He's on the move!!!

We watched Frankie struggle for weeks to figure out how to crawl. He had the position and he could even rock back forth but he just couldn't seem to get his arms and legs to move him anywhere! When I picked him up from daycare Monday, November 15th, his teacher Gaby commented that he was all over the place! I gave her a very confused look and she said "oh, you didn't know! He has been crawling all day!" Frankie couldn't have picked a better day for it was Frank's birthday! So happy birthday to his daddy! We will always remember the day he started crawling.

Frankie's First Halloween

My work has a Halloween lunch every year. Frankie loved seeing all the people dressed up in costumes.

7 months

Frankie turned 7 months on Monday! I just cannot believe how fast the time has gone by! He has changed so much. He is sitting up really well now. The face plants to the floor are not happening quite as often. And he "talks" all the time now. Here are a couple of my fav pics over the past few months.

Coming up on 4 months.......

I cannot believe that Frankie will be 16 weeks old tommorow! Time has just flown by! I have not been a very active blogger since his birth even though there has been plenty to blog about. I will do my best to update the blog with everything we have experienced over the past couple of months.

I will start with Frankie's one month professional pictures. My mom came back out to California to help me with him the week he turned one month old so I decided to take advantage of having her around and take Frankie for his first professional pictures. He did really well; so well in fact that the photographer who usually only allows 2 changes of clothes, let us do 4 changes! Here are some of my favorite pictures:

The only time he cried was when the photographer asked us to leave him in only his diaper for a couple of pictures; he hated not having clothes on so he screamed until we put his clothes back on him. I am looking forward to taking him back for his 6 month pictures in a couple of months!

Sent home from the hospital again and finally: the birth.........

Wednesday evening, March 10th, Frank and I spent the evening watching NCIS episodes. I started noticing contractions that were consistent and more painful than before. They eventually got closer together until they were 5 minutes apart. We waited for 2 hours and then headed to the hospital around 10 pm. At the hospital, I was hooked up to the monitors again and the nurses confirmed that my contraction were 5 minutes apart but I was only 1 cm dilated. After about 2 hours they sent us home and said to wait for the contractions to get stronger but they were sure I would go into labor in the next few hours - days. We arrived home around 12:30 am and by 1 am, I was pretty sure I was finally in labor. The contractions were 2-3 minutes apart and much stronger! I took a bath and walked around the house, bounced on my exercise ball, etc to try to distract myself from the pain. Finally around 2:30 am, I awoke Frank and told him we had to go back to the hospital. This time the hospital kept us there. I was still not dilating but since I was feeling so much pain, they admitted me. Around 5 am, I was 2-3 cm dilated and they offered me the epidural which I gladly accepted after 4 hours of painful contractions. The epidural was incredible!!! I felt no more pain and I was able to sleep! After receiving the epidural, the nurses started me on pitocin to kick the contractions into gear and they broke my water. Then they moved us to a labor and delivery room that was huge! We had a gorgeous view of the Hollywood Hills and we could even see the Hollywood sign!

At 1 pm, the nurse came in to check me and I was fully dilated but the baby was still high so they were going to wait for him to drop more before pushing. A couple hours later, he still had not dropped so the nurse decided I should push some just to see if it would help him along. I pushed for 2 hours before the doctor came in and said my pushing was great but it was not doing anything :(. Everytime I pushed, he would move down the birth canal but once I stopped pushing, he was returning to his original position. Also, I was now running a fever so the doc was concerned about infection. He told us he felt a C-section would be best at this point. We were extremely disappointed but ultimately we just wanted Frankie to be delivered safely. Once we agreed to the C-section, Frank was given sterile scrubs to put on and I was whisked away to an OR for prep and Frank was brought in to sit beside me before they started. Baby Frankie was born March 11th at 7:10 pm; He was 7 lbs 12 oz and 20.5 inches and he had a head full of hair! Frank cut the cord and snapped lots of pictures.

Due date came and went and still no Frankie

I realize the day is not quite over but I am disappointed that it looks as if Frankie is not going to making an appearance today. In a few hours, he will officially be pastdue! In anticipation of the day being a bit depressing, I decided to pamper myself. After completing some chores around the house this morning, I treated myself to a manicure/pedicure. It felt amazing and the gentleman who did my pedicure actually massaged my feet (in the past, I have had people who would not touch my feet in fear that I would go into labor)! Then I went to see what might be my last movie in the theater for a while.... Alice in Wonderland in 3D and IMAX. I enjoyed the movie and had contractions while watching it! But so far, the contractions have not gotten any closer than 30 minutes apart. They are more intense so that is making me hopeful that maybe I am on the home stretch. I finished off the last of the spicy chili for dinner; figured it couldn't hurt. Wish me luck.....

40 W Doctor's Appointment

I had my 40 week appointment today. Doc said Frankie looks great and I have to come back again Thursday. I let him know that I had lost my mucus plug over the weekend and he said he didn't think I would make it to my Thursday appointment! Here's hoping he's right!

Foots made me some great spicy chili over the weekend. It is almost gone but sadly it has not caused me to go into labor. It is really spicy though! Frankie gets incredibly active after I eat it!

Golf

I played golf Friday with Frank, Foots, Martin, and Dave. I had a great time and even played ok. It was so nice to get out of the house and be outside in the beautiful SoCal weather! We had a group of men playing behind us who were fascinated with the fact that I was playing golf 9 months pregnant. They were taking bets on which hole I would go into labor. Thanks for a great time guys!

39 W Doctor's appointment

I had my 39 Week appointment today. The nurses hooked me up to the fetal monitors for 30 minutes to monitor Frankie and my contractions. The doc said Frankie's heartbeat looks great. Then the doc did an ultrasound to measure the amniotic fluid and Frankie's head. The doc said based on the head measurement, Frankie is most likely around 7 lbs right now. I have to return on Monday for another appointment. The doc assured me that he would not allow me to go past 41 weeks so at the latest, Frankie will be born by March 16th or 17th. But the doc seemed to think I wouldn't go past next Thursday or Friday. I hope he is right!

Belly pictures: 39W2D

I realized that I haven't posted a belly picture in a while and well my belly is now enourmous! So here is the 39 week 2 day belly shot! Frank really enjoys laughing at it! He likes to put things under my belly and then ask me if I can see them!

Still no Frankie......trying to pass the time

As the days go by and Frankie stays put, I find myself feeling disappointed and somewhat depressed especially after the false alarm. I am feeling more uncomfortable everyday with the pressure his head is putting on my bladder and pelvic area. I am actually feeling quite a bit of pain from the pressure and I usually visit the bathroom every 30 minutes!

To pass the time, I have been doing chores around the house, walking, organizing the nursery, and watching tv & movies. My latest project is painting some pictures for the nursery bathroom. If these small pictures work out then I am going to attempt larger ones for the nursery. I almost forgot to take pictures of the drawings I did before I started painting so here are a couple of pics after I started the painting. I am not sure if these will get done before Frankie arrives but I am enjoying the painting in the meantime.

 

 

False Alarm

Early Saturday morning. I started having contractions about 10 minutes apart. I was up all night and by 6 am they were anywhere from 3 minutes to 9 minutes apart. I woke Frank up and let him know and we decided that we should go to the hospital soon. Frank proceeded to find any and every task he could think of to stall us leaving! A few of those tasks were setting up the pack'n'play in our room, changing the litter box, trimming his side burns, and drilling a new hole in his belt so it would fit better! It was entertaining and annoying at the same time but we finally left the house around 8 am. I drank water the whole way to the hospital because I figured the docs would not let me have any more once we checked in. I got hooked up to the monitors for contractions and Frankie's heartbeat and my contractions started to space out and the pain was almost completely gone. Turns out the docs think I was just in need of water and the dehydration was causing contractions that were not actually doing anything to progress labor. So they gave me lots of water, monitored me for an hour or so and sent us home! It was so frustrating and disappointing! Frank and I were excited on the way to the hospital thinking that we would be bringing Frankie home soon. For the remainder of Saturday and Sunday, I took it easy in hopes of not going into labor so that Frank could participate in a golf tournament Sunday and not worry about me. I am now drinking an insane amount of water and most of the contractions have stopped. The only ones I do have are much more intense than before. Today, I went for a walk around the neighborhood for about 2 hours (I took lots of breaks) to try to kick start labor but the contractions are still pretty spread out. For now, I just have lots of pressure and I have to use the bathroom every 30 minutes! Frankie is still really active which can get painful at times. Hopefully he will decide soon to leave his cozy nest. In the meantime, I will continue sitting on my exercise ball, walking as much as possible, and eating spicy foods.

38 W Doctor's Appointment

It is so hard to believe I have made it to 38 Weeks! I really thought that Frankie would arrive as soon as I was allowed to move around! I had my 38 week appointment this morning and all is well. Frankie is definitely in position and ready to go. I am around 70% effaced but I have not started dilating yet. The doc asked me to make my next two appointments and if I make it to the 2nd one (week 40), then we will talk about inducing. I am so ready for Frankie to arrive now. I know all the tricks probably don't work but I have tried eating spicy food (which I don't normally tolerate) and I have been doing a lot of walking and going to the driving range with Frank. Nothing seems to be working but my golf swing has improved and the people at the driving range seem to get a kick out of seeing me hit balls! My favorite comment so far is that I must be growing a Tiger Woods in my belly.

Below are some updated pictures of the nursery: I finished painting the mirror and we hung the quilt on the wall. I still need to find a bookcase and have my cross stitches framed. I think I may attempt to create some paintings for the room since I still have some "free" time on my hands as I wait for Frankie.

 

The mirror before & after.

The new curtains and the mirror on the wall. (the full size bed will be removed after family visits)

 

  

The quilt on the wall. (the crib will only be on this wall while the full size bed is in the room. I am trying to find a bookcase to put under the quilt.)

The adorable ceiling fan Frank installed.

Work Baby Shower

My co-workers threw me a baby shower yesterday. It was great to see everyone! They gave us so much for baby Frankie and they made an adorable diaper cake! I don't think there is anything else we need now! I enjoyed socializing with everyone. I had almost forgotten why I love my job so much - it is the people I work! They are all so much fun to be around. Here are a couple of pictures of all the baby items they gave us and the diaper cake. Once I get pictures of the actual shower from some of my co-workers, I will post them also.

 

We received lots of baby wipes, a tub, sheets, clothing, blankets, bottles, and lots of other things!

The diaper cake was absolutely adorable! If you look at the bottom tier, the letters spell out Frankie.

I need to figure out something special to do for everyone at work! I think may do some baking for them this weekend and drop some cookies off to them next week. 

Guess the date, weight, & height of Frankie

Post a comment with your guess. I will go first:

2/25/10
7 lbs 6 oz
21 inches

37W Doctor's Appt

I went to the doctor Monday for my 37 week appointment. All is well with me and the baby. The doctor has lifted the bed rest order and said I can now increase my activities. The doc said baby Frankie has dropped (I didn't need him to tell me that! The increased trips to the bathroom made that pretty clear!). So now we are just waiting for labor to start. Frank and I went to the driving range yesterday and I hit balls with him for an hour. I was hitting golf balls pretty well despite being huge! It was so nice to be out in the sun and moving around again! I was pretty wiped out last night though and I was ready for bed by 6 pm!

36W Doctor's Appt:: We finally made it!

I had my 36 week appointment Monday morning! The whole doctor's office was excited that we made it this far! Everything looks great! The doc says I could go any day or make it a few more weeks. We will see....
At this point, we are just looking for the contractions to become regular. I am having lots of contractions but they come and go right now. The doc gave me permission to increase my activities some but he warned me not to go shopping at the mall for 3 hours! (Does that mean 2 1/2 hours would be ok?) I went to target after my doctor's appointment!!! It was so exciting to be out of the house and around people but I was exhausted afterwards and ended up taking a two hour nap when I got home! I am going to try to either run an errand or do a chore at home every day to help out Frank. Today is some laundry and a little bit of vacuuming. I have never been so excited to vacuum! Tomorrow, I think I will run to Babies R us for some items we still want for the baby.

My next creative project: I found an old mirror I had from college in our storage room. I have decided to paint it with the stripes from the nursery and use it on one of the solid green walls. Hopefully, I can get that done this week sometime and have Frank hang it up this weekend.

I picked out curtains for the nursery but I still need to decide on the curtain rod and a ceiling fan. I am having trouble picking out a ceiling fan but my goal is to make a final decision this week and get it ordered!

Belly pictures: 35W 4D

Here's the latest belly picture! I found my first stretch mark last week. I was so close to making it without any! I am becoming more and more uncomfortable by the day. We had an ant problem yesterday and since Frank was not at home, I had to deal with it. I had to vacuum multiple times to get rid of them which caused a lot of back discomfort and some contractions last night. The contractions have continued today but they are not close together so it looks like I am fine for now. Hopefully the contractions will not get any closer together for a few more days!

35W Doctor's Appt

I had my 35 week appointment this morning. Frankie is doing great. Unfortunately, the doctor would not allow any increase in activity for me. I have to stay on bedrest for now because my cervix has started to shorten again. While I have reached a point where if labor starts, the doctors will no longer stop it, they prefer I make it a little bit longer. The doc estimated Frankie needs another week to week & a half to measure where the doctor would like. Turns out there is a high correlation with the size of the head and the maturity of the lungs. Frankie's head measurement is 3 mm away from his lungs being fully matured. I have started to have real contractions but they are not regular so no need to be alarmed yet. Hopefully they will hold off until at least next week!

Last week, I had visitors for lunch twice! It was so nice to see friends and co-workers and have tasty food! The week seemed to go by so much faster! I finished the main part of my cross stitch. All I have left is Frankie's name and birth information. 

This week, I am hoping to shop for a ceiling fan and curtains/blinds for the nursery. I have had trouble making any decisions online but I would like to get the nursery done so I may not have a choice!

Week 34 Doctor's Appointment

Another week has passed and little Frankie is still baking. The doc said his heartbeat is perfect! I have to go back in one week to get checked again. For now, the doctor said to stay on bedrest! It is kind of depressing as I was hoping for permission for a slight increase in activity but I know this is what is best for Frankie. So I will countdown until next Monday when I have my 35 week appointment and hope for permission to increase my activity then.

To pass the time the past month, I have been working on a cross stitch for the nursery (which is close to being completed), and watching tons of TV and movies. Netflix streaming through the PS3 has been great! I am currently watching the first season of Heroes and Frank and I are working on season 3 of Dexter and Season 2 of NCIS.

Here is a pic of what the final cross stitch design will look like and a pic of how far along I am on it:

Doctor's Appointment 33 weeks

I went back to the doctor today for another check up. Frankie looks good. He is now measuring normal instead of a couple of weeks big. My cervix has increased a bit and the doc just said to keep doing what I am doing. I have to go back in a week to get checked again. Only two more weeks to 35 weeks and they said I may be able to increase my activity.

Belly pictures: 33W

My belly seems to be growing out of control!

Nursery Furniture

The crib and dresser/changing table combo came in last week. Frank went and picked it up and put them together this past weekend. The room is actually starting to look like it is almost ready!

Nursery status

Before all the bed rest started, Frank and I worked on the nursery over the Christmas holidays. We bought moulding and I assisted Frank in putting it up in the room and then I painted the moulding. Here are some before and after pictures. There are still some areas that need to be touched up but that will have to wait until I make it to 36 weeks or after Frankie arrives.

The before picture (below)

The moulding before Frank cut it (above).

The saw Frank rented (below).

 

The first two walls completed. (above)

The last pieces in place (above)

And the final pictures after painting the moulding (below)