Nesting?

Well, I'm finally getting to update this website and take care of several other things around the house too. Irv is sleeping soundly and I am wide awake. I've been able to clean up the closet, finish all the shower "Thank You" cards, get some laundry done and now I'm watching "Steel Magnolias" while working on the blog. I believe some of this is what could be termed "nesting".

Saturday was the official mark of 35 weeks. I recently learned that I came two weeks early so we'll be packing the bag and finalizing the nursery setup during this upcoming week.

Male Bonding

Irv and his brother, Carlos, on a ski trip in Utah. The boys went in early December and had a great time. I can't wait to be able to go skiing again!!

Halloween

Our Thursday night softball team dressed up for Halloween. This year, Irv decided to dress up as me. No, I'm not still playing ball!

Shower #2 ~ Nov. 9th.

These are from Baby's second shower which was a dual shower with my friend, Sherri. Her little boy, Luke, will be here on Tuesday (12/30).

More friends lovingly painting / decorating many onesies for Sherri and me.

Shower #1 ~ Oct. 18th

Just a few pics from Baby's first shower.







Me with Teresa and baby Addison.

Six Months & Counting

Saturday, Oct. 11th, was our 6 month mark. Irv snapped a shot for you and I've finally taken time to post it. The first three months seemed to drag and the last three months seem to have flown by! We'll see how the next 3-4 months go.

High Five!

Here's a picture from our latest sonogram! Baby Avila is either tired of pictures or just wanting to say "Hi". Either way it's just too exciting. The baby's heartbeat was 165 at this visit, which is great and we're glad for the consistency over the last three months. Our next appointment is in early November and then I'll be going in every two weeks. It's hard to believe the third trimester is just around the corner!

Tonight in our Bradley class we reviewed the 1st stage of labor, went over the 2nd stage, and then saw videos of four unmedicated births: two water births and two "dry land" births. Very eye-opening and definitely in a good way. At this point, I'm still confident we can do this and thinking that an attempt with the tub is not a bad idea. It certainly didn't look easy, but it didn't seem as scary/painful as the other two. There are three more classes to go, then we'll be experts. Ha! Irv is a great coach and I am one blessed wife!!

Primary Colors

The bedding set for the nursery arrived today! Thanks to Linda, Aunt Cheryl, and Great Aunt Gaye. The set included the quilt, bumper, valence, diaper stacker, hamper, and sheet. This goes with our "Primary Colors" theme perfectly and is just so cute!! Not that I'm biased or anything ... Irv let me pick this out without his approval, and I was a tad concerned he might not care for it as much as I did. I had nothing to fear because he really liked it.

Speaking of colors (mainly Green) ~ We're considering cloth diapers. Possibly BumGenius or FuzziBunz. Cloth diapers have come along way and both our mothers used cloth with us. However, for the first 4-5 weeks we'll more than likely use the Seventh Generation chlorine-free disposables. There's a boutique, Peppermint, in nearby Richardson that has cloth diapering classes. We will definitely be making use of those. (Quick ad: If you are looking for an economical, eco-friendly household cleaner line, then check out GetClean. Just fabulous and very baby/kid safe!!)

Now THAT I felt!

Wednesday, September 24th, 2008....9:30pm....Irv felt the baby for the first time! I was wrong on a previous post that this moment had already happened. No doubt about it this time! ;o)

Just Practicing

I'm working on my video skills so I thought I'd practice and post a short video . . . Here's a video of Mia helping me clean up after a PB&J sandwich.

Baby Bump

So, finally, a picture of the baby bump. This was taken on August 25th (17+ wks).

A bit of time has passed since then and I am feeling a lot of movement now (21+wks). I'm not sure what all is happening in there, but the little one is definitely very entertained. Irv can even feel the movement too!!

.

We go in for our second sonogram on Monday, Oct. 6th. For now, I've gained about 11 lbs and am feeling pretty good. Just a touch of lower back pains as the day ends, but with the yoga and Bradley classes, we're learning how to combat those issues.

Mamaste!

I've never done any type of yoga and have always wanted to try it. So, I signed up for prenatal yoga classes and they have been really, really fun. We have chosen to use the Allen Birthing Center and several of the relaxation techniques we're learning about are being used in the yoga class. I am very excited about this "practice", but already have concerns that I'll forget everything I've learned once the day arrives! ;o) When talking to moms, everyone has been so great about sharing their birth stories and I learn something new with each one. Thanks to all the moms that have gone before me!!

People have been asking about the "baby bump". Yeah, I guess there is one, but we don't have any pictures...yet. Maybe soon. I went on a trip a couple of weeks ago to New Orleans and picked up a couple of postcards for the baby's scrapbook. Is that the baby's first vacation? Probably not, but that's about all we have when it comes to pics. We take so many pictures of everything that it is a bit hard to believe there is only one of me over the last four months, and at my yoga class no less. Ha!

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

When we went in for the first sonogram on July 7th, it was pretty emotional. I think most of you know that I had a miscarriage in September 2007 so this picture was just so, so sweet and wonderful for us.

The tech put all our pics on a CD for us and even caught a few short video clips too. With one we think we saw hiccups which is really funny for those who know me.

The baby's heartbeat was 180 and then was 160 at our last appointment in early August (for those like us who like numbers).

Seniority

Before our next addition arrives, here's the original "addition" to our family . . . our puppy, Mia. Although she's not quite a puppy anymore. She was 4 months old when she was adopted from a n0-kill shelter in March of 2003. She'll be 6 yrs old this December.

Once we were telling people about the baby, we started hearing some really good stories from dog owners of how the new addition was welcomed into the family. Some were not so good and so I took it upon myself to start making any necessary changes as soon as possible. For instance, there's really only one spot for a high chair to go in our breakfast nook and that is where Mia was dining. I moved her bowls to she could get adjusted. Of course I got the, "What are you doing? I think there's plenty of time for that." This was back in EARLY July! I think it's official ~ I've lost my mind.

Under Construction

Phew! I've finally started this project. Stay tuned for more info!