Meet EllaBree

EllaBree Jolene Raybon was born to us on December 3rd 2011 at 4:41 PM. She was a sweet little 7 lbs. 1.5 oz. and 20.5 in long.
Labor and delivery was really quite enjoyable. I had very little pain and lots of company throughout the labor. Delivery was a breeze. I also had a great coach (thanks hun), nurse, and doctor.  
The rest of the pregnancy went well, with no problems. This was the most enjoyable pregnancy yet. I was not too sick and got meds pretty early. I was very hungry and so gained a good 32ish pounds. Of course there was discomfort but it was abated by the cherished baby movements, which continued to be somewhat infrequent. She is still pretty content to just cuddle and loves to be held. Ella is a very easy going baby and such a joy to have around. We are all so in love!

Lil' Kicker

Brian felt our baby for the first time last night. As we got into bed the little kicker got moving. This little one hasn't been much for moving a lot. I usually get a kick, maybe two now and then and I have rarely felt the baby move from the outside with my hand, maybe 3 or 4 times. I didn't think Brian would be feeling the baby move for a few more weeks so, I was surprised and delighted that Brian felt a few kicks last night. And of course, Brian was pretty excited too.

Prego Update

Today I am 18 weeks 4 day pregnant and all is going well. Here's a little pregnancy news.

Our first ultrasound was on May 4th. We were, of course, excited to see the little gummy bear, most of all Paige. She thought it was so cool to be able to see our baby on the screen in the ultrasound room. She insisted on making phone calls right after the appointment to spread the news that we saw our baby. Baby was healthy and as always it's reassuring to see the little one and see it's heart beating. The official due date is December 9th. It will be excited to have a new little baby at Christmas.

Baby Bump!
This is me about 8 weeks along, some time around the first week of May. I know most don't see the bump, but I can.

The next few weeks I just gained weight and did not look real pregnant; I just look like I was putting on a few extra pounds. Bring on the fat stores for the sweet little nursing baby.
June 30th- I still think I look like I'm just gaining a bit o' chub, but others say this is a definite
baby bump. The last few days I have been popping out. I wake up each morning to find my tummy has expanded. It's fun.

June 27th I felt baby move for the first time. I got out of bed and first thing I get a little kick. I may have felt little flutters before but this was the first definite baby kick this pregnancy. The movements are coming daily and more and more frequently now. This is my favorite part of pregnancy. I like roundness of my tummy, the ultrasounds, and buying baby stuff, but by far, my favorite part is feeling that little life moving within me.

The nauseousness is completely gone. I'm very hungry, though, and have had a few cravings. One day I just had to drink the juice from the pickle jar. I know, not so healthy, but I had to have it. Last night it was enchiladas served with beans and rice, from a Mexican place I went to growing up. I could almost smell it, taste it, feel the messy yumminess in my mouth. Unfortunately the restaurant is no longer there. It was also 9:30 pm so no Mexican restaurant would be open around here anyway. Taco Bell was open, I'm sure, but would not cut it. I went to bed with out my Mexican food.

We will be going to our next ultrasound soon and finding out the gender of our little bundle. Paige is really hoping for a girl. She tells most people she's going to have a sister. Brian and I are also thinking it might be a girl. We've both been back and forth on the issue but we feel it's a girl now. We'll see in a couple weeks.