And Baby Makes Three!

Kate Madeline Hendricks was born via natural birth at 3:38 am on October 31, 2012.

 

She weighed 7 pounds 9 ounces and was 19" long.

♥ Kate Madeline Hendricks ♥

We are already so, SO in love.

It's Game Time!!

Our video update:

 

Coffee Cake

In an effort to convince our little girl that I am most certainly domesticated enough to be her Mommy and that she is more than welcome to come out, come out whenever at this point, I made a coffee cake.  That's right, folks.  I made a coffee cake!  And, not to toot my own horn or anything, but it tastes fantastic!

My friend, Deanna, gave me this simple recipe a while ago and I've been meaning to try it out for so long.  Now that I am home with nothing to do playing the waiting game, this morning was the perfect opportunity to test it out.  We had our first light snow of the season last night and it has since been windy and cold.  The warm, crumbly, cinnamon-y, goodness of coffee cake really hit the spot!  Plus, I thought it might be good to show our baby that despite what she may think I am domesticated and ready for her arrival.  We all are.

I've voted and have upheld my duties as a United States citizen.  I've made a coffee cake from scratch with my superior cooking skills.  I've kept the womb nice and warm for the last ten months.  It's really about time that Little Miss decides to uphold her end of the deal and make an appearance. 

Anyone second that?!

Jack certainly doesn't need any of my convincing...
...Or is that the coffee cake talking??

Get Ur Vote On

Today Brian and I headed out to the Early Voting Center on Morse Road and voted...early!  Not knowing what sort of opportunity we will have, if any, come November 6th, 2012, we wanted to be sure that our vote counted.  It was so easy and quick and we are so happy that we were able to participate in this year's pivotal presidential election.

For the record, I am not huge on politics.  It really annoys me that every.single.ad.out.there just bashes the opposing candidate.  Seriously?  Instead of telling me what the other candidate is doing that you don't agree with why don't you tell me what you're going to do to make it better?  That makes way more sense to me.

I know it's not that simple, and I know that Ohio is a major swing state, but all of these ads are getting really old.  Plus, just in case our little bambino was waiting for us to cast our votes and uphold our duties as citizens of the U.S. of A. to make her debut, she is all set.

We've voted, Sweet Girl.  We're helping to plan for your bright future!

The proof is in the picture.

And, no, that wasn't a heart!

You can come out now.  ;)

I'm Late! I'm Late! For a Very Important Date!

No time to say hello, goodbye!  I'm late!  I'm late!  I'm late!

Well, that's not entirely true.  I actually have all the time in the world to say hello and goodbye right now because I have officially started leave.  Yep, that's right.  Friday was my last official day at work, so the vacation starts now!  (I am using that vacation term loosely...I am in no way anticipating maternity leave to feel like I'm relaxing by the pool in a tropical destination, especially since we are entering the Winter, in Ohio, and it's already cloudy and gray, not to mention all that comes with having a baby.  But I am going to continue to tell myself that it is vacation...)

We are officially late though.  Our little bambino has decided with the very abrupt end to our Indian summer, which pretty much ended on our due date, that she would rather stay warm and cozy in the womb that she has called home for the past 40 weeks than make the move sans-womb to the home that she will call home for the rest of her life...

We keep reminding her that it is warm, cozy, and a lot more spacious outside of the womb, but she has yet to be convinced.  I suppose she will be convinced in her own time.  There is no amount of talking or cajoling we can do.  She will make the decision herself when she is ready.

...She soooo has her Mama's personality.

Due Date

There is one day throughout your entire pregnancy that you can say, "We are due today."  For us that day is today, and we have told everyone who has asked that today is our day.  From family and friends, to coworkers, to strangers, they have all wished us luck and shared in our excitement.

We are ready whenever you are, Sweet Girl!

It's really hard to believe that our due date is really here. The last nine months have flown by and we are going to meet our daughter any day now. It is really an incredible thought. I don't feel scared, I don't feel anxious, I don't fear the unknown - I am just so excited!  Brian is very excited too.  He's a bit a whole lot more anxious than I am, but he is ready and waiting to meet his little girl.

Today is our due date!  Our bun is nearly done cooking, and we absolutely cannot wait to bring her into our world.

'Twas the Night Before

'Twas the night before D-day, when all through the womb

Just one creature was stirring, just one we presume.

The overnight bags were packed and set on the floor,

In hopes that our little girl we would soon adore!

So...we didn't go into labor last night.  Obviously.  But we did have contractions and are still having contractions, so we are confident that my body will let us know when it's time.

We have reached the night before our due date and while we know that a "due date" is only an estimated guess as to when your little one may (or may not) make his or her debut, it is still exciting to get to the day!

We don't have a ton of news to report but thought what better way to kick off the last night before we are officially overdue with some fun facts!

FUN FACTS ABOUT OUR PREGNANCY:

1. I have taken my prenatal vitamin with a couple sips of grape Gatorade since we found out we were expecting.  And I take it at night.  That is just how I do it.

2. Initially I thought that pre-natal vitamins were horse pills... Nine Ten months later and I am a pro at getting those things down!

3. I take my iron pill once in the morning and once in the afternoon with orange juice because your body absorbs more of the iron if the pill is taken with vitamin c.  (And I figured if I'm going to clog my digestive system even more that I might as well do it right the first time...)

4. Brian and I have walked throughout this entire pregnancy with the intention of walking in the Nationwide half marathon last Sunday.  We waited to sign up not knowing if we would be able to participate for multiple reasons, but when we got the go ahead from our doc last week we found out that it was sold out.  What charity event sells out?!  Apparently 400+ people were already turned away, so we went to BuyBuyBaby instead and bought some last minute baby items we still needed!

5. I have heard every story out there on every subject related to pregnancy, labor, natural ways to induce labor, and babies.  This, I was told, would happen.

6. I am still working and am planning on starting maternity leave on Monday, October 29th...unless a certain little someone should decide to make her debut sooner!

7. Jack knows something strange is going on.  We are trying our best to keep our cool, but he senses a change.

8. Bun could care less about having a little sister.

9. I can actually feel my skin stretching on my stomach.  It's a tingling, burning sensation, and it is really weird knowing that is what it is.

10. Last, but certainly not least, I would absolutely love a piece of pumpkin pie right now...and that's not usually my "go to" dessert!

Stay tuned for updates!  We will be sure to keep you posted!!

39 Weeks & 5 days

We can hardly believe that we are so close to meeting our little girl!  It is simply incredible and we both can't help but smile at the thought of us going into labor any day now!

We had our last scheduled appointment today.  We have not gained any more weight, our baby's heartbeat was a little low (more on that in a minute), and my tummy measured at a hefty 40 cm!  Our doctor said that our sweet baby must've gone through a little growth spurt this past week!  We are also 3 cm dilated as opposed to the 2 cm that we were last week.  We have not effaced anymore (we're still at 50%) and our baby is still at a -1 station.  It amazes me that your body just knows what to do when the time is near!

The heartbeat being on the low end was a little concerning to our doctor though, so she hooked us up to a non-stress test.  This is where there are two tight belts attached around your belly: one to measure the baby's heart rate and one to measure contractions.  I also had a little Jeopardy buzzer that I was to click every time I felt our little girl move.  I'll take "Labor & Delivery" for $800, Trebek!

We were hooked up to this machine for about 45 minutes listening to the sweet sounds of our baby's heartbeat...and apparently having very consistent contractions.  I didn't feel every contraction, but they were so consistent that our doctor said that she wouldn't be surprised if we went into active labor tonight.  This was very surprising to me because, like I said, I barely felt any of the contractions.  And even the ones that I did feel weren't anything that would warrant any sort of alarm in my opinion.  I suppose time will tell!

In the little viddie below the graph on the top of the print out measures our baby's heart beat in beats per minute and the graph on the bottom measures our contractions:

The results of this test showed that our sweet girl's heartbeat was fine and it was probably just a bad reading from the fetal doppler, so we were good to go home, continue contracting, continue dilating, and continue the waiting game!

We have nearly reached our due date!  It has been an incredible journey so far and we know it's only going to get a million times better when our baby girl arrives!

Rock-a-Bye Baby

Over 36 years ago, Brian's Mom purchased a little rocking chair for her very own first born - Brian Andrew.  (Yes, I said over 36 years ago!)  That chair was once green.  When Brian's tush grew out of it, it was painted yellow to match her kitchen where it became kitchen decor.  And then, it was passed down to Brian's Aunt who had two sons of her own.  Over the last 25+ years, Brian's Aunt kept that little rocker, brought it to her classroom where she taught many, many children over the years, and put it to good use!

Before: It stayed yellow with the patent
leather seat.

When Brian's Aunt Kathy found out that we were expecting, that rocking chair quickly found it's way home and back into Brian's world!

Over the next several months, Mary and Tom refinished the chair, had Brian and I pick out some fabric for the seat, and completely redid this beautiful little rocker to match perfectly for our little girl's bum room.

And tonight, they debuted their masterpiece:

After: Simply stunning!

This dynamic duo (Mary and Tom, that is) did a fantastic job refinishing the chair!  It looks absolutely wonderful in our sweet girl's room and it makes it that much more special that it was once Brian's.

How sweet and dainty is the seat fabric?!  We simply love it!

It's absolutely perfect for our little corner!

We cannot thank Mary, Tom, or Brian's Aunt Kathy for all the hard work and dedication that they put into making this 36 year old chair look like new!  We are positive that our little girl will cherish this rocking chair until she has a little girl of her own to pass it down to.  Thank you, Mary, Tom, and Aunt Kathy!!  Thank you!  Thank you!

Progress Report

We are so excited to report that we have made some progress since our last appointment!!!  We went to visit the doc again today and learned the following:

1. We did not gain any more poundage.

2. Our baby's heart rate was beating at 135-138 beats per minute.  Watch the little viddie below to hear the heartbeat!!  (WARNING: This video does contain some frontal belly nudity.  Linea nigra included.)

3. Our tum tum measured at 38.5 cm.

(And now for the good stuff!)  DRUM ROLL, PLEASE!!

4. WE ARE TWO CENTIMETERS DILATED!!

5. WE ARE 50% EFFACED!!  (Is it strange that I'm kind of taking this one with a grain of salt?!)

6. Our bambino is at -1 station!  (She's been hanging there, so I suppose this is old news.)

7. She is still head down!

How exciting is that?!  We were very pleased with our report today.  Especially since my body has decided it's nearly GO TIME and is preparing itself and finalizing all the minor plans to push our little one out into the world.

Our bun is nearly done cooking, and we are only 8 small centimeters and 5 short stations away from meeting her!

 

Week 38, going on Week 39!

♥

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

We had another doctor's appointment today.  We are plus one on the
L-B front, our tummy was measuring right at 37-38 cm, and our baby's heartbeat was a-whoosh whoosh-ing away on the fetal doppler.  Our doctor said that we are right on target.

Then she performed our internal exam.

Remember those four parameters that she was looking for??  Cervix effacement, dilation, station, and baby position?? 

Do you recall where we fell on the parameter scale the last time our doctor checked us??  For a quick refresher, she said that my cervix was 50% effaced, we were not dilated, our baby was hanging out at a
-1 station, and she was definitely head down.

And then we had our appointment today, and she told us that nothing had changed.  Nothing?

She said my cervix was still thick, we did not have any dilation, the baby was still at a -1 station, and still head down.

And that's when I asked about my cervix.

I explained that last week she mentioned we were 50% effaced, and I was just curious as to what the "thick" diagnosis was supposed to mean.  Well, Ladies and Gents, it means you are not effaced at all.  And according to the notes that our doc had written down at our appointment last week, I was not effaced at that last appointment either.

Ok, so we are still two weeks out.  Everybody and every body is different.  But I would be lying if I didn't say that I was a little disappointed to hear that a.) we hadn't made any noticeable physical progress toward labor - after all, I am an over achiever by nature, and b.) that we had kind of taken a step back since we learned that we actually weren't 50% effaced at all.  We are 0% effaced, and apparently that is what we were last week too.

Would it be really ridiculous if I sat on an exercise ball instead of a chair for the rest of my work days?!

I know that our baby and my body will let us know when the time is right.  We do still need to pack our hospital bags - maybe she knows that and wants us to be prepared??  That is awfully thoughtful, but I do hope that we have a better progress report next week.  After all, it is a progress, right?!  And that means a little closer each time, right?!

Here's to making more progress, adding another week of pregnancy under our belt, and taking one (or two) steps closer to our due date!

On a very side note, this Thursday is October 11th and officially the start of our 38th week.  If our little girl were born that day, her birthday would be 10/11/12!  I think that is such a neat birthday.  Obviously, the actual birth day of our little girl will be the neatest of them all, but 10/11/12 is still pretty cool!

Making Room for Baby

I know that we've shown you bits and pieces of our nursery set up.  And I know that the last time we talked about our nursery we were still working on some wall art.  Well, Ladies and Gentlemen, we have created our wall art, hung our wall art, sat and admired said wall art and said nursery, and are so ready to share the amazing-ness that we are oh-so-proud of!

When we first ventured out to come up with some ideas for our little girl's room we both knew that we wanted our little girl to feel like she was in a little girl's room, not feel like she was in a modern room that had to stay clean.  (Seriously.  Who are we kidding?  We are having a baby.  We know that rooms will no longer be "clean".)  Brian and I are both fans of more modern-type of art and furniture, so we knew that we would like to have a clean look to the room, but we also considered who exactly would be staying in such a room and so we also knew that we wanted it to be fun and colorful!  After many ideas on colors, schemes, and themes, we decided on three key colors: pink, orange, and green, and after we bought our bedding, we decided we'd run with the wild animals and incorporate them into our art too.

We are extremely happy with the outcome!  We do still have some minor areas that we plan to incorporate a few more photos/images/ art/etc, but we are waiting for our wee one to arrive to make sure she is part of those photos/images/art/or what have you! 

SO, without further ado, our little girl's nursery:

This is our toys/books/stuffed animals/piggy bank corner!

And right next to all the fun is the crib corner!

Jack is so done with us focusing on this room and not him...

The crib corner is right next to the sitting/feeding corner.

Which, clearly, butts up next to the dresser/changing area.

And the dresser/changing area is right next to the closet
and second book area.

Anyone recall this rendition of a 90's pop hit?!

What to put above the crib stumped us forever until we
found these four images that we loved and created them in
our colors!  Now it is definitely a fav of the room!

We ♥ the crib corner!

Brian and I both put a lot of time and thought and love into this sweet room for our sweet girl, and we hope that she enjoys it as much as we do.  We have our favorite bits of the room, but we imagine our very favorite part of the room has yet to arrive!

We are t-minus 2.5 weeks, and counting!

Our Little Bump

Brian and I both wanted to capture our little bump before we officially celebrated our little girl's debut.  Mainly to capture yet another amazing moment in our lives but also to be able to show our sweet baby what life was like before we met her outside of the womb.

Brian did his very best with the Big Dog camera that we have and after an early evening of shooting, we he captured some amazing moments.  Brian did a fantastic job!  I know his little girl is going to be so proud of him.  She is going to look up to him, admire his strength and preserverance, and strive to follow in his footsteps.  I have no doubt.  He is going to be an amazing Daddy.

I hope you enjoy our bump view as much as we enjoyed taking the photos:

♥ ♥ ♥ Click me for a lot of bump love! ♥ ♥ ♥

Your Daddy and I love you so much, Baby Girl!

All Systems Are Go!

We had the first of our weekly appointments today!  In addition to the normal schtuff: we gained two pounds, our tummy measured at 36 cm, and our little girl's heartbeat was beating steadily in low 140's, we also had an internal exam!

Our doctor assessed four important parameters of labor:

1. Our cervix effacement.

2. Our dilation.

3. Our station.

4. The position of our little bambino.

And it appears that all systems are go!

My cervix is 50% effaced which essentially means that it has thinned out.  We are shooting for 100% effacement, so we are half way there!

We are not currently dilated which is nothing to worry about.  When my body and our baby are ready, we will start to dilate.

Our baby is currently loungin' at a -1 station.  This one is a little tricky to explain.  The baby lives and grows higher up in the uterus for the majority of the nine months that you are expecting.  Then, the doctors start counting from -4 all the way to +4 as the baby starts to drop into your pelvic bone.  At -4, you will have a lot of pushin' to do.  At 0, you are sometimes told that your baby has dropped.  At +4, the baby is crowning.  So, again, we are in a good spot!

And we received the verification that our bambino is still head down.  She is such a cooperative little wee one! 

As my Dad put it, in guy terms, we’re fueled up, the oil’s been changed, the tires checked, and we're at the starting line waiting for the green light to signify GO time!

Yes, exactly!