Eight years and 37 weeks - milestones!

Eight years ago today Chris and I went on our first date. Seems like yesterday we were walking in Union Square and Chris was talking a mile a minute (yes it is true). Last night we attempted to go to dinner at the same place we have the past 7 years, but they were closed. So we went to another Uno's restaurant instead. It was nice to celebrate the last eight years, even though it was sad "our" place was gone.

So enough about Chris and I and more about the baby, that is what everyone cares about anyway. Today I am 37 weeks, so happy to have achieved this milestone. Now if I go into labor I am considered FULL TERM. Which really means any day this baby could arrive. 9 months really has flown by and now that the time has arrived, I still don't feel ready. The 'To Do' list has grown, even though we continue to cross things off.

Over the last week the baby has started to drop. I guess the baby is preparing to meet mommy & daddy. According to the books this phase is called "lightening". I am feeling the baby lower, which means more frequent trips to the bathroom. At night it is even harder to rollover and sleeping is much more of a challenge.

Thank you to all of our family & friends for their continued love and support. We know you are all as excited as we are to meet this precious bundle of joy.

As requested...

Check out the progress of the nursery:

Pictures of Nursery Construction

We aren't done yet, but almost (cross your fingers). Crib is coming on Monday!

What will I miss?

Today someone asked me will I miss being pregnant?

I will definitely miss being pregnant and I never thought I would feel that way. The 1st trimester I didn't enjoy (it felt weird to me and strange things were happening with my body), but otherwise I have LOVED being pregnant.

I am so going to miss feeling the baby kick and move! Every time it happens I am amazed. I thought that feeling would pass, but it hasn't. At night I sit on the sofa or lay down and just watch the baby move. I can't stop rubbing my tummy and pausing every time I feel a kick or a movement.

The private bond that I feel I have with the baby as it grows inside of me. We have little private conversations every day.

Honestly, I think I am glowing. Pregnancy has really agreed with me and I couldn't be any happier!

The extra love, support & attention from our family & friends.

Dreaming of our life once this little bundle of joy arrives. The anticipation and excitement is like nothing I have ever experienced. Sure, it is overwhelming and somewhat scary too, but it also the most awesome feeling in the world.

We are in position!

Yesterday the doctor confirmed what I already thought, the baby is head down and in position. Where I have been feeling tremendous movements is the baby's feet and butt. Since it is tight in there I am feeling and seeing lots of movement, but less kicks. I got to see both of the baby's feet, looks like good size feet to me and the arms & hands, which one is by the chin and the other is over the head right now. Early estimates & measurements show the baby currently at 6lbs 9oz. Both Chris & I were over 8lbs at birth.

All of my measurements are perfectly on track. Blood tests from last week came back negative. The baby's heart rate was again in the 140 range. So everything is progressing as expected.

Last night we went to a baptisim class at St. Raphael's. I was soo uncomfortable. Don't know if it was just gas or more Braxton Hicks, but I couldn't sit still. The class itself was fine. Mostly explained about the sacrament, as well as the actual ceremony itself.

The room is almost complete!! Carpeting is being installed as a write this. And Jeff will probably finish up the rest in a day or two. Soon we will be able to clear out the dining room and start to organize the nursery.

Chris and I are so excited and cannot wait for the baby to arrive!!!

Braxton Hicks

Last night I was awoken in the middle of the night with contractions! Instead of freaking out, I remained calm (yes, me - calm). I remembered what the nurse in our class said: that if they are on one side and don't get stronger they aren't the real thing. Well they were quite uncomfortable but were only on the right side. I laid on my left side and they went on for almost 20 minutes. Afterwards the baby was quite active, as it has been the last few nights while I am trying to sleep.

Yesterday I went to the doctor and all is good. Too early to know the position or the size of Baby Fuffs (although Dr. N said probably about 5.5 lbs). My weight was the same. I am concerned if the baby is breached when they will schedule a c-section (that was the course of action the Dr told me we would follow). The doctor understood my concerns and scheduled another sonogram for next week! So excited to see the baby again, my appointments now are every week. I can't believe I only have 5 weeks to go before getting to meet this precious little one.

Sunday I got the baby the most adorable outfit for Halloween, our little pumpkin. And a really nice soft & cozy outfit to come home in. On the home front we are getting there. We are making lots of progress, although it is hard to tell. The house needs to get organized!

Green Eyes

So the baby's nursery is well under way, the sheetrock is done and the new door is being hung. Still looks like quite a lot left to do before it will be done. But it should be done next week. I got the paint, a nice green with some yellow accents to match our bedding. Whatever Jeff was doing on Monday, stunk. So Monday night I slept on the sofa. I didn't get a good nights sleep at all. But it was good I was downstairs. I tried broccoli again (my mom had made this yummy Oriental salad for my shower) for lunch. I thought it was fine, but that night the gas was killing me. Oh well, guess broccoli and I will really have to part ways for awhile.

The other night I had a dream about the baby. She (yes it was a she in my dream) had the brightest most vibrant green eyes I have ever seen. They were beautiful!

Feeling good, although I do get pooped. By the time night time comes around I am pretty uncomfortable. My stomach seems to get tight and heavier. The baby also moves around so much more. The neatest thing is just watching my stomach move, it looks like a wave.

We took a breastfeeding class at the hospital. It was good, but long. The biggest thing I took from the class was about positioning and getting the baby to latch on. Chris came along, about half the women there had their SOs with them, so he wasn't the only guy. He did the crossword puzzle, but mostly he drank juice & ate cookies.

Smile pretty for the camera :-)

A couple of pictures from Sunday:

Mom and Dad-to-be when we arrived with our gifts

Me with the "Aunts" - Karen, Megan, and Brianne

The grandma's and me

It showered!

On Sunday our families threw a beautiful baby shower for us. The shower was at my in-laws in the backyard. It was such a beautiful ladies luncheon. Chris came in the beginning to greet all of the guests. The tables looked great & the centerpieces were adorable (bowls of floating rubber duckies and roses). I know my mom, mother-in-law, and my sister (and many others) put a lot of work into the details to make it a very special day. And I appreciate their thoughtfulness so much!

The day couldn't have been more perfect, it was a bit hot in the sun, but there was enough shade to keep cool. The food was excellent - great gourmet wraps and a variety of salads. I heard the strawberry champagne punch was excellent, too bad I couldn't try it. My sister's roommate Karen made a "Honey Bee cake" to coordinate with our bedding. It was so cute, I can't imagine how much time & effort it took.

Everyone was so generous!!! The baby hasn't even made its debut and it is already loved and was showered with so many gifts. I wouldn't even know where to start. We received everything off of our registry plus a ton of other lovely gifts: many beautiful blankets (even a handful of handmade ones, which I love), an adorable octupus chair, and cute little clothes. Now our dining room is full of baby stuff; we might need a small addition on the house to fit it all! We have lots to go through and organize (hopefully the nursery will be done soon & the furniture delivered so we can put some of it away).

A really cute touch, was my sister included the following card in the invitations:
I want to be a bright child
as smart as I can be,
That is why I am hoping
my mom will read to me.
If you plan to bring a card
Please take another look,
I would like to learn my ABC's
From your favorite storybook.
Please sign your name in the front
as a personal touch,
Baby Perfetti Thanks you
Beary, beary much.

We received so many great books for the baby's library! Everyone signed the books, so it will be a great momento. Chris and I enjoyed looking at the books last night and recognizing some of our own favorites from childhood.

Thank you to everyone! It was a very special and beautiful day. We love and appreciate you all. Chris and I are so thankful our baby will have such a wonderful extended family and support system.

Baby, don't scare mommy like that!

This past weekend we went up to Vermont for our annual Brew Fest trip. The ride up was good, but I was very uncomfortable, being almost 33 weeks pregnant. We had to stop a few times so I could stretch and walk around. During one of our stops we visited a local confectionery, where we had some yummy homemade chocolate. The weather was gorgeous all weekend and perfect for hanging out and relaxing. Baby Fuffs really enjoyed its first trip to Mt. Snow and was quite active! The music had the baby dancing all afternoon in my tummy.

On Sunday after the festival ended we all went swimming. There was a bit of an incident afterwards and I kinda freaked out. While swimming I realized that if my water broke I would never know (although now I know I would continue leaking after the initial break). Anyway I now have this stuck in my head and am not feeling the baby move. When we got back to our condo I was getting really worried that the baby wasn't moving around or kicking. Chris was fantastic and tried to reassure me everything was ok. He offered to call the doctor and go to the hospital. He is definitely the calm, level-headed one and usually puts me at ease. He hugged me while I cried and told me the baby was just sleeping, that the long day & swim had lulled him/her to sleep. I tried calling my mom, but wasn't able to get in touch with her. Every 15 mins I went to the bathroom to make sure nothing was happening. It was a pretty stressful night for me and as a result I didn't sleep well. I did feel the baby kick some during the night and in the morning, but I still was concerned. Finally after lunch on Monday during the ride home the baby was quite active and I felt much better. If this is a sign of things to come, this baby is going to cause mommy many sleepless nights!

On Tuesday, I had another appointment with the Doctor. Everything looks good. He said in the future if I don't feel movement to call them and they will put me on the monitor. The heartbeat was as strong as ever. My latest bloodwork came back and my protein and B12 were low. They aren't concerned for the baby, since the baby takes everything first. But I did get a B12 shot and am going to take B12 once a week and increase my protein. I visit the doctor again in two weeks where I will have the Strep B test, after that we go to once a week appointments! Wow, it is getting close.