Wow, so much to say!

Its been a really long time since I updated this! She has turned 1 year old, Daddy moved to NM for 5 months, and now we have all moved across the country.
We have been here for 2 months, and making friends. It's really hard to be so far away from family.
The real reason I'm writing this is to capture some of the precious things our litltle one has been doing. She recently decided to say "Good morning!" to anyone, any time of day. I didn't realize that I say it to her every morning.

Today, I was giving her peaches. I didn't realize she had eaten them all, so I asked about them. She pointed to her belly & said "peaches in my belly!"

She has also started a new thing where she pushes the hair away from my face, saying, "beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!" i suppose I must do that to her a lot as well!

New things

She has a few new things now.
On Thursday, June 4, I was giving her some little baby puffs. They're kinda like cereal, but really puffy so that when they hit her tongue, they begin to dissolve immediately. I was putting them in her mouth, but then she grabbed one. I made the sign for eat & told her to eat it. So she popped it in her mouth!! Wow! I should have done that a long time ago! I didn't know she understood me! She's catching on to more signs.

Every morning when we get up, I look over at the mirror next to the bed. I wave at us, and say, "Hi Mommy, Hi Ella!" She started doing that a few days ago, unprompted. Now, whenever she sees herself in the mirror, she waves. It's pretty darn cute. She will also wave to people, if you tell her to. Sometimes you have to get her arm started, but she will do it eventually! :D
What a sweetheart!

Standing now!

Yesterday, Brad called me while I was at work to tell me that she had starting standing on her own. She had done it for a split second a few times before. Yesterday, she started standing on her own for a little longer. It's still just a second or two.

Her new thing is making an O with her mouth & then saying OOOOO, but like an old man. It's pretty funny, especially when she raises her head high. It makes her neck look so thin underneath those huge cheeks!!

Crawling & 2 more teeth!

This weekend we began packing. I had originally planned to use the holiday weekend to completely move out, but that wasn't possible. We're worried about leaving the house alone with our stuff still inside. We don't have a good place to move all of the furniture. Chris has some storage space, but Carol is worried about mice & wetness. So I don't think that would be a good idea. We just need to stay put until we get everything out. It's pretty dangerous. We don't go outside unarmed.

On Friday, May 14, we were driving home after dropping Ella off with Carol. Brad drove down Montgomery past the crappy gas station & we were stopped at a stoplight. Someone threw a rock at his car. The windows were closed, so it bounced off of the rear passenger side window - Ella's window. We turned our heads & saw someone running. There were so many people out, it would have been impossible to figure out which ones did it. I was so upset, I just began shaking & crying. I had my gun in my lap, and I just wanted to start shooting everyone on the sidewalk. That's not good. I shouldn't feel like that.

Then, last Wednesday, I was taking Ella to work to meet Brad. As I walked out to the garage, I noticed the neighbor with the white van was outside. When I put Ella in her carseat, I noticed the van had pulled out, but was in the center of the driveway. The door opened, and the guy got out & went behind the bushes. He stared at my car for a few minutes, thinking I couldn't see him. I sat frozen, waiting for him to come toward us. Again, my gun was in my lap. Eventually, he went inside & I drove off without closing the garage door. I worried all day about Brad going back there. I was worried that he would be waiting inside the garage for him to come back.

Ella now has her top 2 teeth, they came in at the same time. Brad says it was May 24. I didn't even know they had officially broken through until Carol saw them, and then Brad said, "yeah they came in." They had been trying to come in for a few weeks or so. She also began crawling on May 1. She started doing a sideways crab-like crawl for a day or so, but quickly figured out how to move efficiently. It's so funny when she gets moving so fast! Her body tries so hard to keep up with her fast little legs. She can really move!

Ella's favorite things now:
She tries to put on her clothes. If she sees them laying somewhere, she picks them up & puts them on her head. Then she pulls the sides down, like she's trying to pull over her head. She doesn't, of course, never gets the hole for her head in the right place. It's still pretty stinkin' cute!

She is still only saying DADA. I think she's trying to say dog, and milk, but can't get the words out! She says MMMMM when she's hungry, and tries to make the sign for milk. She really likes sign language, and smiles when I tell her what things are.

I got her a book with lots of textures, it's her favorite. She also likes Isabelle's old book with puppies in it. The one on the cover is her favorite. It has long fluffy hair.

She hates having her diaper changed, and tries to wiggle away once you get it off. I think she likes to be naked, she gets upset when I dress her!

She pulls herself up on everything to stand. The other day, she got on top of a diaper box. She stayed there on all fours for a few seconds, then fell off. She can now walk along the couch from one side to another. She is really trying to stand, without any prompting from us.

She understands "No," and will usually stop playing with things when you say it. Last night, I was making dinner while she & Brad were in the living room. She kept trying to graba small flashlight from the table. Brad told her "No," firmly. She cried each time he said it. She was upset that she couldn't play with it! She's learning so quickly now!

Baby Teeth

Ella has her first 2 teeth now. The first one showed up on March 31, the second one made it's appearance sometime this past week. We're not really sure when they came in, it's REALLY hard to get her to show us. I usually see them when she's yelling at me or when I'm feeding her. Anyway, she now has 2 tiny little white teeth coming up through the gums. They're adorable! She keeps sticking out her tongue to feel them. Then she squeals, but she does it with her tongue out. It's hilarious!

She's getting much more mobile now. Sometime in the past few weeks, she's gotten better at inching her way forward on her hands & knees. I wouldn't say she's crawling yet, but she's trying to figure it out. Between pushing off with her back feet & rolling/sitting up, she can definitely get around.

Last night, we were playing on her rug with some toys. I went into the other room to make dinner while Brad stayed in the living room with her. He called me back in after a few minutes to show me what she was doing. She had made her way to the table & was looking on the bottom shelf for something to play with. She found a shoe, and was trying to get back out when I walked in. He said she had done that just before - when she pulled out a book & began playing with it. It's so amazing to see her little mind developing right in front of us.

On Wednesday night, we had a terrible scare. We were driving home from the pharmacy - Brad needed to fill a prescription for eye drops - $40! So much for "good" health insurance, eh?
Anyhoo, Ella was in the backseat, I was driving & Brad was in the passenger seat. I heard a little sound, like she was playing. I looked in my mirror and saw her face completely red, with something white in her open mouth. I was driving through an intersection, so I pulled forward, but stopped in the middle of the road. Luckily, there was no one behind me. I put on my hazard lights, took off my seat bealt, and was in the backseat in one quick motion. I pulled the white thing out of her mouth, wondering where it had come from. I only give her soft toys in the car, and there wasn't anything even close to the carseat that she could have pulled close to her. I realized that it was a tag from the headrest of the carseat. I thought that was a safe place for her. I never would have imagined that she would be able to pull those tags off. They're not exactly loose. Needless to say, I removed all other tags from the seat, and will be doing the same with everything in our house. I also sent an email to Graco, letting them know that this happened, so they can change the way they make the headrests. There are tags on the back, I think they need to put all of them out of baby's reach. This car seat is the exact seat she should be using for her age. She's not using a booster seat or anything, just a standard infant to toddler seat.

Luckily, she is perfectly fine. I can't help but imagine what would have happened if I hadn't looked in the mirror. She would have been dead by the time we got home, and neither one of us would have known. Nobody ever told me how stressful it is being a mother.

Chilly 1999-2009

I don't know her birthday, but she died on 3/22. She was our first pet for our new apartment in 1999. We weren't allowed to have dogs, and since Brad's allergic to cats, that wouldn't work either. So, we decided to go with a less conventional pet & get a chinchilla. We tried to play with her & get her accustomed to being held, but she never really liked to be out of her cage. I have a few short videos of us playing with her, but that's about all. I don't have a lot of pictures, either, since they had to be taken with her inside the cage. Nevertheless, she was a part of our lives for almost 10 years, and we were sad to see her go. I was hoping that she would live a little longer, maybe 15 years or so. Some live to be in their 20s.
We were getting ready to go to bed on Sunday night when Brad noticed her laying at the bottom of her cage - on her side. She didn't do that too much, so he was worried. He opened the cage & she just laid there. He picked her up and held for a bit. She was breathing really slowly, and we knew it wouldn't be long. We tried to give her some banana, but she wouldn't even open her mouth. It must have been old age, everything else seemed to be fine. She had been hopping around a few days before, in usual Chilly fashion.

We will miss you.

Stinker!

This morning, she pulled herself upright using the rails on her bed. I went in the other room to get some clothes for myself, and came back to see this! Actually, she had her hands in the air pulling at the animals in her mobile. I suppose it's already time to lower the bed!

She loves trying her new foods! I started sweet potatoes this week. I'm not sure if she really likes them, or is getting used to having new textures, but she didn't make the "yuck" face when I first gave them to her. I baked 2 sweet potatoes & mashed them, then I put most of the puree into a silicone ice cube tray. Once they were frozen, I popped them out & put them into a baggie. I like to be able to make her food, I know exactly where it's been & don't have to worry about contamination or weird things being added.

She also like it when Brad grabs her head on each side with his hands. She grabs onto his hands & giggles when he moves her head around. She really loves being with him. This week, he had a Neurologist & Optometrist appointment. Carol came up to watch her while Brad was in the office. She only wanted daddy! She's really beginning to prefer our company over other people. I would think that Carol would be preferable too, since she sees her so much.

DADA!

As of yesterday, Ella is constantly saying Da & DaDa. I'm not sure she knows what she's saying, but it's adorable anyway. I can tell she's really trying to listen when I talk. I don't think it will be long before she says Mama. She makes the sound too, but not as often as Dada.

On March 6 (her 6 month birthday), I got her to really giggle. It was precious! I had to record her. I should upload the videos to YouTube so people can see my little sweetie! She was really entertained with a sock in my hand.

We went to the doctor yesterday and she now weighs 15.11 lbs. & is 26 inches long. The pumpkin seat that we have says you should only use it up to 26 inches. Yesterday was the last day she rode in that seat. I'm going to give it to one of Brad's clients so she can use it when she has her baby. It's going to expire before we can use it on our next baby. I think the bases will be good, so we can just get another seat next time.
She always lifts her head when she's laying on her back - whether you're changing her diaper or playing with her. She doesn't like to lay down. I think she feels like she's missing something when her head is down. The doctor felt her ab muscles & said they were really strong. I said that they should be, with all of the crunches she does!!

Rolling Over

On Valentine's Day, she rolled over a few times, completely on her own. She even moved her arm out of the way. We don't play on the floor as much as we should, but she's getting pretty good at rolling over nonetheless. Also, as of Valentine's Day, she can sit on her own. In the weeks since, she's really gottten good at it. She doesn't throw herself back at all anymore, and catches herself when she starts to lean. Last night, we went to the grocery store & she sat in the cart. What a big girl!! I had my coat around it so she couldn't chew on the nasty bar & everything else. It also supported her pretty well. She almost fell asleep until we got to the checkout & she heard all of the beeping. Then she started talking to the checkouts. I don't know why.

Brad is having more fun with her every day. I love watching the two of them play. They're really starting to enjoy each others company. Yesterday, he told me she spent most of the day making new noises & talking. She was in a great mood last night, too. In the bathtub, she sat in her little seat. When she tried to get some toys, she tried to stand up & ended up on her belly inside the seat. She didn't even care - just wanted the toy!

She also pulls herself up to stand when you hold her hands. She hasn't done this by holding onto any other things, but I think it's just a matter of time! She's losing her wobble when she stands too! Her feet are finally flat on the floor while she's in the bouncer. She loves that thing. I can put her in there in the mornings while I'm getting ready for work. It usually keeps her entertained long enough for me to finish.

Thumbsucker!

She has decided that now she likes the taste of her thumb. On Sunday, she kept putting it in her mouth & sucking on it. Very strange. Up until then, she didn't have a preference, just putting any combination of fingers in her mouth. She's even doing it right now. I wonder how long she will do this, I hope it doesn't ruin her teeth - we already have bad teeth in the family.

Discoveries

Since the last post, Ella has discovered the following:
Her feet - but usually only during a diaper change
Her right ear - apparently the left is hidden
She can pull the toy in her bouncer to make it sing (it's a little monkey that plays "If you're happy & you know it...")

She is getting back to her AWESOME sleeping habits - sleeping for about 5-7 hours again. It's SOOOO nice!
She likes to blow bubbles & makes raspberry sounds with her mouth. The other night, I wanted to see what she would do if I was "asleep" while feeding her. She stopped, looked up at me, and started cooing. I tried to keep my eyes closed, but she was so cute, I couldn't bear to let her down. She would start to giggle, and then coo some more. It was precious!

We had a real giggle on Saturday. I was tickling her chin & she let out a really loud one. Brad got out the camera so we could get it on tape, but she stopped. :( I can't get her to do it again. But, she is really starting to make lots of noise. She likes to coo in bed in the morning when she's ready to get up. If she wants to go back to sleep, she cries & keeps her eyes shut!

Baby sleep

Baby girl has been having a hard time staying asleep lately. Right now, I'm sitting downstairs waiting for her to finish crying. She stops & starts again. It's really hard for me to be in there and hear her crying. It makes me really sad. I hope we don't have to do this cry-it-out method for too many more nights.

In lighter news, last sunday, we bought her a jumperoo to play in. The woman I bought it from insisted that she wouldn't be able to have any fun in it yet. She said that her 3.5 month old had to have a pillow under his feet so he could touch the floor. She could touch the floor, and starting bouncing within a few minutes. But, apparently she's pretty tall for her age. She in the 95th percentile again at this month's checkup. I don't know where the height is coming from, maybe her grandpa.
I was hoping that the bouncer would encourage her to grab at the toys. At first, she just stood there & stared at them, but after only 3 days, she's spinning the toys & grabbing at them. I didn't think it would happen this fast! She's been trying to grab at things, so I kept trying to hold toys for her. Now she's starting to hold them for herself. That's pretty exciting. Brad said she even spinned herself around to play with a new toy on the other side. Yay!

Also, Brad plays a new game with her, he makes a raspberry sound with his mouth. She repeats it, just makes a lot of drool in the process. She also likes to chew on her hands a lot, that also makes for a lot of drool. So, she spends most of her time these days with a bib around her neck.

Well, she's been quiet for a while now, so I'm going to try to go to bed. Wish me luck!

TREE DAY!!!

We had the best day of the year on "Black Friday." Most people spend the day doing their Xmas shopping, but in my family, we decorate my parents' house for Xmas. We play music, watch movies, eat lots of sweets, and of course, Thanksgiving leftovers while decorating the house. My job is to set up the tree. It sounds like a simple task, but my mom has been collecting Hallmark ornaments since about 1986. And she buys more than a few each year. They each come wrapped in plastic or bubble wrap, inside a plastic tray, inside a box. Imagine hundreds of ornaments on the tree! When we're done, there aren't many empty branches! My brother & sister spent Thanksgiving night at my house so we could get up early & go shopping. We stayed up too late, and I really didn't have much to shop for, so we went later on in the morning. All we got once we went to the store was supplies for a gingerbread house & some egg nog - a MUST for tree day!

I've never made a gingerbread house before, so I figured it would be fun to do it with the family. Apparently, I really suck at baking. After we had mixed it up, I looked at my sister & asked her if it looked a little light to be gingerbread. She said maybe it gets darker when you bake it. I wasn't so sure. Before I left to go home, I noticed the unopened bottle of molasses I had brought. DANGIT! That's what it was missing! The pieces had already been put in the freezer to keep for the next time - we didn't have time to finish it all on tree day. Maybe when it thaws out, we can add it? I don't know. We may have to start again.



Ella is becoming quite a little character these days. The other morning, I woke up to see her smiling at me. When I smiled back, she let out a really loud giggle. I had spent the night at my parents' house, so they heard her too. She just kept talking and giggling whenever I would talk to her. What a cutie! I got out the video camera, but as always, she pretty much stopped when it was turned on. :(

Brad plays a few games with her. The first one, he holds her hands & helps her stand up. She holds herself upright, just needs to be steadied. Then, he lets her drop down on her butt. In a few seconds, she's ready to stand again. It's really cute.

The second one, he holds her hands again while she's standing & shakes her slowly back & forth. She holds her arms really tight & giggles when we do this one too! When we finish, she tries to do it herself, but it's really shaky! So adorable!

Wireless Triggers!

So I broke down & bought myself some "poverty wizards." For those of you scratching your heads, it allows me to take a photo & use my flash off the camera. I tried to use a cord, but it was very unreliable. So I was practicing with the new ones & they seem to be pretty good. I just wish
I would have gotten a second one for my other flash! I can't wait to put these to the test in NJ next week. I've got some fruit to shoot & it should be fun!

Hand Jive

She has now learned to grab at the toys in her bouncy seat. They hang above her, and a few weeks ago, she figured out how to kick them with her feet. Last night, she grabbed them with her hands for a few seconds. It was pretty cool, sitting there watching her learn!

The giggles are getting closer yet. Sometimes she just looks at me and lets out a really loud giggle. Those are the best!

Update!

Ok, so it's been a while since I've posted & the hubby keeps harassing me about having a blog that I never update.

Baby girl is 23.5 inches long now & weighs 11lbs, 13oz as of this morning. The hubby & Em came to visit me & have lunch at work today! Actually they just left. :'(
I'm at work now, finishing off my 2nd week back. It's good to be back into society, but it's really hard to be away from her all day. It's like I get a reward every day when I get to come home & see her.

She can hold up her head really well. She also likes to sit in the bouncer & kick the toys. She has increasing amounts of happy time during the day, instead of just eating & sleeping. At about 4 weeks, she began cooing & really smiling. That was awesome! I thought she was going to be much older when she started that. She's so close to giggling, I can't wait for the first real one. It's gonna be awesome. We bought her Christmas outfit last week. There weren't many things in the stores, but I found a really great sweater dress at Baby Gap. I thought it was going to take so much longer to find something that I really like. I mean, this is her first Christmas! This is important stuff! There are little tights that match it perfectly. They have little Mary Janes on them so it looks like she's wearing shoes!

Nothing much else to say, except that my daughter is AWESOME!

Baby Ella is here!

On Saturday, September 6, we had our precious little girl!! I was scheduled to be induced at 7am, and we couldn't sleep for 2 nights before. It's really nerve-wracking to know when you're going to deliver. It just makes the anticipation that much worse.

So on Friday night, we had a little get-together at a local pub for a few friends that had moved out of town. They were back for the weekend, so we figured we'd go make a visit. I knew I wasn't going to sleep anyway, so may as well go out & see some other people. After about an hour, we had another place to go. On Friday afternoon, the hubby & I decided to make a night of it & go out to eat at 10:00. With the scheduled induction, I was advised not to eat after midnight. I wanted to make sure I had some energy to make it through the delivery, so I put off dinner until the latest possible time! I tried to get together some friends, but there wasn't much of a response since I waited too long to invite people. We had 2 takers, so the 4 of us ate a late dinner. It was very nice, and really exciting to think that this was our "last meal" pre-baby!

When we got home, my mom, brother & sister were here, waiting for us to let them in. I wanted them to come into the delivery room, until I began pushing. Brad & I wanted it to be a special time, just for the 3 of us when she finally came. After a few minutes, I decided that we should get to bed. It was nearly 1:00 in the morning, and I had a big job to do the next day. We went upstairs to hopefully get some sleep. I laid in bed for an hour or two, reading & trying to get sleepy. Well, I was sleepy, but apparently not enough to actually fall asleep. By around 2:30, the hubby & I (maybe I should say "daddy") decided to go for a walk. He was having a hard time sleeping too. We walked around the school parking lot for about a half hour. I was getting pretty sore, and was hoping to go into labor on my own without the induction. My feet got really swollen (which had become a regular occurance at this point), so we had to stop. We went back to bed, hoping for a few minutes of sleep. I finally got to sleep. only to wake up at about 4:15. I really had to go to the bathroom, so I got up & walked in there. Once I got into the room, I got what I thought was a cramp. I stood there for a minute or two, and it passed. After about 15 minutes of this cramping, then no cramping, I realized that this must be what labor feels like. It felt nothing at all like what I had anticipated. I expected the pain, but the other part that no one ever talks about is the worst part. It feels like really bad food poisoning, and every organ in your body wants to come out. It's a really sickening feeling, and not fun at all. I kept thinking that I had food poisoning & was cursing our late night dinner. I went back to bed, and asked Brad to start timing them. He was completely asleep, so it took a minute or two before he understood what I was saying. He got out the phone & used the stopwatch feature to time the contractions & the time in between. They were about 1-1/2 minutes long, with about 4 minutes in between. According to the childbirth class, it was time to go to the hospital. Brad called the doctor, who didn't answer - but he left a message. He went downstairs to wake up my poor brother & sister, who had only been sleeping for a few hours. I went into the baby's room, where my hospital bag had been sitting. I knew that I had everything I needed, except for my clothes. I only had a few outfits that fit towards the end, so I couldn't pack them up or I would have had nothing! Well, at this point, I couldn't put together an outfit to save my life. I grabbed random shirts, pants & a dress. I put so many clothes in the bag, that it would barely zip. I put on the dress, grabbed my earrings (don't even ask me why - I have no idea why this was important to me) and went downstairs. Brad was outside with my brother, taking the dogs out to go to the bathroom. He had said he was going to take them for a walk, but I let him know that was not an option. I was ready to go, and it needed to be right then.
My mom was getting ready for work in the downstairs bathroom, so I poked my head in to get my hair brushes. After that, we were out the door. Mom had considered going to work that morning, but once I went into labor, she called her backup & asked her to come in. All she had to do is open the door & wait for her to come in.
The hubby drove in his typical fashion, only more urgently. I'm not sure how many red lights we encountered, but we definitely didn't stop at all of them. It was pretty cool, you could see the excitement in his face. He was determined to get there as quickly & safely as possible.
Once we got to the maternity admission parking, he pulled in & I walked over to the wheelchairs, which were thankfully at the door. I was not interested in walking anymore, so it was great to see them there. I got in & Brad took the wheel(s) again & we sped through the hallways, trying to remember where the hospital had told us to go. We went back & forth through the hallways a few times before we finally figured it out. We got to the admission desk, and I had a few papers to sign. I could barely answer the simple questions they were asking, and I'm pretty sure my signature was just scribbles. I could hardly remember my name, let alone what my signature looked like. After what seemed like an eternity, they told us where he should wheel me to, and we went on our way. We got into the room, and I immediately climbed into the bed. I had planned to try going natural, but that was quickly being replaced with dreams of epidural-induced numbness. I got up a few more times, convinced that I was still having a touch of food poisoning, and I also threw up a few times. I couldn't bear it anymore, and asked for the epidural. After that, it was pretty much smooth sailing....ahhhhhhhhhh. I was 4 cm when they induced me & an hour later I was 9.5 & fully effaced. The doctor came back in & told me that she had to postpone a c-section because baby Ella was ready for me to push. After 45 minutes, and a lot of confusion about exactly what I was pushing, she was out! It was really hard to figure out if I was doing it right - I couldn't feel a thing. Some women still have some feeling on one side or the other, but all I could feel is my toes. They were cold, but we had to remove my socks because my feet kept swelling from the IV fluids.
Anyway, when the doctor pulled her out, she laid her on my stomach. Brad cut the cord, but she was purple. There were a few seconds - felt like 20 minutes- where she wasn't breathing & they were clearly trying to get her to breathe. She finally cried, and so did we. It was really sweet to see his face when he saw her for the first time. She already had him wrapped around her tiny little finger. Since she wasn't breathing well, they took her over to the warming table & did all of the things they do to a newborn. This wasn't at all what I had hoped for, but I wanted to be sure she was ok before she came back to me. It seemed like an eternity, they declared her first APGAR score a 4, and the second was a 9. Then they wrapped her up & put her in my arms. They had finished stitching me up (only 2, which I still can't even feel - how long do those things take to heal?) and I din't even realize that daddy hadn't held her yet. He was with her the entire time they were working on her, so I had assumed that he was able to hold her. My family came in then, and I asked who wanted to hold her. Hubby said it was his turn, and I handed her over to him. After that, it was just a bunch of passing her around. My parents were there, along with my brother & sister, as well as my mother in law. The proud grandparents are still smiling, and can't wait to see her again.
Right now, our little sweetie is sleeping on daddy's chest. She keeps making this little sound that I tell myself is a giggle. She usually smiles while she does it, so that makes me laugh. She does it every time she eats! She's such a good little girl - sleeps very well & we got the nursing thing all worked out. No more formula for this little one! Only the best for my little girl!

SHE'S COMING!!!

It's Thursday night. We had our last appointment today, the 41 week visit. Since I'm only 2cm, the doctor decided t0 schedule an induction for Saturday at 7am. We're so excited! I have some last minute things I wanna do - some cleaning so I can come home to a clean house, but I don't know how much will get done. Brad has lots to do, too, so he will be painting while I'm (hopefully) cleaning. We'll see how that works out! I have to take LOTS of breaks!
Anyway, the next post should have pics of our beautiful little girl!!! I CAN'T WAIT!!

Another Dr. Visit

Well, we had another appointment today. I'm still only 1cm dilated. The doc says that I have a "spacious pelvis" so they're not really worried about her getting too big to go naturally. Brad & I asked about getting induced, but she said that usually ends in c-section if the baby's not quite ready. It's also harder for all involved, and could take days. Dangit. I was hoping we were a little closer. I have been wondering the whole time if my due date was accurate, since I really have no idea when I got pregnant. So, I was kinda hoping to go early. No such luck. It looks like I will probably be a little late. I hope she doesn't wait too long! I really want to see her little face & make sure she's healthy. Brad's really anxious for her to come, too. He's convinced that she'll be hanging in there for a few more months. Not cool. I will schedule a c-section before that happens! I'm not completely miserable yet, but it's getting pretty uncomfortable. My back hurts a lot these days, and when I sit too long, I feel like I have to re-train my legs how to walk! Lots of aches & pains, but she'll be totally worth it!

Belly Shots

We took these last night in our living room. Brad held the flash & kept giggling the whole time.
I had to take some shots of my monstrous belly before she comes! Thank God for Photoshop. I got rid of the stretch marks!