Yesterday and Today

Correction!

The midwife came over yesterday to check on things, and when we weighed Aven we realized that the midwife's assistant must have read the scale wrong yesterday! We think it was probably 8 pounds, THIRTEEN ounces (that's a big difference!). Her weight has already changed so it's hard to know for sure, but today she's a little less than that and it makes sense that they just didn't see the one in front of the three. BIG BABY!

Meet Aven Lily Morgan!

Moments after her birth

Meeting

Both very tired!

First night

Day two... less puffy!

Aven was born at home (don't worry ... on purpose!) at exactly 12:00 on Sunday, April 8, her due date! She weighed 8 pounds, 3 ounces, and came into the world fists first (which leads us to believe she's going to be a drama queen). She took her time coming; my first contractions were at 5:30 a.m. on Saturday the 7th, and lasted all day but didn't progress too much until about 10 or 11 p.m. My midwife came to our house at 1 a.m. and eleven long hours later she was born! It was hard work, and I won't say it didn't hurt, but every minute was worth it and she is everything we could hope for! Justin was truly a perfect partner/supporter through labour and birth, and he's a natural with Aven.

Aven (rhymes with raven) is a name that we thought of the first year we were married. It's a variation of the name Ava (but of course, we always try to be unique!), and Lily is my maternal grandmother's first name.

Thank you to everyone for your prayers and phone calls and best wishes! We look forward to introducing you to our daughter in the days to come.

Oh and, the winner of the guessing game/pool appears to be Amber Tompkins! I just have to double check what her length at birth was :)

39 weeks ... yes, I am STILL pregnant!

38 weeks

Too much to say ... so instead I will say nothing!

I am a Ticking Time Bomb

Time is running out to place your bets on the baby's arrival date and time, sex, weight and length! Just click the yellow "expectnet" box in the top right corner and it will link you.

There aren't any real prizes... maybe just the title of Almighty Smarty Pants?

37 weeks

Just call me Magpie

I've put some photos of the almost-ready baby's room up on my flickr site (click link at the right). There will probably be a few more soon as I put on the finishing touches.

As I approach 37 weeks, I am getting more and more uncomfortable! Rolling over in bed is quite the task, and today I had the first taste of what it means to have "cankles". The baby has started to drop, which is really good, but it also means more pressure for my pelvis (and bladder!). I'm excited to hit the 37 week mark because then there's no chance of having a premature baby! (37 weeks and 1 day would be A-okay with me though!)

I've also discovered that I seem to have developed temporary carpal tunnel ... my hands go numb when I sleep and they constantly feel stiff, sore, and swollen. But apparently it's quite common in late pregnancy, so I'm just going to have to deal with it!

And finally, it seems I have developed a weird craving after all! It may surprise you ... it's ICE. Yes, crunchy small pieces of ice that you get in your fountain pop. You may have heard about a condition (most often in pregnancy) called "pica", which means "magpie". Magpies will eat just about anything, and women with this condition can crave anything from DIRT and SOAP to ASHES and CHALK (basically anything non-food)! Ice is one of the things listed on there (thankfully one of the least harmful), so I guess I have a mild form of it. It's strange though ... lately my toothpaste, foamy facial cleanser, and minty lip balm seem especially yummy to me when I use them. Don't worry, though, I don't have any plans to drink my soap!

36 weeks

I look so unimpressed here in my sweats :) (note: Tiger Brand sweatshirt dress from the outlet store = amazing as a maternity shirt)

This is what happens when you try to block a flash; it looks like I'm holding a piece of nuclear waste.

The standard no-head, side-belly-shots have been added to the slide show.

35 weeks

This would all be much easier if my silly back wasn't so curved!

Yes, I do have a head.

I've been getting some requests for photos that show more than just my belly. I usually take photos of myself, so rather than set up the timer and walk away to try make a dorky pose look somewhat human, I tend to hold ithe camera at arm's length (and all I can capture is the belly!). But since you're not getting the "whole picture", here are some full-body shots to keep you entertained.

So my cats are a little possessive ... "My belly! My bum! Don't touch!" (And yes, I am as uncomfortable as I look)

I think I have bad posture.

My face looks more pregnant than my belly here!

Completely sticking it out.

This last one should show you how different shirts can make my belly look totally different sizes!

There's a haul in my hall!

For a few more photos of my baby shower, click the Flickr link on the right column.

33 weeks

What's that you ask? Am I smuggling a basketball? Why yes, I am indeed!

32 weeks

Okay, so... can I stop growing now? This size is about as big as I'd like to be! (Too bad that I have about 8 weeks to go and supposedly the baby will DOUBLE in size by then!)

Assembly!

Again, Rerun is interested in making sure the new products meet his rigorous standards.
I just threw some random blankets/pillows in to make it look pretty for a photo... this is not the actual bedding we'll be using (pillows in cribs are bad!)
Thanks for the crib and mattress Mom and Dad! They were much needed :)

31 weeks (belated)

Lately it feels as though my ribs are being driven apart by a very small, very intent person! Ow!

30 weeks

Curious

Rerun is very interested in product testing.

29 weeks

I'm feeling more movement than ever ... and it's become much more apparant that someone is running out of room! I can feel very pronounced limbs digging into me at any given time. The good news is that the baby is almost head-down already. There is still lots of time for this to happen... but it's unlikely that there will be a flip back up to the breech position!