The big news!

Christmas Eve was seriously the best this year...why, what made it better than other years you might ask? Cause we finally found out that a little

BOY

will be joining our family! What could possibly be better than that!!

Unlike last time, we're still having a bit of trouble with a name. Kinda a touchy subject actually ;) We'll post it as soon as we decide.

We feel overwhelmed with gratitude for this incredible blessing in our lives!

The official annoucement

My oh-so-mysterious blog silence has earned me a few sidelong glances and tentative questions so I suppose I just better come out with it. Yup, I officially have a little one in my tummy.

Photo from fugufugupress.com

As most of you know, my pregnancies are a little tough (tough enough to keep me from blogging!)...at least until I get to that first doctor's appointment and get nice and drugged up. We're all just crossing our fingers that this time maybe, just maybe, the 'morning' sickness will end sometime before the baby actually joins us!

I've actually really liked having a little secret. We told everyone so fast with Lily, I kinda just wanted to see how long we could go without telling people. Of course we are beyond excited. Baby is due the first week of May so the kiddos will be almost exactly 2 years apart.

Slings & Carriers (aka Ways to shlep your baby around)

For the last little while I have been thinking about slings and baby carriers and the like and was wondering if any of you use one regularly.  Do you have a brand or style that you prefer?  Why?

Also, Mod Mum (a sling retailer) is giving away slings.  And I totally want the Olivia.

20 Traumatizing Baby Products

My side still hurts and I still have tears running down my face from some of these. Number 7 is my fav.

http://www.cracked.com/article_16475_20-baby-products-great-traumatizing-infants.html

Blog Withdrawals

The last week and a half has been a complete blur and a rather long dark tunnel. Labor and delivery went better than I could have hoped. I feel so blessed to finally have my perfect, healthy, happy, little one in my arms. [Side note: Lily is the world's best cuddler! If anyone is in need of a quality cuddle, Lily will rock your world!]

Most of the long dark tunnel has been due to the fact that we have had a rough go at the whole breastfeeding thing. Man, it has been so frustrating. I don't think I've ever shed so many tears (both from worry and pain) in my life! I don't particularly want to recap all the details here cause I've already told the story about a million times. Basically, she wasn't latching and when she came close the pain was excruciating for me. But this morning we had a major break through. I have no idea what changed...certainly not anything I did...but out of the blue Lily latched on and the pain was actually at a bearable level! So we've been having rather successful feedings all day! I know we still have a ways to go but I can't even express how relieved and happy I feel.

Anyway, I just felt the need to write cause I've also been experiencing blog withdrawals! Now that there is light at the end of that long dark tunnel I'm hoping to be able to get back to my long lost love!

Peek-a-boo Lily!

Lily with her eyes open!

Lily Pics

Grandmas enjoy!
She was under the weight the doctors originally estimated -- which Mikel appreciated. 7 lbs. 13 oz. & 21 inches. Started out a fantastic shade of purple and has been making her way into the red hues since. We will get some more pics & the rest of the story up later this afternoon.

It's Settled!

So I just got back from my last doctor's appointment!

Pros: I've started dilating!! I'm about 1.5 cm...WHEW!
Head dropped further!
Still 50% effaced.
Scheduled induction for Monday (if I don't come on my own before of course).

Cons: Nope...can't think of any!

I can't even say how relieved I feel to have this all worked out! I realize the hard part is still ahead of me but at least now I feel calm, peaceful, and hopeful about it. I feel like maybe I can actually do this! Again, thank you all for your concern and support...it has meant the world!

8 pounds 11 ounces

I had an ultrasound and doctor's appointment yesterday. It went pretty much exactly how I expected.

Pros: Lily is dropping better than expected for such a large child.
I'm about 50% effaced.

Cons: No dilation.

Option 1: Try to induce on Thursday (the 15th) but if I still haven't dilated by then that would likely lead to a c-section.

Option 2: Wait to induce until Monday (the 19th) in hopes that she will either come on her own or I will dilate enough that induction won't cause c-section.

Option 3: No induction--Just wait it out and let her come on her own knowing that everyday that passes she continues to get bigger...and the bigger she gets the higher the chance of c-section.

I've been mulling these options over in my head and....I think I need more time to mull.

Busy Little Bee

I finally did it! Now all I need is a cute little baby to wrap up in it!

Exclusively for my mother...

I'm gathering from multiple messages and not so subtle hints from my mom that she is going a little bit crazy that she hasn't seen my huge belly in about two months. So fine...here it is...

The Rest of the 'Less Than Decisive Weekend'

We had what we thought was going to be our last ultrasound yesterday. The diagnosis...Lily is currently 7 pounds 10 ounces. My due date is 4 weeks away and she is supposed to gain half a pound a week from now on...grand total...roughly 9.5 pounds...eep!

So what are we going to do?? Another ultrasound of course! On May 9th we'll be heading back to the doctor so he can goop up my tummy and tell me that Lily is now over 8 pounds. At that point we will probably schedule the induction to bring her a little early so she doesn't have time to get big enough to necessitate a c-section.

I have to admit I'm pretty nervous about all this and would really appreciate prayers!

The Less Than Decisive Baby Weekend

I must say it was a good weekend (for me anyway...Dave would probably beg to differ since he had to work the whole time) even though it was definitely exhausting.

Saturday morning the sweet girls in my ward threw a baby shower for Lily and I! It was really fun; full of yummy food, great conversation, and adorable baby clothes! Thanks to everyone who came and a special thanks to Heather, Jami, Stacy and Emily for putting it on!

Saturday afternoon was our big shopping trip. I had already spent the last few weeks researching and reading online about car seats and strollers (thank you all so much for your input...very helpful!) and I thought I pretty much knew what I wanted. So when we got to Babies R Us we headed straight for the car seat/stroller section. Turns out...I didn't really have any idea what I wanted. I couldn't quite figure out why we would want one of those big bulky strollers...we don't have a lot of room in our place and I just don't really understand the need for them. Plus I knew that at some point I was going to want a jogger. So we ended up buying a stroller that might work as a jogger (I'm making Dave try it out in our hallway tonight) but still has the car seat compatibility. And if it doesn't work as a jogger we're going to take it back and get the umbrella stroller of the same brand because it's also car seat compatible.

Then we headed to the playard section. The selection in the store wasn't that great and there was only one that was gender neutral enough that we even liked so we picked that up but I am still looking online and might switch for another one.

Those were the major purchases...the rest were just some of the smaller necessities...diapers, wipes, baby socks, those little hand things that keep them from scratching their faces, and of course pink baby crocks, etc. So now we have all sorts of baby stuff all over the apartment and no where to put it...working on that!

A Call for Help

I need some help/suggestions from all you experienced mommies. I've been looking online reading and researching about car seats/strollers and play yards. What are your recommendations? Which brands/styles are good? Which should I stay away from? Where did you get yours (Target, Walmart, Babies R Us, etc)? What about $$? What have been your experiences?? We're going to buy this stuff on Saturday so any advice before then would be great!

Thanks!

The Big One

Yesterday's appointment was totally uneventful except...

The final ultrasound, the one that will tell us how big this child is, the one that will provide the information needed to make labor and delivery decisions (regular? induction? c-section?), the one that will give us a better idea of when our darling daughter will finally join her anxious adoring parents has been scheduled for next Monday!

Childbirth class...double yikes....

Yesterday was the second of two classes that Dave and I attended in preparation for Lily. Again, overall, I found it helpful and informative. And again, it didn't totally relieve all my fears of labor and delivery. But I did leave feeling more optimistic. Basic class outline:

Discomforts and warning signs of labor: The most helpful part of this section was talking about the difference between how Braxton Hicks contractions and real labor contractions feel.

Anatomy and Terminology: Don't think I learned anything new here...I'm pretty aware of the anatomy and terminology involved at this point. (The first question on the sheet was something like "The upside down pear-shaped organ that houses your baby during pregnancy--" If you don't know what your uterus is by now...you got bigger problems!)

Stages and Phases of Labor: I actually found this section extremely helpful. It was nice to see the 3 different phases of labor broken down, given time frames, and levels of dilation, etc. For example, Phase 1 (Early Labor) is the longest, usually lasting up to 8 hours, with dilation of 1-3 cm. Phase 2 (Active Labor) usually about 5 hours, with dilation of 3-7 cm. Phase 3 (Transition) is the worst one but also the shortest usually only lasting 2 hours tops. All of this is given a normal/healthy labor obviously.

Comfort Measures/Breathing and Relaxation: This section was alright. We practiced some breathing, imagery, distraction techniques. We'll just have to see how useful those turn out to be.

Medications: Again, don't think I really learned anything new that pertains to my situation.

Tour: We took a tour of the hospital. Always good to have some idea where you're going and what the rooms will be like. Seemed nice enough!

Cesarean: This was the part that left me just as freaked out (if not more) than I already was. Mostly because since Lily is so big there is a real chance that I'll have to have one. I'll be having another ultrasound in about two weeks to get an idea of how big she is when I come to term. Then I'll have a meeting with my doctor to discuss possibilities...I DON'T WANT A C-SECTION!

Postpartum: I have to admit I wasn't paying all that much attention to this part...I was just more focused on the getting-the-child-here-safely part of the class.

Alright...only 3 more weeks until I come to term...can I make it one more month??

Big Fat Whiner

I haven't posted for a few days but it hasn't been for the lack of desire. Unfortunately, everything I have to say these days feels like whining. So I haven't written anything in an attempt to spare everyone from having to listen (read) my complaints!

So just to get it out of my system, I'm writing this short post to whine about how I'm not writing posts so I don't whine!

Have a nice day!

Breastfeeding class...yikes...

Yesterday was the first of two classes that we are attending at the hospital in preparation for Lily. It was very informative. And while I found it a valuable experience...I can't say it relieved all of my breastfeeding fears. But at least I don't feel like I'm going into it completely ignorant anymore.

Most comforting thing I learned: Breastfeeding shouldn't hurt (tender breasts aside). If it hurts, you're doing it wrong. Check the latch.

Least comforting thing I learned: She kept saying it will probably take at least a month to get the hang of it! I had previously heard two weeks...a month+ seems a tad overwhelming.

Where we live...the 700 sq. ft. grand tour

I've been meaning to do this (I've even had this post started) for like 6 months now but I just haven't gotten around to it...until now! I wanted to put up some pictures of our place before it gets completely renovated to accommodate our newest family member. I imagine I'll put up some more pics of our place after we have everything set for Lily...just for comparison purposes, it's gonna be tight!

From the front door
Our kitchen
Our front room
(the lights on the window are leftover from Christmas...we'll take them down eventually I'm sure!)
Bathroom (me standing in the shower)
Our bedroom (with special view of our closet and desk)

Yup, that's it...any ideas where to put a kid?

[Clarification: any ideas where to put all that stuff that comes with a kid-crib, swing, bouncer, all those cute clothes everyone keeps giving her, etc?!]

My husband is good to me...

Doesn't get much better than this!


Oh, the things a man will do for his swollen footed, 8 month pregnant wife! (Yes, that's french tip!)