Waiting for Sophie

Today we are 39 weeks and 1 day pregnant! 



38 weeks 4 days


Yes, still pregnant.  I said weeks ago I was ready for our little girl to join us but I seem to keep finding things that need to be done.  I finally packed our bag for the hospital yesterday.  Granted we only live 5 minutes away so anything that didn't come with us in a hasty situation would be easy for Dan to stop by and get.  Maybe now that it's packed baby York will decide it's time...  Wishful thinking probably.  I've been doing everything known to pregnant ladies across the country to "try" to go into labor.  While I'll spare you the more personal "options", here's what I've been busy doing for two weeks now.

1. Sitting on a giant yoga ball.  We use these in the labor and delivery room as a more comfortable option for those going through labor pains.  While it is very comfy to sit on, the hope is that it engages the baby in the pelvis and aids in dilation.  I especially enjoy eating dinner while perched on the ball!

2. Walking.  Lucy continues to try to walk the baby out of me.  I enjoy the walks we get to go on with Dan holding the leash.  Gives me a chance to catch my breath and take things at my own pace.

3. Red raspberry leaf tea.  Drinking 2-3 cups of this daily apparently gives you a toned uterus.  So when those contractions start, they mean business.

4. Evening primrose oil.  This comes in a capsule like taking fish oil.  I've been taking two times a day to help prepare the cervix once labor starts.

5. Getting a pedicure.  Twist my arm!  An extra long foot massage can help start contractions.

6. Acupressure.  Certain pressure points can also start labor.  Dan's going to need to help me more with this one.

Some things I've had people tell me to do that I haven't gotten around to...

1. Eat a spicy meal.  This sounds awful right about now as I have heartburn 24/7

2. Drink castor oil.  Another awful sounding idea.  I heard it tastes disgusting and I'm unimpressed with the effects it has on one's intestinal system.

3. Eggplant Parmigiana.  What!!??  Just heard about this from a co-worker.  Apparently an Italian restaurant in Georgia claims their dish makes women go into labor.  In fact they have a wall of baby pictures at their establishment of all the babies born shortly after their mothers consumed this labor-inducing meal.  Too bad we're not in Georgia.

Despite all of these things, I'm just fine with waiting on the little one to arrive.  I'm a little uncomfortable at times.  I'm still working, why not, I'm in the right place if I go into labor.  Waiting for the moment for her to make her debut is kind of like a surprise party for Christmas morning.  I look forward to Christmas morning for months in advance as I'm sure many people do.  But imagine not knowing when Christmas morning is suddenly going to happen.  That's how I feel.  I'm so excited to see her little face and meet this person that has been growing inside of me.  We've been waiting for her for so long now, the anticipation has reached it's maximum.

So, waiting for my surprise Christmas morning to arrive, I've managed to find things that still "need" to be done.  One very special thing was for Dan and I to get a new car.  Last weekend we got ourselves a pre-owned 2011 Hyundai Sonata!  Finally, we have a grown-up car (gulp), equipped with four doors for easy access to a baby seat in the back.  A huge purchase that we're very excited about.  Now that the new car is in our possession I was sure to outfit it instantly with the car seat base, window shade for baby, and backseat mirror that allows us to see the baby's face from the rear view mirror.

I also managed to get our living room rug cleaned after all these years.  It's not an expensive rug, but I couldn't imagine our little one playing on it before it was properly cleaned.  After the dry-cleaners said it would cost me $100 for them to clean it, I thought we would throw it out and purchase a new one.  But, the lovely lady at the dry-cleaners suggested something she used do to her rugs.  So, I took her advice and took a hose, some laundry detergent, and a broom and got to scrubbing the rug in the backyard.  Of course I had some help...

As soon as I laid this rug out, Lucy had to try it out!

Another thing I've been doing to keep things ready for baby is vacuuming and swiffer-ing.  How many times a week can one swiffer their floors?  Every few days for me!  We do have a dog with black fur that never ceases to gather in corners and on rugs, so I can't seem to swiffer my floors enough.  It's calming to know that there will be a clean house to come home to when we return from the hospital with our little one.

As for this moment, right now, I think I'll kick back and continue waiting for Sophie =)

38 weeks 5 days, waiting....

Love,
Jess, Dan, baby Sophie, and Lucy

Make Room for Baby

We are ready for baby Sophie whenever she is ready to join us!  Today we are 37 weeks, full term!  Her beautiful room is ready and waiting.  Here are a few pictures of the finished product.

Our finished mobile! Thanks Mom

Comfy glider from Dan's bosses the Canin's

Lucy found her spot. I imagine we will find her here a lot, protecting our little Sophie

Time is going by fast and I can't believe our little one will be here soon.  The weekly doctors appointments are going well.  Baby is measuring on time.  I'm doing well too, not too much weight gain, good blood pressure, and no swelling (yet)!  Her heart rate usually falls in the 130's.  She still manages to move all over the place, I can't imagine where she thinks she's going, or how she still has the room in there!  Of course the big movements occur at night.  Dan and I will be sitting on the couch and she will get me good.  I started having Dan talk really close to my belly and she seems to like the sound of her Dad's voice.  Someone different to listen to besides her Mom all the time.  She also doesn't seem to mind Lucy's barking when we're playing.  Good thing she's getting used to it now!

Maybe next post will include some pictures of our newest family member...

Love
Jess, Dan, baby Sophie, and Lucy

A Shower for Sophie

A few weeks ago my awesome friends in Orlando threw me a baby shower.  Besides my friends and co-workers being there, I was also lucky to have my Mom, Aunt Linda and Grandma Doris present.  It was a beautiful day and there was lots of delicious food.  Our friends, the Black's, hosted it at their newly finished pool house, and the setting was perfect!  Baby Sophie was spoiled with lots of necessities and some very cute outfits.  Jen took the pictures you will see below.

Pretty decorations

Cupcakes, courtesy of Scott and Jen



A little chilly wind feels great for the pregnant girl! 33 weeks!



A pink bunny from Irhelma, to remind Sophie of her dad! (Ralphie Halloween costume)

Pretty outfit from Madeline

Guests signed a photo of me

A big thanks to the great gals that threw this shower for me. Jen, Stacey, Irhelma, Sara, and Kate...It was a perfect party!!

As I mentioned earlier, my Mom, Aunt, and Grandma were at the shower.  My mom had planned on coming to the shower in the first place and bringing Grandma with her. But Aunt Linda had a different story.  My Grandma Doris had been living in Inverness, FL since 1983 for winters and moved there permanently about 15 years ago.  She is now 83 years old and finding that a little assistance with day to day living would be nice.  Her girls brainstormed and found a place for her to move back in her hometown in Indiana, and Aunt Linda was first on the scene to start packing Grandma up to bring her "home".  Linda spent about three weeks at Grandma's place organizing and packing, donating and selling.  I went to help a few of those days only to realize what a huge task this was for one person.  Luckily she had various helpers stop by at times and was able to clean up and pack in three weeks.  Linda flew with Grandma back to Indiana where she has a new apartment in an assisted living facility.  The girls are glad to have her closer to home, and I hear she's settling in nicely.  I'm so glad she was able to make it to my baby shower before she left.


Mom, Grandma and I (Sophie is there too!)

Yesterday marked 35 weeks for us!  I can't believe she could be here at any moment!  My doctor estimates that baby York is about 5.5 pounds at this point, just by my weeks and appearance.  It's hard to imagine something that big inside of me, and even harder to imagine that she will definitely get bigger (gasp!).

We are getting all the finishing touches done on the nursery but at this point they are minor details.  We are ready for the little one whenever she chooses to arrive.

35 weeks!

A note from Lucy

Things are definitely busier around the house these days.  Jess and Dan are preparing for a baby to arrive and I've seen lots of furniture and baby "appliances" being brought in and built.  I try to stay out of the way so as not to get my tail stepped on, but I'm so curious to see what's going on.  Jess has been saying a different name more and more lately.  She asks me, "Where is Sophie?".  She knows questions like these really pique my interest, so I stare at her and wait for her to tell me.  All I can tell at this point is that there is something in her tummy that she refers to as Sophie.  Sometimes I forget that she has told me this because I still like to cuddle right on top of said "Sophie".  I suppose I'm starting to get used to hearing that name.  Jess also says that Sophie and I are going to be great friends and that I will protect her.  She also added that Sophie will probably pull my tail and my ears, but that sometimes she will share her food with me too.  So far, Sophie is sounding like an alright gal.

This is me staying out of the way

With Love
Jess, Dan, baby Sophie, and Lucy

33 weeks!

Today we are 33 weeks and 3 days along in the pregnancy!  That means 46 more days until I'm 40 weeks which is full term.  I can't believe baby Sophie will be here next month.  It's so surreal to say that.  Time really seems to be flying by these last few months, and of course I feel like I still have a ton to do to prepare for her arrival.

According to my wonderful iPhone app, baby is about as long as a pineapple (17 inches) and weighs in at about 4.25 pounds.  We are seeing the doctor every two weeks to listen to her heart rate and measure my belly to see if she's growing appropriately.  So far so good!  Soon we will be seeing the doctor weekly!

Last week Dan and I went to our friends house to capture a few of these special moments with a maternity photo shoot.  Our friend Kobie spent a few hours with us snapping away in a variety of different settings and poses.  Below you will find some of the awesome pictures he took.

Those booties were actually mine as a baby!

Tomorrow my friends are throwing me a baby shower!  My mom is coming into town tonight to join in the fun for the weekend.  Check back soon for pictures and an update about this weekend.

With Love
Jess, Dan, baby Sophie, and Lucy