Week 38: Not much to do

Good morning sweet pea :)

I'm sorry I haven't written to you lately but we've been a bit busy again. Yesterday we had a birthday celebration for your Daddy and lots of your familia came! They brought lots of yummie food and gifts for Daddy. You should have seen us all cramped in our tiny apartment. It was really nice and I'm glad we got to celebrate your Daddy's birthday even if it's a week early. Thank you to your familia for making the trek out to Northampton!

Daddy blowing out his 29 candles

Did I tell you about our last midwife appointment? I don't think so. It was on Wednesday and Daddy couldn't come but Jen, our doula came with me. We got to hear you again and Suzanne (the midwife) said that everything looked good and that she'll sneak food in for me during labor if I'm hungry. Yay! I don't think you've dropped yet but for some mommies that doesn't happen until they're in labor so we'll see. I keep talking with you about the whole labor process so I hope you're ready because we're ready for you!

Oh, I have a funny thing to tell you about your Daddy. Your Daddy is a pretty laid back person, at least with me he is. No matter what I do I can't annoy him or make him really upset. I told him on Saturday that I was going to get him to crack and he said...it can't happen! Well, we were supermarket shopping on Saturday night and Daddy was picking out an ice cream. He picked one and I said, oh, I don't know if that one is on sale so he put it back and then I noticed that it was on sale so I said, oh, actually it is on sale, so he got it again and put it in the cart. As soon as he put it down I said, but I wouldn't get that one though because it was all by itself in the fridge so it was probably put back by someone. Daddy looked at the ice cream and looked at me and said..."you're driving me crazy!!" hehehe...I did it sweetie! I cracked Daddy! Saturday, April 28th at 10:36pm. I wrote it down on our shopping list because it was so miraculous.

Daddy with Star Wars (and returning lots of your things that Mommie bought online but didn't like)

I'm still a bit tired but doing well. I finished reading Baby 411, a book about the things that might come up in your first year of life. Oh my, so much can happen to you sweetie! I'm sure you'll be just fine but we're new at this so it'll take us a while to figure it out. Tonight Daddy and I are going to a breastfeeding class. Should be fun! I'll talk with you later sweetie pie. Love you so so much!

-Mommie
(38 weeks, 6 days)

Week 38: Pieces falling into place, like a puzzle

Hi O. It's your Daddy. Sorry I haven't written much of late, but I got good news! I got a new job! Well I got a job offer that is. I hope to have things worked out this weekend to officially accept the offer. I think you'd be proud of me, I hope at least. Just a few months ago I was worried I wouldn't find a job, or not find a job paying enough to take good care of you and your Mommy. Now I've already got a good job, and have a job offer for a better job! Good things happen to good people they say, so I guess I've been doing something right.

In other news, we've packed everything for the hospital for both your Mommy and I, and I have your birthday outfit already picked out, something comfy for me that actually has meaning too! I picked a t-shirt that says CLEO. CLEO stands for Council on Legal Education Opportunity. It was at a CLEO conference that I met your Mommy. I had recently been admitted to law school, the University of North Carolina, and your Mommy was thinking about applying to law schools around the same time.

So CLEO was doing this program that helped admitted law students be successful in law school, and this particular year they had a program for students interested in applying for law school to get into a law school. It's funny, your Mommy and I both lived in Massachusetts but had to go to Atlanta to meet each other! Well, where was I? I had gotten to the hotel where they were doing the conference early and was given this coupon for a free buffet lunch that day at the hotel restaurant. Since the lunch wasn't being served until 11 am I went to get breakfast with another admitted law student I had met at the hotel. After eating breakfast I went back to my hotel room and took a nap. I woke up around 2pm and even though I wasn't that hungry I didn't want to waste the free lunch coupon which was only good for that day until 3pm. So I got up and went downstairs to get a lunch. I get on the elevator and it starts to go down when it stops and guess who gets on? Your Mommy! I thought she was beautiful the second I saw her and didn't waste much time talking to her. I asked her if she was Latina and next thing you know we were both at the lobby and your Mommy was going to get lunch too! We were walking next to each other so when we got to the restaurant the hostess asked how many people would be sitting together and I invited myself to eat with your Mommy. I know it was a little presumptuous but you should have seen her! We chatted a bit over lunch and over the next few days I would see your Mommy here and there but didn't get to really connect with her because we had different schedules because we were in different programs in CLEO.

The day I was leaving to go back home at the airport I saw your Mommy! We exchanged numbers and I couldn't help but think, why would I meet someone right before moving to North Carolina? Was this some cruel joke by some higher being? Well since I had a few weeks left in Massachusetts I did everything possible to see your Mommy as much as I could before leaving and in those few weeks and the months to follow I fell in love with your Mommy. I've always known she was special and being her partner while she's been pregnant with you has only reinforced my view of her!

Well there you have it, a shirt that has some meaning huh? I think it is appropriate to wear when you come out to visit us don't you? Oh on the horizon is a birthday party for me, this Sunday. It's not my birthday for another week but if we wait until then we might be in the hospital with your Mommy giving birth to you! So my family and your Mommy's is coming over this Sunday and I can't wait to see them all! Love you O.

Pa

Week 38: Uncomfy

Good morning sweet pea :)

You're awake right now...moving around a lot. I have been having trouble getting comfortable so haven't been sleeping very well. I try to lie on my left side but then my arm becomes numb after a little bit and then I try to lie on your Daddy's shoulder but he is so warm sweetie! He's like a little inferno and then I get too hot really quickly and have to turn back on my left side. This happens a million times each night and then when I think I might be getting a bit comfy I have to get up to go to the bathroom. Crazyness! It's okay though...it's well worth it.

So my hospital bag, Daddy's bag, and your bag are all in the trunk of our car now ready to go. I was making a list of what was in my bag so I wouldn't have to ask Daddy if I had packed something at the hospital and it started to make me feel really nervous and a bit nauseous.

I finished reading Rebecca Walker's new book, baby love, a few nights ago. She was planning on having an unmedicated birth as well but she said it hurt so bad that she had to get an epidural. Her baby also came out a bit sick because he had swallowed some meconium and had to be in the hospital for a month to recover. Ahhhh! Good book though...I probably should have read it after your birth.

Your Daddy got all these health tests yesterday and apparently he doesn't have enough "good" cholesterol and his blood pressure was a bit high. We need to get him to eat more avocados! We went to Whole Foods last night and got him some flax seed oil capsules that are supposed to help. Send him good energy little O, he has a second round interview today at noon. Good luck Daddy! I have to get back to work but I love you sweetie. Hope you get some rest.

-Mommie

Week 38: Happy Cumplesemana!

Hi O!

Happy 38th week birthday!!!

According to Pampers, you're probably closing in on 19.5 to 20 inches, and your weight is nearing 7 pounds.

Eighty-five percent of babies are born within two weeks of their due date, so I'll probably give birth sometime in the next four weeks.

You are shedding lanugo, the fine hair that's covered your body for months. You may have some of it left on your shoulders, forehead, and neck when you're born. You'll also have lost most, if not all, of the vernix, the creamy wax-like substance that's protected your skin from the amniotic fluid.

So what happens to the cast-off vernix and lanugo? Some of it ends up in your intestines, where it becomes part of the meconium. Meconium is the greenish-black, tarry substance that will make up your first bowel movement after you're born. It also consists of dead cells, amniotic fluid, and waste products from your liver, pancreas, and gallbladder. Your kidneys are filtering some waste too, but they won't be functioning fully until after birth.

Here is what you look like inside of Mommie this week:

Here is what Mommie looks like this week:

You're so big sweetie! Love you so so much. We can't wait to see you!

Week 37: Picture Post

What your parents have been up to...

Eduardo with Daddy's glasses

Daddy and Eduardo

Daddy figuring out the Ergo Carrier

Works well!

Movie night at our house!

Bobby...good movie!

Eduardo watched the movie with us

On Saturday we took Eduardo with us everywhere. Here we are the hardware store, notice the matching outfits?

Eduardo strapped into the car seat

At Blockbuster

Yummie dinner!

Bridge at Look Park

Daddy likes bridges

Sunday brunch

Yummie chili!

Packing Mommie's hospital bag (suitcase)

Daddy relaxing and eating peanuts

Week 37: no more building stuff!

A few nights ago I put together a glider for your Mommy and with the completion of that your Mommy and I are done building stuff for you, that is for you before you join us! I'm sure over your lifetime I'll have to build who knows how many things for you, but that's ok. All told your Mommy and I have built a changing table, a glider and ottoman, a swing, a bassinet, and a tv stand. We've bought and returned who knows how many things, and still have more stuff to buy and return more stuff to prep for O.

Today was pretty nice! For starters it was so beautiful outside today. It was warm, sunny, but no humidity at all. If only every day could be like today. I had woke up late (8 am), and can't for the life of me remember what your Mommy and I did for several hours but it couldn't have been bad otherwise I'm sure we'd remember! Anyways, then we went to Look Park, and it was so nice O. I think you'll love going there, so we got a season pass to hopefully go there a lot with you over the summer. I'm hoping to do a birthday party for me next week there and have both families get together again. My birthday isn't for two weeks but if we wait until then to celebrate you might be celebrating with us! O I'm turning 29! Your Mommy doesn't let me forget I'm almost 30. But guess what? I wouldn't mind being 30. As a matter of fact it might be nice, make me more mature, ok maybe I'm rationalizing.

Anyways, then we went to this nice place to eat, Cafe Evolution, and had some yummy food! The place was nice, the food is healthy too, it's the home of the Oh Sweet Mamas Vegan Bakery and there were people playing live music. I had some pancakes, which lately I can't get enough of, some home fries and your Mommy had some chili. Then I couldn't help myself so got a cookie. I tell you vegan cookies are so great. After eating we got more stuff for you, or in preparation for you, and went home to take a nap. After many hours later, we went food shopping and then your Mommy made us some yummy dinner, pasta with pesto and and some pecan swirl bread.

We're getting our hospital bags ready tonight which is both exciting and scary! But your Mommy has been talking about doing this forever so it's nice to get it done. Got to run and clean more around the apartment now, chat later.

Pa

Week 37: Picture post (memory lane)

Oh, how Mommie has changed in the last few months.
Here we go...memory lane

4 weeks, 2 days - we find out we're pregnant!

6 weeks, 3 days - can't see you yet

8 weeks, 6 days - dinner with Titi Jomaira for her birthday

11 weeks - in NYC, I could still close that jacket!

14 weeks, 0 days - starting to show!

19 weeks, 6 days - you're getting bigger

20 weeks, 0 days - and bigger

21 weeks, 0 days - in North Carolina

23 weeks, 4 days - at your cousin Jalil's birthday party

23 weeks, 6 days - in Santa Fe, New Mexico

25 weeks, 2 days - at home

26 weeks, 2 days - my photos in the gallery

26 weeks, 4 days - testing out the gliders

29 weeks, 4 days - at the Fernandezes

31 weeks, 4 days - bundled up for the cold

33 weeks, 4 days - popping out

36 weeks, 3 days - waiting for the midwife

Week 37: Happy Cumplesemana!

Good evening, O! :)

Happy 37th week birthday!!!

You are now a full term baby!

According to Parenting, you're 6 ½ pounds and 21 inches long. You're learning what it's like to breathe, inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid to perfect your skills. You can also suck your thumb, turn your head, swallow, blink, and grasp.

I can't believe you're full term, sweetie. This time felt so far away. I would look at the counter at the bottom of this blog that says how many days are left until you join us and it felt like it would be years until this time. You're still moving around a lot but not as much as before and it feels different now. I love you so much sweetie. I was picking up your Dad from work today and was kind of surprised to see your car seat in the back seat. Sometimes it feels like you're not completely real because I've been pregnant with you for what feels like so long now. The car seat and having our place full of your things makes it seems a bit more real but still not completely. I just can't imagine that I have this little human inside of me (you) and that you're going to come out and look a certain way and act a certain way. It's really amazing. I look at people so differently now because I know that they've all been through this process at some time. At some point they lived off of their mommie and inside of them. We're all interconnected through this experience and it makes me feel so much closer to everyone.

This is what you look like inside of Mommie right now:

This is what Mommie looks like right now:

Happy Cumplesemana sweetie! We'll see you in a few weeks lovie.

-Mommie

Week 37: Lela Carmen!

Guest Post from Lela Carmen:

Hi Baby Love!

You are getting ready to join the world and I can't wait. I just wanted to wish you a restful week. I know your surroundings are getting a bit tight and that's why you try to move to get comfortable.

I went online to check the names your parents have chosen for you. If you are a boy, you will be named Octavio.

The boy's name Octavio \o-cta-vio, oc-tavio\ is pronounced ahk-TAH-vee-oh. It is of Latin origin, and its meaning is "eighth". From Octavius, a Roman family clan name. Mexican poet Octavio Paz.

Octavio has 8 variant forms: Octave, Octavius, Octavian, Octovien, Octavious, Octavo, Octavus and Ottavio.

For more information, see also the related name Tavio.

Octavio is a common male first name and a very rare surname (source: 1990 U.S. Census). Displayed below are the baby name popularity trends for all boy's names on this page. Click here to view the popularity trend for Octavio only.

Octavio

	The Name Origin and Meaning of Octavio

	Gender: Male Origin: Latin Meaning: The Latin name Octavio means - eighth Rating:

Now, if you are a girl you will be named Isabella.

The girl's name Isabella \i-sa-bella, isab(el)-la\ is a variant of Isabel. See also Bella and Marisela.

The baby name Isabella sounds like Ysabella, Izabella, Isobella, Isabelle, Isabell and Isabela. Other similar baby names are Sabella, Izabelle, Isobelle, Isobell, Isabelita, Isabele, Rosabella, Ysbella, Ysabelle and Ysabell.

Isabella is a very popular female first name and a popular surname (source: 1990 U.S. Census). Displayed below is the baby name popularity trend for the girl's name Isabella. Click here to compare Isabella with related baby names.

Isabella

Gender: Girl Origin / Heritage: Spanish Meaning: consecrated to God Similar Names: 2004 Ranking: 7

So Dear Octavio or Isabella, we all hope you will be healthy and happy. See you. soon.

Much Love,
Lela Carmen