Welcome Baby Nolan 12-7-10

Nolan is finally here and we're getting settled in at home trying to figure out a routine and learning his needs. He is absolutely perfect in every way and I can't believe I could love something this much. We can't decide who he looks like more, but I think he's got more of his daddy's features. We'll see in the next few months as he starts filling out and looking more like he'll look as he gets older.
The c-section birth wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The spinal block was definitely painful and not fun, but it was done pretty quick and I had wonderful surgery nurses to help take care of me. Nolan was born within a half an hour of starting the procedure and the whole thing was over in just under an hour. He was born at 7:57 am and was 7 lbs 1 oz and 20 inches long. His head was 14 and a half inches around which I guess is pretty good size. It also is deceptively large since he didn't have to get squished out the birth canal and form a cone head like many babies have after they're born vaginally. That's fine with me because the bigger the head the bigger the brain so hes going to be really smart!!!
We made it back to the postpartum room and started our journey as a new family. Recovering hasn't been that bad. I'm sore but not in a lot of pain and Nolan has been such a joy. Don't get me wrong, he fusses like any other baby and breast feeding hasn't been the easiest thing to get a handle on, but I'm enjoying every minute of being a mommy. Frank has been so good with him as well and has taken to fatherhood better than I could have hoped for. He's so attentive to both of our needs and I think worries more than I do. Here are some pictures from the hospital.

37 Weeks - Still Breech

I had a doctor's appointment today and Nolan is still breech! I feel like I've tried everything to get him to turn so at this point I'm just going to give up with the hope that he turned on his own. I figure that's what we did when we were trying to conceive; just gave up and all of a sudden I was pregnant! So maybe it will work for this too. Other than that everything is going well. I've been having weekly ultrasounds and monitoring and everything has looked really good. We scheduled a version for December 8th where the doctor will try to flip him around from the outside. From what I hear it can be pretty unpleasant, but I figure if I can't make it through that how would I make it through child birth naturally. If the version works, we go home and wait for labor to induce naturally. If it doesn't work, we can do the c-section that day or wait a few days. I would most likely just have it that day since I'm already at the hospital, but the only issue is that I wouldn't be at the hospital that is right down the road from our house. The other hospital isn't that bad, it's just a little farther away and the one by our house is brand new having just opened in April. Plus the one by our house has a gourmet chef that gives you either steak or salmon for your first meal as new parents, and that is a perk I would like to experience!! Really, I'm just going to do what's best for Nolan even though I'm absolutely terrified of a c-section. It's not the getting cut open or having major surgery that I am scared of, it's the stupid shot to numb you. This is why I don't want an epidural because I hate shots! It's not even the needle because I don't mind having my blood drawn, but I hate having medications injected in me. Call me crazy, but that's just how I feel.
On a better note, I had both my baby showers and had lots of fun at both. The first one was thrown by my friends Kim, Nicole, and Heather at Kim's mom's house. Thanks to Barb for opening her home and to the girls for throwing such a fun shower. Kim is also pregnant about 10 weeks behind me with Baby girl Ruth. We've already decided Ruth and Nolan will get married so we put our tummies together for their first kiss.
The second was thrown by my friend and co-worker, Nayza, at work. We had delicious cupcakes and punch and had a good time. Here are some pictures from each.













Finally, here's a belly photo from 36 weeks! He's getting pretty big!

BAD BLOGGER - 34 WEEKS

I'm the worst blogger ever. I know it's been FOREVER since I posted anything but life just seems to keep getting in the way.
Anyway, everything has been going really well with the pregnancy. Nolan is still moving around like crazy and I'm starting to experience more and more Braxton Hicks contractions. Actually, I've been having them for a few weeks now but didn't realize it. I thought it was just Nolan pushing really hard on my stomach to get out, but I was wrong. Oops, but I have an excuse since I'm a first time mommy! I'm also going to the doctor once a week now to be monitored. It's kind of a pain to have to take time from work, but I get to hear his heart beat and see him on the ultrasound so it's worth it. We're also working hard on getting the nursery ready. Most of it is done, but I still have to hang decorations. I'll post some pictures as soon as I finish everything.
Everything else down here in Texas is going great. We've had super nice weather and we've been doing a lot of activities to try to stay busy. I went this past weekend to get a prenatal massage and pedicure and they were awesome and highly needed. I think every expecting mommy should do this for themselves at least once a month, but too bad it can get costly. We also attended what we are calling, "The Best Halloween Party Ever". Since I am plagued with mommy brain I forgot to put the memory card in the camera so we didn't take any pictures, but as soon as I get copies from friends I'll post a couple. In the mean time, here are 28 and 33 week belly pictures. I apologize for the rest of me, I usually try to take them right when I wake up!

28 WEEKS



33 WEEKS

26 Weeks

We've been quite busy lately. A couple weekends ago one of my best friends from college, Nic, and her daughter Sophie came down to visit for a long weekend. We had so much fun and Sophie is just the smartest and cutest little thing! We went shopping, saw a real choo choo (as Sophie would say), went to the Dallas World Aquarium, and hung out by the pool. I really enjoyed having them stay with us and my house felt empty when they left. Here are some pictures from the weekend. Unfortunately, I look like a house next to skinny little Nic, but I fully intend on losing all the weight after Nolan arrives. Maybe we'll just stick to pictures from the neck up from now on...









Speaking of my lovely weight gain, here's a 26 week belly picture. I think my belly is cute, but the rest of me that has expanded is not so cute.

23 Weeks!

Everything is still going smoothly with the pregnancy. Nolan is moving around a lot now and you can even see my belly move. Frank was able to feel him kick for the first time this past weekend. I think it made it more real for him. I just love feeling him move around and it makes me even more excited to meet him.
We're getting our birth plan in action and met with a doula last night. She was so sweet and I'm excited to be able to have her coaching me along this journey.
Here's the latest picture.

21 Weeks

Everything with the pregnancy has been going really well. I'm finally starting to feel pregnant and can feel Nolan move all the time, especially after I eat something with sugar. I haven't had any complications (knock on wood) and the doctor said everything is progressing perfectly. I've also made a few decisions regarding our birth plan. I'm going to try to do this thing naturally with the help of a doula. I know, I know, I can just hear everyone saying "you're crazy, get the epidural" but I really want to experience everything, at least for this first birth. My dance class is really helping me get prepared for natural childbirth and I've started doing some yoga at home. I think the techniques I've learned along with the help of a doula will get me through.
I've also been shopping a little here and there and have also received a ton of stuff from my mom. She's such an excited little grandma! I just had to post a picture of this bodysuit I bought. I couldn't pass it up!



Here's the latest belly picture as well. We're hoping to buy a nicer camera in the near future so hopefully we'll be able to post better pictures.

19 Weeks

Everything is going great with the baby! I felt him move a lot last night after I ate a bowl of frozen yogurt. I guess he liked it! We are working on the nursery slowly, but surely. When we get the floors in we'll post some pictures. For now, here is a 19 week picture of my growing belly. It's crazy to think I'm almost half way and I'm going to get MUCH bigger.

IT"S A BOY

I know it's been a while since I posted, but there wasn't much going on until now. A couple weeks ago I decided to get bloodwork done that screened for Down Syndrome, Trisomy 18, and neural tube defects. The screen came back with a positive possibility for Down Syndrome. We had an appointment with a specialist yesterday to get a level 2 ultrasound done. This ultrasound is done by a fetal medicine doctor who goes over ever inch of the baby including the brain and organs. Everything looked perfect and all the measurements were normal. The doctor said he saw no markers for Downs and the baby should be healthy. The ultrasound is not a 100% conclusive, but the doctor seemed pretty confident everything was normal. On top of finding out we have a healthy baby we also found out it's a boy! I was hoping for a girl, but now that I know it's a boy I'm so excited and in love. Since I found out I was pregnant I was so excited that we're having a baby, but now it's so real since we were able to see him and I have started feeling him move a little. I just love him so much already that I can't imagine what it will be like when he's actually here. We like the name Nolan Steven, but who knows if I will change my mind within the next few months. Here are the ultrasound pics.

Doc Appointment

I had another doctor's appointment today. We just listened to the baby's heart beat which was strong and in the 160 BPM range. Everything sounded great. She assured me I'm not too fat at this point which is good. Everything seems to be going as planned with no complications. I'm really hoping it stays that way until the end. We have our next appointment on July 29th and it's the big one where we get to find out what we're having. I still say it's a girl, but we shall soon find out. I also took my preregistration form to the hospital. It somehow made it seem all official. I'm really excited to be able to deliver at a brand new hospital (well as long as everything goes well). A new hospital opened about a half a mile down the road from our house this past April. Frank actually works there part-time so he'll get to know how everything works long before December. The only downfall is that it doesn't have a NICU so if there are any issues, the baby will need to be transported to the hospital down the road. It's not too far away, but it would be nice to not have to go to 2 hospitals. Fingers crossed all goes as planned!!! I also think I felt the baby move this past weekend. Everyone keeps telling me it will feel like a flutter and it's hard to tell if it's gas or the baby. Pretty sure it was the baby because I don't think I've felt gas like that before. I can't wait till she starts kicking!

Dancing for Birth

I just got home from my first Dancing for Birth class. I'm sure most of you haven't heard about this because I know I hadn't before I stumbled upon it while trying to find a prenatal exercise class that wasn't just yoga. It combines African, Latin, Caribbean, and Belly dance to help you have an easier and less painful labor and stay in shape during pregnancy. I had the best time and would highly recommend it for all pregnant women. It was so much fun and it's such a neat way to celebrate being pregnant while exercising. Because I felt like nauseous or tired most of the 1st trimester the only exercise I did was walking. I'm so glad I found something that is fun, keeps me in shape, and will hopefully help me through labor. We even did some Cumbia tonight which is a Latin dance that I used to incorporate when I taught Zumba so it was right up my alley. For more information you can visit www.dancingforbirth.com and you should be able to find a class hopefully near you. You can also visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nx0-jZx29kY and check out a video that shows a little more about it. This class is 23 miles from my house but it is so worth the drive. I can't wait for the next class!

Baby Bump

We've started a new chapter in our lives. We found out the first week of April that we're expecting, due December 12th! The first trimester wasn't too awful but I'm glad that part is over. I'm starting to feel a lot better and I'm having a lot less food aversions. Here are a couple belly photos, one at 13 weeks and the next was taken today at 15 weeks.