today is the day

Dear Addelyn,
Today is the day you are coming into this world.  Today is the day that you will forever change my life.  Your daddy and I have been looking forward to your birth for so long now.  I hope I have provided you a good "home" over these past ten months. I hope to provide you a good home for the rest of your life. It has been an honor carrying you with me, feeling you move and grow inside of me.  You are truly a blessing.  I can't wait to watch you grow up, to watch you become the beautiful woman I know you will be.  Always know that your momma loves you unconditionally.  I have loved you since you were just a thought, a desire, in my mind.  I promise to support you, to nurture you and encourage your independence.  I will always be here for you.  I will always be your mother.  Thank you for already amazing me in so many ways.  I love you and can't wait to start our journey together. 
Love Always,
Mom

Dear Addelyn,
As I am writing this letter to you, your mommy and I are just a few hours from meeting you for the very first time.  Apparently you are a pretty big girl, you mommy has to deliver you via c-section.  For the past nine months we have worked very hard to make sure that when you come home in a few days everything is perfect!! I could barely sleep last night because I was so excited for today.  I can't wait to see you and Mommy together, I think you are going to look just like her!
  I know that you won't remember today but there are so many family members and friends that are so excited to meet you.  I promise you that I will take care of you and your mom every day of my life.  I am a very lucky man to have you both. 
  The Dr. days that you have a lot of hair and weighed 7 lbs & 15 oz last Wednesday.  I can't wait to see you in person.  You have a bunch of cute clothes to wear, I have already got you some Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Mavericks onesies and dresses.  I have a feeling that you will love sports and especially love our Mavs & Cowboys. 
  I love you so much Addy!! I can't wait to watch you grow up and become an amazing woman.
P.S. no dating till you are at least 30!!
XOXOXO,
Dad

progress

picture taken at: 36 weeks + 3 days

how far along? 9 months (+ 5 days)

maternity clothes? even my maternity shirts are becoming too short to cover my big 'ol belly. target's long and lean tank tops have been my go to tops these past few days

stretch marks? nope

sleep? occurs in nap like segments regardless of the time of day or night. it must be true that your body prepares for the lack of sleep you are to get once a newborn is in the house weeks before the newborn actually makes her appearance. at this rate i should be quite prepared.

best moment last week? successfully reaching the 9 month mark, and hearing my sweet girls heartbeat. the doctor says i am 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced. :)

movement? she's a dancer! it has been so great experiencing all the different movements over the past few months. feeling her movements transition from butterflies to sharp jabs to rolls and tumbles has been one of my favorite experiences throughout this pregnancy.

symptoms? i haven't gained weight (according to the scales) this past month or so, but my belly has grown by leaps and bounds. again, it is crazy what your body does.

gender? girl. Addelyn Elizabeth

nursery? done, except for a few pictures to hang and a screen to put together.

labor signs? well, it's hard to say. ive had plenty of pains the past few days, but don't know what exactly to call them.

belly button in/out? in, don't think it is going to pop out at this point.

what I miss? being comfortable. it is pretty hard to find a comfortable way to sit, lay, walk, etc...

looking forward to? MEETING THIS LITTLE GIRL!!

what the professionals are saying:

How your baby's growing: Your baby is now considered "full term," even though your due date is three weeks away. If you go into labor now, his lungs will likely be mature enough to fully adjust to life outside the womb. (Some babies need a bit more time, though. So if you're planning to have a repeat c-section, for example, your practitioner will schedule it for no earlier than 39 weeks unless there's a medical reason to intervene earlier.) Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz via baby center

progress

picture taken at: 28 weeks

how far along? 28 wks / 7 mth

maternity clothes? all the way. zach's tee shirts are coming in pretty handy these days!

stretch marks? nope

sleep? still having pain in my hips which wakes me up a couple of times a night. i take fairly regular afternoon naps which help.

best moment last week? paintwork is now complete in addy's room, our bedroom and master sitting room, as well as our bathroom! my bedroom is now my new favorite space.

movement? lots, which makes me happy! i had a few days where i wasn't feeling her and it really scared me. i called the doc and got an extra sonogram which showed me my healthy little girl! (turns out i was just a paranoid momma)

symptoms? weight gain! i am experiencing pressure on my ribs, sitting for any extended period of time is pretty painful.

gender? girl. Addelyn Elizabeth

nursery? paint is done. crib and dresser are in her room, day bed is painted and my mom has made her drapes, bed skirt & bumper.

labor signs? nope

belly button in/out? in, but getting smaller by the day.

what I miss? mainly my energy.

looking forward to? reaching the thirty week mark, finishing the nursery, and the baby showers my sweet friends and family are throwing.

what the professionals are saying:
via baby center
How your baby's growing:
By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

timing

don't you love it when you read something someone else wrote and it speaks to you in a direct way, at the precise time you need it most. in my opinion, that is one of the wonderful things about this blog world we are in. on any given day you can read the happenings of someone else's life and somehow relate it to yours. it's beautiful, don't you think?
danielle over at sometimes sweet posted this wonderfully written reminder that time can pass you by. check it out.

count down

(photo credit)

time seems to be passing so slowly these days...

last night i read my weekly chapter of each pregnancy book i own, disappointed that the title was week 28. i read through 'week 32', which probably wasn't the best idea, but i am longing to be at that point. i am ready for the realization that i only have a few weeks left. hell, i'd be happy knowing i only had a month left.

(in case you haven't noticed, i am NOT the most patient person, and pregnancy certainly has brought this character flaw to the forefront.)

now, don't get me wrong, i hope and pray that addelyn 'cooks' in my belly for the full 40 weeks, developing and growing as she should, but i do wish the days would pass by a bit faster.

to ease my impatience i have decided to make a count down to all the little and exciting things that are going to be occurring between now and addy's arrival.

here it is:

2 days: 28 week sonogram

25 days: my birthday

26 days: 'prepared child birth class'

32 days: 32 weeks/8 months complete

33 days: weekend of baby showers :)

42 days: 'baby care & cpr classes'

60 days: 36 weeks / 9 months complete

76 days: mother's day (i get to celebrate this year right?)

88 days: 40 weeks / 10 months complete!

bouncing baby girl

now that i feel little addelyn moving in my belly, i like to try and imagine what she is doing, what body part of hers is colliding with mine. it seems that seconds after i feel a flutter below my ribs i feel another down between my hip bones. she is too small to feel a definite kick of the foot or push of the head, so i'm imagining her bouncing top to bottom, side to side, flipping and twirling herself along the way, and i can't help but smile. i sure hope she is having fun in there.

**this little face also makes me smile.**

(my nephew)
i heard that he started officially crawling this weekend.
i need to hurry over to see him before he gets too fast for this pregnant lady...

progress

mandy over at live.laugh.love is pregnant too! she has answered some fun questions about her pregnancy, here. i thought i would take a minute to answer a few myself...i hope she doesn't mind. :)



picture taken at 22 weeks

how far along? 22 wks

maternity clothes? i can still get by with a few regular tee shirts

stretch marks? nope

sleep? i am having quite a bit of discomfort in my hips, and laying on my side (as i have to) does not help me sleep. i have also been expriencing stints of very vivid dreaming.

best moment last week? waking early, and enjoying my quite reading time

movement? yes! over the past week movement has become more defined, stronger than the flutter i felt a few weeks ago. i still am not feeling her regularly, but it is definately more frequent.

symptoms? weight gain! it has now become uncomfortable to bend at my waist.

gender? girl. Addelyn Elizabeth

nursery? we finally decided on fabric and paint!

labor signs? no, and hopefully not for quite a while

belly button in/out? in. i am fearful of that particular transition.

what I miss? starbucks. having a beer on a patio. my old exercise routine.

looking forward to? 24 week sonogram, and officially starting the nursery

what the professionals are saying. (from http://www.babycenter.com/)
How your baby's growing:
At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. Her lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and she's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. Her eyes have formed, but her irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers her body and the deep wrinkles on her skin, which she'll sport until she adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside her belly, her pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

great with child

so, it's true, when you become pregnant, once the initial congratulations subside, you are bombarded with 'horror' stories of other women's pregnancies, 'warning' you of the huge varicose veins you are to get, the nausea, the insomnia, and there are even tragic stories about a friend-of-a-friend's pregnancy that are 'shared' with you. In fact people, women in particular, seem to stop talking about the miracle of life quite soon after their initial reaction, to your pregnancy, and instead talk about the 'torture' that is pregnancy. maybe mother's do this as a way of reminding themselves, and others, of their own strength, of the struggles and sacrifices they overcame to create life, maybe it makes them feel proud, and maybe i will catch myself doing the same thing one day, but i hope that if i do i'll remind myself of the way i felt in those first few months, as my body, life and hormones were uncontrollable, and how all those stories just added to my worry. i hope i choose to share stories of hope.
upon recommendation from joanna goddard, here, i recently finished reading great with child; letters to a young mother by beth ann fennelly. what a beautiful book.
this book is made of letters from a young mother to a mother-to-be. they are letters of reassurance, hope, humor, and love. it is, in my opinion, a wonderful read for any young mother or mother-to-be.

"we should have see-through belly buttons, a little lighted window into the warm oven where we bake that sweet roll so high and firm." - beth ann fennelly

oh, pinterest

pinterest, what a concept. i, along with many, have become slightly addicted to browsing pinterest. the inspiration bulletin board, i created years ago, has been technologically replaced by the endless display of 'pins'. (although, if i'm being completely honest, my inspiration board still houses magazine clippings i tacked on months and months ago...updating was never done on a regular basis).
this christmas i browsed my 'gift of giving' board on pinterest for ideas, and decided on attempting to recreate the following few.

these wine cork monograms were created for the wine drinkers of our fam:

inspiration found here

i also whipped up a lemon kitchen hand scrub and lavender bath salts for a few of my favorite women.

inspired by

overall, i'm pretty happy with my first pinterest projects.

happy pinning,
c

a new year

this year i resolve to enjoy the little things. i know that inevitably this year will bring changes that will profoundly change my life, however i hope to remind myself to appreciate the seemingly small daily occurrences which too will never happen again.
there is no single moment like another.



happy new year to all.
with love,
baby and me