No Progress...

Well tonight at around 7:30 they came in to check and see if I had started to dilate yet, and unfortunately there was no progress. I was also starting to contract too frequently for them to be able to administer my 3rd dose of Misoprostol. These aren't true labor contractions, just a side effect of the medications. But hopefully they are doing some good. It was really hard for me to hear that we'd spent another whole day here and hadn't gotten anywhere. The next step is to start the Pitocin tomorrow morning at 4:00am. The goal is to have this baby sometime tomorrow, one way or another- and hopefully that doesn't mean a c-section! We may not be able to update as frequently as things progress, but we'll do our best. Please continue to pray for us, its going to be a very long hard day... hopefully with a beautiful ending!

2nd Dose

I'm pleased to report that at this point we've made it a little further than we got on Monday! I still don't know my progress in terms of dilation & effacement, but we were able to get the 2nd dose on the Misoprostol. They typically run a twelve hour treatment of three doses to soften the cervix before they start the Pitocin. When they attempted to induce on Monday they were only able to give me one dose, because I started contracting abnormally and it would have been dangerous for them to give me anymore. Today they are giving me smaller, but more frequent doses and I have a feeling it will work a little better this time. A few hours ago they let me move over into a regular room since it will be a while before we need to use one of the delivery beds. It's a smaller room, but in exchange for a more comfortable bed it's well worth it to me. I actually like the bathroom/shower better in this room and there is also a DVD player! We rented a few movies to help pass the time... so I've been watching The Nanny Diaries while waiting for the medication to do its job. Depending on how I progress through this 2nd dose, I believe the plan is either to administer the 3rd dose sometime around 7:30... or possibly start the Pitocin if my body is ready for it. So far today has been a much better day for me than what we went through on Monday. I was definitely more prepared for what was in store, and I feel like I have a more realistic expectation of how long things will take. It's allowed me to be more patient and just kind of go with the flow. I've been able to relax and I'm actually not scared out of my mind right now. That's all the news I have for now, I'll be sure to post more later as things progress!

Visitors Welcome

Since I've had a few questions about visitors... at this point we are totally up for company. I don't expect to be in active labor anytime too soon, so mostly we're just bored and waiting for things to start happening. So, if anyone wants to come by that's fine and we're happy to have you help us pass the time. Once I'm in pain, I probably won't want to see anyone for a while... but we'll let you know when that happens. I'm not so sure I'm comfortable posting our location, here on the web for the whole wide world to see, so if you don't know which hospital we are at and you'd like to come by just shoot me an email at sarahgriffin1@gmail.com, and I'll let you know where to find us!

Progress... (or not!)

This morning's cervical exam was a big disappointment. It turns out I am only dilated to a half centimeter and 25% effaced. We left the hospital the other day being told I was close to 2 centimeters and 50%, but either that wasn't accurate or I have regressed. I guess it is possible to regress, but its pretty uncommon. I'm pretty frustrated because I feel like we are back at square one and that I endured a day of pure torture Monday all for a lost cause. They are getting ready to give me the first dose of the Misoprostol, and hopefully this time my body will be ready to do something with it. I really like my nurse today- she doesn't leave me in the dark about things and she honest answers to my questions. She even got my IV in right the first time, and it flushes better than any of the others they tried. She's worked in Labor & Delivery here for nineteen years, so I'm pretty confident in her abilities to do her job. It's helped me to be able to relax a bit. It may be a while before we know anything more, they have to wait four to six hours after the first dose of meds before they can re-dose or give me something different.

Third Time's the Charm?

We are back at the hospital, again, for our rescheduled induction! We are not sure of their game plan for today yet, but we'll be keeping you posted. They aren't going to let me leave this time while I'm still pregnant, so hopefully this little boy is ready to make his arrival!

Fear

Child birth scares me, I'm not so sure I'm ready. I would rather speak in public than give birth. I mean I am definitely ready to not be pregnant anymore and to finally meet this boy. But with less than eight hours to go before we have to be back at the hospital I am overwhelmingly afraid of what is ahead. I am the queen of irrational fears, so I know most of it is silly stuff- but its still very hard not knowing how things will go. We were really thinking and hoping that I would go into active labor on my own by now, and we are praying that it somehow happens before 6:00am tomorrow when we have to be back at the hospital for our rescheduled induction. Hopefully the third time is the charm, I doubt they will let me leave again no matter how much I beg. If they aren't satisfied with how labor is progressing, they will most likely be doing a c-section. This is because on Saturday I will be at 42 weeks and it can be dangerous for the baby to stay in any longer than that. Having to have a c-section is pretty close to being at the top of my list of fears! I'm hesitant to go through with the induction, but at this point I'm not feeling as if we have much of a choice. I honestly feel like I have been in labor for a week, even though its early labor- all that time in the hospital and all the contractions at home have kind of worn me out. I've been fortunate to be able to be at home and get a lot of rest, but at the same time I am dreading tomorrow and just praying that it will happen quickly. Most of the time when labor is induced it progresses at a much slower pace, and if they have to start the induction tomorrow morning it's very likely that our baby's birthday will actually be August 1st. I guess little Brody just has something against the month of July! It's either that or he wants an August birthday like his Mama. I do have a big favor to ask, for those of you who believe in the power of prayer. Please be praying for us tomorrow: specifically that we would get through this without any complications, that our baby will be healthy and arrive safely, and also that I will be able to let go of all of my fears. Please pray for wisdom & good judgement for the doctors who will be making decisions for us, and for patience for the nurse who will have to deal with me. Thank you in advance!

Still Waiting...

I just wanted to post a quick update to let you all know that we are still at home and waiting. I'm so thankful that my doctor allowed us to come home. I have had a chance to get lots of rest and I plan on staying here and laboring at home as long as possible before we have to go to the hospital again. I have been having some pretty good contractions last night and this morning, so we are hoping today is the big day. My sister has been in town since Monday morning when they initially tried inducing, and the latest she can stay is through late tonight as she has to be at work in Anaheim by tomorrow morning. I know she is really hoping to get to meet her nephew before she leaves! The doctor said I have "no restrictions" in terms of physical activity, so I think we might go on some crazy rides at the mid-state fair walk around the lake again today and see if gravity will inspire a little more action. We are praying he will come today on his own so that we don't have to go through with the rescheduled induction tomorrow morning. That is the latest the doctors will let me go as I am approaching 42 weeks, and it's time for this baby to come out... hopefully he will figure that out on his own today. Please keep us in your prayers today, we'll keep you posted on any progress!

Welcome Baby Haylee!

Congrats to our good friends (and next door neighbors) Donny & Jen on the birth of their beautiful baby girl, Haylee Ann! It's been fun going through this pregnancy with a friend in the same boat. With due dates two days apart we were hoping to have little birthday buddies. We both left for the hospital on Sunday only to be sent home and told we were just in "early labor". We also both headed back to the hospital around the same time the next day, only she was actually in labor this time and I was going to be induced. My little one decided he just wasn't ready, but I guess Haylee got tired of waiting! We had a great time visiting them yesterday at the hospital and it was so sweet to get to see their precious little bundle of joy, and Brody's soon-to-be best buddy. Welcome to the world Haylee Ann, we are so happy you are finally here!

Home Sweet Home...

We left the hospital this morning shortly after 8:00am. After determining that all those painful contractions had not brought us any progress I asked if we could leave and just give the baby some time to come on his own. Today's game plan would have been most likely to start me on Pitocin to bring on stronger contractions. I'm not really comfortable with using the Pitocin to induce labor, and we were really hoping the Misoprostol they used yesterday would be enough to "jump start" labor for us. I had a pretty rough night, with a little bit of rest but a whole lot of pain and discomfort. My IV had to be re-done, so three more attempts there until they got it in and some more battle scars on my arms to prove it. I was up on and off all night until 5:00am having contractions, and then I tried to go back to sleep. I actually slept soundly for almost two hours, but when I woke up I had stopped having contractions almost completely. The doctor came in and spoke with us around that time, and she was willing to give us a couple more days to let this happen on its own. They rescheduled our induction for Thursday morning, should this not happen sooner. She also thought we would for sure be in labor on our own by then. So we'll see what happens. I'm really thankful to be home and resting and to have a little more time, I don't think our little one would appreciate being forced out into the world when he's just not quite ready!

I LOVE My Night Nurse!

When we first came to the hospital, very early Sunday morning we were greeted by a red-head nurse named Renae! She was a total sweetheart and took great care of me. We were fortunate to have her just finishing up her shift as we got here this morning for the induction, and then assisgned to us when she came back on for nights! She has really gone above and beyond in making this experience as comfortable as humanly possible for us. Tonight I was having sort of a melt down as the contractions were becoming painfully strong, I couldn't get into a comfortable position anywhere and they only thing I wanted was to go home and SLEEP in my own bed. I made a joke that if she can't find me, I'd probably be sneaking a nap on one of the beds in the postpartum rooms- because they are much more comfortable than the delivery beds. A little while later, she was back informing me that she had got me a new bed for the night, and was going to give me some Ambien so I could get a little rest! They've had to do things like hook up monitors every so often to keep a watch on the baby, and change out my IV fluids, etc. So I would get woken up here or there... but there is no way I would have got a wink of sleep on that other so called bed. It was so sweet of Renae to go the extra mile to make sure I could be comfortable. I've been having contractions all night long, although the Ambien has allowed me to sleep through most of them. They still have that "early labor" pattern of being way too close together, so they would like to see them more rhythmic at about 3-5 minutes apart. I'm pretty sure we are headed there and hopefully there will be some progress to report in the morning when they check. Yesterday was a VERY long day for us, but today could actually end up being a lot longer and a lot more painful! Please keep me in your prayers, that I would have strength to get through the pain and that everything goes smoothly with no complications! We are hoping that by sometime this afternoon we'll be holding our baby boy!

Active Labor?

So it seems I am finally in "active labor". We won't know for sure until they do another cervical exam. I would have updated this much sooner, but we were waiting to know what was going on- its been a long day of just waiting around here! I made a correction on the early labor post because apparently I was closer to 1cm dilated and only 25% effaced yesterday. There was some debate between the nurses, but that is where I was when the checked me this morning, and you can't really go backwards so I guess I had really made less progress initially then we had thought. This morning at about 11:00am they gave me some Misoprostol to soften the cervix. They said it could take up to twelve hours to start working, and that most likely they would have to re-dose every four hours. I started having contractions regularly at 2:45pm and they checked me close to 5:00pm and said I had dilated closer to 2cm, and that I was now at 50% effacement and had made a lot of progress in terms of thinning of the cervix. The contractions are now really close together, and very intense. They are lasting about 45-60 seconds each, one to two minutes apart! They have made the decision to hold off on the pitocin because it seems I'm progressing on my own now, which is good news! According to our nurse, the Misoprostol they gave this morning should have worn off completely by about 7:00pm. These contractions REALLY hurt now! I can't imagine how they will be when I get farther along. I don't think I'll be getting much sleep tonight either and we probably won't have a baby now for another six to ten hours! Okay well time to get hooked back up...

Waiting...

Since I have nothing better to do at the moment, I figured I'd post an update. They did come in to get me started on the Pitocin, but after about five seconds came in and turned it off. I guess the doctor decided she wanted an ultrasound first to make sure the baby was still head down, and then they decided to hold off on the Pitocin and give me something else to soften the cervix first. They have already been here and done the ultrasound, everything looks good there! It's going to be a very long day for us and I don't anticipate getting much sleep until after I give birth. Now that I think about it, probably not much then either. I totally understand now why some women choose to birth at home! At the moment there is not much going on, I'm just waiting for the medication to get things started... it seems like a lot of waiting is done around here. I know I'm not their only patient, BUT it's kind of feels like so much time is being wasted that could be used to get this going. Wow... they must be reading this as I write because she just came in to have me get back in the bed so they could start the meds. Sean will probably be doing most of the updating from here on out. Who knows... I'm just glad they let me have my laptop and that they have wireless internet to help pass the time away. The first medication they give me could take up to twelve hours to do it's job, so they may not have me on the Pitocin until later tonight! I pray it goes much quicker, but I guess we'll see.

Induction

We are back at the hospital now, and have been since 7:00am. I stopped having contractions so close together late yesterday afternoon, so they are going with the induction now that I am nine days late. It's been really slow going since we got here. The nursing staff is all really nice, although we did have some issues getting the IV in which wasn't fun. I have pretty tough veins that weren't cooperating so after three painful and failed attempts, they finally called an ER nurse up to get the job done. Luckily she was able to get it in on the first try, and right now I'm just receiving fluids for hydration. Then they will start me on the Pitocin to get the contractions going. As much as I don't want the drugs in my system I'm really ready to get things going. I'm pretty scared of this whole blessed event, so please keep us in your prayers for a quick & complication free delivery!

Early Labor

After spending six hours at the hospital this morning it was determined that I am in "early labor", rather than "active labor". The contractions are still coming about two to five minutes apart, but they aren't super strong or lasting quite long enough to change the cervix. I left the hospital dilated to 1cm, and only 25% effaced. Translation: I still have quite a long ways to go. Early labor typically lasts between twelve and twenty-four hours. The doctor actually wanted to induce me right then and there, but the wonderful nurse told her that we'd like to get some rest (since we didn't get any last night), and so we were given the chance to go home and let active labor begin on its own. The only catch is that if it doesn't, then we have to be back at 6:00am tomorrow for the induction. I am currently at 41 weeks & 1 day... and I guess according to the hospital that means its time! I'm not really going to argue too much there, because it's been a long wait- but I'm really glad we have the chance let this progress naturally first! So hopefully we will be back, sometime today... but for now I'm going to try and get some much needed rest. It looks as though we have a big day ahead of us quite soon.

This could be it!

We're headed to the hospital! Contractions have been regular since 2:20am, 3-5 minutes apart. We're not sure if its for real but we're bringing the laptop to the hospital so we should be able to post updates as things progress.

Six Days Late!

I'm seriously beginning to wonder why they even give you a due date to begin with, apparently it doesn't mean much. That day on the calender I had been looking forward to for practically the last year of my life... came and went, and is now a week in the dust. So yes, I'm still quite pregnant and with no signs of change to come soon! There is an empty bassinet next to our bed, a changing station all set up with the cutest little diapers I've ever seen, and some very adorable outfits organized by size... just waiting to be shown off by a brand new baby boy. The hospital bags are packed! I've had PLENTY of sleep, enough to get me through the next year in fact- so I'm even ready for the sleepless nights! Now all we need are some good strong, regular contractions! I'm debating if I should just head down to the hospital now... on foot... its about ten miles, surely I'll go into labor on the way if I'm walking?!? Okay, maybe that's not the greatest plan! But a few laps around the lake today will hopefully do some good! I know you are all waiting for a big fancy post that says: "I'm in Labor!", but unfortunately there's not too much going on in that department yet.

August Baby?

I went to the doctor's today, and I'm actually a little upset over it right now. I was hoping they would be doing an internal exam to see what kind of progress has been made. They will usually tell you how many centimeters you have dilated, and what percentage of effacement there is. Well apparently I'm some kind of freak of nature or something, because he wasn't even able to tell. My cervix was too far back or something and he couldn't reach! He then tried to tell me that it moves forward as you make progress, so that was just a sign that nothing significant has happened yet. They said if I don't go into labor naturally within a week, they will schedule an induction. I don't really want labor induced (especially chemically), but I also don't want to be pregnant forever either! So I thought... one more week at most, I can handle that!

Then it was time to go back up to the front desk on our way out to schedule our next appointment, turns out the soonest they can see me is not in a week from today... but in a week from Friday! So at that appointment they will talk about scheduling an induction. It will most likely be too late in the day on that friday because we have an afternoon appointment. And I highly doubt they would schedule one on a Saturday, which means that we would be waiting until the following Monday, which is August 4th. Two and a half weeks past my due date! This is pretty upsetting, not so much because I may have to be pregnant for almost two more weeks, but because I'm concerned about the safety of the baby. After 40 weeks they generally preform something called a non-stress test, and also check the level of fluid left in the amniotic sac to make sure the baby is doing okay! I guess they aren't too concerned about these things, OR they over looked them today in the midst of being a very crowded office, that was backed up over an hour! I'm really not sure which! I will probably call them sometime tomorrow ... when I've calmed down a little bit so that I don't verbally abuse the receptionist can try and get some answers and make sure that nothing important got overlooked. Chances are I will go into labor on my own, naturally before the next appointment, but in any case the prospect of having to wait that long is really frustrating! Please be praying that this happens soon, and also for an easy and complication free delivery. We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of this baby boy. Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers, and well-wishes, we'll be sure to keep you posted!

Walking and Waiting

This is a beautiful picture of the lake by our house. From our home... down to the lake, once around, and back home is about a two mile walk. It's a nice walk, when you aren't in your 41st week of pregnancy! I'm hoping it becomes a more useful walk, as I'm counting on it to help get this baby ready to make his arrival. I took the walk last night, and subsequently had some regular contractions for a while. They got pretty close together but they varied in intensity and once I decided to lay down and get some rest, I fell asleep and they went away. Yesterday my husband was at work while I walked, so I had a seven year old in tow... I didn't want to walk alone in case anything happened. She at least knows how to pull my cell phone from my pocket and call the house, or both of my parents cell phones in the event of an emergency and for the most part she makes pretty good company... except for the fact that yesterday she had the most annoying disney channel song stuck in her head and sang it the whole way around the lake. Maybe three times around will do the trick! I'm not sure if I could make it that far, especially if I don't find my other shoes.... they seemed to have up and walked away as it is. They probably got lost when I cleaned and organized the room last week... go figure. I'm a little forgetful these days, and the room we are in well doesn't exactly have a place for everything so we have to get a little creative and I forgot where I put them. My tennis shoes that I had to wear yesterday just kill my feet right now as they are a little tight! My feet don't actually look very swollen, but judging on how my shoes fit they actually are. So I really need my other shoes before I do anymore walking! Then I wonder if I am walking for no good reason, I mean it really doesn't feel good at all these days. Then I ache all over and I feel like I can't move... is it worth it? YES! If it helps convince this baby it's time to come, then I will keep taking that chance.

Two days overdue, and no baby yet... I'm getting pretty curious when or if this is ever going to happen! I mean, he can't just stay in there forever right?

My Due Date...

... was today! But it came and went and there was no action. I guess my little man is refusing to make his appearance. It looks like we will be playing the waiting game a little longer. I was really convinced he'd arrive on time. They say you're usually a few days late with your first one, but I was my mom's first pregnancy and I came right on time! So I thought... maybe the baby will take after Mama and show up. I guess that was wishful thinking. The hard part was having that date circled on the calender and counting down what felt like forever for it to arrive, and then nothing! But now that's its here I feel so relieved, even though I'm not holding my baby boy yet. I know it will be soon, and I feel like we actually have everything together and ready at this point. I just finally typed up our birth plan, now I just have to find some colored paper to print it out on before we leave for the hospital. For now, I'm trying to enjoy the last few days Sean & I have together before we become a family of three. I'm enjoying sleeping through the night (for the most part...), and all the peace and quiet we still have. I know we are in for a BIG change so I'm trying to savor every last moment of life as we know it. I must admit we are a little intimidated by the new responsibility we will have. But we know in the end, when this chapter of our lives close and the new one opens... when we finally get to hold that little boy... it will all have been worth the wait.

As far as my doctors appointment on Friday went, there is really no big news to report. I am seen weekly at this point, so all they do is check my vitals and listen for the baby's heartbeat. They said to come in on Wednesday if the baby isn't here yet and they will do a more extensive check since I am past due, and make sure that everything is okay and possibly discuss setting an induction date. They don't like to let you go more than a week past due. Most likely the baby will come on his own at some point within the next week, so we're not really worried about that yet.

We'll keep you posted on the progress, I have a feeling things will be happening very soon!

Pregnancy Update!

I can hardly believe that I'm only two days away from our due date. We're not sure if he'll be here on time, but it should be soon! I've been having contractions all week, they seem to be about twenty minutes apart, in two to three hour spurts. They have never really developed into anything significant, which is a little frustrating because I'm so ready to meet this little boy already and sometimes it feels like I'll just be pregnant forever. I've been getting in as many naps as I can, because I know I will soon be sleep deprived. It's amazing to me how much harder the last few weeks is than the rest of the pregnancy. I've been pretty uncomfortable lately, but I know that's just because he's still rapidly growing in there. It's said that they gain about a half pound each week at this stage. So hopefully he's here soon, or I'll be pushing out a big baby! It has just gotten so much harder to do all the little things. I am SO thankful for my wonderful husband who takes such good care of me! He has been a constant support and a huge help to me through all this, dropping whatever he is working on to help me with whatever I need. I appreciate him so much for it.

I've got my weekly check-up on Friday, so I'll be sure to post an update then if nothing happens sooner!

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

Thank you for being the best Grandpa anyone could ever ask for! We are so blessed to have you in our lives! You have always been a source of wisdom and support to us. We love the times we get to share with you, and we can't wait for you to meet our baby boy, your great-grandson! We wish you health and happiness on your special day. We Love You Lots!

39 Weeks

Today officially marks the end of 39 weeks! Tomorrow begins what should be the last week of this pregnancy! There's nothing really new to report from my doctors visit this week, except that the doctor said that "this baby could come at anytime!" So I guess that's good to hear. We are as ready as we will ever be. I'm thankful to have made it through, its been pretty uneventful and we're hoping and praying delivery will go just as smooth. I'm getting pretty nervous and anxious about what is to come, but I'm really ready to not be pregnant anymore. I can't remember what it feels like to not be pregnant. We pretty much have the bags packed for the hospital, at least with the necessities! There are a few other things I'd like to throw in if I can get them together in time... but other than that we're ready to go! I spent a good part of the day organizing our room and all the baby stuff to make things more functional when he arrives.

I'm excited to potentially only have 7 days left! I know we don't get to choose our baby's birthday, but we do have a few dates that we would be extra excited about... the first being this coming Monday, July 14th! This is my husbands grandpa's birthday, and I think it would be really special for Brody to share a birthday with his great-grandpa. If he doesn't come on Monday, then my next hope would be for his actual due date, the 19th! You see my birthday is on the 19th of August, and I arrived on my due date. So even though it's a different month it would still be kind of cool if he decided to take after his Mama and show up on time!

Speaking of when he will be making his arrival... I recently set up a little contest here on my blogger. It's mainly for my own entertainment, but to encourage participation there will also be a prize for the winner! I know we said that the game ends when we post that I am in labor, but don't wait too long to enter, I have a feeling it could be any day now... and you don't want to miss out. So to enter our little contest click here!

I did find out that we should be able to keep this blog updated pretty easily during labor! Turns out they do actually have free wi-fi in the labor & delivery ward of the hospital! So we'll be bringing our camera, and the laptop and we'll try to keep things updated as they happen.

Stay tuned... he'll be here any day now!

My Adorable Neice...

This is a video clip that my sister-in-law Marghee took of her daughter Eliann. It began when Marghee was asking Eliann questions about when her new baby cousin would be making his arrival. As it turns out, she's not so excited about a cousin and would rather have a sister instead! Isn't she adorable? We just love this little girl, and we're pretty sure she'll be a make a great cousin- once she gets over the fact that Brody isn't her new sister.

Guessing Game!

Just for my amusement... I thought it would be fun if we played a little game! My "official due date" is on July 19th, and the ultrasounds have all told us we are having a BOY! But, with about two weeks to go we are very curious as to how everything will play out... so we want your best guesses!

So here's the deal:

Leave me a message or comment here on blogger, or through myspace, facebook or my personal email. There will be a little prize... and it will be good, I promise! But I have to be able to contact you for you to get that prize. If you wish to leave your comment here, just make sure to leave me your name w/last initial (there may be other participants with the same first name as you!) as well as an email address so I can contact you if you win! Whoever has the most accurate answers is the winner! The contest ends when we post here that I am in labor. Thanks for playing, and happy guessing!

Your comment should include your best guesses of the following...

1. What date will our baby actually arrive?

2. How long will I be in labor? (in hours)

3. How much will our baby weigh at birth? (in both lbs. & oz.)

4. How long will our baby be? (in inches)

5. *Are we really having a boy... or do you think it's a girl?

*You may judge the ultrasound results for yourself by checking out these pictures from our 24 week scan.

Just Two More Weeks...

I can't believe its already here, today officially marks thirty-eight weeks! In just about two weeks time, God willing, I will be holding my baby boy! We had our last check-up on Wednesday... and there is really nothing new to report. The doctor says everything looks good still, and checked his positioning... confirming that he was still head down and ready to make his way into this world (as he has been for the last seven weeks). And for being this pregnant, I can't really complain too much. I still feel pretty good, the only thing really bothering me is the heat- and these hot flashes I'm having more frequently.

I wish I had pictures of his nursery to post, but right now we're staying with my parents for a while and he will be sharing a room with us for the first six or so months of his life- so he doesn't have a nursery yet. It's cool though, because all that furniture and bedding is expensive and would just be a waste of space at this point anyways. We did decorate his corner in our room! My very talented sister-in-law, Marghee painted him that beautiful sign with his name on it!
Because we are going with a jungle theme my little sister Chanel let us borrow one of her stuffed monkey's to put up on the little wooden shelf that would otherwise be empty! Although, I hear "Grammy" (the Grandma name my Mom has given herself) has picked Brody up his own adorable stuffed monkey on her trip to Hawaii, so when they return we'll put his up instead.
I have been on "maternity leave" now for about two weeks, it's been a welcome break for me and Sean's been working the closing shift during most of it, so its been nice to have most days at home with him! Other than getting his stroller and car seat set up as soon as it came, and setting up the bassinet in our room, I don't feel like I ever went through much of a "nesting" stage, and I still feel like there is SO much that needs to be done before we will be ready for his arrival. I've had his laundry on my to-do list for this entire past week. I think the procrastination bug is about to die though, since it's now hitting me that we are only two weeks away from the due-date that he could choose to make his arrival now at anytime! I'm only going to wash a few outfits... mostly onesies... his bed sheets and receiving blankets. Everything else stays in the closet with the tags on and the receipts attached just incase we are suprised with the birth of a baby girl!

Right now it seems like a lot of people I know are pregnant! It's almost as if we're having a little "2008 Baby Boom"! I'm a little worried there might not be any open beds at in the L&D unit at the hospital when its time... all joking aside, it's actually kind of fun to be going through this experience with a few friends. Having people around that actually understand pregnancy, comparing notes, and being thankful that I don't have it quite as bad as a few others who have been insanely miserable for the past nine months! A few weeks ago at my baby shower, I had two of my friends who are also pregnant, and due within the same week as me, it was fun having them there! The following Sunday I got to attend the shower of my dear friend Ariana who is giving birth to her second, a baby girl... due just three days before me. I was one of three other pregnant women at that shower as well! The first thing we did when we got their was to decorate onesies for her baby girl, and I'm not usually very creative or artistically talented so I was really quite happy and surprised at how well mine turned out! Although, I have had a little experience painting onesies this year... as that is how we told the parents our big news back in November! Isn't it cute?
We are planning to keep this post updated frequently as things progress over the next two weeks. He could arrive now at anytime! If Sean can't pick up a Wi-Fi connection at the hospital (...my wishful thinking) then we'll be finding a friend or family member that can post labor updates for us... so stay tuned, there is sure to be several new posts in the immediate future!

Happy 4th of July!

I guess I'll start with reporting that there is no big baby news today! I was kind of secretly hoping I'd go into labor this morning, so we could have a 4th of July baby. I know that might sound silly, but I'm now at thirty-seven weeks and six days so the baby is considered to be full term! It's safe now... and besides the fact that it would have been cool to deliver today, I'm quite ready to be done being pregnant. This little boy could arrive any day now, so I'm hoping the sooner the better. I am holding out hope for a few other significant dates, but I guess in the end he'll tell us which day is going to be his birthday! Today does happen to be my aunt's birthday.. Happy Birthday Aunt Sharon!
This year we didn't get to get out and do much celebrating. The pictures you are seeing are of Chanel (my little sister) from last year's 4th of July celebration down in Newport Beach. I found myself wishing I was there today, and was halfway tempted to take a little five hour drive this morning when I found myself wide awake at 6:30am. If my husband didn't have to work in the afternoon, I would have done my best to convince him it would be fun... although I don't think he would be buying it. Driving all that way just for one day, probably not worth it!
It seems like we've spent a good number of 4th of July's down in Newport Beach at my Aunt's house. The house used to belong to my Grandmother, and it is the same house my Dad grew up in. We've taken lots of family trips down there over the many years, and its one of my favorite places to visit... but I think I especially enjoy being there for the 4th of July.
There is always a parade that comes down the street in the morning! This is not your typical parade, as most people participate in it... rather than stand on the sidelines and watch. Everyone gets all dressed up in their best red, white, and blue. People decorate their bikes, wagons, pets, and children! And everyone marches down the street in true patriotic spirit. I enjoy being one of the few spectators who watch, and take pictures from the sidelines, but I fear those days are coming to an end as the next time we have the opportunity to be there I will have a child who is most likely walking and wanting to participate! Later in the afternoon, there is a potluck with the neighbors in back alley behind the house! This is a tradition that has gone on for as long as I can remember and it always seems to be a lot of fun. Some of the neighbors have been there so long that they were around to watch my Dad and his siblings grow up... their kids come out and celebrate too, so its kind of fun to see the reunion of old childhood friends all grown up and sharing the tradition with their own children! Once it gets dark, they break out the small time fireworks, and things like sparklers. Honestly those things scare me half to death, and I'm not sure how comfortable I'll feel watching all the action with a 1 year old next year (if we are fortunate enough to make it down for all the festivities)! We then usually walk down around the corner to the beach to catch the city's firework display, and by the time that's over with everyone is pretty tired and ready for bed!
This year was much different, I never even left the house! My other very pregnant friend Jen came over and we did BBQ up a little feast for lunch and hung out for a while! I also spent some time cooling off in our kiddie pool that's set up in the backyard. I would die without that thing in this heat! It's one of those easy set pools, with the inflatable ring around the top... the 10ft size, which is about 30in deep! It's small, and mainly built for children, but there's also enough room for about four adults to lounge comfortably around the sides. It's quite nice just sitting in there, the water comes up just enough to almost cover my shoulders! So its not TOO small and its something I'm quite thankful for, especially this late in pregnancy! I'll post a pregnancy update tomorrow (38 weeks), so stay tuned!

Baby Shower!

I've been meaning to get this post up for a little over a week now! Even though I'm now officially on maternity leave, and not working- I've somehow kept pretty busy and struggled to find time to write about this fun little get together we had the Sunday before last! It was our first baby shower, and we had a great time! The party was hosted by Judy and her daughter Jennifer at their beautiful home in Paso Robles, along with my Mom. Judy did an amazing job with the cake and the food, and was incredibly hospitable! She is actually the one who made my wedding cake, as well as my parents wedding cake. She seriously makes the worlds best cakes, I'm pretty sure anyone who has tried them will agree! I'm going to use this opportunity to plug her new website (click here), which you all should check out and keep in mind next time you need a cake for any occasion! Here are the cakes she made for the baby shower... the blue one is a Chocolate-Chocolate Chip with Chocolate filling, and the white one is Coconut with Lemon filling- both were a huge hit!
And here is the beautiful and talented Judy... responsible for the above masterpieces:

I was not exaggerating when I said the food was amazing as well. She served up Champagne, Mimosa's, Tea, and Ice Water along with an assortment of canned Sodas and this beautiful array of food!
There was a very delicious veggie lasagna, a beautiful fruit tray, a greek salad, and some really yummy wraps with an assortment of deli meats and fillings!

At first we all relaxed and had lunch, enjoying each others company! The first activity was a devotional my mom put together, along with a stack of gifts she presented me. I was to open one at a time, while she had each guest read a verse from the Bible and some helpful guidance in raising a child. This was first of the stack that I opened, a pack of receiving blankets. To go along with that 1 John 4:7 was read: "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God." Along with that came the advice: "Be sure to wrap your child up in the love of Jesus and keep him warm. Fill your home with love for each other. The more the love of Christ is shown in your home, the less there will be of bickering, fighting, and arguing, which is something no child needs to grow up with." I really appreciate all the time and trouble my Mom went to, to put together this special devotional. And of course the supply of baby necessities that came along with was very nice too!
Once that was over, it was time for games! It seems most baby showers I go to have the same games- so we tried to mix it up a bit and I actually spent some time online searching for some unique game ideas to help my mom with the planning. The first one was adapted from one that is sometimes played at co-ed showers- where the men will race to drink beer from the baby bottles! We thought it would be just as fun with the women, we also played the "non-alcoholic version" and used water. Each participant was handed a bottle filled with 3 oz of water, which had to be sucked out through a "slow flow" nipple! It was rather amusing to watch a bunch of grown women drink out of baby bottles... which is why for your viewing pleasure I can't resist posting these:




I forgot to mention that this was suppose to be an all gals event! No boys allowed... however, at the last minute we decided we should have my Dad and my Husband tag along! At first Sean really wasn't up for coming to a Baby Shower. But we lured the men there with promises of delicious food and cake. But he ended up being a great sport and even participated in the embarrassing baby bottle game!
After the bottle game, we got everyone in a circle and passed around two gift bags to this very cute story I found online about Mr. & Mrs. Wright, and their trip to the hospital to have their own baby. It was a cute story about them heading right to the hospital, and to get there they had to turn left out of the driveway. But quickly discovered that they had left something important at home. It went on and on filled with the words left and right and each time the bag would be passed to the person in the specific direction being called out in the story. In the end I believe Stephanie and Kyle took home the prizes!And finally that delicious cake was served, as I mentioned it was a huge hit and I was sooooo glad she let me choose two flavors because we had left overs and ate got to enjoy that cake for almost an entire week! Also pictured here is my very pregnant friend Ariana, due just three days before me. I was glad she could make it, along with my other friend Jen who is also pregnant and due two days after me! There were three of us there that were due the same week... there must be something in the water!

Once cake was served it was time for gifts!
Here are just some of the great gifts we received... I love the adorable onesies!

This had to be one of my favorites, and Grandpa's too! He's a huge Angels fan as I'm sure we will brainwash our son to be! I can't wait until he gets to wear this. It's just the right size to fit him in time for next season!

This was handmade just for Brody! Isn't it beautiful?
Another something we can't live without! The Boppy... this will come in very handy for feeding time!
Not only was this little stuffed puppy incredibly adorable, it's the quite soft and cuddly and sure to be Brody's little best buddy for a while!

See, I told you he was cute!
I'm so glad to have gotten some great books to read to him! This one was a touch and feel book about the ABC's!
I also really loved this very soft... super cuddly... baby blanket!
I've always wanted to get him some of these adorable shoes by Bobux!
And I think this one is more for my sanity then for the baby! It's a Fisher-Price Papasan Cradle Swing!
For those of you who were there, THANK YOU so much for coming! It was such a special day for us, and I appreciate all the awesome baby gifts!

We do have one more shower planned down south for our friends and family that live in Orange County. This will be a co-ed gig, and more of a "Welcome Brody!" party, as it is planned after his arrival! Mainly because we don't get down there too often, and I know people are going to want to meet him! Also, now that I'm getting closer to thirty-eight weeks I don't feel much like traveling!

Oh and in case I haven't mentioned, we did finally decide on a name. We've had it picked out for a while now, but I just haven't found the right opportunity to post it on my Blog! His name will be: Brody Lawrence Griffin. This was the name we had chosen for our first boy even before we found out we were pregnant. The first name is just something I really liked, and the middle name is in honor of my Dad! We did some second guessing somewhere along the way, which is why there is a name poll still up. I'm going to leave it running until he's here I guess! But unless the ultrasound played tricks on our eyes, and this baby turns out to be a girl... something at which I would be completely shocked! Then we are excited to be welcoming our baby boy- Brody Lawrence- in just a few short weeks!

It's July!

July is finally here, and that means that THIS MONTH we will be welcoming our baby boy! I can't really say that time has flown by- but I can't believe we have less than three weeks to go! :) I'm going to try and keep this updated somehow during labor, and with a timely birth annoucment! Let's hope Twin Cities has WIFI, otherwise I'll have to find an outside connection to keep everyone up to date for me! Thanks for reading, there is sure to be more regular posts from here on out! Especially once we have a baby to posts pictures of! :)