Notre Dame Game with Cousin Alli

Mikey, Stephanie and Alli came over tonight to watch the Notre Dame game with us. GE and Scotty were here as well. Both Luca and Alli were all dressed up in their Notre Dame gear and rooting for their favorite team.

My favorite little man!

Look at that face!

Trying to get them to wake up so we can take their picture :-)

Alli is awake, still working on Luca...

There he is!

Not to happy about being woken up to have his picture taken :-)

2 Week "Wellness Check"

I took Luca in for his 2 week check-up today. I really wanted to know how much he weighed to make sure he was still getting enough to eat. He weighed 9 lbs 4 oz! He gained a pound in a week! The Dr. said that they usually look for about an ounce a day and he gained 16 ounces in 7 days. I was really relieved! He measured at 20 3/4 inches (3/4 inch longer than he was at birth) and his head measurement was 14 inches (not sure how this compares to what he was at birth). The Dr. said that he looked very healthy and he checked out perfectly!

Before we left, a nurse came in and did another newborn screening test. He had the first test done while we were in the hospital (24 hours after he was born). To do the test, they prick his heel with a needle and put a bunch of little blood drops on this absorbent paper that they then send off to be tested for certain disorders. The nurse told me that if I breastfed him while they pricked his heel he probably wouldn't cry. So I did, and it worked great - he didn't fuss at all.

His next Dr. appointment will be his 2 month check-up and we scheduled that for the beginning of January. I am a little nervous for that appointment because he will be getting shots :-(

Birth Story

Luca Leon Butorac

November 2, 2009

9:27 PM

8 lbs 4.8 oz

Ok, I am finally finding some time to write down all the details of Luca's birth. I have just been having so much fun holding and hanging out with my little man that I haven't taken the time to update the blog. But I know everyone is anxious for an update, so here goes...

Sunday, November 1st:

I woke up with a wet pantyliner and continued to have wet pantyliners all morning. I called my Dr. to see if she thought maybe my water had broken and she told me that it may have, but since I wasn't having contractions yet, to just keep an eye on it. She said if I felt a "gush" of fluid or started having strong, regular contractions, then I would need to go to the hospital. By late afternoon, I was "leaking" pretty heavily and told Tony that we should probably think about getting things ready. We both took showers and finished packing our bags. Once we were all ready, the "leaking" seemed to subside quite a bit, but I was starting to have what felt like strong menstrual cramps as well as some cramping in my lower back. We decided to just hang out at home and see how things progressed. I continued to have the cramping off and on throughout the evening, but the cramps (or contractions) never got closer together or more intense. They actually stopped by the time I went to bed and I was able to sleep soundly through the night.

Monday, November 2nd:

I woke up around 6:45 when Tony left for school. I started to feel a little crampy again so I just hung out in bed and watched a movie until it was time to get ready for my Dr.'s appointment at 9:45. I told my Dr. about the crampiness and explained that the fluid "leaking" had gotten heavier after I spoke with her on Sunday morning. She checked me and said that she didn't feel a water bag, so my water very well could have broken the day before like I thought. She said I was just about 3 cm dilated and still about 50% effaced. Then she said, "Do you want to have a baby today?" I of course said "YES!!" She told me to go ahead and walk over to the hospital (my Dr.'s office is right next to the hospital) and she would call them and let them know that I was on the way. All of a sudden I got really nervous because this was totally not how I had pictured this process starting. Tony was supposed to be there and he was supposed to drive me to the hospital, etc. I asked my Dr. if I should go home and get my bags and wait for Tony to come back from work and then we could go to the hospital together. She said that it takes a couple hours to get checked in and hooked up to everything, and if I wanted to have the baby that night it would be best if I just headed over to the hospital right then and then call Tony to stop at the house and get our bags before meeting me at the hospital. So I headed over to the hospital feeling very nervous and excited all at the same time. I called Tony right away and told him that I was heading to the hospital to start the induction process and if everything went well we could have our baby by 8 or 9 o'clock that night. He was very excited (and I think a bit nervous too) and said that he would find someone to cover his class and head back down right away. I also called my dad and left a message letting him know that I was heading to the hospital to have a baby :-)

I got checked in, changed into a hospital gown, and hooked up to an IV for fluids and pitocin. I was really nervous for the pitocin to start working because I have heard awful things about this drug from several of my friends. However, I also knew that it was the only way to get the contractions going and to get my labor to progress. Plus, before I left the Dr.'s office, my Dr. said that once I was hooked up the pitocin and started to have some strong, regular contractions that I could have the epidural anytime, which made me feel much better.

Tony got to the hospital at about 11:30 with all of our bags. By that time I was having some contractions, but they weren't too terribly painful (just really uncomfortable) and I could breath through them. We just hung out for the next couple hours watching TV and texting and talking to friends and family to update them on our status. By 2:00 the contractions were getting a LOT stronger and coming a little closer together, but there was still no regular pattern to them. I told the nurse that I wanted to think about getting the epidural and she kind of gave me a funny look that made me feel like I was being a big wuss. (My Dr. had been in a few minutes earlier to check my progress - I was 4 cm dilated - and again told me that I could have the epidural anytime I was ready. She said there was no need to be a hero since the end result is a baby with or without the epidural. I loved her for saying that!) The nurse said she would have the nurse anesthetist come in and go over the procedure with me and then I could decide what to do from there. The nurse anesthetist came in a few minutes later and we talked about the procedure and what to expect as far as pain relief. The entire time he was in the room (which was about 20 minutes) I didn't have any contractions, so I told him that I would try to wait a little bit longer before I got the epidural. Not joking, as soon as he left the room I started having really strong, painful contractions back to back with no break in between. I tried using all the breathing techniques we learned in class, I tried leaning over the bed and swaying my hips to help relieve some of the back labor, but nothing was working - I was in a lot of pain! It was about this time that Tony asked me if I would want to do this again. I told him it was not a good time to be asking me that :-) The nurse came back in a few minutes later and I told her that I wanted the epidural ASAP, so she paged the nurse anesthetist to come back. The nurse anesthetist was back within a few minutes and once the epidural was in I got instant relief from the pain - it was AMAZING!

Tony and I spent the rest of the afternoon just resting and watching TV. It was crazy to see these huge contractions on the monitor but not feel anything. Around 6 PM Tony's parents came by and so did my sister and my dad. I was almost 7 cm dilated at that point so everyone just continued to hang out in the room and wait for things to progress. At 7:30, my Dr. came in to check me again and said that I was complete and was ready to start pushing. They had me wait about another 30 minutes just to see if I would start feeling increased pressure in my pelvis and have more of an urge to push. At 8 o'clock, the nurse and my Dr. came back in said it was time to push. Since we were the only patients in labor and delivery that night, they let our families wait in a special waiting room that was just down the hall from our room, instead of sending them to the general waiting area in the main part of the hospital.

The nurse and my Dr. got me all set up to start pushing and Tony took his position up by my head (he was not interested in seeing anything below the waist), and then we waited for the next contraction. It felt really weird to start pushing because the epidural was blocking the sensation that I needed to "bear down". The nurse would just tell me when a contraction was coming and I would start pushing. The first hour of pushing was not bad at all. I was actually able to laugh and carry on a conversation with the nurse and my Dr. They were laughing at me because I was flipping channels on the TV back and forth between Monday Night Football and the World Series. The nurse asked me if I was ok with having the TV on and if I wanted my child to come into the world with sports on or if I wanted something a little more soothing. I told her that sports is pretty much all that is ever on at our house so we might as well get him used to it :-) It was also partly for Tony's sake because I knew he was really nervous about the whole delivery process, he hates hospitals and he doesn't do well with blood, etc. I was trying to give him a slight distraction so that he would make it through the entire delivery :-) The last half hour of pushing was a lot more work and definitely a lot more uncomfortable. I started to feel when the contractions were coming and I could feel the baby in the birth canal. It was this intense feeling of something being "stuck" down there and I just wanted it out. My Dr. and the nurse anesthetist had both told me that there would be some pain and a burning sensation as the baby crowns that the epidural would not take away. They were right! About the last 5 sets of pushes were very painful and uncomfortable. Then all of a sudden my Dr. told me to ease up on the pushing as the baby's head was coming out. Once the head was out, I felt a little relief and then she told me to give one last little push and I felt instant relief and Luca was out! It was the best feeling in the world! They immediately put him on my chest and he started crying right away. I can't even explain how wonderful it felt to finally hold him - it was the most amazing thing! Tony cut the umbilical cord and then they swaddled him up and handed him back to me. I could have just stared at him forever, I couldn't believe he was finally here! I ended up having a small tear that only needed one stitch. After they got Luca and I all cleaned up we tried breastfeeding and he took to it right away. Then our families came in a little bit later to meet him. They were all very excited that he was finally here as well and everyone thought he was just perfect.

Overall, I have to say that labor was not nearly as bad as I expected. I was honestly terrified of the whole process the entire 3rd Trimester. Even when I was horribly uncomfortable and just wanted him to be here, I was still really nervous about how everything would go and how I would handle it since I do not consider myself to have a very high pain tolerance :-) The epidural was amazing and I truly believe that it helped to make my labor a more enjoyable experience. I can now say that I would definitely go through all of it again - especially now that I have my precious little man to remind me of the reward at the end!

Visitors

Erin had today off from work for Veteran's Day so she decided to come up and visit for a little bit. Our good family friend, Mary Jane, was on her way to Tacoma to visit her granddaughters and decided to stop by and meet Luca as well. She brought her camera with her (which is a really nice one) and took some pictures of Luca. I hadn't showered yet, so there are no pictures of me and Luca :-)

Weight Gain!

Luca had another weight check today. I am happy to report that he gained 11 oz over the weekend and he is now back up to 8 lbs 3 3/4 oz - just shy of his birth weight. What a relief! It is nice to know that at least our strict schedule of feeding every 2 hours has paid off - and most of that weight gain was from breastfeeding as he only had a couple of ounces of formula throughout the weekend. Again, I was happy that he wasn't that into the formula and the bottle as I really want to get the breastfeeding thing down first.

The Dr. was very pleased with the weight gain and said that Luca looked very healthy. She said they would need to see him again in a week for his 2 week wellness check. This time I left the Dr.'s office feeling very relieved! So, Luca and I went to Starbucks to celebrate with a Decaf Peppermint Mocha and some Vanilla Bean Scones :-)

First Bath

We gave Luca his first bath at home today. He wasn't very fond of it at first (I think he just didn't like the cold air on his little naked body) but after we started rinsing him with the warm water, he didn't seem to think it was quite so bad.

Dr. Appointment - Weight Check

We took Luca in this morning to have his weight checked and to see if he has gained any weight since yesterday. Today we saw one of the pediatricians, Dr. Penny. When we weighed Luca, he had actually LOST another 1/2 oz overnight! I couldn't believe it - I was so upset! I had fed him every 2 hours but had not had much success with getting him to take the formula from a bottle (which I was secretly happy about because I did not want him to like the bottle). I told the Dr. that he had only taken about 4 0z of formula total in the last 24 hours and he spit most of that back up it seemed like. He did have a wet and poopy diaper right before his appointment, so she said that the 1/2 oz was probably somewhere in that diaper :-)

We also discussed the fact that I wasn't sure whether or not my milk was in. I told her that my breasts definitely felt and appeared much larger, but I didn't feel engorged, I wasn't experiencing any leaking or any other telltale signs that my milk was coming in. Based on conversations that I had with several of my friends, I was expecting it to be really obvious when my milk came in (even a little uncomfortable or painful), but I hadn't noticed anything. Dr. Penny said that I might just be lucky and didn't seem to concerned - she said if it hadn't come in already, it would be coming in within the next day or so. She told me to continue feeding him every 2 hours throughout the weekend and supplement with the formula (as much as he would take) and then told us to come back on Monday for another weight check.

As we left the office, I still felt frustrated and upset, but this visit was much better than yesterday's. I'll update on Monday after Luca's appointment and hopefully he will have gained some weight!

Dr. Appointment

Luca went in for a Dr. check up today. We have only been home from the hospital for one night, and the pediatrician checked him out before we were discharged yesterday, but I guess they like to see them again right away to check their weight and go over a few more things with the parents.

We are taking him to Ellensburg Pediatrics and there are two female pediatricians there as well as a female nurse practitioner. We saw the nurse practitioner today (both of the pediatricians had checked him out while we were in the hospital and I liked both of them a lot) and I was not very fond of her. She was just very straight forward and almost a little harsh in her instructions to us. Maybe it is just the fact that my hormones are still completely out of whack, but I could barely hold back tears while we were in the office and I walked out of there feeling like the worst parent in the world! His weight was down to 7 lbs 6 oz, which means he has lost almost a whole pound of his birth weight and she was very concerned about this. She said it is very important that he start gaining that weight back and she gave us a 2 oz bottle of formula to feed him right there in the office. I know it is important that he get his weight back up, but everything I have learned about breastfeeding says that you are not supposed to give babies bottles/formula or binkies until they are at least 4 to 6 weeks old and you have had time to establish good breastfeeding habits. I was just so caught off guard though, and I because I was already so upset and thought I would just burst into tears if I tried to say anything, I went ahead and fed him the formula. He downed the entire bottle in just a few minutes! The nurse practitioner told me that I need to breastfeed him every two hours and then supplement that with an additional 2 oz of formula. (I would like to point out that my milk has not even come in yet, so he is still only getting the colostrum.) I told her that I was having a hard time getting him to eat for even 10 minutes on each breast without falling asleep, so I wasn't sure how I was going to keep him awake long enough to get a bottle down as well. She told me that I might have to tickle his feet, undress him and maybe even put a cold washcloth on his chest to keep him awake while he is eating. She also told us to schedule another appointment for tomorrow so they can do a weight check.

Needless to say, I felt absolutely terrible when we left the office and burst into tears the minute we got into the car. While I was pregnant, I read quite a few books on pregnancy and child care, I talked to tons of my friends about their experiences with infants, I took childbirth classes and along with just plain common sense, I felt like I was pretty prepared for caring for a newborn. However, walking out of that office I felt like a total idiot and failure as a parent. Tony tried to calm me down by reminding me that we have only had Luca home for less than 24 hours and that this was going to be a learning process for all of us. I knew he was right, but I still felt horrible. I'll update on Luca's weight after his appointment tomorrow.

Meeting Cousin Alli

Today we were discharged from the hospital around 9:30 AM. Tony has his last football game this Friday, so he thought he should go up to Cle Elum for practice this afternoon. Since I didn't really want to hang out at the house all by myself, I decided to go up to Cle Elum with him and hang out with Mikey, Steph and Alli while Tony was at practice. This was the first time Luca and Alli got to meet each other. (Mikey and Steph came down to the hospital the night Luca was born, but because of the whole Swine Flu thing, the new hospital policy is that no children under the age of 18 are allowed in the birthing center unless they are a sibling of the baby.) I don't think they were really aware of each other at all, but it was still fun to get pictures of them together - the first of many to come I'm sure!

The new mommy's and their babies.

The new daddy's and their babies.

Cousins! Alli is 4 days older than Luca, but she is much more petite!

Sweet baby!

Isn't he precious?!

More Hospital Pics

Meeting mommy for the first time.

Smile for the camera Luca!

I thought Luca looked a lot like Tony when he was first born.

Meeting his Auntie Erin. She loves him sooooo much!

Grandpa Kim holding his first grandchild.

First bath at the hospital.

Getting all cleaned up.

Resting with daddy.

All ready to go home!

Welcome to your home Luca Leon!

Hospital Fun

Having fun with Luca's hair...getting tired of being cooped up in this hospital room...in here for another night (boo). Doing whatever it takes to make the time go by quicker :) Fortunately we have the little one to keep us occupied. I find this picture to be a little more telling of just how cute this boy is :) I am sure there is no bias coming from Daddy! Hopefully Randi will be able to get on tomorrow and elaborate a little bit more about the process and her feelings and all that stuff you readers are interested in hearing about!

Luca Leon Is Here!

Well Luca Leon has officially graced us with his presence! It was quite the journey but once you see the little guy for the first time it makes it all worth the effort and I was just a bystander, but imagine Randi would say the same thing :) He was born at 9:27, weighing in at 8 lbs 4.8 oz. and 20 inches in length. Both are healthy and doing wonderful! Luca has a crooked nose and goofy looking chin at the moment, but nonetheless he is handsome. More pictures to come!

Progress - Maybe...

So just thought I would give everyone a quick update on how I have been feeling. I woke up a couple times in the middle of the night to go the bathroom and had fairly wet pantyliners. This continued throughout the morning and I decided to call my Dr. to see if she thought maybe my water had broken. After explaining that I had wet pantyliners, but no big "gush" of fluid and I still wasn't having any contractions, she told me to just keep an eye on things the rest of the day. She said if I did get a "gush" of fluid then we should probably head to the hospital, but she didn't think there was any need for me to go in at that time. I continued to "leak" fluid all afternoon. It just felt like I was peeing my pants every time I would get up from the couch, move a certain way or cough. So, Tony and I finished packing our bags, took showers, and did a few last minute things around the house. However, after taking a shower and getting ready, the feeling that I was "leaking" slowed down a lot. I have also started to have a lot of intense cramping in my lower abdomen and back. I am not sure if these are contractions or not. I don't feel like my entire stomach is getting tight and for the last couple hours the crampiness comes and goes in short spurts that are pretty close together and then it subsides for a while.

I have been looking back at all my pregnancy books and trying to remember everything that we learned in our childbirth class, but I am still at a loss as to if I am really in labor or not. I thought about calling the Dr. again, but I don't want to be that crazy patient who calls every 10 minutes asking if I am in labor or not. So right now, I am laying on the couch watching TV with the heating pad on my back. Only time will tell if the contractions (if that is really what I am feeling) will get stronger, longer and more patterned. I have a Dr. appointment tomorrow morning, so if we don't end up at the hospital tonight, I will know more after I see the Dr.

In the meantime, we will just keep waiting :-)

40 Weeks, 3 days - Dr. Appt

Just thought I would give everyone a quick update. I saw my Dr. this afternoon and she checked my cervix. I am still 50% effaced but have now dilated to 2 cm (last time she checked me, I wasn't dilating yet). She also stripped my membranes in hopes that might get things started. So far I just feel really crampy, but still no contractions. I have another appointment on Monday morning. If we still don't have a baby at that time, they will induce me on Tuesday. I would REALLY like for Luca to start the process on his own, but at this point I am so huge and uncomfortable that I just want him to be here - even if it means I have to be induced. So, it looks like we will either have a Halloween baby or a November baby :-)

Yesterday was my last day of work, so I spent today running errands and doing some more cleaning/nesting around the house. It seems like the cleaning projects are never ending, and since Luca is taking his time getting here, I just keep finding more and more things that need to be done. I bought a bunch of Halloween candy at the grocery store today hoping that we won't be here tomorrow night to hand it out. Of course the problem with that, is that if we can't hand out the candy tomorrow because we are at the hospital, then I will have 250 pieces of candy sitting around the house when I come home - and I always buy the kind of candy that I like to eat :-)

So the waiting game continues...at least for a few more days. It is nice to know that regardless of what happens this weekend though, we will be holding our little baby by next Tuesday (or Wednesday at the latest)! We can't wait to meet you Luca!

Welcome Allison Daisy Butorac!

Tony's younger brother, Mikey, and his wife, Stephanie, gave birth to their little girl, Allison Daisy, at 9:46 PM on October 29th. She was 6 lbs, 8 oz, 20 inches long and absolutely beautiful! Congratulations Mikey and Steph!

Since they had the baby at a hospital over on the west side, Tony and I were not able to be there (since Luca could decide to make his appearance any time and we are not supposed to be more than a half hour from the hospital). Stephanie and I have gone through every part of our pregnancies together (and Mikey and Tony have been able to really bond over the experience as well) so it was really hard not being able to be there. I was practically texting Mikey every 5 minutes for an update :-) I am just so anxious for Luca's arrival and still so nervous about the whole delivery process that I wanted to know exactly what Steph was feeling and how she was dealing with everything. It was a VERY long day for both of them! Steph was induced at 5 AM yesterday morning and did not have the baby until almost 10 PM last night. We are so glad that everything worked out and Alli arrived safe and healthy. We cannot wait to meet our new neice!

We also cannot wait to meet our son! Anytime my darling Luca...

39 Weeks, 6 Days, 18 Hours...

I had a Dr. Appt this afternoon so I thought I should give everyone an update.

First I will start with the fact that I came down with a terrible cold two Friday's ago. Definitely not what I needed when I was ready to have a baby any day. I felt pretty crummy all last week but tried to keep it under control with lots of Airborne, Tylenol Cold and plenty of fluids. By the end of the week I was feeling a little bit better. However, this weekend it hit me all over again - mostly in my sinuses. My nose has been plugged for the last 3 days making it very difficult to breath (as if I wasn't having enough trouble doing that already), my ears are ringing, my teeth hurt from all the sinus pressure and today my whole body ached all over. At this point, I am having a hard time determining which aches and pains are from the cold and which are from being almost 40 weeks pregnant. I am also trying really hard to finish up a bunch of stuff at work before I go on maternity leave, but I am having a hard time concentrating because my head is so congested.

So, I had my weekly checkup today. She asked if I had noticed any changes in the last week or felt any contractions, etc. I told her I still haven't felt any contractions, but that my lower back has been aching all day. Again, this could be due to any number of things - like the fact that I was cleaning the house last night or that I have a baby the size of a watermelon in my belly that is growing straight out and putting tons of strain on my lower back. I told the Dr. that my main concern at this point is that my cold isn't getting any better and that my sinuses were completely clogged. I also told her that I was achy all over, but didn't feel like I had a fever. She said that she would prescribe me some antibiotics in case I have a sinus infection so that we can try to get it cleared up before I go into labor. She also said that she didn't want to check me today because she didn't want to "start" anything as she really wants me to feel better before the baby gets here. It would be a little difficult to breath through contractions with my nose all stuffed up. Luca is still moving around a lot, which is good. Mostly I feel his feet trying to kick through my stomach. Poor guy, he must be totally out of room in there! I scheduled another appointment for Friday so she can see if the antibiotics are working and she will also check my cervix at that time. If I haven't made any more progress since my last appointment, then we will look at scheduling a day to induce me. At my last appointment (39 weeks), I was 50% effaced, but not yet dilating. If it looks like I have made some progress, they will give me another couple days to see if Luca decides to come out on his own. But, she said after 41 weeks they will "kick him out" :-)

At this point I am just really frustrated. This is not how I wanted to feel days before we meet our little baby! It amazes me that I made it the entire pregnancy and didn't get sick once, and then I get sick right before I am supposed to deliver! I am still so anxious for Luca to get here, but at this point I am hoping he will hold out a few more days and hopefully the antibiotics will kick in and clear up my sinuses and I will start to feel better. Please keep us in your thoughts and pray that I will feel better soon!

38 Weeks!

Ready to pop!

I had my weekly Dr. checkup today. I have always hated going to the Dr. for my annual pap smear/physical. I am very modest and just always feel so uncomfortable during those kinds of appointments. However, it is amazing how much that changes when you are having a baby. I still can't say that I "enjoy" being checked by the Dr., but I have been excited all week to find out if my body is making any more progress towards having this baby. That being said, I was a little disappointed when the Dr. DIDN'T check me today! Almost all of their rooms were full so the nurse took me to one of the regular exam rooms (not one that is set up for pregnant women). She took my blood pressure, etc. and then told me to hold off on getting undressed because she would probably move me to a different room once one became available. Well, the midwife came in my room before another one cleared out so we just ended up chatting a little bit more about what to expect these last couple weeks and when to come to the hospital, etc.

One thing I have been concerned about is that fact that I have not been feeling any braxton hicks contractions. Some of you may think this is a good thing (which it probably is), but it just makes me nervous that I am not making any progress towards labor. Plus, I want to at least experience some contractions (even if they aren't as painful as the ones I will have in labor) so I can better prepare myself for what to expect and how a contraction feels. Most of my fear and anxiety about labor revolves around the fact that I have no idea what to expect or anything to compare it to. The midwife explained that it is very normal for a first-time pregnant woman to NOT be feeling contractions at this point. She said that my uterus has never been stretched out like this before and my body is doing lots of different things to prepare itself for labor so not to worry.

She said baby's heartbeat is very strong and we are both very healthy. She also said that now it is pretty much a waiting game. I couldn't agree more!

37 Weeks!

Only 3 more weeks to go! However, I would not be upset if Luca decided to make his appearance a little earlier :-) I am completely exhausted, but I am so huge and uncomfortable that it is almost impossible to get any sleep at night. I get winded and am out of breath just sitting at my desk and talking on the phone with clients - which seems completely ridiculous, but it's true. My hips feel like they are just floating around and I think the baby is sitting right on my sciatic nerve because I get shooting pains in my back and legs if I step wrong or move too quickly. This is definitely the hardest part of being pregnant!

I am now going to the Dr. every week and I had my appointment yesterday morning. The last couple times I have gone to the Dr. I have seen the midwife that works in the office. It will either be her or the OBGYN that will deliver me. At first I was a little nervous because I wasn't sure how much training and what kind of medical background midwives have, but after meeting with her a few times (and asking her questions about the major differences between midwives and OB's) I feel much better and I actually think I would prefer to have her deliver the baby since I have only seen Dr. Sand (my OB) about 3 times this entire pregnancy (he did all the ultrasounds).

So, she "checked" me yesterday and said that my cervix feels soft and "jellowy" - which is apparently a good thing. I guess normally your cervix is like a hard little knob (kind of like the end of your nose) and she said it is very good progress that it is so soft already since this is my first pregnancy. She said that I was not yet dilating, but there was only a very thin membrane left before my cervix starts to open. All this progress was music to my ears! However, she also said that I could be dilated to 4 cm and not have a baby for another couple weeks or I could not be dilated at all and still have a baby that night. So, I guess Luca is still going to make his appearance whenever he is ready and cm don't mean much :-) I am looking forward to next week's appointment though to see if any more progress has been made!

34 Weeks!

I saw this comic/cartoon on my weekly pregnancy update that I get in my email and just had to post it. I think it is hysterical and totally sums up how I feel right now!

Only 6 weeks to go! It would be ok with me if Luca decided to arrive in 4 to 5 weeks though, as long as he is healthy! I had a doctor appointment yesterday and they said everything looks good. He is measuring right on schedule and his heartbeat is in the 140's to 150's.

The main thing I wanted to talk to my Dr. about was flu shots. She advised that pregnant women and women who have delivered babies in the last 6 months are top priority for both the regular flu shot and the H1N1 (Swine Flu) shot. She advised that they have a list of all the women they are treating that fall into these categories and and as soon as they receive their supply of the vaccines they will be calling patients to come in and get the shots. The Dr. also advised that Tony should be vaccinated as well, but unfortunately, he doesn't fall under the "priority" list for their supply of the vaccines so he will have to get the shots from his primary care physician (which he does not have) or the Public Health Dept. I don't think it should be a problem for him to get vaccinated though since he will be a parent of a child under 6 months of age and he works in the public school system. There are just so many things to think about when it comes to the health of your children!

The baby is moving A LOT lately! Mostly when I have been sitting for a while at work or I am laying down resting in the evening. His movements are definitely more than just flutters now and I am getting poked with heels, elbows, knees and other body parts all the time. It is really cool to be able to feel and see his little appendages poking out of my tummy! Tony had his hand on my stomach the other day trying to feel the baby move and all of a sudden Luca kicked where his hand was and Tony felt his little bony heel. It startled Tony and he pulled his hand away really fast. He thought it was really weird to be able to actually feel a hard body part rather than just the little flutters he was feeling before. I told him to imagine how it feels from the inside of my stomach! The good thing is, that because I have such a long torso, I feel most of the baby's movements and kicks in my abdomen rather than in my rib cage - at least so far :-) Maybe as he continues to grow and run out of room in there that will change in these last weeks of pregnancy.

Getting Ready for Baby...

We spent a good portion of Labor Day Weekend working on the nursery and putting together some of baby Luca's new things. Tony actually did most of the "putting together" and I did a lot of "supervising" :-)

Tony hard at work putting the swing together.

This swing looks so soft and cozy! I told Tony that I wanted some fleece footed sleepers and a swing like this in my size so I could just lounge, nap and rock all day long. Ahhhh, the life of a baby!

Don't mess with a man and his power tools! (Notice that Tony is wearing my volleyball knee pads :-) He put the crib together the day before and his knees were raw from the carpet so I told him he should wear knee pads.)

Here is the finished changing table/dresser. The lighting is bad, but it really is all one color (the color of the cupboard door.)

Making sure the line is perfectly straight - he knows just how to make his perfectionist wife happy :-)

More taping so that we can paint the stripes.

The painted stripes and the crib completely assembled - Yay!

Tony and I actually did the taping for the stripes several weeks ago. We had the paint colors all picked out, but just hadn't purchased them or had a chance to paint. One afternoon when I was home for lunch, Tony's parents stopped by our house on their way back from a trip to Idaho. I went back to work and figured that Tony and his parents would just visit for a while. When I came home from work that night, I was surprised to see all of our painting supplies out in the garage. I was a little nervous since I am a total control freak and wasn't quite sure what Tony had done while I was gone. Turns out his parents had bought the paint and painted the nursery for us! Actually, I think Kathi did most of the painting with a little help from Tony. I think Mike tried to help, but his attention to detail was not quite up to par :-) It was a great surprise and so nice to not have to do it myself!

We still need to get a few more items before we are totally ready for Luca's arrival - but we are much closer than we were a couple weeks ago! I am having so much fun decorating his room and getting everything ready. I am thinking that he will sleep in a bassinet in our room for a little while and then hopefully he will move to his own room and enjoy sleeping there. We are getting so excited to meet our little baby boy!

Baby Shower

My sister and my dad put on an amazing baby shower for baby Luca and I! My sister hosted it at her new house and everything turned out great! We had so many friends and family that came to celebrate with us. It was so great to see everyone and so nice to see some people that I haven't seen in a while. Everyone was so generous and showered us with tons of great gifts! Luca got lots of adorable sleepers, onesies and outfits - he will be very well dressed! We also got a swing, bassinett, baby bath, diapers and lots of other great toys and baby necessities. My dad, my sister and my grandma all pitched in and got us our glider/rocker for the nursery. Unfortunately, it didn't show up in time for the shower, but I can't wait for it to get here! I am sure I will spend many late nights in that chair :-)

The hostess with the mostess!

This cake was delicious - and cute! White cake, raspberry filling and buttercream frosting - my favorite!

The food was delicious too!

Flower arrangements put together by my sister and my Aunt Cindy - gorgeous!

My sister decorated with a bunch of pictures of me when I was a baby.

Erin, my cousins Katie & Haley and my Aunt Cindy. Haley & Katie are SOOOOO excited for the baby and can't wait to babysit :-)

Great-Grandma's-to-be.

Tara, Lindsay, Missy, me and Barb. These girls are some of my very best friends. I have known Tara and Lindsay since kindergarten and Barb is Lindsay's mom, so I pretty much grew with them.

Grandma Kathi, Aunt Stephanie, Cindy and Mary enjoying the shade on the patio.

My cousin Katy, Aunt Mary, Mary Jane and Trisha.

My Aunt Cindy and the girls got me a book that shows the "Do's" and "Dont's" of how to take care of a baby. The pictures are hillarious!

Courtney (due 2/23/10), Julie (due 10/19/09), me (due 10/21/09), Jess (due 11/17/09), Carolyn and Jax (3 months). These girls were my roommates in college and they all traveled over 2 hours to come to the shower. It was so great to see them and meant so much to have them there!

All the preggos at the shower! Me, Stephanie (due 10/25/09), Julie, Jess, Courtney and Katy (yes, she is pregnant - due 3/20/10).

The shower was so much fun and I can't thank my dad and my sister enough for all their hard work in putting this together. This baby is already loved so much by his grandpa and his auntie - and many others too :-) I also want to thank my dad for taking all these pictures! It is way too hard to take pictures at your own shower. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures with him in them though :-(