Abby had her first photo shoot with Auntie Anne yesterday!
Thank you so much for these wonderful keepsakes, Anne.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Friday, February 1, 2013
What's in a Name?
"So," said that doctor, "What are we calling this gorgeous girl?"
Choosing Abby's name was not easy. There are just so many options! Some of them got thrown out quickly, and others quickly rose to the top of the list. We had a top three or four list all along that was pretty consistent, and we had middle names picked out right away. We never really certain about her name though, until we saw her for the first time.
For her first name, we wanted something that wasn't currently being used by somebody in our lives. I always envisioned naming my daughter Lillie, but Abby and Jonas's cousin claimed it first, so to the baby name books we went.
Both Steve and I liked the name Abby from the outset, but thought Abigail sounded a little old fashioned for us, so Abigail moved on and off the list, as we seemed to change our minds every time we thought about it. And then Jonas suggested Gabrielle about a week before she was born. We realized that it would be shortened to Gabby, and had reservations about combing that nickname with her genetic predisposition to be a talker. The more we considered Gabby, the more Abby shone through. When she was born, Abby just felt right. No formal Abigail, just Abby.
Abby's middle names were chosen quite easily. We wanted to name her after our Grandmothers, so we chose Mae and Lillie, after my Grandmas Symonds, Martin and Gertie. (I tried but Gertie got four thumbs down from Steve and Jonas every time I suggested it.) Of course, her last name is Blanchard, so she nests nicely into Steven's family tree.
So Abby Mae Lillie Blanchard it is. She hasn't complained about it yet but I'm sure that day will come. I'll smile and nod, kiss her forehead, and then tell her to be glad that we didn't keep calling her Esmerelda after she was born.
Cheers!
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Introducing Abby
BGB decided at the last minute not to wait for her scheduled induction, and instead gave us a fast and furious delivery, during which they barely got a spinal and epidural in on time. They had to slow down the contractions to give enough time for the IV antibiotics for group B Strep to work their magic and protect her.
It's Day 3 and Abby and I are both doing great. She's pretty sleepy but nursing well and having longer periods of alertness. I'm a little sore and starting to get tired, but managing well. We came home on Sunday afternoon and the four of us have been doing just fine, though the Steve's and my initial burst of adrenalin and euphoria are starting to lose the battle against fatigue. Big brother Jonas is thrilled and Tasha is looking forward to a visit home soon to meet her new little sister.
She's sound asleep watching a movie with her dad and brother right now right now so I think I'm going to try to squeeze in a nap before her next meal.
Cheers!
Abby Mae Lillie Blanchard joined the world at 6:05am on Saturday January 26.
She weighed in at 7 pounds 4 ounces.
It's Day 3 and Abby and I are both doing great. She's pretty sleepy but nursing well and having longer periods of alertness. I'm a little sore and starting to get tired, but managing well. We came home on Sunday afternoon and the four of us have been doing just fine, though the Steve's and my initial burst of adrenalin and euphoria are starting to lose the battle against fatigue. Big brother Jonas is thrilled and Tasha is looking forward to a visit home soon to meet her new little sister.
She's sound asleep watching a movie with her dad and brother right now right now so I think I'm going to try to squeeze in a nap before her next meal.
Cheers!
Monday, January 21, 2013
Sunday, January 20, 2013
BGB Update: A Week to Go
Hello friends!
I've just been reminded that I've been remiss with a blog update. My apologies. I've been on maternity leave for a little over a week, and am quite enjoying not having to go to work. Other than helping Jonas through his daily routines, I've been doing an awesome job of losing track of time. I've napped, watched tv, organized baby stuff, shopped, surfed the net, and hung out with my boys. I've even been doing a little housework. All and all, I'm really rather enjoying myself.
First thing's first - BGB has not arrived yet. Everything is just fine. She seems happy in there and we're both doing great. She's been toying with us for the past week or so, but mostly just lots of Braxton-Hicks. We have started dilating and having some occasional light contractions, but real labour hasn't started yet.
They were initially considering an induction or c-section last week. We kind of expected that to happen a week ago, but our local OB was hospitalized with the flu so was unable to coordinate it. (We chose not to have the baby at Mt. Sinai because it's just too far from home. Otherwise, she would probably already be here.) Since speeding up the time table is more for our peace of mind than any urgent medical need, we've been content to wait it out, while keeping a close eye on her and her activity level. We're kick counting daily and I'm still going for weekly fetal monitoring and appointments with my local OB, but have stopped the commute to Mt. Sinai until after she's born.
The doctors have given us the option of a schedued induction or a c-section. Both prospects have benefits and drawbacks, but after much consideration and back and forth, we've chosen to try using the natural exit route rather than a c-section. (They will be on stand-by for an emergency c-section just in case.) Even though they seem rather routine, and are certainly more convenient (at least initially), we feel that the risks of a c-section are higher than we're comfortable with. I'm not at all looking forward to labour and delivery but it just feels like the right option for all of us.
Unless she gets other ideas of her own, we're scheduled for an induction this on Saturday January 26th at 8am. That's the 40 week mark, and has been her estimated due date all along. So, it looks like we might just end up sharing our birthdays afterall.
We'll keep you posted!
Cheers!
I've just been reminded that I've been remiss with a blog update. My apologies. I've been on maternity leave for a little over a week, and am quite enjoying not having to go to work. Other than helping Jonas through his daily routines, I've been doing an awesome job of losing track of time. I've napped, watched tv, organized baby stuff, shopped, surfed the net, and hung out with my boys. I've even been doing a little housework. All and all, I'm really rather enjoying myself.
First thing's first - BGB has not arrived yet. Everything is just fine. She seems happy in there and we're both doing great. She's been toying with us for the past week or so, but mostly just lots of Braxton-Hicks. We have started dilating and having some occasional light contractions, but real labour hasn't started yet.
They were initially considering an induction or c-section last week. We kind of expected that to happen a week ago, but our local OB was hospitalized with the flu so was unable to coordinate it. (We chose not to have the baby at Mt. Sinai because it's just too far from home. Otherwise, she would probably already be here.) Since speeding up the time table is more for our peace of mind than any urgent medical need, we've been content to wait it out, while keeping a close eye on her and her activity level. We're kick counting daily and I'm still going for weekly fetal monitoring and appointments with my local OB, but have stopped the commute to Mt. Sinai until after she's born.
The doctors have given us the option of a schedued induction or a c-section. Both prospects have benefits and drawbacks, but after much consideration and back and forth, we've chosen to try using the natural exit route rather than a c-section. (They will be on stand-by for an emergency c-section just in case.) Even though they seem rather routine, and are certainly more convenient (at least initially), we feel that the risks of a c-section are higher than we're comfortable with. I'm not at all looking forward to labour and delivery but it just feels like the right option for all of us.
Unless she gets other ideas of her own, we're scheduled for an induction this on Saturday January 26th at 8am. That's the 40 week mark, and has been her estimated due date all along. So, it looks like we might just end up sharing our birthdays afterall.
We'll keep you posted!
Cheers!
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