October 21st!

Mary Alice came into this world this morning at 12:13 am! She is a beautiful little girl with lots of dark brown hair and grey-blue eyes. She is 8 pounds 3 ounces and 19 1/2 inches long. She has been nothing but sweet from the moment she was born! She loves to be snuggled! We had great nurses and her baby nurses have been so helpful in teaching me how to nurse. Each time it's getting better and better! Right now she is sleeping in Daddy's arms- all swaddled up and loving life!

Week 39

This is the end of many things, and the beginning of other beautiful things! We are ending that carefree time of marriage that we've been living for the past 2 years, and all the carefree years before that. This is the end of uninterrupted sleep, being able to pack up and leave in 30 seconds or less, quiet days, and many other things that we will soon find out! We are entering a new phase in life. We get to be parents! Which seems so crazy to me! I'm going to be a mom?! My mom is a mom, my sister is a mom- but me? I never really thought this day would ever come! And it's coming- this week! I can't imagine all the beautiful things that will come with the birth of this little girl!

We are going into the hospital on Wednesday morning and hopefully sometime by Thursday (obviously I'm hoping it doesn't take that long!!!) we will be holding our new baby! Words can't express how we feel, or at least my words. We are so excited and grateful that she is coming!

I'll miss this belly! Of course I'd rather have a baby in my arms, but it's a sweet thing to have a baby growing in you. I have so enjoyed bonding with her and feeling her grow and move. I hope that we will get to have this experience again in the (not too distant) future.

Here are some photos of the baby's nursery. I will still be adding a couple finishing touches this week, but the main things are done. It's very PINK and very GIRLY! (Let's hope the ultrasounds were right or it will be one confused boy!)

Maybe I'm crazy and felt like my baby NEEDED a chandelier mobile. Can you believe they don't sell these? I had to buy a mobile, take it apart and string the beads.

Remember this rocker??

Here it is now! It was a lot of work but totally worth it!

One of our favorite things is this picture of the Salt Lake temple with the words "I'm going there someday.." The best part is we already had the frame and we got the picture for free (just the cost of printing at Costco)! We got it from a sweet girl who has a cute blog: http://www.lilluna.com/ She has a lot of other temple pictures for free on her blog! I think it's awesome that she offers these at no cost!

Week 38

Last week I was so sure that the baby was on her way SOON... as in maybe this week soon. Every night, as I was going to bed, I was sure that I would wake up to contractions. But on Wednesday we went to the doctor and he let us know that there is absolutely nothing going on in the dilation station. This was a tiny bit disappointing, but at the same time, really good to know. I have been able to get a lot more done this week without the thought that at the next moment I could be going into labor. It's probably good that I've been able to be a little more active this week because guess what decided to make a comeback after 9 months? My appetite! I have had such little interest in food my whole pregnancy until this week. Now I feel like I could polish off everything in the pantry in one evening. Luckily we only have two more weeks till the baby comes. I think I can keep my appetite at bay for 10 more days.
I am a little less nervous about the birthing process this week. I'm just getting so excited to see her! We sit in the nursery every night and just talk about how exciting it will be to actually have a baby in there with us in two short weeks!

Week 37

We've waited for October to come for so long and it's finally here! I can't believe we only have 3 weeks until we get to see our little girl! Jimmy and I still don't feel like this is real... we really are going to bring a baby home with us soon!
I still feel great! When I compare the discomfort of her being in my belly (which is pretty much zero) with the discomfort of labor (which is NOT zero) I will take the baby in the belly. So am I ready for her to be out? Not really. But if she doesn't come out, I don't get to see her. So then yes, I am ready for her to be out. I'm just excited for labor to start so it can end with a beautiful, sweet baby!
I can tell she is getting ready to be out in the world. She is becoming so aware of what's going on out here. This week, she has started to react to noises. I was at Walmart last night and someone dropped something and she jerked. She does this a couple times a day. Even when I feel like the noise isn't very loud, she'll jump. She is already, in a way, relating to life. I so appreciated conference and all that I learned about children and parenting. I'm so glad that I have guidelines and counsel to use when raising this sweet spirit. I hope I don't mess her up too bad.
Our appointments have all been good these past few weeks. My cervix is soft and the nurse can feel the baby's head. I'm excited to go in this Wednesday and see if I have dilated at all. I'm not counting on it, just curious. The nursery is pretty much finished. Well, I'm always thinking of new touches to add... the longer I wait, the more I think of. I'm sure Jimmy is praying she'll get here soon so I'll stop working on it! The same thing happened when we went ring shopping. The first time we went, I picked out a beautiful ring. A couple months later, we went ring shopping again and I picked out another beautiful ring- only this time it was bigger. Very soon after that, he proposed. I guess he knew what would happen if he kept waiting!
This past week, a great friend took some maternity pictures for me. I wasn't thrilled about posing in my hugeness but it's good to document this fun time. Plus, the photographer was so comfortable to be around and I had another great friend there to help.

This is a picture she took using our camera.

And my personal favorite: one that Jaxie took!

I always feel more comfortable making a face!

Week 36

What an amazing week! It has been so exciting and exhausting! I had a wonderful baby shower on Saturday. (And then after the shower we actually got this beautiful rain! How appropriate!) I know I didn't need to get anything ready for it, but you know how it goes. I did a little too much and ended up with some awesome kankles! But it didn't stop at the kankles! It looked like I got kankles, and then rolled those kankles! It was amazing! I thought they would stay that way for the rest of the pregnancy but they have gone down. It's fun getting to experience that part of pregnancy- looking down and wondering whose body you're looking at!

So back to the baby shower- it was so wonderful! I had 3 Amazing hostesses: My lovely and talented sister, Andrea, Jimmy's amazing aunt, Ruth, and my sweet surrogate grandma, Velma.
They put together such a nice party with delicious food, a gorgeous table and fun games. I was overwhelmed by everyone’s kindness in coming all the way out to the house and for their generous, adorable gifts! Really, I couldn't get over it for the rest of the day! It was so sweet and more than I ever imagined! Jimmy and I are so grateful and humbled!

The next exciting thing is that when I woke up today I could not help but notice that the baby has dropped!! It is SUCH an interesting feeling! My belly feels and looks totally different! I know that there are no guarantees on the timing after the baby drops, but I like to think that it means something GREAT is about to happen!

Week 35

This last week we had an awesome birthing class with Nurse/Aunt Ruth. It was so helpful and I feel like we are a little bit more prepared for the birthing process. She taught us what to expect with the first signs of active labor and what to do to make it through contractions. It was nice being able to have a class with someone we know so well and can ask all our questions to. We learned that I may have had a few contractions already. I wasn't sure what they were but when I explained them to Ruth she said they could have been contractions. I have been woken up 3 different times by that tight feeling in my belly accompanied with pain. I usually can't stay in bed when they come, or at least it is easier to deal with when I get up. So I try to walk around and do the hip sway thing.
Nana Newton sent a package for the baby this week. She made this adorable blanket!Baby is going to love it, but in the mean time, Daddy is enjoying it! We can't wait to wrap her up in her blankets and rock her to sleep! She's going to be here SOOOO soon!! Yay!!

We have been researching strollers these past several weeks and had pretty much decided that we wanted a BOB. We went to REI last weekend to test drive them and the employee told us that the REI yard sale was only one week away. So on Saturday morning we got up at 5am and waited in line for the store to open at 10. It was one of those fun things that we got to do together for the baby. We were in the first group of people to be let in and Jimmy immediately saw a double BOB.Obviously we don't need a double right now but we got such a great deal on it so we decided to get it. We are SO happy that they had one there. You just never know what they're going to have at those yard sales but we got lucky! The BOB has so many great features especially for where we live. It has the large, all-terain wheels that will work well on our dirt/gravel roads out here.

The baby and belly are growing! My belly button is very close to popping all the way out! We can't wait to go to the doctor on Wednesday and see what updates we will get about this little girl!

Week 34

What a great week! We are getting SO excited for this little cutie-pie!
A new thing for this week is that I just realized I've been experiencing Braxton Hicks. I was talking to my sister on the phone and she helped me identify that crazy tight stomach feeling as Braxton Hicks. It's funny because I've been having them for weeks but I thought it was just the baby causing it. In fact, I mentioned it in week 32 or 33 as the baby pushing her back against my stomach. But it's definitely Braxton Hicks. How exciting! However, it can be a sign of dehydration so I've been trying to drink more water, just in case.
The other new thing that has started up is that pain you get in the ligaments in the upper thighs just under the baby belly. I asked Jimmy's aunt (she's a baby nurse) about it and she told me the name but I forgot. When the belly gets bigger it's more for the ligaments to handle so you get lovely pains when you walk, stand, move- anytime really. It just hits you out of nowhere and makes you want to curl in a ball on the ground. But it comes and goes quickly. No big deal. It helps to not be on your feet a lot.
This next update is somewhat related to the ligament issue. Our doctor, who is usually quite good with his words, referred to our sweet girl as "hefty" at our appointment on Wednesday. Needless to say, this is not a term that we will be using to refer to her later in her life. What girl wants to be called hefty? But chubby is cute for a baby! The other bit of info is that her head measurements are "generous"- another choice word from our doctor. What were my feelings as I left that appointment? Fear, anxiety, worry. I am so excited to see this little (hefty) girl, but now I'm a bit hesitant about her evacuation plan. But there's only one way out so I'm coming to grips with it. Of course there is always c-section. Anyway, we'll see. I'm just going to go with the flow. We have another appointment on the 22nd so we'll see what the doc has to say then.
Lately I've been feeling like Barbara Stiesand in Funny Girl- the part where she puts that pillow in her dress to sing, "His Love Makes Me Beautiful". I love that movie! I always die laughing at that part. She does the awkward dance so well with that huge pillow under her dress. That's pretty much how I'm starting to feel. Now if I could just sing like her we'd be set!I ask my looking glass, "What is it??!"

Week 33

I think Jimmy is gearing up for this little girl... it took hardly any coaxing at all to get him to wear pink to church! He looks so handsome!
It has been a great week! I have been sleeping almost 6 solid hours which hasn't happened for months! I usually wake up around 2 am, then 4 am, then 6 am- but this week I have sleep all the way till 5 am! I feel like superwoman!
For several weeks I have been noticing rhythmic movements in my belly. I could not figure out what's going on in there! I was starting to get a little worried. I thought maybe she was having a seizure or something! Then a couple days ago it dawned on me that it's the hiccups! She gets them every night around bed time and usually one other time during the day. Now that I know what they are I think it's cute. I do feel bad for her though. Hiccups are annoying to have!
We've been very productive in the evenings this past week. We continue to work on the rocker and also bought a cute little antique dresser from craigslist that we are redoing. I'm pretty positive it will be done this week. I did have a little crazy moment last night while trying to decide exactly what color everything should be. You just want everything to be just right for your first baby. Really the baby has no clue what's going on so it's all in my head. Anyway, before I bought the crib I really debated whether it should be black or white. I went with the black one but yesterday I had serious doubts about it. Jimmy almost started boxing it up for me but I told him to just wait and let me think about it. I'm sure as soon as I get the white one here I'll wish I had kept the black. I could go back and forth forever! After a good night's sleep my logic has kicked in and I realize that it doesn't matter if it's black, white, or lime green. All that matters is that she's coming and we get to be with her and take care of her! But we're having fun planning and working on everything together.

Week 32

I think this is really happening! This baby is really going to be here someday! I was reading back through some older posts and remembering when I didn't really believe that all of this was real. But here we are, 8 weeks away from the beginning of this little one's life! And I'm looking forward to this next step in my life- a time when I will learn and grow in ways I can't imagine. But I think I'm ready for it. Well, I don't know how ready I'll ever be, but I know I'm willing to give it all I've got.
This has been a really fun week! We put together Baby's crib and have been working on reupholstering a rocker for the nursery.

The official reading of the instructions!

The final product!

Below is the rocker, made at some point in time when vinyl was very in! There were only about 2 billion staples in it. But we got them all out and we're almost ready to paint it. We have officially entered into a BIG stage! I guess it's just big and bigger from here on out! It seems like some days there is more growing going on than others. Yesterday was a growing day and I was feeling kind of uncomfortable. Moving from a seated position was way hard- if it wasn't so hot, I may have never gotten out of the car!

Luckily today it's feeling more manageable. One thing she has been doing all day long for the past 3 days is pushing her little back against my belly. It's hard to explain but I'm sure if you've been pregnant you know exactly what I'm talking about. The right side will go out and turns super hard! I can tell exactly when she's about to pull this move without even looking now. What a funny girl!Since the beginning of this pregnancy I was a little worried that I would have trouble breathing the larger I got. I think it must be a blessing from Heavenly Father- he knows that I would have had a really hard time with that because of past issues. I'm grateful for those tender mercies.
I felt a tinge of nervousness this last weekend about the actual birthing process. I expressed those feelings to Jimmy and he was good about reassuring me. I'm glad he's going to be there with me to remind me that I can do this. He's going to be a great coach.

Week 31

With only TWO months to go, I am in the middle of my first craving! I am craving a kolac! If it weren't Sunday I would be in the car screeching around corners to the nearest kolac shop. I want one so bad that I'm willing to bake it from scratch. Even though it's 7:30 pm I searched through my mom's recipe box for Mamo's kolac recipe- no luck!! How depressing! It's just my luck to crave something on a Sunday and then not be able to find the recipe! I didn't know a craving could make you feel this desperate. Fortunately I was able to keep my head and remain somewhat rational. I'm settling for a biscuit (we had some in the fridge) and raspberry jam.
Besides the near-death-craving, things are going great! The baby has been moving like her previous self today. I think she was just so sad to have her daddy gone all last week and was too depressed to move! It's been fun to have her move around- we watched my belly move around all during church today- when we weren't staring at the adorable newborn girl who was sitting in front of us.
We're expecting the crib to get here this week and then we will be moving forward full speed ahead!
p.s. a kolac is a Czech pastry. My Mamo always made them and she passed the recipe on to my mom. We grew up eating them but it wasn't until we moved to Houston that we discovered that other people know about them too. There are so many Czechs in the area that kolac are sold in gas stations, donut shops, etc. They are very tasty!

Week 30

Week 30 has been great so far. She has been pretty quiet the majority of the week. I don't understand why she'll move a lot one day and then she'll be really quiet for days in a row. I wish she wouldn't do that to her mom. I get worried! I just have to remind myself that she's been fine till now and that she's still fine.
I have heard a lot of stories from mothers who encounter very "helpful" strangers. I had my first experience with a helpful stranger this week. I was at Hobby Lobby buying fabric to make the baby's crib bumper. I was talking to the nice lady at the fabric counter and she was helping me figure out how much fabric I would need, when a lady next to me turned around with the biggest look of shock on her face. She looked at me then looked at my fabric and said, "You can't use that fabric for a crib bumper! It has not been approved for baby bedding! It has to meet a lot of standards to be used for that!" I didn't really know what to say. I felt like the world's worst mom and I don't even have a child yet! It just goes to show how much I have to learn! I didn't even think about that kind of thing. There I was buying fabric just so my baby would have a cute room. I'm learning really fast that function is more important than fashion. Oh, that's a hard concept when it comes to decorating!

10, 9, 8, 7...

I'm so excited to begin the 10 week countdown! Tomorrow I'll have to work on my paper chain!

What the Doc says goes...

Well we had a great appointment yesterday and learned a couple little things. The first is that we do get to have at least one more ultrasound thanks to this little girl's measurements in our last ultrasound (that night I was scared and we went to the OB observation). Our doctor said that he would like to do another one in 3 or 4 weeks so that he can compare data. It could have been that she was just measuring big at that time, but if she is continuing to measure a lot bigger than average then he will know something is up. We will just have to wait and see. I see a little chubby cutie-pie in our future! Oh yay! I love the baby rolls!
The other thing that we learned is that our doctor does not like to wait much after the due date for the mom to deliver. This info helps a lot because my mom gets to come home for a visit to help when the baby comes!! I'm so happy that she'll be here. She's such a great mom and LOVES babies- and they LOVE her! She's a baby whisper! Anyway, both she and my sister have gone 10-14 days over with their babies so it was hard deciding when Mom should come. But now we know that even if this girly doesn't want to come out (I don't blame her, it's so nice and comfy in there), she can't stay in much longer after October 22nd.
Thanks for all your answers to the last questions. My next one is, have you found an infant car seat that is better than others?

Week 29

This week baby girl has been practicing for her ballerina days! She is spinning and turning all over in my belly! It was so crazy a couple nights ago that I could not sleep. I have read that the baby can move a lot at night and keep you up but I never thought it would happen to me. Her moving has never really bothered me before. But I guess she is getting big enough now and when she gets moving it feels so strange! It's like there is a huge bowling ball in my stomach and it's turning and moving my insides around! Such a crazy feeling! But I love it- knowing that she is alive and growing makes me so happy!
We have an appointment in a couple days and I can't wait to go in and hear her heartbeat! I have been wondering if we get to see her again (in an ultrasound) before she makes her grand entrance in October so I will have to ask our doctor. I have also been thinking about taking a birthing class or something. I have time, and it couldn't hurt, right? Have any of you ever taken any birthing classes or anything of the sort?
And what is your opinion on rockers and gliders? I have heard that some people don't like the gliders because it doesn't give them the rocking motion that they want. On the other hand, some people like that a glider is more smooth. Maybe it's just personal preference. And maybe neither of these is a big deal. Is a stationary, comfortable chair just as good?

Week 28

We made it to the 3rd trimester!!! I can't believe we're here already! I am SOOO excited!
On Saturday evening I got to hold a new little baby and that put me on cloud 9!! It was the first time since becoming pregnant that I was able to hold a newborn and it really made this whole thing so real. The beautiful little baby girl that I held was 8 pounds and absolutely the cutest thing! I cannot believe that we get to hold our little girl in 80 days! It makes me cry just thinking about it!I'm so happy and feeling so great!
New development in week 28: Heartburn. I have never felt it before! Luckily, it was really mild and only slightly uncomfortable. I'm sure it wasn't as bad as most people have it. It has come back really briefly two more times, but no big deal.
With my mom being gone and the fact that we're new to the area, I didn't really plan on having a baby shower. But Jimmy's aunt, my sister and another friend from our ward are going to be throwing us a shower in September. I think it will be so fun, even if they are the only 3 that come! We'll have lots of fun looking at all her baby stuff and eating yummy food!

Questions!....Answers?

I have so many questions as a mom-to-be and a lot of you, my friends and family, already have experience in the baby department. I thought I would throw out some things I've been thinking about. Please give me your input because I'm clueless!

Question #1- Do you have a preference or opinion about foam vs spring crib mattresses?

Question #2- What brand of diapers did you use for your newborn? How many newborn size diapers would you start out with?

Question #3- I plan on breastfeeding (not that things always go as planned), but what feeding products/materials do I need to have on hand? Do I need to have formula and those things anyway?

That's all for now. Not that those are my only questions, but I'll spread them out over the next few weeks.

THANK YOU! I really appreciate your words of wisdom!

Week 27

Warning: LONG POST... begin at your own risk!

By now it's no secret that I'm a worrier. I'm naturally a worrier, but after our miscarriage last year I think I'm even more sensitive than I would be.

I have been noticing that the baby is not as active as she used to be two weeks ago. It seemed like her movements were coming less and less every day. After a really quiet evening and night, I woke up yesterday and still wasn't feeling her at all. She continued to be quiet until the time we were getting on our plane at 9:30- even after I had breakfast and drank some juice. I called the doctor before I got on the plane and he wanted me to go by the OB observation as soon as I could. I had always heard that a decrease in fetal movement is something you want to look out for. On the other hand, I also know that their level of activity can vary so I just wanted to know if this was a new phase she was going into or if something was wrong. Of course I was a little emotional and cried the whole way to LA but jimmy was so sweet and just held my hand the whole time. We finally got back to Houston at 7:30 pm and went to the hospital. They strapped those monitors on me and she immediately started moving all over the place. She was kicking so much you could see the sensors jump on my belly. Our doctor knew that we would be going in some time after our plane landed so while we were in there he called the nurse to check on us. Have I mentioned that we LOVE our doctor!! 9 o'clock at night and he's calling to check on us! The nurse told him that the baby was moving a lot but he still wanted me to go in for an ultrasound just to be sure everything was ok. He was faxed the results of the ultrasound and called back to say that everything looked great. That poor nurse! She has to deal with all us pregnant, paranoid, hormonal ladies coming in all hours of the day and night. For whatever reason, I am glad we went in. It helped me understand what to expect these next couple weeks and we were on the other side of the curtain from a girl that was getting ready to have her baby so we kind of heard the beginning procedures. We didn't know anything about the checking-in process before and now we know where to go and kind of what to expect when we get there.
The most interesting news for this week is this: even though yesterday was the beginning of our 27th week the baby is measuring 29 weeks 1 day! Whoa, Baby!!! Our technician just kept measuring and shaking her head. Then she'd measure again and shake her head and ask, "What did you say the expected due date is?" She didn't know this baby is an overachiever! I wondered if this would change the due date but the nurse said that it doesn't because babies can go through growth spurts at different times. She said that your most accurate due date comes from the ultrasound during your first trimester- weeks 10-12. So although she may even out with the rest of her birth-buddies by October, this little girl is growing now!!! No wonder my belly popped these past couple weeks! Jimmy is always "teasing" me that she's going to be a 12 pound baby.... if she keeps it up, she just might be!! We love 'em chubby!!

I'm trying really hard not to be a worrier. But then I start worrying that I'm being too lax and I worry even more! I promised myself that I am going to try to keep it under control now! I am going to go with the flow and just enjoy these next 12 weeks and 6 days- YES, that's all it is- 12 weeks and 6 days.... give or take 10 days. We love you, sweet baby!!!

26 Weeks!

This little Missy has spent her whole 26th week traveling- quite a trooper! I have felt pretty great the whole time but I always look forward to going home and spending a little time bonding in our quiet house.
The baby belly was photographed at my favorite place, the Sequoia National Park- General Sherman Tree! Oh, it was so good to see the General again! Baby loved breathing in the fresh mountain air and eating a scoop of Three Rivers Berry ice cream at Reimers!
I'm so happy that she is still healthy and growing! I can't wait till we can take her to all these places that we love and watch her little face as she experiences everything for the first time!