Landon's Birth Story - Part 2

Part 1 of Landon's birth story is here.

Eventually, it was time for me to push to get Landon's head down, locked and loaded. I think I pushed for 30-45 minutes before my OB came in to deliver me. At that point Landon's head was right there and I totally felt that urge to push. I told Kevin "Oh gosh. I have to push." and he said "Okay, push." Bless his heart, he was being such a good partner in all this. But my OB was still putting her gloves and scrubs on and I looked at him and said "If I push this baby is coming out! I have to wait for the doctor."

So then I told the doctor that I really needed to push so she quickly dropped the scrubs and took position, I pushed once and Landon's head was out and I immediately saw a slight look of panic/concern on the doctor and nurse's faces. The doctor said kind of quickly to the nurse some medical term for the cord being wrapped around his neck and it was so tight that the doctor had to ask the nurse to put her finger between the cord and the neck so the doctor could cut the cord from Landon's neck because it wasn't budging. Then the nurse translated and said the cord was wrapped around his neck but he was beautiful. Keep in mind, he was still partially inside me. So I was asked to push one more time and he was fully delivered.

The doctor did not lift him up for me to see and he was barely laid on my stomach. All the sudden there were about four more nurses in the room and they immediately took Landon to the warming table. He wasn't crying, he was so ashen and blue and limp. The nurses were rubbing him really hard to get him to "come to" and cry but he wasn't having it. Next thing I know a nurse requests another nurse to call the Rapid Response Team. At that point Kevin and I were very concerned.

As I'm laying with my legs splayed open, my placenta on a table and the doctor doing what she needs to do "down there," about 10 doctors and nurses come piling into our room to work on Landon. Normally, I probably would have been a little embarrassed because all of me was clearly visible to all of them. But in that instant all I cared about was making sure our baby was going to live. My nurse was keeping me up to date on what they were doing, and some doctors would come up to reassure us about what they were doing. No one was really giving us clear-cut explanations, but because everything seemed so frantic to me, I didn't think to ask questions and I didn't know what questions to ask in that moment! I just wanted them to stop talking to me and focus on the baby.

After a while they got Landon stable. There was talk of Landon going down to the NICU but he apparently was doing better so they decided against it. After a long time, I finally got to hold Landon and put him to my chest and nurse him. He never cried and he was still pretty cold. We eventually moved from Labor and Delivery up to our room in Recovery and when we got up there Landon was really blue around his lips. There was a lady up there when we got into the Recovery room and she drew blood from Landon and ran some tests on it right then and there and based on those results she called the NICU doctor who then came to our room and took Landon away down to the NICU. It all happened so fast.

It was such a roller coaster of emotions. First, we were so excited about his birth, then so scared after his birth. Then so worried because they mentioned the possibility of the NICU. Then so happy that he wouldn't have to go after all. Then back to being so worried and scared once he did have to go to the NICU in the end.

So when they took Landon down to the NICU, Kevin went with them. So I was alone in my hospital room. I wasn't intentionally left by myself. My mom was on her way back to the hospital to stay with me while Kevin was in the NICU. Surprisingly, I didn't break down at that point. I think I was still in so much shock that I hadn't had a chance to process everything. But I was sad. So sad that I didn't have my baby in my arms and that I wasn't able to hold him skin-to-skin and nurse him like I normally would have been able to do. So sad that our family wasn't there to hold and love on him.

My mom made it to my room and it felt good to have her there. Kevin came back from the NICU and explained what he could. We still didn't know much then, and I think looking back now, I was too afraid to ask too many questions for fear of what the answers might be. Kevin then went home so he could see Preslie, help put her to bed and get some dinner, while my mom stayed with me. My mom and I went down to the NICU to see Landon and that's when I had my breakdown. I don't like crying in front of people, but I couldn't help it at that point.

Kevin came back that night and my mom went back to our house (my dad was with Preslie back at our house). Since I didn't have Landon around to nurse him, I had to use one of the hospital's pumps to pump all the colostrum I could for the baby.

Landon ended up being in the NICU for three days. I was discharged from the hospital the day after I delivered. Thankfully, Kaiser has a program where you can "board in" a hospital room for up to three days after discharge if you have a child in the NICU and you don't have to pay for the hospital room. The only caveat was the hospital staff would not provide you with any support (like hospital food, etc.). It was just a place to stay so we could be close to our baby and it worked perfectly. We ended up "boarding in" for one night on Thursday the 2nd.

On Friday, after the NICU doctor made his rounds, they told us we could "room in" with Landon that night. The NICU at this Kaiser has two "bedrooms" on the NICU floor. This gives parents a chance to stay the night in the hospital with your baby in your room and nurses nearby. Again, super convenient and a great accommodation at no charge. The only drawback was the room was literally a square with no windows so it kind of felt like you were in a shoebox with a bathroom. But we were just happy that Landon was doing well enough to be able to do this.

 

^ The first time I was ever alone with Landon. I was able to take off his lines for good and get him dressed in a real outfit.

^ His first outfit! He was swimming in it and was so itty bitty!

^ Hanging out with Papa in the "room in" room on the NICU floor.

That night neither Kevin or I got much sleep - and it wasn't because of having a three-day-old in the room. It was because the nurses wanted him to eat every three hours. So I'd nurse him every three hours and change his diaper, start to fall back to sleep and a nurse would knock on our door to get his diaper  so they could weigh it. At least Landon slept great that night!

On Saturday Landon was discharged.

 ^ Heading home!!!

It was a great feeling to be out of there. I felt very thankful for so many things that day:

1. Having such a great and supportive husband. He is My Person and was an amazing partner through everything.
2. That Landon wasn't required to be in the NICU for very many days compared to more serious cases. It was scary nonetheless, but I know it could have been worse and for that I am grateful he was spared.
3. Our family who helped us so much with Preslie during it all.
4. Our hospital. I was so incredibly impressed with all the services we received.

^ We're home!

Once we got Landon home, I think everyone took a big sigh of relief. As for big sister, she didn't want to have much to do with him. I had big plans before I went into labor about how my parents would bring Preslie to the hospital to meet her brother for the first time. What she would be wearing and how we'd give her a little Big Sister Gift. That obviously didn't work out like I had hoped. In the end the only thing that mattered was that we were all under one roof and everyone was healthy.

The End.

:)

Landon's Birth Story - Part 1

It's obviously been over a month since Landon was born, but I want to attempt to document his birth story. Hopefully, I can remember most of it since it's been a while!

Disclaimer: If you could care less about the birthing process or get grossed out by "womanly things," then you might want to refrain from reading this.

Since I was about 20 weeks pregnant with Landon, I had a feeling he would come before his due date (which would have been October 19th) and earlier than his sister was born (Preslie was born a week early). Once I made it to 32 weeks with Landon, I was feeling as uncomfortable as I was when I was 35 weeks with Preslie. So that gave me even more of the sense that he was coming early.

The weekend of September 20th I was 36 weeks pregnant and made the three hour trip to my hometown and back with Preslie, to see my parents, attend a couple birthday parties and catch up with friends. I knew it would be a while until I was able to get back there once Landon was born. The whole time I kept hoping I wouldn't go into labor there because, 1) I was nowhere near my hospital, and 2) Kevin wasn't with us. So I just made sure to take it easy and let my parents take care of Preslie. Ha!

The following weekend, at 2:30am on the morning of Sunday, September 28th I woke up to contractions out of nowhere. I had had continual braxton hicks for the latter part of my pregnancy, but these were strong enough to wake me from my sleep. I thought "This is it! He's coming today!" Then my next thought was "Oh shit. I still have so much to get done!" I immediately started stressing about all the stuff I still had left to do - the mounds of laundry being one of them. So at 2:30am I got out of bed and began to do laundry and clean the house. Nesting much?

Once I was up and moving around, the contractions stopped. At one point I laid on the couch to rest for a bit and the contractions started up again. Any time I was laying down I'd have contractions. They were pretty mild pain-wise at that point, but enough pain to keep me from going back to sleep.

Kevin took care of Preslie that morning once she got up and that allowed me to get a couple hours of restless sleep before I got up for the day (for the second time). Once I was up, I went to the bathroom and discovered I had lost my mucus plug, which was completely surprising because I was only 37 weeks on this day. For the following two days I continued to have "bloody show" and a lot of mild contractions that became a bit more painful as each day went by.

Since that Sunday I was taking a lot of walks each day to see if the contractions would become regular - which they didn't. The only thing that remained consistent was that they would come regularly and strong when I was laying down, but would go away if I was up and moving around (which was the complete opposite from when I was in labor with Preslie).

Once Tuesday evening  (September 30th) came around, I had this weird feeling that Landon would be born the next day. Maybe since I had given birth one time before I could sense my body was getting ready? I don't really know, but I decided to double-check my hospital bag, I got everything packed up for Preslie for when we took her to Kara's if it was going to be an early morning drop off, and I made sure the guest room was ready for my parents.

At about 3am on Wednesday, October 1st, I was woken up again to much painful contractions. As I was timing them they were about 5-7 minutes apart and stronger than they had been previously. I made sure to do a lot of laps around the house to see if they would keep coming, and they did. I spent about an hour-and-a-half on the big medicine ball while I watched TV, just to get my pelvis open and relieve the pressure on my lower back. The contractions were continuing to get stronger so I decided to take a bath at about 4am. When I did that when I was laboring with Preslie, it got things moving real quick. And the same can be said for this labor.

I got out of the bath at 4:30am, then laid in bed and continued to time my contractions for another 15 minutes. At that point they were coming every 4-5 minutes. So I turned on my light, rolled over and tried to gently wake Kevin up to tell him it was time to head to the hospital.

Side Note: The day before, Kevin had a hard but very successful day at work. He had "requested" that I not have Landon on September 30th since it was month-end for him and he had some very important deals to close. He ended up closing all his deals, plus an additional one! So needless to say he was utterly exhausted when I woke him up.

So we got up, he showered, I got dressed and texted Kara to let her know we'd be dropping Preslie off since Landon was on his way. The contractions were getting much stronger. I wasn't able to talk or walk when they came. We got the car packed, the dogs situated, family notified and then we got Preslie up and changed and in the car and we were on the road at 5:30am. We dropped her off and headed to the hospital.

 

^ One last belly pic on our way out the door! 

37 weeks and 3 days pregnant.

Once at the hospital, a midwife checked me 6am and I was only 3cm! I couldn't believe it. I was so frustrated. My contractions were STRONG and I was sure I had made more progress than that with being in early stages of labor the past two days. That midwife almost sent me home, but she decided to let me stay there for an hour to monitor the contractions and see if I made any more progress. When she walked out of the room I got off that hospital bed and stood up and labored standing up to help things along.

Holy hell. Did things ever move along!

The contractions were so strong that I was shaking uncontrollably during and after them. Sweet Kevin thought I was cold and was trying to cover me up, but I had to explain to him (through gritted teeth) that the shaking was involuntary and I wasn't in need of blankets. I also had the need to vomit which was super fun (said no one ever).

The midwife came back at 7am and checked me again and I was then at 5cm. I thought progressing two centimeters within one hour was really good progress, but I guess not. She ALMOST sent me home! But I literally gave her a death stare and pleaded with my eyeballs, willing her to keep me there. After some hmming and hawing on her behalf, she decided to admit me since I needed a couple rounds of antibiotics because I had tested positive for Group B Strep. I was so so so relieved.

I don't remember too much between the time I was admitted and when I got the epidural. I do remember throwing up a lot and my contractions feeling way more painful and strong than they ever were when I was in labor with Preslie. They probably weren't, but time can play tricks on your mind. Once I got the epidural I could focus more and relax. I realized our nurse was awesome and that my OB was actually on call that day. I was pretty happy about the fact that my doctor would be delivering me.

The nurse allowed us to rest for a few hours while the antibiotics were administered and I progressed more. I have to say that I have no regrets whatsoever with getting an epidural. I know women have strong opinions about all that, but for me it was wonderful and it allowed me to get the rest I needed before I started pushing. At one point the nurse was going to check me and break my bag of waters but apparently that happened on its own. I couldn't feel anything so that whole part of labor was pretty anticlimactic.

When the nurse let us know that I was complete and I'd start pushing in about 30 minutes, I requested oxygen while I pushed. During my labor with Preslie and when I was pushing with her, I didn't have the extra oxygen and I felt like I was going to pass out on multiple occasions. I didn't know enough then to ask for it. So this time I did, and my nurse gave me the oxygen mask right then so I could just start getting it ahead of time.

I think it was around this time that we noticed Landon's heartbeat was dropping every now and then. It didn't drop consistently and hadn't dropped too low for it to be a cause for concern at that point, but it was something the nurse was keeping an eye on.

I think I'll stop here because his birth story is really long. I'll post the next installment tomorrow!

Our Little Landon

Landon Mark Joseph Pino

was born on Wednesday, October 1, 2014 at 1:40pm,

weighing 6 pounds, 6 ounces and 19 3/8 inches long.

^He looks blue in this picture because he was. Scary scary. :(

He arrived 2 1/2 weeks early, much to many peoples' surprise - but not to his Mama's surprise. I always had a feeling he wasn't going to wait around until his due date to get here.

He gave us a scare as soon as he was born and was admitted into the NICU for three days, but prayers were answered and we have a healthy and happy baby boy in our arms now.

I'll go into more detail once I get a chance to compile his birth story.

 Landon definitely completes our family of four!

Baby Pino 2.0: Thirty Four Weeks

I think the bellies look about the same. Landon seems to pop out a tiny bit more. 

Thank goodness for a better bra this time around. ;)

Weight gain/loss: Still holding steady at 22 pounds gained. I've been at 22 pounds gained for the past three weeks. Not complaining at all!

Size of baby: Baby Boy is apparently 4 3/4 pounds, but I'm going with at least 5 pounds; 18 inches long; the size of a cantaloupe.

If I were to guess, I'd guess that Little Landon is going to weigh anywhere between 8 and 9 pounds at birth.

Gender: BOY!

Movement: A little less movement at all times, and more at certain times; and the movement is mostly painful. He jabs and kicks and pokes and stretches. I can get him going every time I eat or drink something sweet.

Sleep: I've entered the stage where sleep has become sporadic and uncomfortable. I remember this clearly from last time. I will fall asleep on my side and I'll wake up in the morning on that exact same side - so I know I didn't roll over at all that night, because the belly is heavy! Should I be setting a little alarm/reminder to roll over in the middle of the night? I can't imagine laying in one position for 7+ hours straight is a good thing...

Maternity clothes: Yes - all of it. My maternity tops I wore in my 2nd trimester are no longer fitting at this point. So I'm wearing dresses most of the time.

Innie or outie? I have an innie and outie. Half of my belly button is an innie and half is an outie. It looks weird. My belly button never popped out at all with Preslie.

Symptoms: 
1) Heightened sense of smell - good grief! I smell everything!
2) Heartburn
3) No appetite at nighttime
4) Sore hips
5) Emotional and crying for no dang reason
6) Tired

Aversions: Nothing I can really think of. The smell of certain foods seems to be turning me off lately. I'm warming back up to chicken again!

Cravings: I haven't really had any real food cravings the past couple weeks.
1) Strawberry milkshakes
2) Cold, cold, cold apple juice
3) Cold applesauce

What I miss: 
1) Exercising. Yes, I know women out there exercise all the time when they're pregnant - but I am not one of them. I prefer to be not with child when I exercise and I'm looking forward to exercising uninhibited.
2) Alcohol - the usual.
3) Actually running after Preslie.

What I'm looking forward to:
1) My maternity leave beginning in exactly 8 work days!!!
2) Getting the last few wall hangings in for Landon's room and then sharing it with everyone.
3) For this little guy to get here! I get kind of nervous every time I think about the fact that he can be here pretty much any time after the next three weeks (or sooner - but hopefully not)!

Best moments: 
1) Crossing almost everything off my To-Do List before baby comes.
2) Having a healthy and un-complicated pregnancy so far. I'm very thankful for this.
3) New AC in our house! Seriously, it is awesome having a cool home while 8 months pregnant.
4) My mom feeling Landon hiccuping and moving all around and her starting to cry with happiness over it all.

Baby Daddy
Kev can still get Landon to move when he's close to my belly and talking to him.
Since this is the first week of football, Kevin has been beside himself with happiness. He considers it "better than Christmas morning." In spite of it all, he said he couldn't wait to have another man in the house to enjoy it with. Ha!

Big Sister:  
Preslie now points to my belly and says "beebee" and she'll point to the swing, Landon's crib and carseat and also says "beebee." I don't think she really understands the meaning of "beebee" though, but at least she's putting two-and-two together for now. 

When it comes to everything else though, all the things are "MINE!" So that should be fun when we have to introduce the fact that everything will soon be ours.

Today, she gave my belly a couple pats - almost as if she just then realized it's a big belly. 

Her tantrums have been out. of. control and I loathe them when they continue when Landon gets here. Lord, give me strength!

Baby Pino 2.0: Fourteen Weeks

^There was a whining toddler at my feet when this was taken.

Weight gain/loss: I've gained seven pounds so far. Compared to my last pregnancy I weigh seven pounds more now at 14 weeks, than I did then. I'm trying really hard not to think about weight gain too much.

Size of baby: Baby is about 1 1/2 ounces; 3 1/2 inches long; about the size of a lemon.

Gender: Unknown, but I feel like it's a boy.

Movement: I felt the first real flutter at 11 1/2 weeks. And I know it wasn't gas bubbles because it was while I was having an ultrasound and I saw Baby kick and felt it at the same time. I feel him/her about every day, but no movement strong enough to be felt from the outside.

Sleep: Some nights are good and some nights aren't. I've been very stuffed up every night it seems like, so sometimes I toss and turn and other nights I sleep like a baby. Oh, and the snoring is back - as Kevin so lovingly reminds me. ;) Night sweats have subsided for now because we've had a lot warmer weather so we keep the window open and I can dress cooler for bed.

Maternity clothes: All maternity clothes. A couple weeks ago I got some summer clothes at Old Navy and felt really good about them. I've started wearing them this week and apparently "the girls" have grown because some of the dresses no longer fit up top. It makes me uncomfortable and frustrated, to say the least.

Symptoms: I have experienced every symptom during this pregnancy that I did not experience with my last pregnancy.
1) Swelling. I didn't swell with Preslie. But this time my feet swell and my fingers swell. I had to get a fake wedding ring because my rings no longer fit. I normally wear a size 6 1/2 shoe and I just bought a pair of 7 1/2 sandals!
2) HEADACHES. Oh the headaches. They're horrible, and they'll last anywhere from an entire day to three days. Add a whiny 12 month old to that and it makes quite the combo.
3) Tummy aches. I can't pinpoint what food makes my stomach hurt because it'll hurt for random reasons at random times. I can be hungry and it hurts, or I can be full and it hurts. I can eat a healthy meal and it hurts or I can eat a fatty meal and it hurts. It's a lose-lose situation, folks.
4) Bloody noses. Fun times!
5) My energy returned and the nausea stopped at 13 weeks on the dot. Makes things a smidge easier to deal with. :)
6) I felt the most exhausted at week 11.

Aversions:
1) Still grilled chicken. I try to take one for the team if Kevin makes dinner with it but I just can't.
2) Sweet things. I haven't touched much candy at all this pregnancy and I'm not a huge fan of sweet drinks right now. Complete opposite from last time.

Cravings:
1) Quizno's Sonoma Turkey flatbread sandwiches with Jalapeno chips. My absolute favorite thing right now!
2) Chocolate and peanut butter, sometimes.
3) Anything salty
4) Anything fried (healthy, I know)
5) Pickles
6) Tuna sandwiches
7) Sushi
8) Mexican food

What I miss: Having myself back. First of all, I feel extremely lucky to be able to carry and bear another child. This is something some women aren't able to do and I don't take that for granted one bit. BUT...this time around has been very different - self-esteem-wise - than last time. I don't think I gave myself enough time to get my body back to where I felt comfortable before I got pregnant again. I do not feel good about the way I look now and I dread seeing pictures of myself and looking at myself in the mirror. Last time I loved being pregnancy and how my body looked. Loved. It! This time - not the same. I try not to think about it too much, but it's hard. I just look at it as a means to an end, and that end being a beautiful baby we are blessed to have.

Best moments:
1) Seeing Baby at another ultrasound at 11 1/2 weeks. He/she was a wiggle worm and so active. The doctor said she thinks the baby is more towards the outer part of my stomach because the ultrasound came out so clear; and that may be another reason I felt him/her so early.

2) Brainstorming some names based on gender. We have a name if it's a boy. Absolutely no name if it's a girl.
3) Feeling movement.

What I'm looking forward to:
1) We find out the gender on Saturday (April 26th)! I am so so excited for that.
2) Once we know the gender I can start planning the nursery and purchasing items for that.
3) Getting into an exercise routine and hoping that will make me feel a bit better about myself.

Baby Daddy: Kevin is pretty much going with the flow. He says it always becomes a little more real for him when he sees an ultrasound and can feel kicks. It makes me feel good when he asks how I'm feeling or how Baby is doing.

Big Sister: She still has no clue what's going on. Our cousin is in her third trimester and we saw her last weekend and Preslie leaned over and touched her belly. It was pretty cute and I was surprised she noticed that her belly was bigger. I'm looking forward to her doing that to my belly.

I thought doing these posts every four weeks would seem like a long time in between - but not so much! These weeks just zoom on by!

And then there were four...

As most of you may already know (thanks to our Facebook and Instagram announcements) we are expecting Baby Pino 2.0 in October!



We were initially very shocked and surprised when we found out on February 7th, when I was 3 weeks and 5 days along.

I'd like to write down the journey the past couple months to make sure it's all well-documented:

We naively thought that since it took a while to get pregnant with Preslie, that it would also take a while again to get pregnant with a second baby. So we weren't necessarily doing anything to prevent a pregnancy, but at the same time we weren't actively hoping for one right away.

I stopped producing milk in October and began having cycles in December and January. Since they weren't really regular cycles I didn't think much of it and never imagined they were still regular enough to get pregnant.

Fast-forward to the week of February 7th and I just felt "off." I had been doing Weight Watchers for about a month at that point and my weight was just up and down, and that week I couldn't lose any weight for anything. I was so bloated and just didn't feel right. I kept mentioning to Kevin that it'd be crazy if I was pregnant - but I didn't really think it to be true.

Thursday, February 7th I bought a pregnancy test at Target on my lunch break, got to work, peed on the stick and five minutes later took a look at it at my desk and laughed "HA!" out loud and then kind of had a mini-freak out moment to myself. My heart was pounding so hard and I started sweating a lot.

I then called Kevin at work, then my mom and dad, texted my BFF and then all the worries started to set in: Preslie is still a baby herself; will we be able to handle two "babies" under two; both in diapers? Can we afford two kids in daycare? We're going to have to get more baby furniture and completely switch around rooms in our house. Oh, and then eventually get a bigger car. What if there is something wrong with this baby or the pregnancy goes bad? Can we handle that? All normal worries - I know.

And I know everything will work out fine. Just initial worries. So after all that I sat down and started to plan my maternity leave and figure out money we need to set aside to pay for benefits while I'm out of work. I felt much better after doing that. Ha!

I am currently 8 weeks and 4 days along now. We had my first ultrasound on Monday (when I was 8 weeks 1 day) and everything looked perfectly fine and normal and we saw his/her little heart beating away. We are really hoping for a boy this time around, but of course will feel lucky just to have a healthy baby no matter what sex it is.

I have yet to tell my boss and manager that I'm pregnant. They're both men and don't really notice so I think I'll hold out a bit longer. I'm kind of apprehensive to tell them for some reason.

So far this pregnancy has been quite different than my pregnancy with Preslie.
~I am hungry ALL THE DAMN TIME! With P I never wanted to eat.
~I feel much more nauseous this time around, but I honestly think I'm just as nauseous as the last pregnancy. It just feels more so because I'm actually in the thick of it. Luckily, I have yet to throw up so I'm not complaining too much.
~I don't feel as tired this time around but I think that's because I don't have an option to be tired with an almost-one-year-old crawling everywhere.
~I've gained weight sooner than I did with P - that probably has a lot to do with my never-ending hunger.
~My boobs haven't been sore at all. I think that may be thanks to having just stopped producing milk not too long ago.
~I started showing at seven weeks; meaning wearing my maternity pants and people noticing the bump at work. I didn't really start showing with P until about 14 weeks, I think.
~My cravings have been geared more toward red meat and salty stuff. With my last pregnancy I wanted a lot of sweet and sour things.
~I am not a fan of grilled chicken this go-around. GAG!

I'll start my pregnancy posts at week 10 and I've decided I'm only going to do them every four weeks. I'm just being realistic here and know I'm not going to be able to keep up with weekly updates. I can hardly keep up with Preslie's monthly updates for crying out loud! I'm still going to take weekly belly pics, but only post every four weeks.

Thank you everyone for all your kind words and encouragement. It really means so much to us. We are super excited for this next adventure in our lives!!!



Post-Partem Must Haves

Here's a list of things I found helpful for after Baby arrives.


I posted about some things I found really helpful during my pregnancy here.

One thing I did not take into account when it comes to becoming a mom was making sure I had everything I needed for ME after I had Baby. You're so fixated on making sure you have everything you need for the baby but it's important to not forget about yourself. If you can't keep yourself healthy you're not going to be able to adequately keep Baby healthy too.

1. Breast Pads
Whether or not you're going to breastfeed, these are a must. I used the Medela brand breast pads because I got a big box as a shower gift, but I think next time I might try a different brand. Make sure you have enough so you don't have to run to the store that first week; so get a big box!

2. Lanolin Cream (aka Nipple Cream)

If you plan on breastfeeding and/or pumping, you'll need this stuff. Your nipples just aren't going to be used to all that friction and they will get raw. I really liked the Lansinoh Brand Lanolin Cream, personally. And you won't have to use this forever. Eventually your nipples will get used to it and build up some toughness (sorry for the TMI - haha!). I think someone gave me a travel size of these and it was super helpful to have while in the hospital.

3. Pads

Yes, you're going to need them. I heard you'll need them even if you have a c-section too. Again, make sure you have more than enough!

4. Cooling Pads / Gel Pads

These are so nice to have on hand. I really like the Lansinoh TheraPearl Gel Pads. They give you some nice relief.

I also really like Medela's Hydrogel pads. These were soooo soothing and you can wear them in your bra out in public without it being noticeable. They're very discreet.

5. Nursing Sports Bra

As I've said before, I hate wearing bras so sports bras are my BFF's. Zulily was having a maternity sale one day and I spied a nursing sports bra from La Leche League for like $14! So I definitely snatched that up. I didn't even know nursing sports bras existed. They do. And it was nice to sleep in something comfortable yet supportive at night and be able to easily nurse Preslie without it being cumbersome.

6. Tylenol

You're going to have pain after having a baby. For me, it was a lot of pain for a lot of months. For other women the pain goes away after a week or so. It's different for everyone. Just make sure you have pain relievers on hand (and make sure they're compatible with nursing if you're going that route). Also, make sure you take them on time once you get home from the hospital. It's easy to remember to take them when the nurses have you on a schedule while you're in recovery at the hospital, but once you're home it's even easier to forget about taking them on time - especially when you're trying to keep up with feeding a baby.

7. Snacks
If it weren't for my mom and Kevin making sure I continually ate, I probably wouldn't have survived. You're so focused on making sure the baby is getting enough to eat and gaining enough weight that you completely forget to feed yourself. At least that's what it was like for me. So our next go-round I'm going to make sure to have lots of {healthy} snacks on hand so I can quickly grab them and not starve.

8. Freezer Meals
I think I'll do a separate post on this. The came in so very handy!

9. Comfy, stretchy PJ's
I wanted nothing to do with jeans or anything tight on my lower half after I gave birth. Stretchy PJ's and sweat pants were the best things for me. I also got myself some cute PJ's to wear in the hospital. It felt so good to put those on and get out of the hospital gown after giving birth and recovering.

10. GRACE!
Make sure to give yourself and your baby some grace. The first week was tough for me. I wanted everything to be perfect - and that just wasn't realistic. I finally had to have a little pep-talk with myself and give myself some grace. I'm not perfect and I will never be a perfect mom. Each day I learn something new; what works and what doesn't for my baby and our family. I also had to give Preslie some grace. She is a good sleeper and she has been pretty much since we brought her home from the hospital. Pretty sure we just got lucky. But we still had nights where she'd wake up a lot and I'd get frustrated and I had to tell myself "Give the kid a break, Kaysie. She's a newborn. This is what they're supposed to do. Relax." I still have to tell myself that almost daily. You do the best you know how, and what you don't know now you'll eventually learn. Baby will adore you no matter what.

The End.

Maternity Must Haves

The other night I spent over an hour writing this post and I accidentally erased it! Grrr!!!

I've been meaning to write this post for the - oh....past EIGHT months but just haven't found the time.

That time is now!

I wanted to list the things I found super helpful during my pregnancy with Preslie. Mostly for my own memory if we're lucky enough to have a second pregnancy, and I also thought it might be helpful for any moms-to-be.

These items were just what worked for me. I know everyone is different. I also wasn't sponsored for any of this stuff.

1. Burt's Bees Mamma Bee Body Butter



Love this stuff! I tried a few different kinds of body butter and some either smelled awful or were way too greasy. This stuff had no odor and did a great job moisturizing the baby belly. I also didn't have any stretch marks, but that could have more to do with the fact that I had a lot of belly skin to spare. Ha!

2. Be Maternity Seamless Cami from Target



I'm not a huge fan of seeing the belly panel from maternity pants through your top. It just looks odd to me. I wore these camis all. the. time under my tops while pregnant. As a matter of fact, I still wear them! They are very comfy and stretchy. They make things smooth and hold all your parts in place (which is always a plus in my book). I've only seen them in black, white and nude in store at Target, but it looks like they also have them in gray on their website. Seriously, get yourself some of these! You can thank me later. ;)

3. Panty Liners

Enough said.

4. Body Pillow / Sleeping

I personally didn't use a body pillow. I suffered from night sweats throughout my pregnancy and anything more than a sheet made me feet like I was on fire. A body pillow would just add more fuel to the flame. But I've heard good things from others who've used them!

5. Exercise Ball

Before I discovered the true beauty of an exercise ball, I just thought it was something "excessive" that pregnant women used just because. Oh how naiive I was...
I used this so much going into the last five to six weeks of my pregnancy. It really helped to relieve pressure in my hips and on my back. I also spent a good chunk of hours on this ball while I was laboring at home. LIFE-SAVER!!! If you don't have one, it really wouldn't hurt to get one - or even borrow one - and try it out.

6. Baths
I know...I know. Lots of people have opinions about taking baths while pregnant. I took them; so there! Again, being in the water helped relieve pressure in my hips and back. I took one almost every day. Towards the end I could only take one if Kevin was home because I couldn't get out by myself! HA! Also, I plopped my big self in the tub while I was in labor at home and it got things moving real quick!

7. Water Bottle

Since you have to make sure you stay really hydrated while pregnant I'd highly recommend getting a reusable water bottle. This is the one I have and I like it because I could put ice in it. I was all about having REALLY cold water while pregnant. This was also good while in labor. You have to really remember to drink water and it was easy to drink from it quickly and often.

8. Maternity Pants
Maternity clothes aren't cheap, and it's hard to justify spending the money on them when you're going to wear them for only a short while. But it's worth the splurge, in my opinion. I got a few really nice dress pants and a pair of cute jeans from Destination Maternity (DM). They were A Pea in the Pod brand and DM was having a "buy one, get one half off" sale. I also ended up getting a couple pair of skinny colored jeans from DM as well.

Target's maternity section is kind of small, but they usually have some really cute items as well. So does Old Navy.

9. Maternity Undies
For me, I needed them. I didn't get the kind that were full belly coverage or anything like that. I got the kind that sat low, under your belly.

10. Nursing Bra
Highly recommend getting fitted for a nursing bra while you're pregnant. You're probably not going to find the time to go get fitted for one right after baby arrives (and you certainly aren't feeling your best). I got fitted for mine at DM when I was about six or seven months pregnant. I also got one of those extenders that you can clip on the back so it would expand as the "girls" expanded.

11. Sports Bras



These were my saving grace! I hate wearing a bra as it is and I wanted something comfy but needed the support. So I got some sports bras at Target. They sell them for pretty cheap and in a lot of different colors.



That's what I can think of for now. If you have any other suggestions feel free to leave them in the comments so I can make note of them and other readers can too!

July 30th

One year ago today, Kevin and I found out that we were pregnant!

I would love to recap that day for you, but I'm kind of long-winded when it comes to blog posts, so I'll direct you here if you'd like to read about it. :)

A lot of my pregnancy posts and baby-related things can be found here.

Never in a million years would I have thought that motherhood would be this rewarding, and I'm only four months into it!

There is not one day that I don't take for granted the blessing of this child and how extremely lucky I am.

The journey of Preslie coming into our world has been an incredibly amazing experience!

Your questions, answered

I wanted to do a post to answer some questions people have been asking me. Plus, I figure it's good to document all this so I can look back on it and be able to use some of this if there's a Baby Pino 2.0.

Are you breastfeeding?
Yes, we are now breastfeeding. But it's been quite a journey.

When Preslie was born she had an almost-severe case of jaundice. When we were released from the hospital we had to go to the pediatrician's office for three additional days after that, and her little heels had to be pricked each time. :( Since she wouldn't cry the first couple days after birth my milk took longer than normal to come in. Which led to her losing weight kind of rapidly and hence her jaundice getting worse.

So I was somewhat forced to start her on formula. We tried one brand at first but she was having issues with it, so then we switched to Similac Sensitive and she seemed to be doing okay on that. Once my milk came in I would nurse her and supplement with formula because she'd cry so much after we'd nurse that I thought she wasn't getting enough breast milk. Eventually, all she would do was cry each time she would have breast milk, so I chalked it up to her being allergic to my milk (even though I adjusted my diet).

When she was around three weeks old I made the decision to just put her on strictly formula, and no longer breast milk. I thought it would just be easier for me, she'd be happy and full and I wouldn't have to stress so much. After that I'd try to justify to myself that I was making the right decision and she'd be fine on formula, etc. etc. But in the back of my mind I still wasn't 100% okay with it.

So about a week and a half ago I decided I just was not ready to stop nursing. I didn't want to look back a year later and regret not giving it another shot. I had a goal going into this parenting thing to make breastfeeding work and I knew I'd be disappointed in myself if I didn't give it a little more effort. The fact was that she nursed beautifully, latched on great and could go from nursing straight to a bottle and back with no issues at all.

Keep in mind that between deciding on her being on formula and then me making the decision to go back to breast feeding I had started to let my milk dry up and stopped pumping. I could KICK myself for doing that! Luckily, when I made the decision to continue to breastfeed I still had a supply left, although it was very small. The past two weeks it's been an incredible challenge to get my supply up to where it needs to be to meet Preslie's demands. As of today I've gone through all the frozen breast milk I had stockpiled away, so my supply better kick into overdrive tomorrow or else we'll be in some trouble.

Side note: I've been doing everything "they" say to do to increase my supply - drinking Mother's Milk tea, taking Fenugreek, pumping and nursing constantly, drinking lots of water and making sure to eat enough. I want to get back to what I was producing before (which was anywhere from 20-26 ounces per day), rather than what I'm producing now (which is only 10 ounces per day). If you have any other suggestions, please help a sister out!

The current status is that Preslie is doing wonderful on breast milk! She's digesting it easily and she's not crying in pain from gas or constipation. Looking back now I realize that her system just couldn't handle the combination of breast milk and formula - it had to either be one or the other.

What kind of schedule do you have Preslie on?
This is Preslie's schedule as of right now:

2am or 3am: Feed and then right back down to sleep
6am or 7am: Feed and then right back down to sleep
9am: Feed
9:30-10am: Play
10am-12pm: Nap
12pm: Feed
12:30-1pm: Play
1-3pm: Nap
3pm: Feed
3:30-4pm: Play
4-5:30pm: Nap
5:30pm: Feed
6-6:30pm: Play
6:30-8pm: Nap
8pm: Bath
8:30pm: Feed
9pm: Bedtime 

We use a lot of the methods from Mom's on Call for Preslie's schedule. It's made things much easier because if she's fussy or crying we usually know why based on what time it is (i.e. she's hungry or tired).

How is Preslie sleeping?
She sleeps great at night, going five to six hours the first stretch and about three hours the second stretch. This week though, naps have been another story. She's been fighting them like crazy. She usually takes two naps in her crib and two naps in either the swing or bouncy seat. But she's just not having them this week. We're trying to keep things consistent though and she'll get the hang of things eventually. Oh, and she doesn't usually nap the full two hours during her naps. Sometimes it's an hour and sometimes it might be more.

Are you using a pacifier?
Ah, the great paci debate. Yes, we use one. About 80% of the time she wants nothing to do with it. The other 20% of the time she'll take it when she's tired and then will spit it out herself. I'm not too worried about her being hooked on it and if she does, then we'll just break her of it when the time comes and deal with it then. But for right now it works for us and soothing her.

How are you doing?
I'm doing good. It's taken longer to feel like "normal" after delivery than I thought it would. Some women bounce right back, but for me it's required the whole six weeks until I've finally felt back to my somewhat old self again.

How much weight did you gain / have you lost?
I gained 18 pounds during my pregnancy. I was honestly shocked that I didn't gain more. I'm short as it is and have always had to watch my weight, so once I got pregnant I thought for sure I'd really gain a lot of "EL BEES." For some reason I didn't - which I'm not complaining about one bit!

At three weeks postpartum I had lost the 18 pounds. At five weeks postpartum I lost an additional seven pounds.

How are the dogs adjusting to the baby?
Stella and Kahlua are doing so great! We decided to not really make a big deal about the baby with them. We didn't do the "smell the baby blanket" thing with them or anything like that. We just brought Preslie home and acted like she's always been a part of the pack, and the dogs have just gone along with it.

Kahlua prefers to sniff Preslie every now and then, and will maybe lick her every once in a while.

Stella likes to lick Preslie's toes, hands and head. She also likes to be in whatever room the baby and I are in. Sweet girl.

Are you going to have more kids after this?
If it's in God's plan, we definitely want more kids. In all honesty, I miss being pregnant. Just knowing that Preslie was safe inside me and I could feel her kicks and movements, I miss that. I however do not miss the labor. Ha!

How do you like being home?
I've really enjoyed staying home with the little Squirt, but I do miss work. Not so much that I want to go back right now, but enough that when I do return I think I'll be ready.

Is motherhood everything you thought it would be?
It's exactly what I thought it would be, except way more baby poop. HA! So far it has been what I imagined. Remember, my goal for 2013 was to not have any expectations about this baby and how I wanted things to go. I was just going to take things as they came - and so far we've done that. You know the saying "Keep it simple, stupid?" I have to remind myself of that often! Sometimes I'll start to over think things about Preslie's mood or why she's being extra fussy or not sleeping or not pooping, etc. If I just keep things simple and remind myself that this too shall pass, and tomorrow is a new day it helps to keep me and our household sane.

Preslie's Birth Story - Part II

At about 4am the nurse came in and said it was time to start pushing to get the baby down and ready for birth.

I had heard the saying "Every pregnancy/delivery is different" throughout my whole pregnancy. I knew to believe it but let me just tell you that every pregnancy/delivery is different! I had heard of other women who've recently given birth say they only had to push three or four times. Well, that was not the case with me. I pushed for 2 hours and 20 minutes before this sweet thing decided to grace us with her presence.

 

During that time I have never felt so exhausted in my whole entire 30 years of life! There were times I'd open my eyes after pushing and not really remember where I was. Oh, and by this time the epidural was definitely wearing off.

The closer I was to delivering, the more nurses started showing up to prepare for the baby. The main nurse we had was awesome. She was so nice and encouraging. There was this other nurse though, that I did not like. She was so rough and pushy (no pun intended). I guess that's kind of a good thing because as I was pushing I would get pissed and just push harder to shut the lady up. I was not a fan of her.

At the end, the doctor said she was going to put her scrubs on since I was just about four pushes away from delivering. As soon as her scrubs were on and she told me to push, Preslie shot right out! The doctor caught her mid-air. That was the biggest relief, ever. I immediately felt my stomach and was amazed at how it just deflated.

Preslie came out with the cord wrapped around her body. Which led her to not be breathing when she was born. However, she still came out bright-eyed and smiling. The doctor laid her on my stomach and the nurses started rubbing her with the towels but she still wasn't breathing and she was blue. I was trying to tell them to take her away because she didn't look right and wasn't crying. So they finally took her to the warming table and about six nurses and a couple doctors worked on her for about 30 minutes. Kevin and I just held hands and were quiet the whole time because no one would really tell us anything. They had to suction a whole bunch of fluid from her stomach but Baby Girl ended up being just fine. She just wanted to give her parents a good scare. Oh, and her heart regulated itself once she was born, so that was a big relief.

 First bath

There's no way to really explain the feeling of your child being born, but it was just an overwhelming feeling of emotions. I will never forget her big eyes looking directly at me as soon as she was delivered.


A few things I want to make note of so I don't forget:
-I was surprised that she weighed over seven pounds. I couldn't believe a baby that size was in my tummy.
-She latched on and nursed with no problem. I was so thankful for that.
-She has a perfectly round head. I have a thing for the shape of babies' heads for some reason. Ha!
-The recovery after delivery has been tough! I was not prepared for the recovery process and the pain involved with that. I guess it's not something women really discuss because there's a cute baby to ooh and aww over instead. Or maybe recovery is different for everyone, but for me it's been painful. I still don't feel 100% yet and I think it'll take another week before I do.
-We didn't do that great of a job at taking pictures. It was tough to remember to do so with all the visitors and nurses coming in and out and trying to rest and take care of a baby in between. I can see now why some people choose to have someone come in to take photos for you.

We still can't believe she's finally here. To me, it doesn't feel real. I can't believe she's actually our baby and will live with us. I don't really feel like her mom. I know I will and this is all still new, but I feel like I'm babysitting her for now. I'm sure it'll all sink in eventually.

 A tired mommy and baby

A tired daddy (and wide awake baby)

In the end, I was in labor for a total of 46 hours and pushed for a little over 2 hours. It definitely was not the labor I expected, but the end result was more than I could dream of.

So far we're on cloud nine.

Preslie's Birth Story - Part I

The week leading up to Preslie's birth I was feeling more uncomfortable, but nothing out of the ordinary for being 38 weeks pregnant. I had an NST on Friday, March 29th, and while I was hooked up to the monitors, I apparently had three contractions. The nurse asked me if I felt them and I of course did but I didn't realize that's what they were. I just thought Preslie was stretching out in there, and they didn't hurt. But it was helpful to feel and know what I should be expecting.

That day and Saturday I took walks with Kevin and used the birthing ball. I had contractions here and there, but nothing major.

Easter Sunday morning, March 31st, is when things really started to pick up. I woke up at 8:30am with period-like cramps and stronger tightening of my stomach. Strong enough to wake me from sleep so I knew we were heading in the right direction. I also lost my mucus plug on this morning. Looking back now I can confidently say that Sunday morning is when labor started for me. Granted, it was early labor, but labor nonetheless. I told Kevin "Babe, it looks like we could be having an April Fools baby."

I had been keeping in touch with my parents during this time and they decided my mom should go ahead and come up to our house since there was no doubt the baby would be here any day. I'm so glad she did because while Kevin helped me get through contractions my mom was such a huge help around the house making food for us, cleaning up and doing laundry. She is a saint!

Kevin was beyond wonderful. He kept me sane and focused. I made a promise to myself that I would not scream and shout during my contractions. It's just not me. So we made sure I stayed focused and in control with slow, steady breathing. He was right beside me so I could squeeze his hand and he timed my contractions.

We monitored my contractions that day. By late afternoon they were getting stronger where I couldn't walk or talk and just had to breath through them. I was still able to do things around the house somewhat, but there was no denying they were stronger than that morning. That night we headed up to Kevin's grandma's for Easter dinner. I'll tell you that it was no easy feat to breath through contractions during Easter dinner. Ha!

Once we got back home the contractions started getting more intense. I didn't sleep that night because it just wasn't going to happen with the pain. So I spent the night walking, breathing and bouncing on the birthing ball.

Monday morning the contractions were painful. I was so exhausted too. My contractions were five minutes apart for an hour by 5:30am and were getting close to four minutes apart. But when Kevin called L&D they said they wanted me to labor for another hour at home before coming in. I was so furious. I was a walking (laboring) zombie at that point. Looking back now, it was good it happened the way it did because soon after my contractions let up a bit. I was able to get about an hour of sleep in. However, the misery started all over again.

So most of Monday consisted of me being in active labor. The contractions got stronger by the hour but kept steady at about eight to ten minutes apart. In case you were wondering what they feel like (because I always wondered), for me they felt like intense period cramps, along with almost a burning/cramping lower back pain, and a tightening of my whole stomach.

By Monday evening I just wanted to cry because I hadn't slept in so long. To try and calm myself and relax a little I took a warm bath and boy did that get things moving along! Within an hour of my bath my contractions were on fire. On a scale of 1 to 10 I'd give them a seven. They quickly got to five minutes apart for an hour, then four minutes apart. Kevin called L&D once again and basically told them we're coming in regardless of if they wanted me to labor another hour at home.

We left for the hospital at 7:30pm on April 1st. By the time we arrived my contractions were three minutes apart, and that pain level had creeped up to about a nine. Luckily, when I checked into L&D there was no one there so I was able to be checked right away. My doctor was also on duty so it felt good to be able to see a familiar face there and have her examine me. She checked me and I was five centimeters. I was so relieved that progress had been made after all that.

Meanwhile, as my mom was in the L&D waiting room she overheard two doctors talking about me. Doctor #1 asked Doctor #2 how far along I was. Doctor #2 said "Five centimeters." Doctor #1 said "Five centimeters?? She should've been in here a long time ago." My mom then spoke up and asked "Are you talking about my daughter, Kaysie?" The doctors looked at her and said "Sorry ma'am, we can't say." And my mom said "Well, I'm going to assume you are. We've been calling all day to get her in and you guys kept telling us to stay home." Doctor #1 said "Well, that is very unfortunate." Very interesting....

Anyways, I was taken to our delivery room and no sooner was I hooked up to an IV did the anesthesiologist arrive and provided me with an epidural. Looking back now, I know I could've gone without the drugs, but since I hadn't slept in so long, I knew without a doubt there was no way I'd be able to go through with pushing without some sort of rest.

About an hour after the epidural was placed I was checked again and was seven centimeters dilated. The nurse left us alone for a good three hours after that so Kevin and I could get some much-needed rest. They checked me once more some time after and when they did my water broke and I was complete. They wanted the baby to come down a little farther so I labored some more. If I hadn't had the epidural I would've been doing a lot of walking around to get her down and engaged, trust me.

I'm going to have to finish up the rest of this story a little later. A little Babe needs to be fed!

Introducing...

Our precious girl

Preslie Kay Marie Pino

Born Tuesday, April 2, 2013

at 6:20am

Weighing 7 pounds, 6.9 ounces

19 3/4 inches long

She was born bright-eyed and smiling

She looks a lot like me but has her daddy's pretty eyes

We're trying to grasp our new normal and get to know one another

Kevin is an incredible father

 I'm hoping to post more soon and provide some decent photos from our camera, a little about the Little Squirt (our nickname for her) and enlighten you with her birth story.

 Thank you all for the congrats and love and well wishes. We're so thrilled she's finally here!

xoxo,

Baby Pino: 38 Weeks (and a prayer)

How far along: 38 weeks and 2 days

I wanted to wait until I had my appointment yesterday before I updated. My doctor checked me and I'm not dilated by my cervix is soft, so that's a good thing.

However, when she listened to the baby's heartbeat she said it sounded irregular. So she sent me to get a non-stress test (NST) and I was in there for about an hour and Preslie's heartbeat is definitely irregular. That was the longest hour of my life looking at the monitor and seeing the heartbeat numbers all over the place. From what I can remember the nurse telling me is that it sounds like she's skipping a beat. So...now I go back every three days for a NST until she's born. In the meantime I need to have blood work done to check my thyroid and we should be hearing from the perinatologist any time now to schedule what I think will be an in-depth ultrasound of her heart.

The good news is that apparently this occurs more than people realize, and once the baby is born her heart rate adjusts on it's own soon after birth and there are no issues. But that doesn't make it any less worrisome for us as her parents.

It just sucks because we've had a great, uncomplicated pregnancy this whole time and now this last week and a half I'm filled with worry and what-ifs.

So if you could spare a prayer that this all turns out to be nothing and her little ticker is ticking like it should, we'd greatly appreciate it.

Weight gain/loss: Gained 18 pounds

 Size of baby: I was a little overwhelmed with the irregular heart beat news that I forgot to ask my doctor what her guess was on Preslie's size. But according to the baby sites she is weighing anywhere between 6 1/2 to 7 pounds now; 19 1/2 inches long; the size of a pumpkin (whoa!).

Gender: Girl

Movement: She's still a squirmy little thing. Her most active time is between 12am-2am.

Sleep: Everything I ever said before about sleeping well, I take back. Ha! Given that she likes to be up from 12-2am makes it difficult to fall asleep. Sleeping on my sides have made my hips go numb so I'm constantly turning from one side to the other all night. I've been avoiding naps later in the day because it makes it harder for me to fall asleep at night. Luckily, I can go on little sleep so this all isn't too unbearable.

Maternity clothes: Yes.

Symptoms: Sore hips while sleeping, lack of energy, no appetite, feeling nauseated more often than not.

Aversions: Sometimes it feels like there is nothing that sounds good and I'm only eating at this point to keep the baby and myself healthy, unless I'm craving something specifically.

Cravings: I had a specific craving for The Cheesecake Factory's strawberry lemonade last week. That is the best stuff ever made. I was able to enjoy two big glasses on Sunday when Kevin and I had an early dinner. As well as their avocado egg rolls. Yumm-oh! I've also been craving sweets from time to time.

What I miss: Not being uncomfortable and being able to move a little more freely.

Best moment this week: Spending a lot of time with Kevin. He's been working from home a little more since I've been off so it's been nice being able to eat breakfast with him in the mornings and hang out with him in the afternoons.

What I'm looking forward to: Just to have a healthy baby here soon.

Baby Daddy: Every day Kevin tells me how much he thinks of Preslie and how he can't wait to have her here and hold her. He's going to be a good daddy.

Baby Pino: 37 Weeks

Thank you everyone for the nursery love!!

How far along: 37 weeks. 

Finally full term and it feels good! I don't think there's any expectant mother or parents who aren't thankful they've passed another week. There are a lot of worries that go on while carrying a baby and the fact that we're healthy and still going strong is a big relief and blessing.

Weight gain/loss: Gained 17 1/2 pounds.

I didn't gain any weight this week, but I've been doing a lot of walking. I'm even wearing poor Stella out! I've been trying to walk the dogs every day, and they're not just strolling walks. I am powering through them!

Size of baby: Approximately 6 - 6 1/2 pounds (I'm thinking less than that though); a little over 19 inches long; the size of a winter melon.

Gender: Girl

Movement: So much of it. 

I thought it'd let up a little the more she grows and the less room she has but these past few days she has been non-stop. She's beating me up!

Sleep: I think I may be experiencing some pregnancy insomnia. 

It takes me a couple hours to fall asleep. But don't worry, I'm having no problem sleeping in. ;)

Maternity clothes: Of course.

Symptoms: Two occasions of false labor. Talk about frustrating! 

On Tuesday night I had seven straight hours of contractions that ranged from 30-50 seconds, every five to ten minutes. I didn't sleep at all that night. I thought for sure the next day we'd be having a baby, but once I finally did fall asleep and wake up....nothing.

Yesterday I went for a really long walk and the contractions were pretty painful for a couple straight hours, and then as soon as I laid down....nothing.

So I'm not getting my hopes up anymore. Unless my water breaks or I have that really big contraction, I'll just keep doing what I'm doing and wait. 

Aversions: Sometimes just food in general, but nothing specific.

Cravings: ICEE's, root beer, eggs and hashbrowns.

What I miss: Nothing at the moment. I'm thoroughly enjoying staying home! I'm looking forward to hopefully getting a day of rest soon because so far I've had something going on each day.

Best moment this week: This isn't really baby-related, but I've started the Downton Abbey series and I'm obsessed!

What I'm looking forward to: Of course for Preslie to come.

Baby Daddy: He got a lot done over the weekend that I was nagging him about. Like pulling weeds and cleaning the garage. None of that stuff directly affected me, but I just couldn't stand any of that stuff so he appeased me and did it all. Probably to shut me up, but I understand. Ha!