Introducing...

Elise Madison

Born 3/24/14 at 11:53 am

8 pounds 3 ounces

21 inches long

Our little princess has arrived! We were really surprised to find out the baby is a girl, since everyone had been predicting a little boy. She is our princess, and we couldn't be more in love!

I'm trying to get her birth story typed out, but it's taking me forever. I'm a bit sleep deprived, and home alone with Elise during the day. I will attempt to get back to blogging at some point, at least to record her milestones. But for now, baby snuggles and diaper changes are how I'm filling my days... and I'm not complaining! 

The Final Countdown...

39 weeks. We made it to the end! And my brain is full of thoughts about this, but also blissfully quiet. The quiet comes from being done with work for the time being. I'm home alone all day, with a relatively unimportant to-do list and lots of time on my hands. I'm trying my best to enjoy this quiet, because I know very well that life is about to change in a big way. But I'm also so incredibly ready for that change.

I've been reflecting back on this pregnancy a lot in recent weeks, thinking about all we've been through to get to this place. The journey started well before I got a + on the test in July, but I've dwelled on that enough. Either way, Joe and I felt very lucky to finally be expecting a new addition to our family. I've also been very lucky to have an "easy" pregnancy. I have had no medical complications, and have stayed pretty active and social through the whole 40 weeks. We still got to do some traveling, and spent nice weekends enjoying the perks of being a married couple without children. Even through the pregnancy there have been great concerts and special dinners out on the town.

But I still have to admit,  pregnancy is a challenge in so many ways. It is a challenge to your body, as you grow and stretch to make room for the baby. Simple tasks become a big deal (putting on pants, tying shoes, or getting off the couch have me bitching and moaning these days!). It is a challenge to your mind, as you get a glimpse into the worry that every parent experiences. And then there are the hormones... I never got too crazy, but still had moments of totally irrational emotion!

Now that I know what pregnancy is really like, I feel proud of myself for making it to the final days. Carrying a baby to term is an accomplishment. It's not something everyone gets to do, for many reasons. But this time around my body was strong, and I did everything I could to help it stay that way. Thanks to healthy eating (usually) and continuing my active lifestyle, I feel like I've done everything in my control to give birth to a healthy baby. I didn't complain too much, I worked hard at work and home until the end, and have really challenged myself to just stay positive and keep on truckin'. I'm not going to say there haven't been moments of complaining and eating 100 cookies for dinner, but I still feel proud of how I've handled pregnancy overall.

Though I'm ready to be done with pregnancy for the time being, it is still something I'd do again in a heartbeat. I know what's next, and I can hardly contain myself. Middle of the night feedings, figuring out cloth diapers and how to bathe a baby, a messy house... bring.it.on. There will be moments in the next weeks and months that push me to the limit, but I am ready for it! The rewards will make it all worth it, and Joe and I can not wait for the adventure ahead.

Now let's just hope said adventure starts soon. This week already feels too long, and it's only Tuesday!

35 weeks down... 35 days to go!

34 Weeks Pregnant

Current Progress: We have made it to the final countdown! 35 weeks down! At this point, the baby should still stay inside for at least a few more weeks. But at the same time, if it arrived early, it is probably past NICU time. The weeks have been flying by! With 5 weeks left, Joe and I both feel like we're in pretty good shape.

Weight Gain & Body Changes: My weight gain has been right on target for a healthy pregnancy. I think I've gained about 25 pounds at this point. I've had some friends and coworkers tell me I look "tiny", which seems crazy to me! I feel pretty darn huge :)  The nice thing is that the weight and growth has stayed concentrated where it should be-- mostly in my midsection. There are some days that I think it practically looks like I stuffed a basketball under my shirt. 

Anytime I'm at home,
I go straight to wearing my sweatpants.
A cute look, for sure!

How I'm feeling: READY. Physically, I'm excited to have a baby on the outside... this is getting pretty uncomfortable! Mentally, I'm so excited to meet the baby, and feel as prepared as I'm going to be. There are still some nerves with delivering the baby, but I am confident that the whole labor and delivery process will go smoothly in the end. My body is ready for this, and my mind is ready too. 

What I'm thinking: I'm thinking the nursery is so cute, and I'm thrilled with how its turned out. Cozy and sweet enough, but not too frilly or babyish, either. It very much fits with our tastes.  I'm also thinking I have so many good friends who already love this baby a ton. This was proven yet again this past week, when my book club did a little surprise shower, and had a cake and tons of sweet books for me and the baby. Ziggy already has a pretty solid library started. 

Recent milestones:   I'm not sure if it counts as a milestone, but Joe and I think we've chosen names! Whether the baby is a boy or a girl, we're about 98% settled on the names. That was a tough decision! We 'graduated' from our prepared childbirth class at the hospital, and just have one more breastfeeding class we plan to take this coming week. At our 32 week ultrasound, we found out that I'm growing a big baby. It was already about 5 pounds, which puts baby at about the 85% for weight!  Hoping I don't have to give birth to a 10 pounder...

Upcoming appointments or events: Since the baby is pretty big, we have to do a growth scan at 37 weeks. We also will check the position of the baby at our next appointment, a week from Friday. Hopefully it's scooted to a nice head-down position, as we get closer to the big arrival. After next Friday, we're doing weekly appointments, and will only have 3 or 4 of those before the baby should be here!  

At 35 weeks, I feel like it's a pretty sizable belly!

This might be the last updated I manage to post... so wish us luck if that's the case!

Pretty soon we'll have a new (tiny) roommate!

After months of planning, ordering, building, and waiting patiently, I think the baby's nursery is just about done! We're still waiting on curtains and a crib skirt, which my mom will be making. We also want to wait to buy some of the decorations to hang on the walls. I think it will be nice to know the baby's gender and name before that part. But otherwise, we're done!

Let's start from the beginning, though :)

There was a decent amount of time when the room looked like this.
I was having trouble dealing with that, with my type-A personality!

So this guy came along to save the day!

He's pretty handy. A good guy to have around!

 

Ta-da! It's a real crib, with a mattress and everything!
This was at 34 weeks, so right about the time I started
freaking out a little about the lack of time remaining.

This weekend we really kicked baby preparations into high gear. We installed the carseat, attached the diaper sprayer to the toilet (cloth diapers are glamorous!), and got the babies room almost completely set up. The floors are clean, the rug is down, and we picked up our glider from Buy Buy Baby. There is a decent chance I'll be spending a lot of time in that glider in the coming weeks. It's a recliner, and is so plush and comfortable! And stylish, too... I'm kind of obsessed!  

Ok, little baby! We're ready when you are :) With 5 weeks to go, it is exciting for us to say, "See you soon!" Anyone have last minute bits of advice to share with us?

And then there was a baby shower!

Having a baby is keeping me reeeeaaaaly busy! I'm still working full time, plus a prenatal yoga class and a childbirth prep class each week. I'm trying to squeeze in time with all of my friends, too. We're getting things in order, though, which is really exciting! A really fun part of baby preparations was our recent baby shower!

We had the shower two weeks go, when I was 32 weeks pregnant. It was perfect timing. I was still feeling pretty good, but it was also late enough in the game that it didn't feel ridiculous to be getting so much baby gear. Our friends and family were so generous and thoughtful! I felt so loved and well cared for, and thought it was pretty much a perfect day. Here's a few pictures from the day, capturing some of my favorite moments and people. 

This is the girl who used to be my baby sister.
Now she's months away from college graduation and becoming a 'real adult'.
She's awesome!

Joe made a brief appearance. I have the most handsome baby daddy!!

I got all sappy for a minute before opening the gifts.
I am so amazed at the community of friends we've
made in Chicago, and also how many friends and
family traveled to Chicago to help celebrate!

This is my "OMG ADORABLE" face.
It made many appearances that day!

People say that they can tell we're related :)
Side note: cake with chocolate butter cream and ganache is amazing.

Baby Joe and Baby Erin

And now, lots of pictures of my beautiful friends and family...

My 'running friends'... though it's been a while since we're done that!

Some of my favorite co-workers.

A combination of  book club and Mizzou friends.

More Mizzou and book club ladies.

Joe's aunt and cousin joined us for the party! And my friend Angela is
someone I met through a neighborhood home brewing group,
and she is officially my neighborhood friend, since she lives about 2 blocks away!

My friend Kristen got to know Joe's mom during the lunch. Smiling faces all around :)

Sisters! I love and miss you guys! Move to Chicago, ok?

My mom and her friend Jennifer studied abroad together a few years ago :)
Now they always catch up when my mom visits Chicago.

A great picture with my mom and sisters!
Thank you for a wonderful baby shower and weekend!!

After the shower it was so fun to start putting things together in the baby's room. In the last two weeks we've built the crib, cleared out the bedroom, washed all the clothing and diapers, and really gotten things in order. It's getting pretty evident around our house that a baby is coming soon. We've got a stroller, high chair, car seat, bassinet, and so many cute tiny little things! Things are getting real... six weeks to go!

Escaping the Cold~~ A Weekend in Miami!

Last summer, when I found out I was pregnant, I was overjoyed. There was so much excitement ahead! But I quickly realized one downside to the news-- my best friend from college is getting married in early March, in Toronto, and I would have to skip the wedding. This news really bummed me out, but I knew there was no getting around it. In fact, I immediately researched how to get a baby a passport, so I could go about bringing the baby to visit Toronto as soon as is is old enough! The papers are already printed out and waiting, so we can do the application within the first couple weeks. 

When Danielle mentioned that she was interested in a destination bachelorette party, I knew I was all in. Miami in January? Sounds like just what this pregnant mama was looking for! And I was right. It was a fabulous trip. Great food, beautiful beaches, warm weather. Exactly what I was looking for. I was so happy to spend the weekend with Danielle, and to get to know some of her friends from New York. I was a little nervous about hanging out in Miami without being able to drink, but I am happy to say that it didn't affect my trip much at all. The ladies went dancing Saturday night while I went to bed, and otherwise I didn't miss out on anything. Though I wouldn't mind heading back to Miami some day, to taste some of the mojitos that everyone else got to enjoy!

I could get used to this!

My belly loved the vitamin D :)

The whole group before our fancy dinner on Saturday night.

Love ya girl!

Hard Times and Warm Moments

Well, crap! I haven't updated in about a month! This isn't much of a surprise, though, because life has been crazy busy around here for the last few weeks. The first part of the month was a challenge, dealing with my grandmother being quite sick. I was able to take a quick trip out to North Carolina to see her, though, which was a really special trip. The trip was incredibly last minute (like I booked the ticket the night before I left!), but I worried I wouldn't have a chance to see her if I waited.

An upside to this type of trip was that I got to catch up with some of my relatives that I don't get to see often enough. We had a nice family dinner one night, and spent the time in the hospital telling stories and keeping grandma company. There is so much love in my family, and having so many of us with Grandma during this time was really special. She's had visitors in and out for the last few weeks, and I know how much that means to her. This type of situation isn't easy on anyone, but coming together and supporting each other is a so important. At this point, I wish my grandma comfort and peace. It's hard to tell how much longer she'll be with us, but obviously her impact will last far beyond that.

A really special part of the weekend was when my aunts coordinated to throw me a surprise baby shower! They'd kept it a secret all day, and I didn't even suspect it when my aunt insisted I leave the room with her to walk my uncle out. I came back to the room totally oblivious, and took a minute to notice the pile of baby-themed presents wrapped up in the middle of the room. Ha! It was such a special evening, to share this celebration of my little baby with some of the woman I'm proud to call my family. It was especially nice to be able to include my grandma in the shower, since she's stuck in bed and not having the greatest time. They got us some lovely gifts for the baby, and really just filled my heart with so much love!

This is the first baby of my generation of the family. So exciting!
Grandma is in the middle, surrounded by three aunts and one of my cousins.
I miss you guys!

This little orange outfit was a great way to mix up the
gender neutral options. I love it!

A cozy swaddle blanket and a snuggly little elephant.

Lots of goodies from Aunt Cathy and Caroline!
(And those butter cookies in the corner were REALLY good!)

My grandmas card included the money to buy our carseat!
A really helpful gift and huge surprise!

This baby is so lucky already. The love that is being shown has blown me away... and the kid isn't even here yet! I can't wait to introduce the baby to the world come March, and can pretty much guarantee a trip to North Carolina on the horizon at some point... hopefully summer of 2015. The beach is calling!