38 Down and Just 2 to Go!!!

Last night I was lying in bed and Mya started to hiccup. It hit me that these were the last days that I would feel her moving and hiccupping in my belly and it brought over a bit of sadness. Of course I am ecstatic to finally meet her but I will also miss her pushy shoves into my sides, the sweet vibrations of her little hiccups, and her jabs through my belly button. Being as though this pregnancy was pretty much smooth sailing I will definitely miss it. 9 months of my life experienced as none other in the 29 years of my life. If pregnancy can bring this much joy and flood of happy emotions I can only imagine the magnitude of feelings throughout this journey of parenthood.

I often take for granted how different this pregnancy would have been without the ongoing daily support of my loving partner. I just cannot imagine having taken this journey alone or with anyone but John. Those of you who know him know how sweet and attentive he can be and his love for his daughter shines more each day. I wish I could capture or put into words the feelings I feel when I see his face light up talking about Mya, or the conversations he has with my belly, or the moments he spends sitting in her nursery soaking up the reality that he will forever love and be loved unconditionally by this little person we are bringing into this world. Don’t get me wrong… He is definitely NOT perfect! HAHA…. But pretty dam close!!! He’s perfect for me and I appreciate him and our love for each other. I only wish that people get the chance to experience what we have. Both of our lives have been filled with obstacles and down right horrible luck but when it mattered most we both won by finding one another and getting the opportunity to welcome our daughter into this world.

Sappy post over!

A Tisket a Tasket a Pink and Green Nursery!

Week 37 and we have finally managed to get the nursery in working condition. The glider was delivered last week and it fit! SO EXCITED! It motivated us to get in there and do some serious work and get it into presentable bring home baby condition. We have been out scouring different options for storage (lord knows we needed a lot) and found a bunch of different options and put together I think it worked quite well. Cloth diapers are washed and put away for when she is big enough to finally fit them. Clothes are organized and stored by sizes, blankets are washed and folded, and all electronic devices have been tested by daddy. All we need is baby~!!!

Full Term at 37 Weeks....

37 weeks means Mya is finally considered full term. All her organs are developed enough to breathe her first breath of air in our world. But hold that thought. She’s not due for another 3 weeks. From the looks of it she is staying put till then if not longer. That is a good thing because mommy is not ready for her to make her appearance yet. I have lots of work to finish in the next couple of weeks before my official maternity leave which starts on 3/1/12. John will be taking leave the day I go into labor and depending on when exactly that is we are hoping he will take 3 weeks off (once of which includes spring break at his school).

We are local bound till Mya is born as we don’t want to risk being too far from the hospital just in case she decides she cannot wait any longer to meet us. I think I would freak if I went into labor and was hours from the hospital. John and I plan to hang out together and enjoy our time alone cleaning the house, eating dinners together (at home and out), and just relaxing. I plan to do a whole lot of lying in bed and resting because it just sounds and feels so good. Take a few bathes, continue reading my mommy books, and catch up on some trash TV. Sounds like an awesome plan to me. The nursery is just about done and I just need to pick up a few odds and ends but nothing that is completely necessary to bring baby home. I packed Mya’s hospital bag and started to get mine organized. We made our list of things to take and now it’s a matter of show time before we grab the last items and throw them in the hospital bag. This weekend we also plan on working on our birth plan to show our doctor next week to get the seal of approval. This should be interesting!!!!

Maternity Photo Shoot!

Although John and I were reluctant to take maternitiy photos because neither of us feel we are photogentic (and its true) we did it and were very pleased with the pictures. Here are some of our favorites!!!

January 29th, 2012

La Canada Flintridge, CA







Showered With Love At All 3 Showers!!!

Words cannot describe how grateful and amazed John and I are at the outpour of generosity and love we felt for us and Mya at our showers. Each shower brought me to tears as I was speechless at the amount of love and effort each shower took to make happen. Our friends and family spoiled our daughter beyond beleif. We could not have asked for anything more! We got everything we needed and MORE and felt 10x's more prepared for Mya's arrival then we did before our showers. So a very HUGE THANK YOU to the people who made our showers amazing; Aunite Val, Auntie Ky, Jackie, Aunite Monica, Uncle Alex and The Gang, Auntie Sue, Auntie Vicki and Uncle Joe, CB Aunties: Vanessa, Shauna, and Mahsa. Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts. Love was felt in every detail!

Now here are some pictures of each of our 3 AMAZING baby showers. Enjoy!

Shower 1 January 14th, 2012

Hosted by Auntie Val, Auntie Ky & Jackie
Chino, CA

Shower 2 January 21st, 2012

Hosted by: Auntie Monica, Uncle Alex, Auntie Sue, Auntie Vicki & Uncle Joe

Montebello, CA



Shower 3 February 3rd, 2012

Hosted by: Vanessa, Shauna, & Mahsa

Quartz Hill, CA





Week 36 Belly Bump!

36 week belly shot. I’m floored every time I see a picture of my belly and how it continues to grow each week. I love it because that means our baby girl is doing what her only job which is getting big and strong and ready for her grand entrance in just a few short weeks. One Friday 36 weeks 2 days Mya’s estimated weight was 6-1/2lbs. That is exactly a pound from the appointment 2 weeks before. Which means she is right on track as babies at this stage are suppose to gain a half pound a week. We are hopeful for a baby in the mid 7lbs. Not too big and not too small.

I am definitely starting to get uncomfortable but not too bad. It is quite manageable and I feel so lucky that I am still in good health and good spirits. No major swelling, just a little in my fingers and definitely in my face. I look like a chipmunk in pictures more so then before. All in all John and I are happy and continue to get more and more excited as we count down the days till we FINALLY get to meet this baby we’ve created.

Week 35 And A Whole Lotta Mya!!

Last week’s 35 week belly bump. Boy is this little girl growing. Still, my bump is fairly small in comparison to some pregnant woman at 35 weeks. At Mya’s 34 week check up she was weighing in at 5lbs 9oz. and in the 58% range, which is absolutely perfect. I definitely DO NOT want a gigantic baby. No way no how. John and I can’t help but wonder how is an almost 6 lb baby at 34 weeks only in the 58% range? What’s the weight of a baby in the 90% range! Don’t even want to know. Based upon her percentile I am assuming she will be born somewhere in the 7lb range. Mya is still head down which is great and I am just waiting for her to drop. She still looks pretty high in my belly. Can’t wait to meet this little babe!!!

Week 33 Bump On The Rise~

Here is week 33’s belly picture. Mya is finally starting to show. All the doctor appointments have been great and she is right on track with her growth. We are so proud of our little love bug and cannot wait to snuggle and kiss her!

Wow Have I Been Lagging!

I feel terrible that I have let some many weeks lapse without updating this wonderful blog. I really have no good excuse besides the fact that I am mentally exhausted when I get home and don’t want to do anything but veg. Wow has a lot happened in the month since I have blogged. A couple of baby showers, some doctor appointments, maternity photo shoot and a much much bigger baby bump. I will get all caught up this weekend with pictures of the showers and my bump. Tonight is the third and final shower hosted by my girlfriends from work. Looking forward to a fun relaxing evening with homemade tamales… mmmm mmmm mmmmmmm….

We are getting so close to the end of this journey its unbelievable! Each week John and I could down and get that much more excited to finally meet the sweet baby girl we refer to as Mya. So hard to picture her little face and I CANNOT wait to hold her give her kisses all over. I know daddy feels the same way. He has been absolutely AMAZING as we hit the home stretch. Still as helpful and understanding as the day we found out we were pregnant. He has shown Mya love beyond what I thought he was capable and she is not even here yet. I know I sound like a broken record but boy is she the luckiest baby girl in the world to have such an amazing daddy who I know will love her more then life itself. We are thee 2 luckiest girls in the world. NO DOUBT! His patience and love never seizes to amaze me. Hell, he puts up with me on a daily basis. He deserves the title of a saint! Love you babe, you are going to be an amazing father and together we will screw our child up! 50/50 blame! Hehe

More blogging and tons of pictures to follow this weekend. Standby because I am so excited to share!

My 31 Week Lovely Baby Bump

31 weeks today and you can finally start to see Mya growing on my tummy. We had maternity photos scheduled for January 15^th but we decided to postpone it to the beginning of February to make sure I had a very noticeable baby bump. Taking maternity photos with a not so noticeable baby bump kind of defeats the purpose.

We had a doctor’s visit today and all was well. Mya’s heartbeat was a strong 149 beat per minute and as always such a wonder to hear. Makes my heart smile. Dr. Ngo prescribed me a wrist brace for my carpal tunnel, which I happily report has not been as bad as before. Depending on the cost of the braces I just might tough it out, after all its only 9 more weeks!

Looking forward to the upcoming baby showers. Our first one is only a week and a half out. I can remember the day when we first started talking about shower dates and now they are here. WOW… I got my diaper bag today in the mail and LOVE it. Totally cute and stylish. Not your typical diaper bag for not your typical mommy and baby. =)

The Beginning Creation of Mya's Nursery....

THE BEFORE PICTURES OF MYA'S NURSERY

John and I decided what better way to celebrate the New Year then the start to build and organize Mya’s nursery. As you can see from the before pictures up until now it has just been a room for storing all the stuff we have collected for her in the last 4 months. Items we have purchased, gifts from grandmas and aunties, and amazing items that Auntie Kyrra has shared that were Leo’s.  Looking at all the stuff we have been given has made me appreciate that much more alllll the love and support we have received along this journey thus far. I can’t fathom how different it would be without the ongoing love and support from all of our family and friends. Mya is one loved baby and she is not even here yet. I get giddy thinking of all the millions of kisses and hugs this tiny baby will get not only from her mommy and daddy but from all who are in her life.

                                         THE FURNITURE IS BUILT... WORK IN PROGRESS

Daddy started to build the crib and he did an amazing job. He also worked on the dresser that use to be in our room and made it more nursery friendly. We had the bookshelf already and I have tons of books I have collected through the years that I will be wiping off and adding to Mya’s book collection. All we need now is the glider in the corner where the bassinet is now. The bassinet will go in our room where Mya will sleep the first few months of her life before transitioning into her own crib. All the clothes you see mostly has been given to use by family and friends who have recently had a baby. They are all washed and now much be organized by size and put away. As you can see this is why we really don’t need to purchase much more clothes. =) We got plenty. Although it may not look like we accomplished much we actually did.  The rest is a matter or organizing and finding a home for everything.

3/4d 30 Week Ultrasound and a Look at Our Sweet Baby's Face!

Look at that precious little foot! Cannot wait to kiss it!!!

Pouty little lips... Totally mommy's nose right??

Perfect little hand with all 4 fingers...

This is when she was trying to suck, you can see her tounge =)

Sweet baby girl!!!

We got to see Mya’s little face 3/4d on Saturday. She was being a little stinker as usual and had both her arms and hands and a foot in front of the left side of her face the entire ultrasound. We got some good looks at her little face. We think she does have mommy’s nose but I guess we’ll have to wait and see. For a lot of the time she had her little face squished up against the uterine wall and it kind of looked freaky cause her noses looks void and flat. But she’d move and it would go away. There were a few times we got to see her sucking her fingers and her toes. At one point she poked herself in the eye with her big toe. Silly little baby!! At the beginning of the ultrasound she had her eye open it was a little freaky looking but definitely cool to see. I couldn’t determine whether she had daddy’s big eyes or mommy’s almond shaped eye. Another mystery to be uncovered at birth. The ultrasound tech showed up a quick glimpse of her umbilical cord; that was pretty cool. I always have a fear that she is going to wrap herself up in it so it was reassuring to see that that was not happening. The tech showed us in 2d that Mya already has a bunch of hair on her head. That was so cool to see. My favorite part of the ultrasound was seeing her precious little foot. It was perfect. Daddy counted a 5 little toesies. A little more then 9 weeks till we get to see her live and in person. I remember the very first ultrasound at 8 weeks when our lil bean was truly just a lil bean. Now 22 weeks later to see how much she’s developed and actually looks like a real baby. I know I can speak for daddy when I say we both CANNOT wait to hold you in our arm sweet baby girl. Until then keep cooking and growing!!

WE LOOOOVE YOU!!!!

LaMaze and Birthing Classes

Every Wednesday night in December John and I attended a birthing class through the hospital where we will be delivering. We learned about cervix dilation; saw a bunch of scaring videos about natural births and c-section birth. All of which made us cringe but the end result (a little baby being born) made me warm inside and that much more excited for our day. We learned about the stages of delivery and I am going to stay positive that I have a fairly easy and quick delivery. I definitely will be upping my exercise regiment in preparation (at least I plan to). John and I won the “know your partner” game. We only missed one question which was "what will the first song be that mommy will sing to baby"? John answered probably a song in Korean, my answer was I have no clue!! We learned different breathing and relaxation techniques to help better handle pain. But for some reason we both think those will be out the door and my pain management will be a bunch of screaming. Haha.... I am glad we decided to take these classes. They were very informative and helped us to understand all the things we should being to prepare for the delivery of Mya.

We learned to swaddle and probably need to practice that on some dolls, or maybe our cats. =)

My favorite part of the class was the tour of the birthing center. We were very impressed by the newness and cleanliness of the delivery room and the recovery rooms. The baby will not leave our room ever unless something is wrong and she has to be taken to the NICU which we are banking on will not be the case. John wore the pregnancy suit throughout the entire tour. It was quite hilarious. Maybe we can get him to blog again and share his experience as a pregnant man!

Week 30 and Tired!

10 more weeks or less till we get to meet this little girl. I am getting very excited and those feelings of panic are slowly subsiding and being replaced with feelings of OK I am ready to not be pregnant anymore! I am tired always, even after I wake up. Sleeping is becoming more and more uncomfortable and I wake up 3-4 times a night because my wrist go numb and I have to pee. I know this sounds like a post full of complaints but I am just trying to accurately document. HAHA... Heartburn is not as bad but still hanging out and very annoying. I always feel full... Overall just uncomfortable. But definitely still feel lucky that this pregnancy has been so easy.

Well our doctor's appointment on 12/21 was good. Mya's heart was beating strong and my blood test of diabetes and iron deficiency came back negative (huge sigh of relief), but according to Dr. Ngo the 2nd anatomy scan proved to be a failure too. According to him the techs there suck and were again unable to get the measurements he wanted to see. So he put in a referral for the perinatologist to do an ultrasound to get the measurements and good look at Mya's organs. Doc said there is nothing to worry about he just wants to get the measurements done. But of course I still can't help but be a little nervous being referred to a specialist! Waiting to hear back from the specialist's office to schedule an appointment.

Saturday we have our official 3d/4d appointment where we get to see Mya's little face. We cannot wait to see what she looks like. We should start a pool to see who's knows she has. Mommy or daddy’s!? What do you think? We are banking on mommy's nose because daddy's is pretty big and manly. We don't want anything to do with big and manly for our daughter! Will post pictures as soon as we get them.

Dear Little Miss Mya,
You better be a good little girl and cooperate so we can see your face. I know you are running out of room in mommy's tummy so its even more important we get good shots and looks at your face now before you are too big and we can't see anything. We love you sweet baby!!!!

Love,
mommy & daddy

At Last We Have a Belly.... Week 28/29 Belly Shot!

So our battery in the new camera died just time to NOT get a week 28 belly shot last Wednesday, we misplaced the charger in the packing craze, and we just mailed our old camera to Granma the week before. I ordered a new charger because I was certain it would deliver before we found our original one. I was right. So here is the 28week 5 day belly shot. Only 5 days late but I’m pretty sure my belly got bigger between Wednesday and today.

Daddy finished his classes this last Saturday! I am so proud of him. I cannot even express in words how hard he has worked these last few years to get this done. If anyone knows him, they know he is anything but a student. But he powered through and did what he needed to do to make sure that he secured a future for himself and Mya. All he has left is a couple months of student teaching and to pass a couple exams. The taste of sweet victory is among us! 2012 is going to be an amazing year for the Vadney-Gamm family. Of course the arrival of our lil bean Mya, daddy will become a credentialed special education teacher, and mommy will become a licensed Marriage & Family Therapist. If you would have asked John or me a couple of years ago where we would be in 2012 I am pretty sure neither of us could have dreamt that we would be here. I am grateful for the life we have created and look forward to the amazing things that will be unfolding in 2012.

Our next doctor appointment is Wednesday 12/21/11 and I believe we then start doc appts every 2 weeks till we deliver. Wednesday is also our 3^rd birthing class and we get a tour of the birthing center that Mya will be born. We are so excited to see it. Daddy is planning to wear the pregnancy suit in the tour so he can feel what it is like to have all that extra weight. I will post pictures if he does wear the suit. It’s going to be hilarious and best of all, he agreed to do it! Hahaha

The best thing about John being done with school is that we can FINALLY get the house and nursery together. Cannot wait to see how our vision for the nursery turns out. In my head it’ll be amazing. I guess we’ll see!

Hic Hic Hic... Into the 3rd Trimester We Go!

Wednesday marked the first day of our 3^rd trimester. 2 down and only one to go! One busy one at that. With each passing day Mya is growing and getting stronger and with every hiccup I feel I am reassured that she is preparing for her first breath. If she is anything like her mother she will have a strong set of lungs.. No doubt! And with all the hiccupping she does I am certain she is practicing like crazy!

I wanted to take a few minutes to highlight the grandparents that will never have to opportunity to neither hold Mya nor watch her blossom into a budding toddler, kido, adolescent, and adult. My parents and John’s father although not here with us play a special role in Mya’s life as we would not be the people or parents we are today without their love and support as a child. Although they taught us things we plan to instill in Mya, they have also taught us a few things NOT to do! Haha.. Like only taking one glass baby bottle on a camping trip! (Mya daddy will tell you the story)! I know that my mother would be absolutely, obsessively over the moon with the arrival of her first grandchild. I don’t think she would be too thrilled about actually becoming a grandma because that would only mean she is definitely getting old! John and I will do out best to always preserve and honor the memory of Mya’s grandparents and tell her stories about them, the good and the bad because we want her to know just who her grandparents were. So I ask that you all share your stories and memories of grandma Julie, grandpa Dennis, and grandpa Greg with out daughter because every memory is special and she deserves to hear them. John and I are so lucky to have one another and as we go through these milestones of life we act as one another’s pillars and remind each other that our love for one another and now our daughter will get us through anything life has to throw at us.

WE LOVE YOU GRANDMA JULIE, GRANDPA DENNIS & GRANDPA GG!!!

2nd Times a Charm!

Mya's profile picure 26weeks 2 days. Does she really have daddy's nose?!?!

In this picture Mya is sticking her tongue out at us. She is such a silly baby. She was yawning and drinking. SO AMAZING!

This is a picture of her perfect heart. You can see all four chambers. This little heart has mommy and daddy's heart!

Friday we went in for our second anatomy scan because our little angel was being stubborn the first time around at week 18. Tech got all the shots she needed we are assuming as she did not mention that Mya was being uncooperative as it has been mentioned many times before. J  The ultrasound tech sent us home with a few awesome pictures of Mya. One of which is a picture of her heart which she said is as perfect as can be. I love that you can see all four chambers clearly. And it is even more amazing in the ultrasound to see that little heart beating so perfectly in rhythm.

This little girl continues to amaze us in the rapid speed of her growth. She weighed in at 2lbs. 3oz. That is a whole 4 oz. more then a week prior at our regular doctor appointment. The funny part is mommy lost 2 oz. even with the purge of Thanksgiving feasts. I am finally experiencing another not so lovely pregnancy symptom, just mildly though. Pregnancy induced carpal tunnel. Yep.. My left hand (thumb, pointer, and middle finger to be exact) like to tingle and go numb. I freaked out but after much research realized that it is a fairly common pregnancy symptom. Wow… The weird things women’s bodies go through when growing a human. Who’da thunk? It is definitely not debilitating, just super annoying.

I went to the lab Thursday to do my 1 hour glucose test. This is standard procedure these days to test all pregnant women for gestational diabetes. I am hoping that my results come up clear because it would be a total nightmare to have to change my entire diet to keep my blood sugar low. NO BUENO! Lab tech said that my doctor’s office should have the results in 2-3 days so I am hoping that I don’t get a call next week from my doc’s office. A call would mostly likely be in bearing bad news. Calling on all positive thoughts and energy for a normal result on my blood sugar counts.

Once again we are so thankful for all the love and support for all our friends and family. This journey would not be the same without you all. A special thanks to Mya’s aunties, Monica, Valine, and Kyrra as well as her abuela Jackie for the upcoming showers to be held in January. I am so looking forward to celebrating with everyone. Showers mean that we are that much closer to the arrival of our sweet sweet baby bean!