Baby #3

So, the last post was from when I was 6 months pregnant with Hailey, who is now 20 months old!! I am now pregnant with my third little sweetie pie. It's a girl, of course, and we only have 7 weeks to go.

My pregnancy with Hailey was a complete roller coaster ride. Right after my last post, we had some complications and I was admitted to Brigham and Women's for almost a week. From there, I was on bed rest and couldn't return to work. I was banned from picking up Abby, and had to promise to stay off my feet and take it easy. Andy was amazing and took care of everything, and we were lucky to have Lauren at the house taking care of Abby during the week, and helping me out too:)

I ended up in the hospital again at about 37 weeks, and the doctors decided to induce me since Hailey had safely made it to full term. Just to keep us on our toes, Hailey ended up turning upside down and I had to have an emergency c-section. She was born on June 10, and from that moment her personality has proved to be the same in the womb as outside of it... she is full of energy, full of excitement, and never stops!

Baby #3

Andy and I are having another girl :) Her due date is on April 26, but I have a c-section scheduled for April 22. I've been having some of the same issues as I did with Hailey and have been at the doctors often enough to keep us all on high alert, but just like last time, every test shows baby and me as perfectly healthy. I am making an effort to take it easy, but it's harder with two kids than it was with one. Andy's great though, and helps so much. More often than not, he's lecturing me that I'm doing too much. :)

This time around, the first time I had an issue was a day after my Uncle Stephen's funeral. I think it was my body's way of telling me how tired I was after a very emotional week. The second time was a few weeks later, when both of the girls were sick with bad colds. Then, the next few times happened a little closer together. I think by now I've had 4-5 incidents. If I'm lucky, I'll make it all the way to April 22, without any more issues!

Andy and I are having a harder time deciding on a name this time around.. we have our list, but it keeps growing, then shrinking, and then growing again out of fear that, of the names we already have, none are quite right. So, feel free to send us your suggestions, but don't be offended by how picky we are:)

That's all for now - I'll see if I have time and/or remember to post again before April 22!

Jill

The Latest, and a bedtime story:)

Little Girl Amato (the one in my belly) has been very active! I've been feeling lots of little (and some really big) kicks, and Andy has felt a few too! We are getting excited, and time is flying by. I can't believe I am due in just over 3 months!

We're getting the house ready for baby #2, and the biggest change so far is that Abby moved into her brand new "big girl room" on Sunday. She was so excited to see a brand new crib just for her, and her purple chair, and toys and books! Her walls are blue and her furniture is white. Abby can't wait to show you herself! She loves to show it off.

Thankfully, she's transitioned into her new room very easily and has been sleeping through the night. Tonight she had some extra energy, so I decided to tell her a bedtime story. It worked like a charm. She's growing up! If anyone wants to read it, here it is. I had to write it down so I don't forget! :)

"Where's Mark the Bear?" by Mommy

Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Abby. Abby was looking for her cuddly friend, Mark the Bear, and decided to go for a walk through the forest to find him.

Abby climbed a tree hoping to spot Mark the Bear, but couldn't see him anywhere. She came across her forest friend, Mr. Bunny. "Excuse me, Mr. Bunny. I am looking for my friend, Mark the Bear. Have you seen him?"  

Mr. Bunny said "Hello Abby. Why yes, I saw a bear. He was big and brown, and looked really sleepy. He went that way."

Abby walked in the direction Mr. Bunny sent her. She climbed over tree branches, and skipped down trails, and soon she came upon her forest friend, Mr. Ducky. "Excuse me, Mr. Ducky. I am looking for my friend, Mark the Bear. Have you seen him?" 

Mr. Ducky said "Hello Abby. Yes, I saw a bear. He was big and brown, and he was carrying a blanky. He went that way."

Abby thought, why would Mark the Bear have a blanky? She had better find him so she could ask! Abby continued in the direction Mr. Ducky sent her. She ran up a big hill, and danced in some puddles, and as she approached a big field, she came upon her friend, Miss Grasshopper. "Excuse me, Miss Grasshopper. I am looking for my friend, Mark the Bear. Have you seen him?"  

Miss Grasshopper said "I think I saw your friend. Is he big?"

"Yes," said Abby.

"Is he brown?" asked Miss Grasshopper.

"Yes!" said Abby.

"He is right over there in the grass! He walked by just a moment ago, and was humming a lovely lullabye."

Abby spotted Mark the Bear! "Yes, that is him. Thank you, Miss Grasshopper!"She ran toward Mark the Bear, and shouted "I found you!" But Mark the Bear was asleep in the grass.

Abby yawned. She suddenly realized, she was looking for him for so long, that she became tired too. So she lay down in the grass next to her big, brown, cuddly friend, Mark the Bear, and fell fast asleep.

Sweet Dreams, Abby:)

It's a GIRL!

We had our 18 week ultrasound yesterday and found out that we're having another girl! It'll be great that Abby will get to have a sister. She's going to be a GREAT big sister, and is already practicing by giving kisses and hugs to my belly:) What a doll she is!

So, now we're moving Abby into her new big girl room, and we'll get the nursery set up for baby #2. I can't believe we're having another teeny tiny baby! I can't wait!!

I'll have some ultrasound pictures to share soon, but I have to get them back from Andy. We even got a 3D picture. It's sort of weird, but beautiful too. I guess it's just not as strange to look at when it's your own:)

I'll post again soon with more information. I am meeting with my doctor tomorrow to go over the ultrasound results, so I am sure I'll have some more info to share (size, etc.)

Love you all!

Jill

Tori's Baby:)

Tori has given birth to an ADORABLE baby boy: Salvatore Joseph Colaianni! I love him already and can't wait for him and my babies to be besties! :)

Congrats to Tori and Sal, and welcome baby Salvi!!!


Daddy Sal and baby Sal:)

Finding out in one week

We are 17 weeks along today, and in one week we'll find out if this is in fact a little boy!

For now, I'll tell you that my belly is getting rounder by the day. Our baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord is growing stronger and thicker. He weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and is around 5 inches long from head to bum. He can move his joints, and his sweat glands are starting to develop.

As of right now, we really don't have much to update -- except that my friend Tori is at the hospital right now in labor!!! So, my next update will be to welcome Baby Colaianni into the world, sometime later today I'm sure!!!! We are so excited for Tori and family!

Stay tuned,

Jill

I just got back from the doctors. I had my 14 week appointment today. I am officially into the second trimester! Here's a recording of the heartbeat of our healthy baby!! Enjoy!!

We will find out in just a few weeks whether this little baby is a boy or a girl - Phoebe or Phoebo! Can't wait!

Love,

Jill and Andy (and big sister Abby too)

We've Got News!!!!!

Andy and I recently found out that we're expecting baby # 2!!!

I am due on June 29, 2011 and am only 8 weeks along, but we went to the doctor's yesterday and everything looked great. We saw the heart beat fluttering on this little kidney bean of a baby! It was so exciting and made everything feel much more real.

We're so excited and can't wait to start planning for our second baby. We're planning to find out if it is a boy or girl in late January. We told Abby that there is a baby in Mommy's belly, but without the bump I don't think it translates:) We might bring her to a few appointments when I have a baby bump to let her be part of everything. We're looking forward to sharing all the details with you guys, but so far there isn't much to share. Stay tuned for information as we take the journey to baby #2!

Have a happy Thanksgiving!
Jill (& Andy)

Sesame Seed!

That's all I'll say:)

Too-da-loo!

It's been 4 months!

Wow, I have sure slacked since Abby was born!!! I am going to backdate some posts to fill in the gaps, and I'll update this with photos of Abby. For now though, I'll just update you on today:

On Wednesday, Abby will be four months old!!!! She had her 4 month appointment today. She weighs 14 lbs, 9 oz (she's gained 6 lbs, 7 oz since birth) and she is 26" tall (she's grown 5" since birth). She is happy and healthy! We are going to start her on solid foods tonight. We'll start with some rice cereal and work our way up to veggies and fruit from there.

Things with Erica, our Nanny, have been working out great. Erica is great with Abby, and she's kind, loving, and fun. She has a 3 year old daughter, Isabella, that she fondly calls Izzie. Abby loves to watch Izzie play, eat, dance and color. She laughs at her for hours at a time! Erica brings Izzie with her about two days a week, and has Abby all to herself on the other two days. It's been great.

On Fridays, Abby is lucky enough to have her wonderful Nonni watch her all day long. We're so grateful that Ann-Marie can do it, and we hope it will never feel like work, even for a second:)

Lots of love to everyone, we wish we got to see you all more often!

Jill

Abby's Open House

Thanks to everyone who stopped by for Abby's first open house today. What a day!!! Fran, Theresa and Paul came by first, and had Abby to themselves for a while. Then Ben and Jackie visited for a few hours. Richie arrived when Ben and Jackie were still here, and then in came Nonni and Papa!

The late crew, who showed up just before 8:00 were Grammie and Gramps, Auntie Linda and Uncle Leo. We had a great time, and so did Abby.

Hope we can do that again soon!

Lots of love,

The Amatos

Single Digits...

Can you believe it? Just 8 days until our due date! She seems to be pretty comfy in my belly, so I am not sure if we should focus too much on the actual due date. Something tells me she could be a late arrival. But what do I know !?!

I have been feeling great. As much as I love being pregnant though (and I do), I can't WAIT to meet our little girl!

Thanks to my mom for the North Shore shower, Andy's mom for the South Shore shower, my boss Jen for our work shower, and Auntie Debbie and company for our surprise Kilinski shower at Grammies. We are ridiculously lucky and grateful, and are so blessed to have family and friends like you! The nursery is stuffed with the most adorable new clothes, furniture, and other baby necessities, and you've all made this a wonderful and happy (and stress-free) experience for us.

Lots of love!

Almost here...

2 weeks and 4 days left until our due date!

I just got back from the doctor's office and had a normal check-up. I go once a week now to make sure everything is normal. The baby's heartbeat is strong as usual and everything seems fine. I've been feeling well, just the occasional sharp pain in my uterus, but no complaints! She'll come out when she's good and ready:)

The baby is full term now! This means that if she arrives now, her lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb. She probably weighs over 7 pounds by now, but there is no way to know for sure.

Anyway, that's the latest!! Stay tuned!

35 Weeks Along & 35 Days To Go!

Today is a milestone for sure! I am 35 weeks along as of today, and I have 5 weeks, or 35 days, left until my due date.

Things are great. Andy and I are still putting together the nursery furniture, and we still have a long list of to-dos, but we're so excited for our baby girl so it's all worth it. I am feeling good and really just can't complain.

We still haven't picked a name (so many of you have been asking) but we promise to name her as soon as we see her. We just want to make sure it fits:) We won't bring her home as "Baby Girl Amato!"

At this point, a typical baby should measure over 18 inches long and should weigh 5 1/4 pounds (honeydew melon), but we know our little girl weighs more than that, since that's what she weighed almost 2 weeks ago! I would guess that she weighs just about 6 lbs.

Because she's so snug in my womb, she doesn't do somersaults anymore, but she is moving around and kicking like crazy. I can feel her movements all through the night, and all day at work. it's so hard to focus on anything but her! Her kidneys are fully developed and her liver can process some waste products. Most of her basic physical development is now complete — and she'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight, and getting those chubby cheeks even chubbier:) They say she should gain about a half a pound per week!

All is well in baby land:)

Belly Picture!

This is a picture of me and my friend / coworker Regina, who is due on August 22, a month before me!! She is already home on maternity leave, gearing up for child birth. LUCKY GIRL!

Thought you'd all like to see a picture of our little girl!! This was taken on Thursday, August 6, at which time she weighed 5 lbs, 2 ounces. Look at how pudgy her face is!!!

I've angled the picture so she is upright. Her face is right in the middle of the picture. Her eyes are closed, and on the left side of the picture you can see that her right cheek is illuminated. I can't wait to kiss those pudgy cheeks!!!!!

This picture doesn't do justice what we got to see up on the screen during our ultrasound, but at least I can finally share a picture of her! :)

Baby Beats - We're Almost There

We had our final ultrasound on Thursday and found out that the placenta has finally moved enough out of the way that we can expect a normal delivery! We are very excited!!!

The best part is that we finally saw our baby girl's little, tiny pudgy face on the ultrasound screen! It's the first time she's moved her hands away so we can actually see her. We got a picture and I'll post it soon to the blog.

We went up to Maine right after the appointment to spend a nice few relaxing days with Denise and Stephen at their Old Orchard Beach condo. It was our last chance for a vacation before this all starts! It was a really nice time, but of course I left the ultrasound picture on their kitchen table, so it will be a couple of days before I can send it to you, since Denise had to put it in the mail to get it to me.

Anyway, all is well in pregnancy land. :) Just 44 days until our due date! :)

Almost Forgot!! The Tour of the Hospital...

We went on a tour of Brigham and Women's Hospital. That's where we'll be delivering. They have a really nice maternity ward, and they gave us a tour of the waiting area, delivery rooms, and post-partum rooms.

Some things that will be helpful for all of you to know if you plan to come to the hospital:

• No visitors are allowed until the baby is born. I will be in the delivery room before and during delivery, which is on a different floor than the post-partum rooms. No visitors are allowed and no exceptions are made (except Andy and my "support person" which is my mom).
• After the baby is born, we will be moved to a post-partum room where the baby and I will stay for at least 48 hours (96 hours if I have a c-section). Visiting hours are from 1:00 pm - 8:00 pm daily. Anyone is welcome to visit!
• If you come outside of visiting hours, or before the baby is born, you can wait in the waiting area on the first floor of the hospital.

The delivery rooms are all private (thank goodness). Andy will be able to stay overnight with me at the hospital. Most post-partum rooms are private, but I think some are shared. Luck of the draw I guess. The rooms have TVs and some even have DVD players. The rooms also have private bathrooms with showers in them. All in all, they are nice, clean, and comfortable.

The hospital entrance is located at 75 Francis Street in Boston, and there is a parking garage right across the street at 80 Francis Street where visitors can park. It costs money, but its pretty cheap.

Once we're home, family and friends are of course welcome to visit. I have learned through our recent Newborn Essentials class that if you visit us at home, its helpful if you bring me/us something to eat, or something I could easily heat up for later. Cooking for myself will be on the bottom of my priority list! Also, there's a good chance that I'll be low on food/drinks to offer guests since I'll be recovering from giving birth. You might want to bring yourself a drink and snack!

:) Lots of love!

Jill

33 Weeks!!

Hi everyone,

Today I hit 33 weeks on the pregnancy calendar! That means there are just 49 days until my due date. Our baby is just over four pounds and 17 inches from head to toe. A lot has happened since our last post:


Last week, on Friday morning, we had a regular doctor's visit. Everything seems pretty normal and baby is just the right size. The doctor thinks the baby might be breeched, but he said that it's too early for that to be a concern, since there is still so much time for her to move again.


We have our ultrasound on Thursday afternoon, where we'll be able to see the baby again - and where, more importantly, we'll find out if the placenta has moved out of the way enough for a normal delivery. If not, they'll actually schedule another ultrasound so we can keep monitoring it. They won't schedule a c-section just yet. If it has moved out of the way, we won't need anymore ultrasounds and we'll have a normal delivery. We're really excited to see the baby again and hopefully we'll come away with a good picture we can post! :)


Last weekend, Andy painted the baby's nursery. It looks BEAUTIFUL! It is called "TinkerBell" and the color is like a pale, lime green. We assembled the baby's crib and it's perfect! Now we're waiting for the changing table and chest to arrive so we can put those together, and then I'll feel like we are in good shape.

Last night, Andy and I went to a "Newborn Essentials" class with our friends, Timmy and Kristine, who happen to be due just a day after us. It was a GREAT class. It was 3 hours long, and we hung on every word that came out of the instructor's mouth. We learned so many essential things that we didn't know before, that will help us so much in the first few weeks and months.

Did you know that baby powder is no longer recommended? If inhaled, it could cause infections. And a lot of baby powders are now made with corn starch to prevent inhalation issues, but corn starch, when in dark, damp places, can grow yeast and cause a hell of a diaper rash. It does still work to get the smell out of my sneakers though:)

Our baby girl has been moving and kicking like CRAZY, more and more each day! She is so active and I love to feel her move! I only wish Andy could feel her as much as I get to. She's moving around right now! Most of the movement has been at the top and middle of my belly, so she pushes into my ribs a fair share of the day. She's just saying "hey momma, whatcha doing?" so I rub my belly and talk to her as much as I can. Andy talks to her too, and he's seen and felt the tidal waves more and more over these past few weeks. It's a beautiful thing.

We are very giddy soon-to-be parents and can't wait to meet our little baby girl!!! We'll update you again after the ultrasound.

Lots of love,

Jill and Andy

Baby Beats - Week 31

Hey y'all,

No, I have not been hanging out with southerners, nor have I recently visited the southern states, but I have to admit, I think that "y'all" is a very useful word. I think I might start saying it more often.

I am due exactly 2 months from today. Yesterday I was officially 31 weeks along. No matter which way you look at it, I have only 62 days until my due date. I have started to research the whole "giving birth" part of this and I must say it is scary. And 62 days? That's not a very long time. So I am in a bit of a pickle. Can't really turn back now, can I? Nope!

I have decided though that I will bring music for my hospital time to help me get through it. I will have a nice soothing CD for the first part of the labor (when contractions are further apart). It will consist of relaxing music to ease my mind and keep me peaceful. Then, I will have a louder CD for the "pushing" part, where I'll need adrenaline and motivation and a good beat to keep me going. Kelly and Andy are helping me make the CDs :)

Hope everyone is doing well.

Baby Beats

30 Weeks and counting!

Yesterday we hit the 30 week mark. I am experiencing mixed feelings that range from "I need 6 more months to prepare for this!" to "I can't wait to see our little girl's precious little face - come out already!!" All in all, this has been the best 30 weeks of my life and I wouldn't change them for anything.


More about how baby's growing: She is about 16 inches long now, and she weighs about 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)


I've been a little emotional these days, which is supposedly normal for the third trimester. I do think that with everything going on, I am feeling a little overwhelmed. I feel great physically for the 30th week (thank goodness) but between getting the house ready, getting things in order at work, and getting myself ready for a baby ... I am exhausted. I have cried at many silly things that probably shouldn't be making me cry - for example, last week I cried at lunch when Andy and I were overcharged in Faneuil Hall for a tortellini dish that only had 4 pieces of shrimp in it (!) and didn't even taste good! Andy’s such a good sport. The poor thing ~ doesn’t even get a warning before the waterworks start. It's all part of the process though and it'll be worth all the stress once she's here:)


At the homestead, Kelly can finally bite into real food again, so we've been celebrating that ... we even went to Big Andy and Ann-Marie's for a meatball feast last night!!! Cafe Amato met all of our expectations and Kelly was very happy:) We have been talking a lot about the nursery and plan to paint it next week and will plan to buy/set up the furniture within the next week or two ... I bought an IKEA cabinet for the kitchen and I forgot to get doors for it, but it looks great so far! Kelly, Andy and I set it up the other night ... quite the bonding experience ... and we've been searching endlessly for Kelly's jeans that she lost. We think someone stole them. It's all very mysterious ... We are thinking of finishing our upstairs this winter so we're looking into that, and we're of course also going through interviews and such for the day care/nanny search. Andy is excited for his next golf outing which he's planning for next weekend ... everything and everyone is good.

This summer is packed with plans - almost every weekend is something. This weekend, Andy and I will be up in Maine with Denise, Stephen, Mom, Dad, and Jeff. And Kelly is in D.C.! We all deserve a little rest and relaxation. So the condo will be empty, if anyone is looking for a place to throw a party. Just clean up before we get back. I don't have the energy to clean! :)

Lots of love,

Jill