Santa baby

I awoke to see some guy in a red velvet suit looking down on me. I later found out it was someone called Santa Claus or something like that. I need some time to look into him and whatever else he is hiding behind that beard. I was happy to be back in mommy's arms but dad took me for a walk. He said I would like the (Hollistet) store we were going to when I get bigger....we'll see.

            Merry Christmas to all!

-MO

Rolling up the sleeves.....

I'm so excited about getting my social security card.  Now I can help mom and dad and pull my weight around here.....but first I need to get some rest as I'm totally pooped from all the excitement.

Also notice, that I have been finally been given editorial freedom to contribute to the family blog.  It's about time those two recognize talent when they see it!! (<- first 2 exclamation marks in my life, hey I've been around for over 3 weeks, I think I've earned it already).  See you on the other side...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

It's been awhile.......

Mom and dad have been keeping me busy since my last post but I finally timed this right, just when they have their back turned. I'm sure they don't want me to get too good at doing this, hehe. Anyway let me get to it before they become aware. I want to give a baby sized shot out to my auntie Kathy, uncle Jeff and my cousin AK. I want to thank them for coming to visit even though I was kind of sleeping it off while they were here.  I did over-hear something about some History homework but I don't think they were talking to/about me. I had already made history several days before so I think it was directed at someone else.  I can't wait to see the Pennsylvania contingent again, especially the rest of the cousins. That all happened 2 Sundays ago. The day before there was a multitude of people, all from daddy's side of the family.  There was so many people that I had to resort to counting with my toes as well.  I'm happy people are excited to see me but unfortunately I'm not always awake to meet them. I want to give a hearty shot out to Mimi and grandma Isabel to whom I felt their love and warmth when they look at me and hold me close....and thanks for taking care of mommy and daddy.  Anyway, I gotta go. Need to get some rest so that daddy could (later) recite more words for me to learn. He is bent on me taking over his "words with friends" games and he doesn't want to give them away.  I learned 'contingent' 3 days ago but I don't think I'll be using that anytime soon.  'Til the next time......

Happy Birthday to me......

Today I turn 7 days old (@11:21pm) and I want to keep this post pretty simple. My mommy and daddy brought me into this world with all their heart and I want to express to them what they have been playing in the background through the Baby Bella website for the last couple of days: I love you to the moon and back.

- Olivia

My turn, no big feet!!!!!

It was one week ago when mommy's water broke and I have to say we were all waiting with great anticipation for the "event".  I mean it's not like everyday you meet your parents for the first time. Unfortunately we had to be ever more patient for our eventual meeting. It was like being stuck at the airport waiting for a storm to blow over.  Although the accommodations were comfortable enough, I couldn't wait to meet mommy and daddy.  I traveled a long way and nothing was going to stop me but I had to wait out the storm.  I learned something that day, good things happen to those who wait and now that I'm here, I know that now.  So here I am, turning out my first post.  It's not as hard as I thought it might be being that I've only been here for about 6 days.  Hopefully my imagination is not peaking and I'll be able to wax somewhat poetic in the coming days, weeks, etc.  For now I'll just be posting pics of my feet as that is all I can see at the moment but I might be able to get the parents to snap a few other candid shots.  Unfortunately, for reasons that deal with child labor acts, somewhere in the post my daddy or mommy will have to comment to protect themselves.  I'm starting to learn that this new world is not so cut and dry. 

This is Daddy's post (boring!!!)

Eat your heart out most of America, $2.51/gallon for regular octane at our regional gasoline depot.

Our Pride and joy....

Weighing in at 7 lbs 15 ozs. and stretching out to 20 3/4", Olivia Grace Velez. Welcome to the World!!!!!

Now all we need is some fog.....

What a day to go into labor. In the hospital now and ordered some breakfast. We'll soon be in the thick of it, like this fog.

One week until our due date - week 39

Your baby is the size of a Mini Watermelon

Your baby now measures approximately 20 inches long (50.8 cm) long from head to heel and weighs about 7.25 pounds (3.3 kg).

Most of the vernix and the lanugo that has covered your baby has disappeared. Your baby will swallow its lanugo along with shed dead skin cells and shed intestinal cells and store them in its bowels. These will be part of your baby’s first bowel movement.

Your baby also has a steady supply of antibodies from the placenta that you provided that will help it fight off infections for the first few months after birth. Your colostrum is also rich in antibodies and breastfeeding will continue to boost your baby’s immunity as well as provide it with essential nutrients.

Your baby will also continue to gain weight, although at a slower pace. Movements will begin to slow as it doesn’t have much room to move around.

Pregnancy hormones produced by your body may cause your baby’s genitalia to appear enlarged after birth. This will return to normal shortly after birth when your baby is not longer attached to your blood supply. These same hormones may even cause your baby — whether it is a girl or boy — to excrete milk through its nipples. This is also completely normal and will go away within a few days of birth.

Week 38 - counting down now

Your baby is the size of a Celery Bunch

Your baby measures approximately 19.6 inches (49.8 cm) long from head to heel (about the size of a leek). Your baby has really plumped up. At this point your baby weighs 6.5 to 7.0 pounds (2.9 to 3.2 kg).

She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.

Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)

Believe it or not, your baby may have taken its first bowel movement. The waste is a greenish-black substance called meconium and either passed in the womb or is stored in his or her intestines and will be excreted after birth.

Your baby is practicing breathing and urinating, and can use his or her fingers to grasp very tightly.

Our nursery mural

We had a mural painted in the nursery with a nighttime celestial scene. See the pics below for how it looked step by step. We hired an art student named Rebecca Schwartzstein. She did an amazing job!!

Then she added clouds to the sky.

First she created the background nighttime sky.

And my favorite sliver moon

And a few stars...they glow in the dark, as does the moon.

Final touch was to add a small character to look down over the baby in the crib.

Final product isn't it lovely!!

Baby is full term today - week 37

  

Your baby is the length of a Leek  approximately 19.1 inches (48.6 cm) long from head to heel and roughly the weight of a small watermelon about 6.5 pounds (2.9 kg).

Your baby is now considered full term, meaning that she can be born any day. However, this does not mean your baby will stop growing. Quite the opposite — your little one continues to add fat to his or her body at the rate of half an ounce (14.2 grams) a day. 

If labor starts now, your doctor will not do anything to delay it. Your baby is ready to make his or her entrance into the world!

We are having a little trouble with extra fluid (mainly in my ankles and legs) so baby really could come any day. I am being closely monitored to make sure we are not dealing with preeclampsia. So far, so good, no protein in my urine, my blood pressure is higher but not too high. I'm trying to take it easy and may have to stop working a little sooner than I thought. We'll see. I'll keep everyone posted.

A Last Look from the Inside

On Tuesday we had another ultra-sound to check on the growth and movement of the baby. The baby scored 2 points for practicing breathing, another 2 points for movement of limbs - fingers, toes, elbows, or knees - at least 3 times, another 2 points for general movement or turning, and finally we scored 2 points for having enough amniotic fluid. Baby scored 8 out of 8 possible points. Yeah!

We are close now!

Ninth month is here - week 36

Your baby is the size of a Coconut

 

Your baby measures approximately 18.7 inches (47.5 cm) long from head to heel (about the size of a head of romaine lettuce) and weighs just under 6 pounds (2.7 kg).

Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.

At the end of this week, your baby will be considered "early term." (Full-term is 39 to 40 weeks. Babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term, 41 weeks is late term, and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely your baby is already head-down - our baby is head down and has been for a few weeks.

The bones in your baby’s skull can move and overlap each other, allowing the baby to pass through the tight birth canal more easily. Don't be surprised if your baby arrives with a pointy or misshapen head. It will become more round once the bones move back into place, anywhere between a few hours or days after birth.

Week 35

Your baby is the size of a Honeydew

Your baby now measures approximately 18.2 inches (46.2 cm) long from head to heel and weighs almost 5.5 pounds (2.5 kg), or roughly the weight of a honeydew melon.

Although babies are considered preemies until 37 weeks, 99 percent of babies born at week 35 survive without any major complications.

The baby's organs are already developed and are becoming more and more defined each week. Its central nervous system is maturing, its digestive system is almost complete and its lungs are almost fully developed.

Week 34

Your baby is the size of a Cantaloupe

Baby Velez 10/2

Your baby measures approximately 17.7 inches (45 cm) long from head to heel and weighs almost 5 pounds (2.3 kg). This is roughly the weight of a cantaloupe.

His or her immune system continues to develop, getting strong in preparation for life outside your belly.

It is important to get enough calcium this week because the baby is hardening its skeletal structure. (Not a problem for me ever during this pregnancy since I drink almond milk like it is going out of style due to my constant heart burn.) Your baby will be fine if you do not get enough calcium, but you will not be because your baby will be taking the calcium from your own bones to supplement the development. So be sure to get that extra calcium (in prenatal vitamin and food form) for both of you.

Week 33

Your baby is the size of a Pineapple

Yay pineapple...something that got me through many nauseous moments.

Your baby measures 17.2 inches (43.7 cm) long from head to heel. At this point your baby weighs about 4.5 pounds (2 kg).

He or she's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

Your baby will accumulate more fat, turning your baby’s skin from red to pink. This fat will keep your baby warm from birth until it can regulate its own body temperature.

There’s not much room in your womb for your baby now. You will feel less jabs and kicks and more rolling movements as your baby’s quarters become more confined.

The developing neural structure within the brain is helping your baby listen, feel and partially see. It is also allowing for REM sleep cycles, which your baby experiences often as it sleeps 90 to 95 percent of the day at this point.

Week 32 - eight or so weeks to go

Your baby is the size of a Bok Choy or a large jicama...huh?

          or      

Your baby measures approximately 16.7 inches (42.4 cm) long from head to heel and weighs 4 pounds (1.8 kg). Your baby has increased its chances of survival greatly. If born before this week, your child may experience problems sucking or nursing.

Although your baby is now sleeping for the majority of the day, movement will increase greatly, and fetal kicks will become more frequent.

You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.