2012 is almost here!
It is almost time to ring in the new year and while I am a little sad to see 2011 go, I am looking forward to what 2012 has in store for us. 2011 has not been all roses and rainbows, it started out rocky with our dog needing some very expensive surgeries, then the pain and cost of the IVF, but it was all worth it in the end. I spent most of the year pregnant and on October 28th we welcomed our beautiful little princess into this world. We are so very blessed and this will definitely be a year we will never forget. Now- cheers to the year that is almost behind us and to the one we are about to begin! Let’s make the best of 2012. God Bless!
6 weeks old!
Wow, time flies. I cannot believe my baby girl is 6 weeks old already. I am a little sad to think my maternity leave is halfway over, but I know it is for “our best”. Meaning- to each is own, but for me and Allan the most important thing for us is that our children have all the opportunities in the world. We want to provide them with a beautiful, loving home, the best schools and if they want to play sports, take acting classes, play an instrument or go to Harvard some day- we want to be able to provide that to them.
Some things I have learned from mommy hood are:
- It is AMAZING! You never can imagine how much you could love someone- and seeing your husband with your baby is the best feeling in the world
- You can never have enough bibs- spit up happens A LOT!
- You think you didn’t sleep while you were pregnant with the frequent pees, but ha, now you really don’t sleep! (Well, maybe not everyone, I am just a really light sleeper and it takes me a long time to fall asleep)
- Trust your instincts- if you think something is wrong with your baby, you are probably right
- You will co-sleep- maybe not for long, but we did it for a few hours every night the first month
- cutting babies nails is super duper frightening- do it at their first nap after bath time while the nails are soft
- Only the socks that are tight around the ankles will stay on- you are wasting money on the rest
- Losing the baby weight is HARD! my whole body still aches from the 9 months of pregnancy and the laboring. I am down 18 and have about 24 more to go, but they are not budging, the 18 came off after the first week just from fluid
Our girl is here- 10.28.11
OMG, these past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind. Our little girl arrived 10/28/2011 at 12:32 pm. She weighed 6lbs15oz and was 19 inches long. She is absolutely perfect in every single way.
5 days till due date!
OMG, I cannot believe we are to the 5 day countdown and our little girl is not here yet. I am begining to feel so discouraged, which I know is ridiculous and totally normal at the same time. She is sooo big and they have been saying this whole time she would be early, but so far, nothing. I have been soooo uncomfortable, having braxton hicks, horrible painful swelling and this EXTREME pressure on my cervix since she is sitting so low. I am about 70% effaced, but barely (1cm or less) dilated. Doc says for first time moms it is completely normal to not dilate much at all before labor begins, so I am hoping that is the case, but if she hasn’t come on her own by Monday we are scheduling a date sometime before next Thursday to get induced. It is super exciting to know that one way or another she will be here in a week, but scary too!!
At my appt on Monday they will of course check my progress and get a date (either Wed or Thurs) on the calendar to get induced. They will also be doing a growth ultrasound to check her approximate size and my fluid levels one last time.
I hope she will decide to come on her own. I would love sooner than later, b/c I am STRUGGLING! But…whatever happens, I feel confident we will have a happy, healthy baby by next weekend! 
38 weeks this weekend!
So as of Sunday I was full term! All week I have been hoping Gianna would decide she was ready, but not yet…I am trying to be patient and really don’t have a choice, but I am so ready for her to be here and to begin the road to feeling semi normal. My hands are swelling out of control, she has dropped and is putting so much pressure on my cervix it is insane and between all the other lovely pregnancy stuff (45 pound weight gain, constipation, no sleep, pain, pain, pain) I am just ready. I know, I know, it is not up to me. The doc thinks she is about 7-7.5 pounds right now, so that is perfect. If she makes it the full 2 weeks we are looking at 8 plus (if they are right). I can’t believe we are almost to the end of this pregnancy journey and about to embark on the journey of parenthood. I am sooo excited, nervous and just completely overwhelmed.
Car seats & strollers
So we have our car seat installed and our stroller is ready. We still need to install the convertible car seat in the husband’s car, but we have the infant one ready to go. Here are the products we decided on. Continue reading
Canon Rebel
OH YEAH! Last night my husband and I finally decided to go ahead and do it….we splurged and bought a fancy camera. We decided on the Canon Rebel t3 and got a bundle deal from best buy that included an extra 50-250mm stabilizer lens, extra battery and bag. It was quite a large investment, but we are super excited to start snapping photos of our little girl.
Seriously…carpal tunnel?
So yesterday was my 35 week check up and I told the doctor how my hands have been blowing up and they have been in a lot of pain. He did some short tests taping and bending my hands and confirmed I have carpal tunnel in both hands! Apparently the swelling is what is causing it and it is pretty normal in pregnancy. He wants me to wear double wrist support bands- he told me I can start with just wearing them at night, but if they still hurt after that I need to wear them 24/7. Not cute! I already can’t wear any of my shoes and wearing freaking flip-flops to work, now wrist bands too. Continue reading
Parenting for Dummies!
I don’t know about any of you, but my husband and I have been getting some good laughs when we are trying to put baby stuff together. The pack n play was the funniest. Between the 2 of us we spent 30 minutes and couldn’t do it, we had given it up and put it away and later that week my friend who is a mommy came over and showed us in like 1 minute. HA! This week we put the car seat adaptor on the stroller and we were able to figure that out better- but it definitely took the 2 of us combining brain power. This weekend we are to install the car seat in the car- wish us luck!
34.5 weeks
I cannot believe our little girl will be arriving soon. My gut still tells me she will be here between 37-38 weeks, but we shall see. I have my doctor’s appointment tomorrow and at last week’s she was in the 80%. My comfort level is getting worse and worse, which I guess is to be expected. I now not only have a butt constantly in my right rib cage, but I am also feeling an arm or something in my right hip bone. I feel like she is starting to drop because it is getting harder and harder to hold my pee during a laugh or cough (TMI I know!). Sleep has been a thing of the past and my fatigue is really kicking in again. Naps are easy, but I have a hard time squeezing those in. My fingers are so swollen they feel stiff and my feet barely squeeze into my shoes. I am still managing to walk, but my pace is definitely getting slower and slower. I am definitely starting to feel anxious and a little scared, but so excited too!