Love

Brianna in her bouncer this afternoon.

2 Weeks!

My baby is growing up too quickly! Time is flying by and everything that I was having a hard time with at first (ie. breastfeeding, sleeping, my sanity) is slowly getting better day by day. Clint headed back to work today for the first time in 2 weeks and I was sure I was going to have a breakdown but am doing just great. We have been hanging out on the couch today watching trash television and enjoying each other's company. I only wish the weather was nice so we could go out for a nice walk!

Here are some pictures of my little princess.

Daddy and Brianna taking a nap together. So cute!

Brianna wearing the outfit her great-aunty Laura made for her. It is so soft and cuddly!

She's A Week Old Already?!?!

Time is flying bye now that Brianna is here and it really does make me sad to think that soon she will be a month old. The last couple of weeks of pregnancy dragged by and now time goes too quickly!

She already looks different from when she was born. I just love all her cute little features, she has the most adorable little button nose and perfect little ears. I am beyond happy that she has so much hair, her little clips look adorable on her and mommy loves dressing her up.

At her one week appointment on Monday she was weighing in at 8lbs 8oz, up 4oz from her discharge weight. Most of her umbilical cord has fallen off and she is doing great. She has become quite the breastfeeding champ, eating on a schedule of every 2-3 hours. The first couple days were absolute hell, her latch was completely off and my poor nipples suffered for it. We had to visit a lactation consultant and from there things greatly improved, we are learning together.

Now, here are some pictures of Brianna taken over the last couple days.

She's here!!

Brianna Aubrey Camille

April 12 2010 @ 8:10am

8lbs 15oz & 22inches

38 Weeks

* How far along?: 38 weeks and 1 day, 13 days left :)

* Total weight gain: Hasn't really changed from last week
* How big is baby?: 19-20 inches and 6 1/2 lbs
* Sex: Baby Brianna
* Maternity clothes?: I'm getting by with pretty much Clint's pj pants and some big t-shirts. If I do go out in public I have one pair of pants left that aren't overly snug at the belly now that she's dropped and a couple dressy shirts.
* Stretch marks?: Same on the sides and at the front. Please no more!
* Sleep?: Not great, now all I can think about is what I have left to do and cannot wait to meet our little girl. You are welcome to come out anytime now, Brianna!
* Best moment this week? Probably will be tonight and Sunday when I have my last baby showers. Tonight my friends are throwing me one and Sunday I am having a Skype shower with Clint's family and my mom. I also went and bought the take home outfit as well as the cutest diaper bags for both Clint and I :)

* Movement?: Getting less frequent as the room is getting less and less for her. When she does move however, my entire belly shakes and it's more of a limb or her bum shaking, not really kicks anymore.
* Food cravings?: Fresh fruit and veggies & ice cold water
* Labor signs?: I've had contractions on and off the last week, but nothing consistent.
* Belly button in or out?: It has popped out. I doubt it will change much more, it looks strange.
* What I miss: Walking without needing to pee, not having to rest while shopping, having clothes that fit me properly and are cute
* What I'm looking forward to: Baby showers!! I love hanging out with my friends and also being able to see my mom on Skype this coming Sunday
* Words of Wisdom: TAKE IT EASY AND STAY HYDRATED!

And a bonus from Easter.

I think I need to get some new shirts, I seem to wear this purple one alot!

Clumsy and Pregnant Don't Mix

So I fell on my stomach Wednesday after leaving my weekly doctor's appointment. I was really craving some sushi (the veggie kind) and decided to have Clint drive me to the closest sushi restaurant so I could run in and get something. Well leave it to me, on a rainy day where the sidewalks and roads are slippery to fall of the edge of the sidewalk right next to our car and land straight on my belly.

Who doesn't put their hands out in front of them or even land on their knees?!?!?!?

Me! I landed right on the belly and immediately started bawling on the street corner. I picked myself up and got right back in the car, mud covered and soaking wet and through my tears told Clint to take me to Labour and Delivery right away. He was so confused and looked so scared the poor guy. I even had mud on my face, it was a very wet day.

We get there, they hook me up, they monitor me for about 2 hours and all looks good. Baby is moving around like crazy and all I have are a couple cuts on my hands and legs from getting up off the ground so quickly and a little of a bruised ego. Apparently, with having so much weight up front, many pregnant women fall. I just happen to be one of them, yay me.

They also told me that the cramps I had been feeling are actual contractions. They were pretty irregular but lasted the whole time I was hooked up to the monitors. As soon as we left the hospital, they stopped. I have had some here and there the last couple days since but nothing that has been regular or lasted longer than a couple hours. Fingers are crossed this means labour is just around the corner.

37 Weeks - FULL TERM!!!

So I made it to full term, yay for me!

* How far along?: 37 weeks, 3 weeks left or 21 days

* Total weight gain: Sadly, I have gained 45 lbs so far, I really hope this weight gain stops
* How big is baby?: 19-20 inches & 6 lbs
* Sex: Baby Brianna
* Maternity clothes?: Getting more and more uncomfortable, lots of sweat pants and oversized t-shirts
* Stretch marks?: The ones on my sides haven't changed much but I have a couple that have decided to pop up at the front towards the bottom of my belly, not happy about that! Hopefully they don't grow anymore even though I know that is wishful thinking.
* Sleep?: Some nights are good, others not so much.
* Best moment this week? Work baby shower on Monday, we got lots of cute stuff and was nice to see everyone now that I am on mat leave.

* Movement?: She is getting stronger and stronger with less room in there. My whole belly shifts whenever she moves.
* Food cravings?: Dr Oetker mozzarella pizza and ice cold water
* Labor signs?: I had contractions for a couple hours yesterday afternoon, and they got to be pretty uncomfortable.
* Belly button in or out?: Officially popping out at the side.
* What I miss: Working, being able to walk without the constant need to pee, and
* What I'm looking forward to: I am now on weekly appointments. Next week, the doctor is going to strip my membranes and fingers crossed this puts me into labour. I am so ready to go! Also, this afternoon I am going to the baby boutique in town and using up that gift certificate on some things that we still need. That should be fun!
* Words of Wisdom: Cake is not your friend when you are bored. Go for a walk or call a friend! I know this isn't really baby related, but I think it is important that I remember this ;)

Packing the Hospital Bag

So far, I haven't put too much thought into what I should pack for the hospital bag. I realize that most things that you think you will need, won't even get touched and some things you wouldn't even think of needing, will be what you need the most.

I have put together a list of the basics that I think I will be good with, but if there is anything I am missing please let me know, I would really appreciate it.

- warm ankle socks with rubber bottoms

- a robe

- 2 nursing tanks

- nursing pads

- nipple cream

- glasses

- shampoo, conditioner, body wash, shower poof, body cream, razor, hair brush, headband, hair elastics, makeup bag

- camera and memory card with pack of extra batteries

- cell phones and chargers

- change for vending machine

- 2 bath towels

- extra pillow

- possible going home outfit, but will probably wear what I go in wearing home as well

- separate bag with Clint's stuff that he will need including the list of people we will need to call after baby arrives

I thought about adding my hair dryer and straightener but who knows how much energy I will have after giving birth. I just don't want to be lugging any extra stuff around if it isn't necessary.

The baby's diaper bag will be stocked full even though the hospital will be supplying us with diapers and creams and ointments for the time we are there and to take home with us. I just don't want to be short or missing anything for our little princess. I have picked out her take home outfit...I know, not necessary again as she will be covered up in a blanket in her car seat, but it is important to me :)