Officially a February Girl :)

Our little girl will officially be a February lovebug. :) We are scheduled for a
c-section on February 22nd, unless it is decided for her to arrive earlier. Either way we know we will get to finally meet this peanut in the next 11 days.
To our little February girl...stay cozy for a little longer, we are so excited to meet you!

35 weeks and counting... YEA!

Todd and I are so grateful to have hit the 35 week milestone. Of course each additional day and week is still a blessing, but we know that passing this milestone puts our little girl in a much healthier position to even come home with us from the hospital. While she does have a name, we still use nicknames more often...and most recently it is our little Stinker. She seems to be much more comfortable with her head up and in breech position. We were excited when she had moved head down, but she quickly reverted back to the breech position. At this time, doctors don't anticipate her to change out of breech position, especially as we near the 36 week mark and the space is becoming much tighter in there for her to move.

With the complications we have had, the wonderful team of doctors we have been working with have also decided that (if she does not need to come earlier) that they want to deliver her as soon as we hit that 37 week mark. A c-section will be scheduled soon to take place, and that means our little girl will definitely be here in 2 weeks or less. It is a strange thought, but also a peaceful one.
Our waiting for baby has been a little different than most. Instead of waiting to go into labor, we have been waiting for my health and medical condition to become severe. So, it was nice to know that there may be an endpoint that does not result in having to reach that severe point and be presented with more risks.

We are just so excited to meet this little stinker! And thrilled that we have made it this far and continue to both remain healthy.

Other updates... Q&A

Why a c-section? because she is in breech position

Is a c-section scheduled yet? Not at this time, but will be soon.

Could she still come earlier?
There is definitely still a very good chance she
could make her arrival earlier than that scheduled time, should my condition
be elevated to severe. So far bedrest is doing a great thing for both of us
and hopefully will continue to do so until we do hit full-term. (37-40 weeks)
I believe to lower the risks to both of us is why doctors want to deliver her
as soon as she hits the 37 mark. But, they made it clear it is still very
likely we may not hit that mark.

When do you hit the 37 week mark? February 21st

Dr. Appt.'s?
We go every Monday and Thursday, getting ultrasounds and non-stress
tests each time. They continue to go very well, her biophysical profiles
that they conduct via ultrasound always score her a 8/8 points.

How long have you been on bedrest? About 3 weeks.

What are you doing to keep you busy on bedrest?
Somehow the days go by quickly...lots of magazines, soduko, tv, movies,
cuddling and playing with Lucy. My friend Kirsten dropped off some TV seasons
of a few shows. Right now, I am loving watching the show 24! It definitely
helps make the time go by quickly. I'm on to season 2 of it already. :)

What are you looking forward to?
Well, the healthy arrival of our little one of course.
Todd coming home at the end of his work day.
And, getting my hair done today. I'm a little excited about that. The only
thing I have left the house for the last 3 weeks was to go to the doctor's
office, so this will be a special treat. Figured it is okay since I get to
sit and relax the whole time. :) Todd is taking me after he is done
at school today.

What are you most grateful for?
My unbelievable and absolutely amazing husband. Words cannot express all that
he has done to take care of our little family.

A healthy baby girl that has remained cozy to grow big and strong.

And for all of the loving support we have received from our family and friends.
Thank you so much!

We will continue to keep you updated and watch for an announcement of our little one's arrival to be made soon. :)

Love, Lisa & Todd

Our "other" baby

There was a time when we started thinking that we needed to prep our little lovable Lucy for the new arrival. However, we think she has always had the instinct of loving this new little baby and knowing she is on the way. Lucy was the one that led me to believe I was pregnant, her favorite place to cuddle is to wrap herself around my belly, and she is in love with the new baby room. She has the sweetest demeanor of any pet you could imagine (an especially unique quality for a cat), we don't worry for a second about her being anything with baby other than her protector. We already know she loves this little girl.

My mom's latest creation:


It looks just like her :) (Of course she was not left out of the gifts that were given from my class of 2nd graders. She quickly found the catnip toys hidden in this bag.)


And a little "I spy" when her new favorite room was starting to be put together.













I think she is ready for a new "little sister". :)

Caution: Blog Reconstruction Ahead

It is without a doubt that this little blog is going to go under some major changes in the very near future. Soon it will be taken over by the tales of a tiny little girl, and will no longer just consist of the tales of a boring married couple. :) Look for these new changes to come soon to our little family blog and bear with us as it may take a little time to make this transition. We are looking forward to all the new adventures ahead to share with you!

A little update:
Baby continues to grow and on yesterday's ultrasound her cheeks sure looked chubby! She has some juicy cheeks (like her cousins') and a heart shaped face (like her auntie's). And she seems to be making great progress. They only measure her growth every few weeks, so we don't have an update on an estimated size of her yet. However, she passes all of her tests each and every time with ease. We already go back tomorrow to see her again.
My blood pressure has slightly elevated gradually, so we are doing more screenings/tests to make sure that all of my organs (kidneys, liver, etc.) are still functioning as they should be. We will find out more by the weekend. Monday will put us at 35 weeks already. We are feeling so much better about where we are now compared to a few weeks ago. Although of course we want her to stay cozy as long as she can without compromising her health or mine, we are also mentally prepared and excited for her to make her debut now when it's time.

Chicago Blizzard 2011

YUM!!
I wish it was that kind of Blizzard. :)

Instead, we have thus far received over a foot and a half of snow. And it isn't over yet. With 60mph winds, things became quite dangerous and many people were stranded in their cars for hours on end. Yikes! We are very grateful for our cozy warm home, that our power stayed on, and that we did not have to make any trips to the hospital. :) This blizzard of 2011 is increasing its ranks up on the chart of most historical Chicago blizzards as the day goes on. Chicago public schools cancelled for the first time in 12 years, putting the last big storm at my senior year of high school. No playing in the snow for us this time, we are staying cozy with our blankies and fluffy kitty in our laps. Todd is obviously home on a snow day and may very well be again tomorrow.

Hope this finds everyone cozy, warm and safe in their homes too.

Lots of Shower Surprises!

Leaving work early unfortunately meant missing a few planned baby showers. My co-workers had a sweet baby shower planned, I felt bad that it had to be cancelled. My friend and colleague, Tiffany, stopped by with a special delivery of baby items for our little one. More adorable girly things, blankets, necessities, and baby stuff galore! We are so appreciative to our friends and colleagues at work for their generosity.

My 2nd grade classroom parents also had planned a surprise. They were quick thinkers though and adjusted their plans to put together a huge basket of goodies for a mama on bedrest. Lots of snacks, magazines, books, photo albums, puzzles, soduko, and much more was overflowing from this basket. So much of it did not even fit, along with a few beautiful baby items for our little girl as well. Below is a picture of everything my special class of parents and students put together for us.



We are so blessed to be surrounded by so much love, generosity, and support.