girl on the go

Ok, so it has been waaaaayyyy too long since I've added a post. What can I say, new mommyhood can keep a girl pretty busy. At some point in time I'll go back and add pix from the first 6 months of Amanda's life. So here is the latest and greatest in the world of miss Amanda Jayne...she started crawling 2 weeks ago and sitting up on her own a couple weeks before that. For the first few days she would crawl and then go into a downward facing dog yoga position before pivoting her hips in the air and sitting down...oh so cute!! I've got some video footage which I'll post whenever I can figure it out. She is talking up a storm and says dada, mama, baba, lala, ca and baw...and she has the cutest voice. Luckily we've been blessed with the world's best and happiest baby...there isn't much that makes this girl unhappy, except laying on her back. She's got too much to see and too many places to go than to be confined to laying on her back. Unfortunately that makes for a fairly difficult diaper change and clothing change...but we're keeping up.

April 15th is the day

We just returned from the doctor...and I'm 1 1/2 cm dilated and 50% effaced. Dr. Irvin is guestimating shrimpie in the 8lb range at 2 weeks before her due date. She's not so shrimpie anymore! So we have decided to go ahead with an induction a week early. We go into the hospital at 5am on Wed., April 15th!! Looks like our little girl will be here in just one week :)

We are so happy and extremely excited to meet our little girl!! I am also extremely relieved that the whole event is planned and something I can prepare for (including immediate administering of an epidural).

Wish us luck...we'll need it
xoxo,
Nat & Jay

Home Stretch

Well, I am about 37 weeks along and considered "full-term" at this point, although we still have another 3 weeks until the actual due date (4/21/09). We are both very ready to meet this little girl. The fun of pregnancy is long, long gone and we are as prepared as we'll ever be. The reality of parenthood is forefront on my mind, although I really have no idea what it will be like. I try to imagine daily life, but as I hear from other parents..."becoming a parent will turn your life upside down and rock your world". We are both as ready as we'll ever be for the roller-coaster we are strapping into. Bring it on little one...we cannot wait to see your cute little face and share our lives with you!!

5 weeks and counting...

I can't believe that I will have reached my 35th week this Tuesday...time flies!! Only 5 more weeks to go. Although, I must be honest, when I look down at my belly, I do not think I'll make it that long. Shrimpie is getting bigger everday and she is running out of room! I'm definitely moving slower these days. The woes of the 3rd trimester have hit me...only 3 pairs of my shoes still fit me, my back aches after standing for 10 minutes, I'm probably averaging about 4-5 hours of sleep a night (good practice for impending parenthood of a newborn) and I pee at least onceper hour if not more often. But, it is a small price to pay for this miracle growing inside of my body.

My mom & sister threw me an amazing baby shower last weekend! It was absolutely wonderful. We were spoiled rotten!! Grammy Karen & Auntie Deanne flew out from NV to be here, which was such a wonderful blessing. And we were all surprised when my Aunt Doris & cousin Teresa walked in the front door. They flew out from Cali without telling a soul. It was great to see them! Check out some of the pix!

We have arrived at the third trimester

I cannot believe how fast time has flown by!! I am just 3 days away from the 30 week mark...with only 10 short weeks to go. I am definitely feeling quite large these days and am feeling shrimpie kick and squirm more often and with greater intensity. Saw the doc last week and everyhting is looking good and on track. I passed my diabetes test and my iron level is good. However, I have gained a bit too much weight...oops. Well, anyone who knows me and knows how much I love food, is probably not at all surprised. Pregnancy is like a green light for over-eating. I know I should be choosing a piece of broccoli over a fudge brownie... but you know what...I'm enjoying it right now. After shrimpie arrives it'll be all about Weight Watchers...so I'm going to enjoy myself (in relative moderation).

On another note - my niece, Zoe Rene, arrived on 1/30/09 and mom & baby are doing great! In fact, my big sis, Janine, makes the whole labor, delivery and mothering thing look sooo easy. I know it isn't and I'm sure it will be a challenge...but I am so excited for the opportunity (minus the labor & delivery). Check out the pix.

23-24 weeks

We celebrated Christmas with Jay's family in Dayton, NV and got to spend some quality time with our 2 beautiful nieces, Lilly & Amelia. Plus, we recd some good advice from their moms, Deanne & Holly. Thanks guys...new parents need all the help they can get! But that will be the last airplane flight for me for awhile.

Well our little Shrimpie has been movin & shakin quite a bit lately! It is so wonderful to feel her little kicks every few hours, and I have begun to see her movements from outside...quite a trip. Thanks to much help from our family, we have new carpet & new furniture up in the nursery. It looks beautiful! Definitely my new favorite room in the house. We will begin our childbirth classes this week...wish us luck!