Does Anyone Else See A Resemblance? -- Part II

...................NELSON........................................................................AMYA.....................................

Happy Birthday, Sweet Hubby!

To the father of my two beautiful children: I love you more than this blog will allow me to convey. You are an amazing man and I feel lucky to have you for the rest of our lives. I hope you have a wonderful birthday!

...........loving his babies....................................................birthday breakfast.......................................

Does Anyone Else See A Resemblance?

Thank You Moms And Dad!

...for ALL your incredible help!

I'm so fortunate that Grandma Chris, Grandpa Burt and Grammy came to help out. My mom cooked, cleaned and helped me finish up last minute sewing projects. My mom was in the room for the entire labor and delivery and took some awesome pictures to document the experience. My dad took care of Amya by himself for 24 straight hours, while the rest of us were busy. I'm so glad we got to share this experience with you!

Judy is still here, taking care of us, while I rest and recuperate. There aren't enough words to express the gratitude Dan and I feel for all the hard work and extra time our parents gave us. THANK YOU ALL!!!

Michael Came Over....

...and took some more beautiful pictures!!!

Our Record Breaker!

When Nelson was born, he was attached to a ridiculously long umbilical cord! I did a little research about "typical" cords and cord lengths. This is what I found.....

V. Umbilical cord length and twisting
Analogous to how a kitchen phone cord becomes longer with increased use, umbilical cord length is dependent on fetal movements—the more movement, the longer the cord. The converse is also true—less intrauterine movement leads to shorter umbilical cords (as attested to by animal experiments where induced fetal muscle paralysis led to shortened umbilical cord length). Normally, the human umbilical cord reaches a length of 60-70 cm at term. Although the length of the umbilical cord has no intrinsic effect on fetal blood flow, a longer cord is more susceptible to knotting, entanglement around the fetus (especially the neck), and even prolapse out of the uterus during delivery any of which can lead to intrauterine fetal demise.

The Umbilical Cord
(from the Encyclopedia of Reproduction)
Harvey J. Kliman, M.D., Ph.D.
Yale University School of Medicine

Nelson's umbilical cord was 115 cm long!...and it was LOOSELY wrapped around his neck FOUR times! No worries on that, though. He never showed signs of distress during the delivery and, again, it was wrapped loosely. Our doctor said it was a record for her. Previously, she had only ever seen three wraps and that was always with a cesarean. This does justify all the activity this little guy displayed in utero!!

The Kids!

Amya Gets A Brother!

The old family portrait

.....................wait a minute!....................................................Amya takes a spin!.........................

Amya stopped by the hospital the night before Nelson was born. We wanted her to be aware of what was going on and see for herself that everything was about to change. She was very excited! At one point she watched me intently while I was having a contraction. I noticed she was looking at me and she took two big steps backward, without braking eye contact. I explained to her that she wasn't going to hurt me and that sometimes it just hurts a little when the baby is getting ready to come out. Her response was: "I know mom. I just don't want to get any blood on me when the baby comes out."

When we got home from the hospital, she came running to the door, cheering! She inspected her baby brother again, then said to me, "Thanks for pushing my baby out, mommy."

Our new Family portrait!

Amya Meets Nelson...

A Baby Named Nelson...

...was born yesterday, on his due date!

He weighed 7lbs 7oz and was 21 in. long.

He was born at 11:21am PST.

He is a very peaceful baby.

Mom and baby are both home and doing great!

We are so happy our son has arrived! We love you so much, Nelson Muir!

Thank you Shelly for taking the pictures!

...so, this weekend...

...was an object lesson in frustration and futility!
I've been having contractions on/off since Friday evening. On two separate occasions, we were ready to hop in the car and head to the hospital. Both times I suggested we give it one more hour and then head out. Both times my contractions stopped in that hour (only to start again 2 hours later).
Hopefully, today will bring something (or someone) new!
If the baby IS born today, and it is a girl, than Kadence wins the prediction game. If it is a boy, than Sonya wins...
P.S. I'm in a fight with all the people who predicted a birth AFTER my due date!!!

Making Candy With Grandma

Amya and Grandma Chris made candy covered pretzels and lolly pops!

Do you think she had fun?

Happy Birthday, Angel!

You are loved more than you will ever understand!!

Happy Birthday, Brother John!.....

...hope you're having fun in Switzerland!

Happy Anniversary John and Danielle!!

Hehehehe.....

Amya and I did another photo shoot today with our friend, Michael (his website is on the right). Amya did fantastic!...she loved painting my belly! :)

**Make sure you check out the next post and make your prediction! If you don't have a google or gmail account, just post it under "Anonymous" and leave your name**

The Final Countdown!

One week and counting before we get to meet "Nelson"!

Anyone want to guess who he/she is?.......

In the comments section, leave your prediction for gender and date. If you get both right, we'll name the baby after you! (probably not)

I'll start.......

"Happy Birthday"

The traditional song! If you're not Amya's Grandparent or under the age of 5, you may find this a bit boring.