Shopping!

Shopping for Vivien is so much more fun than shopping for myself!  I will walk into a store with every intention to buy myself some clothes and I always end up in the baby department.  Everything is just so much more adorable when its tiny.  I am a little picky about the clothes I like Vivien to wear but I can't help it.  Here's a little hint as to what I might like on Vivien - if it looks like something I might actually wear than its probably something I would buy for Vivien.

My sister and I found these cute Converse at Nordstrom's.  They will pair perfectly wtih some striped leggings and a skirt!

Over Christmas weekend I received a package from my sister (perfectly timed while she was in NYC) of this bib made by 2hipmama

I find myself doing a lot of online shopping.  By far my favorite is ebay.  It's amazing the deals you can find on baby clothes under $5!

Cute Gap dress $3 on ebay!

V discovers her tongue

The "Before I drop 20lbs Photo"

My "Ugh" Measurements:

Waist:  38 1 /2"
Booty: 43" (Pretty scary stuff)
Chest:  38"
Thigh:  23:
Arm:  13"
Date:  December 27

Here's the Skinny...

Our "Weight Loss War" begins next week and I'm hoping to have some dedicated competitors. 

How it Works:


• Contest begins January 3rd through Feb 28th (8 Full Weeks)

• Competitors will blog once a week about their weight loss journey with weekly photos of results along with measurements and your “weigh in”.

• Weekly Weigh In’s will be every Wednesday

• A before picture be posted by January 2nd

• Blog, Blog, Blog – what’s working/what’s not, dieting, exercising, healthy recipes, schedules, struggles, motivation, etc.


I've decided my "game tactic" will be counting calories.  So I'm going into next week without a goal to lose any weight but just to track all of my calories for the entire week.  I'd love to commit to a number of workouts each week but honestly with a newborn, the only thing I can commit to is HER.  She pretty much runs my schedule.

The best of luck to Jessica, Marisa and Nelly!!  (Photos coming soon I hope!)

First yummy treat!

I've been back and forth on whether or not to give Vivien solid foods yet.  I know the recommended age is 6 months but you can start as early as four months.  I started looking for cue's that Vivien might be ready and she's pretty much there.  She's taken a slight interest in what I'm eating, but not quite opening her mouth when I tempt her with food.  She's holding her head up wonderfully.  So I decided to start "preparing" by reading on homemade rice cereal recipes.  I also printed out a schedule of what Vivien's first solids will be ...all homemade of course!  Last night I made a "trial" run of brown rice cereal which was suprisingly easy to make but did take me almost an hour.  Not because the recipe is hard, but mostly because I didn't have all the tools ready.  I tried it myself and it came out pretty good.  I highly recommend trying it if you have little ones.  Not only is homemade baby food healthier because you know what's going into it, but its also rewarding.

Brown Rice Cereal:

Grind Brown Whole Grain rice in a food processor for about 4-5 minutes until the grains turn into a powder
Use a sifter to sift out any remaining grains.

• Boil 3/4 Cup of Water in a saucepan
• Add 1/4 cup of rice powder
• Simmer for about 10 minutes whisking constantly (this was a little annoying)
• Serve warm and you can add breastmilk/formula for a little sweetness

Pretty Simple!  Since you'll only be feeding your baby a teaspoon at each feeding, you can store the remaining rice cereal in ice cube trays for later use. 

After I made the practice rice cereal lastnight, I couldn't resist giving her a little taste today.  So Vivien had a suprise little snack after her feeding.  As soon as I brought the spoon to her mouth she opened wide!  She couldn't get enough and tried sticking her entire hand in her mouth.  Lesson learned...don't feed your baby after bath time!  She was a mess afterwards!

I'm pretty excited to feed her bananas, sweet potato and avacado!  Yummy!

Let's the Weight Loss War Begin...

Losing weight has always been a numbers game for me.  How many minutes can I last on this treadmill?  How many calories did I burn?  What percentage of fat did I burn?  How many pounds can I lose before I have to squeeze into that bridesmaid dress I have to wear?  Well here are just a few other numbers that come to mind:

• 18 - The number of weeks since my pregnancy
• 13 - The number of pounds I need to lose to be at my pre-pregnancy weight
• 11 - The number of pants in my closet that don't fit me right now!!!

You get the idea!

I love my sweet Vivien and want to spend every minute of every day with her, but I've quickly learned that I've had to sacrifice a few things in my life, and unfortunately working out has been one of them.  Not only have I put it aside at the moment, but I have had zero motivation to work out...zero! I finally forced myself to the gym this week and while pushing myself through 45 minutes of cardio I brainstormed on what might help me with this baby weight battle. 

Sooooo, I gathered up a few of my fellow bloggers and asked them to participate in an online weight loss competition.  You'll meet the competitors in a few days but I am very, very excited about this competition!  I certainly have the advantage since everyone knows how competitive I am.  I refuse to lose! 

To kick start my workout motivation. I put together a little inspiration board:

#1 is of course my family.  I want to live a long and healthy life for my wonderful husband and beautiful daughter.  And of course, nothing motivates a girl by wanting to have the body of some super star.  In my case, Salma Hayek is probably the most full figured, petite woman I know with an amazing figure that my "dream body" comes closest to.  The tennis photo is because I want to get back into shape and actively play at the level I once played at.  There's nothing more aggravating to get on the court and realize you're out of shape.  The last photo is of a bikini I want to wear this summer while spending a week vacation at the beach with my family.  What can I say...of course I want to be a hot mamma!

My next post will be the rules and logistics of our cut throat friendly competition.  Let the Weight Loss war begin ladies!!!

Vivien's First Day @ Home

A Snapshot of our First Day Together

After a small panic of trying to get her head to fit comfortably, we were able to drive away from the hospital safely.  She slept the entire way home.

We spent several hours at the house relaxing.  In this photo Vivien is well fed and enjoying her bouncy seat with sounds of utero. 

A little sponge bath before breastfeeding.  Vivien almost always falls asleep at the breast, so I do whatever I can to wake her up.  In this case, she needed a bath so I thought I'd use it to wake her up.  It did wake her up but she immediately fell asleep when it was time to eat.

She was so cute bundled up after her bath.  I couldn't resist taking a million photos!

Last Night in the Hospital

We spent our last and final night at the hospital.  We were able to "room-in" with our baby, which means she is out of NICU but the nurses are just a buzz away if we need them.  We had a successful night, with only one crying episode.  It turns out Vivien is not a happy sleeper unless she is well swaddled.  Works like magic! 

Vivien finally gets off her Oxygen Machine

This week has been so exhausting.  I'm not even sure what day it is anymore but it doesn't matter because today Vivien did an amazing job off her C-PAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure).  She has had small tubes continuously providing air to her lungs because she was unable to fully breathe on her own when she was born.  The nurses have slowly started to ween her from the machine but she's been a little stubborn (that's the Leo in her).  This afternoon they finally removed her tubes and turned off her oxygen and she breathed like a pro all on her own!  I was so proud of her.  Of course, lastnight her and I had a little pep-talk about how it was time for her to come home and she was now the "big kid' in NICU and needed to graduate.  I guess it worked because she was the happiest little baby on the block today. 

Not only did Miss Vivien breathe all on her own but she FINALLY fed from my breast.  After days and long grueling sessions to have her breastfeed, she finally did it!  There were no screams, no flailing arms...nada.  She just opened wide and started to suck.  It was simply a beautiful moment for both of us. 

Here's a little video footage of my happy baby and her beautiful face with NO tubes or tape!

Vivien's Delivery - Part One

Labor & Delivery

It is now day three in the hospital with Vivien and I want to start off by thanking God for this beautiful gift. Even though these past few days have been extremely challenging and emotional, the bottom line is she is finally here, she is healthy and she is safe.

I want to share my birthing experience for several reasons. For one, I think it will help filter some of these emotions out and for two, other mommies to be might learn from this experience also.

Labor started Monday when I began early contratcionts at home. I was already scheduled to be induced at 5am on Tuesday and I was thrilled to have natural contractions begin the day before. My contractions were strong enough to feel but mild enough for me to talk through them. By Monday evening I started timing them about every 10-11 minutes apart. My parents came by to cook dinner and watch a movie with us. By bedtime the contractions were about 9 min apart. I figured I'd try to get some sleep and if I wake up in active labor then we would head to the hospital. My contractions never picked up speed or intensity so we arrived at the hospital fir our scheduled induction. When dr. V arrived he said I was just shy of 4cm. This was all great news. While I was not big on pitocin, I was glad to hear we would start off with very little.

Well it didn't take long for my contractions to take off. Within a few hours I was struggling with the level of pain. My number one reason for being opposed to an epidural was because I did not want to be confined to a bed, but as soon as the piton is administered you have to be wired up to monitor the baby's reaction to the Pitocin. I found myself fighting through each contraction with no real justification to put myself through anymore pain. It's not like I could actually practice any techniques. I had my meditation music, Lance
massaging my feet and I was breathing through each contraction. I quickly made the decision I was not able to make it through the day like that. I gave the green light for the epidural.

By about 10 am I was completely numb and in no pain whatsoever. Unfortunately no pain means you lay there like a log. You can't feel your thighs, you now have more wires attached and every 30 min a team of nurses appear to roll you in a different position.  This might work for some people but it made me feel less like a human being and more like an animal or something.  I just worked through it with no real complaints though.  At this point, you gotta do what you gotta do.

A few hours later the nurse came in to check my status and announced I was already at 9cm. It was time to call the doc because I was advancing quickly and I might be pushing soon.

Well the time to push never came. My body came to a dead stop for about three hours but the Pitocinwas still causing intense contractions. The nurses took me off pitocin but that didn't get me to dilate and the contractions were still coming strong. We quickly realized this was taking a toll on Vivien. She was being pushed down into my pelvis with no room to make her way down. After an emotional discussion with the doctor I agreed to a c-section (which never was part of the plan and I realized later it should have been).

Within fifteen minutes I was wheeled off to O.R. for surgery. After additional drugs were given I found myself in tears, shivering and numb from my neck down. It all happened so quickly and I tried to stay focused that in just a few short minutes she would be at my side. 

That turned out to NOT be the case at all. Dr. V announced we had a chunky baby girl, propped her up to show me and then handed her off to be cleaned. I waited and waited to see her bundled and in Lance's arms but she was quickly taken to Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).  Within minutes she was removed from my body and taken away with no explanation to either one of us. 

As you might imagine, I was terrified at this point. Nothing went as "planned" and now my baby girl who's been with me for over 9 months was taken away and there was something wrong with her and I had zero answers and zero control.  At this point, even Lance began to cry in frustration.

After what felt like hours, we learned Vivien swallowed some fluids during the c-section and now had fluids in her lungs. This caused her to have respiratory problems. She was going to have to spends a a day or two  in intensive care, but the doctors reassured us it was common and would cause no lasting effects. She just needed some help to breathe on her own.

As I said in the beginning, I thank the lord he has brought her to me and there were no major complications. However, these last few days have been the hardest days of my life. I could not get over the fact I gave birth to my daughter and didn't get to see or hold her. In fact, I started pumping breast milk that night for my daughter who I hadn't even met yet. It wasn't until the following morning I had her in my arms.

It's like you envision the way you plan on giving birth to your child and prepare for months how you'd like to bring her into this world. When infact, you have zero control. I realize now that I prepared only for what I wanted to happen and I didn't prepare for what could happen. I've learned that this experience is only preparing me for motherhood and all the uncertainties that go along with it.  I wasn't open to the idea of a c-section and this caused me to be extremely stressed when we found ourselves down that path.  I wanted the best for my baby and the actual outcome of her delivery made me feel like I failed her in some way.  I understand that now and I know I need to remove those thoughts from my head.  Not everything in life can be planned and I need to get over it and focus on bringing Vivien home now.

One thing is for sure though...I absolutely fell in love with my sweet angel.  Everytime I close my eyes now I picture her beautiful face. 

Vivien Loren Kessler

Born August 17, 2010

7lbs 3oz

38 Week Photo Update

I took this photo right before my doc's appointment this morning.  Which I'm VERY excited to hear that we can induce on Tuesday.  I'm making slight progress on my dilation and efacement and Vivien is weighing in just under 7lbs.  After a talk about her size again, we decided it would be best to speed things along for me.  It hasn't really hit me yet that I have 6 days until she will be in my arms.  I'm taking these next few days to make my final preparations and just enjoy my time with Lance. 

I decided to cherish a few more photos of Vivien in my belly before she finally arrives.

The Waiting Game

I know. I know.  I'm only 38 weeks pregnant and I technically still have 13 days until my official due date but I am sooo ready to get this labor going.  Especially since Dr. V gave me the hope that she will be arriving early or we will induce. Lance's finals are on Thursday so he's still praying she holds off on her appearance until Friday.  At this point, we can deal with his exam later...I just want her out already.  Tomorrow is my next doctor's appointment and again I'm hoping he'll give me some good news on my progress.

I don't want to jinx anything but this week has been a little different:

• I've been feeling alot of pressure
• I have pains that feel similar to gas (not really sure what that's about)
• My mucus plug finally released (BTW I can't believe I openly talk about lactating and mucus plugs now)
• I've been wide awake the past few nights (probably because I'm so anxious now) 
• Then tonight V has been non-stop moving.  In the past week or so her movements have been very subtle, just squirms here and there, but not tonight...she's moving around all over the place.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that its a sign of her getting tired of being in there too. 

Lastnight I was awake until 3:30 am.  It didn't help that the hubs said "I have a feeling she'll be coming this week" and then my sister said when she lost her mucus plug her kiddos were born 2 days later.  I was up watching TV, eating cereal and I even thought about getting the vacuum out but I didn't want to wake Lance up and plus it seemed a little ridiculous. 

I'm nervous and ready but then sometimes I still can't grasp that at some point she's finally going to exit my body!!  Sometimes I feel like she's just going to be in there forever. 

All I can do is wait.  Wait until I can feel some type of contractions or until the doc says its time.  My friends, please, please send me some labor luck or magic labor dust!

In the meantime, how cute is this Dallas Cowboy onsie?  Gotta get V geared up for football season.  This is what happens when your wide awake and have unlimited access to online shopping!

Children's Books

Whew! Finals are finally over and Lance and I actually visited the bookstore without needing to study!  Well actually he still had to study while I did some leisurely reading.  Of course, I headed to the baby books.

I love reading children books!  I still have so many vivid memories reading my favorites.  Infact, I imagined them so well in my head I can envision the story as though I had seen it on tv.  I remember when I was little telling my mom I wish I could sneak into the mall and stay the night so I could read as many books as I wanted.  My mom would buy me a book when she could afford it or for special occassions, but I remember we couldn't always afford to buy many books.  It was pretty much a luxury to have one.  My bestfriend across the street, Meghan, had a TON of books.  I loved going to her house because she had a huge book shelf from floor to ceiling covered in books.  So most of the time I borrowed them from her.  Now here I am, about to be a mother strolling through the children's book section wishing I could afford to buy her all my childhood favorite books.  I want her to have her own shelf full of collections like Corduroy, Goodnight Moon, Madeline, The Very Hungry Caterpullar, etc. 

Not to mention all the benefits V will get from Lance and I reading outloud to her.  Research has shown children who are read to interactively become better readers than children who are not read to interactively or not read to at all.  Anything we can do to smarten her up!

I did buy two books for V to give to her grandma's to read.  I can't wait to give them to Nana Donna & Nana Lola!  You can guess which one is for which grandma! 

37 Weeks & Making Progress!

I'm excited to announce I've made some progress within the past week.  Last Thursday was my second pelvic exam and Dr. V announced I was 1cm dilated and my cervix was "thinning quite well" (whatever the heck that means).  He also mentioned I am probably due a little sooner than Aug. 23rd and that V is almost 6.5 lbs now.  I'm always skeptical when he estimates her weight gain because I've heard so many stories of doctors being way off on a baby's size.  I'm like "Really doc?  I have a six pounder in my 4 foot 10 body?"  If she really is that big already then that explains a lot about my potty mishaps (I'll explain later). 

Dr. V also said that I need to start considering being induced early if she gets too large for me.  He's concerned that waiting too long will only make it more difficult for me to have a natural delivery.  As much as I hated the idea of pitocin, I'm totally open to it now that I'm realizing how freakin uncomfortable it is to be sweating like a pig in Texas in August!  Plus I am just sooooo ready to meet her.  Tomorrow morning I have another pelvic exam and hopefully I will have a better idea of her arrival date.  I would so love for him to say "I hope you brought your bag, because you're having a baby today!"  How amazing would that be!  Tonight Lance and I are planning to walk a few laps at Target to get this baby moving!

Speaking of the hubs....

Two nights ago he caused me to laugh so hard that I started to sob uncontrollably!  This is what went down... I had just crawled into bed and was ready to fall asleep, when he came into the room in complete darkness.  I could see him trying to find his way to the bed.  I typically sleep on my side facing the outside of the bed, but because of where Vivien was positioned, I was actually facing inward.  So Lance got into bed, and just like he always does, put his weight on me to pull himself a little closer into a spooning position.  Except only problem was that he pulled me by my belly and I yelled at him.  He said "That's your stomach?!  I thought that was your butt!"  Ok. Wait just a minute...wth?  So now my ass is just as big as my huge 9 month pregnant belly?  Before I could get upset I started laughing so hard my stomach hurt and I started tearing up.  When he realized he was in the clear, he started laughing with me.  Then out of nowhere, my laughter turned into cries and I started bawling like a hormonal freak.  His laughs came to a stop and he apologized for making it sound like I had a huge ass (which by the way I really do), but I don't think I was even crying about his comment.  It bothered me even more when I realized I had no clue what I was upset about.  So I started to shout outloud ( I didn't mean to shout, but it comes out that way when you can stop crying) "I'm just so happy!  I'm crying because I'm so happy".  Am I a freak or what?  I got up to blow my nose and wash my face and then it was over.  I just chuckled back to the bed and fell asleep.  It's amazing what hormones and a fat joke will do to you!

Letters to Vivien

Dearest Vivien,

With only a few weeks (or maybe a few days) away from you and I finally meeting each other, I'm overwhelmed with so many emotions. These past nine months have been the most exciting few months of my life.

I feel suddenly sad thinking that soon I won't be feeling you kick, move or squirm inside me. Very soon I will no longer be patting my belly when you get the hiccups. Very soon you won't be waking me up with sudden jolts. Very soon I won't be rolling out of bed to make a dash to the toilet to pee for the 7th time that night. I think I'll even miss my swollen feet, dry skin and joint pain.

While all of these things will be missed, I am completely ready to embrace all the new crazy experiences you will bring into my life. I can't wait to hold you. I can't wait to feel you in my arms. I can't wait to smell your sweet scent. And I can't wait to look into your eyes for the first time.

This has been an incredible journey for me and I'm ready to embark on this new chapter in my life; being your mother. While I can't plan out when you decide to come into this world, I just want you to know that I'm ready and waiting for you.

With all my love,


 Your Mother

PrettifulPetals

I've started a collection of bows and flowers for V and I just can't get enough.  Now I just need to focus on matching them up with the outfits I have for her.  My awesome sister has started her own little precious bow website so now I can custom order what colors I want from her.  Doesn't get any better than this!  She'll look precious in the fall in a deep red bow.  The bigger the better!!

You find her collection on Etsy.com

Vivien's Nursery

Time for an update...

Oh it seems like yesterday that Vivien's little kicks were a gentle flutter in my belly.  Where each movement brought a huge smile and I'd giggle and place my hand right over her.

Those days of gentle kicks are long gone....

I've been introduced to a deadly new force called Symphisis Pubic Dysfunction (SPD) or what I like to refer as "Hoo Ha" pain.  It literally feels like someone is taking a hammer to my lower pelvic region all freakin day long.  If I listen closely I can even hear a clicking sound when I get off the bed.  And standing on one leg to put my pants on?  Forget about it!  This makes my swollen elephant feet feel like heaven.  I think the hubs thinks I'm a wuss because I'm moaning and complaining.  He keeps betting I'll ask for the epidural as soon as I arrive to the hospital.  I explained to him (in my lovely tone of voice) that its DIFFERENT when you're expecting pain rather than waking up one day feeling like someone was trying to rip apart your pelvic bone.  Oh yeah and Dr. V pretty much told me to deal with it and pray it just goes away or my pelvic bone adjusts to the pain.  Nice Doc! 

Other Updates...

I have thirty days until my delivery and I'm praying she'll arrive atleast 1-2 weeks early.  Because I honestly don't think I can handle her being on time or late.  Dr. V says her head is down and she's made her way south.  Right now she's weighing in a little over 6lbs and I'm also praying that she'll gain no more than 1 lb until delivery.  Lord knows I can't handle an 8 pounder!  Otherwise, heck yeah I'll be asking for that epidural at check in.  Do you think we can call a head for the anesthesiologist?  Just joking...well I guess we'll just wait and see.

Yesterday, I treated myself to an amazing massage which actually helped the hoo-ha pain subside momentarily.  Except the friendly, over talkative massage therapist had to make a comment about my cute, swollen feet.  I didn't pay you to talk lady...just rub!!!  I also had my hair trimmed by the cutest darn hair stylist I've met.  Maybe because I'm fat and pregnant, but I couldn't help but stare out how damn skinny and perfect she looked.  Seriously, I loved her entire look from head to toe.  And there I was... forced to stare at myself in the mirror with a drape snug around my fat neck and swollen cheeks.  Not cute. 

On the brightside, I only paid $50 for a massage, hair cut and style, wax and manicure.  Thanks to the most awesome new service ever called Groupon.  It's a new online service to get the word out on deals in your city.   Each day a different coupon is featured for a super low price.  I can't help but check it every morning when I get to work. 

$5000 a year on Formula?  Nuff Said!!

I eagerly attended the Breastfeeding Your Baby class with my trusty BFF Nicole.  She was my honorary support person for the evening and I couldn't thank her enough for being there.  I did notice she looked very interested in the tips and benefits of breastfeeding (can we guess she'll be preggers by 2011?). 

By the way, yes this is the most beneficial thing you can do for your baby but all you had to tell me is the average parent spends over $5k on formula!  Uhh no thanks!  I did learn that breastfeeding your baby reduces her chances of getting Type 1 Diabetes.  So there's no doubt Vivien...you're going on the boob!

Our very own pregnancy photoshoot!

We decided to put our new Nikon camera to work today and see what us "amateurs" could produce on film.  I have to say I was very impressed with our photographing skills.  I took a few of these on a timer until Lance got home and then we used the timer for the ones with both of us.  What a great investment!

My Most Amazing Husband

I know how blessed I am to have such an amazing husband, but I sometimes get so caught up and take it for granted.  Then suddenly I'm blown away by how strong Lance's love is and it's like falling back in love for the very first time again. 

This weekend I got a glimpse of what a terrific dad he's going to be when we attended the "You and Your Baby Class".  As  you know, I wasn't sure what to expect with the class.  I did expect to learn about breathing techniques and I did expect to see some graphic videos.  I guess I didn't expect to see how involved Lance would be and to show so much interest in the entire birthing process and what he could do to be there for me as my birthing partner.  Throughout the class he took notes, asked questions and worked on massage techniques with me.  And it was more than just going through the motions, he was so tremendously  focused on me.

I've often felt alone throughout this pregnancy when it came to my expectations for giving birth.  When I tried to voice my opinion to Lance on what was important I always felt like he either didn't understand or just didn't care as much as I did.  I come to realize that he just moves at his own pace, gathers all the facts first and when it comes down to "game time" he's going to be there by my side 110%.  = )

So...here is what I learned from our birthing class. 

I learned that I can't really have a "Birth Plan" but I can be aware of all my options set a goal of what I'd like to happen and if it doesn't then there's always Plan B, Plan C and the "Oh screw it...let's just get here outta me safely" plan.

I learned that I'm still anti-Epidural but its not because I want to be "Strong Woman..here me Roar!".  I've realized I just don't like the idea of being confined to a bed during the birthing process.  This is something that only happens once in a lifetime if I'm that lucky and I want it to have meaning and I want to take part in bringing her into this world.  I don't want to sit in a bed for 6-8 hours with no feeling of control.  I learned that the moment I have an epidural I will be laying in the bed with an IV in my arm, an epidural catheter in my back and a urinary catheter as well.  The thought of that type of confinement and restriction just bothers the heck out of me.  Seriously, anyone who knows me, knows that I need some sort of control at all times in my life!  Plain and simple. 

I learned that the idea of being able to go through relaxation techniques with Lance will only make our bond stronger.  As convenient as "no pain" and being told when to push sounds to some people, I like the idea of struggling and sweating through something with the person you love.

I've also learned that I will probably ask for the epidural but not after being able to push through the contractions and progress labor as much as I can with labor positions and breathing techniques.  You can play a bigger role in the progress of your delivery when you aren't just laying there, but the thought of crowning with no drugs still scares the hell out of me.  So sometime between 6-8 cm dilated I will be asking about that precious needle.  = )

Like I said, I can't rely on a true birthing plan because a hundred of things can happen now before her delivery, but knowing now what is important to me helps me feel more confident and prepared.   I'm more excited now about labor and delivery than before.  Only 6 more weeks to go!!! 

34 Week Photo Update

Not so little Baby Bump Update - 34 Weeks

In between studying for school, working full time and acting neurotic/obsessive about planning out my life, I am still reading the lovely Dr. Seuss to Vivien.  I wonder if she loves it just as much as I do? 

Also, I was finally able to capture her movements on video.  She is so sneaky and camera shy and often stops moving when I hit record, but not this time!