We're Back!

Well it only took me 8 weeks, but I finally got around to updating our blog. I guess I better go back to work so I have more free time for activities like blogging. It's been a busy 8 weeks, and life sure has changed for Jim and me. I still can't believe that I am actually some one's mother. James is doing great and keeping us very busy. We aren't on any kind of schedule and our lives are pretty chaotic at this point, but we are loving being parents and getting to know this little person.

I don't know where the weeks have gone, and everything seems like a big blur since we brought James home. Actually last week I told everyone that James was 8 weeks old, when in fact he was only 7 weeks. Somehow I lost track of a whole week, which is alot when your baby has only been alive for 7 weeks. I've never been very good at math, but when my father reminded me that James was only 7 weeks, I felt pretty stupid. I mean what kind of mother doesn't know how old her own baby is? Talk about a bad mother, for awhile I couldn't remember the date James was born. Luckily he has the same name as his father, or I'd probably forget that too.

All in all I think we are adjusting pretty well. The only one who doesn't seem to be adjusting is poor Max. He still won't go near James, and when we bring James close to him he turns his head the other way and pretends he doesn't see him. Every time I walk in the door Max gets really excited because he seems to think James has finally gone back to where ever he came from. Then when he sees him in his car seat and realizes James is still here, Max goes off to a corner and pouts. When James screams Max looks at me like, "Please make him stop." I try to show Max as much attention as possible, but he still acts like he hates me. I never imagined a dog could make me feel so terrible. I guess he's preparing me for James' teenage years.

Our little peanut finally seems to be getting bigger. He has the cutest little belly and his cheeks are filling out. He's finally outgrowing newborn sizes and moving into size 1 diapers. He's starting to coo more, and is more alert and responsive. I think he's even smiled at me a few times. We still don't know who he looks like, but we've already been told by a few people that he has his mother's personality. Poor kid. But I am proud of him because he doesn't hold back and lets people know exactly what he's thinking.

Here's a video I recently took of the little guy to show his dad what he'd been up to during the day. For some reason I can't figure out how to turn the video, so you'll have to view it on its side. Sorry!

He's Here!

James Joseph Lilley III arrived yesterday at 2:43pm. He's a tiny little peanut weighing in at 5 lbs. 15 oz and measuring 18 3/4 inches. It took him awhile to make his way into the world, but we're so excited that James is finally here! Pictures and updates to come.

Fail

Leave it to me to fail my labor induction. That's not exactly what the doctor called it. He said the induction was "unsuccessful", but it sure feels like a big fat F. Who even knew that an induction could be unsuccessful? I was induced yesterday morning and given the maximum dose of Pitocin for 8 hours, but I failed to dilate. So we get to start all over with the process again this morning. The baby looks great, and I'm being monitored very (too) closely. They will only let me get out of bed for about an hour a day. Thank you for all your calls, emails and texts. We'll keep you posted, and hopefully we'll have some news to share at some point today. Stay tuned.

We're Having a Baby!

In an unexpected change of events, Jim and I are in the hospital and getting ready to welcome our son into the world! Coming to the hospital was the last thing I expected to be doing yesterday. I was actually working from home, enjoying a beautiful sunny afternoon with Max on the back porch. Out of nowhere I received a phone call from my doctor's office telling me to go to labor and delivery and be prepared to have a baby! What?! Not the call I was expecting at all. I had some lab work done last Friday because they found protein in my urine, and they were concerned about pre-eclampsia. I had more tests over the weekend and went back to the doctor on Monday. They did more lab work, but said it probably wasn't pre-eclampsia but wanted to be sure. My blood pressure has been low during my whole pregnancy, so no one seemed too concerned. Well apparently they didn't like what they saw in the lab work so they decided to induce me. I guess pre-eclampsia can hit very suddenly out of no where and get very serious very quickly. The only cure is delivery, so better safe than sorry. So here we are! My blood pressure has been way up since we got here, but the baby is doing great. They've started me on Pitocin, so now all we do is wait. The worst part is I'm stuck in bed. Not good for my fidgety, can't sit still personality. Let's hope this goes by quickly, and we have a baby very soon.

The Home Stretch

Well we're in the home stretch now. Only 10 days to go until my due date. Everything seems to be in order, and both the baby and I are doing well. The nesting continues, but I'm quickly running out of projects and room in my freezer and on my shelves. My doctor says the baby is definitely head down and thinks he weighs around 7 to 7 1/2 pounds, which all sounds good to me. Sleep is definitely getting harder to come by. I'm exhausted all the time, but it's hard to get comfortable. Plus I wake up every few hours to go to the bathroom, but I'm not complaining. I'm sure this sleep is going to seem amazing in a few weeks! Here's a 38 week belly picture for your viewing pleasure.

Last Day!

Friday was my last day in the office, and while I'm definitely excited, it's a little bittersweet. Yes you heard me right. I'm a little sad about not going to work. Who would have ever thought that I'd ever be saying that. I am going back (at least that's the plan), but 26 weeks is a long time to be gone. It took me long enough, but I finally found a job I actually like. After being a glorified secretary for 3 years, it's nice to feel like a real lawyer where people actually listen to you and want your advice. Sometimes I find it a bit scary that they take my advice, but that's a whole other story. It came down to the wire, but we closed a deal on Friday that we had been working on for over a year. I think I worked harder in my last week than I had during my last 2 years. In any event it felt great to get that done, and my boss was definitely thrilled not to have to deal with it while I'm out.

On Thursday my entire floor surprised me with a baby shower. Of course to get me there my boss again invited me to a meeting, which I declined and asked to reschedule (and they did), but at least this time they learned their lesson and didn't even attempt to schedule the meeting before noon! I was shocked by their generosity. We got clothes, stuffed animals, rattles, an adorable cake made out of diapers, giftcards which I can use to buy our jogging stroller, and best of all, a day at the spa for me after the baby is born! It was really too much and very unexpected. I guess they really do like me!

So it looks all we do now is wait. I think most of our to do list is complete, so I'm supposed to spend this weekend relaxing. We'll have to see if that's actually possible!

Full Term

We've made it to 37 weeks, and the baby is now considered full term. I guess that means he could come at any time, although I haven't made much progress as of my appointment on Friday afternoon. According to my doctor's estimate, I probably have some time, but you never know. At Friday's appointment the swelling in my feet and legs was pretty bad and my blood pressure was elevated, so I had to go back on Monday morning to get checked. Luckily my blood pressure went back down and the swelling seemed to decrease slightly over the weekend. I now get to wear these very stylish knee high compression stockings to try to improve my circulation. It actually takes both Jim and me to put them on!

My newest obsession seems to be stock piling all kinds of items in our cupboards and shelves. I'm not sure if this is a form of nesting or just my OCD at it's best. Jim says if a hurricane strikes we are sure to be prepared. For example last week I went out and bought 15 pounds of sugar and 15 pounds of flour. Why you may ask? Because I don't want us to run out. It's not like we use an extraordinary amount of sugar and flour, and babies definitely don't need sugar or flour. It's just that I have this feeling that I am never going to be able to go to the grocery store after the baby arrives, and you just never know when you may need sugar or flour. Some other interesting items I have stocked up on include: extra sharp cheddar, vanilla extract, black peppercorns, cream cheese, heavy duty aluminum foil, butter, and coffee. Since my freezer is already filled with casseroles, I'll just have to start baking to use up all this other stuff.

October Already?!

We have officially made it to October, so now we can finally say that we are having a baby this month! I can't believe October is here already. I don't know where the last nine months have gone. Fall has officially made it's debut in the Carolinas, and here in Charlotte we are experiencing that absolutely perfect fall weather that makes one remember why we all live here. The air is crisp, the sun is shining, and the sky is a perfect shade of Carolina Blue. All of our neighbors are getting ready for Halloween. Every where I look there are mums, pumpkins, spider webs, and other ghoulish decorations, all reminding me that our little guy is going to be here before we know it. And yes I've got a Halloween outfit (or two) ready for him, assuming that he doesn't wait more than a week after his due date to make his debut into the world.

Generally I've been feeling pretty good lately, other than the swelling in my feet and legs. I've tried to take a picture to illustrate just how swollen I am, but I just don't think these pictures do it any justice. I haven't been able to wear anything but flip flops in weeks and even my sneakers are too tight these days. At least we get to post a picture of Max who in typical Max fashion has to put himself right in the middle of things.

One Month To Go

Today is September 24, so that means less than 1 month until my due date. It's hard to believe that time is going by this quickly. I really don't know where the weeks have gone.

There's not much new to report this week. I'm swollen (Can you say cankles?), exhausted, and getting increasingly uncomfortable. Other than that I'm doing great! The only thing that seems to help is physical activity, so I'm still trying to get in some form of exercise every day. Work is also starting to take it's toll on me. It's not only the commute and sitting at my desk all day, but for some reason I'm busier now than I have been all year. My doctor doesn't want me driving all the way to Hickory past 38 weeks, so I only have 2 more weeks left in the office. Thank god because I really didn't want to go into labor somewhere along 321. After that I'll work from home until the baby arrives. I figured by this point I'd be wrapping up and winding things down, but that is just not possible right now.

I'm still in the nesting phase, and I think it is wearing everyone out, including me. My new task is making freezer meals, so I don't have to cook once the little one arrives. So far it's going well, and the freezer is starting to fill up. I've made chicken taco soup, some ground beef casseroles, and lasagna. This weekend's project: sauce.

35/35!

Well we've made it to 35 weeks, which means that there are only 35 days to go until my due date, hence the title 35/35. It's hard to believe that we will be parents in just about a month! Where has the time gone? When you think about the time remaining in weeks, 5 weeks still feels like a long time, but it's really not. For the most part I think we are ready. We have all the baby necessities and then some, the nursery is painted and set up, the baby clothes are all washed and put away, we've finished all our childbirth classes, we've read all the books, and we've gotten our dog trained, but there are still alot of little projects around the house and items on my to do list that I really want to get done before the baby arrives. Plus, call us crazy, but we decided to embark on a kitchen renovation project this week. Talk about nesting. There's nothing like ripping out your counter tops, and appliances when you are just about to give birth! I'm praying that everything goes according to plan and there are no major delays in the schedule. I guess I should clarify that we are not doing this ourselves. Actually I probably don't have to clarify that. Anyone reading this knows that Jim and I are about as handy as a back pocket on a shirt, and we don't do anything ourselves. Nesting is a strange thing. I've been cleaning and organizing for months but nothing ever feels right. A few weeks ago I decided that I didn't like any of the bedding or linens in the master bedroom or bathroom so I replaced it all. I also ordered a new entertainment center for the bedroom which Jim has the pleasure of putting together this weekend. It seems like everytime I walk into a room I want to change everything. I better have this baby soon before I spend any more money!

I had my 34 week checkup this week, and everything is looking good and measuring right on track. I feel great, other than some swelling in my feet and ankles and some of the other pleasures of late pregnancy which I won't mention here. I've posted both a front and side view of my ever expanding bump, which you can see has gotten pretty huge. We also learned that Baby Lilley has assumed a head down position. Now we are just hoping he stays that way!

A Little Sprinkle

Last weekend my friends Caroline and Theresa hosted a small baby shower for me here in Charlotte. I had a wonderful time, and once again Baby Lilley got many many great gifts. All of our friends have been way too generous! Here I am with the hostesses. Can you believe we are all pregnant? Caroline is expecting her second in mid February. Theresa is expecting her first, Baby Boy Thompson, on November 10. Baby Lilley is going to have lots of great playmates!

A beautiful hat and scarf and matching blanket handmade by Theresa's mom Mrs. Carosella.
Some of the ladies. Opening a card from Erica which contained a wooden cross that she bought in Bethlehem at the Church of the Nativity. How cool is that? The cross is now hanging above Baby's crib.
Hailey, the littlest and cutest guest!I love this onesie from Nicole! Mommy's Little Stinker. How cute is that?

Cutting the delicious cake.

Thanks to Theresa and Caroline for all their hard work in throwing the shower. I really appreciate all that they did, especially with how much they both have going on right now!

In other news, our little rascal Max came home from two whole weeks of training at Doggie Bootcamp last week. What a difference! He's a whole new dog, and Jim and I couldn't be happier. He knows 5 commands and actually listens to them. He's calmer and just an all around better dog. He seems to be alot less selfish, and in my opinion he's even cuter than before! We are really loving every minute with him. He's like the dog we always wanted, and it was worth every penny.

I was worried that he might not remember us when he got back. Boy was I wrong! He's back to being my little shadow, and I'm loving it more than ever!

A Mother's Love

Today is 09/09/09, and it also would have been my mom's 58th birthday. Maybe it's all the hormones, but this year I find myself missing her more than usual. Five years ago, I thought getting married without my mother there would be the hardest thing I'd ever do. Boy was I wrong. Having a baby without my mother here is by far the hardest thing I've ever had to do without her. There's been so many times during my pregnancy that I've wanted to ask my mom, "did this happen to you?" I can't even begin to tell you how many of my friends have told me that they never could have gotten through the first few weeks with a newborn without their mothers, or that the most important thing to have after coming home from the hospital was the help of their mothers. It's not that I don't have a good support network. I have a loving husband, wonderful friends, and a caring mother-in-law. It's just that sometimes you want your own mother. There's not a single person in the world that can take her place. We all know that feeling you have when you're sick, and you just want your mom there to make you feel better.

Luckily when I grew up my mom used to tell me lots of stories. She told me about her pregnancy with me and about my birth. She said she had such an easy labor and delivery with me, that she could "have had another baby the next day". I guess the ease ended there, because she also said I was quite a terror as an infant. Even back then I wouldn't sleep. She said I was afraid that I was going to miss something. I didn't want to go to anyone but my mom. I'd scream my head off if she tried to hand me off to anyone else. I guess I just knew what I wanted. While it's nice to know all those things, there is so much more I want to know.

It's hard for me to imagine my mother as a grandmother. I can only see her as that beautiful, young, active, person in the prime of her life. Not that I don't think she would make a wonderful grandmother. I know she would. In fact she would be fantastic, especially to a little boy. She'd teach him about nature, and the outdoors, and do all the things she used to do with my brothers and me. She'd take him into the woods to catch tadpoles and caterpillars and wait for them to change into frogs and butterflies. They'd go on bike rides and hikes and to museums and have all kinds of adventures. She'd teach him how to fix things like her dad taught her, and even how to bake. On those quiet lazy days she'd teach him about her love of books, math and science. Their time together would never be boring, just like our's never was.

For me, losing my mother has been like the worst broken heart you can ever imagine. Except it's one that never heals. You might mend the break slightly, and learn to live beside it, but there will always be that hole right in the middle that never fully goes away. My hope is that becoming a mother myself, and giving my own child some of the love my mother gave to me, will help mend the break ever so slightly.

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

Today Jim and I are celebrating five whole years of wedded bliss. It's hard to believe that it's been that long. I'm so glad we've had these past five years to grow as a couple. It's been an interesting five years filled with many ups, and a few downs. We've lived in four different places, in two different states. I've had three different jobs, Jim's had two. We've travelled to more places than I can even count. We've added one dog and are just weeks away from adding our first child. Right now life seems pretty close to perfect.


Here's some highlights from the last five years.

Our honeymoon in Hawaii. I don't think we could have chosen a more perfect place to spend our first two weeks as husband and wife.


Our first anniversary trip to Aruba.

New Year's 2006 trip to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

Cruise to the Bahamas March 2007.

Venice June 2007.

Enjoying some vino in Tuscany.

On top of the Duomo in Florence. Showing Jim why it's my favorite city in the world.
Looking out at all of Rome from the top of St. Peter's.

Exploring Roman ruins.


Below the Spanish Steps.

The day we adopted Max and our lives changed forever. It's hard to believe he was ever that tiny!


Fourth of July 2008 at Emerald Isle Beach.

Attending a wedding in New York City September 2008.
Trip to Seattle October 2008. On the ferry to Bainbridge Island with the Space Needle in the background.

Another relaxing trip to Florida in April 2009.

I can't wait to see what the next five years have in store for us and our growing family. We're off to celebrate in Charleston over the long weekend. Happy Labor Day!

I'm Back Baby!

Maybe it was the extra hard landing that my pilot made on my flight into Corning last week that bumped my hip back into place, or maybe my physical therapist is just the biggest miracle worker around. I'm not quite sure what did it, and frankly I don't care, but I'm actually walking again without tremendous pain. I cannot even begin to express how thankful I am. Not to mention how much more pleasant I am to be around. Just ask Jim or Greg. Last Saturday I was even able to take a 30 minute walk with Jim and Max. On Sunday we increased it to 40 minutes. At this rate I might even get back to my hour long walks. I'm not fast, but I'm moving, and that's really all I care about. I'm even back on the elliptical! The pain is not completely gone, but it is such an improvement and something that I didn't think I'd see for a very long time. So thank you, thank you, thank you to whoever or whatever it was that helped me! The picture above is the most recent belly pic taken at 32 weeks. We're getting closer!

Rookie of the Year

Well we've made it to 31 weeks, and instead of the usual bump shot I decided to post a pic of my new favorite shirt, a gift from Michelle. Isn't it cute? Thanks Michelle!

There's not too much news to report this week. I spent the past week travelling for work, and while it wasn't ideal at this point in my pregnancy, it didn't end up being too bad. While I was away I got to make two trips to Wegman's which just might be my favorite place on earth. It's a little scary how excited I get over a grocery store. Travelling on the corporate jet does make things quite a bit easier, but still this better be my last trip for awhile.

Since my hip/back isn't getting any better, my doctor sent me to physical therapy which I started today. I had to break the news to the chiropractor that I wouldn't be returning, and wow did they take it hard. I've never seen anything quite like it. It was like breaking up with a boyfriend that just won't get the hint and go away. Anyway, physical therapy seemed to go well. The therapist gave me some exercises for strengthening my pelvis around my sacroiliac joint and taught me some techniques to make walking easier. She also massaged the affected area which was worth the co-pay alone. I can honestly say I see an improvement in my walking already. I'm really hoping this works, because other than voodoo, I'm not sure there is anything else I can try.

We started our baby and childbirth classes last Monday. Jim and I now know how to feed, swaddle and bathe a baby, and we also learned infant CPR. Let's just hope we never need it. I've also started experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions. Talk about strange. I made Jim feel my belly during one of them, and he was amazed at how tight everything gets. Our little guy is also kicking more than ever these days. His favorite time to be active is right when I lay down to go to sleep. Let's hope this is not going to become a pattern after birth!

Men at Work

Last weekend most of our nursery furniture arrived, and we started to put everything in place. Greg had previously painted the room, and I have to admit he did a really great job, and I usually don't like to give him compliments. On Sunday Jim and Greg put up the matching border, and now that it's complete it looks fantastic. Here they are hard at work.

We now know why wallpapering went out of style. It is such a pain until you get the hang of it.

I did what I do best - give orders. I made them move each piece of furniture in at least five or six different arrangements until settling on the one we started with originally!

The finished product. Does Greg look excited or what?

Starting to look like a nursery. Notice Max in the corner. He never wants to miss a thing.

We tried and tried to get the bumper to fit, but it just wouldn't work with the crib's posts, so we gave up on it. We decided looking good wasn't going to be worth it at 3am when we have to remove the bumper and the mattress to change wet or dirty sheets.

Max trying out the crib. Much to our relief he didn't like it, so we don't have to worry about him jumping into the crib and dragging the baby out to the woods like my grandfather warned us he might.

So we're making good progress on the nursery. Our glider is in, and we are just waiting on a new nightstand because the first one arrived completely damaged. Now all we need is the baby!

Weekend Update

Jim and I made it back from another whirlwind trip to Western New York last weekend. It was a fabulous trip, and we got to see more family and friends than we have in a long time. The big event of the weekend was Jon and Alicia's wedding. Jim did an outstanding job as Best Man, although he said it was more stressful than being the Groom! Everyone seemed to have a great time at the reception, and I even danced (more like attempted to move my upper body while trying to keep my hips still) a little bit. I'm sure it was quite a sight. Hopefully the newlyweds are enjoying their honeymoon in Aruba. Here's a few shots from the big day.


The Best Man and the Groom before the ceremony still looking rather calm.

The new Mr. and Mrs. and future godparents to Baby Lilley.

The McMahons minus Sean, plus Mindy.

The proud parents to be, but I guess you know who we are.

The first dance.

The Catanzaro sisters looking as beautiful as ever.

Jim's cousins Missy and Mindy on the dance floor.

Best Man and Maid of Honor, two old friends who brought the Bride and Groom together.

Is it me, or do they look like they are up to no good?

Some of the lovely Lilley ladies.

More of the Lilley family.

The Nusbaums were also in town last weekend, so on Sunday Jim and I headed up to Lewiston where my friends threw us a little mini shower at Meaghan and Tony's. It was an awesome time, complete with LaHacienda pizza, Michael's salad, and some pretty cool decorations. It was great seeing old friends and their adorable little kiddos. Here we are decked out in our Mom and Dad to-be gear.

Jim practicing for fatherhood with adorable baby Carly. Notice the beer in one hand, child in the other.

Can you say cute? Alyssa, Michelle and Mike's daughter, with her new friend Carly, Rachel and Curt's daughter.

Rona and Rachel enjoying some of the best pizza in the entire world. Thankfully there were leftovers which made it back all the way to North Carolina!

We got more adorable gifts from our very generous friends! Thanks guys!!

Cutting our delicious cake! I still can't believe the size of the piece I ate.

Meaghan and I on her porch with the awesome stork balloons. I wonder how many of her neighbors think she just had a baby boy?

There's nothing better than old friends that are more like family. It's hard to believe that we have been friends for over twenty-five years! Thank you all for everything!!

So now that we are back in Charlotte it's easy to see why we are so exhausted. It was alot of excitement for one weekend, but it was all worth it. I'm not sure when we'll be back home again, but next time we are, we'll definitely have the little guy with us. Kind of hard to believe huh?!