A Big Day of First Time Experiences

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What a big day for little miss Abigail! Today was her first official doctors appointment and the news was great. She cried only because she hates to be stripped down to nothing, but got her revenge on the nurse by peeing on the scale! That’s our little girl! 🙂 Abigail is growing and developing right on target and looks to be physically perfect, just as Shaun and I thought she was! Abby is now 20 inches long, which is an inch of growth over the last 2 weeks since she was born. She now weighs 7 lbs 9 ounces which means she regained all the weight that a baby will lose after birth plus a few extra ounces! Dr. Calig says she looks great, her heart sounds wonderful, her eyes look healthy and she is right on track. We go in 2 weeks from now for her 1 month check up and I am sure she will have grown considerably between now and then. Once again I cant believe how fast time moves!

Now that her umbilical cord has fallen off, Shaun and I were able to give Abigail her first official bath this evening. She protested, as I would have expected considering she hates being naked and exposed, but did an excellent job and is all clean! Once again she did get her revenge by leaving a wonderful gift down the front of mommy’s shirt before placing her in the tub and then again in her towel after she was all fresh and clean. Let’s just say that she earned a new and endearing pet name of “stinky”! I am sure she will appreciate me sharing that information when she is much older. Oh well, that’s the fun of being a parent!

I am sure that there will be more to post so stay tuned! Have a wonderful day!

2 Weeks…Already??!!

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Its hard to believe but Abigail is officially 2 weeks old! Its amazing how the time goes so fast when you don’t want it to. Abigail still looks like the little peanut that we brought home from the hospital not more then a week and a half ago, but there are definitely some changes. While we are still working on a schedule, Abigail is sleeping better at night and seems to fall into a real peaceful sleep around the same time. Mommy and Daddy are pretty darn thrilled about that one! Abigail is also opening her eyes more and has more time during the day where she is awake and very alert. She is also one strong cookie who wiggles like crazy and is already lifting her head and looking around. Overachiever!! I wonder where she gets that from? 🙂 She smiles a lot in her sleep and whether that’s because she is dreaming of something good or she is working on a gift for mommy or daddy to take care of, it still warms our hearts. Its overwhelming to think that only 2 weeks ago I was still pregnant and waiting for our beautiful girl to make her grand entrance and now Shaun and I are parents. It is a wonderful feeling though and I know we wouldn’t change it for anything in this world. There is so much to look forward to! I know we will have something new to report very soon, as she changes every day. What a little blessing and miracle! Happy 2 Weeks Abigail!

Fire Update #1

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The fires continue on but the winds seem to be letting up and allowing some containment. Zoe is now back at home and the mandatory evacuation for Porter Ranch has been lifted. Unfortunately the fire grew larger than expected and many homes have been destroyed. My thoughts and prayers go out to the families that have lost their homes and to the families of our hard working firefighters. They have all worked so hard to keep everyone safe and to stop what could be an even bigger disaster.

Shaun and I have kept a watchful eye out, as the fire and several hot spots are making their way into Simi Valley. Our apartment is up against the hills, but it looks as though the fire is still a distance away and should not pose a threat. I guess only time will tell and hopefully the winds tonight will give our wonderful firefighters some time to regroup and rest. We will keep everyone posted!

October in Los Angeles

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Well its definitely October in Los Angeles! I guess this is a welcome back reminder for Shaun and myself! The Santa Ana winds kicked up and like clockwork, the hills are now on fire. Unfortunatly the fires were a little too close to home, for both Shaun and I and even more so for Zoe. The fire started up by Porter Ranch in the hills above Zoe’s neighborhood. Around 1pm, the community was under mandatory evecuation, which has left her at a friends house for what is hopefully just for tonight. Jack, who was staying at Grandma Zoe’s until I fully recovered from the C-Section, is now at home with us and learning to live with a new little creature in the house. As you can see from the pictures, the fire was pretty darn big and created a lot of havoc for a lot of people. People were forced from their homes, the 118, 210 and several other freeways are still shut down and I know everyones allergies are raging. Hopefully it will be contained soon and Zoe can return to her home, safe and sound. We shall see what tomorrow brings.

Introducing….

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Well the day finally came! Shaun and I are proud to announce the birth of our little girl! Abigail Denise Wharton was born on October 1, 2008 at 7:25pm. She was 7 pounds 7 ounces and 19 inches long. Abigail was born happy, healthy and absolutely perfect!

I know it has been a while since we posted last, but life has been super busy. In the end Shaun and I had less time then we expected to prepare for Abby’s arrival. On September 24th, I went in for my weekly check up. At this point I was 37 weeks and 2 days pregnant. Everything was on track and it looked like Abby would be born close to the original due date of October 13th. When Dr. Freedman went to measure my belly like normal, I had grown exponentially since my appointment the week before and you could literally see an outline of her. Let me tell you, I had noticed it but thought it was normal. Dr.Freedman seemed concerned that she was running out of room and that by the time I found myself at the end of my pregnancy, Abby would be too big to deliver the traditional way. What all of this meant was that he wanted to induce labor and deliver her early to save me from any problems.

I went into the office again on Monday September 29th, 2008 and after an exam and a look at the most recent ultrasound Dr. Freedman felt I needed to either induce or schedule a C-Section. I wanted to stay away from surgery if possible, but wanted to make sure I was doing what was best for Abby. I went home and took the evening to decide what I wanted to do. The next day, September 30th, I called the office and the next thing I knew I was scheduled to be at the hospital at 8pm that evening to start a two step induction. What a whirlwind!!

After we dropped Jack off at Zoe’s house, we headed to the hospital ready to have a baby! I was nervous, but excited and I was hoping that everything went well. As we pulled up to the hospital, “Crush” by Dave Matthews Band popped on to the radio. From that point on, I knew the evening was going to be a good one, no matter what happened. You have to know me well to understand why. 🙂

After we checked in, hospital bands were on, trapped in those fantastic hospital gowns, and the induction had started it was now time to wait! As it turns out, when we began the first step of the induction I was already 2 centimeters dilated. Things were looking great! Over time, there was some progress but it was slow. Once I reached about 3-4 centimeters, the pitocin was introduced and we hoped that things would progress quickly. Around 2am, the contractions became more then I could handle and it was definitely time for the epidural. From that point on, things moved very slow and by 6pm the next day, October 1st, Dr. Freedman felt that things would not happen the way we hoped and that a C-Section was the best option. So at 6:50pm I was rolled from my room in Labor and Delivery to the Operative Delivery Room. At 7:00pm, after the epidural was intensified and I was hooked up to every piece of machinery known to man, surgery began. At exactly 7:25pm our little girl was born. I waited, holding my breath until I heard her cry for the first time and when I did, the tears started. Dont worry, they were tears of happiness and joy and the overwhelming realization that I was now a mother and Shaun was now a father.

Shaun stayed with Abby after she was born, cutting her umbilical cord and following her to the nursery as they put me back together again. Once I was in recovery, he came back to me and stayed by my side the entire time I was at the hospital. The 4 days I spent in the hospital were restful and honestly wonderful. My parents made it into town by 1:30am, driving in from Bozeman Montana. I had the chance to visit with them as well as my in-laws and friends and family. The nurses were wonderful and I have to say I love my doctor and his colleague who took wonderful care of me before, during and after Abby’s birth.

On Sunday October 5th, Shaun and I loaded up the car and headed home with our new little girl. I am still at home recovering and honestly I am starting to go stir crazy. The only trips I have made were to the hospital to make sure that Abby’s slight case of jaundice was under control and to Dr. Freedman’s to make sure I was healing ok and to remove my staples. I cant wait to be back on my feet and to the point where we can go out with Abby. Until then, Shaun and I are at home dealing with sleep deprivation and enjoying the new little miracle in our life!

Despite the lack of sleep, life doesnt get better then this!

Cat On a Hot Tin Roof

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Well Well! Our Friday night was certainly interesting. I must say that I am willing to forgo so much excitement. Shaun and I decided to head out to the valley to get some dinner and just take a drive. After a nice evening out, we headed home to the apartment and when we reached the gate… boy were we in for a surprise! There were lights flashing everywhere… police cars, an ambulance or four, and every type of firetruck known to man! We were able to get through the gate but couldn’t even get near our building. Shaun parked the car and made his way to our apartment while I waited, freaking out about all of the possibilities and worrying about Jack who was in the apartment on his own. I calmed down once Shaun called me to let me know that everything was alright, Jack was unnerved but ok and it wasn’t our apartment.

After we took Jack to Zoe’s to stay for the night, we came home and tried to settle in to bed. We were tired from all of the commotion, but unfortunately things didn’t quiet down until after 3:30am. However, staying up late paid off. As we sat in bed watching t.v. we could hear the fire chief, several detectives and a few police officers describing the events of the evening. I wont bore you with the details but apparently a woman who lives 2 doors down from us started the fire in her apartment. Its believe that she may be mentally unstable and was living there on her own. She called her 2 daughters that night saying she just got off the phone with so and so ( don’t remember the name), who I guess was the grandmother of the two daughters who passed away more then 10 years ago. When they arrived to check on her, they found her asleep on her bed and 2 fires burning in the apartment; one in her bathtub and one near the door leading to the balcony. Both were set intentionally as there were piles of burning cardboard in each spot. Luckily the sprinklers worked well and emergency crews arrived quickly. The fire was contained within the one apartment and no one was harmed.

And that was our Friday night! What a great start to the weekend!

Busy, Busy, Busy!!

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Ok! So it’s been a while and I apologize for keeping everyone out of the loop but its been super busy! So many updates since the last blog that I don’t even know where to begin!

Since our last post, Shaun was able to leave his position at Abandon Interactive in Malibu. Within the first few weeks of being there he received a call from Sony, which led to another interview, which then…. THANKFULLY… led to a position with Sony Entertainment in their video game production department. So far so good and he seems to really love it there.


Work at the studio has been great and it feels wonderful to be back in a position that I am so comfortable with. The new school year starts on Monday September 8th and there has been a lot to do in preparation for opening day. It has been busy and has called for some long days, but I don’t mind at all! Unlike other jobs in my past, I truly love to go to work everyday! I work with a wonderful group of people who, even on the toughest of days, make it fun to be there.


Everything with the baby is great! I am currently at 34 weeks and 5 days! Shaun and I went in for an ultrasound on Monday and from what they can see, she looks great. You could see all four chambers of her heart and they appear to be strong and healthy, the umbilical cord has great circulation which means she is getting everything that she needs, she is growing at what the doctors call an “appropriate gestational rate”, and her lungs, liver and kidneys all seem to be fully developed and working correctly. Although its tough to be accurate at this stage of the pregnancy, due to the increasing lack of fluids and space within the uterus, she appears to be just over 5 pounds. Healthy girl if you ask me! Now the fun of counting down those last few weeks begins!


Everything has been great! I am feeling pretty good, despite the fact that my belly seems to expand exponentially now. That’s ok…. I want to try and keep her as comfortable as possible in there so that she doesn’t have the urge to arrive too soon! I have more aches and pains now and sleep has become a novelty, but its just preparation for what’s to come, so I don’t mind. Shaun is always helpful and thoughtful, making sure I am comfortable. What a great hubby and soon to be daddy!


That is all for the moment, I promise to keep this updated more often! Once again it feels great to be back in California! Take care everyone and I hope all of you are doing well!


Cheers!

Catching Up!

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It has been a while since our last post, but life has been super busy. It takes a bit just to get settled in and I think we are definitely still in that process. Jack loves the apartment but I think he longs for a backyard! Hopefully the house will sell soon and we can start looking for something.

After we moved in, Shaun basically turned back around and drove to Seattle again to pick up my car and the last of our remaining items. We also had to break contract with our realtor two weeks from the end of contract due to some issues, so Shaun also wanted to make sure all that we asked for had been taken care of and we decided to change the locks on the house as well. When Shaun got back home, he was definitely exhausted and I am sure it will be a while before we drive I-5.

Our anniversary and my birthday were pretty calm and uneventful. I think we were too tired to really want to do anything in particular. I think just spending time together and not having to pack or unpack was pretty special to the two of us. Really, its the little things in life that matter.

Shaun has been working at Abandon Interactive in Malibu for the last 2 weeks now and has enjoyed it. Its not exactly the position he wants, but its work and I am sure something better will come along soon. Its just a matter of time, patience and persistence. I am also working now as well. Bobbies School of Performing Arts, my former dance studio and second home, has asked me to come back and continue where I left off just before the wedding. I will be helping with administration and accounting and it will be wonderful to be back with the people I have known for so long. An even better plus to being back to a place I love, is that I can work now before the baby is born and then when I return to work after I give birth, the baby can be with me! No need for daycare and I can go back to work and still have plenty of time to continue to bond and be close, which is very important to me. It is so great to be back!

I am now exactly 27 weeks pregnant, only 91 days (give or take) to go! I cant believe how fast time has flown! In less then 3 months I will be a mommy, Shaun will be a daddy and we will be first time parents! Yay! Luckily, the both of us have grown up around children, helping to take care of younger siblings and I have spent a lot of time around children through my babysitting and nanny service, so we are beyond ready for this! Don’t even say “just wait, you have no idea”! That’s one of my biggest pet peeves! Of course we don’t, that’s half the fun and the joy of being a parent! The Unknown! And besides, we may be first time parents, but we are not oblivious to the needs and demands of being parents and all the surprises (big and small) that wait around the corner. No family is the same and no child is the same. Just let us figure it out on our own and enjoy everything that means being a parent, the ups and downs and everything in between! Hehehe… its another hormonal rant!

I had my first official doctors appointment with our new OB. He is great and seems very soothing and calming, which will be helpful when it comes time for our little one to enter this world. Luckily he is familiar to the family as he is the one that delivered James and Brittany, Shaun’s siblings. I also had my glucose screening and I am now waiting for the results. For everyone out there that told me how horrible it was to take the glucose tests, all I can say is hmmm. Its not that hard, if anything bothered me it was the fact that I couldn’t drink water. Other then that, the glucose drink wasn’t nearly as horrible as I was told and well, drawing blood is drawing blood. Hehehe, thanks for trying to scare me but it didn’t work. 😛 Along with all of that I have made my decision to try and deliver without medication. If I need it and things become too difficult, of course I will use that option (Im not trying to be a hero), but I know from talking with people, my doctor and research that recovery is much faster if drugs are not used. So wish me luck!

Well that is all for now! I will post again when there is more to tell! For now we wish all of you the best! Come back soon!

We’re Baaaaack!

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Greetings from California! Shaun and I are back and we are here to stay! No more funny ideas about living somewhere other than here.

On Wednesday, after a day full of packing and helping the moving crew pack the rental truck, we set out on the road in our little caravan. Shaun drove the huge 24 foot rental truck and I drove Shaun’s car (my car is still in Washington until Shaun makes one last trip up). The drive on Wednesday and Thursday was very uneventful and when we finally stopped for the night on Thursday, we were only a few hours away from Simi Valley! When we woke up on Friday morning, ready for a short drive, we were not more then 50 miles from the Grapevine when we saw the sign…. ” I-5 Southbound Closed, Use Alternate Route”. Affter tuning in to the road condition station we found out that closure was due to a “hazardous waste spill”. Hehehe…. WELCOME BACK TO CALIFORNIA! Luckily, the best route for us was only 20 miles back, so we turned around and headed for the “alternate route”. Instead of taking 2 hours, we had the chance to drive out to Paso Robles on the 101, head south and get caught in traffic in every city from Santa Barabara to Simi Valley. Yay! Instead of getting into town at 12 as planned, we got in at 4:30. It was definitly Friday the 13th! But no worries, we made it back to California and thats all that matters!

Tommorrow, we have movers coming to help us unpack the truck and get us into our apartment. It will be a long day, but I know I am looking forward to it. I know many of you cant wait to get together and neither can we, but give us just a few days to get settled in. However, if you feel the need to unpack boxes on Sunday… let us know!

Alright, its off to bed for some much needed sleep. Even the baby is tired! Take care and we will update when there is more to tell! Lots of love from all of us!

21 Weeks and 6 Days!

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Well we have jumped around a bit, but I am now 21 Weeks and 6 Days pregnant. We have had several great doctors appointments since our first and everything is going well. We had our 2nd ultrasound and we had the chance to find out whether our baby is a boy or a girl. To keep from spoiling things, we wont anounce the sex of the baby through our blog. If you would like to know, just ask us and we will be more than happy to tell ya!

Along with the sex of the baby, we were able to see hands, feet, a little button nose, what looks to be a very healthy spine, kindeys, stomach and heart. Unfortunatly the baby was turned in a way that wouldnt allow a full view of the heart, but so far so good. When we get to California we plan to go back in for another ultrasound to get a better view. Currently the baby is between 7 and 9 inches long and just over 1lb. My tummy measures at 26 inches from my pelvis to the top of where my uterus sits. According to our doctor, we are growing at a perfect rate (both the baby and myelf). So far so good! I am definitly showing and as we all know, I am not getting any smaller!
Shaun and I have begun packing and have the next few days to finish. Luckily, when we put the house on the market back in April, a lot of our belongings were packed into a POD, shipped down to California, and stored until we found a home of our own. We only kept what we needed and what made the house look nice and staged. There isnt much left to do! The movers come Wednesday and we start our drive back when they finish. We hope to be in California and moving in to our apartment on Saturday, but we dont plan to push it. It will be nice to be back in the sunshine again!
We will keep you posted on how everything goes! Take care, we hope everyone’s weekend was fantastic and keeping checking back with us!

Welcome to the Baby Babbler!

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Hello and Welcome to The Baby Babbler!

Shaun and I want to welcome you to our blog, which will keep everyone up to date about the baby, our lives and much more. But first, lets back track and make sure that everyone is up to speed!

Shaun and I were married on June 16th, 2007 and so much has happened since then! After returning home from our honeymoon we spent not more then a month together in Shaun’s house in Woodland Hills, California. By September we were completely packed up and on our way to Seattle, Washington to start a new adventure together. The house was put on the market and sold in October. By the end of Novemeber we were moving into a beautiful home and officially settling in.
On February 3, 2008 (Super Bowl Sunday to be exact) after about 7 different tests and the most advanced piece of technology any girl will ever pee on, Shaun and I discovered that we were pregnant! It took forever to get into a doctor up here, but we did recieve the official word and our first ultrasound at about 10 weeks. Once we discovered that we were pregnant, Shaun and I realized jut how much we missed California and that we really would like to be back “home” again. So now we are on our way and ready to get back to family and friends!
More for everyone later! Take care and keep checking back with us!

The Very Beginning

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Here it is!! Our blog… about being married, pregnant and just figuring out life in general! We should have started after the wedding, or even a few months ago when we found out that I was pregnant, but hey… life has been busy. I am sure that many of you can relate to that. So here we start nearly a year into marriage and quite a few weeks into pregnancy, but oh well… its better to start at some point then to never start at all.

To catch everyone up to speed, after the wedding Shaun and I had a wonderful 3 week honeymoon touring the Western United States. We had the chance to see Seattle, Vancouver, Crater Lake, Mt. Rainier, Glacier National Park, Yellowstone and more! It was fantastic! We have too many stories to tell and while in the moment some of the situations were downright stressful, Shaun and I can now look back at them and laugh.

When we returned home we enjoyed a week of basically doing nothing and a fun weekend of opening wedding gifts with my parents and Shaun’s mom. (By the way, I haven’t forgotten about every ones generosity and love. There will be something in the mail for all of you soon, but the craziness of the last year has kept me from finishing things in a timely manner. My sincere apologies to all of you.) Once the gifts were opened and everyone was gone, the honeymoon was over and it was back to reality.

Once we returned to reality, Shaun’s house in Woodland Hills was on the market and we were moving to Seattle. By September we were packed up and on our way, and by November we found the perfect home in Bothell, Washington. Then, on Super Bowl Sunday, we found out that I was pregnant…. what a great start to 2008!