Miss Louisa!

She's finally here!!  After a harrowing 31 hours in labor, an alarming ambulance ride, and a 4-day stay in the NICU, Miss Louisa Violet Francis is finally home!!

Still all goopy, but I love it!

These past seventeen days have been the most amazing and crazy of my entire life.  Little Lulu is the sweetest baby, except for when she's hungry.  She most certainly inherited her appetite from her dad, as well as her toes and her eyebrows!  When her belly is full though, and she isn't sleeping, she is content to cuddle and look  around.  She has dark hair and light brows and lashes, beautiful blue eyes, and perfect cupid's bow lips.  

Trying to sleep with a newborn is exhausting!  Her longest stretch has been about six hours, and I'm not clever enough to sleep when she does during the day, so I'm more tired than I've ever been, ever.  It certainly doesn't help that Brian is back at work and out in the field already, so I don't have any help.  I honestly don't know how single moms do it!!  These five days are just a test though, 'cause he has a longer school coming up next month!!  Hopefully by then Louisa and I will have a bit of a schedule...

Smiling while she sleeps... so sweet!

My pretty little Lu

Brian and Louisa!  He looooves to hold her!

Hopefully I'll get better at posting, but likely not -- this little miss is pretty time consuming!

Bright and early...

Tomorrow morning I'm heading in to the hospital to be induced!  I'm so excited!!

Nesting frenzy!

Today I am officially 41 weeks pregnant!  Tomorrow morning I have an ultrasound and non-stress test to make sure little Lulu is still doing okay in there.  If she isn't they'll induce right away, but if things look good they'll let me go a bit longer, until Friday probably.

I have to say, being overdue isn't nearly as miserable as I thought it would be.  I feel kind of content, like I made it to 40 weeks safely, and now she could really come any day.  That isn't to say I'm super impatient to meet this girl (and not be pregnant) but I don't feel pressure for it to be riiiight now, I'm okay with being pregnant for a few days longer.

So, I've taken advantage of this long weekend and had a bit of a nesting frenzy!  I've swept and mopped, vaccumed and dusted, done more loads of laundry than I thought our machine could handle, rearranged and reorganized all of our cabinets, taken down and re-hung wall decor, invested in new home fragrance and fall hand soaps, set up our new super-fancy coffee maker (can't wait for caffeine!), washed and organized all the new things for Louisa, even managed to sweep all the debris and cobwebs from our front door!  I realized I'd gone a bit overboard as I was sweeping my way down the sidewalk in my purple plaid pajama pants...  The neighbors are all used to the craziness though... I hope!

Fingers crossed that the next update will be full of baby pictures!

Due!

Well, maybe a bit overdue really...  Yesterday was my official date according to the hospital, and it seems little Louisa is going to take her sweet time!

At my 39 week appointment I hadn't progressed much from the week before.  I've spent the past week walking, bouncing on the yoga ball, eating spicy things and pineapples, even trying some wii fit exercises (Brian thinks my hula-hooping skills are entertaining!), and all that has gotten me is some super-uncomfortable Braxton Hicks.  Hopefully my appointment tomorrow will show some progression...  If not, it's just a matter of time!  At 41 weeks my hospital will do an ultrasound to ensure Lulu has enough fluid and is still thriving in there, and if everything looks good they'll wait a few more days to induce!

I'm just so excited knowing that within the next two weeks we'll finally be able to meet our sweet baby Louisa!

Progress! And Pictures!

SO, I had my 38 week appointment yesterday, and am officially dilated and effaced!! Not tons, and I know it still means it could be awhile, but - I'm still crazy excited, and plan on doing everything in my power to move this little lady along!

Also, we finally finished the nursery!! Now it's not magazine style amazing, but it is certainly cozy and sweet and perfect for our little miss!

(And that is what 38 weeks pregnant looks like.  I know, Yikes!)

"Here's a little thing I don't think that you know..."

That was my husband's intro this morning, and then he treated me to a fun fact or two about where Muslims build Mosques. Quite hilarious, eh? I promise, it really was! I married such a goober!

Really though, I have to tell you about my new favorite thing, Gap lounge pants. I used my birthday money for a few splurges, and I figured what I'll need most in the weeks following Louisa's arrival will be soft, comfy clothes. They arrived yesterday, and I didn't want to try them on 'cause I knew I wouldn't want to take them off...! I was totally right, and am planning on buying as many more as I can fit in my drawers. Online they don't look like much, but they hide my pregnancy cellulite like nobody's business! I'm almost dreading the day that I can fit into jeans again and don't have any excuse to wear them to the grocery store.

Speaking of Miss Babycakes, she is officially head down!! I'm so happy to be only 23 days away from my due date, and just two days until she is officially full term! I'm starting to be less 'grumpy pregnant lady' and more 'super excited mum to be'! I so can't wait until she is here!!! The nursery is soooo close to done, we just have to figure out the curtain situation. Honestly though, I'm not too worried that it be done before she gets here. She likely won't be sleeping in there for a while.

Unfortunately, the Army isn't so concerned that Lulu will be full term. Brian is spending most of next week in the field, and the week after. He'll bring his phone with him just in case, but that doesn't ensure that he'll have reception. A friend up here offered to be my emergency support, just in case. Likely though we have nothing to worry about; I'm pretty certain Louisa will be a September baby. Hopefully not too late though, I'm so anxious to meet my sweet girl!

25 and feelin' alive!

Woohoo! I have to say, turning 25 was a lot less scary than I thought it would be! Fortunately, my day was on a Monday this year, so Brian and I decided to have a Birthday Bender weekend! Not quite the same as a bender in college, but we had tons of fun!

Sunday, my incapable-of-waiting husband talked me into having my 'party' early. I'm not in much of a party mood as of late, considering I'm the size of a rhinoceros and in a constant state of hormonal rage, so I was nervous to say the least.

While I was (banished) upstairs waiting for Brian to prep, I found my new anthem! Haha! It makes me so happy, and like there may be hope for me once this pregnancy is over! Lulu must like it too, as she dances every time I play it!

So after a bit Brian called me back downstairs for this:

Wrapping skillz may leave something to be desired, eh?

Ah! So pretty! This is officially the first birthday of mine that he has been here to celebrate (of the 5 I've had!), so he went wayyyy overboard!

Monday was tons of fun too, even though Brian had to work. I found a fantastic pedicure place, got to spend as much time as I wanted at Barnes&Nobles, skyped with sisters and opened two big boxes of fun from Maine!! My house will officially never be free of sparkles and confetti again, but it's all totally worth it!

Babywise, I'm 34 weeks pregnant, --35 tomorrow!!! CRAZYYY! I'm so freakin' excited for BabyLu to get here! The nursery is mostly done, but I need to finish up some decor. I'll post pictures eventually...