Life is good

Our days are made up of eating, pooping, peeing, sleeping, crying.

And I'm not just talking about Olive. :)

Yes, I've shed a few tears. I know it's only normal since our lives have gone through a major change. Adjusting to our new normal is going to take some time.

Dan and I have also shared lots of laughs and smiles as our little girl grows before our eyes.

It's amazing how much she has changed in just a few weeks.

I think she is also going through a growth spurt. Yesterday and part of today she nursed non-stop. That made for an exhausting day.

This week, I have been squirted with poop and I have had projectile spit up hit my lips a few times. Fun stuff. Every day is different. There is never a dull moment when you have a child.

Olive is already holding her head up.

She hates being changed (diaper and clothes).

She hates baths.

She doesn't care for the pacifier right now.

She loves nursing.

She loves mommy's arms.

Yawning upsets her.

I just love her little cry when she is hungry.

I love the smiles she shows when she is sleeping.

I love all of her facial expressions.

I love the little head movement she makes when she is about to latch on.

Today she had a successful frenectomy/frenulectomy to correct her tongue tie.

Although our sleep schedule is not ideal right now I wouldn't change a thing.

I don't look forward to bedtime because I know I'll be up several times throughout the night, but she is worth the lack of sleep.

Every day is a new day, we start fresh and when I see her beautiful face the next morning I forget about how rough the night before was.

Life is good.

Olive's 2 week checkup

Olive gained 1 lb. 1 oz. since her 1 week checkup a week ago.

Nursing is obviously going well. :)

Age: 1 week 6 days

Weight: 8 lbs. 6 oz. (59th percentile)

Height: 21 inches long (81st percentile)

Head circumference: 36 cm/14.17 inches (57th percentile)

Sleeping: Some nights she has slept 3, 4, 5+ hours straight, while other nights she gets up every hour. She nurses every hour and a half or so throughout the day.Eating habits: Nursing. I will soon start pumping so that Dan can feed her sometimes.Favorite activity: Eating!Cutest Moment of the Week : When she smiles in her sleep, when she is asleep and poses like her Papa, her cute cry, and when she passes gas and it startles her awake.
Milestones: She can lift her head quite a bit already.
Firsts: First bath!

My poor baby has been dealing with gas pains and acid reflux.

We also found out she is tongue-tied like her Papa. But unlike her Papa she will be having the procedure where they snip the frenulum so that she doesn't have to go through speech therapy like he did as a child.

Our baby girl is getting so big.

Eating Machine

My little Olive berry is an eating machine.

She has been eating every 1.5 hours lately. It's been exhausting, especially at night. There were a few nights were she slept 3, 4, 5 + hours. It was so nice. Thank goodness I didn't get to used to it because it ended quickly.

The plus side, besides her getting wonderful breast milk, is that by eating so regularly she is most definitely keeping my milk supply up. Another plus is that I've already lost 26 lbs. of the 34 lbs. I had gained. 8 more lbs. to go! Yea!

They weren't kidding when they said breast feeding will help you to shed the baby weight. :)

Olive's First Halloween

We weren't prepared for Halloween this year. We've been so consumed with preparing for Olive that we didn't even set out our Halloween decor or plan to dress up the "kids" this year.

Here are just a few pics of our little one:

And this little outfit wasn't bought as a Halloween costume. It's just a snuggle/sleep sack, but it worked perfectly. :)

Hope everyone had a fun & safe Halloween! I can't wait to take Olive out next year. :)

Olive is here!

Today I would have been blogging about being 39 weeks along, but our beautiful daughter decided to make her debut a little early! :)

Olive Julia was born Sunday, October 23rd at 10:46 a.m. weighing 7 lbs. 10 oz. She is 20 1/4 inches long.

I have my October baby. :)

Birth story to come.

38 weeks & the Bump!

Ugly bump has arrived again.

Can I get any bigger?

How far along? 38 weeks!

Weight gain/loss: I've gained a few more pounds. Total weight gain 34 pounds. I don't understand how I could be gaining weight still. I must be putting on the weight now, not baby girl. Maybe it's muscle weight. haha

Maternity clothes? Yep, lots of maternity clothes.

Stretch marks?

Yep, I have stretch marks on my belly. How can I not when it's getting so big? :)

Sleep?

Sleep is eh. Insomnia comes and goes throughout the week. Getting in & out of bed is painful at times, especially with the swollen feet, pelvic soreness and my bladder being pushed on. Ow.

Best moment this week?

Having Dan put together the moses basket rocker, the pack & play, the rock & play and finishing the changing cabinet. We also had the car seat inspected and he installed it correctly. Yay! We also took a lesson in how to properly put baby girl in the car seat. It sure has changed since my nieces and nephew were kids.

Food cravings:

Sweets. I've been giving in too. Yeah, this could be where my extra weight gain comes from. blah.

Gender:

Female!

Belly button in or out?

I have an "outtie".

Movement?

Movement is still there, but I think it's getting cramped in there and she only pokes a limb out here and there. I still feel lots of hiccups.

What I miss?

Being able to put on my underwear without my pelvic region aching. Ow. The waddle has set in thanks to the wonderful pelvic pain. Maybe all of this pelvic pain means there is progress going on down there. :)

What I'm looking forward to:

Having my little girl here so then I don't have to carry her in my belly. :) Don't get me wrong, my pregnancy has been wonderful for the most part and I'm truly grateful that I get to experience this, but I'm getting tired. It'll all be worth it in the end. Hearing her heartbeat this afternoon is a reminder what all of these aches and pains are for her and it keeps me going!

Milestones: Our baby girl is anywhere from 6.8 - 7 1/2 pounds or maybe even bigger. Ahh! She is around 19 1/2 inches long. My fundus size is closer to 40 cm as of today. I'm huge! She has a firm grasp, which we'll soon be able to test when we hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb. 14 days to go! Come on Olive! October would be a wonderful birthday month, not too hot and not too cold.

"All belly" doesn't mean boy!

We've heard this way too many times to count. It's getting annoying actually.

Nurse: "You're having a boy, huh?"

Me/Dan: "No, it's a girl".

Nurse: "That's a girl?"..."But you're all belly."

Me: "Yep."

Waitress: "Es un nino?". (It's a boy?)

Me: "No, es un nina." (No, it's a girl.)

Waitress: "Pero usted está llevando a todos por adelantado" (But you're carrying all up front)

I want to know what idiot came up with the theory that "all belly", carrying high/low, carrying wide determines a child's sex. It's so ridiculous!

I'm not that tall, people! I have a short torso so baby bump has nowhere to go but outwards.

And I also love how when I tell them we're having a girl, a few have said, "Oh yeah, I carried my daughter like that too". Well shit, why would you assume it's a boy then?

Fortunately, pretty soon all of those comments will end.

And oh my goodness if she comes out a he I will be shocked. :D

Not "looking pregnant" from behind

I was at the gelato shop the other night and I turned around to see some girl mouthing, "Oh my gawd, she's pregnant" to her friend. Then she noticed I saw her and we just smiled at each other. I had to giggle.

I have to admit, if I saw someone from behind that looked like this:

and then they turned around and looked like this:

I'd probably have the same reaction. :D

National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day

It's pretty amazing how your life can change in a year.

Last year, I had gone through 2 miscarriages and today I'm 37 weeks & 2 days along in this pregnancy.

My thoughts are with several friends who have experienced a loss. May they one day be able to experience all of the joy and happiness that pregnancy and a child brings to one's life.

37 weeks! Full-term!

How far along? 37 weeks!

Weight gain/loss: I gained a few more pounds this week. Total weight gain is 31 lbs.

Maternity clothes? Yep, lots of maternity clothes are being worn, but I just hate wearing clothes these days. haha

Stretch marks?

Yes, a few above the "outtie".

Sleep?

Sleep is really uncomfortable now. My hips hurt, my pelvic region hurts, my lower back aches and I'm getting up to pee more often throughout the night.

Best moment this week?

FINALLY getting the crib in and video taping Dan begin to put it together, but unfortunately had to stop because the manufacturer messed up (the holes don't line up for the screws) and now we have to wait for something to be sent to us. Grrrr. Thankfully we will have a moses basket for 3 months, but still.

Food cravings:

Lemonade!

Gender:

Female!

Belly button in or out?

I have an "outtie".

Movement?

There is still plenty of movement going on and her limbs are still poking out at times. I love that.

What I miss?

Being able to get and up and go and move more without having to rest/elevate my feet because of swelling. I hate sitting for long periods of time, especially when there is still so much to do!

What I'm looking forward to:

Having my baby girl here!

Milestones: We're full-term! My fundus size was measured at 38 cm this morning and the midwife estimated that baby girl is about 7-7 1/2 pounds. The midwife thinks based on my size at birth (8.1) and Dan's size at birth (9.12) that I could very well have an 8+ pounder. Perfect. :D I'm giving Olive 2 more weeks. I doubt she'll listen to me though. :)