Star Sleeper

A couple of nights ago our little angel slept for 9 hours straight! 9! And in the past week she has also had a few 8 hour stints as well. However, those nights are mixed in with the ones where she gets up at 3am and 6am...but still we're not complaining! It is also getting easier to put her down to sleep. It was never that hard, there was just definitely an art to it! Now, basically once I get her in her swaddle she is instantly in dreamland. I know the day is coming all too soon when she will outgrow her swaddle (babies can't be swaddled once they start moving around more and rolling over) and I don't know what we are going to do then...

She is "talking" more and more...Nick and I will leave her in her pack 'n play and we'll go upstairs - all of a sudden we will just hear her make noises and do her little "talks" and smile at her toys. She is completely content having a little conversation all by herself (for a few minutes anyway...then the "talks" turn into whines and eventually crying). I have been putting her on her play mat quite a bit lately and her favorite thing right now is to look at herself in the little mirror that hangs down. She will smile and talk to herself for a good while...it is so funny!

As for my "get in shape" update, I am officially going back to the gym as of yesterday! Nick is more than happy to make watching Gabi a priority so I can go to the gym - I know he has ulterior motives for this but I don't blame him, I don't like being smushy either :) I don't know how I am ever going to get back in shape though; I did a few sets of squats and some ab exercises a few days ago and I am STILL sore. Pathetic. I have to start somewhere I guess. I have about 7 or 8lbs to lose and muscle to gain to get back to my pre-baby bod. Ugh.

Nick is keeping busy as usual. He plays basketball on Monday nights and has now also joined a flag football league, so he has those games sunday nights. Gabs and I might head out next week to watch him play :) His work is continuing to go well which is great since I am currently a stay-at-home mommy. I am really enjoying my time with Gabrielle but also working on updating my resume and getting my application ready for school. We will just see what happens this year and what I end up doing! Regardless, I hope to be able to start working part-time within the next couple of months.

Anyhow, I figure I will complete the baby survey that I have seen floating around....

Were you married at the time? Yes

What was your reaction when you found out you were pregnant? Shock! I was definitely not expecting it to be positive...the first thing I did was reread the test instructions to be sure I wasn't losing my mind!

How old were you? 24 when I became pregnant and 25 when Gabrielle was born

How did you find out you were pregnant? Funny story really...we had (very) recently taken the approach that "whatever happens, happens" in the baby department. Well, it was Sunday morning and I had a dentist appointment the following day for a checkup and xrays. Being the paranoid person I am, I figured I should just be sure I wasn't pregnant before getting xrays so I took a test...and it was positive! The line was faint (it was still early) but it was there!

Who did you tell first? The hubs, of course. I went back to the bedroom where he was still asleep, turned on the light, and told Nick he had to wake up! We were a bit skeptical about the whole pregnancy thing (it being healthy and viable, that is) so we waited a good amount of time before telling others.

Did you want to find out the sex? Yes, that was one thing we easily agreed on :) Though, baby almost didn't cooperate!

Due date? November 9th, 2009

Did you deliver early or late? 3 days late, though if it were up to Ms. Gabrielle, who knows how late it would have been! I was induced due to low amniotic fluid 2 days past my due date and I gave birth 3 days past my due date.

Did you have morning sickness? Ugh, yes. I never physically got sick, but I was horribly nauseous from week 6 to week 11 or 12.

What did you crave? Just food in general :) I had a healthy appetite for the majority of my pregnancy...hence the need for the gym now. Not really any big cravings, though...when I had morning sickness all I would eat was yogurt, noodles, breadsticks, and Chex bold party mix (yes I know, a weird combo). For the rest of the pregnancy I was kind of turned off by fish and seafood, which I usually really like. That is about it, I think.

What irritated you the most? Ha - this could get lengthy :) Stupid people mostly. The biggest gripe I probably had was that all anyone would say during the first 2/3 of my pregnancy was how "little" and "small" I looked. Early in pregnancy all I thought about is if the baby is healthy and normal...people telling me how small I looked and saying that I don't even look pregnant drove me nuts. But then during the last trimester when I was large, swollen, and uncomfortable all I heard was "Geez, haven't you had the baby yet? You're HUGE already!" or "Oh my gosh you have a whole MONTH to go still?? You're going to EXPLODE!" Grrr....

What was your first child’s sex? Girl

How many pounds did you gain throughout the pregnancy? 32 pounds - I met my goal of staying within the recommended 25-35lb range, but I still have about 8lbs to lose...

Did you have any complications during your pregnancy? Not really, I had a pretty uneventful pregnancy. I had low blood sugar and some dizzy spells, I had quite a few headaches especially towards the end, and some acid reflux...but that is about it (well, and having to be induced of course). Nothing major though!

How many hours were you in labor? 14 hours and pushed for over 2 1/2 hours. Started pitocin at 8:30pm on November 11th and gave birth at 10:38am on November 12th.

Who drove you to the hospital? The husband

Did you take medicine to ease the pain? I got an epidural, though all it much did was make my right leg numb. The anesthesiologist was able to give me a shot of something (no idea was it was, and at the time did not care!) that was wonderful and gave me some relief, though only for about 45 minutes...

How much did your child weigh? 7lbs 4oz

What did you name him/her? Gabrielle Sophia

How old is your first born today? 7 weeks 6 days

Who does your child look like? She has her daddy's dark hair, blue eyes, and big lips but with her eyes closed people have said that she looks like me. Overall I'm not sure who she really looks like!

Did you get mad at your husband during labor? Definitely not. I never had any urge to yell at him. I was exhausted, scared, and in pain...I needed him!