Getting there

This is me today!!

11 days until my due date. We are almost in the single-digits here, people! I look around the apartment and see of the baby things, but I still can't believe that in less than two weeks, this will be a household of three! I have not felt any contractions yet, and continue to see the doctor weekly. I am really having a hard time working now. Walking and sitting really aggravate my sacroiliac joint. I stayed home from work today to try and rest my back by laying down as much as possible. I do not even have shoes that fit me anymore. Last week I wore flip-flops, with a "back-up" pair of shoes to switch to once I got to the floor to see my patients. When I tried to put on the shoes, they did not fit.

My appetite continues to be quite fine! I continue to crave Double Stuf Oreos. Earlier Nick and I were at odd because he bought regular Oreos. NOT OK! Now we each have our own kind of Oreos. Other cravings have included peach desserts. I made a peach buttermilk pie last week, but it did not turn out so good. This weekend I made a brown sugar peach pie from scratch and it was really good! I have had an urge to bake and try new recipes a lot, which is not good because it requires me to be on my feet, but I think I know that I will not have time for such endeavors when the baby gets here. Although I have been craving sweets, we have been eating healthy foods, too! Lots of fruits and vegetables and grains. My indigestion has peaked this past week and although I hate Tums, they have become a friend.

I had a pretty good weekend, which started out with a happy hour with Elizabeth and Alicia at Z'Tejas on Friday. Had the most delicious banana cream pie with chocolate ever. Wow! Was nice to hang out with the girls, and I am painfully aware that "MY" weekends are numbered from here. Saturday I was up early when Nick had to leave for work. I had lots of ambition to clean out my car, which I sort of did and get a lot done. I went to the grocery store and that about did me in. I came home exhausted and in a lot of back pain. At 2:15, I walked over to the Spa Reveil, which is in the Domain, for my prenatal massage. Cindi and Matt gave me a gift certificate to use there, and it was the nicest most timely gift ever! I had an hour-long massage with scalp massage upgrade and it was very nice. I almost fell asleep 3 times, it was so relaxing. Sunday, we had our 3rd Baptism class and then ran errands around town. The weather actually cooled into the 90s and the pool was too cold for me to get in, so I just read and put my feet in for a while. I think I may go try again today while I am off work. Trying to seize the day in between my naps.

Labor Day Weekend

Well, we made it to Allen and back to Austin without incident. Today is Labor day, but there will be no labor for me. I am still thinking that this baby will be on time (or even a few days late), but that is just my hunch. I will go see Dr. Brown in the morning for another check-up.

We drove up to Allen on Saturday and had a good time! We packed all of our baby things...diaper bag, car seat, hospital bag, etc... just in case the baby decided to come early. I think my mom was half-hoping that she would come while we were in Allen! Anyway, while we were in town we got to see a lot of people and it made for a nice weekend. Solina and Mike came by and brought a caddy full of baby books, a breastfeeding book and other baby items. I am glad that my child now has a little library! I was beginning to feel guilty about her lack of reading materials.

Alex 31 weeks and Carly 37 weeks

We had a nice meal with my parents and Mimi and picked up a couple little things for the baby while in town. My mom bought the baby her Baby Book and that will be fun to get started. She also bought a journal for me and Nick to write in. She showed me the journal she kept for me and it was fun to see the entries about how much I was loved and how happy they were to bring me home. It is a weird feeling to be approaching that full-circle experience with my own daughter. It is a great gift to capture the memories, happiness and joy of what a child means to a family, and I am grateful that my parents did that for me and look forward to doing that for our baby, too. My mom also pulled out some blankets and things that Sarah and I both used as babies. I can remember Sarah's little Baby Dior blanket and it's just so crazy that my little one will be using it, too!

On Sunday, we went to a BBQ at Alex's mom's house. Alex and Chafin arrived in town from Las Vegas on Saturday for a 10-day visit. We hadn't seen the girls in 10 months and my have they grown! Trier has just turned 1 year-old and Siena will be in 3 in November. Alex is due with her baby boy November 1 and she and I were both looking large together. Alex's grandmother gave me a beautiful baby blanket that she knitted herself and it is so lovely. Alex gave me an adorable pair of crocheted booties that she saw me pin on Pinterest. That was fun! Her Aunt Liz is also ordering us a baby glider! The glider is really that last big thing that we needed, so I am so excited and grateful for that.



Nick and Siena Michelle



We are back home now and gearing up for another work week. I am feeling more and more swollen in my face, feet and hands. I did not get much sleep in Allen, so am hoping for a restful slumber tonight.

Hospice Austin Baby Shower



37 weeks with my cake!



I am 37 weeks today and this baby is considered full-term! It's so hard to believe that she is now good to go, and could come at any time. We are getting ready for her, that's for sure.

Today at work, the social workers had a shower for me. Here are some pictures. As I look at myself this wekk, I think "Wow! I am getting huge!" The baby is putting  on about 1 ounce a day at this point and I am hungry all the time. It was a good day at work and I came home and took a nap. Then Nick and I went out for ice cream after dinner. Tomorrow we are headed to Allen to visit the family and I am excited to see them.

Baby Shower at Hospice Austin

Great group of Social Workers at Hospice Austin

Slow and steady

“Life is always a rich and steady time when you 

are waiting for something to happen or to hatch."

~ E.B. White, Charlotte's Web

Progressing to 36 weeks!

It is a rich and steady time, indeed! As the days and weeks grow nearer to the birth day, we are getting increasingly more excited and the addition of this child to our lives and family is becoming more real. On Monday, we went to Seton Williamson Hospital and toured the maternity unit. The hospital is one of the newer hospitals in the area and the facilities are state-of-the-art. We got to see the labor & delivery room and that made things feel very real! Seeing that bed, and those stirrups....very real! After the birth, they keep the babies in the room with the mothers, with only a few exceptions, like when they take the baby for prints. Otherwise, mom and baby (and dad) are all together for good bonding and feeding time together. Hopefully things will go as planned and I will have a normal birth and will only be at the hospital for a day or two. I saw Dr. Brown on Tuesday and she did my first cervical exam. She said I was 1 cm dilated and I will now come in every week to get checked out from here on out.

This past week, Nick also packed the diaper bag for the hospital. The newborn diapers are just the sweetest, smallest things! He picked out a couple of potential "going home" outfits and I ordered a monogrammed baby cap for her to wear as well. She will be a little sweet bundle as she makes her journey from Round Rock, to her first home in Austin!

We continue to attend our classes. We have had 4 birthing classes and 2 baptism and hypnosis sessions. We are almost done with our training! Nick starts his final internship course at Texas State University on Wednesday and he will have a lot to focus on in the coming months. We are hoping that we find a good balance, and hopefully some external support to help us through the busiest/most demanding times. 

So what's left? We are planning to make on more trip to Allen over Labor Day weekend (the holiday, not MY labor day) and see family and friends. Alex and Chafin will be in town from Las Vegas, and it will be nice because we haven't seen them since Trier's baptism. This weekend I will be preparing my birth plan, and starting to pack my hospital bag. The baby's room is basically set up, with just a few odds 'n ends needed yet. I have another baby shower at work this Friday that my fellow social workers are hosting and I am looking forward to that one last celebration before the baby comes. I am just hoping that I can continue to work up until I deliver. Walking is growing increasingly more difficult, with pressure and pain in my lower-mid back on each step. Standing and walking all around the hospitals is really starting to wear me out! 

29 years and 35 weeks

Happy Birthday to Me!
Posing for a photo contest to win Coconut Water

Today is my 29th birthday and I am 35 weeks pregnant. This will be the last birthday I will celebrate before I am forever known as "Mom" to someone. Today has been a busy day. Nick and I started with our first baptism class this morning at St. Louis Catholic Church. The class will meet each Sunday for 4 weeks.  After class we went to eat breakfast and then ran some errands. What I really wanted for my birthday was a pedicure. My feet have been aching and swollen a lot the last couple weeks. Nick and I both got deluxe pedicures and enjoyed the massage and paraffin wax treatments. It was Nick's first time to have a pedicure. It was a nice treat!

 This weekend we have been busy getting more prepared for the baby's arrival. Nick finished assembling the dresser and last night finished laundering all the baby's clothes. She has a LOT of cute clothes and will be well-dressed in her infancy. We also put the Pack 'n Play together and have continued to buy diapers and wipes with our other purchases when we go to the store. Tomorrow night we will go to Seton Williamson Hospital for our tour of the maternity ward and see where this blessed event will happen. Nick is really excited about that. Oh, and what I am really happy about it my birthday present from Nick. He got me a Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper bag. He had the bag filled with wrapped goodies such as wipes, lotions, and other baby accessories to keep us clean and organized. Nick really likes buying things for the baby and I have to keep an eye on him because he can go a little crazy at Buy Buy Baby store.

Tortie on the outside looking in as we prepare baby's room

Assembling Pack n' Play

Nick relaxes at the nail salon

Yaso Visits Austin

On Friday, my friend Yaso flew into town from New York City. I met Yaso back at UT on the first day of classes in 2001. She and I were in the same calculus II class and she helped me get through that treacherous semester of math, which felt like a foreign language to me! Over the years, we have stayed in touch. I visited her in San Francisco in 2005 and she came to our wedding there in 2009. In 2011 we visited in her NY, where she lives and works. She has a very exciting career in the beauty industry and has come a long way since our days at the University. It was great seeing her and hanging out this weekend.

Yaso and Me at the Four Seasons, Austin

We started our day with a breakfast at Kerbey Lane and then went to campus and walked around a bit, but it was too hot to spend much time outside. We ended up at Jim-Jim's for a water ice and then came back to the apartment to spend time in the pool. That night we had dinner on the East side at a Mexican Cantina, Papi Tinos, and finished up at the bars on Rainey Street. On Saturday, Nick joined us and we had brunch at South Congress Cafe, did some shopping, stopped for Macarons at La Patisserie and then another round at Jim-Jim's. More pool time was followed by dinner at House Pizza and drinks at the Four Seasons before we went to watch the bats on Congress Street Bridge. Phew! What a weekend.

Baby Bassett will be in high fashion

Yaso came bearing gifts, too. She is very excited about the baby and loves shopping for baby clothes. She bought the most precious dress from Janie & Jack and the softest blanket I have ever felt from Tourance, a French company. And for me, she came with a wonderful stash of makeup products. What a treat!

Assembly required

Today, Nick and I went and bought a dresser for the baby and have begun to assemble. Over the last two weekends we have been getting more items, such as a pack n' play, rock n' sleeper, diapers and other odd and ends. The baby has a lot of really cute clothes. We are also on the lookout for a rocker/glider, but having a hard time finding one that suits someone tall like me. We have about 5 weeks until the due date and it's coming quick!

Head Down

Today was my 33 week appointment with Dr. Brown. She performed an ultrasound and I was delighted to hear that Baby is already in good position with her head down, ready to be born! Her heart rate is 133 bpm today and things are looking good! In two weeks I will go back and have a pelvic exam to check my cervix and after that I will see the doctor weekly to monitor my blood pressure and urine. So far I have gained 23 pounds and I think that is pretty good.

Tomorrow I have an appointment to meet the pediatrician, Dr. Miller at noon for an hour-long class. I am just checking things off the list now. Last night we bought the stroller frame and an extra car set base for Nick's car. All we really need now is a rocker/glider, dresser and breastfeeding pump. We will also get a crib, but don't plan on having it right away.

The doctor asked me how I was feeling and I told her that I am now starting to feel more aches and pains. She said "it's only going to get worse!" She said that I should do whatever I need to do now because once the baby is here, it will be too difficult to leave the house and that cars are actually the most dangerous threat to babies. After hearing her say this, it made me really glad that we are living in The Domain. I dont think that I will face the risk of isolation like I would have if we were still in Pflugerville. Dr. Brown encouraged daily walks and sunshine. I think the Baby and I will be quite content window shopping and going to the tea shop in her early weeks...and hopefully we will have plenty of visitors to keep us company!