For Nana

Happy Halloween!

Our little Gabby Goblin had her first Halloween :)  We couldn't really find her a costume in her size but she spread the cheer in some cute little onesies and socks:

Little Gabs is growing up fast!  At her 1 month check-up she shot up to 9 lbs. 2 oz. and was 21 3/4" long.  She did so good but had to get a shot and it was the most awful thing to watch.  She goes in for her 2 month appointment (which is really almost 10 weeks due to timing) November 14th.  Here's a picture of Gabby at the 1 month mark:

 Gabby is doing awesome.  She's sleeping pretty much through the night and giving us about 6 hours (sometimes even 8!).  She has her moments of a little fussiness but really is a good baby.  She's dealing with a little acid reflux but we're monitoring it and hopefully she will grow out of it soon.  I can't believe how quickly time has gone by and that she's almost 2 months old!  Mom has to start work back next week and is dreading it :(

Here are some pictures and video of Gabby:

A little Halloween video for you:

She's Here!

Gabrielle Lynn McClain was welcomed into this world on September 7th at 6:47pm.  She weighed 7 lbs 1 oz and was 19.5" long.  She is completely healthy and is doing great. After 20 hours of labor and full pitocin there wasn't enough progress to do a natural birth (I only made it to 5 cm) so we ended up with a C-section. 

Gabby is now almost a month old!  She's gradually gaining weight but still looks like a little peanut.  Everyone is adjusting well and we're just completely in awe of our little wonder.  I will post monthly updates and pictures :)  She has her 1 month appointment on Friday.

It's the Due Date.....Where's the Baby???

It's the little peanuts due date today!  It seems she doesn't understand she's supposed to make her appreance into the world and is nestled and comfy in my belly.  At my last doctor appointment I was 1 cm dilated and effacement was underway.  I won't lie....i've been a little frustrated.  I had my hopes on seeing her beautiful face earlier than her due date.  Now that I've come to the realization that she will come when she's ready I'm embracing these last few days and enjoying them with the hubby.  We're finishing our sweet indulgences that the baby is insisting I ingest and getting the house spic and span for her arrival.
The belly is big and undeniable.  It's definitely making it hard to sleep and get up from sitting down.  Other than that I've had pretty consistant back pain and daily braxton hicks contractions.  The hands and feet aren't as swollen any more and the heart burn is dying down.

Here's my 37.5 week belly:

Here's my 39.5 week belly:

Let the countdown begin!

We're less than a month now!  These past few months have just flown by.  We are both extremely excited and anxious for the expected arrival of our little peanut.  We're at that point where she could decide to come at any moment.  We are ready....in the sense that the baby's room is good to go, we've got all the necessities and we've had 9 months to wrap our head around this all.  But I'm not sure I'm ready to give up sleep ;)  She will be worth all the sleepless nights and I can't wait to meet her!

All the last month pregnancy woes are kicking in:
The dreams have begun - I dream about her most nights.
Swelling - UGH, I'm starting to get little potato feet.  And I'm at the point where I'm going to stop wearing my rings because they were on the verge of not coming back off at the end of the day.
Heartburn - I get heartburn from drinking water :(
Uncomfortable sleep - I'm tossing and turning most of the night....the belly just keeps getting in my way when i try to roll over.
Pains - lower back, leg cramps etc....
Nesting - I've been nesting, but Jon is waiting for my major nesting phase to kick in.  We were reading my What to Expect book last night and there was a section on nesting he read where it said I'll get the urge to clean the house top to bottom in every nook and cranny and he was like 'Why haven't you done this yet, I hope you get this nesting'.
I've had a pretty good pregnancy overall and I'm just keeping the little peanut happy with her sugar - who am i to deny her ice cream nightly (she begs for it every night....i can't resist)?

Here is my 36 week bump:

I had Chinese last week and this was my fortune.  I thought it seemed rather fitting :)

The Little Peanut's Room

The Little Peanut's room is finally coming together and we love it!  It's taken us a while to get there but it was well worth the wait.  Jon did all the painting and put all the furniture together.  Here is the progress from beginning to end:

I'm 34 weeks now and can't believe there are only 6 weeks until my due date.  This third trimester has been flying by!  I'm getting into 'nesting' mode and organizing the baby's room and the rest of the house.  We started parenting classes in July and those have been going well.  I'm starting to get a little tired again and dealing with my growing belly and leg cramps.  All in all just trying to survive this HOT summer.  It's supposed to be in the 90's for over a week with no rain!

30 weeks

We just had our 30 week check-up and all is well with mom, baby (and dad)!  Our OB provides a free 3D Ultrasound so of course we jumped at the opportunity!  The little peanut was cooperating for about 5 minutes and we got to see some good profile and face on images of her.  Then in what were learning about her personality, she got stubborn and turned her head ;) 
Here is the best picture we got from the 3D Ultrasound:

So we've been trying to tell if she will have the McClain nose or the Crowe nose.  I think we'll have to wait until she's born to fully determine but you can cast your vote from the photo.

Jon has been slaving away on the nursery.  We had a big week for nursery progress - it's painted, the crib and dresser are up and the chair should deliver on Thursday!  I'm taking pictures of the progress and I will post those once we get it all set up (hopefully soon!).

Here is my 30 week belly.  I'm up a few more lbs. that I hoped to be at this point - but the baby wants sugar, who am I to deny her ;)