute, in an ominous sort of way.

Then came the barrage of tests. They had to rule out a bacterial infection, which meant lots of blood and urine tests. The worst part was, we were dealing with the 3am shifters. They were nice, but couldn't find a vein to save their lives. So they poked. And poked. And poked. And then it took them another 10 minutes to get the catheter in. Poor baby was so terrified. I don't think I'll ever forget that look in her eyes. It makes me want to cry just thinking about it.

After several hours, however, the tests all came back negative. So, they gave her a big dose of baby Motrin and sent us on our way. We left for Hawaii two days later, and fortunately, the warm sun and tropical breezes made her all better.

2009-03-27T23:52:00.003-04:00

Nothing too exciting to chronicle this week, so here are a few fun shots from our most recent day at the park. We'll be in Hawaii next week, so lots of cute 'baby on the beach' pictures are coming your way soon!

No cherry blossoms yet, but in about a week this place is going to look like heaven!

I think this one speaks for itself.

Perfect Day at the Park

2009-03-16T23:59:00.001-04:00

We had a great stretch of warm weather recently (followed by freezing rain this weekend), but while it was so nice out, we took advantage of the sunshine. Here's one of my favorite pictures of Elise, our baby is turning into a little girl!

Apparently, Elise is a thrill-seeker (hmm, I wonder where she gets it). She was on this swing at one point with both hands up in the air, giggling up a storm.

Future bull-rider!

Monkey See

2009-03-16T23:27:00.000-04:00

Our friends James, Mejkin and little Jonah Core were in DC recently and we had so much fun hanging out with them. In addition to a couple of really great meals (we are forever indebted to the Cores for introducing us to Ben's Chili Bowl), we went to the National Zoo.

Here's our little buddy Jonah, aka Little Monkey. He's just about two, and about to be a big brother!

Here's our little monkey checking out another little monkey.

Last Californ-hurrah

2009-02-20T21:41:00.002-05:00

Chris' parents have sold their home in San Dimas, and are moving to Orem, Utah. They have about one week to convert their family room back into a garage, pack up all their things and move. So, what better time to invite ourselves over! They were wonderful hosts, despite having so much going on, we really appreciated it. We did give them a day or two to themselves to get things done. We drove down to San Diego with our friends Luke and Chrissy and their beautiful daughter Naomi. Chrissy is about eight months pregnant, but she was a trooper. And Naomi has the sweetest little disposition. Elise squealed with delight every time she saw her. These are some photos from our day at the Wild Animal Park.

Daddy and Elise on safari!

Chrissy, Naomi and Luke

Spending some quality time with Grandma and Grandpa Dowling.

Sea World

2009-02-20T21:39:00.000-05:00

It rained just about every day we were in California, so when the clouds finally broke, we high-tailed it to Sea World. Chris' brother Kevin came with us. He was in charge of directions, photography, the stroller, AND he bought us lunch. Is he great, or what! Here are the Three Musketeers trying to get the attention of a lazy dolphin.

Elise loves starfish. Correction, she loves to try and eat starfish.

The Shamu Show was a huge hit. Elise was mesmerized by the blue water.

A quick photo shoot in front of the beautiful San Diego Temple, where Chris and I were married in '06.

Tofu Trials

2009-02-02T20:53:00.005-05:00

It's the eight month mark this week, so we've got the green light to start adding some protein into Elise's diet. We thought we'd start with Tofu, a pretty mild and non-offensive snack. Here's how it went:

Unsuspecting baby...

This is different...

Wait, this isn't apple...

NOOOOOO!

Oh no, I'm not falling for THAT again!

Dinner Time, Sort Of

2009-01-23T22:56:00.004-05:00

Elise loved having her uncle Daniel stay with us this past week. Here he is, trying his hand at feeding her some green beans. She seemed to like it!

Or is she smiling because most of the veggies never actually made it into her mouth..

And here she is during a recent outing at the National Arboretum. It was cold out and everything there was brown and dead, but Elise was so happy and cozy in her little bear suit. Our friend Sarah sent this for Christmas and it's so darn cute, now we hope winter never ends.

O- so close

2009-01-20T19:43:00.006-05:00

About two weeks ago, I was lucky enough to score two free tickets to the presidential swearing-in ceremony. For a split second, I started rationalizing whether Elise's Minnesota bloodlines would keep her warm enough for six to eight hours in 20 degree temps. But, my better judgement kicked in, and frost bite is no joke, so, my mom and brother were the benefactors of my moment of parental clarity. We knew it was going to be mass hysteria, so we put a pretty solid game plan together. I dropped them off at the metro at about 5:30am, and their journey into DC was relatively smooth. However, once they got off the metro in the heart of the Capitol and started walking the three blocks to the ticketed area, it was a totally different story.

They managed to herd themselves to the security checkpoint, only to find that it was totally blocked off. Apparently, right before they got there, hundreds of people without tickets knocked down the barricades and started seeping into the ticketed area. The police put the barricades back up, but because things were unraveling, they decided not to let anyone else in. Finally, at 11:30, when the ceremony started, they opened the barricades again, but by this time, it was full of people without tickets. So, my brother and mom just tried to move up as close as they could, and as you can see by their pictures, they didn't get very far. My mom is just over five feet tall, so she saw nothing, but she's glad she went because she can always say she was a part of history.

Elise Dowling: Stunt Woman

2009-01-16T00:49:00.003-05:00

When people ask me what Elise is up to these days, I sometimes wish I could wow them with a major milestone, like, "She's crawling!" or "She's memorized her states and capitals!" But I have to remind myself, she's only seven months old. So, today, I proudly share with you one of Elise's favorite tricks. It's an oldie but goodie, the roll and flop.
Are you watching?

OK, here I go!

Tim-ber!

I'm O-K!

Tiny Bubbles

2009-01-11T17:37:00.001-05:00

Chris misses out on a lot of "little things" when he's away for weeks or months. So this one's for you, dad.

I Got My Two Front Teeth!

2009-01-07T20:23:00.002-05:00

And just like that, tooth number two. I swear it wasn't there a few days ago. Amazing. I tried to get a few more close-up pictures of the tooth, but what I got was actually a lot cuter.

All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth

2009-01-02T00:48:00.005-05:00

So, now that we're all caught up, here's my first real-time post. It's just about 1am on New Year's Day. Chris is in Pakistan. We talk on the phone every night about this time, it's late morning for him. This is also the time when I get about two to three hours to myself every night after I put the baby down. I start her bedtime routine at about 8pm, but somehow she doesn't like to go down until about 10:30pm. Lately, she's been waking up every couple of hours and I need to pick her up, walk her around for a few minutes and lay her back in her crib. Let's hope it's just a phase and she goes back to sleeping through the night.

The big news from today is that we saw her first tooth! I knew it was coming in, but I just saw it in all it's glory today. I kept pulling down her lip in disbelief and she just kept smiling, so proud of herself.

December 2008

2009-01-02T00:02:00.011-05:00

Chris is back in Pakistan. It's a seven week trip, but fortunately, he was here the week before Christmas, so we got to have our own celebration before he left. We even took her to see Santa. She did great. She pulled on his beard and even smiled a bit.

Right before Chris left, my mom flew in to help with the baby and I don't know what I'd do without the help. Elise is six months old and she's doing all kinds of fun things like rolling around and banging herself in the head with plastic toys. To her credit, the pain doesn't make her cry. She's a tough cookie.

October 2008

2009-01-02T00:01:00.001-05:00

Chris returned from Pakistan, safe and sound. Meantime, I wrapped things up at the station. I had my last newscast and said good-bye to my colleagues and friends. I really do miss the people more than the job. My co-anchors and I had so much fun every night. It's hard to find people who are really talented AND really fun to be around. I was lucky to find both in Rick, Eric and Sven.

On the home front, Chris and I enjoyed some more time together before he was scheduled to ship off again in December. At five months old, Elise was getting more and more fun every day. She started sleeping through the night and laughing at her dad's funny faces and sounds. This was also her first Halloween. Dad wanted her to go as a whoopie cushion or one of those pine tree air fresheners. But, as usual, mom had to spoil the fun and turn her into a pink bunny. We spent Halloween with our friends Amy and Tommy in Connecticut. Amy is one of my dear friends from my TV News days in Fargo. Their little boy, Max, is one month younger than Elise and it was fun to see them together.

August 2008

2009-01-02T00:00:00.003-05:00

With a summer's worth of help from all of our parents, we had made it through the first few months of parenthood. My mom came out first, then my dad and step-mom, Linda. And then Chris' parents came to stay with us and we had Elise's baby blessing at our church. Instead of getting baptized as a newborn (that happens at 8 years old in our church), babies are "blessed." So, Chris, along with some of our friends from church, stood up in front of everyone and laid a blessing upon her. She was blessed with good health, the ability to understand right from wrong, appreciate her family, a kindness for others and many other things.
I wish I had a transcription of the blessing, it was really special.

Later in the month, Chris was off on another trip, this time to Beijing for the Olympics and I was returning to work as well. Soon after returning, the station asked me to increase my hours, which I couldn't do, so I knew we were probably going to start working on an exit strategy. My contract was up in October, so we decided to let it run its course and I would move to DC full-time and find another job.

June 2008

2009-01-01T23:58:00.007-05:00

I wrapped up my last newscast before going on maternity leave. I had to stop working one month before my due date because I wasn't going to be able to fly after the eighth month. The next morning, I saw the OB in Minnesota. The baby was still breech, but I wasn't dilated, so I got the OK to fly and hopped on my flight. I connected in Chicago and landed in DC at about 7pm. Chris picked me up, we grabbed some dinner, and went home. We headed straight for the nursery because Chris was excited to show me the newly painted room. As soon as I stepped in the baby's room, I had an urge to use the restroom. I no sooner closed the bathroom door, when my water broke. We called the doctor and she said I had to get into the hospital for an emergency C-section since the baby's head hadn't turned down yet. When we got to the hospital 45 minutes later, I was already five cm dilated and the contractions were getting intense. Fifteen minutes later, I was in the operating room and at 11:58pm on June 2nd, Elise Danielle Dowling was born. She was exactly one month early, but perfectly healthy.

May 2008

2009-01-01T23:56:00.001-05:00

Chris was scheduled to take one last trip before he took some time off for "paternity leave." His boss figured we were still one month from the baby's due date, so Chris could sneak in one more trip-- to Southeast Asia. I was not happy. It's one thing to have to work up until your wife is supposed to give birth. It's another thing to have to work half way around the world up until your wife has to give birth. Two days before he was supposed to leave, my prayers were answered. There was a technical issue with Chris' plane ticket. They couldn't fix it in time, so they told him to just stay home. Elise Danielle was born one week later, exactly one month before her due date.

April 2008

2009-01-01T23:46:00.002-05:00

Chris returned home safely. We had been through an emotional roller-coaster, and decided to reward ourselves with a trip to Europe. We went to Paris, Rome, the Amalfi Coast and Venice. I was almost eight months pregnant, so this was going to be our "babymoon", our last big hurrah before the baby came. Ironically, we kept wishing our daughter was already born so she could enjoy the amazing trip with us.

February 2008

2009-01-01T23:44:00.000-05:00

Chris headed back to Iraq. It was the worst trip yet. I was feeling much better and loving pregnancy, but conditions in Baghdad were worsening. Ironically, he was almost in more danger in the protected Green Zone, than he was when he was making runs into the Red Zone. There was an increase in rocket attacks within the Green Zone, and a few Americans, who were in the wrong place at the wrong time, were getting killed. In the shower, while they slept. It was the worst two months of our lives.

October 2007

2009-01-01T23:42:00.003-05:00

Chris left for a two month trip to Baghdad. Three weeks after he left, we were talking on the webcam and I showed him a pregnancy test with two distinct pink lines. I spent the next eight weeks exuberantly nauseated. The best/worst part was, all I could stomach was salty carbs and processed meats. As a result, our baby is made of Cheddar Ruffles and Subway sandwiches.

September 2007

2009-01-01T23:40:00.000-05:00

I started a blog with every intention of keeping it up. Then.. life happened! So here are the highlights of the last year.

Work In Progress

2007-09-21T20:00:00.001-04:00

Hello friends and family!
I am slowly, but surely, getting the hang of this thing and hope to start posting soon!
So stay tuned!
Amy