Happy New Year!

Hi Everyone, It's me, Sophie, again. It's been almost a month since my last blog posting and I have grown so much since then! Mom and Dad say I am changing everyday, we are all having lots of fun together. It's so nice to have both of my parents around during the day to take care of me. Some of my favorite things to do are to play on my playmat, I love trying to swipe the bugs and look at all of the pretty lights above me; having fun in my bouncy chair  esp. pulling the little rings and birdie hanging above me on the chair as well as chilling in my swing and just hanging w. Mom and Dad. I still love my sleep and milk. Mom and Dad are very proud of me, since I've been sleeping through the night without any problems for the past few weeks. I'm pretty hungry lately and think I may be going through a growth spurt. I am almost 2 whole months old and have my 2 month Drs. check up on Jan. 13. Even though it is cold here in Chicago, I don't know any other weather and enjoy our walks outside, going to friends houses and out for lunch and dinner. We try to go out every other day. I am excited for my first plane ride later this month when we go to visit Nan and Pop in Florida and meet my Auntie Jen, Uncle Freddie and cousin Jakey for the first time. I may even try to go for a swim. I am still not a fan of baths but I think I'll get used to them in the coming months and think swimming in the pool may be fun. I went to my first party on New Years Eve, it was fun and lots of new friends wanted to have cuddles with me. My first Christmas was also great, I got so many fun new toys and pretty clothes.

Hi, I'm Sophie

Me in my cool shirt Daddy made especially for me.

Hi Everyone, My name is Sophie Grace Owen and I can't wait to meet you all! I know Mom and Dad have been in contact w. lots of you but for those that don't know I came into this great big world on November 12 at 5:49pm after a long, long day. I was a bit bigger than anyone really expected weighing in at 8lbs 1oz and 21 inches long. Mom says her contractions started at around midnight, just a few hours after she had asked me to hold off coming until the morning so she could get a good nights sleep after having a delicious dinner at Terragusto, but I just couldn't wait any longer to get the party started. She woke Daddy and they made their way to the hospital at around 2 a.m. Mom received an epidural after waiting it out for a couple of hours at the hospital, which she was very thankful for and calls a godsend. Mom,  Dad and I spent most of the day just chilling out and resting while Mom contracted and continued to dilate naturally. At about 2pm the pushing started. I was so close to coming out, I could hear the conversations happening around me. Daddy, the midwife, nurses and Dr. McNair could see the top of my head and my brown hair. Mom pushed and pushed very hard for three hours but I was just too comfy where I was and wasn't budging. Mom was also dealing with a fever and my heartrate dropped a bit, that's when everyone decided it was time I meet the world and an emergency c-section was quickly arranged. In a matter of minutes, I was welcomed into the world. Mom says it was a great big birthday party for me as at least 20 people from the hospital were in the room to greet me and we were both very carefully looked after. I was pretty proud when I was told my apgar score was a 9.5 out of 10, with all things considered the Peds seemed impressed. They were also surprised by my neck strength. I've been holding my head up high on my own since birth. Dr. McNair's first reaction once she pulled me out of Mom was "She's all CHEEKS!!". I've been told I get my gorgeous cheeks from Dad and he's warned me that a life of cheek squeezes and kisses could be in store. Nana and Pop brought pictures of Mom when she was just born and I have to say that we do look so much alike too. I am a very healthy baby, a great eater from the start. I rarely spit up, I've inherited my mom's champion burping skills and, like my parents, I really enjoy my sleep. I've already had a few great adventures out of the house even though it's been freezing cold. I especially love car rides and going for walks.

Where is Weezie?

Hi Everyone.

Well today is the Official Due Date, but as of yet Weezie has not appeared!

Kristin has had a few contractions this past week, and is holding up great. Her belly frequently makes all sorts of weird shapes, hard to tell if lil Weezie is trying to get comfortable or trying to get out.

Kristin's folks arrived yesterday to help out, it is great having them around to support our venture into the unknown.

Out next appointment in on the 10th.

We have our bags packed and in the car, we are all set go and getting excited. Lots of Love to All.

Weezie is 38 Weeks and 2 days - 95.7% Baked!

We are officially down to the wire. Only 12 days left til we reach lil' Weezie's November 7th due date. Our www.bebepool.com/kawowen closes in 2 days so get your votes in if you haven't already!

The 37 week check up last Monday went well, we met with another OB practitioner at NMPG and he, like the others we've met with, was great. At that stage I was a surprising 1 1/2 cm dilated, the baby's head was at 0 station and engaged meaning I could go into official labor at any moment, could be hours, days, weeks no one knows. After the appointment I treated myself to a Bliss 'Mama to Be' massage and bikini wax, nice but probably not the best idea after the appointment. Once we got home that's evening I was having some intense pelvic and groin pain where at one stage I couldn't move my legs, poor Rich had to come over to my side of the bed each time I needed to roll over to help move. Thankfully, that pain went away by morning and I know it's just my body prepping itself for the big "D" Day. I've been having some occasional cramping lately and get really winded quickly these days but nothing too intense. I've been able to get some frequent rest and am just taking it easy getting as much done as possible before the lil' one gets here- from shopping, errands and cleaning to hanging out with friends and getting some pampering (mani/pedi, massage, haircut). Rich has been a great help with everything.

Coincidentally, we've been spending a lot of time with friends with young kids lately. This past weekend we had our friend's Jen and Randall's little Weston's 1st birthday party which was chock-full of kids of all ages; last weekend we visited with our friend's LP and Sonia who just had a baby girl, Samira- a prelude into what we can expect of our lives and how it will change in just a few short days. We also caught up with our friends Jon and Kate and their twin girls on the same weekend.

Our next appointment is on Friday where we hope to get more exciting news about the progression of the pregnancy. Here's to hoping I continue to progress smoothly, Weezie is still ready to go and we get to hold her in our arms sooner rather than later. I know this time will fly by!

10-10-10 and a Watermelon

Happy 10-10-10 everyone!  It's our nephew Archer's 1st birthday in Australia, what a cool date to celebrate! Happy Birthday, lil' man. Wish we could be there to celebrate with you! It's amazing how quickly time flies as we remember like it was just yesterday receiving the news of his arrival. The days continue to pass so fast for us too and I can't believe we've already reached week 36 (9 months) and only have 28 days to go before our EDD. Only one week til we reach full term mark :). Tomorrow is our 36 week check up, I know the pregnancy continues to progress as normal but wish we could be given a firm date as to when to expect to go into labor. Suppose it's fine to be kept on our toes, keeps things interesting. Weezie is the approximate size of a watermelon (yum! one of my only cravings throughout the pregnancy). She is hiccuping heaps which I love (pretty much like clock work every night at around 9:30pm and again every other day at around 4pm). She also continues to roll around lots. I haven't had any chronic symptoms thus far, only one night of sore ribs, the occasional achy back, and a bit of pressure recently. I've continued to be able to sleep really well and don't think I've experienced any Braxton Hicks contractions yet.

Rich and I are proud, recent graduates of two classes - Baby Basics and Infant CPR. The CPR class was definitely worthwhile and recommended. I've been very impressed with Rich's active participation in all of the classes so far and the pointed questions he asks. If we were to be graded on class participation he'd definitely be top of the class. Next up is Wednesday night's breastfeeding class. Not sure if he'll be as comfortable with actively participating in this one! I'll keep you posted.

We've been making a point of doing a few things to prepare for the baby each week as well as getting out and enjoying each other and spending time with friends at least a few times a week. This week's baby prep involves finishing packing the overnight bag and heading to the Children's Hospital to get our car seat installation inspected as well as the breastfeeding class. Last week we met with our pediatrician, Dr. Levine, we are really comfortable with her and her staff and she came highly recommended.

Rich unfortunately dislocated his patella (knee cap) on Friday night and we've been a bit house bound, owing to living on the third floor walk up. We are hoping to get him in to see a specialist tomorrow (although I think he'll be competing for appointments with all of the Chicago marathon runners from today). We're confident that he will fully recover soon! Thanks so much to our friends who have come by to visit and especially to our friend Dave White who came over on Saturday morning with much appreciated and needed supplies to help w. recovery.

Before I sign off, just a quick reminder to get your baby pool stats in ASAP. Thanks to all of you that have participated already! Pool will close in the next few weeks. I love checking to see what everyone's thoughts are on Weezie's stats, it's my latest obsession. I think it may be because, frankly, I like stats and friendly competition, but above all with each entry I enjoy envisioning and revisiting the possibilities of what our lil' one may be like and when she may arrive. Again, the site is www.bebepool.com/kawowen. Winner will be the envy of their peers and also receive naming rights to the special stuffed koala I made for Weezie. xoxo

40 Days and a Baby Class Haze

Hi everyone, Kristin and Baby Weezie are going great, 34 weeks and counting. It is getting close, each time I go to my iGoogle home page I am reminded via a countdown app, today it says 40 days to go. Time has really flown by so far.

Last night we did a Baby Basics class were were learnt to swaddle, change and feed a baby, it was informative and a little daunting. Last week we did the Great Expectations class where we were put through our passes with all the labor and pre/postnatal stuff, this class was more intense, I was sure not to ask any really dumb questions.

We encourage everyone to go to www.bebepool.com/kawowen, Kristin has created a bit of a guessing game there, where you can predict Baby Weezie's measurements, date/time of birth, eye and hair color. The prize will be the envy of your peers.

Oh and in case anyone missed it the in utero nickname vote recently closed, the result was Weezie 17 Maisie 14. It was close but Weezie prevailed.

On a sad note, Kristin's Grandfather passed away late last week. Michael Blake was 94 years old. He served his country in WWII. We all called him 'Popi', he was such a good man, ever devoted to his wife (Nani), who passed away 2 months ago. We will always remember Popi and his songs, which we will be sure to sing to our Baby.

13 Flights and Counting

Richard and I with CN Tower. Richard is wearing
a new Canadian pullover with a Beaver on it.

Our nice, relaxing "Babymoon" weekend went by quickly but was a welcome respite for us all. It's always fun to explore a new city and only a cruisy hour flight away from Chicago, Toronto was the perfect locale to head to. We didn't plan much and took it fairly easy as I've been losng a lot of steam quicker than usual owing to the pregnancy, of course. We did get to see and do a bit, regardless, including checking out the famous St. Lawerence Market, just down the block from our hotel. We purchased some great local cheeses, marinated veggies and meat pies to have later that day at our hotel, which was more like a full service apartment with kitchenette, in the heart of downtown. The market was similar to the Vic. Market in Melbourne. I miss these sorts of places and only wish we had something similar here in Chicago. We did a bit of shopping along Yonge Street followed by some much needed and appreciated 'Mama-to-Be' spa treatments that Rich arranged for me - heavenly!

On Sunday we headed to the CN Tower, I believe this is still considered the world's tallest tower, for an early lunch at their 360 rotating restaurant. I definately recommend booking at the restaurant as opposed to waiting in line for the few hours to get to the top of the Tower like many, many others did. For $10 more than the regular admission to the Tower top you get a nice meal in a very relaxed setting and truly get to take in the sites of the city without feeling rushed or claustrophobic. We also got to take in the Toronto airshow while having our lunch (doesn't even compare with the Chicago Air Show). Toronto had some similarities to both Melbourne and Chicago, from some of the old Victorian buildings, markets and coffees in Melbourne to being a large city on one of the Great Lakes like Chicago (albeit I don't think Toronto takes full advantage of their proximity to the lake nearly as well as Chitown). 

On the quick hop home I had realized that Weezie has been on 13 flights in utereo including a few trips to Texas and NJ, NY, Florida, DC, and this last trip to Toronto; she's also been on a few road trips to WI, GA, SC, DC. Quite the lil' traveler already! If only we could accrue frequent flyer miles for her as I know through the years, she'll be traveling with us a lot more and the miles would come in handy for our trips back to Oz.

Date night tonight as Rich and I head on a dinner cruise on the lake downtown. Taking advantage of the last 7 remaining weekends as a couple sans baby. Tomorrow we'll be consumed by all things baby as we will be taking an all day "Great Expectations" class at the hospital. We'll be sure to send a follow up as to what we learned.

Oh yeah, this week's Drs. appointment went well. Met a new, great Dr. in the group, Weezie's heartbeat is beating strong at 160 bpm, she's head down but still moving lots and all looking great so far. Results of my 3 hour glucose test were all fine too.