34 weeks...

Now it looks like there's a baby in there! We are all doing well and anxiously counting down the days...what is it now, like 40!?!

Other than growing, we're trying to get things ready and enjoy what is left of our quiet and alone time- or at least as much as possible with the Portuguese running around. Blayne and I had our 34 week check-up today, we measured at 33cm...which is about right (it should be within a centimeter or 2 of the number of weeks you are) and are still steadily gaining weight!

We also enrolled ourselves in child birthing classes, so we will be entertaining those on the 14th and 15th of April...just in time. Nothing like waiting till the last minute ;-)

Progress, albeit little

For the furniture, this time, not the belly, mind you. Well, we've sanded, filled holes, and sanded again...

...taped, covered, wiped everything down and other preparations for paint...

And finally, got one coat of primer on! Don't worry...Ian is doing all the painting so that little Blayne won't be harmed...of course, someone had to take pictures to prove that ;-)... I assure you I was only there for a moment and with a respirator.

Now all we have to do is sand the primer, paint another coat of primer, sand that, paint the top coat (hopefully only one), paint the detail on the drawers, attach the new hardware, carry it up 2 flights of stairs and put it all back together and !voila! Brand new baby furniture for the bargain price of about $100!
(Blood and sweat don't count...they are just the beginning of the sacrifice!)

Blayne's namesake and expert craftsman (grandpa Miller) should be very proud of all she and her parents-to-be are learning about woodwork!

Peace!

Before we turned off the camera seeing our baby girl for the last time before we have her in our arms, she gave us a hip farewell by sporting the peace sign. If you have trouble making out the photo, check below for labels.

Again, technical difficulties with the font size- the labels read (top to bottom): eye, ear, fingers giving the peace sign.

The 3D saga continues

We still had a little trouble getting Blayne to cooperate, but she at least turned around today. Circumstances and weather weren't much more help- a broken digital recorder and power loss later- we left with only a few black and white photos and some super small color copies, which are even more difficult to decifer. I guess we'll just have to do what people did in the old days and wait for her arrival to get a good look ;-)



This is the same picture as above, but I have added some labels to help show what we are looking at. I had some trouble adjusting the font size of the lables, though, so to further help the cause- from top to bottom they read: eyes, nose, mouth and (to the right) hand.
Despite the vague photos we have to show for our 3D adventure, we got to see her blink her eyes, suck on her hands and open and close her mouth. We also got a report of her size: 4lbs 2oz! Not bad! In fact, her measurements are pretty much exactly average, so, although she looks small on the outside, she seems to be growing just fine on the inside.

32 weeks...

Too early to start counting down? Don't get me wrong, pregnancy has been great! Honestly, thus far it has been an awesome experience and Ian and I have been very lucky...that was, of course, until last week when we discovered the sciatic nerve. I, personally, could really do without this monster and Ian isn't enjoying the sleepless nights and complaints any more than I am. Blayne, however, doesn't seem to mind. In fact, she is as active as ever and I am pretty sure she is chewing and pulling on the nerve just to mess with her parents-to-be.

Luckily, yesterday we did find some relief in a fabulous little self-adjustment of the pubic bone and some words of wisdom from Mavis' chiropractor and massage therapist. We are keeping our fingers crossed that the relief will last and get us through -at least- the next few weeks.

This is a busy week for BAM-BAM, we have an ultrasound today and a check-up tomorrow. We'll keep everyone posted with news and -hopefully- photos!

BAM-BAM in 3D a bust

Where did our baby get this shy personality? She doesn't want to push my belly out and tell the world -without a doubt- that she is on the way (although she has made much progress, we'll get some more shots up pronto) and now she simply refused to be caught on camera.

We went for a 3D ultrasound on Saturday and just about the time we got started, Blayne simply gave us the cold shoulder. She turned her head to avoid the paparazzi and fell asleep. Despite our efforts to wake her up with a Sprite, a Dr. Pepper, a candy bar and a big stomach ache later, we still have absolutely nothing to show for it.

We are going to try again on Wednesday so we'll keep everyone posted on just who our baby girl will resemble...assuming, of course, that we are able to catch a glimpse of her!

All the love!

Baby Blayne sure is loved by many...especially considering she still has a few weeks before anyone even meets her. That is one lucky girl! Of course, this will offset the fact that her mother has trouble identifying staple baby items (note above and to the left). Oh well, hopefully her beautiful Aunt Quinn will always be available to read the small print.

If not, surely she can always rely on any of these aunts-to-be or her great-grandmothers below.

Precious Cargo

Mia, Bucca and Aunt Haley made us a beautiful cradle that we want to show off to everyone! It is in transit as we speak and can't we wait until its arrival. It will provide the perfect spot for Blayne to rest and drift to sleep! Ian wants to have the back engraved "Annie II" (Our new boat is Annie...yes, the one that caught on fire...) but I much prefer Mia and Bucca's suggestion: "Precious Cargo".

Party on!

More pictures of Blayne's shower! She got such wonderful things, and amazingly (in reference to the picture above) we were in fact able to get most of them in suitcases to take back to Houston with us!



The Portuguese maniacs did not join us on our short trip to the icy north, but they were there is spirit, clearly represented by these adorable towel animals Mia put together for decoration!

And, luckily for the pregnant and hungry, we had plenty of fantastic (and beautiful) food to eat. An extra special thanks again to Aunt Quinn, Aunt Tiff, Aunt Sarah, Aunt Haley, Mia, Mavis, Aunt Tam and all those who played key roles in making our shower such a special day!

30 weeks

Only 10 weeks to go! At our 29 week check-up, despite her small appearance, we were still on target. We measured in at 27.5 inches from pelvic bone to the top of the uterus, and it seems she is now pushing up underneath my rib cage (surely not the most comfortable spot in the world- for either one of us).

She has started getting the hiccups and everytime we see Dr. Johnson he refers to her as 'the wild child'...I am not sure if this is something he says to everyone or if we should be seriously concerned about just how much our lives will be changing come May. I suppose we'll find out soon enough.

She is busier than ever, and her movements are getting bigger and stronger. Her 'schedule' has completely changed...and, honestly, she seems to be awake all the time now...another worry because I understand that I only get to sleep when she sleeps. Ian-on the other hand- has already informed me that he will be moving down stairs ;-)

At 30 weeks we are doing well and trying our best to get things ready for Blayne's arrival. Of course to 'mom' this means preping the room, reading parenting books, etc. while to 'dad' this means fixing the boat. Either way, it should be a busy few weeks.

Celebrating Blayne!

Thanks to Blayne's most favorite Aunts: Quinn, Tiff, Haley and Sarah and lots of love and help from her (much too young and good-looking to be grandmothers) Mia and Mavis (name TBA) we celebrated the upcoming arrival of Blayne Alaia in style!

Another special thanks to her great aunt Tammi and uncle Dan for volunteering their house for the festivities. We are so appreciative of all the generosity and love everyone brought or sent for us and our little baby girl. We loved just spending time with friends and family we don't often see due to the whole living in Texas thing.

Thanks again to everyone who came to share their love with us and Blayne! We are getting excited to introduce her to you all in person in just a few short weeks!