Some pictures of our sweet girl

Ellis is here!

Unfortunately I can't post any pictures today because of the hospital's slow internet connection, but hopefully I'll be home in the next day or two and will post some then.

So...things have certainly changed a lot since my last post, to say the least!  Since my post on swelling ankles, I've had pre-eclampsia (not once, but twice), a precious little baby girl via emergency c-section, and a lot of hassles with my pesky blood pressure, and some other stuff.

Of course the most notable on this list is Miss Ellis Jane.   The emotions and experiences and thoughts that have made up the last few days of my life make it hard to even know where to start, so I'll bypass all of it for now and just say, we have a beautiful little person that has changed everything!  I'm still processing all of these thoughts and emotions and experiences and plan on writing all about it to help continue processing, but for now, I just wanted to write and say we are celebrating this new little life God has brought into our lives.  My medical stuff has not made this a typical light-the-cigars, it's-a-girl-celebration, but we're getting there. Everyday Ellis gives us new reasons to celebrate and we will happily continue taking tiny premature-baby steps along with our daughter as she continues to grow stronger and healthier and more independent.  We love her more than we could have fathomed just five short (kind of long) days ago.  So stay tuned for some great pictures and more updates :)

Thank you for all of your prayers and well-wishes, we have appreciated all of your kind words and support!

Water logged-->logs--->my ankles-->full of water. Full Circle.

I can't possibly drink any more water.  I've been told that I need to drink more water to help with swelling.  It's not working.  My ankles have disappeared.  Have you ever seen one of those fabric sleeves for storing plastic grocery bags?  Imagine it so full you can't put even one more bag in (and you can almost always add just one more), and you'll have a pretty accurate impression of how my calves look/feel.  It might sound like I'm complaining, but-- sorry, I lost my train of thought...

So this morning Gabe woke up and said, "Sleeping is certainly a new adventure every night lately."  He was subtly referring to how often I wake up, can't breathe, sigh loudly, get up, etc...in turn, waking him up.  Yesterday I woke up at 3:30.  3:30.  Sleep was over.  Again, it might sound like I'm complaining.  That's all.  It might.  I know it.

Well, it's time to return to school.   Maybe something funny will happen and then I'll have a funny story to tell you...

Seriously?!!! Seriously.

So I just heard on NPR that the bonuses received by employees on Wall Street this past year were the 6th largest ever.  This seems to me, hmmm, how do I say this delicately? Morally reprehensible.  Ethically appalling.  Backwards and disgusting.  Totally suspect. Kudos to our president, in my opinion, for calling them out on their bonuses. Raise your hand if your boss would reward you for losing millions of people millions of dollars.   Aren't they supposed to be working for us?  Isn't their job to be experts at helping to keep our economy healthy?  When other people do their jobs poorly they are not rewarded with crazy big bonuses, they often, in fact, would find themselves out of a job.  

Lighter post to follow later tomorrow when I've cooled down and taken a few pictures of a more uplifting subject matter...

Our baby MUST be huge, right? Because...

Ummm, I've gained 38 pounds, people. Gabe informed me that juice has a lot of calories.  I do drink a lot of juice.  A LOT.  

I took the day off today for our doctor's appointment.  All is well. We scheduled the rest of our appointments today.  Cray-see.  Time is flyyyyyying!  10 more weeks until our due date.  Nutty.

Where are my pants?

If I were most of you, I'd really enjoy reading the progesterone-induced examples of Brooke's brain lapsing a little.  Because of this, I'm happy to share another with you.  I know I'd appreciate reading any of your stories that make me feel like we're all human and can't possibly be expected to know at ALL times where our own pants are.

The other night G and I were getting ready for bed.  He brought up some clean laundry including my freshly washed pajama pants and handed them to me in the bathroom where I was brushing my teeth.  A few minutes later I emerged and went to the bed in order to retrieve my pajama pants.  Of course they weren't there, so I walked back into the bathroom, expecting to find them there.  Not there.  I walked back out to the bed, thinking I must have missed them.  Of course they still weren't there.  I said with a little frustration, "How can a person lose pants in a two minute time frame?"  Gabe, just now realizing what I was doing says, "Wait---what?"  Looking at me like I was a little crazy.  It was at this point I realized I was in fact wearing my pajama pants.  I had put them on while I was in the bathroom.

And here's a photo of our Daly passing on his blessing and endorsement to our new president.  I think they both look very contemplative and ready to take on all our nation's ills.  Daly.  Ever the patriot.

Hoosh gotch the chubbiesht cheek-eesh...?

Apparently, I do.

29 weeks and counting...

This morning my friendly neighbor was coming home just as G and I were getting in the car to leave.  She excitedly said, "Are you expecting?!"  Yes, yes we are, in April.  (husband and wife exchange a proud smile across the hood of their car)  "I thought so.  The other day I saw your face (motions with both hands near her face as if she were a chipmunk stocking up for winter).  ---Oh, and then your (motions to her belly)."  Wait, WHAT?!!!

My chipmunk face is what tipped her off.  

Not my rather large belly, mind you.  Not my pregnant waddle.  No. It was first and foremost my glowy moon face.

Up until this point I was completely oblivious to the fact that my face was competing with my uterus in the "let's look pregnant race" and according to my filter-less neighbor, winning.  

So when Gabe and I got home from our breastfeeding-your-baby class this afternoon (more on that, later), I asked him to take some prego pics for me to update my blog.  I made clear the goal: take pictures that show me my face doesn't resemble a platter. 

Turns out this is a tough task.  Thankfully we have a new camera, and a delete button.  My neighbor may have crossed a social etiquette boundary (surprising how many people ignore the fact that it might not be the best idea to tell a highly hormonal, very uncomfortable woman who is gaining a pound a week for many months their take on how she looks) but it turns out my neighbor is right. 

The pictures above are the least revealing of my chubby face, therefore they made the cut.

I have more to post, but I'll save it for later...

p.s.  I'm getting so excited to meet our baby, I can hardly stand it.

Mustering all my gusto up for you.

Faithful readers, if you are still checking this blog, thank you. I have big plans for posting this weekend.  I've been checking your blogs daily but have not mustered the gusto needed to post on my own blog.  Well, this weekend will change all that.  We've got a new camera (!!!) that I can't wait to take out on the town, a birthing class Saturday morning, plans to make some progress on baby projects and of course some updated belly pictures are in order.  So much to share.  

I know you won't all relate, but I am only just beginning to come down from the natural high I experienced on Tuesday, and I'm going to do my best to harness that for my long overdue post this weekend!  

soon

Let's meet here soon...

Just because I haven't posted in a little while, and won't be likely to again any time too soon...

Well, Gabe is going to Vermont one last time before he graduates.  He leaves Sunday.  He loves his time there, so I'm happy for him...I don't know if it's the pregnancy, but I feel more sad than I have before about him leaving.  Things are kind of boring around here when he's gone.  And the computer goes with him, so don't expect any new posts from me in the next week.  It'll just be me, our little invisible girl and the cat...

We just realized that our appointment to tour the hospital where we're (currently) set to deliver at is during Gabe's trip.  I guess I'll go alone?  Not sure what rescheduling would entail, so we'll see.  And I'm meeting with at least one doula this week to see what she has to say about things--which I'm really looking forward to.  

School for me starts back up Monday --- don't know where the last two weeks have gone --- hopefully I'll feel ready to return no later than Monday morning...

In other news, thanks to some thrift store shopping last week, I found a rocking chair (to be repainted/refurbished, of course) for $8, and a nice long dresser (to be repainted, of course) to use as our changing table for less than $15!  We need a car seat and a crib mattress (eventually) but I think all of the major nursery stuff is taken care of.  A few people have been generous enough to offer the use of their baby items, which is very appreciated, by the way : ).

Happy 2009!  I wrote my first 2009 check today.  I can't believe it's 2009.  Remember 9 years ago when everyone thought the world was going to implode-- Y2K!  Eek! Panic! ... er, nevermind.