Sydney Harper is finally here!!

Sunday November 22nd, 2009

2:34 am

8 lbs 3 oz, 20.5 inches

This was taken moments after Sydney was born. I am so thankful for this sweet moment captured and of course more than anything for our baby girl's safe arrival to this world. Labor was a long 25 hours total with some complications along the way, but in the end we are all ok and just happy to be starting our new little family.

Our sweet baby girl! She sure likes to sleep a lot!



My dear friend Farrah who was in the room during the delivery and took pictures for us. This was about 8 hours after she was born, later Sunday morning.

Sydney with her Bubbe listening to the symphony.

Thank goodness for Cassie coming to stay with us for the first week. She has been a HUGE help with cooking our meals and helping with Sydney. This is grandbaby #10, so she's a pro!!

Our sweet little cupcake! She looks so much like her Daddy!!

She's milk drunk!

9 months and ready to pop!!

This was the work of my awesome husband, showing the progression of the baby bump. He's so proud of the belly and keeps saying "there's a fat baby in there!". I think if she doesn't come out a little plump, he might be disappointed. I was nicknamed Porky when I was a baby by my family (cruel I know) so maybe he will be right. I am happy for her to come out normal and plump up after. I still have to deliver this baby you know!

Our last Dr. visit we were told she is "locked and loaded" which means in the head down position and right where she should be. The Dr. thinks she will be around 7.5-8 lbs, which is the 70th percentile. I am doing well and can't believe our due date is less than 2 weeks away at this point! I am definitely experiencing the uncomfortable stage right now that everyone talks about. My belly is so tight and now when Sydney moves it actually hurts a little at times. You can see full feet or elbows protruding out which is really cool and wild. It's crazy to think she is full term and could come out any minute and be a perfect little new born baby!! We are ready for her though. The house is pretty much ready with her room painted and we have basically everything we think we will need to care for her in the beginning. The moment is finally here!! What a hard wait this is after all this time, the minutes seem to drag on forever at times! We just want to see her cute little face!

It's hard to tell which is the belly, I know.


Halloween is one of our favorite holidays and this was the first year we couldn't partake in the fun and dress up. Not that we minded though as our baby girl is more than worth the sacrifice! However, from the beginning we have talked about how I would be 9 months pregnant at Halloween and that we were going to paint the belly. This was a week ago and Seth did a great job! Seth calls this her first Halloween outfit!
Well, that's all for now. The next time I post, we will have met our little girl and will be able to share her photos! Wish us luck with the delivery! We love you all and can't wait to bring Sydney into such a wonderful group of family and friends!
Love, Dalhia and Seth

8 months and counting!!!

This is 8 months. Wow!! I can't believe it when I see this picture! No wonder I have back pain...that's one big belly!!

It's official.....

Sydney Harper Goldstein

We finally settled on a name and both love Sydney for a girl. Also it's Seth's dads name, so there is a special meaning for it too.

Today we went to our check up and everything was great. I have gained 28 lbs total, which the Dr. says is right on track and healthy. It looks like I will end up around 35 lbs, which I am more than ok with. We are still on the every 2 week appt schedule, but will soon switch to every week. I can't believe how close it is. We are soooo excited to meet little Sydney and hold her in our arms! We know nothing can prepare us for the gift we are about to receive and the love we will have for our baby girl.

California Baby Shower - Sept 20th 2009

My best friend Farrah and her son Louis. She threw the shower for me at her beautiful home. It was a garden lunch where everyone pitched in. It was a perfect shower and perfect day with the girls!

The lovely ladies! From left to right: Helene (AKA Grandma Mayor), Natalie, Lois, Devon, Blanca, Farrah and Maria.

This little coat is so sweet! It was given to us by our dear friends Maria and Belal. It's from baby gap and will be perfect for next fall. It also has a matching little hat! Little girl clothes are so adorable!!!

This was a bouncer given to us by our friend and realtor Lois. We have our beautiful home because of her!! The wrapping was so cute!

Indy trip - August 2009

George Colombo 1959-2009

George was as much family as he was a friend. I have known George since I was 12. I lived with him for a year and a half in my early 20's and had a great time and many fond memories of that time. It was when I met Seth, who George allowed to come over to visit against his rule of no boys allowed! I was 23! That was George, always overly protective of those he loved. Seth and George bonded immediately and had a special and dear friendship from then on out. George will be missed for so many things, most of all his HUGE heart and generousity, his one of a kind since of humor and his way with people. George never met a stranger.

I am so glad we took these pictures and got to see him in August.

We love you George and have you in our hearts always.

My Mom came up from Florida at the same time and had a brunch with her close family and friends to celebrate her first grandbaby! From Left to right: One of my best friends Jacquie, Mary, Linda, my Mom, Cathy and Peggy.





This little bikini is the cutest thing I have ever seen!!! I couldn't believe how little the top was! When I showed it to Seth he asked who bought it for us and then said "I need to watch out for that woman!". Get ready daddy, this is nothing! Wait till she's a teenager and who knows what she'll be wearing!!



Seth and I went out to my grandpa Pappy's house and visited with my family. He lives outside of Indy, out in the country. We don't get to go there very often, so it was nice to sit outside with the family and enjoy nature. A big change from LA! From left to right, my unlce Jullian, Aunt Tonja, my Dad and Pappy.

The baby shower!!
Seth's sisters and my best friend Jacquie threw this for me!



This was a hand made cake by our sister in law, Jacqui. She should go into the cake biz!!! It was delicious and so cute!!

These were made by my dear friend Jacquie. This was the party favor for all the guests to take.

The shower was at Seth's parents house. They really outdid themselves with all of the decorations. It was so cute and festive!!

Presents! This is a crystal bank, in the shape of a teddy bear, given to us by Rosalee, a dear Goldstein family friend. Such a sweet gift.

My friend Shelley got me a "hooter hider" for breast feeding. I love it!

From left to right: My great aunt Irene, great aunt Shirley and my aunt Tonja.

It was great to see them!!

One of my bestest friends, Jacquie. We've known each other for almost 10 years. She's the one who first took me to the dance club where we became regulars during the summer of 2000 and where I met my future husband and baby daddy! I'll always be grateful!

Seth's sisters from Left to right: Tiffany, Elise, Joscelyn and Jacqui. I love them all and was so appreciative of the wonderful shower they threw!

BTW...between these girls, there are 9 grand children already!! That makes #10 for our little babe on the way!

The mom's and proud grandma's:

Seth's mom, Cassie, on the left and my mom, Janice, on the right.

My dear friend Shelley. We have known each other the longest...since 1st grade. This was the first time we have seen each other in 7 years!! She recently moved back home to Indiana, so when I go home from now on I will get to see her which is wonderful!! She is a mom to 2 sweet and adorable boys who I got to meet for the first time.

Another dear friend, April and her daugter Alli. We also haven't seen each other in several years, so it was wonderful to see her!! I have known her since I was 12 as well, when she became my "big sister" and guided me through my teenage years. Whew...that must have been tough!! :-) She was a huge influence on my life growing up and I love her dearly.

6 months and counting!!

Well, here is the 6 month belly shot and it's feeling pretty big right about now. You can see the roundness starting to really take shape! Random strangers are now asking me about when I am due and a couple have gone in for the belly rub! Seth asks me if this bothers me, and so far not really. No one creepy has tried to touch me, mostly just older grandma's! Baby girl is kicking a lot now and Seth has been able to feel it. She is maybe going to be athletic unlike her mom and like her daddy, as sometimes it feels like she is kicking and punching with all 4 limbs at the same time! Maybe she'll be a dancer or gymnast?? Otherwise, I am feeling well and still very lucky in my pregnancy, only experiencing a little back pain here and there. About 2 weeks ago, Seth and I went to our new Dr. for a check up. We switched because on our 2nd visit to our last Dr. we were informed that their office does rotations for after business hours with regards to delivering the babies and that there was a chance that it would be one of the other 10 Dr.'s in the office that would be on call the night I go in labor. They suggested we schedule our appt's with the different Dr.'s so we get to know them all. This is craziness! I don't know who is ok with that kind of set up, but we weren't! So we waited for our insurance to switch to a PPO July 1st and we found our new Doctor, Dr. Susan Cohen, through a friend of a friend who has had two babies delivered by her and said she is great. She was really down to earth and smart and has a small office in Beverly Hills with only 2 other Dr.'s. When we went in for our appt they were playing hip hop/pop music in the office, which was a good sign to me!! I like a Dr with some personality! She said everything was looking good. My weight gain is on track and healthy at 16 lbs (this was at 5 1/2 months). She said unless the baby is born on Thanksgiving or the day after, she will most certainly be there. There is always that chance, but these are much better odds than what we would have with our previous Dr. I have an appt next week to check for signs of diabetes and also anemia.

This is one of the first gifts we have received from a dear

friend and previous employee of mine, Helene (AKA The Mayor). It might be the cutest thing I have ever seen!! It's

so over the top girlie with rhinestones everywhere and of course "Always the Princess" on both sides. So cute!!! Thanks again Mayor!!

IT'S A GIRL!

It's official! We're having a little girl! We went to our check up today and were told we weren't confirmed to get an ultrasound today, but we begged saying we were hoping to find out the sex and the Dr. said ok. The nurse prepped us that the baby might not cooperate so no guarantees we would be able to tell. About 2 seconds into the ultrasound she got the perfect shot (above pic 1) and said "It's a girl!". What an amazing moment. Seth immediately said once we were in the car, he was thinking of the sleepless nights he will have and the heartbreak he will undoubtedly endure when our little girl starts dating! We have a while to worry about that, so for now we are just super excited to know and will be deciding on a name soon!

4 and 1/2 months. This was taken late at night and I was just about to go to bed, so not my prettiest moment. The belly is getting there! I started to feel the baby move 2 weeks ago and was expecting the "vibration" or "fluttering" feeling the books all describe. I didn't feel that and still haven't, but rather felt a full body roll from one side of my belly to the other! Wild! I have felt that sensation more and more and you can definitely feel the baby from the outside, which just feels like a really hard lump. I am still waiting for the kicks and can't wait for Seth to be able to feel that. I have to say I have been soooooo lucky with this pregnancy so far, with very mild morning sickness (no throwing up, just nausea) and otherwise have felt pretty good. If the rest goes as smooth as the beginning was then I am really counting my lucky stars!

Seth getting practice! This is Louis, our very dear friends Farrah and Eric's little boy. He was born on Nov 16th, this past year and that's our due date! Our babes might have the same birthday, one year a part! They were hoping for a little boy so they could be best buddies, but now they will just have to get married one day instead. :-)

ultra sound video

This is from our 13th week check up.

Us

Here we are! This is from our recent trip to the Dominican in February of this year. We went for a friends wedding and this was the reception dinner. Wow we were tan!! We knew this would be our last vacation for a while, as we were in escrow for our first home (it closed while we were there!) and we were planning on trying to start a family in the upcoming months. Little did we know, one day back from our trip and our first official day a home owners, that we would also be starting our family much sooner than originally planned!! That was a big surprise! Once the shock wore off we were definitely excited for little baby Goldstein, due to arrive November 16th, 2009!

Here are the other little members of our family, Pedie and Sam. Pedie, our little devil dog, is doing a close up, always the curious guy. Sammy is our sweet needy little girl, who perches herself on the top of the couch just like a cat.

This is me in my office with the pups. Pedie on the lap and Sam in front of the space heater. She's like her mommy, always cold!

The first official Belly Shot! This is Dalhia at 3 months. Already showing a bit.