Growing and Growing and Growing and...

At 6 and 1/2 weeks old, little Alex is not so little anymore. He just weighed in at 14 pounds. Granted, it's a little easier when you start out at 10 pounds, but seriously, I don't think that this kid could eat any more. I just broke out the six month clothes this week, becuase he is out of most of the 3 month clothes! Good thing most of his clothes are hand-me-downs from Gabe.

The following took place betweem 11:00 PM and 5:30 AM...

Sleep. That's right ladies and gentlemen. Sunday night, we had 6.5 hours of blissful, peaceful uninterrupted sleep. Well, at least Alex did. Me, I woke up at 3:30, 4:00, and 4:45 to make sure that he was still breathing and finally at 4:45, I was in so much pain that I had to pump some milk, for fear of exploding.
I also felt the need to wake Chris to tell him that Alex was still sleeping and to discuss how great that was, which I am sure that he though was counter-productive to getting sleep and all. In any case it was a good night and hopefully a precursor of more good nights to come.

Playing Catch Up

As it turns out, I had way more time to blog before I had a newborn. Go figure! It's amazing how the day can go so fast when you accomplish very little, so I will try to catch you up on a weeks worth of photos and events.
We spend lots of time nursing, cuddling and changing diapers. We are definitely getting used to each other, and Alex is getting over his frat boy schedule of sleeping all day and "partying" all night. He does have quite the appetite and is nearly back to his starting weight of 10 lbs.

Baby Alex has arrived

I just wanted to let you all know that Baby Alex has finally arrived. Although he was a little later and MUCH bigger than expected, we are happy to be home and doing well.
Please enjoy the photos of our precious bundle of joy, as I will be spending the next week taking back all the pink clothes I purchased last month.

Stats:
Alexander Robert Flores
March 9, 2009 3:04 AM
10 lbs, 0 oz
21 inches

Last Chance

Well, I have a deadline. Dr. G has given me until Sunday morning to go into labor, or I will be induced. I have started dilating, so I am pleased with that news. As much as I don't want to be induced, I am really ready to be done being pregnant. And honestly, thinking back to college, I do much better on a deadline. I was always staying up late the night before a paper or test. So maybe this is a good sign.
On another note, look how pregnant (and tired) I am. Although the horizontal stripes aren't doing me any favors, I do feel as BIG as I look.

I wish that I had news...

But I don't. At least we got to go out for a nice dinner for my birthday last night. I ordered everything spicy on the menu from Spicy Tuna Rolls to Picante Chicken. Again, no luck. I am hoping to have a plan this afternoon after my appointment with Dr. G. Wish me luck!

Desperate

So, I am headed to the store for some Castor Oil. Mom swears by it, and if I can actually keep it down, I'll let you know how it goes. Ta ta!

UPDATE: OK, so I totally chickened out. I actually went to the store and bought some Castor Oil, but then I went online to look up recipes (because apparently it tastes pretty awful, straight up). So among all the recipes I stumbled upon YouTube videos of super-pregnant women actually taking the stuff and tossing their cookies. Literally!! What's up with that? It was at that point that I though, "Huh, maybe I can wait another day or two." So, I'll give it a couple more days, and if I become truly, truly desperate, I have it handy.

On another note, this is the funniest thing I ran across while doing my "research":
CASTOR Oil is a vegetable oil. Do not confuse Castor Oil with CASTROL Oil, which is a petroleum product, i.e. motor oil, and toxic.
Seriously? Tell me that someone did not down some 10W-30 engine oil, thinking it would actually help them!! How sad that there are people that dumb.

Happy Due Date to Me

Yep. That's right, I have made it to my due date and I am still pregnant. How exciting is that? Anyway, I am taking any suggestions you all have to get this baby out. I have tried spicy foods, such as pepperoni pizza and even buffalo wings, but they have not helped. I have tried other suggestions (which I can't post here, because I am pretty sure that my Grandma reads this- of course, how does she think I got myself into this mess). Anyway, I think that I will take a walk this afternoon, after my nap of course.
Maybe later I'll post more pictures of how insanely large my belly is. I look like what you should show high school girls who think that it would be "like, so cool and stuff, to have a baby."
Basically, I could be the poster girl for abstinence.

Still Pregnant

Enough said. I will post more after my appointment this afternoon. Clearly, I have lost my sense of humor about the situation.

UPDATE: My appointment with Dr. G. yielded little good news. Apparently, I am not dilated at all, so this baby won't be coming anytime in the next day or so. If the baby doesn't come next week, I have an appointment on Thursday and we will talk about "blasting it out" (his words, not mine). Hopefully, things will progress on their own naturally, as inductions are no picnic. I'll keep the updates coming.

My First Baby Card!

Thanks Ryan!

'Nobody ever stays pregnant forever'

Those were the actual words from my OB yesterday at my 39 week appointment. True...Yes, Helpful...Not so much. So, Dr. G says that I am 'ripening,' which kind of makes me feel like a banana. But other than that, I could go into labor tonight, or not until early March, no one knows.
I suppose that I should be happy that I don't yet need to be induced, and might actually get to do this whole thing naturally, but man am I tired. Let's just keep our fingers crossed for sooner rather than later.
Good news is, now I can go buy that cute little Pisces onesie at BabyGap.
FYI- Both mom and I are Pisces girls, woo hoo. Although, we would love a Pisces boy, too.

I passed cute 10 weeks ago

As it turns out you never quite know how pregnant you look until someone else offers to take a photo. And, well, the pictures speak for themselves.


Now this is not so bad, I mean you can hardly tell that I am pregnant, right?


Holy Cow. It's like an optical illusion. I swear that I am not smuggling a watermelon, that's all baby. Now I really feel like it is time to pack for the hospital. Thanks, Julie.

38 weeks+

Man, I was sure I was going to have this babay this weekend. But here we are, sunday afternoon and...nothing. Of course, my appointment on Friday was uneventful. No reason to induce labor, no changes since last week, but I was still hopeful. The baby is kicking like crazy, certainly running out of room. And I am just getting bigger and bigger. Again, I will continue to keep you posted.

Baby Update

Well, tomorrow I am officially 37 weeks along, which according to most books I have read is considered full term. Considering Gabe was born at 38 weeks and was 7 lbs, 6 ozs, I would be okay with a baby that's a little early.
At my appointment with Dr. G. we learned that things are progressing normally so that is great news. I have started having some minor contractions, so perhaps I better go pack sooner rather than later.
I will share more news next week.

No News is Good News

So I had my 36 week check-up with Dr. G. this week, to which he promptly informed me that I was "not having this baby tomorrow, and see you next Thursday." I suppose that should be great news, since I was induced 2 weeks early with Gabe, but I think that I am ready. I mean, I haven't packed for the hospital or moved Gabe out of the nursery and into his own 'big boy' room yet, or even settled on names.
But I am ready to be done with waking up every 2 hours, ready to be done with heartburn and peeing all the time, random contractions, and the many other joys of being pregnant that no one really likes to talk about.
But mostly I am ready to meet our new little bundle of joy. Ready to know if it is a girl or a boy.

Sugar and Spice

So, Chris was quick to point out that this pregnancy is not exactly the same. While 2 years ago I was a complete carnivore, craving all kinds of meat (especially meat I could eat directly off the bone, mmmm....ribs). This time around I have quite the sweet tooth. Although, I know that Milk Duds, Red Vines, and Sour Patch Kids do not a balanced diet make, I can't seem to get enough. I actually justified spending $12 on Jelly Bellies from the "chose your own flavors" bins at the Orange County Airport. I mean, it's totally worth it not to pick through the licorice or buttered popcorn in order to get the yummy cherry, right? So if little girls are really made of sugar and spice and everything nice, I am well on my way to getting a little girl.