UPDATE - Sofia's first month

Isn't it funny how time goes by so fast when you have a newborn?? It has been a month and a half since I last updated the baby blog because, as you all know, Sofia was born and it a LOT of work being a new mommy! She was born on January 3, 2010 at 10:31 AM. Let me tell you the story:

Mike and I went to the movies on Saturday night (Jan 2) to watch Sherlock Holmes because we knew that one day Sofia would come and we would not be able to go watch a movie in a long time. We went to eat dinner after the movie and came back home, it was a really nice date. I was feeling well, I had Braxton-Hicks contractions during the movie, but never thought any of those were the real contractions. We came back home and went to bed. I was reading the "Baby 411" book that I bought the same day, since I knew I should be prepared for the baby's first week. I was reading the second page when my water broke! We called the doctor, he told us to go to the hospital. We left at 11:45 PM and arrived at the hospital at midnight. At 12:10 AM, they admitted us and my contractions started getting really strong, I was getting them every 3 minutes!!!! At 5 AM, after doing all the Lamaze techniques that we learned, I couldn't handle the pain anymore (it was HORRIBLE!!!) so I got a pain shot. Mike and I then fell asleep (it was great!) and at 7 AM, I woke up because I felt the worst contraction EVER(!!!!) and I got the epidural. Why didn't I take the epidural earlier??? After I got the epidural, everything was great!! I was ready to push at 10:00 AM and she was born at 10:31 AM. Well, at least I know now what labor pains are like, and for the next baby, I will show up at the hospital, get the epidural, go to sleep, and tell the nurse to wake me up when it is time to push. hahaha.

I have no words to express how beautiful the whole experience was. She is the best thing that has ever happened to us. Mike was the best labor coach I could ever have. He was so supportive and he did everything he could to make things better for me. I love him so much. Poor Mike was so tired!! When Sofia was born, Mike cut the umbilical cord, they cleaned her and gave her to me so she could have her first breastfeeding session. She did great! It was a very emotional moment for Mike and I. We were SOOOOO happy!! Then Mike and Sofia left with the nurses to give her her first bath.

I was very lucky that I had an easy labor, when Mike left with Sofia to give her the first bath, they took me to the Mother-Baby care unit, and they played the lullaby in the hospital to announce that one baby was born (ours of course). I cried when I heard it. The nurse told me that it was our song for Sofia, and I was crying so much, tears of joy...

My parents came a week later to meet their granddaughter. They were so happy!! My dad had her in his arms all the time, he spoiled her, like a proud grandpa. My mom stayed with us for 2 weeks to help me, she was a lot of help, and she was in love with Sofia too. Mike's parents have been to our place (almost) every weekend since she was born. They are very happy grandparents. Every time her grandparents come to see her, they bring her gifts. This girl is so spoiled already!!

Abuelos Orgullosos! Proud Grandparents!

We are so lucky to have a happy baby. I hope she continues to be like that. Check out our Flickr album (Sofia - 7 weeks) for pictures and videos of our beautiful baby girl. I will start updating the blog more often! Now that she gives me some time to check my computer.

Mike and Paola 38 weeks- New Year's 2010

Mike and Paola 38 weeks- New Year's 2010
Originally uploaded by paolaandmike

Happy New Year 2010!!! Today, January 1, I am 38 weeks pregnant!!! Mike and I are just waiting for Sofia to arrive, we cannot wait.
Feliz Anio Nuevo 2010!! Hoy, Enero 1, tengo 38 semanas de embarazo!!! Mike y yo solo estamos esperando que Sofia aparezca, no podemos esperar mas.

Last night we went to TJ and Claire's to meet their 6 week old baby, Ava. She is sooo cute!! She was crying a lot though, it made us realize that we better enjoy these last few days, relax, watch movies, sleep, and get ready, because we have some tough weeks ahead of us. Hopefully Sofia will sleep well and will not cry too much, but you never know...
Anoche fuimos a la casa de TJ y Claire a conocer a su bebe de 6 semanas, Ava. Es divina!! Estuvo llorando un monton, nos dimos cuenta que mejor aprovechamos los ultimos dias que tenemos para relajarnos, ver peliculas, dormir, y alistarnos, porque nos van a tocar unas semanas dificiles dentro de poco. Esperamos que Sofia duerma bien y que no llore mucho, pero quien sabe...

Ava, Claire, and TJ

Mike and TJ cooked last night, they made a great lobster and steak dinner. Mike made gnocchi with a lobster sauce, it was delicious! He also cooked really good filets for us, the dinner was awesome. I bought some pastries for dessert, we had a great time with TJ and Claire celebrating the New Year.

Mike y TJ cocinaron anoche, hicieron una cena excelente de langosta y steak. Mike hizo gnocchis con una salsa de langosta, deliciosa!! Tambien nos cocino unos filetes buenisimos, la cena estuvo espectacular. Yo compre unos postrecitos, la pasamos re bien con TJ y Claire celebrando el anio nuevo.

Mike and the live lobsters.

Happy New Year to everyone, we hope 2010 brings a lot of happiness to all of you!!
Feliz Anio Nuevo a todos, esperamos que el 2010 les traiga mucho felicidad a todos uds!!!

Mas fotos en Flickr/ More pictures on Flickr

Week 37 - Christmas and Baby is full term!

Christmas 2009 008
Originally uploaded by paolaandmike

I finally uploaded the pictures from Christmas. As you can see, we had a wonderful time with Mike's family. We ate a lot of food. Mike made the best Mac 'n Cheese, a big hit during Christmas dinner. MaryPat (my mother-in-law) made a really big turkey for 35+ people who attended Christmas at the Wisners. Everyone brought food, you can see the amount of food served (check out the Flickr pictures). We had a good time.
Al fin subi las fotos de Navidad. Como pueden ver, la pasamos muy bien en la casa de los papas de Mike. Comimos un monton. Mike hizo el mejor Mac 'n Cheese, fue un hit durante la cena. MaryPat (mi suegra) hizo un gran pavo para 35+ personas que llegaron a celebrar Navidad a la casa de los Wisners. Todos trajeron comida, pueden ver la cantidad de comida que sirvieron (vean las fotos en Flickr). La pasamos muy bien.

I went to the doctor today and Sofia is doing well. She is healthy and full term now, so she can come anytime now(!!!!) My blood pressure is fine, all my tests are great, so no worries. The doctor said that I just have to call her if I start getting contractions every 5 minutes for an hour... I started getting stronger Braxton-Hicks contractions, but those are not as bad as the real ones (or so I heard). Mike and I are so excited that the day is coming so soon!!
Hoy fui a ver a la doctora y Sofia esta muy bien. Esta sana y ya el embarazado se considera completo, asi que puede venir en cualquier minuto sin problema (!!!!) Mi presion sanguinea esta bien, todos mis examenes estan re bien, asi que no hay de que preocuparnos. La doctora dijo que solo la tengo que llamar cuando tenga contracciones cada 5 minutos por una hora... empeze a tener las contracciones de Braxton-Hicks un poco mas fuertes, pero estas contracciones no son tan fuertes como las reales (o asi me han dicho). Mike y yo estamos muy emocionados que el dia esta tan cerca ya!!!

Since we prepared for everything with so much time in advance, we are able to relax and enjoy each other's company for the last few days. Mike has been cooking meals so we can freeze them and not worry about making dinners when the baby is at home. We have been watching movies, sleeping, resting. We will not be able to do those things once baby arrives.
Como preparamos todo con tanta anticipacion, ahora hemos podido relajarnos y disfrutan de nuestra compania por los ultimos dias. Mike ha estado cocinando comidas para congelarlas, asi no nos preocupamos por cocinar cuando la bebe este en casa. Hemos estado viendo peliculas, durmiendo y descansando. Son cosas que ya no vamos a poder hacer cuando nazca la bebe.

This year has gone by so fast, we cannot believe that our baby is coming so soon! It feels like it was yesterday when we told everyone that we were expecting our first baby...we can't wait to meet her. This has been a year full of blessings. Merry Christmas everyone!!!
Este año se ha pasado tan rapido, no podemos creer que nuestra bebe ya viene tan pronto! Pareciera que fue ayer cuando le dijimos a todos que estabamos esperando a nuestro primer bebe... nos morimos por conocerla. Este año ha estado lleno de bendiciones. Feliz Navidad a todos!!!

Week 36: Hollister Holiday Party

Hollister Holiday Party 2009 027
Originally uploaded by paolaandmike

Week 36 started with the Holiday Party at Hollister. We had a great time. The party starts with a show in the auditorium with all the highlights from the year and then we all get our Christmas gift and head upstairs to the atrium for the actual party, with a lot of good food and drinks. After the party, everyone went to "Tacos El Norte" and then after that, everyone went to "The Island" (a little dive bar in Libertyville). I went home at 6:30 PM, I was tired.

La semana #36 empezo con la fiesta de Navidad en Hollister. La pasamos muy bien. La fiesta empezo con un show en el auditorio donde muestran todas las memorias del año, despues nos dan nuestro regalo y todos subimos al atrio para la fiesta, con mucha comida deli y bebidas. Despues de la fiesta, todos fuimos a "Tacos El Norte" y despues a "The Island" (un barcito en Libertyville). Me fui a las 6:30 PM, ya estaba cansada.

We went to see Dr. Goldin this week, she said that the baby is healthy, and we probably will not have a Christmas baby, so we don't have to worry about it (whewwww!!). I was freaking out that the baby would come sooner and I don't want her to be born on Christmas. That would not be good for her! She is head down and lower, getting ready for the big day! We can't wait!

Fuimos a ver a la doctora esta semana, dijo que la bebe esta muy sana, y que probablemente no va a nacer en Navidad, asi que no nos preocuparamos (ufff!!!). Yo ya estaba preocupada que la beba fuera a nacer antes de tiempo y no queria que naciera en Navidad. Eso no seria bueno para ella! Esta con la cabeza abajo y ya empezo a descender, preparandose para el gran dia!!

Mike is getting anxious to see her, he tells me frequently that he wants her out soon and that pregnancies are just too long. It doesn't feel that long to me, maybe because I have been feeling good and I have been able to sleep through the night. I will definitely miss feeling Sofia kicking me, even though it hurts sometimes.

Mike esta ansioso por verla, frecuentemente me dice que quiere que salga ya y que el embarazo es muy largo. No se siente tan largo para mi, tal vez porque me he sentido muy bien y he podido dormir bien en las noches. Definitivamente voy a extrañar las patadas de Sofia, aunque a veces me duelen.

Check out the Hollister Holliday Party Pictures in our Flickr website. Next blog... Christmas!!!

Vean las fotos de la fiesta de Navidad en Hollister en nuestra pagina de Flickr. En el proximo blog... Navidad!!!

Week 34 & 35 - Semana 34 & 35: Getting ready for Christmas

Week 35 002
Originally uploaded by paolaandmike

What to say about these past two weeks? Things are getting hectic with the holidays, christmas decorations, looking for pediatricians, shopping for baby, getting car seats inspected, and looking for daycares. The good news is that we are almost completely ready for Sofia (Paola is packing her hospital bag as we speak) and we're almost ready for the holidays with most of our shopping done already. We only have a month left and it should be fun. Just some chicken nuggets and shrimp cocktail, Christmas, and New Years, and we will be parents.
Que puedo decir de las ultimas dos semanas? Estamos muy ocupados con las fiestas navidenas, decoraciones de Navidad, buscando pediatras, comprando cosas para la beba, inspeccionando el asiento de la beba en los carros, y buscando casa cuna. Las buenas noticias es que ya casi estamos listos para Sofia (Paola esta empacando la maleta para el hospital mientras yo escribo) y ya casi terminamos las compras de regalos de Navidad. Solo nos queda un mes y va a ser alegre. Solo unos chicken nuggets y cocktail de camaron, Navidad, Anio Nuevo, y seremos padres.

Hansel has officially completed his three week behavioral training and it seems that there may actually be hope for him after all. He actually pays attention to us sometimes now.
Hansel oficialmente termino sus tres semanas de entrenamiento para portarse bien y parece que hay esperanza por el despues de todo. Ahora ya nos hace caso (de vez en cuando).

That's all I got. - Mike

Eso es todo lo que tengo. - Mike

Last Baby Class!! Infant Safety and CPR

Esta semana, fuimos a nuestra ultima clase de preparacion para lo que viene el proximo anio. Fuimos a nuestra clase de primeros auxilios para bebes y ninios. Aqui hay una foto de Mike, practicando como salvar a un nino pequeno.

This week, we went to our last baby class. We went to the Infant Safety and CPR class. Here is a picture of Mike practicing how to save a small child.

Mike and Paola Thanksgiving 2009 (33 weeks)

Mike and Paola Thanksgiving 2009 (33 weeks)
Originally uploaded by paolaandmike

Our last prenatal childbirth class was on Monday Nov 23 and we celebrated Thanksgiving at Mike's parents' on Thursday Nov 26. Thanksgiving was also Jon's birthday (uncle-to-be). Check out the pictures and the video from Thanksgiving in our Flickr website.
Mike made Mac 'n Cheese, on top of all the Turkey, Mashed potatoes, veggies, gravy, dessert and all the stuff that his family makes every year. We ate a ton!!
Nuestra ultima clase prenatal fue el lunes Nov 23, y celebramos el Dia de Accion de Gracias el 26 de Nov en la casa de los papas de Mike. Thanksgiving tambien fue el cumpleanios de Jon (el tio de Sofia). Vean mas fotos y video de Thanksgiving en nuestra pagina de Flickr. Mike hizo Mac 'n Cheese, encima de todo el pavo, pure de papas, vegetables, gravy, postre, y toda la cantidad de comida que su familia hace cada anio. Comimos una tonelada!!

Sofia has been kicking a lot, it feels like I have an alien moving inside of me, and my belly moves from one side to the other, it is pretty weird and funny, ticklish at times. She definitely liked Thanksgiving dinner, she kicked for a while and then fell asleep.
Sofia ha estado pateando un monton, se siente como si tuviera un ET moviendose adentro de mi, y mi panza se mueve de un lado a otro, es bien raro y chistoso, a veces me hace cosquillas. A ella definitivamente le gusto la cena de accion de gracias, me pateo un monton por un rato y luego se durmio.

We finished getting everything ready at home for the baby this weekend, the only thing we have to prepare is the hospital bag. We want to have everything ready so we can enjoy the Holidays. You never know when Sofia decides to make her appearance to the World!!
Esta semana terminamos de arreglar todo en la casa para la beba, lo unico que nos falta es alistar la maleta para el hospital. Queremos tener todo listo para poder disfrutar de la Navidad. Uno nunca sabe cuando Sofia va a decidir hacer su aparicion en el mundo!!