Week 37 Pregnancy Update

Nothing much to report this week. I had my 37 week appointment, which is exciting since it means I'm officially full term now. At the appointment, I had my vitals taken, listened to the heart beat, and found out that I tested "negative" for the strep b test (great news). The doc confirmed the baby is still positioned with his/her head down - which is also super. I don't have an appointment next week due to a scheduling mishap & the doctor's planned vacation, but the doc and I discussed it and she isn't worried since she trusts that I will call if something unusual and worrisome occurs. My next appointment is on Monday the 11th and at that appointment, she will measure me again to see how many cm I have dilated (if I have in fact not already delivered the baby). Depending on the stats and situation, we may "pencil" in more appointments for the week I'm due and the week following. For now, it's a waiting game. Kris and I are hoping for the baby to wait at least a few more days before he or she arrives - we're still working on names!!

Christmas 2009

I love Christmas and this year didn't disappoint. We normally travel to visit with our family over Christmas, but this year, with my due date around the corner, we stayed home and had a quiet holiday. We had a lovely Christmas morning and enjoyed watching Owen open his presents and talk about Santa and the reindeer and all his toys and gifts. We skyped with Kris' family and spoke with all my family throughout the day. We also enjoyed a delicious late breakfast and had a good time making a traditional turkey meal for the three of us. We spent the day playing games, eating yummy food, snuggling with Owen, and just relaxing. In the late afternoon, Kris and Owen went for a long walk in the neighborhood and played at the park while I hung out on the couch resting and reading. While we missed our families, it was nice to have such good quality time together - especially as we prepare for our family dynamic to change dramatically in the coming weeks.

As Owen loves to say... Ho, Ho, Ho Merry Christmas! & Happy New Year!

P.S. Thanks to everybody who helped spoil Owen (again)! He received so many cute, entertaining, educational, and fun gifts! We are so lucky - thank you!



Owen about to have a late night Christmas Eve snack with Mommy.




















Owen with his new musical instruments
























Owen "playing" Super Mario Brothers with Daddy.

Sledding Trips - December 2009

We've had two great sledding trips with Owen and friends/family. We first went with our friends the Chandrapal Family on Christmas Eve and then we went with my Dad, lil' bro Gianni (12) and nephew (almost 8) this past Monday.

Both trips started out rough with Owen. He needed time to adjust after waking up from shorter than normal/earlier than normal naps. He also needed food and had to come to terms with wearing a jacket which took some effort. Luckily, we were able to get him out on the snow both times and he ended up loving the experience. He laughed so much, it definitely made the rough moments worthwhile.

Both Kris and I had a great time, too. Kris seemed to enjoy sledding as much as the kids and I enjoyed watching the action from the sidelines and appreciated the scenery and fresh air. We were even blessed with a special treat on Monday...while we were packing up the car, it started to snow! It was just perfect. We drove to a nearby lodge for hot chocolate and lunch so we could watch the snow fall a little more.

Here are a few pictures from both trips and a couple videos of Charles, Gianni, and my Dad sledding (we didn't capture any videos of Owen or get any pictures of the twins/Deepak/Sarayu on our camera).

Week 36- quick update

In a few days, I will officially be full-term! I had my 36 week doctor appointment today and found out that the baby has dropped and the doctor actually felt the baby’s head!! I am about 70% effaced and 1-2 cm dilated. Next week, I’ll find out the results of the Strep B test I took today. If it’s positive, I’ll have to have antibiotics during labor just so the baby is exposed to as little bacteria as possible during delivery. To date, I have gained about 26 pounds.

Nesting = Kitchen Update & Home Organization Projects

Over the last two months or so, I’ve been on a mission to improve our house organization. We have changed our office into a baby room, moved our original office into the nook in our bedroom, reorganized the closet in the baby’s room (all of my craft/sewing supplies are now very organized and I even have a wrapping paper dresser), and updated our kitchen with new counters and some new appliances. Kris has labeled this “mission” nesting and hopes I stick to cleaning for the remainder of these urges. The endeavor has been tiring, but also lots of fun and productive, and we both definitely feel it has been well worth it. Now, I just have to keep it organized after the baby arrives. We’ll see how well that works out for us. Ha!

I have one more week of work before my medical leave begins and really the timing is perfect. All of this “nesting” + playtimes with Owen + work has me craving a few days of major R&R on the couch. However since it’s Christmas time, I am realistic enough to know that my craving for homemade coffee cake and my desire to test out our new oven will trump all else.

Here are a few before and after pictures of the kitchen:

Thanksgiving Family Photo Shoot

Here are a few of our favorite pictures from the family photo shoot. Thank you Ryan & Jamie!

It's December Already?!

Monday marks the start of my 35^th week which means I now have only 5 weeks until my due date. I went to the doctors a week and a half ago and the visit went well. We heard the baby's beautiful heartbeat and chatted about the options of pain relief that will be offered to me, if I so desire during labor. Unless this labor is unbelievably quick, I expect I will seek some type of help. With Owen, I aspired to do without drugs, but it was such a relief once I caved. I still felt like I achieved my main goal, “healthy mom, healthy baby”. If in need this round, I will happily and much more quickly embrace the idea.

My next doctor appointment is in a couple weeks and then I will be seen a bit more regularly over the last four weeks. We are still working on baby names and don't really have a narrowed down list yet. We have a few names we're testing, but I'm pretty sure we'll be choosing a name at the hospital. For the last short while, I have been saying that I think the baby is a boy. I've felt that way primarily because the pregnancy has been so similar and it's really all I have to go on but we're excited to find out and meet the lil' one.

Because I was curious, I pulled out an old photo from my pregnancy with Owen, when I was about 7-8 weeks from my due date. It's not a great profile shot, but conveniently, I am wearing the same shirt in a photo from this Thanksgiving (which was about 7 weeks shy of my due date). Check out the photos below.

As for Thanksgiving, we had a wonderful long weekend in Orange with my family. My brother-in-law, Ryan happily agreed to take a family photo of us at a nearby park. Owen was not into the photo shoot at all- he only wanted to play with Charles and Gianni on the playground and run around the grass, but we managed to get a few nice shots of the three of us anyway (albeit they are without Owen's usual big grin).