anabelle's birth story

i finally got it written out. it's sort of long. i suppose i'm a bit of a chatty blogger, ha ha.

still loving every sleeping smile, every squeak, every minute!

click the link below:
anabelle's birth story

drumroll please . .

tadah, anabelle is here!!

here i am on july 10th (39 weeks and 5 days). little did i know that at 9:31pm on the same day i would meet our sweet little daughter.

things happened quite quickly, i was able to have a completely natural birth, and baby is healthy. i was chatting with chris on the phone right after anabelle was born talking about our amazing tiny girl.

anabelle reece allain

july 10, 2010

9:31pm

6lb 10oz

i'm going to work on my labor story for my next post for those who are interested. it seems now that my pregnancy was a while ago. i'm completely amazed each time i look at little anabelle. i feel like when i first fell for chris . . instead of telling my sorority sisters "so, i met this guy over christmas break . . ." instead i feel like saying "so, i met this beautiful sweet little baby who melts my heart . ."

cheers to mommyhood. i truly feel i have found my spot, my calling!

team anabelle

it's week 39. mom is here. suzie is here. we're hoping to meet together with my doula tomorrow. team anabelle is getting ready to go! wonder if anabelle herself is ready.

she has definitely grown some more in this past week. my feet are getting tired, a bit swollen, my body is feeling a little out of sorts, and i'm trying to get use to being waited on. my mom & suzie are taking such good care of me and are loving on me like crazy. both saved the day today - suzie rehung curtains in the living room and mom changed the battery in the smoke detector that decided to start beeping right before bed. thanks ladies!

i'm missing chris more & more . . no surprise there. he seems to be doing well, a tiny bit bored, but in really good spirits. we had a great visit online a few days ago and hopefully we'll get to chat again soon. looks like the VTC from the hospital isn't going to work out so we'll have to rely on phone calls and pics via phone/email at first. i finished up his latest care package today. i'm guessing this will be the last one that isn't stuffed full with pictures of our little daughter!

no contractions yet, just a random twinge here and there. my belly tends to be rather lopsided most of the day. we have another check up on wednesday so my midwife will measure my belly and listen to make sure all sounds well. it will also be a chance to show suzie and mom around the hospital since we'll be there soon setting up camp for belle's arrival.

i thought by now it would all seem real, but i'm still completely amazed that i'm really about to meet her!

preparing for the mommy train

friends are saying baby has dropped. what do you think? i do know she continues to practice her own version of cirque de solie, stretching out, pressing on my ribs and other organs. i still feel really good and am rather mobile. no contractions yet, just slowing down a bit. i'm still fine with waiting.

we've done the hospital tour (not a highlight) and i've finished my birthing classes. now my mom is here (can i get a 'hooray'?!) and we're starting to decide what to pack for the big day, making a couple final purchases for baby's room (heaven knows she doesn't need more clothes), and having fun chatting about what things will be like when anabelle gets here.

i surely do miss chris. he's such a rock for me and i know he will be for belle too. i pray that he knows how much i wish he could be here & how ridiculously proud i am of him.

i'm still weighing in about the same, but baby is growing and thriving. i can't believe i'm going to meet her soon. it's just amazing. you carry them around this whole time and then 'poof' (ok, not really 'poof') there they are in front of your looking like a real baby!

belle & i had our first getaway on sunday when we spent the night at the hotel del in coronado. i volunteered at an event raising money to end childhood hunger. my boss had a comp'd room that she couldn't use and offered it to me. well, sure! it was a fun, quiet little sleepover. i loved getting to hear the ocean waves all night.

horizontal stripes

so what can they do to me now?

there is no hiding this roundness! i continue to be thankful that i still feel so good and baby seems to be doing well (37 weeks!). her movements are more rolly-polly now as she tries to find as much space as she can. i think she's getting quite cramped in there. i'm hoping she can hang in for a few more weeks though. no need to rush . .

my sweet friends deidre & lauren threw a shower for me this weekend. i had a great time. we don't usually have people over at our little condo so i really enjoyed so many friends being here. i'm making my way through all of the goodies and getting my thank you cards done. figured i really should get those finished before belle gets here.

i got to skype with chris a couple times this week. his connection is quite slow so i can't always see him, but he can see me. he always asks for a new belly view and 'we' are happy to model for him.

here is my view . . . can you see her pushing out on the left side?

(i know i have on the same dress in all the pics - it's new & it's comfy!)

four weeks left (give or take)

somehow i'm here with only 4 more weeks (give or take) until anabelle arrives. whoa! i'm feeling really excited about the experience and the challenge, praying things work out for a natural delivery (and completely aware things change), but am just fine waiting one more month for baby.

i just took this picture. man, my belly definitely looks different from above than it does from the side. i was sort of surprised by how much i've grown! no wonder i'm starting to feel the way i'm feeling. my hips are getting loose and my back is a little tired. i'm really looking forward to my massage tomorrow!

chris is about 1 month into this deployment and doing well. we've been able to skype for a bit each weekend which is great and i know will really help us stay connected once anabelle gets here. i can't wait to introduce him to her!

thanks to the ladies i've talked to recently about it all and for the encouragement about having a natural delivery, breastfeeding, and getting through this with the husband away. i appreciate you sharing your stories.

holy hot flash

so that's the newest addition to my pregnancy - one or two hotflashes in the late morning. it's an interesting experience for a girl who tends to get cold if it's below 70 degrees (ok, probably more like 75).

yesterday, i took anabelle over to meet her first boyfriend - the handsome 2 week old mason mccoy (and his sweet mommy, alisha, a fellow chi-o). shhh . . . don't tell her daddy. i'm not sure he can handle there being any boys in the picture quite yet. mason was so perfect and little. bonus that he's a gator!

this is my first week of no work. sort of feels like i'm on summer vacation.

chris and i were able to connect on skype on sunday and had a great visit. he continues to be an over achiever (slightly lacking in the combat 'stash growing department, but that's fine with me. he's looking 'salty/dirty' enough).

the weather has been wonderful. i'm taking my time cleaning up the house, enjoying little cat naps in the afternoon, catching up on some good movies, and planning dates with friends here in san diego.

i have a dr's appt tomorrow and then acupuncture on thursday. just to keep belle motivated in the right direction (ha), each day i've been singing a few made up lines about getting her head down and getting ready. she's probably in there already practicing her 'oh gosh, mom' face.

well, only 5 weeks to go. how incredible!!

*i saw this commercial a few times on the tv & love it. i googled it, youtubed it, and couldn't find it anywhere. when i realized i had caught it with a show i dvr-ed, i figured i'd record it myself. i wanted to share it with chris & figured i'd post it on here too. enjoy!