Week 39

I have finally made it to my last week of pregnancy. At this point nothing eventful has occurred. I had my last doctor's appointment on Thursday, October 14th. At this appointment we were going to schedule a section since I had one with Sean. It was my plan to try to go to labor, but my body does not want to cooperate. After the doctor checked me he found that I still am not dilated. So my options were to wait until the baby naturally wants to come, which they would give up to a week after her due date on the 20th or schedule a c-section. I am eager to get this over with, so we schedule a c-section for this coming Monday, October 18th. I am schedule to have her at 1:30, but we will see when she actually arrives. I am so excited for the birth of our baby girl. I can't wait to meet her and introduce her to Sean. I am so done with being pregnant and I am ready for this new (tiring) adventure in our lives. Thank you to everyone for all of your support. We are praying for a healthy and happy baby. I can't wait to share Emily with all of you.

Week 38

Only 14 days to go!! I can't wait until the countdown is over at this point. I am feeling more tired and sore than ever. Today 10/06/10 I had a doctor's appointment and the only news I got was that she thinks the baby will be over 8 lbs and that so far I am not really dialating. So I think that means the baby won't be able to fit any of the newborn clothes that she has. Thank God we can exchange some of them and she has plenty of other clothes to last for a long while. Next Wednesday I have an appointment with a surgeon. We are scheduling a C-section date in case Emily decides that she doesn't want to come out on her own. Other than that there isn't much to report.

Week 36 & 37

A couple of photos from the maternity shoot

Week 37

Emily's Nursery

Week 36

The last two weeks haven't been too eventful. During week 36 Russell and I finished shopping for all the rest of the stuff the baby will need. Over the weekend I put up the wall decorations in Emily's room. I just need to get a curtain rod to hang her curtains. Then her room is done! On Sunday Sept. 26th I took some beautiful maternity pics with Russell and Sean courtesy of Sally Danforth. They turned out wonderfully. I also started going to the doctors weekly. There isn't much to report as far as that goes, except that I am not dilated yet. Hopefully it will be different at the next visit. I have been feeling pretty miserable lately. I am swollen and it is starting to get uncomfortable even when I am sitting. I feel like my ribs are being crushed. The baby is moving around as much as she can with the little space that she has left. This week I have finally made it to 9 months, and the baby is the size of a watermelon (well supposedly), that sounds so big!

Week 35

Beautiful Picture created for us by Jessica McDonough

My Mom and I at the Babyshower

Wow we only have 5 more weeks to go, but I am going to be busy in the next coming weeks preparing for her arrival. This past week was exciting. On Sunday Sept. 12th I had my babyshower. It was so much fun. We had a lot of delicious food, fun games, and socializing. It was a tea party theme. After the shower I began organizing everything. Every day I am working on a different task in the hopes that everything will be done when the baby comes. On Monday night Russell and I got to go on the Maternity tour at the hospital. It was very interesting, and I learned a few new things. I really think that my birth experience with Emily will be very different from Sean's. I think it will be a more positive one in a few different aspects. Other than keeping busy, the baby is growing as she should and I am starting to get more uncomfortable.

Week 34

This week our baby has grown to the size of a honeydew melon. I had a doctor appointment yesterday, and after reviewing last weeks ultrasound she said that the baby is in the 63rd % as far as her growth goes. So, that means she is in the middle range at this point. I just hope that it stays that way. After looking at her kidneys the Dr. said that they are in a normal range. So I think they are just going to monitor them at birth.

This week I have been starting to feel a little miserable, especially at night. It is getting harder to find a comfortable position to sleep in. I feel like her feet are crushing my ribs throughout the day. I know it is just going to get worse as the last weeks go by. I feel like the baby grew a lot this week, or I just look bigger!? Last night Russell finished putting together the baby dresser. So this weekend I am going to try to organize the nursery. Other than that I am so excited for my babyshower this weekend. I am looking forward to seeing friends and family, and having a fun time.

Week 33

This was an exciting week for us. On Sunday Aug. 29th, we had our first babyshower given to us by Grandma Pat. It was so nice to visit with friends and family. We got so many wonderful things to start working on the baby's room. My mom helped me put together the baby's bed this week... well all of the bedding. It is so cute, I can't wait til her whole room is finished being decorated. Today Sept. 2nd I also had my last ultrasound (hopefully), that makes number ten. I got to see her cute little ear, and the ultrasound tech. pointed out her hair on the back of her head. I am hoping she has more hair than Sean did, but we will see. They are now checking the baby's kidneys because they were within a "high" normal range of growth. (Whatever that means?) So now I have to wait until my doctor reviews the results with me. I am just praying that she is healthy and everything is "normal". This week I am starting to feel even more uncomfortable. As I sit I keep having to reposition myself because I keep getting kicked in the ribs. I saw in the ultrasound today her feet are literally underneath my ribcage. This week the baby has graduated from "squash" to "honeydew melon", and they say she can grow another inch this week. It is so amazing to me. I am just wondering how much more I am going to grow at this point.

Week 32

I have made it to week 32, and as the time is passing I am getting more tired. I guess that is expected though. This week has been miserably hot, but I am hanging in there. The baby is still the size of a squash this week. My baby emails say that she will start gaining up to a pound a week. I hope that is not the case because she will be huge! This past week I also noticed that I got my first new stretch mark compliments of Emily. On Sat. Aug. 21st celebrated Sean's 9th Birthday with Family and Friends at Season Ticket Pizza. He enjoyed his party and all of the company. Thanks to everyone who was able to celebrate with us. I am so excited for this Sunday, Aug. 29th because that is our first babyshower. We are celebrating at my mother in laws house. I am looking forward to this celebration.

Week 30 Ultrasound pics

Here are a few pictures from our Ultrasound on August 13th, 2010

Weeks 30 and 31

Week 31

Sean and Russ @ Dodgers game

Russ and I at the San Diego Zoo

Sean and Russ at the zoo

Week 30

I am combining both weeks 30 and 31 in the post. Both weeks our baby is still the size of a squash. On Friday Aug. 13th we had an ultrasound. It is so wonderful to be able to see our little baby. This was also the first time that Sean got to see an ultrasound. He thought she looked wierd. He is excited to meet her. Sunday Aug. 15th - 17th we took a small family vacation to San Diego. We had a nice relaxing time, and I also got a lot of walking in at museums and the zoo. It was so nice and cool down there, and then we came home yesterday to the heat! I was so not looking forward to this, at least we made it this far. Yesterday Aug. 17th was Sean's 9th Birthday. After driving back from San Diego Russ, Sean and I went to a Dodger's game for Sean's Birthday. He enjoyed the game and food. This weekend we will celebrate Sean's Birthday with friends and family. Until next week :)

Week 29

Sean's first trip to the Circus

Side view

Front view

The baby is growing quickly, she grew from an eggplant to a squash :) With all of this growth I am starting to feel a little different. This week I have been more tired and have had pains. I think the pains are growth pains. People I have asked have said that this is normal. I have noticed that she is moving around a lot more, and starting to jab me in the ribs. This week we finally got Sean to go to the Circus... Well he didn't know he was going. He ended up enjoying it though.

Week 28

Reunions with Friends Kira, Charise, Marissa & Baby Emma

Reunion with Tiff & Ashley

Beach Party with The Fair & Evan's Family

Emily's Room

Zoey checking out Sean's Room

My Baby Bump

Sean at the Fair 7/28/10

Yay, we made it to the third trimester! Only twelve more weeks to go! (That sounds like a loong time). We had a fun week this week. We reunited with some old friends, went to a beach party in Huntington Beach, and went to the fair. During this busy week Russell also managed to finish painting both bedrooms, Sean's new room and the nursery. The next step is to get new carpet, and then we can arrange the children's rooms. I can't wait!!

This week I am still feeling well. I have been able to feel my stomach stretch. Emily (that is the name we chose for her) is still the size of an eggplant. Other than that things have been pretty uneventful.

Week 27

Wow we have made it to the third trimester. I can't believe I only have 13 more to go! This week was a great week, we celebrated Russell's 30th Birthday with Family and Friends. This week Sean finished up his swim lessons for the summer. He enjoys swimming, but he is glad to be done with them. In a few weeks soccer will start so we will take a break from sports for now.

I am feeling well despite minor swelling and backaches. This week I have been able to watch her move around at times, usually when I am resting. She is still the size of an "eggplant" this week. I can't wait til the day we get to meet her!! :)

Week 26

So week 26 has been exciting! I had a Dr. appointment yesterday and everything is looking great. Some of you may know that the last couple of weeks have been very hard on us. During my ultrasound at 18 weeks they noticed what are called choroid plexus cysts in our baby's brain. The cysts are common, but they can lead to severe problems like down syndrome or trisomoy 18. So of course we were very scared and anxious. We were sent through a couple of ultrasounds since then to monitor the cysts, and I was given the option to do an amnio (which I am glad I declined). We also told that some babies out grow the cysts around week 24. My last ultrasound was at 24 weeks, and yesterday my midwife told me that the ultrasound showed that our baby no longer has these cysts. We prayed about this told whole time, and it is such a blessing that she is going to be ok. So, I will continue to pray and thank God for our baby's health.

In other news this week, she has been moving around a lot more. Last night I was able to sit and watch her move around in my belly. I can't believe how active she is! As you can see in the picture I am growing a lot quicker than I realized. Today a stranger asked if I was due within the next month or if I was having twins! Geeze I must be getting huge!!

Week 25

So I have made it to week 25, Only 15 more to go! (That really sounds like a long time) This past week I really haven't noticed many changes. I feel like the baby is getting more active at times, and that is usually when I am resting. At this point I have gained 12 pounds, so I think I am doing okay. I am just afraid of gaining too much. This week I have been trying to stay active and keep Sean busy so he doesn't get bored. He has been enjoying swim lessons, and today we went to the Santa Ana Zoo and a concert at the park in our neighborhood.

Week 24

Thursday July 1st, 2010

Baby is now the size of a papaya!

Baby's skin is becoming more opaque as the fat starts to pack on. And, thanks to the formation of small capillaries, her newly thick skin is taking on a fresh pink glow.

*Picture courtesy of Sean Maitland :)

Our little Blessing

On February 10th of this year I got the best Birthday Surprise of all. After years of trying to conceive we found out that we were pregnant. As many of you know, it has been a very long journey for us. When we finally got through the first round of infertility drugs in January we were pleasantly surprised to find out that we were blessed with a baby so soon. Now we just had to wait for the next couple weeks to ensure that it was a viable pregnancy. We were very thankful that God answered our prayers.

The next big milestone was finding out the gender of our baby. Most of you know that we already have a wonderful son Sean, and I (along with many of our close family and friends) were praying for a baby girl. I have always wanted to have a daughter and on May 20th we found out that the baby was "most likely" a girl. So we went for another ultrasound the next day and were told that yes it is a girl. All of our ultrasounds after this point have confirmed its a girl, although Sean and Russell were hoping to keep our family to all boys. Sean still has hope that his sister will turn into a brother. I told him that is probably not going to happen.

Throughout my pregnancy up until this point I have been meaning to take pictures, but balancing family life has put that on the backburner. So now I am going to start "trying" to post every week. I will be starting with week 24.