I love being a mom

Stephen said the other day that there is no love like the love you feel for your child. I always believed that abstractly but having Annika here has made me realize it intensely. I'm still on modified bedrest (that is, I can have a life but can't really do anything too physical) so I spend a lot of time holding the babe. A few people have said, "That must be hard/boring/tiring - always having to be with/hold the baby." Not really. I'm constantly fascinated by how no matter how tired or frustrated I get, I smile as soon as I look at my lovely daughter. I really do love being a mom.

Christmas and update

I can't believe Annika's 1 month old already! She's growing so quickly (9 lbs. 9 oz and 22 inches at her 2-week visit!) and becoming more and more beautiful by the day. We feel so lucky - she's such an easy-going baby, smiley and only cries when she's REALLY upset. Otherwise she's sleeping, eating or staring intently with her beautiful grey (for now) eyes. I mean look at this face!

We had our first trip down to Marlboro for Christmas. Imagine the back seat of our little Jetta with Annika in her car seat in the middle and a dog on either side. Everyone seemed happy enough - Annika even slept for the entire 2.5 hour trip.

Christmas with the Whitemans was low-key - we ate great food, relaxed, read and participated in a Turklet lovefest! We couldn't resist pictures with Annika in the Xmas outfit Yaya got for her - here are a few:

Yes, we're definitely turning into photo happy parents. We can't help it - she's just do damn cute! Look at what I mean:

 Thanks to Michael, Margery and Eliza for the fun times. It was great for Annika to meet her Aunt Zaza and to have more time with grandparents. Our next big trip - Cincinnati in the spring! Annika's first plane trip!

Turklet (aka Annika Maeve) has arrived

After a long wait, our beautiful daughter has arrived. Born December 1 at 1:49 am, Annika is perfect. She let us know of her arrival with the most beautiful sound in the world, a loud, bright cry! Weighing in at 8 lb 11.3 oz and measuring 21.5 inches, she's no lightweight but you'd be surprised at how skinny she is! Check her out:

We are happier than we can describe and look at her in wonder everyday.

Due to some complications with the birth, I'm on bed rest for another week. This means that Stephen has had to do EVERYTHING! I can't believe how lucky I am that I have someone who takes care of me completely. He has stepped up in a way that I don't think many people could - in addition to his own work, he's cooking, cleaning, and generally taking care of his family and household and still takes the time to come and hang out with us in bed. Annika absolutely adores her daddy - and he adores her. She stares at him and responds immediately to his voice and (for those of you who have had the pleasure of hearing them) his nonsense songs (Stephen loves to takes familiar tunes and assign his own words - and by his own words I mean words you won't find anywhere but in his head).

This is without a doubt one of the most wondrous times in our lives and we're relishing every moment. Annika is a joy and brings us immeasurable happiness. We look forward to introducing her to all of the people that mean the most to us.

Still here, still pregnant

Okay, 10 days overdue now. And truly, I'm 10 days overdue. I've had several people say, "Overdue is relative. You can't know exactly when you're due." With us, that's not exactly true. We know to the day how old this baby is. We could probably find out to the minute what time it was conceived if we called the lab! I think that, in part, plays into the frustration we feel when we're told to be patient, the baby will decide when to come. It's not as though we're playing with any uncertainty here.

In any case, we're still pregnant. And, yes, I've tried everything. I walk everyday. I meditate. I stretch. My doula or Stephen does acupressure on my every day. I've done acupuncture a few times. I've had my membranes stripped. I've even tried castor oil and herbs (according to a regiment given to me by my midwives). Spicy food, well, is not much of an option since I eat it all the time. And relaxing, I'm doing my best but there are times when I just have to let myself feel the way I'm feeling!

Thanks to you who have offered words of support and love. I'll keep you posted and hopefully have good news of arrival VERY soon!

Okay, it's time

I realize that many women wait longer than this for a baby (goodness knows I've heard about most of them!) but I've decided it's time for Turklet to arrive. I know that there's nothing to do but wait (Stephen and I have decided against induction unless completely necessary) but, goodness!, I think 4 years is a long enough time to wait for this little one.

Anyhow, here's today's pic:

I don't this this Turklet needs to bake any longer!!

Blue moon!

During an acupressure session with my doula yesterday, she mentioned that tonight would be a blue moon. I knew that it was going to be a full moon (and hoping for evidence of the anecdotes of its impact on labor) but didn't know about the blue moon status. She sent me this article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20101119/sc_space/thereallystrangestorybehindsundaysbluemoon. If only amusing, it adds some punch to the mystical power of the day (and night) in our continuing hopes that Turklet is not, indeed, waiting to be born on Thanksgiving.

Also in our conversations, I mentioned to her that my Braxton Hicks contractions had gotten more noticeable. Her response was, "Well, that's an excellent sign - that could very well be your experience of early labor." I thought to myself, "Hmm, really? Labor without pain? Wouldn't that be a treat, even if it is only a small portion of the work to meet the babe." Anyhow, we'll see how that pans out - if the more intense tightening in my belly does indeed lead to more productive work in my body. As has been made clear, time will tell!!!

An attempt to amuse and inform

In response to a friend's request, now that I'm officially post-date ( the PC version of overdue) I'll try to post something everyday to keep everyone informed.

Yesterday our wonderful doula, Elizabeth, came over to show us some acupressure points that might help to encourage labor. Later that night, as we relaxed watching episodes of Deadwood, Stephen applied what we had learned. Nothing. Today I went to a naturopath who specializes in prenatal and labor acupuncture. She found the spots quickly and though I haven't really had any cramping the Braxton Hicks have picked up and intensified. Here's to hoping that that turns into something more productive very soon!