Goodbye 2010

This year was one for the books. It had its fair share of ups and downs. When I say ups and downs, I mean high as the sky and lowest of the low. I leave 2010 with mixed emotions, I am so glad to have experienced my pregnancy and the birth of my baby girl but am also glad to leave the rest of the year behind me for good and never look back. With 2011 comes a fresh start, a new home, a new career and more opportunities to work on being the person I want to be. So cheers to all of that!

                                                                       October 22, 2010

Here is a little recap of 2010 (it is long and more for my own memory than entertainment purposes):
January: Learn to love and then loath snow days, as I am stuck in the house for days at a time and forced to work extra hours making up for all of the school closings. Late January I get pregnant (by accident).
February: Have dinner on Valentine's day at Buca di Beppo, being a couple days late I joke to Josh "I better not be pregnant" as I sip on the last alcoholic drink I had. A couple weeks later I finally convince myself to take a test. I came home from class while Josh was still at work, took the test and carried on with my evening. I went back to check on it and it said YES. I automatically burst into tears and called my mom. Even though I was so upset I could hear excitement in her voice as she tried to calm me down telling me everything would work out. When Josh gets home he does the same thing, tells me everything will be fine while trying not to act excited since I am obviously distraught over the whole situation.
March: I turn 23! Mom comes to visit us in Nashville for the first time and we get to hear the baby's heart beat and see her funny little figure on screen. We still didn't know she was a girl for sure, but I knew.
April: I am busy with classes and work and Josh is working a lot of overtime. I can't remember anything special about this month! Besides the beauty that is spring!
May: It's a girl! I am officially at the half way point of my Master's program. 2 days of nonstop rain cause the 500 years flood  in Nashville. I visit Phoenix, Josh visits Texas and we spend our 2 year wedding anniversary apart.
June: My life is a total mess, mom comes back out and we venture to Atlanta. I start working at the Nashville Mayor's office and get asked to stay on at my job on campus for the summer. I manage to cover my ever growing baby bump in suit jackets and assume everyone at the Mayor's office thinks I am fat. At this point I would rather them think I am fat than pregnant.
July: Phoenix is HOT! Chelsea throws me the best baby shower and I get to see almost everyone I love in Phoenix for one last trip before baby comes. I attend an event for the Mayor in a tight-around-the-belly dress and let everyone in on my secret.
August: Back to school, not much longer until I am due so I start working double time to compensate for my maternity leave.
September: Josh and I attend Child Birth Prep class and it reaffirms my decision to try an all natural birth. We start trying all of those restaurants we have been wanting to eat at since we figure we won't be going out much once the baby comes. We get to visit with our friends from Arizona as Angelica and Jon and then Jason and his family come out on back-to-back weekends. Everyone is shocked by the size of my belly!
October: Chelsea comes to town and we eat our way around Nashville and make every attempt at naturally inducing labor so she can meet her niece. Riley is born after over 24 hours of labor (16 medicated), and upon arrival it is determined that they must have switched babies under the table because she is not mine. She is dark, has lots of black hair and has a wide flat nose. Josh starts working at Best Buy. We get what seems like a bus load of visitors in a short time span and I vow to never have a baby again!
November: Things slow down around the Chapa house, my dad and step mom finally come to Nashville, and I start to enjoy being home all day with baby. Josh's mom and my Grandma Nita also come visit and we have fun driving around town showing them the changing leaves.
December: I go back to class just in time to take finals, register for my final 3 credit hours of grad school and start applying for jobs. Riley has her 6 week check-up and it is confirmed by Doctor: she is perfect. We go to TGI Fridays for Christmas dinner, it's shameful I know, and spend the day watching sports.

Coming up next: 2011 resolutions!

Merry Christmas

7 weeks

Baby Riley is 7 weeks old today, I can hardly believe it.
She had her 6 weeks appointment last Monday and Doc says she is looking great!

So here is a little run down on Riley at 7 weeks:

• She has slept 7 hours straight the past 2 nights, and all of this uninterrupted sleep is actually making mommy more tired. 
• She weighed in at 9lb 11oz and measured 22 inches at her last appt. 41% for weight, 61% for height, up from 20% and 23% at 3 weeks. Which is so validating, if you have ever been a nursing mother you know what I mean.
• She is eating about 8 times a day down from 10, thank God. 
• She smiles and coos all day. 
• My favorite time is at night when I lay her down next to me and the room is silent and lit up by the moon, her big eyes still open and she looks me straight in the eyes and smiles. I smile back and we drift off to dreamland.  
• And yes, she is sleeping in our bed. Doc says she better be in her crib by 4 months or else we will be in trouble! I can't help it though, I love having her next me, hearing her sigh with her exhales, plus she sleeps so much longer!
• She can roll from fer back to her tummy.
• Loves having her feet rubbed and likes getting her diaper changed.
• She is still in newborn diapers. 
• Her eyes are still dark gray, no color yet. 
• Mommy and daddy are wrapped around her finger!

4 weeks old

I finally found my camera! Here are some pictures to hold you over until I find the time to write about life with my baby.

10-23-2010

Riley Jo Chapa

3:10pm 

7 lbs 10 oz

20 inches 

More to come soon...

Get Out of Here!

2 days past my due date and only 1 centimeter dilated. Really?! 

Things I am looking forward to:

• Holding my baby girl and snuggling and kissing her
• Playing dress up
• Having a waist
• Laying on my stomach!!!!

Things I am doing to get labor started:

• Walking up and down the 6 floors of stairs in our building
• Eating spicy food
• Buying castor oil, just in case I get the guts to actually drink it
• Hoping the full moon tomorrow really can induce labor

 

HUGE

38 weeks and 4 days

At the state capitol after our stop at Oktoberfest in Germantown

Sorry to all of the strangers who were touched by my tummy. What? It's not like I can suck it in and the crowd was tight, especially by the beer tents.
By the way, take special notice of the tree on the right. Yep, the leaves are changing. Fall is here. Just in time for visitors!

Riley Jo - We're Ready for You!

 Your diaper bag is packed and ready to go.

 You now have plenty of books thanks to Grand-Jen and mommy's wonderful co-workers who threw you a surprise "Stock the Bookshelf" baby shower. These are  the ones that don't fit on your bookshelf.

And mommy has started to pack her bag for the hospital with pretty things. A pretty new pillow case, slippers, robe and socks, face wipes, toiletries, headbands, and a nursing bra are sitting snug waiting for the big day.



Oh, and we even have your "nursery" ready.

Everyone keeps asking about Riley's nursery. Well, this is it for now. She has bedding and other stuff for a room, but we are in a one bedroom right now so this will have to do for now.

So, we are officially ready for baby Riley to make her grand appearance. I have been making jokes for the past couple months about how I don't want her to come out. I say things every day and then think, did I really just say that out loud? Today at my surprise baby shower I told everyone I was worried she would not be cute and when I put pictures on facebook people would think "yikes" but comment on how cute she was anyways. Who says that?! More importantly, what mommy-to-be says that? Really, I am not worried about this. Duh...of course she will be cute :)

The reality is that I have been really scared. Scared to go through labor and delivery. Scared to learn how to feed her and change her and bathe her. Scared to bring her home and have her rely on me for everything.

So I make jokes and tell people crazy things that make it sound like I am not excited for her.

But, I am!

 I can't wait to hold her and love on her and snuggle her and stare at her for hours.

In related news, I met the pediatrician this week and had our 38 week appt with the midwife. I gained 3 pounds since last week! I have started having Braxton Hicks that aren't painful at all but make my stomach get really tight and hard. I will keep you posted, cross your fingers that she arrives before my sister leaves!

New Moms, I need your help!!!

I have a couple of questions I need answered from new moms. Seriously friends, I NEED you to help me out with these, especially number 1.

1. Living out of state, everyone in our family wants to know when they should come out to meet the new baby. Should they come around the due date, right after the baby is born, or wait until after we have a routine down with baby and are not stressed with the whole, "we just brought home a new baby and are trying to entertain people at the same time" thing? What did you prefer when you first had your baby?

2. What do you wish you had with you during your hospital stay/ what did you love having with you during your hospital stay? Do I really need slippers, what type of clothes should I bring, am I really going to watch DVD's?

3. Any other advice? I know people say that everyone gives you unsolicited advice when you are pregnant, but I really haven't received any and I am really freaking out about everything now that I have less than 3 weeks left.

36 Weeks

Fall has finally arrived, and just in time for company! I had another busy week with the final installment of my weekend class wrapping up Saturday afternoon. Now I just have to get working on these papers and try to get them done before the baby comes.

 Josh and Lola enjoying the 60's on the balcony

My good friend Angelica and her boyfriend Jon were in town for the night on Saturday and I was sooooo excited to see her! She is our first friend to come visit and I loved having her here even though it was for such a short amount of time. We had dinner at Whiskey Kitchen and showed them around town Sunday morning before she had to jet off back to PHX. We had a little photo shoot on the terrace at our place, and this is the only shot I have of us. Hopefully Jon got some better pics with his pro self-timer skills.

 Jon, Angelica, Riley, Me and Josh

(Standing next to little Angelica you can really see how big this belly is!)

Less than 4 weeks to go...I don't think I can grow anymore!

This is becoming a habit

As I sit down to write this blog I am thinking it is going to look very similar to other posts. It seems all I can post lately is what I did over the weekend, baby bump pictures, or updates from my appointments. Well, I am stickin gwith my pattern for this post.

This weekend was crazy, like usual. Friday night Josh and I tried Pie in the Sky Pizza right by Vanderbilt. It was good, and really cute. We sat on the patio and while we were there a couple came with about 10 other people and were married! She wore a short strapless white dress and a flower in her hair, he wore jeans and an untucked white button up shirt. They brought 3 centerpieces, set them on the table, took their wedding license out of a manila folder signed it and then order pitchers of beer and pizza pies. I told Josh I thought they must have had their first date their or something. Why else would you get married at a pizza place?

On Saturday we attended "New Beginnings: Childbirth Preparation Crach Course" from 8:30-4:30! I didn't learn anything new about birth, but I did like learning about standard practices at Vanderbilt. I think it was very informative for daddy though, and he even got to try on the "empathy belly". He said it wasn't bad, but try carrying that around all day every day!

On Sunday morning we attempted to go to Pancake Pantry for the 5 millionth time, but the line was even crazier than normal so we went to Frothy Monkey instead. It is a trendy coffee shop in the 12 South neighborhood. I am going to take my sister here when she comes next month (only 4 more weeks, Chels!)

*I wrote the post like 3 days ago and forgot to post it...I will update with new baby bump (bulge) pictures soon, I promise!

Keeps growing and growing and growing....

34 weeks.

My stomach hurts from the stretching and I have forgotten what it looked like before. Sounds weird, but I cannot remember what my belly button looked like or how my clothes looked when they weren't being stretched over this giant bump.

On Thursday we met the sweetest family who provide in home child care, we also had an appointment and the baby is measuring right on track, like normal. We met with another one of the primary midwives this week, I really liked her. She was young and had a really cute dress. She spent a lot of time answering questions and acted interested when I told her stories that she probably didn't have time to hear. I told her how everyone always asks me why I have a midwife and not an OB, and how every time I say "midwife" people look at me confused and say, "are you having the baby at home, in the tub?" We giggled, because no I am not having my baby at home, she will be born at Vanderbilt Medical Center. Also, while they fully support natural birth, if I decide I want an epidural I can get one! I decided to go with the Vanderbilt Midwives instead of an OB because my beliefs on birthing follow closely with their philosophy:

"Pregnancy is a natural process. Everyone deserves a safe and satisfying birth experience. In most cases, birth can occur with very little intervention. With education and good communication between the family and the provider, our clients can make decisions about their care. We facilitate, not dictate the process, intervening only when indicated."

I am not a hippy, nor do I look down on women who choose OBs. Like most decisions, it really is just a matter of personal preference.

Weekend Happenings

Warning: the following post is a random compilation of this weekends happenings. It is all unrelated and disjointed but I am too tired to creatively tie it all together or do separate posts. Deal with it. : )

This weekend was one of those rare occasions where I found balance in recreational activities and chores. Chores including housework, shopping, and homework (blah).

Aside from finishing the third disk of Dexter Season 4, Josh and I took advantage of the nice weather and tried a restaurant that we had yet to experience. Taco Mamacita is in the Edgehill neighborhood, has a huge patio and the margaritas looked so good (no I did not have one, or even try Josh's). Also, there is a super cute baby store next door called Tweed, which I will be visiting the next chance I get!

We spent Saturday running errands, watching college football and eating wings.

Belly shot thrown in for no good reason.

Sunday morning I met with some friends and classmates to work on homework. Of course we were distracted by baby stuff and spent a good hour going over alternatives to the name we have picked for baby. Josh and I settled on name early on simply because it was the first name we agreed on and it just seemed to work. But, I do not particularly love it. The problem is that Josh only likes one other name that I am not a fan of and the names I love he will not even consider. I am also extremely picky about names. Not just the sound of the name, but also the aesthetics. I want a name that is visually balanced when written or typed. For instance I would never spell her name Rylie or Rylee because there is more going on on the left side than the right and it bugs me. The Y needs to go at the end! Is that crazy? 

So it looks like this is still her name:

Riley Jo Chapa

(Notice the balance of letters)

After a homework, baby talk and breakfast at Frothy Monkey, Josh and I took a drive through Percy Warner park with the windows down and the sunroof open, and talked about all the fun things that will come with having Riley here, outside of the womb.  

We finished off the drive with a stop at Whole Foods where we bought and devoured mini cupcakes and chocolate covered cheesecake bites. It was a sweet end to a great weekend.

32 Weeks

Is this the roundest belly you have ever seen?

 My right hand is placed on the spot that Riley likes to push her tush.


I had a midwife appointment on Monday...I think. I cannot really remember this past week, that is how crazy it was.

The next 8 weeks do not look any easier.

Trying to continue to do research for the Mayor's Office, work 30-40 hours a week for my assistantship, finish my professional policy paper, complete all of the assignments for my weekend class and attend class twice a week all while preparing for labor and baby. It is overwhelming. At the point in pregnancy where most women start taking it slow, I am having to kick it in to overdrive. I am just happy that my body is allowing me to continue to do what I need to do and that at the end of all of this I get a sweet baby girl.

But, back to the midwife appt that may or may not have been this past Monday. I am measuring right on track, whatever that means, and Riley has a very strong heart beat. That's it really. I have another appointment in 2 weeks and will keep you updated.

 

And just for comparison, this was me at 14 weeks. I thought I was showing! Now that is funny!

Reflections on the perks of being prego

1: Smiles from Strangers: At 31 weeks I am now starting to get stopped by strangers and asked about my baby bump. In the grocery store, at the post office, on campus; everyone wants to know when I am due and what I am having. It is funny how men are just as curious about your pregnancy as women are. When I tell people I am 7 months pregnant they almost always say, "oh, but you are so little and cute!" I smile, rub my belly and say thank you, and think to myself, "Little? Are you kidding me, this thing is heavier than a back pack full of books and is the size of a soccer ball!"

2: Free Sweets: I met some friends for fro-yo last week and discovered that they have buy-one-get-one FREE frozen yogurt for your entire pregnancy!!! It is a good thing I just found out about this because I probably wouldn't be getting those, "your so small" comments if I had been enjoying that perk since the beginning.

3: Special Attention: Another fun thing is getting to be someones first pregnant belly experience. It is so funny to see their face after they lightly press their hand on your inflated stomach and then continue to touch you ever couple of minutes trying to get a feel of that foot, or elbow or whatever it is Riley keeps pushing out of the top of my abdomen.

4: Sharing is Caring: Besides the special attention  and free fro-yo, I would have to say one of the best perks is being able to share it with other expectant and new moms. No one else can relate to what you are feeling or can quite understand the excitement and anxiety that comes along with having a life growing inside of you. There are so many hopes that you have for your child, the kind of mother you will be, and the life you will provide for another human being, but there also exists an intense amount of pressure and responsibility as a mother. I automatically feel a bond with other pregnant women and it is so much fun to compare stories and learn from each other. I have received so many great tips through out the course of my pregnancy and I love to pass them on!

I know these perks have an expiration date and before I know it I will be just another mom who hasn't washed her hair in days and has spit up on her shirt. But, it sure is nice to soak it all in while I can.

Around the house

Thanks Dad for teaching me to wash windows, you should have seen me out there with the bucket and squeegee in the scorching heat. You can barely tell where the bedroom ends and the patio begins.

Lola loves it.

Dwell studio for Target onesies, so cute!

In this insane de-clutter spree I have been on I sold almost my entire collection of books. I got a whopping $18 for all of these! Note to self: never buy books new ever again.

Lola is already stealing Riley's toys for herself. This is not good.

This may or may not be the second piece of cake I have had today.
One for me, one for baby. That's how it works right?

Lately...

I am missing my short blonde hair.

To chop or not to chop, that is the question!

29 weeks

Does it look like I have a ball in my shirt?

My stomach seemed to grow a lot this week and it is looking awfully round and high.

(PS. I don't know if it is a good thing that at 7 months pregnant I still fit into my jeans, or if that means I was the size of a 7 month pregnant lady before getting pregnant?)

Baby Gear

I have spent many hours hunting online for the perfect baby gear for Riley. Luckily I have a library full of advice from my sister and friends who all have new babies and are kind enough to answer my many questions. I mean there are so many things to consider. Does baby need a bassinet or does a pack n play with a bassinet work just as well? What material receiving blankets are best: flannel, cotton, fleece, thermal? How many packs of newborn diapers do I need? Should I buy a bottle warmer? What about a bottle sanitizer? Oh, and what about that Bumbo thing...should I get one of those? Really, the questions are endless. So thanks again to all of you who put up with me. I feel like everything that comes out of my mouth lately has to do with the baby and I am sure it is getting annoying! I probably should change my blog to Hello Baby.

As promised to Grandma Irene, here are pictures of the car seat you purchased for Riley! After sending me the wrong color last week, Babies R Us redeemed themselves and sent me the right car seat (with an added discount for my inconvenience).

It is the Maxi Cosi Mico infant car seat and it works with the Maxi Cosi Foray stroller.

Lola always manages to work her way into the pictures somehow.

Thank you Grandma I for the car seat! And thank you Mom and Grandma N for the stroller!