christmas!

We had a wonderful Christmas - it went by so fast, and we crashed Christmas night, but we couldn't have asked for more! I would say Emma's first Christmas was a huge success and she has been having the best time with all her new toys - it has made tummy time much more tolerable to have new entertainment. Emma still does not care for the camera, but she is constantly smiling and making my day.

here's looking at you, kid

I love vacation. This holiday week is shaping up to be quite lovely - we have been staying at home, making good food and hanging out....who could ask for more? The rest of the week is going to be busy, but we are looking forward to seeing family, friends and Emma's first Christmas!

More smiles and playtime are on the agenda...

my sunshine

I love this little lady! Even rainy days like today are so much brighter with this sweet face! My vacation starts tomorrow and I can't wait to spend more time playing with my baby. We are going to try and get some Christmas shopping done...so much to do on that front!

some holiday cheer

I've made it a goal of mine this past week to start putting together all the video we've taken since Emma was born. I've tried really hard to capture as many fun moments as possible: her first bath, her first bottle, halloween, first wedding she attended (shout out to Bethany and Reid!), Christmas decorating and more...enjoy!

another baby!

No...I'm NOT pregnant but our family has grown again! On Friday, my sister welcomed a beautiful baby girl into this world and Emma now has an instant friend (her age) to grow up with!

Baby Ava was born at 11:11 and weighed in at 7 pounds 12 ounces

Baby Ava

Emma seems like a giant next to Ava and she's only 3 months! It is amazing how much they grow in a few short months.

Ma, Ava, Emma and me :)

There is nothing better than family and knowing Emma gets to have so much love and support around her, and from all sides... it is the best feeling! It seems like yesterday that we were bringing Emma home and now she has a baby cousin.

You can tell she just loves the camera...not so much!

We can't wait to see Ava again, along with Ava's big sister, Maddie - she's going to be such a good big sister because she's already proven to be such a caring cousin to Emma...the picture doesn't do her sweetness justice but it does her silliness :)

All the excitement wore my little one out for the ride home!

12 weeks!!

Emma is 12 weeks today - it has been the best 12 weeks and it just keeps getting better. I took a picture of her yesterday before I got her out of her carseat, and I realized that I had taken the same picture, in the same outfit shortly after she was born...she has grown so much!

Some of her favorite things: her thumb (she really wants to be a thumb sucker but we're trying to avoid that habit), her bunny - she loves that it's fuzzy and likes to grab it, being wrapped up in a blanket when she's tired, getting to snuggle with mommy and daddy, her little birds that sit over her bouncer...she is in love with these little guys, moving her little feet around and kicking things.

I swear she knows exactly what a camera is - she could be smiling ear to ear and as soon as I get the camera out she stares at me like 'did you really think you could fool me?' - oh I love her!

just sitting around

Who is that baby sitting up like a big girl? Last week I was able to sneak in some vacation time and I pulled out the ol' bumbo chair, and wouldn't you know my little lady can sit up like a pro.

yay for the holidays

I am so happy that we have our sweet baby to enjoy all of the holidays. I feel like I have so much more holiday spirit than normal - a lot of it has to do with actually taking the time and slowing down to enjoy things, but more importantly sharing it with my little family. We have so much to be thankful for this year.

Here is her first halloween picture

We attempted to take some Christmas themed pictures yesterday but it turned out to be unsuccessful - not for the lack of a cute subject though! I did end up and get some cute pictures in our regular get-up 

two months

Emma turned 8 weeks on Wednesday and I'm not even sure where the time went - I can't believe my baby is two months old.

It is amazing to watch her little personality develop and see her discover new things each day. I am looking forward to the holiday season, although I'm really not quite ready for cold or snow.

Here are some pictures off my cell phone from October. I need to upload all the photos from my camera, especially the adorable halloween pictures!

one month update

Emma is five and a half weeks old, but I am just now getting to her official one month update...time is flying! Her doctor's appointment went well - my little girl is growing, her height is 21.5 inches and she weighed in at 9 pounds 11.5 ounces - the doctor joked and said she certainly isn't missing any of her meals. She is in the 55th percentile for both height and weight so she is proportionate except she got her mommy and daddy's slightly larger head.

Ryan had his first full week back at work and Emma and I have been on our own during the day - I love being with my little baby - she is so good and I love seeing her personality develop more and more. It is amazing how one little smile can make you feel like a million bucks.

At night, she is like clockwork and has been waking up pretty consistently every three to four hours to nurse (and a diaper change) and then she typically goes right back to sleep. I really can't complain about the night schedule although generally, I am not a happy camper without a lot of sleep, but I think I am managing surprisingly well (I think, but Ryan may have a different story). It probably helps that I go to bed obnoxiously early and I currently have the luxury of sleeping in too.

I am down to a little over two weeks left of maternity leave and I am going to soak up every minute of the relaxed life with my baby girl.

1 month

My baby is going to be 1 month old tomorrow! Time has gone by so fast - I am really trying to absorb every minute with her before I have to go back to work - I am now officially half-way through my maternity leave which makes me sad to think, but luckily I still have a whole month to go. Ryan heads back to work on Monday but we feel so lucky he has been able to spend the month with us.

Emma has always been a pretty smiley baby, but she is now smiling in response to things which makes our hearts melt even more. She has her one month check up soon, but she has been doing great as far as I'm concerned.

This is going to be a big weekend for her - her first wedding! Some of our very favorite people are getting married this weekend, and both Ryan and I will be in the wedding. We can't wait for all the fun!

birth story

I have been working on this little post for nearly 3 weeks now, but I am slow because 1. I don't want to do anything but be with Emma right now and 2. my computer is quite possibly going to blow up...but finally - here is my best - yet short, version of our sweet baby's birth story.

Labor day came and went - I tried with all my might to get baby girl to arrive, but she was on her own schedule. On Tuesday (the 6th), I went to the doctor for a non-stress test, fluid test and fetal heart monitoring test - during the testing they took measurements to estimate her size and determine about how big she might be - they were all confirming she was going to be a big girl they said anywhere from 8 to 10 pounds...long story short - the doctor strongly recommended we schedule a cesarean because at that point she did not believe I would have much luck delivering her on my own, so we later were able to schedule for the very next day (I was so happy to know that I would have my baby girl the next day). We had been preparing for Emma for months but being told she would be here the next day we were all set on getting very ready - grocery shopping, review our bags we had packed for the hospital, etc etc.

We had a big night preparing for her - grocery shopping, grabbing some dinner the two of us, and laying all of our stuff out for our big day, but our little miss had a different plan in mind. At about midnight, I was laying in bed finally about to fall asleep and suddenly I started to feel very uncomfortable and I told Ryan I thought I was going to have to sleep on the couch because I couldn't lay down...turns out I was going into labor but I was in denial for a little bit. I didn't believe I was actually having all these contractions and Ryan had downloaded an app (yes, there is an app for that! ha) and sure enough I was having 30-45 second contractions that were ranging from 3 to 5 minutes apart. I thought for sure they would go away so I walked around our house for awhile and they were not leaving, and they were getting worse. We finally called the hospital and they said they would have my doctor call me back, but my contractions were getting worse and I told Ryan we just needed to go to the hospital.

I finally got my epidural at about 5AM and I was completely exhausted - I can't possibly imagine giving birth without an epidural! I tried to get some sleep but that was not going to happen. They went ahead with my scheduled early morning cesarean because I was not progressing at all. Finally, at 8:39AM my baby girl arrived. I was so tired and delirious but as soon as I heard her cry and I got to see my baby girl I have this huge sense of relief when I knew she had a safe and healthy arrival.

 

 

Happy I finally have my epidural!

She's here! Getting all cleaned up :)

I worked so hard for all that hair - the heartburn was out of control!

My girls - Riley loves her baby Emma!

This picture is dark, but too cute not to post!

the world had less color without you

She's here, and I'm in love. Emma Grace O'Grady was born on September 7th weighing in at 8 pounds 7.4 ounces.

She is almost two weeks old now, and I love her so much. She is such a good baby. Ryan and I are so happy to have this time together to enjoy her arrival and be together as a family.

37 weeks

So much for my timely and regular updates...oops! Time has been going so fast, yet sometimes it feels so slow...weird! The slow part is mostly because I'm ginormous and don't know what to do with myself. I know I've been anxious to meet baby girl for awhile, but now I'm really ready!

I am at the point of going to the doctor every week, and at every appointment I cross my fingers for some monumental change, but as of right now, little lady is still settled in and enjoying her stay. My next appointment is on Friday, so I'm bound and determined for some type of change...Ryan and I have been taking daily walks in hopes to have some type of gravitational push on moving little miss down. If anything, the walks have been really enjoyable - the weather has cooled down, and it's getting me more and more anxious to reclaim my pre-pregnancy mobility.

Baby girl has also been graciously kicking me in the ribs - and rather regularly, so that's been a little unpleasant. The practice I go to apparently does not estimate the baby's weight - they say it's pure guesswork - which is fine, but Ryan was 10 pounds 14 ounces, and I was 8 pounds 5 ounces - so it leaves me guessing she's going to be on the robust side.

Everyone has been asking if I've been nesting - I find myself tasking rather than doing much. I am big on the lists and trying to get things done, but I am so tired - I am more tired now than I ever was in my first trimester. Needless to say, this has left us with some few pending items in the nursery...mostly hanging pictures and small organizing. I am loving the way it's turning out, but I think once it's all done, it will look great. Fingers crossed! Our goal is to finish it soon, and by soon I mean in the next few days! I will post an update when it's done.

Here I am in all my glory:

34 Weeks

It's hard to believe I'm into the single digits of how many weeks I have left...I recently read an article where it talked about how being pregnant is a privilege - I completely agree with that, it's a beautiful gift and an amazing thing, I feel really lucky - but I'm also really looking forward to her arrival and returning to my non-pregnant self. It has been ridiculously hot, and that is a wee bit uncomfortable, and quite frankly...I long to sleep on my stomach, roll over with ease, and put on jeans that have a button. I'm giving baby girl 3 or 4 more weeks, and then I'm starting in with the pep talks! :)

Latest Cravings - I love dark chocolate, but I try to limit myself to a small(ish) piece a day...I also have switched from raspberries to blueberries. Oh how I love blueberries....blueberry frozen yogurt, blueberries in my cereal...yum! Oh, and cereal...I eat it at least once a day...

Biggest Lifesaver - Tums and body pillows. Good Lord, the heartburn is still carrying on...food, drink, oxygen - it all brings on the heartburn. Tums usually does the trick but there have been a few times it doesn't quite take care of it. As for body pillows, I feel like I have old lady hips, they get so tired and it is more than a project to roll over.

Surprising Moment - Ryan was out of town this past weekend for a bachelor party and I thought...here is my chance to go to sleep early! I was so proud to be in my pajamas by 7pm and I was in bed by 9 but then I was having the most insane, what I presume is Braxton Hicks contractions. I slept like crap, and it hurt to lay down, I kept having to get up and walk around - they finally went away but it was the realization that I'm getting very close to the big day. Needless to say, Ryan's will no longer be traveling anywhere...at least without me!

Tomorrow we are meeting with our potential pediatrician, we get to tour the practice and meet the doctors. I'm happy to get this big item squared away, it will make me feel much better knowing that's all in order.

Friday is our next doctor's appointment...pretty soon I'll start going every week! We're really getting close! Latest bump picture coming soon....

Baby Showers

These past few weeks have been incredibly busy, but I can't complain one tiny bit because so many lovely things have been happening.

I've had baby showers, went to my best friend's wedding shower, went to my brother's college graduation party, got a beautiful new front yard (courtesy of Desperate Landscapes...more on that later!), worked on the nursery, and so much more. The insane schedule has been nice to keep busy and not just sit around and wait for baby girl, but of course I'm still anxious...and exhausted!

I was really awful and didn't take very many pictures at my showers, but I've been lucky enough to have two parties! My sisters put together a beautiful family shower and then my best friend had a shower for me with my close girlfriends - man do I feel lucky! I can't believe how generous people are to come and celebrate, and on top of that - bring a gift! I have to tell you...I don't think I could ever get tired of little baby things! The clothes make me give instant "awwww..." reactions and the trinkets and necessity items are just as fun. I love going home and putting the things away in her room, I know she'll be here before we know it!

We are making progress on the nursery and I hope to post pictures of the progress soon...I think after this weekend, we'll almost be ready in the room department.

We got so many wonderful things, but here is just a small snapshot of some of the items:

Happy 4th!!

We had a great long weekend! I feel really lucky to be surrounded by so much love and happiness! We don't typically go camping in July but we changed things up this year, and went camping with my whole family this past weekend. The weather worked out in our favor, even though it was hot during the day we had lots of shade and it cooled down at night which made sleeping much more comfy. July is going to be one crazy month, but it's all shaping up to be good things!

Hope everyone is having a good 4th of July!

The big 3-0

30 weeks! Only 10 more to go...I realize I could potentially go a little longer, but a girl can dream! Baby girl is getting bigger and bigger, and mama is feeling like there is not much room left in this inn, but I know somehow she will find more room and my belly will somehow keep expanding - that's ok though, I want her to be nice and strong. I do realize why people say the 3rd trimester is the worst - even though I was really sick during the 1st trimester it was all so new to me, but I'm getting to the point of extreme anticipation and a little longing for my old summer clothes. It's all worth it, but whew... 40 weeks is a long time! Here is your latest bump picture:

This past weekend was exactly what I needed...staying home and spending time with my loves - Ryan and Riley. We made some great meals at home, watched a movie, had the windows open all weekend, absorbed a little sun (not too much, we're pale people!) and managed to get some serious, much needed organizing/cleaning done. I somehow hit the jackpot with Ryan because not only is he my favorite person, but he is an amazing organizer...he could seriously be paid for this type of skill. We worked on my closet this weekend (amongst other things), and he took the initiative to do this:

I have to be honest, I did not realize I had this many shoes, nor did I realize how amazing it would be to have them so organized...but I am now in love with my closet. We did a pretty good job of knocking stuff off our to-do list this weekend, which felt SO good! Baby girl's room is underway, but still has a loooong way to go - at least we're making some progress.

How could you not have a great weekend when you are spending time with these two:

We are counting down the days until this holiday weekend, lots of good stuff planned AND a 3 day weekend!

29 weeks

These past few weeks have gone really fast...29 weeks already! I feel like the countdown will become more serious when I hit 30 weeks only because that sounds so much closer to delivery time than twenty-something. I have my next doctor's appointment on Friday and then I start going more frequently. I feel like there is so much to do between now and baby time!

Things have been incredibly busy lately, I almost feel like there have been moments when I don't have time to sit and really take things in. Ryan and I have decided we are not going ANYWHERE this weekend so we can just stay home and attempt to get some things in order. We have been enjoying our weekends, but we need to have one weekend where we can stay home and get some of our to-do's done.

We had our full day of childbirth class two weekends ago, and that was actually really informative and worthwhile. It was nice to get a tour of the maternity portion of the hospital, and mentally prepare ourselves and ask questions.

Next up on exciting things is....baby shower!! I am so excited! I am seriously in love with all things baby...it is all so cute. This past week I got the best mail surprise too...my lovely, lovely co-worker got baby girl the awesome Lou and Lee headband I had mentioned! THANK YOU! That really made my day!

I've been thinking more and more about getting newborn pictures taken, and I'm pretty sure I want to have them done...I love Staci Hedke Photography, she does great work, and I think having pictures done is probably worth every penny because they're only babies once!

I mean seriously...how cute are these pictures!?!

Third Trimester Delights

I'm officially in my third trimester...how exciting! Hello homestretch! We got some great non-baby related news... we are going to be on the DIY show, Desperate Landscapes! What is Desperate Landscapes you ask? It's only one of the most exciting things that has ever happened to us (EXCEPT obviously Baby O'Grady). Basically, the show will completely make over our front yard in a matter of 8 hours...the idea is that your neighbors leave for work and when they return your yard looks awesome. This is soooooo huge for us!

We bought our house two years ago and have been fixing it up ever since, the inside renovations are basically done, but the yard has (obviously) felt pretty defeating. Here is a picture of the house when we first bought it:

While we had to do some major repairs to the outside...new roof, new windows, cut down the ginormo tree - the overall landscaping is still pretty miserable. Here are some of the pictures we submitted for the show:

If you can imagine, the yard is looking more miserable now that the weeds are taking over! I've had this post waiting for over a week now, but I waited until today because we officially have a film date and are confirmed!! This might sound strange, but it feels so good knowing that we can bring our baby girl home to a beautiful, finished front yard! Ryan and I have been watching all of our Desperate Landscapes episodes from our DVR - we are soooo excited!

26 Weeks

I am happy to say I've returned from the land of the sick! I ended up and got bronchitis and had to see my family doctor, but he put me on a z-pack, which again I was reassured was safe to take, and it finally provided some relief. I still actually have a little congestion but I feel soooo much better!

On Friday, I had my OB doctor appointment and I got to drink that delicious orange glucose drink. I managed to chug it all down within the 5 minutes after a pep talk to myself! The doctor visit went well. I have now officially seen all the doctors in my practice and I am really happy with them. I already got my blood work back, and luckily everything is looking good! I can't believe I am nearly in my third trimester!

Bump Update! I had Ryan take some pictures with his ipod because our camera seems to be MIA - they're a little grainy, but you get the idea:

Here are some highlights so far:

Not so shining moment: Throwing up in front of my coworker, thank the lord it was a friend, but it all just happened so fast - so happy that stage is over!

Biggest Cravings: ice cream/frozen yogurt or raspberries. The funny thing though, I feel like I think about raspberries all the time, but I end up and don't eat that many.

Most surprising: I guess I should not be surprised at all by this, but I am amazed at how many people tell you, "you are so big!" -  I get it, I look pregnant, I wouldn't call myself a boat and guess what!? I'm just going to keep getting bigger, but I find myself wondering, am I abnormally large for 26 weeks? Oh well, it's not like I plan on losing weight any time soon.

Crazy Symptoms: Of course I wasn't prepared for the intensity of heartburn - I was told it would happen and I haven't had it too terribly often (at least yet) but there has been a night or two where I woke up and thought, if you could die from heartburn then it was going to happen, but I've lived to tell the tale! I would say I wasn't expecting my tailbone to feel so strange though...it's mostly with standing up and sitting down where it just feels a little strange.

oh.my.word.

This past weekend was not one of my favorites, I got sooooo sick. I really did feel like I was quite possibly dying, not to sound dramatic or anything! I ended up and got what I'm assuming is what Ryan had - not the full blown bronchitis, but rather a sinus infection times one million with a touch of bronchial issues. Typically, when I'm sick I do a lot of online browsing, but no...this time I had an ice pack on my head and focused on staying mildly conscious. I really, really hate to take medicine, pregnant or not - but especially when I'm pregnant. I know there are medications that are proven to be safe during pregnancy, but my thought is, I want to know I've done everything I could to give my sweet baby girl the healthiest start. I realize that if I don't get better though, that is not benefiting anything either. After some serious discomfort, talking with my doctor and the pharmacist, I am taking sudafed. If I don't start to get some relief I will have to go to my family doctor...while I'm feeling a little better, here's hoping I get some good rest tonight and see some significant improvement!

I have my next OB appointment on Friday, so it will be nice to have a check-up when I'm hopefully back to 'normal.' This appointment is the diabetes screening, which means I get to chug that delicious drink that has been sitting in my fridge since the last appointment....yum!

The bump update will have to wait until I look half-way alive, either that or I'll just crop off my head! We finally have a long weekend coming up, and I am hoping we will have some good weather to enjoy. Perhaps we'll tackle registering, but Ryan found another (non)essential item that I feel is almost a must have, these adorable booties:

I can just see taking pictures of her little feet in these things! Alas, I will continue to try and hold off on buying little things like this until I actually know what she needs, but looking never hurt anyone :)

Mid Week Mania

Well, it's official, Ryan is SICK...he woke me up really early telling me he had a fever and asking me to feel his forehead, I passed since he was dripping in sweat while being bundled in the covers. I knew he was really sick when he asked if I would take him to the doctor, he never asks me to go, and he rarely goes to the doctor. They determined he has bronchitis and gave him a prescription.

I ran to the pharmacy during my lunch and long story short, that was exhausting...they said nothing had been called in, blah blah blah. He finally got some antibiotics in him, along with some over-the-counter stuff and managed to get to sleep after he wore himself out coughing so much. After his long nap, he still woke up feeling like crap....no fun! I hate it when he's sick.

On a happier note, we are now officially signed up for a full day of childbirth class. We'll take the class in June, and it's not that I'm really looking forward to an entire day of birthing class, but it's just one step closer to having our little baby! We are planning on registering soon, and that's something I'm SO excited about!! I don't seem to get tired of looking at stuff for baby girl!

I'm in love with all the headbands that the etsy seller, Lou and Lee make:

 

I know she needs practical things too, but these are just so precious! 

24 weeks

There are moments when I think I can't believe I'm already 24 weeks, and then there are other moments when I think, I'm ONLY 24 weeks!? I have been feeling quite comfortable and well these past few weeks, 2nd trimester really beats the 1st trimester! I'm enjoying pregnancy but I'm so excited to meet our little one, I easily become impatient. I am very happy to wait until her due date, and don't want her to come too early but I'll just say I've never wished a summer away like this one! The bump is growing and I will post a picture update this week....I just get home and immediately put my jammies on! This weather stinks!

We are getting closer to picking a name! There is such responsibility with choosing a name, but I think we are agreeing far more easily than we anticipated....well, at least than I imagined considering we had such a debate with naming Riley. Speaking of Riley, she is already aware that something is going on...she sits in the baby's room looking at the new things trickling in, and I can tell she's thinking "I'm not so sure about this...."

Baby O'Grady is moving more though, and I love every little move she makes. Her movements are my reassurance she's just enjoying herself in mama's belly. Ryan has been able to physically see some of her kicks, which I love!

This is a little random, but while Ryan and I were looking through various blogs this weekend, we ran across this picture - tell me that is not Ryan....or at least Ryan's long lost twin!!! Seriously....that is just scary!

Nursery Inspiration

We have plenty of time to work on the nursery, but that hasn't stopped me from starting to plan. Luckily, we have several pieces that we were able to use as a start, but some of the items are things I want, or it's an idea of what I want...

1. Ryan is in love with these fauna pillows - these pillows range in price, but I quite like the cheap(er) ones!
2. I WANT this rug, I think about it almost every day, I'm pretty sure this will be my next purchase for the baby.
3. CRIB!! We actually made this purchase this weekend. Ryan put it together and it feels like we actually have the start of a nursery. I am still getting used to walking by the room and seeing a crib, it's exciting!
4. We had this dresser...we'll put a changing pad on the top of this.
5. We also had this rocker, I love the design and it's really comfy
6. Mobile - I think Ryan and I might make an attempt to make one ourselves, not sure how it will turn out, but we're going to give it a go.

It's a....

GIRL!!!

I felt like last night was Christmas, I kept waking up in anticipation, thinking about our little baby - hoping everything would look on track and healthy. We had a great appointment with the doctor - everything looks good, and as I mentioned we are having a baby girl, I am so excited! She is currently 9.5 inches long, and weighs 14 oz - almost one pound! I am already dreaming of headbands for the little lady! Here are some of my favorite shots from the ultrasound:

Profile

Profile

Hand

Feet

I love everything about her!

bump!

I feel like I am expanding each day - it's a crazy feeling, but it's amazing what your body can do through this process. The baby is moving and dancing around more and more, I love for Ryan to get to feel the kicks. ONE MORE DAY until our ultrasound!!