Cruisin' in the Caribbean

During A's summer leave from work, we had the wonderful opportunity to take a week-long cruise in the Western Caribbean, just the two of us (with special thanks to both sets of generous grandparents who took care of Z while we were gone).

Our ship left out of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and first stopped in Key West, followed by the Cayman Islands and Jamaica. It was exactly what we were hoping for: great weather and warm, crystal-clear water.

Floating around in Key West.

The great view from our private balcony.

Somewhere in the middle of the ocean.
We still don't know how we got a private table in the dining room!
One of the formal nights.

Waiting for the late-night dance party on the upper deck.

Another great beach on Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands.
A loved snorkeling.


We climbed Dunn's Falls, a 700 ft. waterfall in Jamaica. We're laughing because our Jamaican guide just told us that we looked like twins (not sure what that meant!).

More of lovely Jamaica.

Great view of Ochos Rios, Jamaica from the ship.

It was a great trip. Thanks again to our parents for taking good care of our girl, so we could enjoy a second honeymoon! :)

Summer is here!

Now that Z will be 6 months old this week, we thought we'd try out the pool together.
She already loves bath-time, so our little water pup enjoyed it (afterall she was born in water!), and she laughed and squealed hysterically at her daddy splashing around.

A cute clip of one happy water-baby:

Happy Helmet Day!

Yesterday was Z's last time wearing her corrective helmet and we're all very happy! No "after" photos yet but her head-shape looks great. For now, we've posted some photos from this past month. (Additionally, Z now is rolling over and sitting up on her own; yay for milestones!)
Rolly-Polly, Toe-Grabbin' Baby!


Just hanging out with a little person.


And on Mother's Day, Z was dedicated at our church, where we made a commitment to raise her according to His Word.

Strolling around Dana Point Harbor.

There He Goes Again!

Congrats to A for qualifying as Rifle Expert for the 4th year in a row!And that is what Marines call a "high chipmunk cheek!"

Happy Spring!

Notice the last several posts have been "Happy" something? Well, it's been a happy year with Zuzu! Here she is enjoying her zebra quilt sewed by her Grandma.

Hanging out with Grandpa Meadows, cousin Pa, and Aunt M.

Somebody really loves bath-time!


Visiting Daddy at work, both wearing their desert cammies. (Z at 4 months old)

Stork Photo

Thanks to Lincoln Military Housing, Z was selected for a free photo session!
(Happy baby at 3 1/2 months old)

Happy Easter!

Easter in San Clemente



With Z's Grandma Meadows



Playing around with Daddy

A "Heads" Up For All New Parents

We wanted to inform you about two words you won’t hear in prenatal and birth classes: Torticollis and Plagiocephaly. Torticollis is the tightening of a muscle on one side of the neck, which pulls the head toward the shoulder. Z was born with this because her head was wedged in L's pelvis for the last trimester. Because of her torticollis, she would only sleep on one side of her head, which has now caused plagiocephaly, a flat spot on that side of her head. Although her case isn’t severe and you probably think “big deal, her hair will cover it up when she’s older,” there are actually several problems that can occur later in life such as jaw misalignment (causing TMJ or jaw problems), vision problems, and the eyes and ears will be asymmetrical. I’m not sure why this isn’t discussed in birth-prep books because it now occurs in 1 in every 30 babies (some pediatricians even estimate more like 1 in 15), especially since babies are now put to sleep on their backs to greatly reduce the chances of SIDS.

The best way to treat this: Z has to wear a custom, corrective helmet called the DOC Band (Dynamic Orthotic Cranioplasty), 23 hours a day. Because of her young age, Z will only have to wear it for about 2 months, where older babies may have to wear it for several months to even one year. We also have to do neck stretching exercises several times a day with Z, which is always accompanied with some extremely heart-wrenching cries. So far, it hasn't been easy, but we are thankful this is very fixable and doesn't require surgery.

Just thought we’d inform you all since this seems like a condition that every new parent should know about. If you’d like more info, check out: http://www.cranialtech.com/

Happy Valentine's Day!

L and Z in their fuzzy, one-piece sleepers.Nothin' is more romantic than your husband thinking you look good wearing something like this!

Happy New Year!

Our Christmas Gift

Z was born on December 18th, 2009 at 3:23 am, 7 lbs. 3.5 oz. 19 in.
Pronounced zo-ee, it means "life" in Greek, and we picked a Greek name because of A's heritage.
The proud parents with their 1-day-old daughter. Although she arrived 12 days after her due date, Z's timing was perfect, one week before Christmas.
(When L was born at Christmas time 27 years ago, she also came home from the hospital in a Christmas stocking.)

The delivery was a water birth at Best Start Birth Center in San Diego.

Pretty in pink.

A Marine Princess with her daddy.

Grandma Meadows and Yia Yia Freida.





















Four generations of Meadows'

L and her sister, M, with their babies on the San Clemente pier. Cousins P and Z are only 4 months apart.

The Final Stretch

So what else do you do while you're waiting for your baby to arrive? Participate in a 5K Turkey Trot, of course! Right before Thanksgiving (and few weeks before her due date), L power-walked in the annual 5K Run and Walk on the Marine Corps Recruit Depot. While actually running wouldn't be such a good idea, activities like this, as well as dance classes, have kept L pretty active throughout her pregnancy.
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As for A, Christmas came early this year. Here's the other baby that he waited 9 months for:
This is a California-Compliant AR15, basically the legal version of the Marine Corps' M16 service rifle. After ordering this back in March, this amazing weapon finally arrived from Utah right after Thanksgiving.

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And finally, A's performance with Marine Band San Diego at the Annual MCRD Christmas Concert.

And note: the baby has not arrived yet! Although she is technically over a week past her Dec. 5th due date, she seems quite cozy where she is. Looking forward to meeting her any day now!