FUGAZZA Diaries

New teeth, and new taste!

2010-09-12T23:40:00.000-07:00

Giada has finally got a full little chicklet smile on the front of her mouth! She cut the two top front teeth just a couple of days ago. However, I believe that there are more coming in, because other than being her cute and happy self, she's been a little extra fussy (and drool-y). Her favorite thing to do? Try to bite Mom and Dad's noses and cheeks! She thinks it's hilarious when we pull away in pain. And don't even get me started on the cat. The poor thing gets tufts of fur yanked out every day. It's also a good thing that her tail is so firmly attached. How do we know that for sure? Gia's tried to pull it off, almost every day. Poor cat. But, before you go feeling too sorry for her, just remember that the cat holds her own. She's pawed and pounced on Gia a number of times to let her know whose still the boss at the house (or at least that's what she believes. That's okay...a delusional cat is a happy cat).

On another note, Giada's palate for food has been expanding. She has tried a number of different foods lately, and seems to like all of them. Her favorites? Meat; ranging from chicken, ground turkey, pork and hamburger. Her next favorite? Cheese. Just like her daddy, she can make cheese 'disappear' faster than mom can cut it up and put it on her tray. Favorite fruit? It's a very close tie between raspberries, blackberries and mandarin oranges. The girl can nearly eat an entire 8 oz. can of the oranges for breakfast. It's insanity. And since she's MY daughter, she must try different ranges of food ethnicity. She has tried tamales, which she liked a lot (though she could have just eaten the meat filling and been happy), and she really really loves italian food. Pizza and pasta are a part of the girl's DNA. Don't believe me? See the picture above. That's tomato sauce, baby! I have included pictures of ravioli, and of berries. Notice the vibrant colors on her face! No wonder Native Americans used berry juice as dye for cloth. It definitely dyes everything you touch...Gia had blue fingers for a couple of hours after eating, even though she was bathed right after breakfast. And the ravioli? Orange eyebrows. She looked rather Oompa Loompa-ish...

Lastly, on Friday, when Gia and I were leaving the house to go and visit our good friends Mandy and Bella, one of the Property Management guys from our condo said, 'Oh, what a cute baby boy!" Now, first of all, though Gia's my baby, and I know that I'm biased, I shouldn't have been offended that the guy got my baby's gender wrong. BUT, Gia does NOT look like a baby boy. She was, however, wearing a blue striped shirt (with flared sleeves, like a boy would wear that, but whatev). So, when I told my friend Mandy what had happened, she gave Gia a baby hair clip, so there wouldn't be any confusion anymore as to her gender. Gia only has a light chunk of hair on top of her head, but this clip fit nicely. At least she looks like a cute baby GIRL in a cute blue shirt!

Cat Food vs. Baby Food

2010-08-17T23:01:00.000-07:00

Now that Giada's eating solids, there have been many exciting new tastes that she has enjoyed. Her favorite dinner foods include chicken nuggets, peas, and small tastes of a cookie. For breakfast? Cheerios, sucking and biting on a piece of bagel, and homemade apple sauce. Now, as far as lunch goes, she just snacks on things, like cheese (which she LOVES; not only is she the spitting image of Rob, but also adores cheese like her father), crackers, and apparently, CAT FOOD. I can't even tell you how many times I see her hovering around the cat food dishes. Now, you are probably asking yourself, "What kind of a mother would leave out the cat's food dishes for the baby to find?" Oh, okay, so first of all, whoever is thinking that, they either have never had a child, or they no longer live on this planet because they are PERFECT.
I have taken the dishes away, and swept and mopped my floors, but apparently, Giada still seems to find a disgusting fish, chicken or beef flavored nugget anyway. I prefer to think that my cat and my daughter are in cahoots with each other. If you were to ask me how I think my daughter finds cat food, I would present the following as a theory: Athena (my cat), goes to eat in the morning. She notices with great distaste (as all cats do, by the way), that her meal consists of dry, tasteless nuggets, instead of a fresh kill, like a mouse or fish. After pawing at her food for a few seconds to either decide if the food is really there or that she's having a nightmare, she tentatively takes a few nuggets into her mouth, and chews them disdainfully. Now, after she realizes that the nuggets are indeed fake, she paws at her dish to create a scattering of nuggets, so that I can realize that she is not happy with her food. HOWEVER, she has also noticed that the baby gets "the royal treatment" in regards to food. So, in rebellion, the cat somehow hides some of the scattered nuggets to where I can't see them, but my baby can. Therefore, she not only gets back at me, but taints my offspring with her nasty food. Then, Gia, thinking that the cat is leaving her 'treats', crawls around and finds them.

Luckily, though, Gia has only eaten cat food a couple of times, and both times I have triple checked the floor for any stray nuggets of nastiness. Ah, having a crawler is sweet...I can't wait until she can walk!! ;)

LAME MOM

2010-08-13T11:23:00.000-07:00

Okay, so the last time I wrote on my blog, it was like two weeks ago. I took Giada to visit my aunt in CA, and we had a great visit! Though it was too fast, we were able to take Gia to Disneyland (pics to follow, when I get my arse in gear and upload them to my computer from the camera), and most importantly, we visited our uncle that is very sick with cancer in an assisted living facility.

If you were to ask me what my favorite part of our trip was, it wouldn't be Disneyland, amazingly enough. Though the churros were way hot and fresh, and the rides were memorable, as well as the tear inducing fireworks show; visiting a bunch of elderly people with a baby was way more entertaining. The first person to get to know Giada at the nursing home was my uncle's mother, who is 100 years old. We were afraid that my daughter was going to crush the poor woman. Instead, Giada admired her shirt buttons, and rings on her fingers. In response, auntie gave Gia a beautiful 'specimen' doll, so that she could start a collection. Though Giada's too young to play with it, the doll sits on the nightstand in Giada's room; a friendly reminder that a little baby can be a warm ray of sunshine to anyone at any age or stage of life.

The next person who got to know Giada was my uncle himself. Though he's dying of stomach cancer, he was able to have a 'spitting contest' with my daughter, and it brought a smile to his face. He's not a 'baby person' as he said, but he couldn't keep himself from grinning while my daughter unabashedly spat all over his clean room. Only babies can get away with that kind of stuff. Her smile was infectious no matter who we ran into at the nursing home. There was an elderly man in the elevator with us as we were going up to see uncle and auntie, and the aides standing with him told us afterwards that though he was smiling at my daughter, he hadn't hardly smiled since he'd moved in, and that was over a year ago! There was another cute man that created a poem for my daughter, just by looking at her. It went something like this:

"As beautiful of a girl you are,

Tonight you look like a movie star.

With a smile that's fresh and vivacious

And a cute body that's very curvaceous."

All in all, we went to Beverly Hills, California, to cheer up our aunt who is soon to lose her husband. With my daughter in tow, we (and I mean my daughter mostly), were able to bring a smile to her face, and give her a chance to build up more energy and determination to face this trial head on. We love her very much, and hope to visit her again soon.

Now, here are some other exciting tidbits:

Giada is now nine months old! (Congrats to Rob and I, for doing okay so far as parents, though we know that the battle is just beginning).

We went to Giada's doctor's appointment today, and all is well! She measures at 80% of height at her age, and 50 something percent in weight. Her head circumference is very small, but thankfully, we know that she's got quite the brains on her, because she's officially crawling EVERYWHERE. Thus, mom had to break out the drill today, and baby proof the kitchen cabinets. Though the bathroom doors stay closed (for now), those cabinets and toilets will be next in the baby proofing department.

That should cover the updates for now, though we still need to upload photos and stuff. We will get on that soon, but in the meantime, thanks for reading (and being patient with my procrastination), and being such great friends! Have a great Friday the 13th weekend!

Packing for Two

2010-07-23T00:05:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know that I mentioned this in yesterday's posting, but I still can't believe how crazy it is to pack for a baby for a weekend. Seriously, the list for what I need to take for Giada just keeps growing and growing. Only about a third of the suitcase is full of stuff for me. I just have to say that I am going to look hot in the two outfits that I will wear for the four days I will be gone :) Oh well, at least Gia's going to look adorable!

The flight should be interesting; I hope that it's not too full so that I can have some room for me and the baby. I also hope that if someone is 'blessed' to sit by us, that person will be patient and kind. I hope it all goes well. As for the trip, I am more excited for my aunt to see Giada than I am for Disneyland. Isn't that funny? I am looking forward to seeing how my aunt will react to her, and Giada's reaction. She loves the attention, so I'm sure it will be wonderful for both of them. And, I'll have a couple of people that will be more than willing to hold my baby for me while I go on rides! Whoo-hoo!

I will give details about our trip when I get back! Have a wonderful weekend all of you, and Happy Pioneer Day!

DISNEYLAND!!

2010-07-21T18:57:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

I haven't been posting entries for a few days due to crazy times with the family being in town. If you know my peeps, then you would understand the total chaos and insanity that ensues when all of my family gets together. And you thought you couldn't get a word in edgewise with just me! :)
Well, here's a little mini update: Giada and I are going to visit our dear Aunt Colleen on Friday, and while we are there, we are going to Disneyland! Grandma and Auntie Erin are going as well! Rob unfortunately, has to work, but I am grateful for such a loving and hard-working husband, who is dedicated to taking care of 'his' girls. I am excited to see Giada's reaction to Disneyland, though if it's like the zoo, she will notice the fence, grass, and the interior of her stroller more than a gigantic giraffe that stood directly over her. Oh well, the fun is more for her Mommy anyway, since I haven't been to Disneyland in nearly a decade. It should be a fun trip.

On the Mother's side note, let me tell you about how it goes with packing for a baby. SO, my daughter is not even 20 pounds, and I have a list literally a mile long full of items that she will need for a weekend away from Utah. What am I bringing? Clothing, toothbrush, some makeup, PJ's, underwear, etc. How much space do you think that I will get in my suitcase for my stuff? For a medium sized roller bag; probably the outer pocket. I have to bring food, clothing, diapers, portable bed thing, etc., for Giada. Not to mention the baby carseat, and her stroller. I also have to entertain her while she sits on my lap for almost two hours. I hope I don't get a mean passenger sitting next to me! But other than these things, I look forward to more adventures with my baby girl. Of course, the most exciting thing for me: having my daughter meet my Aunt, who is a remarkable woman, as her husband is dying of cancer, and she doesn't have any children, grandchildren, etc. This trip is primarily meant as a bit of sunshine for her during this dark time. My baby is like her grandbaby as well, and I am excited for the two girls to finally meet.

To end my entry, I would just like to add to the void out there, that no matter what happens, I am getting me a churro at Disneyland. I have craved one of those bad boys for 10 years (especially when I was pregnant-and no, the Costco churros DO NOT taste the same)! I am looking forward to its doughy, sweet deliciousness!

Day One

2010-07-15T23:21:00.000-07:00

Today is the most perfect day to begin writing an 'online journal' of my daughter and me. My dad, who is in town for the week, finally got to spend the day with his only granddaughter, for the second time since she was born. Giada, as some of you know, is a very happy baby, and she was really happy to get to know her grandpa. She was a bit wary of him at first, but soon she was charming her grandpa with her wide grin.
Grandpa fed her some ice cream, and some cold melon and prosciutto soup, which Giada loved both. Grandpa also would ask everyone around us (total strangers), if they agreed that 'his granddaughter' wasn't the most beautiful girl in the entire world? Though I agree whole heartedly that she is indeed the most beautiful, I am sure that others were extremely polite in agreeing with my very proud Dad of his little granddaughter. It was a sweet day.

Now, as a mom, I must tell you something...I am so grateful for my beautiful girl. I know that God knew that I was going into this motherhood thing a little later than the 'Mormon Standard', but I am so grateful to Him for sending me such a patient little girl. I am definitely not perfect, and it's great to know that my daughter still loves me even after I accidentally pinched her cute, chubby thigh when I was buckling her into her car seat. Points for mom! She cried a little bit, but still wanted me to pick her up and kiss her, which means that the little angel doesn't hold grudges. That's so sweet!
My mom and sister are coming in to town tomorrow; let the baby fights begin! Those two are ruthless when it comes down to deciding who gets to hold the baby, bathe her, kiss her cheeks with sparkly lip gloss (Erin...), etc. They are so crazy, that Dad flew in a day early just to get in his own time with the little girl, before the Grandma/Aunt whirlwind began. On that note, I am thrilled as ever that my family is so enthralled with my daughter. I know how amazingly crazy I am about my little girl, but it's nice to have my feelings and thoughts confirmed with my family. If I ever wonder, 'Is my daughter really the cutest baby in the world?' (Not that I have ever really doubted it), I can simply pick up the phone, call any member of my family, and they will quickly confirm that fact. I am even suggesting to have it added to Wikipedia. It would be under Babies>Cutest>World. Look it up in a bit if you don't believe me.

Motherhood is awesome. I have done some difficult things in my life, but I have to admit that being a mother is the most trying. It's not because of the actual person. My daughter is my every hope and dream for this world enrobed in a tiny human being. It's the day to day things that I do to teach her, influence her, and hopefully, inspire her that make my job overwhelming. If any of you women out there wonder if it's more important to pursue a career than a family, I hope that one day your mind will change. That you will feel the strong desire to do the greatest job ever; to help mold and shape a child that we can hope will help to make this world a better place. If you don't have any children, I am so grateful for those of you who have taken my child under your wing, and have been a great example to me of loving caretakers. I couldn't do this great work without you.

A change

2010-07-14T23:49:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I said at the beginning of this blog that I was going to just update the life of my baby girl, Giada. Though it was a noble idea, I have decided that trying to post little tidbits of my daily life as a stay at home mom on my blog, would be rather refreshing. So, I will be doing both; updating everyone on my princess and her life adventures, and adding my own comments on how my life has changed since becoming a mother. Hope you like it!

Mama Mia!
So, Rob has a mistress, and her name is Settebello. She's an authentic Napoletana Pizzeria in downtown Salt Lake City. Every time we go downtown to eat, Rob wants to eat there. It's pretty tasty, I must admit, but the last time we went, which was almost a week ago, we had Giada give it a taste for the first time. After all, the girl is Italian, and it's in her DNA to love pizza, right? When we put the crust in her mouth, she just clamped down on it, and stared at us. It was like, "What do you expect me to do with this?" It was pretty funny. Rob insists that she loved it, and thus pizza will be her first official 'adult food' favorite. Notice from the picture that she is using her hands (as every true Italian does) to explain how she is enjoying this tantalizing treat. She also got a little taste of cinnamon gelato from mommy for dessert. What a lucky bambina!

Four months already?

2010-03-25T11:30:00.000-07:00

Giada is now four months old! I can't believe it! We have been working on rice cereal and sleeping through the night. Sleep training has been fabulous; nothing like waking up to the screams of my little angel, only to go into her room and have to explain why, though milk is near, I can't let her have it. It's like dangling a delicious slice of chocolate cake over my head and then telling me that I can't eat it, and to GO TO SLEEP! Yeah, anyone who knows me, knows that there's no chance of sleep after that temptation.

Her Doctor's appointment went great; again her head is like REALLY small for the average, but hey, one less insecurity to worry about, right? She's also very lean, weighing only 14 pounds. How I am grateful that my creamy milk is not a temptation for her to be obese! Fabulous! She's growing faster than a weed; her hair is growing in like a chia pet, and she's trying to repeat sounds that she hears, which she's amazing at doing. She giggles when tickled, and her gummy grin is the most beautiful thing in the world. I love it. I sure am a lucky mom! I will add more pics as soon as my hubby can help me fix the ones posted for last month. Poor guy's been busy doing lots of things.

Thanks for reading, and sorry if you can't make comments. That's something else that the hubby has to help me do.

An update, finally!

2010-02-15T11:13:00.000-08:00

So, I had my baby, of course, since it's been three months since my last submission; I decided to do a quick update of what I'd missed, and then hopefully stay caught up on the times from now on...
Birth-three weeks
I would love to say that this time went quickly, and it did, despite the fact that I was awake for most of it. Gia could only manage to sleep every hour and a half or so at this point. I got to know our television really well; especially the infomercials. It's a good thing that I hate shopping!

One month- two months
At this point, Giada was almost military with her feeding times and naps. Every three hours I could count on a dirty diaper, feeding her a full meal, and letting her nap until the 'magical 3' started all over again. I would love to say that I got a lot done while Gia rested, but I actually was either sleeping myself, or curled up in the fetal position in the corner of my bedroom with bloodshot eyes. At least she's the cutest baby ever!

Three months-
Baby blessing day! Gia was all dressed in white, and about ready to go, when Mommy laid out the cute shawl for her baby to be wrapped up, and realized there was a ginormous catholic cross stitched on the center (in my defense, the shawl was wrapped in a plastic envelope bag when I bought it)! SO, technically, Gia was blessed AND christened! At least we covered all of the bases!

Some highlights:
Gia is a flirt. I have caught her 'batting her incredibly long eyelashes' to several baby boys on many occasions. Dad jokes about buying a shotgun to ward off boys, but we might actually need to invest in a shock collar for our own daughter!

Like her mother, Gia has her fake cry, and multitude of facial expressions pretty much nailed. Most people fall prey to the fake cry, but mom wins sympathy awards by bursting out laughing when her daughter 'cries'. The trembling chin is a nice touch as well. The only time the trembling chin is to be taken seriously, is when Gia's cold.

Apparently, Gia was born to grin. The pediatrician said that most babies don't really smile until they are at least eight to nine weeks old, and even then, it's occasional. Gia was born smiling. I have the gory pics to prove it, but to save my dignity (as much as you can with childbirth), I will not post those pictures here. However, a smile is a sign of mental development (no, not gas), and so I am relieved to report that at least I can document where my lost brain cells went during pregnancy; I have the happiest baby in the world.

We have had many adjustments in our lives these past few months, but would I change it for the world? Absolutely not. I do declare that I think that women with two children are angels (women with five or more children are crazy), but that women are so amazing to be able to bear and raise children, and still keep their sanity and looks.

Week 38 (Almost): Delivery!

2009-11-17T20:02:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday, November 10th, I was scheduled for yet another Non-Stress Test, weight ultrasound, and a check up with the good old OB. Little did Rob and I know, that we would be meeting our little girl less than 24 hours from then. We went through the ultrasound where the doctor determined that the baby weighed around 7 lbs. 5 oz. He said that we should probably have the baby within the next week. After the ultrasound, we had the non-stress test, where the baby’s movements and activity were a little off. After a half an hour of determining whether things were good or not, the nurses finally called over to my OB to see what needed to be done. Since I was scheduled to meet with my OB right afterwards, we were handed the print off of the latest NST results, and sent to see my OB in person. After doing the usual weighing in, etc, my doctor announced that after looking over my NST results, she had decided to induce me that very night! Rob and I were ecstatic! She went on to explain that the irregularities on the NST’s were probably due to the placenta starting to give out; it was tired of doing its job. She then explained that they were probably going to have me check in that night to start ripening my cervix to get dilation going, and then induce me. We were all ready to go with that plan, when she said that she was going to check me right then to determine what time I should check in to Labor and Delivery that night.

Surprise Dilation:
After checking me, the doctor was surprised to find that I was dilated to a 4 and 70% effaced! She exclaimed that she was really surprised about that thinking that I was probably not dilated at all. And then told she us that instead of waiting until that night to admit us, she was going to call Labor and Delivery to see if they had any rooms available for us right then! She stepped out of the office to make the call, and I called my parents to tell them that things were going to happen that day. When the doctor came back, she said that they were full in Labor and Delivery for a few more hours, so she sent us home to get things in order, and then we were to report to the hospital around 3 pm.

A Frantic Frenzy:
Nothing can describe how we were when we were driving home from the hospital to wait. We hurried around and straightened up the house, did the dishes, and Rob vacuumed. We fed the cat and headed out to grab a light meal, and drove back to the hospital. After checking into Labor and Delivery, I was then hooked up to numerous machines; the usual fetal monitors, fluids, and an insulin drip for my blood sugars. After starting the fluids for induction, and the waves of contractions began, other things were added to my list of IV bags; a catheter for my poor bladder, an internal fetal monitor, and other things I cannot even remember. From the time they broke my water to delivery, I was in labor for 12 hours, and actively pushed for nearly 4 hours.

Finally! She’s here!

Giada Kristen Fugazza was born at 3:27 am on November 11, 2009, weighing seven pounds, 11 ounces, and 20.5 inches in length. It was a significant day for us; our first baby’s birth date, the same date eight years ago that Rob proposed to me, and my in-laws wedding anniversary. To better explain Giada’s middle name, my cousin and best friend Kristen that was killed in an accident over twenty years ago, also was born on November 11th. We felt it was all meant to be. Giada was born the day she was meant to be here, and it’s been a wild ride (and exhausting one) ever since. She was born healthy and active, and then two days later we discovered that her bilirubin levels were really high. They started her on treatments where we needed to stay in the hospital for another day, and then we went home with her on Friday, November 13th. She had to be kept in a bilibed for a day at home, so that her jaundice would go down. After a couple of days of waiting and getting Gia’s heel pricked for blood samples, the doctor declared that her jaundice levels were low risk enough to stop using light therapy. Though her numbers are still a little high, after a good week of feeding and rest, our little girl should be in the clear from being a ‘yellow baby’.

An overwhelming ‘Thank You’
We are so grateful for her presence in our lives, and are in awe of the amazing and overwhelming love that we feel for her. Though she most definitely is the most beautiful girl in the world, her sweet spirit has been the greatest blessing to us here at home. It makes all of the sleeplessness completely worthwhile.

We will keep this blog going as an update on the baby and our lives as we continue to raise our little girl. Thank you for reading, and thanks for all of the texts, meals, and countless phone calls and facebook postings. We appreciate every single one.

BTW... Rob didn't start smoking, this is just a chocolate cigar.

Week 37: Down to the Wire

2009-11-01T20:22:00.000-08:00

So, in short explanation of my status, this baby should be arriving anytime between now and the week before Thanksgiving! I can’t believe it! The poor girl is just getting bigger and bigger! We have an ultrasound scheduled for Tuesday, November 10th, where they will weigh and measure the baby. If she’s just HUGE, which I guess she will be, I will be induced either that week or in the beginning of the following week. Since my mom is flying in on the 17th, I am going to try and wait for her to come, but if the baby needs to come earlier, mom will have to figure out how to get here before then.

I have literally bought everything that I need to prepare me for absolutely everything baby. At least what every book, magazine and associate has told me that I need. All I need to do now is find a good pediatrician. I got a great recommendation from a friend; I just need to make the call. That will be my priority this week. After that is in order, I guess I will literally be at home, waiting for this little girl to arrive.

The pictures posted for this week are from my ward’s baby shower. My good friends Tineke, Amanda, and my sister Erin and sister-in-law Stephanie all came with me to the church to celebrate the birth of my baby girl with my cute River 4th ward ladies. You should have seen the outfits they gave my baby! My goodness! This little girl is going to be so well dressed; she’s going to make her parents look bad :) I have an entire closet just stuffed full of darling little outfits. The ladies in the ward have been so giving and sweet; I really do appreciate their generosity.

As the birth of this baby gets closer and closer, I have been thinking and reflecting on these past nine months. I have gone through a lot of medical issues these past six years, and every previous moment of discouragement and stress has seemed like nothing every time that I feel my little girl moving inside of me. I don’t know how many kids I will have, but I do know that I have enjoyed every ache, pain and potty break (which have been NUMEROUS) that this pregnancy has given me. Rob and I thank the Lord every day for the blessing and opportunity to be parents. I am grateful that I have had the insight to enjoy what life has given me one day at a time.

I hope that you all have a great week, and thanks again for reading!

The Final Countdown

2009-10-18T20:53:00.000-07:00

This past week, Rob and I learned the plans that my doctor had for our little girl’s arrival. My blood sugars have been stabilized; however, she’s still bigger right now than normal. Her growth should be at a normal pace from now on, but since she started early, my doctor said she will absolutely not let the baby come at week 40. We are going to have another ultrasound at week 38 (November 9th-15th), and depending on her weight, my doctor will decide to induce me that week, or the following week. SO, the good news is that we are going to have this baby before the week of Thanksgiving! The bad news is that I can’t go and see the New Moon movie until after the little girl is born. Yet, if that’s the worst thing, then I am perfect!

Rob and I spent a good part of our Saturday yesterday getting last minute baby items, and organizing the nursery. I washed the baby’s clothes and linens (Gain detergent, by the way, smells the best), and put most of her stuff away. Tonight for F.H.E. we ‘packed my bag’, and we feel that we are mostly ready. The only other thing that I have to do as soon as possible is locate a pediatrician. My friends have recommended a good one, but I have yet to make the actual phone call and conduct the ‘interview’ to see if the doctor is good enough for our little princess!

I have resorted to wearing slippers to work; shoes do not seem to fit as well as they used to before, and thanks to my amazing boss, I don’t get any flack for wearing fluffy black shoes while waddling back and forth across the bank lobby. It’s nice to have understanding women co-workers that have been through this all before.

So, in short, I am looking forward to getting through another week of surviving nearly nine months of pregnancy! I have a paper chain in the nursery that counts down the working days that I have until maternity leave (16 more days, just in case anyone was wondering). Life here is good; just waiting for the little bug to show her beautiful face!

Again, thanks for tuning in!!

33 Weeks down... How many more to go?

2009-10-11T22:33:00.000-07:00

Well this past week has flown by, at least with the growth and development of our baby girl. Other than weighing a bit more than what she should be at this point (thanks to the gestational diabetes), she’s been fairly cooperative with the doctors. Other than making antenatal nurses madly chase her around my belly with fetal monitors to just check and see if she’s active, she is passing her tests with flying colors.

I have been very impressed with the medical care that I’ve received over these past few weeks. These doctors and nurses don’t mess around; they get me the help that I need before I even know that I am in need of something. I have a few assignments; fax in my blood sugars every three days and start a bout of insulin shots, which is, ironically, a blessing. The best thing about all of the blood sugar hoopla is that it’s not my fault! I have been doing my job, but apparently the placenta is not making me look good. At least doctors are blaming something other than me!

Rob and I are now graduates of the Third Trimester Class course that we did at the hospital over the past two Saturdays. Last week, we discussed, from the beginning to the end, the initial expectations of labor, all of the way through to birth. Yesterday, we completed our course by discussing post labor and recovery, and baby care. Rob’s highlight of the class was to see an actual placenta, which the instructor showed to the entire class just because of Rob’s request (we might have made some enemies over this, as some of the future dads were already squirmy over the old school video footage of women in labor that we had to watch). We also took a tour of the labor and delivery rooms and recovery rooms. It was a very informative class, and it did its job to dispel the myths of labor, and to make us feel more prepared for the unexpected.

I just have a breastfeeding class Tuesday night, and then I will be as prepared as can be for the big event. We are getting more and more excited with each passing day. I also keep on thinking of things that need to get done before the baby comes. It just seems like when nine months is too long, the last few weeks tease you with getting nothing done at all. At least the nursery is completed!

Enjoy this week’s picture! Rob was the only courageous dad that volunteered to ‘try out the labor bed’ from our class. He joked afterwards that now he can relate to what I was going to go through, just by sitting in the bed. I am sure that his mind will be changed when the real thing happens. At least he had his moment!

Week 32: Eight Months Already!

2009-09-27T21:27:00.000-07:00

Maybe it seems normal to think that I am this far along already, but I am in total denial. It’s so crazy telling people that I’m eight months pregnant! It seems so surreal! I am totally to the point of exhaustion now. I wasn’t entirely energetic until this point anyway, but I am definitely not doing much extra lately. My days literally consist of working, coming home, sitting on my comfortable recliner, and dozing off until Rob gets home and wants to eat something. The best weekends are like this past one, where we literally stayed home nearly all day long both on Saturday and Sunday (other than Church and grocery shopping). It was great!

The nursery is near completion; we still have to hang some curtains, and get some bedding for the crib. Also, we have to seriously clean out the closet and shelving to actually create some storage space for the baby’s things. She needs to put her 8 pairs of shoes (so far) somewhere, doesn’t she?

I have a question to put out there for my blog followers! I have been keeping my ears open towards ideas of what things parents do with their kids. You know, like special traditions? I have heard some pretty cute things; special date nights with each kid, birthday sugar cereal, going on certain trips to certain destinations at certain ages, etc. I have loved collecting these ideas and hope to use many of them on my own. So, with that explanation in place, what kinds of fun and ‘traditional’ things did you do with your parents while growing up? Or, what have you loved to do with your kids now that you are a parent? I would love to hear the great ideas that you have.

Once again, thanks for tuning in this week! We have some fun things coming up; General Conference, where I can literally sit on my couch and watch Church while in my PJ’s, another baby shower with the ladies from my ward, and the cooler weather (which I am welcoming with open arms at this point)!

Have a wonderful week and be happy! You deserve it!

Week 31-Baby Shower!

2009-09-20T19:52:00.000-07:00

So on Saturday, my friend Shereen, from the bank, threw me the most incredible baby shower. She made incredible food; like curry chicken salad sandwiches, veggies, fruits, lime rickeys, lil’ smokies, and Leslee’s most famous carrot cake with that dreamy cream cheese frosting that I’m pretty sure I would die for. Several of my good friends from work showed up and gave my little girl some darling gifts. I am afraid, though (and I fully admit that this is my fault), that my daughter might think that there exists only one color in the world. Since her nursery is purple, and my favorite color is purple, I received a lot of great looking purple items, along with darling pink outfits, blankets, etc.

Baby girl is also going to look like me, as she already has several cute little pairs of shoes for her little feet. If you were to ask Daddy which pair he likes best? He would definitely claim that the two pairs of baby Air Jordan booties definitely win over all other shoes. Thanks, Latai!

If I were to choose the best gift that I received? I would say that the friends that I have made while working at the bank are the best presents that money could never buy. They have all been so supportive and so excited for me! I have waited a long time to get pregnant, and the road has been long and hard. It’s funny that family and close friends are there for me and happy with the excitement of my life. However, most things in life occur during the working days, so my co-workers have seen me go through most everything, good or bad, over the past six years. I appreciate and value their friendships and generosity.

I am still doing well; tired as usual, but I can still sleep through the night, with the usual three potty breaks during my rest. Picking up things that I have clumsily dropped on the floor no longer happens. I usually ask my sweet husband to do it for me. I probably should just stop trying to be graceful at this point.
Rob and I have been very fortunate and blessed thus far in our lives. We look forward to another week of adventures as our baby ‘princess’ continues to ‘bake’ for another week.

Thanks for reading!

Here are some of the decorations of the baby shower:

May the Force be with you 'til next week!

The Princess Castle Awaits…

2009-09-15T20:34:00.000-07:00

After two very long weekends of laborious painting and drawing, my darling hubby has created a very sweet and very purple (though in the pictures it looks blue, because of the lighting) nursery for our soon to be born princess.

Included in this posting are some pics of his work; he did everything freehand; no stencils are required or needed for my man! He also put together the baby’s crib, and conducted a test drive of the stroller. I guess we’re ready to roll on the set up for the nursery! My friend Megan and I are going to make some curtains for the windows, and then the ‘baby sanctuary’ will be complete.

Other updates for the pregnancy? My new journey is called ‘gestational diabetes’. Did you know that the secret to eating sweets when you are diabetic is to double up on the protein? So, instead of ordering a Diet Coke with that gigantic slice of chocolate fudge cake, order a slab of meat on the side, and voila. Your sugars should be just fine.

My little bundle of joy is now measuring two weeks ahead of schedule. Is she getting too big? No, say the doctors. I could just be one of those women who are blessed with larger babies, nonetheless. You gotta love the genetic predisposition.

But the nurses and ultrasound techs do a great job of agitating my nerves. They get me all worked up and worried about things, only for the doctors to come in and tell me that I’m just ‘normal’. Ask me, though, for those of you that know me, have I ever been considered ‘normal’?

Other than a baby that weighs three pounds a couple of weeks early, everything else are ‘all systems go’. I am just starting to have slight contractions; I remember during the good old days when menstrual cramps were the most painful thing that I could imagine. It’s amazing how much more pain can occur when your uterus is the size of a watermelon, and your baby is vying for the first ever karate black belt in utero. I’d like to think that it’s her father’s influence ;)

Seven Months and counting

2009-09-06T16:18:00.001-07:00

Rob and I have had many adventures being married for over seven years; we have traveled the world, seen and done many fun and exciting things. However, nothing has added up to the excitement that we feel waiting for the birth of our beautiful princess, our baby girl. Rob and I have started to prepare ourselves for the pains that come with the blessing of having a baby, and also the lack of sleep (which is my most favorite thing in the whole world to do :(
We painted her bedroom purple (if you know me well, you wouldn't be too surprised about the color choice), and my darling artistic husband drew a castle on one wall (freehand, thank you very much). It's a good thing one of us knows how to draw...

Anyway, this blog is to document, from here on out, our newest adventure. In addition, I literally have family all over the globe that is curious and excited about our new addition (especially my parents and in-laws as we waited FOREVER to procreate, according them them:). We are counting down the days, and adding pictures, etc., of our journey from here until Thanksgiving.

We hope you enjoy it!