Merry Christmas

First and foremost here's to wishing a safe and healthy delivery of baby Pierson. My girlfriend Chrissy is having a C-Section today at noon as he was in a breech position that could not be rotated. I just can't wait to meet the little guy! Congrats mom and dad...we love you all very much.

I hope the rest of you all had a very Merry Christmas. We had such a wonderful time with family and friends and are absolutely exhausted. I plan on doing a whole lot of nothing today! Unlike my husband who has already gone out duck hunting...wish I had his energy, but not at 35 weeks pregnant! Here are a few pics from the festivities over the past couple days. Have a Happy New Year!

Christmas Eve Morning @ our house -
Mom and Me (and yes we have a deer on our wall..totally married a country boy! Brings me back to my roots of Kentucky)

Dad, Mom and Baby (blurry pic but still cute)
Christmas Eve Dinner @ my Mother-in-laws -
My handsome husband -

My mother-in-law and her sisters -
Christmas Morning @ our house first...one of our doggies with his huge bone...they are so funny every year when we wrap bones for them.
Christmas Morning @ my Father-in-laws - all the brothers, Daniela and Me
Christmas Dinner @ Uncle Mike's - all the kids (in his trophy room...well the whole house is his trophy room)

Cousin Tammy and her son Austin - I just LOVE this little boy!

Droppin' Like It's Hot

I was able to get into the doc today for my weekly appointment and we have good news!!!!! The baby has already dropped a bit and I am dilated to 2cm!! I hit 35 weeks on Friday and we need him to stay in there until at least 36 weeks. The doc thinks he will definitely come early. He goes on vacation from Jan. 10th - 17th so we are hoping he comes before then or holds out until they return from celebrating his wifes 40th bday. Regardless, everything is moving along perfectly and we are going to have our bundle of joy so very soon!!! Can't wait. I literally am smiling from ear to ear today. I didn't expect to hear I was dilated as first time moms typically are a bit late so for me to already be dilated is surprising. It is ok and nothing to worry about. Will keep you all posted. Have a Merry Christmas. Love you all! XOXO

Winter Wonderland

Hope all you in Seattle are staying safe and warm during this incredible snow we have been getting. I know that I certainly have been enjoying the cold temp as I am literally burning up. I can't imagine being 34+ weeks pregnant in the summer. I am so absolutely flaming HOT most of the time that the idea of running outside with little (or no) clothes on sounds fantastic...of course I haven't done that (wouldn't want to get sick or scare the neighbor!) LOL Anyway, here are a few pics of the family playing in the snow today.

34 weeks, 2 days

Hogan - he always takes great photos and gives really good hugs!Cole - he never sits still long enough to get a good shot....here are a few of him in action!

Maternity Photos

Today I took the day off work and had my maternity photos taken. It was such a beautiful experience. I really loved the photographer and for the first time in my life felt perfectly comfortable nude in front of someone, a stranger at that. I chose to be a bit more conservative and not show my girly parts (top or bottom) but use a lot of her wonderful silks, sheets, blankets and even a cowboy hat. She took 2 rolls of film and I just cant wait to see them. I have a preview session of all the prints on January 9th...it can't get here soon enough! If any of you are interested in maternity or family photos I highly recommend Jennifer Loomis Photography. She is very well known in the area for her maternity photos...check out her blog at: http://www.jenniferloomis.com

Granna Shower

After a very long day and more stressful than I anticipated at work it was really refreshing to get a call from my mom to share her fun news! Her co-workers surprised her today, leading her to believe she had a last minute conference, but as she entered the room it was a surprise Granna Baby Shower! They all thought that she needed her own stuff for her first grandbaby and put together an actual shower with food, gifts and lots of love! She got a lot of great things to help set up Granna and Papa's house for our baby. I could just feel her excitement over the phone and it really brought a huge smile to my face. He is going to be soooo spoiled! I can't wait to see all the fun gifts she got! Thank you to all of you who helped make my mom feel so special. She deserves it more than anyone I know and is truly going to be the best Granna in the universe!

50 Days!

Today marks the 50 day mark until our due date! I surely hope it doesn't take that long but it's great to start the serious countdown. We pretty much have all the necessary items for his arrival. Now I just need to start washing his clothes and do some last minute nursery decorations. The holidays will certainly help speed things along so I won't have too long of the waiting game. I am so excited and starting to get a bit nervous about learning how to do everything once I get him home. I am sure most of it will kick in as maternal instinct but at times I start to get a bit anxious of really knowing what the heck I will be doing....would love a manual to take home with me! LOL

Moving Right Along

This morning I had my monthly appointment with our doctor and everything went perfect! Our baby is growing exactly as he should and is still in the head down position. His heart was beating so strong. He even gave the doctor a little kick. I so enjoy these appointments. My blood pressure and weight checked out perfectly as well. I actually did really well these last 4 weeks in weight gain and am still right on track. Our next appointment is in 2 weeks and we will have our final test (strep test and cervical exam) before he arrives. This test is standard for all pregnancies. The doc said that based on this cervical exam we may be able to predict just about how long I will go (early, due date or late). This is definitely a guesstimate but if I am already dilated a bit then that is a great sign that he will be here before we know it. If he is still sitting pretty high then I might be in for a bit of a wait. All and all everything is great and we will update you at our next appointment.

Also we had our 3rd birth class tonight. Chris got to see his first live birth video. His response after was "Crazy!" LOL...these classes really help as I think it puts things in perspective a bit for him and exactly what we are in for. They also explained the type of medications you can get and Chris finally realized why I want to try as long as possible without any meds. It's not as easy as pie as many may think and there really is a lot to think about when making your decisions. Bottom line we are gathering all the resources to build our birth plan and on his day of arrival we will do what feels right. But, if I can find the power within me I really want to do this natural but we will see.

Family & Friend Baby Shower

Yesterday was our family and friend shower hosted by the grandmas and my girlfriend Robynn. It turned out to be such a lovely day. The decorations were amazing and the amount of people that showed up to celebrate with us made me feel so special. It truly was an incredible day. From the service of the restaurant, quality of the food, amazing table settings and all the love in the room it was just perfect! Here are a few pics from the day...there are soooo many great shots that I just picked a few.

Table Setting - notice the centerpiece is sitting on a burp cloth

Party Favors - My father-in-laws girlfriend, sister and I canned all of these dill pickels! They turned out perfect!
Family Cookie (Tudaloots) & Cupcakes - from Trophy Cupcakes in Wallingford...so yummy!
Grandma's & Me -
Ashley & Me (she is about 2 months behind me with what is sure to be a gorgeous little girl...love her cute belly!)

The room shot...such a great turn out to celebrate Baby Carpinito!
Thank you all again for all your love and support. We really are so blessed. XOXO

I will load a few more pics later this week as there are some great ones to share...until then have a wonderful Sunday! I am going to go play with all our new gear! ;o)

Salish

Today was our annual Microsoft Business Division HR Team Holiday Event at the Salish Lodge. There was about 50 of us that enjoyed the 5 course Country Breakfast and a White Elephant Exchange. It was such a gorgeous day out that I am so glad I was able to snap a few shots of the falls while I was up there as well. The crisp cold air certainly feels like winter but I am still waiting for the snow! I have such a fun weekend ahead of me and am looking forward to starting it off by decorating the tree this evening! Wishing you all a relaxing and fun weekend as well.

Snoqualmie Falls:

32 Weeks @ the Falls:

32 Weeks

32 weeks - on a beautiful sunny day


And, Cole wanted his photo taken too...

Work Shower

Today my girlfriend and co-worker Theresa hosted a work shower for me. I feel so special that so many people came to celebrate with baby and me. We got a lot of fantastic gifts and I just can't wait to use them all! Chris and I went through all of the gifts this evening and found a home for each and everyone of them in the nursery. Thank you again T for making today so special! And a big thank you to all of you who came to the lunch shower as well. I truly feel so blessed to have such amazing co-workers.

As I mentioned we got a lot of great gifts but there is one in particular I thought I would share as I about died when I opened it! My friend Ryan, who I took to the NKOTB Concert a couple weeks ago, got me a ticket to go with him to see Britney in April!!! I am so excited as I have always loved Brit and can't wait to see the show! He also included a really funny book. At first glance I refused to take it out of the bag. Remember I am at work when I am opening the gifts and everyone is staring at me waiting to see what I pull out of the bag. Well the title was "Porn For New Moms." I instantly was beat red and thought "oh great Ryan what did you get me!" After some pursuading I took the book out and found it wasn't anything too naughty but really funny quotes with pictures of dads that any new mom would enjoy! Here are a few quotes that made me laugh...but first you have to picture a really cheesey photo next to it of the dad posing (fully clothed) doing whatever the quote is talking about. I really can't do this justice but trust me it's pretty funny! Chris even got a good laugh out of it but quickly said, "I don't think I like this book too much!" LOL

- First Quote: "Let's not have sex tonight. Let me just rub your feet while you tell me about the baby's day."

- Second Quote: "Sure you girlfriends can drop their babies off here while you girls go to the bar. The more the merrier!"
- Third Quote: "Don't worry honey. Your mom and I will take wonderful care of our baby while you and your girlfriends are at the spa"
- Final Quote for now: "No, no! Sit down! I'll do the dishes. After nine months of pregnancy, 26 hours of labor and 18 stitches, you don't have to do a damn thing around here!"
- Ok one more...."You say your breasts have gotten smaller since birth? I hadn't noticed. They look amazing!"

I will share more of these quotes from time to time as they are sure to make you smile...at least they do me.

And of course my fellow Coug, Theresa, got me a WSU onsie! Being his parents met roaming the streets of Pullman it is so appropriate. Also, as you all know I am originally from Kentucky. One of my other co-workers is also a Kentucky native and knows just how die hard us "Cat" fans are and got us a UK Onsie. So looks like before our little guy arrives he will already be a Coug and Cat fan! Maybe he will help one of these teams back to getting some "W's" here soon!

And here are a few other of the gifts we got...

Airplane Robeeze (perfect since dad is now a pilot!)
Cow Bib (so freakin' cute!)

And, of course my favorite...
Lastly, here is a pic of my almost 32 week belly! Seriously I don't think I can get any bigger...but still have a little bit further to go! It looks like a basketball is stuck to the front of me! How did this happen?!?!?

All About Labor

My morning started off with a message from Laurel that she was at the hospital in labor! Just a little after the lunch hour little baby Jett James Ortega entered the world. Congratulations Russ and Laurel! I can't wait to meet him and for our boys to grow up together. I love you both dearly!

We also wrapped up our 2nd birth class this evening. The full three hours were spent talking about labor and all the various stages, what to expect, tips, etc. There is so much information that it is a bit overwhelming. I can't imagine Chris or I remembering all this stuff. However, we are going to put together a birth plan and practice some techniques so when the time does come and we are a bit more distracted we at least have something to refer to.

Anyway, I just had to share the visual the teacher gave us tonight. I don't think I will ever look at a turtle neck sweater in the same way ever again! She was describing what it looks like at 10cm (fully dilated) and said the vaginal walls are wrapped around the head of the baby from basically ear to ear...kind of like trying to put on a turtle neck sweater. I about died. I never would have even put that visual in my head!

Looking forward to next Tuesday where we get to learn tips to a natural childbirth and tips for births with medication. I really want to try to go without meds but am keeping an open mind about it all as I have no clue what my pain tolerance is going to be. Until next time...