C-secion date scheduled for Friday, July 24th!

We just found out that our c-section date is scheduled for Friday, July 24 at 1:30pm. We are still hoping the baby will turn herself downward before then. If she is still breeched by the 24th then the doctors will try to turn her before the c-section. If they can successfully turn her, then we will be sent home so we can wait for labor to start, but if she remains breeched then we will proceed with the c-section. I can't believe in 11 days we might be meeting our daughter! Will and I are feeling very ready to meet her. We have been anticipating her arrival for several years so we aren't too nervous or anxious. I just hope she isn't much of a screamer.

Here is the most recent picture of my big belly. I am 38 weeks along so hopefully I won't get much bigger than this!

External Versions, Webster Technique, & Moxibustion

As most of you know our little girl is breeched. We found out about 2 weeks ago and if she does not turn herself soon we will have to proceed with a scheduled c-section in about 10 days. Will and I would like to avoid a c-section at all costs so we have tried numerous techniques to try and turn her head-down.

Our first attempt was 2 external versions. This procedure took place in our hospital in which 3 people pushed on my abdomen as hard as they possible could to turn the baby downward. They successfully turned her, but both times she floated right back up! This was the most painful experience I have ever gone through in my life, but I am really glad we at least gave it a try.

Our second attempt to turn her was something called the “Webster Technique.” This is performed by a chiropractor who specializes in this particular method. The basics of the procedure is to pop my sacrum and spin into alignment to help open up my hips and give the baby more room to move down. I actually saw the chiropractor twice but nothing seemed to happen either time.

The third attempt to turn her was an old Chinese technique called moxibustion. I went to see an acupuncturist who specialized in this area and basically he burned incense at the bottom outside corner of my pinky toes and applied pressure to the region for several minutes. I guess there is supposed to be some connection between the bladder and the pinky toe and the heat helps the baby move. (I don’t quite understand it, but I guess it has a very high success rate.) Well, needless to say, the baby didn’t budge.

Aside from these techniques we have also tried playing classical music and shining a light by my underwear line, doing handstands in the pool, laying inverted on a ramp of pillows, and placing ice on the top of my belly. None of these things have worked so all we can do is pray and hope that God turns her for us. We will find out in the next few days what our scheduled c-section date will be. Stay tuned…

Hiccups

Is there something in the water?

From left to right: Siri (due July 17), me (due July 27), Courtnee (due October), Brenna (due December). Siri, Courntee and I are all going to have girls...we still have a few weeks before we find out what Brenna is having.

46 days to go!

I only have 46 days to go before my due date!!! It is crazy how fast the past few months have flown. I had an appointment with my midwife the other day and the baby is sounding and looking great. I guess she is already in the "head down" position so she is ready to go. A common question I frequently receive is if she is a real big kicker, but I must admit she is quite quiet. She rolls around here and there, but usually there are very few kicks. I am hoping it is a sign that she will be a mellow baby. Tomorrow Will and I are taking a birthing class to get us ready for the big event. Hopefully we will learn some great strategies to help us have a pain-med free labor. Fingers are crossed!

Shoes Galore!!!

Our daughter isn't even born yet and she has so many more cuter shoes than me. What a collection!

Cinnamon Rolls and Cookies

I just spent the morning baking my world famous cinnamon rolls and chocolate chip cookies for our upcoming trip to Tahoe. They look yummy! The cinnamon roll recipe is from http://allrecipes.com/ called "Clone of Cinnabon" and according to Will they are a true clone. The chocolate chip cookies are just the Nestle Toll House recipe in which I substitute bread flour for all-purpose. They turn out so soft and chewy (the key is not to over mix or over bake them).

Baby Shower

On Saturday my sister and Mom threw me a wonderful baby shower. We had about 26 women in attendance. We played lots of fun games, ate delicious cake, and opened many presents. It's a day I will always remember!

What a great group of women!

Smile! Starting from the left we have Courtnee (bible study friend), Aunt Linda, Cousin Evonne, and Auntie Mare.

Here I am chatting it up with my bible study friends, Amy and Brenna.

Megan (Will's brother's girlfriend) won the "Guess Mel's Belly Size" game. She accurately predicted my belly circumference perfectly...46 inches. Way to go Megan!

Carol Loscutoff (Will's Aunt) won the nursery rhyme game in which we had to fill in the missing words of different nursery rhymes. I, unfortunately, had the worst score and got only 10 out of 18 correct. I guess I need to start reading more nursery rhymes.

"Guess the Baby Food" game was my favorite game. Here is a picture of Robyn (Will's other brother's girlfriend) tasting some of the different foods. We had to guess what 8 different baby foods were by sniffing and tasting them. My friend, Laura, and I both got 7 out of 8 right so we had to go into a tie breaker. The tie breaker baby food was chicken mango risotto...it was a hard flavor to crack so Laura and I both took the victory.

I received so many wonderful gifts at the shower. We now have a closet full of adorable girl clothes and awesome baby gadgets. One of my favorite gifts, however, was this pillow that was lovingly made by my dear friend Katherine.

Mmmmm, chocolate cake and sparkling cider. Yum!

My mom and sister did a wonderful job with the shower. I couldn't have asked for a more special day. I love them both so very much!!!

Baby's Nursery

The nursery is now put together! Within the past 2 weeks Will and I have transformed the room from a boring office to an adorable nursery. Thankfully the paint color I chose 2.5 years ago really works as a nice nursery color so we did not need to repaint. I was also able to use many Classic Winnie the Pooh items I collected back in high school for the room decor (which saved us a lot of money). We are both very excited about the final product...now all we need is a baby!

Then and Now

Then: June 2003--Will and I took our first trip together to Disneyland

Now: April 2009--6 years and 6 trips later to Disneyland, we still LOVE going to Disneyland!

Disneyland!

Well, we just got back from our last trip together before the baby comes. We drove down to Disneyland on Tuesday and spent the evening in Downtown Disney. On Wednesday we spent the whole day inside of Disneyland Park. Being pregnant I couldn't do any of the fast rides so we leisurely enjoyed the "kiddie" rides such as Peter Pan, Buzz Lightyear, Tea Cups, etc. On Thursday morning we got up early, had some Starbucks and drove home to beat the traffic. It was a short, but wonderful trip. Will and I can't wait to take our kids to Disneyland. It is definitely a magical place!

If you notice our scores, Will blew me away with points every time we went on Buzz Ligtyear. I had no hope of catching him.

One of our favorite things to do while in Disneyland is to grab lunch at the Blue Bayou (located next to Pirates of the Caribbean). Every time we go we order the Monte Cristo sandwich. You can't beat turkey, ham, and swiss cheese on egg bread that is deep fried, sprinkled with powdered sugar and dipped in black berry jam. It is SO DELICIOUS!

Here is a view from our hotel room. Our hotel, The Tropicana, was located right across the street from the park. It is actually closer to walk to the front gates of Disneyland from our hotel than it is from the Disneyland Hotel...go figure.

Third trimester, here I come!

Today I enter into the third trimester (27 weeks along)! I have been feeling great, but I am starting to notice that it is more difficult getting up from the couch or tying my shoes. Everyday it seems my "bump" gets a little bigger. I went to the doctor's last week and everything looks good. The baby was very active during the appointment so it took a few minutes to hear the steady (and perfect) heartbeat. The only issue my doctor had was how much weight I have gained...I guess I need to back off the ice cream and other sugary treats a bit.

I can't believe in 3 more months she'll be here!!! Time sure does fly!

Cute picture from Easter

I just wanted to share this adorable picture of Chloe and Uncle Will on Easter. Too cute!

Outing to Grandma's

Yesterday my sister, mom, nephews, and niece went to Oakland to visit my Grandma Agee. We had a wonderful visit and an amazing lunch at Fenton's Ice Cream Parlor. Fenton's is an old family favorite, with enormous and delicious ice cream creations. Unfortunately the weather was rainy so we were not able to ride the train at Tilden Park, but we still had a wonderful time.

Grandma Agee enjoyed a junior size "black and tan" sundae while Andrew (age 5) tried to polish down his root beer float.

Chloe (age 2) loved the cookies that came with her strawberry ice cream the best!

Josh (age 9) had no problem finishing his root beer float.

Chloe was very kind to carry around my purse all day long for me.

Baby's crib

The baby's crib arrived in the mail last week (JC Penny's shipped it to us in 4 days!) and yesterday was the special day we got to put it together. We are VERY pleased with the final product!

Will did an awesome job assembling the crib. It took him no time at all to read through the poorly translated instructions.

Isn't the final crib beautiful? Will and I love the bedding my mom graciously gifted us from Pottery Barn. It is perfectly girly and will go great with the Classic Winnie the Pooh theme I am doing in the room.

We now have a comfortable home for Valentine (the baby's stuffed monkey). There are only two things left to complete this crib...a baby and a crib mattress!