We have a big eater!

All of those feedings paid off! At the dr.'s appt. yesterday she finally gained weight. She now weighs 8 lbs. 4.7 oz... slightly more than her birth weight. So she gained over 12 oz. in 5 days! I was so proud of her. No more visits to the baby wellness center for weight checks. And we were able to schedule her 2 month check up with a different pediatrician. The first one we saw was a nightmare! Hopefully the next one will be better. Some pictures from the past day or so for your enjoyment.

2 weeks old already!

Well technically 2 1/2 weeks old today! She's changing so much. Her face is looking more like a baby face and less like a newborn face. She's making noises and making funny expressions. I now know why everyone says it goes by so fast... and we're only 2 weeks in!

To catch you all up, she had a visit from her Auntie Janett which was lots of fun, and for Christmas she'll have some more visitors... Auntie Janett and Uncle John, and for the first time she'll be meeting Grandma Maryellen. I can't wait for that!

I'm not one to keep my baby locked up inside just because she's new here so we've had a few trips already. Of course, several doctor's appts., 2 trips to target, the bank, a Xmas get together at Grandma Kelly's, Xmas cookies with the Grcina's and yesterday we went to a Xmas lunch at a restaurant with my mom's side of the family. I know she's still a newborn so that's why I bring my hand sanitizer, but I don't see any reason why I should keep her (and myself) locked up in this house for months.

We've been going to see a lactation consultant at the baby wellness center at Kaiser. Normally they schedule one or two appts. with you but we've now had about 5 and we have 1 more tomorrow. For some reason Farrah hasn't been gaining weight. She lost weight after birth, like most normal babies do, but she got down to 7 lbs. 8.5 oz (from her birth weight of 8 lbs. 4 oz.) and hasn't gained it back. So they keep giving me ideas and scheduling more appts. for weight checks. So now I've been breast feeding, then I give her a bottle of pumped milk, and then I give her some formula to top her off. Add a diaper change or two in there and then it's time to start it all over again. But I think it's working. I've had a lot more milk come in and she's been eating like there's no tomorrow. She looks chunkier too so I know tomorrow at the appt. she will have gained weight. One of the things they noticed at the last appt. was that she has a tongue tie which is why they thought she might have a hard time latching on and therefore not gaining enough weight. It's where the flap of skin that attaches the tongue to the bottom of your mouth is too far forward so you can't stick your tongue out very far. So they sent us to see a head and neck specialist because they can cut it to fix the problem. Of course I freak out because I don't want a pair of scissors anywhere near my child but the dr. took a look and said it's not severe and that he didn't think she needed the procedure done. Talk about a sigh of relief. I see her stick her tongue out all the time so I didn't think it was a problem.

Here are some pictures from the past 2 weeks. We are so in love with her and I could stare at her all day. Merry Christmas everyone!

Farrah Lynn is here!

Sorry for the delay in posting the details but I've been a little occupied with a newborn ;) Here's how it went down:

Farrah Lynn was born Thursday 12/3 at 3:25 pm weighing 8 lbs. 4 oz and 21 inches long. I had a dr.'s appt. that Tues. and she stripped my membranes again to try to get things going. Later that evening I started having contractions. They got pretty intense and were consistently 4-5 minutes apart so we headed to the hospital. They checked me and I was only 2 cm so they told me to walk around the hospital for 2 hours and come back and they'd check me again. So I did and the contractions increased to about 3 mins apart and were even more intense. After 2 hours of that I returned and to my surprise was still only 2 cm. So they recommended to give me a shot of morphine to help me sleep and sent me home.

The morphine was great because I thought there was absolutely no way I could sleep through those contractions but I was able to get 6 hours of sleep and didn't feel the contractions. The next morning the contractions had decreased which I was told could happen with the morphine. They were inconsistent and not as frequent so I didn't think it would be happening that day. As soon as I went to bed Wednesday night they picked up again. Once they got to 5 minutes apart we headed back to the hospital and I was 3 cm so they admitted me. A few hours after I got my epidural (which was fabulous!) and I was able to get some rest. The one thing about the epidural was I thought I wouldn't be able to feel anything but I was wrong. About 3 hours before I started pushing I started to feel the contractions again (not super strong but I felt them.) and insane pressure. It felt like it was time to push but they kept saying I wasn't ready.... another half hour.... 3 hours later I was ready to kill someone! Finally it was time to push. Sometime in that period I spiked a fever of 101.8. Apparently there's a cutoff of 101.5 for the baby to have to go to the NICU so I was told they would have to take the baby right away. I had here out with 45 minutes of pushing and she seemed perfectly healthy so they let me hold her for a while. She stayed in the hospital until the Sunday night after delivery running tests and giving her antibiotics. She was finally able to come home. She is absolutely perfect and we're in love. Here are some pics from the hospital and coming home from the hospital.

40 weeks and I am so done!

Worse than the lack of sleep, back pains, difficulty moving around and the feeling huge combined is the waiting. Just sitting around waiting for this little one to arrive has been the hardest part. I've had all the signs and symptoms of labor, just no labor. Every pain I feel I think "is this it?" and every morning I wake up thinking today could be the day and end up going to bed dissapointed that nothing has happened. I'm sure Abe's getting anxious too since he had all last week off for the Thanksgiving holiday and has just been here helping around the house and waiting with me.

Farrah will officially be a December baby. I thought for sure there's no way that would ever happen. I never thought of myself as a control freak but this is the ultimate test. I have no control and keep reminding myself that God is in control, not me, not Abe, not the Dr., and not even Farrah. I have a dr.'s appt. this afternoon and hope that we'll either have some great progress or can talk about induction. Farrah has been a big baby all along and I don't want to wait to much longer and have her be so big that it's risky and/or we have to have a c-section.

One of this week's pictures is of Abe holding a bball he bought for Farrah that says "Baby's 1st Basketball." I reminded him, however, that Grandma Maryellen already got Farrah a glow in the dark pink bball. He said we'll leave it up to Farrah to decide. Just know I have your back

g-ma! ;)

I'd like to say this is my last post as a preggo but I don't want to jinx it like I did last time so I'll just say I can't wait to share the good news when it's time.

39 weeks... and still here

I never imagined we'd make it this far. As I'm writing this, I'm 39 weeks and 3 days. My actual due date is this Sunday. We all thought for sure this little girl was going to be an early bird and come weeks ahead of schedule. Now I'm just hoping she doesn't hang in there past my due date. I've been having a lot of cramping which apparently means stuff is happening but at my appt. last week I was 1 cm dilated and at my appt. yesterday I was still only 1 cm dilated! Frustrating, but I know it doesn't mean much. I could go from 1 to labor in a matter of hours so I'm trying not to think about it.

I think the midwife can see I'm anxious to get this baby out so she suggested at my appt. yesterday that she strip my membranes to hopefully get things going. I've heard of this before but didn't know what it is. Ummm... it's very painful is what it is. As Abe put it after he saw my face while she did it "epidural here we come!" She said I'll have some cramping the rest of the day, which I did, it was pretty difficult to walk, but then I woke up this morning and am feeling better. It sounds weird to complain about feeling better, but I was hoping I'd wake up with contractions.... oh well. This little girl has already made it clear to me that she has her own agenda. While she appreciates my opinions, she's in charge here and will be exiting when she's ready.

Maybe we'll have a Thanksgiving baby! So much to be thankful for this year. I've never truly felt this kind of gratitude and I don't think anything can compare to it. She's a blessing to us both and will be to the world. Can't wait to meet you Farrah Lynn! As this will hopefully be my last post while pregnant, I've finally included some pics of the nursery for your enjoyment!

38 weeks... and eviction notice

Dearest Farrah Lynn,

As happy as I am to know that I've made a nice home for you over the last 9 months, I'm ready to see you on the outside. This is your official eviction notice. Please make your way to the exit! Our bags are packed and waiting by the door, I've certainly gained enough weight to make sure you're nice and big and healthy, we've read all the books and taken the classes, and now all we can do is wait. As much as I love to feel your kicks and punches to know what a strong girl you are, I'm starting to get a little sore and a little tired, and as evidenced by this week's pictures, swollen! So if you're ready, we're ready for you. As of today your due date is only 11 days away, but lets see if we can have you by this weekend. If you're as stubborn as your mother and grandma Kelly, then I can see you staying in until you're good and ready so I understand. Just know that we love you, and I've loved carrying you these last 9 months and we're anxious to see your beautiful face.

Love you forever and always,

Mommy and Daddy

37 weeks!

We've made it to full term! She could arrive any day now... and we are ready for her despite the fact that the house is a mess right now as I'm preparing for my Mary Kay holiday open house. I washed all of her clothes and her bedding with the special baby detergent (who knew there's special baby detergent?) And Abe but the final touches on the nursery and I think it's finally done. Pictures to come next time. I can't believe how far we've come. I was looking back at my early "belly pics" when I swore I could see a little belly and it's almost laughable. So along with my 37 week belly pics from this week I posted my first belly pic at 10 weeks. I forget what it's like to not be pregnant and huge at this point. I think it's going to be very strange to not be pregnant anymore. I've sort of gotten used to the waddle, and the way I have to sleep, and all of the oh-so-fun things that come along with being pregnant. I'll be to busy to think about it when she's here though, I'm sure. It's also a strange thing to think about how in about 3 weeks we'll never know what it's like to be just the two of us ever again. We're definitely ready, but it just hits me every once in a while that very soon I'm going to be someone's mom and Abe is going to be someone's dad. Strange when you think about. All I know for sure is that we love her so much already I can't imagine what it will be like when we get to see her little face.

36 weeks!

How far along?: 36 weeks (at the time I'm writing this I'm actually 37 1/2 weeks... darn computer problems!)

Total weight gain/loss: about 37 lbs.... as soon as baby's born I'll be back to my weight watchin'

Maternity clothes?: I thought I would need to get some wintery maternity clothes but luckily I haven't had to spend any money. I've been wearing my regular button up sweaters unbuttoned over my maternity t shirts and luckily it hasn't been that cold so I won't have to spend money on more clothes I'll only wear for a couple weeks at most.

Stretchmarks: Still there unfortunately

Sleep: Lots of tossing and turning and lots of trips to the bathroom but I know I won't be getting lots of sleep when she arrives so I feel like it's preparing me for what's to come.

Best moment this week: Dr. telling me I'm measuring a week ahead of schedule and baby girl is about high 6 lbs. low 7 lbs. already. Kind of scary to think about a big baby but it makes me so happy to know she's healthy and if she decided to come now she would be just fine.

Movement: Not as many kicks but lots of rolling. I can feel her mostly on my upper right side and I think I've felt her foot several times poking out. The thing is sometimes she'll push on me really hard and it startles me, so other people want to feel, but then she gets shy and stops so no one knows how strong this little one really is!

Food cravings: Still cold water. I drink about 4-5 gallons of water by myself per week. I don't know if it's because the baby needs that much or because I just really like it.

Gender: I sure hope it really is a girl or our boy will have to wear lots of pink!

Labor Signs: Dr. didn't think it was necessary to check me to see if I'm dialated at all because I wasn't having any stong contractions. I think I am now but I'm really not sure. Never had a baby before so how am I supposed to know what each little pain means?

Belly button in or out?: Not exactly out but totally flat.

What I miss: Getting around easily. Making heaving noises when you get up or sit down is never a good sign. Oh and of course a good margarita. Soon we'll meet again!

What I'm looking forward to: Meeting this little girl very soon. She could come any day now!

Milestones: Making it this far with no complications not even minor ones. I pray everyday that this little girl makes it out into the world safely and it seems like my prayers are working.

35 weeks

We've made it to 35/35! 35 weeks down, 35 days to go. I'd say the first part of the pregnancy went by slowly, the middle part flew by, and now these last several weeks are dragging. I just want to see what she looks like! Here's my 35 week pics. My belly has really grown these past couple weeks... I can definitely tell from the pictures. I don't remember what I looked like before I was pregnant but I'm looking forward to getting back into shape after she comes and once I get the go ahead from the dr. to start working out again. Anyhoo... enjoy the pics!

34 week pics and 1 year anniversary

I can't believe it was a year ago that we got married! Abe is so good to me and treated me to a fabulous day. I got a prenatal massage at the spa which was interesting because I wasn't sure how they do it but it's basically a regular massage table with a big hole cut out for your belly. A funny sight. Then we had a picnic at Heather Farms where we got married and then he cooked me dinner and we had some wedding cake... all of it a surprise to me. I'm one lucky girl! Here are some pics from that day and my 34 week belly pic.

Catching up

Ugh... how we lived without computers I'll never know. So sorry for the delays. I'll get you all caught up. As of tomorrow we'll be at the one month count down until my due date although we're still thinking she's coming early. She's in charge not me. The last time I blogged, was when we had the shower. So much fun and such a beautiful shower thanks to my family and friends. Thanks again to all! Not sure if I mentioned it but we finished childbirth classes. Our last one ended with a tour of labor and delivery at our hospital. Since the hospital is so new the rooms are really nice and surprisingly big... not very hospital-like too which I like. The hospital is less than 5 minutes to our house so we shouldn't have any problems getting there on time. The room is almost done, just a few more things we'd like to add before she arrives. I posted some pics of us putting up butterflies above her crib. When the room is totally done I'll post pics of the completed nursery.

Not much else to report, just lots of pictures. The pictures I posted in this post (so as not to confuse you all) are of the shower, us decorating the nursery and my 33 week belly pics. I'll post the other, later belly pics and our 1 year anniversary pics in the next post to keep things in order. Keeping our fingers crossed we can get a new laptop before the baby arrives. I'm sure I'll have lots of pictures to post then ;)

33 weeks and baby shower!

Unfortunately I can't post my pictures from this week. I'll try to get them posted asap. Long story short, my trusty laptop for the last 4 years finally gave out so uploading pictures on our back up 10 year old computer is not a possibility.
Sorry for the delay! This past week was a great one. I had my baby shower and got to see lots of family and friends. My mom and sister did a fabulous job planning the whole thing and it turned out beautiful. Great food and great cake (of course the pregnant lady recognizes that!).
I was so happy to be able to see my mother-in-law and sister-in-law. They came all the way from LA to visit and spend some time before the baby comes. It's a weird thing when you start to think, the next time I see this person I'm going to have a baby. It's become quite apparent that life will never be the same for us... in a good, exciting way of course. We had our last childbirth class and got to tour the labor and delivery part of the hospital. It's hard to believe that in about a month it's fair game and she could be here anytime after that.
I'll post belly pics and shower pics as soon as I can, but in the meantime, thanks again to all of our family and friends who came to the shower. It was so great to see all of you and celebrate with the people we love.

32 weeks!

How far along? As of Sunday 32 weeks.
Total weight gain/loss:As of today 30 lbs.
How big is baby?: about 4 lbs.
Maternity clothes? Yes although many of those are even starting to get tight. I found the worlds best maternity pants this week (see "best moment this week.")
Stretch marks? I've lost count. Most are on the bottom of my belly and on my hips. Here's hoping they go away after she arrives.
Sleep: Ehhh... not so bad I guess. I get up every couple hours to pee. And I can't really find a comfortable position, just a tolerable one.
Best moment this week: I bought these stretchy, comfy maternity pants from Target. The brand is Liz Lange for Target and they are absolute heaven. I'm wearing them in this weeks pictures. I'd been trying to wear Abe's big pants when I'm hanging around the house and just wear them really low below my belly (gangsta style) but nothing compares to these pants. You may want to try them even if you aren't pregnant. They'd be perfect after a big meal! ;)
Movement: She has dance parties in my uterus quite often. However at the dr.'s appt. this morning they said she's now in head down position so I don't know if that will make her movements change.
Food cravings: Surprisingly cold water. I could and do drink it all day long. I've always been a big water drinker but now it's pretty insane.
Gender: girly girl.
Labor Signs: Nothing really and I'm happy with that. She needs to stay in there a bit longer.
Belly Button in or out? Innie still but it's definitely much more shallow so I might end up with an outie by the end.
What I miss: Not needing help to get up. Really good sleep. It's all worth it though.
What I am looking forward to: My shower this weekend. And getting to see my mother-in-love, and sister-in-love who are coming in from LA this weekend.
Milestones: Now that we're in October I can say "we might have a baby next month." WHOA! Her head is down, her heartbeat looks great... I just have to pinch myself sometimes. We are truly blessed!