Giving Thanks

This Thanksgiving was our first Thanksgiving as a whole new family, with the new addition of our little Isabella!  We always have so much to be thankful for, and we thank God every day for every single gift we've been given, but this year, we had so much more to be thankful for.  We are grateful for the delivery of the most beautiful baby angel, for her good health, for our home, our jobs, and most of all, our FAMILY. 

A few weeks ago, Isabella was baptized into the Coptic Orthodox church and it was such a wonderful day!  We were joined by family and close friends and every moment of it was beautiful.  Isabella did really well considering she was dunked under water 3 times.  She is generally a very good baby.  Her being a Christian and recognized as such was really important to us and we finally made it official on October 29th!

We were fortunate enough to have the bishop of the southern diocese, His Grace Bishop Youseff conduct the baptism and our sweet girl was a vision in her white gown!  I will never forget that day as long as I live!!



I started back to work on October 31, and it was a lot tougher than I anticipated.  I've been at home with Izzy every day since she was born and to leave her in a stranger's arms at daycare killed me inside.  I had to be dragged out of the daycare by Scott and it was not a pretty scene.  I called the daycare 6 times the first day and she was only there from 8 until my mom picked her up at 3.  Oh, and I visited her once.  Very bad day.  I knew it was coming though and I knew that one day I would have to return to work and that it would hurt.  I just didn't have any idea how much.  I'm doing much better with that though and it gets easier each week. 

I am starting up a new community at work called Patterson Grove.  It is a new little community in Rice Military near the Heights here in Houston and I will be selling beautiful brand new David Weekley townhomes!  I'm really excited about getting the opportunity to sell something so beautiful and of such great quality.  I have worked for David Weekley Homes for almost 6 years now and have never had a commute of less than an hour, so 12 minutes from home is almost tear-jerking!  It allows me to be close to home, close to Izzy's daycare and close to my mom's house.  She takes care of Izzy after daycare and on the weekends when I work.  I am off on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for now, which is also Scott's schedule, so it allows us to have family time together!  We're going to be looking forward to doing things together and raising our daughter as a unit!

Now let's talk about my favorite subject, Isabella Evan Scarborough and her amazing growth and milestones!  So just recently, she's been able to sit in her Bumbo by herself and totally holds her head up on her own.  She will sit in her seat for about 15 minutes at a time without fussing, but we're getting somewhere with it!  She also lies on her play mat for about 30-45 minutes at a time and talks very loudly to herself.  She will just lie there and kick her little legs all over the place.  She has recently started something hilarious.  She coos and babbles and sounds like she's asking herself questions and then answering them.  It's the tone in her voice that is hilarious!!  About a week ago, she woke Scott and me up at 5 am with this investigative questioning and we just held still in the bed and giggled quietly.  Yes it was 5 am, but goodness it was the sweetness sound in the world.  She has been taking a tbsp of rice cereal in her night time bottle but it's not keeping her asleep longer.  However, we are happy to report that she will sleep from about 8 or 8:30 pm until about 2:30 am and then wakes for a bottle and she's back down by 3 until 7 am.  Not too shabby!  We still can't wait until the middle of the night feedings stop.  It gets pretty rough after a while.  It is definitely light brown and will be big curls.  Her eyes are still this amazing greenish gray color and they're huge like mine.  She focuses more and more every day and she loves the sound your lips make when you blow kisses.  Scott kisses and tickles her neck and she laughs out loud hysterically.  It's the cutest thing ever!!!  What a contagious laugh my little lovebird has!

We are so incredibly blessed with this sweet child and watching her grow and develop has been amazing!  She is so perfect in so many ways and we as her parents find that we are so inspired by her.  Her love is unconditional and the way she looks at us lets us know that we're doing a good job taking care of her.  Thank you God for blessing our family and for giving us the most beautiful and precious gift we prayed for!  Please continue to bless us and our little family!

The Scarboroughs

Baby Steps

Isabella is now 11 weeks old and growing like a weed!  I never thought I would make it this far without completely losing my marbles, but I have.  It's been taxing on us as a family, but Scott is doing a great job helping out where he can and certainly carrying the financial burden until I go back to work at the beginning on November.  We start the morning off with waking up to precious coo-ing coming from the bassinet right next to my side of the bed.  Sometimes she will let out a loud "Ahhhhh!" just to let us know that she's ready to get out of bed.  We feed her a bottle, change her and begin the morning the only way we know how, by relishing every moment with our angel.  Scott goes out and walks Otis while I feed Izzy.  He gets ready for work and Izzy and I start our morning with the Today show.  We play for about an hour or so on her playmat as well as in my lap.  She loves it when I hold her under her arms and let her stand on her feet and bounce around in my lap.  She's one strong little baby!  She jumps up and down like she's on a trampoline and I let her wear herself out.

She takes her morning nap around 10 or 10:30 and will usually stay asleep for about an hour in her swing.  The entire time she naps, she hums to herself in her sleep and often opens just one eye to make sure I'm right there.  If she catches me in the kitchen, all hell breaks loose and she screams until I put her pacifier back in and off she drifts back into baby slumber.

She's eating 4 ounces on average now every 2 to 3 hours and sometimes she'll surprise us and inhale up to 7 ounces in one feeding.  She's still on her acid reflux meds which is just liquid Zantac and she gets this twice a day every 12 hours.  I also have to give her gas drops at least once a day that help relieve her trapped gas, poor angel.  It's so funny when she's baking a little something in her diaper for us.  She makes the most hilarious faces and grunts like a little old man.  She toots very loudly during these little sessions and that's how we know that it's time to start moving towards the stash of diapers and wipes.

Overall, she does pretty well with me during the day.  She starts daycare, however, on 10/31 and I'm worried that they'll just leave her to cry by herself and they won't comfort her the way we do.  I know that she eventually has to learn how to soothe herself, but she's a very attention-hungry little princess and can sometimes be downright high maintenance.  It's going to kill me having to leave her there on her first day, but I have to do it.  Until we win the lottery, we have no other choice but to both work.  We like having nice things and in order to do that, we gotta work for it!

I've been preparing her daycare bag and I soooo want to find a way to stick a little camera or recorder in there to keep an ear on my baby, but I know I can't do that.  She'll only be in daycare Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays from 9-4 and then my mom will go pick her up and keep her at her place until I get off work at 6.  We've been working on a schedule and a routine for her and it seems to be working fairly well.  I have her bathed and dressed for bed no later than 8 and asleep by 9.  It may seem late for some people, but for us getting off work so late and Scott not getting home from work until 8, it works for us.  He may only get to spend an hour with her in the evenings, but I bet it's his most precious and cherished hour of his day.

At night she falls asleep around 9, like I said, and she wakes back up some time around 4 for a bottle and doesn't wake back up until she's ready to get up for the day around 7:30.  Every now and then, she has a bad night where she's not feeling well with either gas or reflux and she's up a few more times in between.  Those make for really tough days the next day for mommy since Scott has to work the next day and can't get up with her.  He does, however, give me a night off every week (on Monday nights) where he is off the next day and it allows me to sleep all through the night uninterrupted. I really hope that things keep going the way they have been.  It's frustrating at times and totally exhausting, but so very worth it when she looks at us and smiles that half-cocked little Popeye smile and giggles!!

Little Isabella is being baptized next Saturday morning and will officially be a Coptic Orthodox Christian.  I chose her baptism saint today with my mother, after some research.  I chose Saint Demiana who was martyred and would not forsake her Christianity for the promise of a better life.  She was tortured as a child and a young adult and was finally killed along with her friends.  Each person that's baptized in our church must choose a Coptic saint as their patron saint and so her baptism name will be Isabella Demiana Evan Scarborough!

I will update next week after the baptism and post some photos then!

Milestones...one step at a time

Well, we've made it through the first 6 weeks of parenthood somewhat successfully!  It hasn't been easy, but we're here.  Our little Isabella has kept us quite busy and she is just as happy as can be.  She loves to cuddle and be held, and we know that soon, I'll go back to work and so we're giving her all the mommy daddy love that we can now before she goes to daycare.  We're going to start working on a sleep schedule soon, because let's face it, mommy's not having fun with the all night disco parties that little Izzy likes to throw!

We have our next check up with Dr. Zuniga on October 5th, but so far, so good with her growth!  We were a little concerned about her lack of dirty diapers, but we're accepting that our little gal doesn't poopie every day.  Next up on our plate, gas and reflux.  No one said it was going to be easy!!

My parents and Scott's mom and Garry have been so wonderful to us, as well as our friends and family.  Scott and I have gotten to go on two dates already!!  Once four our 2 year wedding anniversary and once for his birthday.  We're so blessed to have everyone want to pitch in to help us so much.  We always took advantage of "running a quick errand" or "meeting friends out" and now, our lives are very different...much more fulfilled, but different.  We can't imagine our lives without our sweet angel, but our schedules have to be fully mapped out around her feedings, diaper changes, and moods.  She's kind of a fussy little gal when she's hungry and doesn't get fed right away or when she has a wet diaper and doesn't get changed right away.  The big one though, is when she doesn't feel well and all she wants is a good cuddle, and you're in TARGET.  I've managed my way around motherhood though the very best way I know how.  I get plenty of mommy advice from my fellow mommies.  I am constantly trying to learn about her and how I can make her transition from mommy's belly to being in the outside world.  As Scott put it, she's fussy sometimes because she is just figuring out that she's not going back to my belly where she was fed when she wanted, didn't have to wear diapers, clothes, and those ridiculous bows!!  It was dark, mostly quiet and she constantly got bounced as I moved around about my day.  We're happy that she's here though in the outside world with us!  We have so much to teach her and share with her!!

As far as her development is concerned, she's starting to smile a lot more, she totally reacts to me tickling her feet and giving her belly zerberts!  She loves when you gently stroke her nose (her sweet spot) as she drifts away to sleep.  When I feed her, she always looks for my fingers with her hand and she holds on while she slurps away at her meals.  I knew I had quite the water baby because when I would take showers and let the water hit my belly, I could feel her dancing about in her little home.  Now, when I put her in her tub at her bath time, she lies in her little sling in the tub and kicks her powerful little legs.  She hums to her own music and smiles her little Popeye smile and just stares at me.  It's priceless!!  She's discovered that she can suck on her hands until she is fed and that when she fusses, we rub her belly and it's all better. 

I'm loving getting to know our baby and learning about her and her precious milestones.  She has filled all the gaps in our lives and makes us both want to be better people.  We couldn't imagine our lives without her and we know that the rest of our lives will be filled with little milestones that make Isabella who she is and Scott and Marianne who we are....Thank you God for our amazing daughter!!!!!!!  Thank you for choosing us to be her parents!

Changes

I haven't blogged in quite some time, because quite frankly, I haven't had time!  I now get it...why all my mommy friends just couldn't seem to find the time to meet me for that happy hour or for that shopping trip.  It's tough to find the time sometimes to brush my teeth!! 

Sixteen days ago, our lives changed for the best!  Our beautiful Isabella Evan Scarborough made it to our arms at 12:05 am on August 5, 2011.  She weighed in at 8 lb. 7 oz and was 20 and 1/4 inches long and came fully stocked with a full set of lungs and ridiculously cute cheeks.  It was such a tough day because I had to be induced due to my amniotic fluid levels being too high and her weight being what it was.  Had my water broken on it's own, Izzy's umbilical cord would have fallen out, causing infections for us both. I went in on Thursday August 4th at 8 am and had her 15 hours later!  I was hooked up to the pitocin drip as soon as I got to the hospital so they could start the induction process.  Of course I hadn't slept at all the night before because I was anticipating meeting my baby!!  Poor Scott didn't sleep either because I tossed and turned and kept waking him up.  We woke up at 5 waiting on the nurses at the hospital to call and let us know if there was a bed available.  When they never called as they were supposed to, we called them at 6:15 and they said to come on in! 

We went in and I was immediately hooked up to my IV (whom I called Pedro because the IV pole had to go to the bathroom with me and I saw it fit to name it).  It wasn't too bad at first, then I got my epidural.  The actual numbing process was painful and then....Dr. Feel Good!  I felt nothing at all!  As soon as the needle went into my spine, my entire left side went totally numb and the awful contractions that I had been feeling were all of a sudden gone!  The machines I was hooked up to told me when I was about to have another contraction.  They were now a minute and a half to two minutes apart.  My friends and family started arriving and broke camp in my room.  The note on the dry erase board from my nurse said that only 3 people were allowed in the room with me.  At one point, I counted 8 people in there.  My nurses were very cool and so they never kicked anyone out. 

I wasn't dilated to the point of pushing.  After several hours of being hooked up to pitocin, I was still only dilated to 3 cm and 80% effaced.  Being 10 cm dilated seemed so far away in my mind.  It felt like it was never going to happen!  They had broken my water for me at 11:30 and still, I wasn't moving along the way I should have been.  My regular doctor, Dr. Firpo, came in and out all day and kept calling my nurses to see how far I had gotten.  By 5 pm, I was only dilated to 5 cm and still not where I should be.  Dr. Bruce was my doctor's partner and she took over at this point.  We had met with Dr. Bruce a few times, and thought she was really awesome.  She came in and told me that she needed a centimeter an hour from me or she would be forced to do a c-section.  I was not happy with this.  There is obviously nothing anyone can do to dilated faster, but just sit and wait.  My second nurse that came in for her shift flipped me from side to side for 30 minutes on each side and at that point, things started progressing more.  By 7pm, I was 7  cm.  It felt like this was taking forever!!  I started shaking uncontrollably, due to all the medication being pumped through my veins and I was so exhausted.  I had no sleep, hadn't eaten anything in 24 hours, and had been energized by 2 popsicles and a cup of ice chips (the Sonic ice, so it was even better!). By 9 pm, I was finally an 8 or 9!!  Ten o'clock came, and what do you know, I was finally 10 cm dilated and it was time to push!!!

They asked everyone to leave the room except for Maggie and Dana who were video taping and taking photos to document our miracle!  I began pushing and of course couldn't feel a thing because I couldn't feel anything lower than my abdomen.  I tried like hell though!!  My nurses were great, but I couldn't have done it without my husband coaching me along!  At one point, Isabella's head had crowned and Scott saw her head!!  He looked at me and was so excited that he had seen it and it gave me the extra motivation I needed.  He was doing great in encouraging me to push harder and stronger and then...it happened.  He was chomping down so hard on his gum that here I am trying to count in my head and concentrate on getting her out safely and all I could hear was some serious gum smacking and I yelled, "That gum!!"  He asked me if the smell was bad and I said, "NO, YOU'RE SMACKING!!"  He spit it out on the floor of the delivery room and one of the girls ran over and picked it up.  Within no time, the pushing became stronger and harder and there she was!!! 

Since I was so drugged up and had hemmorraged so much during labor, I was very heavily drugged and couldn't even hold my child because I had the shakes so bad. I was given another drug, which was essentially an anit-anxiety drug to undo the side effects of the hemorrage meds.  Finally about 30 minutes after Isabella was born, I was calm enough to hold her and comprehend what had just happened.  I was elated and very emotional!!

The first night in the hospital was interesting to say the least.  I was still so high from A. the drugs and B. the fact that I just experienced childbirth and C. the fact that we now had this gorgeous and most perfect baby sound asleep in a plexi-glass cart right next to us.  She was the most perfect baby angel I had ever laid my eyes on and I sat up in my big ol hospital bed in my big ol diaper that they put on me and just stared at how much God really does love Scott and me!!  It was amazing.  Yes it was 4 am, but I was perfectly content just staring.  It had been almost 2 days of no sleep, no food (I tried after birth, but got sick immediately), and constant work and I didn't care a bit.  All I wanted was to hold her, but she was so tired after her long journey, that I couldn't stand to wake her.

The next day was rough, but we made it  We had tons of visitors and phone calls!  We got so many flowers, balloons, candy, gifts and people that just wanted to come check out our little angel.  It was so overwhelming how much love we got from our friends and family and we felt like the luckiest parents in that hospital!!

We got to go home on Saturday evening and it was so nice knowing that I no longer would have nurses poking me with any more needles and that I could sleep soundly in my own bed...then the real magic began.  I had no nursery to call to come get her at 4 am and I had no visitors to help me love on her.  I had Scott who took off a week of work to help me and that was good enough for me.  He helped me tremendously throughout that first week.  I had third degree tears and was barely mobile, but I was very determined!!  That first week, we had a crazy amount of traffic going in and out of our house and every bit of it was welcomed.  We honestly couldn't have asked for more supportive friends and family and for that we are so grateful!!

Isabella has now had two doctor's appointments and she is healthy as can be!!  God has really blessed us and been good to us through this life-changing process.  All the possessions in the world could not amount to the greatest gift we've ever been given.  She is that perfect to us! 

The Final Countdown

We had a doctor's appointment this past Tuesday and all went well!  Dr. Firpo did her examination and measured my belly.  She commented on how large our little angel is growing!  I took it as a good thing, because it told me we must be doing something right.  I have steadily gained a half a pound a week for the past 2 months, so I'm guessing that my little passenger is taking everything she needs from me and leaving me what's left, which is A-Ok with me!  Scott of course is beside himself happy that his baby girl is this healthy and obviously happy!  She is still measuring a little over 2 weeks ahead, but we all know that babies decide when they're coming, not mommy...especially our little Isabella.  The doctor also commented on my cervix being long, which would help hold her in longer, but because of her size, pushing her out may not be an option for me.  She scheduled another ultrasound for August 2nd (if I make it that long) to get exact measurements of her to see if she'll fit through the birth canal.  We have another appointment for an exam next Thursday to see if I've dialated any more.  Right now I'm at 1 cm out of the 10 needed to deliver, so maybe she'll move out at her own pace. 

We're currently in week 36 and looking forward to meeting her, but by no means do we intend on evicting our sweet tenant unless she becomes too big, I can't do a 10 lb. baby!

Our nursery is slowly coming together!  All of her laundry is washed, folded, and hung up.  Her socks are all organized and her bows (about 100) are all hanging on the bow holder I made (the rest are headband bows in a basket).  The crib is put together and her bedding is on it.  Pictures of the nursery once all the furniture is in and complete are coming soon!  I don't want to spoil the fun until all is put together.  Poor Scott worked on the changer/dresser combo last night until midnight and had a few "bad moments" in between.  Sometimes tools don't work the way they're supposed to.  My project for yesterday and today is cabinet organization.  For those of you that have been to our house, you know that it's beautiful and SMALL.  Our home is only 1600 sq ft but that's what you get when you live close enough to walk to an Astros game.  I have to re-arrange everything in the kitchen cabinets and the pantry to make room for bottles, pacifiers, formula, etc.  We may have to get trade in some wine glasses for baby bottles.  We're not complaining though, it's what we've always wanted!  We'll buy a bigger house in a year...there's no way I want to go through all that with a newborn in the house....I sell homes for a living, remember!

All in all, we're doing really well and getting really excited about meeting our sweet girl!  We're within weeks of holding her and being the family that God intended us to be.  I firmly believe that this is the most beautiful and precious part of life, having a baby.  Babies are certainly little gift-wrapped blessings straight from God and we are so incredibly lucky to have been chosen to be this baby's mommy and daddy.  We will continue to thank God every single day for the blessings we've been given, especially our Isabella Evan Scarborough!

Scott's Mini Me

We had a 3D/4D imaging session done on June 28th when we were about 34 weeks along in our pregnancy.  I have attended one of these amazing sessions when Dana was pregnant with Brendan, so I knew what to expect, but never did I imagine the amazing feeling I would feel when it was me in that recliner!  It was so surreal!!

She was not having a good time in this photo since she got pushed around so that the tech could get photos of her clearly.

Those huge cheeks come from her namesake, my precious Grandmother!

Looking exactly like her daddy!!  She's got her daddy's full lips and cute little button nose =)

Guess who's hair she got!  She's got a head full of curls!

Sleeping princess!

So as we move closer and closer to meeting this sweet little girl, I realize how precious life is and also realize how amazing God is!  It is truly a miracle any time a child is created out of love.  Scott and I are in the process of preparing our home for little Izzy and are impatiently awaiting her arrival.  I look back at my life before Isabella was a part of it and I can not imagine that I had any idea what love was ever about.  I look at the pictures of this baby that I'm growing inside of me and just feeling her movements makes me realize that I am so lucky to get to love this angel.  Scott has grown into a whole new level of manhood and I'm sure that once she arrives, it will get even more intense.  I asked him if he was going to be uncomfortable watching the birth of his daughter and he said, "No, it's going to make me fall even more in love with you than I already am."  He has been truly amazing throughout my pregnancy.  He is so very attentive and so helpful!  It's tough for me to even get out of bed, since my belly has taken over my body.  Thankfully, he's always there to pull me up and help me roll out of the bed and off the couch.

As I sit here and type this, little Izzy is kicking away in my belly and I know that she will be the most loved little baby that God has sent!  These little babies are all angels only on loan to us.  I will promise to take care of my angel and love her with all of my being.  I can't wait to watch my sweet husband grow into fatherhood, as he's always wanted to do.  We are both so blessed and loved by so many family members and friends.  We are so thankful for all the phone calls, texts, emails, and visits letting us know that we're supported and and Isabella is so loved so deeply!

We are so excited to start this next chapter of our lives and of our marriage!

Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting...My Izzy's Fast As Lightning!

As I sit here and type this, my sweet child is busy practicing all her fancy Kung Fu and dance moves.  I'm not really sure what on earth she's doing in there, but for the past several nights, I'll lie on the couch and Scott and I will watch her make the most interesting shapes out of my poor belly.  I know she shows off even more when she knows I'm watching!!  As soon as her daddy cups his hands on my belly and tells her it's him and to please not hurt mommy, she stops.  The minute he goes back over to where he was sitting, she starts the Kung Fu again.  It's actually kind of funny....well, not when it's so much activity that I'm left in tears.  I would much rather her be this active and know she's healthy than have a quiet little baby that does nothing but sleep.

Scott and I are getting closer and closer to becoming a mommy and daddy!  As we wrap up week 31 and approach week 32 next week, this is becoming more and more real!!  With every movement and every elbow that scrapes the inside of my belly, I know that we're closer and closer to meeting the precious little angel that we've worked so hard for the last 12 years of our relationship for.  I look at Scott sometimes and I still can't believe that God is so good to me.  God must've known that we were meant for each other, because I feel like I've known it my whole life!!  Isabella will be the beautiful thread that ties us even closer together!!  I have been told by several friends that are married with children that once you have a baby, you will have a whole new kind of love for your husband.  Scott and I have a pretty intense and special kind of love and I can't wait to love him even more, for the rest of our lives and beyond!

I had both my work and my family/friends' showers this month and I have to say that this child is so very loved by so many people that haven't even met her!!  She was so spoiled with the most adorable outfits, diapers, bibs, bows, socks, you name it, she got it!!  My sister, cousin, and friends did such a great job putting the big shower together last weekend.  It really was a lot of fun!  I am so very blessed to be so loved and cherished by my girls.  So many people are so very happy for me and Scott and it showed in the beautiful day they dedicated to us!

I will officially be going on maternity leave from work on July 1 (2 weeks from now) and I absolutely can't wait!!  I'm so looking forward to napping when I can and nesting all day!  Izzy's room got painted last week and we moved all of her gifts in there.  We ran out of room to put the diapers, so we filled her tub with them until we find a new home for them.  I'll probably be bathing her in my tub with me for a while anyway, so it shouldn't be a big deal.  Hopefully the amount of diapers that we got from both showers will last us for a while.  We shall see!

All in all, both showers were absolutely beautiful!!  It was so wonderful spending time with all my friends and family before my sweet girl gets here!  I got so many calls, texts, emails, etc from several people that were so impressed with everything.  Scott and I are so very blessed to have such wonderful friends and family that are so excited to meet our sweet little Isabella!!

My little porker...

On Tuesday May 24th we had our 28 week doctor's appointment and ultrasound.  We arrived at the Woman's Hospital and went straight to the radiology lab at 10.  The very first thing they said when we checked in was, "We're so sorry Mrs. Scarborough, but we're running about 45 minutes behind."  I should have known that our whole day was blown.  Now, I'm a pretty sweet gal, but tell me that you can't manage your time and I get pissed.  I immediately started giving attitude because I was hungry, tired, cramping, and uncomfortable.  The waiting room was packed with super annoyed people and it just added salt to my wound!  Two and a half hours later, I finally get situated on the table in the examination room to prepare to watch little Izzy dance!  They like to get their measurements out of the way first before they invite daddy in to check out the baby too.  Right away, the sonographer started giggling at how sweet my girl is and how active she gets when the camera is on!

About 30 minutes into it, they decide that everything looks great and that it's time to go get daddy.  Scott walks in and immediately is inspecting everything on the screen to make sure her spine is straight, her legs are muscular and that her head is round.  I, on the other hand, wanted to know if she got his cute little nose and my big eyes.  We both were very pleased because not to brag, but our child is GORGEOUS!!  She is a perfect mix of both of us and she is such a happy little angel.  All she wanted to do was play and show off for mommy and daddy.  She grabbed her toes on her right foot and did all of her fancy baby yoga stretches.  She even yawned at one point and showed us her big full lips!  Her cheeks (both sets that is) are very full and chubby and her little fingers are long and skinny.  She has Scott's feet and high arches and she's got very muscular legs. 

We finished with our ultrasound and as we were wrapping up, the radiologist comes in and gives us the rundown on everything.  He said she looks fantastic, she's beautiful and that she is super active which means she's healthy.  He made a good point though, and it makes me feel better about being kicked and punched all the time.  He said, "They're smaller versions of us.  When they don't feel good, all they want to do is sleep.  Those are the babies you have to be careful of because they end up being sicker.  The active babies feel good and are less likely to develop problems."  Totally made the fact that I get woken up at 4 am quite alright with me!

We went upstairs to see my doctor after this.  I was already 2 hours late for my appointment and by the time we got up there, they were all out for lunch.  Awesome.  We waited some more (we're now pros at waiting at Texas Women's).  We got called in, Dr. Firpo said i passed my glucose test and that the only thing she found was that I had anemia.  I was just happy that I didn't have to give myself shots everyday!  She said that Isabella should weigh 2 lbs and maybe an ounce or two.  Instead, my little chubber weighs 2 lbs 13 ounces and growing!!  She said that it's not that she's fat, it's that thickness in her bones again.  I guess I'm getting enough calcium in all that TUMS and vitamin D down to my princess!  Must be doing something right!!

I am about to start week 29 and I'm growing more and more impatient.  I just can't wait to meet my sweet girl!

Kickin' it!

We've been a little busy playing at other people's weddings for the last few weeks and I haven't exactly had the time to write in this.

We went to the doctor on Tuesday and Isabella's heart rate was at 150 which is totally normal.  Everything was ok until the doctor decided to mash down on my abdomen in my lower right quadrant and I almost jumped off the table!  Immediately, I felt so much discomfort that tears were flowing from my eyes and I couldn't stop them...so embarrassing!!  She kept the mashing up for a few minutes and asked me if I've ever had problems with my appendix.  This was a bit of a shock, because I didn't think I had.  She then proceeded to tell Scott that she was going to have to admit me into the hospital that day because she wanted to run more tests to make sure that it was not appendicitis as she had suspected.  I of course, threw a fit, didn't want to go into the hospital that day, and told her that it had to be gas pain or worse, bowel pain.  She told me to go home, relax and let Scott monitor me.  I then had to report back to her office the next morning to let her know how I made it through the last 24 hours. 

I left her office that day in tears!  First, she ripped into me (it felt like) for gaining 23 pounds from day one to now.  She kept telling me how I was all baby and that Isabella is doing great in there, but basically, I need to slow down the weight gain.  Yeah, my belly's not small right now, but it's tight as a basketball and there's no fat on it.  What am I supposed to do?  Stop feeding my baby??  Scott explained to her that he watches me eat all the time and knows for a fact that I eat tons of veggies, fruit and fiber.  How on earth could I have gained all this weight?  Hello???  I'm growing a human being and she's not a small one!!  I've spoken to all of my friends that have birthed children and they all say that 23 pounds is nothing compared to what they gained.  Why was she giving me such a hard time?  I'm 5'6".  Whatever.  I'm not going to feel bad about feeding my baby.  Needless to say, she can kiss my tush. 

We went backthe next day and I was much better.  She commenced the mashing on my belly and the pain was not nearly as bad, but just uncomfortable.  She went ahead and scheduled my glucose testing for May 17th and my next ultrasound for May 24th.  Isabella, we discovered, has some fluid on her kidneys, but apparently a lot of babies do and it goes away before they're even born.  The doctor believes that she's not emptying her bladder all the way, for some reason, so it's causing the fluid to go back up into her abdominal cavity and after a while, it just hangs around the kidneys for some reason.  This ultrasound is to make sure that the fluid is disappearing and not growing in amount.  Either way, I just want to make sure that my baby is healthy and happy.

On another note, I've got quite the kicker growing in my belly!  She seems to be under the impression that my poor little organs that are supplying her with what she needs are her toys and that she can kick them around.  This child's favorite time to play is between the hours of 4 am and 7 am and she doesn't stop there.  She waits until I'm in the middle of talking to a customer in my office and she gives it all she's got and gives me a swift good kick in the ribs or the bladder.  Nice.  "So tell me, would a one story work Aaaaaaaaaahhh!!"  Awesome.  They just giggle because at this point they've figure out that I just got kicked pretty hard!!  At least I know she's healthy!

A few weeks ago, Scott surprised me with tickets to James Taylor in the Woodlands.  He knew that I had wanted to go for a while, but because he works by himself on Fridays and his partner is off, there was no way he could get off work.  Well, he apparently switched some days around with his partner and was able to take Izzy and me.  Let me just tell you that every morning, I sing along to James Taylor songs to Izzy because absolutely loves to listen to him sing.  She went crazy with the dancing and swaying at the concert and the best part of it was I got to meet up with my sweet friend Farrah from middle and high school.  We got me meet her hubby, two kids, and even the nugget she too is growing in her belly!!  It was so much fun!  It definitely made me realize how much fun family events can be with friends!  I'm looking forward to many more!!

It's a GIRL!!!!

On March 29, we visited Dr. Firpo for our monthly appointment but this was no ordinary appointment, we found out the gender of the sweet little soccer player we're growing!  IT'S A GIRL!!!  We had her name chosen a long time ago, Isabella Evan Scarborough.  My grandmother's name was Isabelle and we decided to add the "a" at the end.  Evan is my husband's first name and so we thought it would be cute as girl's middle name too!

It took the sonographer 45 minutes of chasing my sweet little angel around my abdomen just to measure her little brain and the 4 chambers of her itty bitty little heart.  She had the sweetest little mannerisms and would stop every now and then just to suck on her hand and then she bolted again.  This is one active little girl, but just as the sonographer and the radiologist said, it's better to have a super active baby that is this healthy than to have one that is lazy and has lots of health problems.  I'll take the dance parties until 4 am, thank you!  Isabella made it very easy to determine her gender.  When it came time, she just opened her little legs and said, "There, you wanna know so bad?"  Our sweet Izzy has so much spunk and personality and is so incredibly athletic!!  She has super thick and dense little bones and she is very muscular.  Her heartbeat was at 149 and she measured 11 inches long and weighed 12 oz.  Most babies measure about 9 inches and 8.5 oz at this stage, so the radiologist and doctor just kept telling us how healthy this little angel is and how she is super athletic.  This of course, made Scott very very happy!!  I don't care what extracurricular activities Izzy gets involved in, as long as she's happy and Scott gets to help her. 

We took my parents and Scott's mom and her husband out to dinner that night and told them by giving them "Grandma gives the best kisses" outfits in pink and orange, to give away the gender.  Both grandmothers were so thrilled and I thought my dad was about to start crying!!  It is the first grandbaby for my parents (I was too for my grandparents) and this will be Scott's mom's 4th grandbaby.  Everyone is so excited and just so supportive.  We couldn't be any luckier to have such wonderful family!!

This week I am 21 weeks and will be looking forward to week 22 coming up next week!  Scott has training for work on Wednesday so I plan on spending the day at the spa using up the wonderful package that Scott bought me for Christmas.  It is much needed since I'm not getting the best quality sleep lately, due to discomfort. 

I really can not wait to meet our precious little angel!!  She is already to so perfect to us and we know that God really must love us so much to have blessed us with the most perfect little princess.  She is going to complete our lives and she is such a huge piece of the puzzle that forms our new family that is so quickly forming!!

Silent Movements...My little ninja!

So, I have started feeling my little angel move around quite swiftly, like a ninja.  Scott always claims that he's secretly a ninja and that this is baby ninja.  Yes, it gets a little old when he explains why he left something out that he shouldn't have "because he's a ninja," but it still makes me laugh.  I love that man! 

We are 18 weeks along this week and at week 16 I started feeling like butterflies were fluttering around in my belly when I am lying down or in the car on my long treks to and from work.  I realized that this wasn't gas and that it was indeed, the baby letting me know that my country music car karaoke wasn't necessary.  Everyone has told me that when I feel my monkey move for the first time, it is such a beautiful and gratifying feeling.  It makes you feel like there really is a human being growing in there and that it is ok and healthy.  I can not explain this beautiful bond that I have with baby S right now.  We talk all the time, I sing to him/her, I rub my belly and rock it back and forth at work when a low country song comes on, I let the water pound on my belly in the shower and can feel my angel dancing around in there like a true water baby, and when I eat watermelon or sweet tarts, you would think there's a dance party USA going on in there.  It's hilarious!!!!!!

We only have 12 more days until we find out if this is a hamburger or a hot dog!  I absolutely can not wait to find out if we'll be buying dresses and bonnets or cammo and baseball caps.  Scott thinks that if it's a girl, she'll still be wearing pink cammo...we'll see about that!!  I'm determined to buy tons of tutus and big gaudy bows though!!  I will truly be happy about whatever it is that God decides to bless us with though.  I hear that boys love their mamas like no other and that makes me so happy.  I think about the next 12 days and how our lives will never be the same after this baby comes.  Scott and I will have a whole new reason to live and our family is just now starting to grow and become what we've been dreaming about together for 12 years!!  I guess it's a sort of parallel analogy.  For 12 years we've dreamt and in 12 days, we'll have a whole new outlook on our future and a whole different level of connectivity.  I am so incredibly lucky to have this life...

I can not wait to meet our little watermelon eatin' baby ninja!!

So, here we are at week 15.  I gotta say that when I have a big meal, this belly puffs out and I happen to think it's hilarious!!  I look like I'm 6 months pregnant here, but I'm only 4.  I'm enjoying it while I have it though and I am fully aware of everything I put in my mouth.  I eat very healthy, actually and have a salad every single day with plenty of fresh fruit and veggies.  I'm still not diggin on chicken, but hopefully this too shall pass.  I am totally ok with meat though and can't get enough of it!!  It's funny when people start giving me their advice and old wives tale theories.  I'm a perfect mix of both gender theories!  I can't get enough of fresh fruit and veggies and could live off of that if it were just me in this body!  I'm not huge on the salt right now, but I sure don't have an issue with eating a snickers!!  I used to not really be excited about a steak, but I made an unbelievable ribeye for us on Valentine's Day and I've been thinking about those damn steaks so lustfully ever since.  I will tell you, ice cream isn't my thing.  While I like it and will eat it for that cold yummy treat, I'm more excited about Minute Maid frozen lemonade push pops.  YUMMO!!!!  All in all, I'm just happy to be able to hold food down these days.  I ate the better chunk of a watermelon last night and I now know what heaven must taste like.  It was so deelish and I had to MAKE myself stop so I didn't throw up or explode!!

I really don't care what gender this baby is, I'm happy to be sharing this time with him or her.  I am so happy and feel so darn lucky that God picked me and my body to be the vessel for growing this sweet little life that will join us soon.  I think about all the things I want to do with the baby and all the things I can't wait to show and teach this baby too.  I think about if it's a girl, all the mani/pedis we'll get together and all the clothes we'll buy, all the "girl talks" and all the heart-shaped cookies we'll bake together for daddy.  If it's a boy, I'll do whatever I can to not feel left out with him and Scott, but I know that all little boys have a very special place in their hearts for their mama. 

Whatever it is that God decides to give me, I promise to love and adore this child for the rest of my days and beyond.  I don't think I've ever felt love quite like this and I don't even know the sex!!! 

Our little athlete!

We're 13 weeks this week....the baby is 3 inches long and weighs an ounce!

So on Tuesday we went in at 7 am so that we could do our genetics testing for any chromosomal abnormalities as well as get blood from me.  We went to the imaging center which is downstairs from my doctor's office inside Texas Women's and I thought that we would be the only ones there that early.  Uhhhh...the waiting room was FULL of women that had a 7 am appointment.  All we could do was wait.  They finally called my name and as Scott and I got up to go to the back with the nurse, he was told that he couldn't come with me for this ultrasound and that he needed to stay seated.  I thought he was going to start crying he looked so bummed.  It was finally my turn out of all the women that were rounded up.  I got up on the table in that nasty smelling hospital gown and prepared.  As soon as the glop went on my abdomen (baby is getting good at this) the baby popped up on the screen bouncing around like a psycho.  The sonographer started giggling and said "Let me do my work and then I'll show you your baby."  Immediately after, she said, "Awwwww!!!"  Of course I lifted my head, and there was our baby, bouncing around wall to wall in there, sucking it's thumb, doing continuous somersaults.  She asked me if I had fruit juice with my breakfast.  I'm guessing it's because this baby is incredibly active when given sugar.  She showed me the heartbeat, the brain, the insane movement, and most importantly to Scott, the full stomach!!  I lost it hysterically crying because I was so devastated that my sweet husband was missing all this action!  "This baby's got some serious runner's legs!" exclaimed the sonographer.  I had her take a still photo of the baby's legs along with the 10,000 other photos I wanted copies of.  I showed them to Scott and he was so moved by this little baby that WE are growing together.  Trust me, if you heard by bitching and complaining all the time, you would understand why I say WE"RE growing this baby together.  I really do think I'm the luckiest preggie ever.  Scott has been so wonderful taking such good care of me and tending to my every request.  He does things that I didn't even have to ask of him.  For a first-timer, he sure is doing an excellent job!!  Every other preggie in the dressing room was so jealous (a few voiced their opinions) and said how lucky I was that MY husband was sweet enough to wake up before dawn to come to an ultrasound that he couldn't be in the room for.

Scott Scarborough, I am so incredibly lucky to have you in my life!  You are going to be the best daddy EVER!!! Thank you for loving us the way you do.  I can't tell you enough how much we both love you and appreciate all you do for us!

This baby is growing!

So I was getting dressed for work yesterday morning and I noticed that my cute little size 4 long work slacks don't exactly fit the same way they did even last week.  I also can not button the top button or it cuts into the cute little roll thingy I have going on now.  When I say "cute little" I mean the opposite.  I had a full on melt down about this yesterday and even tried to suck in to see if that might be more comfortable that carrying this cute little roll thingy around all day.  I can no longer suck in either.  It's the weirdest feeling.  I wish that it didn't leave me feeling this way, but THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS when you're pregnant!!  I need to just get over this and move on.  Today for breakfast I had my usual raisin English muffin and some apple juice.  For lunch I had a salad (had one for dinner last night too), trail mix, and a huge apple.  I'm not trying to starve this baby out, but I have been craving fruits and veggies like CRAZY lately.  I would totally take a yummy wedge salad from Barnaby's over a steak these days. 

I read in my daily emails that I get about my little monkey that it's a little over an inch long today!  Crazy that it started off the size of a poppy seed just weeks ago.  I don't think it's all the way hit me that I'm actually carrying a baby around in my "cute little roll thingy" and I know for a fact it hasn't hit Scott yet.  Our next appointment is February 1 at 10:10 am and I'm kind of excited to find out how everything is going.  It feels like it's going ok.  What I'm not excited about is the fact that they're going to drain me of my blood that day!  I'm absolutely terrified of needles and I'm not at all looking forward to them having to draw blood.  It is usually a big fiasco in the doctor's office for me when this has to take place.  We shall see how this goes.  I know they have to do it to run the necessary tests to make sure all is good, but that doesn't change how much it makes me cringe.

Until next time.....

We're having a baby!

Well, the last time I blogged, I knew I was pregnant but really wanted to wait to confirm it.  Since my cycle never came in late Nov/early Dec and then again in December on top of the fact that I took all these pregnancy tests, I can announce it!  We went to the doctor yesterday for the first time and everything turned out perfectly!  The doctor said that the baby is growing well, measuring 16.7 mm and is about the size and shape of a gummy bear.  I had all of my normal exams and poor Scott was a little uneasy, but he knew I needed to be checked since I'm housing his little one. 

We got through the holidays in one piece and told our families about the upcoming arrival of our special delivery!  Of course since this is the first grandbaby on my side of the family, my parents and siblings were especially excited!!  I started a journal in which I write letters to the baby every few days.  I have another journal that I can write what I physically feeling that day and all the emotions finally find a home in that book!  I have never been this emotional or sensitive, but I know it's because my hormones are wacky!  I like writing in those books and reading in my informational books so I know what's coming around the corner!  We are 8 weeks pregnant this week and our baby really is the most loved baby and we haven't even met him/her yet!

We can't wait to meet you little one!!