Hello all!!

Well he's FINALLY here!! After 31 hours of labor and an eventual C-section, Naveen Christopher was born on Wednesday, November 22, 2006 at 3:30am. He weighs 9lbs 13oz and is 22 inches long. He's a very happy baby and doesn't fuss. He's so calm! Right after the doctor pulled him out, he was alert and wasn't crying. I didn't hear him and I had to ask Chris during the surgery if the baby was alive and ok. The nurses eventually made him cry by spanking his bottom a couple of times. You can see all of the pictures at his website: www.naveendsa.com. Chris updates the website everyday with new pictures.

I'm home and recovering pretty well from the C-section. I don't even have time to focus on recovery because taking care of the new little one keeps me totally occupied. Thankfully Chris got 2 weeks off from work after the delivery so between the two of us we are taking turns feeding, burping, changing diapers, and putting the little guy to sleep. He's definitely got a personality and already holds his head up a little bit on his own. We are totally in love with him and are enjoying him. He's not fussy and doesn't cry unless he needs something, like food, diaper change, or sleep. I have to say, breastfeeding has been the BIGGEST challenge of motherhood thus far. It's frustrating and it's already made me cry because it's so hard to get the baby to latch on! The baby gets frustrated and cries because he has to try hard to get the milk out instead of just getting it so easily from the bottle. It's a training process for both of us and it's going to take time. I hope I can last through it and stay committed. It's the best thing for him and a wonderful bonding experience, but it's so hard!

The most fun we have with Naveen is watching his facial expressions. He loves to look around at his surroundings and when you talk to him, he totally stares at you like he's listening! The nurses at the hospital were totally smitten with him because he was so wide-eyed right after birth.

I'm off to shower since Naveen is sleeping. I'll keep posting during my breaks!

I'm in the hospital!! My doc decided to induce labor today because I dilated 1cm on my own. We got here at 7:30pm and the induction started at 8:30pm. I'm sitting here in the room with Chris and we are watching CSI:Miami. I'm waiting for the contractions to get stronger and the dilation to increase. I'm not looking forward to the pain, but I guess whatever gets me closer to having the baby is good :) I think they are going to give me my epidural at 11pm before the anesthesiologist leaves for the night. Hopefully I'll just fall asleep for a while until the contractions get stronger and longer. I'm lucky to be able to update the blog, turns out the labor rooms have wireless internet access. Chris found that out on accident when he turned on his laptop to watch a movie. I don't know if I'll be able to update again until after I have the baby, but for now, this is the update! I guess the other thing to mention is that I'm scared, nervous, excited, happy, and sad all at once. I realize that my life with Chris is going to be changed forever. Honestly, I know it's going to be amazing, but realistically I feel a little loss too, because it won't be just us anymore. It's scary too, because you don't want your relationship and closeness to change. I don't think it will, but until you go through it you just don't know. Maybe that's being too brutally honest, but it's true. On the same note, I'm so happy about that because we are bringing something that's a part of both of us into the world which is so amazing. We can't wait to meet the little guy...FINALLY!! And we get to spend Thanksgiving with him...YAY!!! Hopefully we'll be home by then. So needless to say there are a lot of emotions spinning through me right now. I keep imagining the image of me and Chris finally leaving the hospital holding our new baby boy.

So, if you're reading this post, please know that we'll call as soon as the little bundle arrives. Hopefully by then we'll have picked his name too :)

So there's no baby yet. But I thought since I have the time right now (and can still think and remember), I'll include my list of top ten items that helped me through my pregnancy. Hopefully these will help other pregnant women out there too!

First, I highly recommend a body pillow. I bought one when I was about 6 months pregnant and I wish I would have bought it earlier. It's recommended that you always sleep on your left side and when you start showing and have to swing that belly over from side to side at night, it's nice to have the cushion of the body pillow to rest it on. Plus it keeps your body aligned. I bought mind from Bed, Bath & Beyond for $20 plus the microfiber suede cover for it. It's been worth every penny.

Second item that I recommend beyond any other item in this list is the NAP pillow from Brookstone. It's filled with something (they don't say what) that is patented, and molds to you. However, it's not squishy and when you lean on it, it gets hard enough to support you in whatever position you are in while molding to your position too. Starting at 6 months, I began experiencing excruciating back pain on my right side that would last all day, everyday. It was so bad I had to go to the ER one day. They couldn't figure out what it was so I went to my ob/gyn the next day. He thought it might kidney stones or gall stones so I had ultrasounds done to rule that out. Those turned out negative and my ob/gyn said it's most likely the way the baby was sitting that was pulling a muscle only on that side. I was miserable and had to go to a wedding in Texas that same week that the pain started and almost canceled my trip because I knew I couldn't sit on a plane for 2 hours without experiencing the horrible pain. Enter the pillow. I discovered it the night before my trip because my parents had it. I rested my back against it and voila! No more pain, literally. I took that pillow on my trip and when I got back gave it back to my parents because my mom got me one as a gift. WHAT A RELIEF, TRULY. I have carried it with my EVERYWHERE and it has really eased my back pain for the last 4 months.

Next item: pregnancy belt. I bought it at Motherhood Maternity and it really helped support the belly weight as I got bigger.

Fourth item: Dreyer's Slow Churned Ice Cream, No Sugar Added. I am not a big fan of diet foods, but I had mad cravings for ice cream everyday. My friend told me about this ice cream and said it was really good and satisfied her cravings for ice cream when she was pregnant. I tried it and loved it. It helped control my weight and probably saved me from getting gestational diabetes.

Fifth and sixth items: The books, "What to Expect When You're Expecting" and "My Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy." The first one I borrowed from a friend and the second I received as a gift from a friend. Both of those books helped normalize all of the weird body changes that happened during pregnancy. They also helped me understand what labor is, the stages of labor, what to pack in my hospital bag, what to buy for the nursery, and a whole bunch of other things that I never even thought of. "My Girlfriend's Guide" was also hilarious and laid things out for me so realistically.

Number seven: Ole Henriksen Muscle Comfort Lotion. I mentioned this item in a previous blog but wanted to make sure to add it to the list.

Eighth item: Rachael Ray and her 30-minute meals. On days when I was too tired to make anything elaborate or to even go out and get something, I made a 30-minute meal. Healthy, delicious, and quick.

Ninth item: This is something you have to work on throughout your pregnancy and assemble at the end. It's a scrapbook chronicling your pregnancy from beginning to end. This was not my idea, it was my mom's. At the beginning of my pregnancy she gave me a scrapbook and stickers to put in it. Throughout the last 9 months I took pictures at all the different stages and just finished putting the book together last week. I am SO GLAD I did it, because I will never be able to capture those moments again. I even saved cards to put in it, like when my brother and sister-in-law sent me flowers at work congratulating us on the pregnancy. I saved the card that came with the flowers and put it in the book. I look at it now and can't believe how much has happened since I got pregnant!

Last item, as a group: Husband, family and friends. I could NEVER have gotten through all of this without Chris, my family, and my friends. The physical changes and emotional ups and downs would have been so difficult without all of the support. I can't even imagine having to worry about all the other stuff, like furniture shopping, assembling things, cooking, cleaning, and everything else you can't do by yourself once your belly shows up. I'm so lucky to be surrounded by so many supportive people. And I thank God everyday for bringing Chris into my life. Through these last 9 months, he really catered to my every whim and did everything he could to make me happy and comfortable. He's going to be an amazing father, in addition to already being the amazing husband and best friend he is to me.

So, now let's pray the next post I write is about me being home on the first day with the baby!!

So it's been a couple of days since I updated. I've been busy cooking, running errands, and cleaning up the house.

I'm very, very excited that Emmitt Smith won "Dancing with the Stars." Right before the results show started, Chris read a Yahoo! headline telling me Emmitt won because he knew I wanted him to win. What he didn't realize was that I purposely didn't read headlines on Wednesday because I wanted to be surprised as to who won, Emmitt or Mario. Oh well...I enjoyed the show anyway and can't wait for the next season. I forgave Chris because although I wasn't surprised about the results, I thought it was cute that he knew who I was hoping would win. He's a good husband that way :) I love you honey!

So I'm thinking of going to the live "Dancing with the Stars" show in December, but I feel guilty about leaving the baby because he'll only be about a month old. Should I feel guilty? Leave a comment here or email me. I'm on the fence about this one.

I spent Thursday cleaning up the nursery and cooking some dishes. I made some okra (bhindi masala) to freeze. For dinner I made an amazingly good and easy recipe from the show "Everyday Italian." It's called creamy farfalle with mushrooms, asparagus, and walnuts. It only took me 20 minutes to make and you can click on the link right above for the recipe. I also made a really good pomegranate/herb salad with pomegranate dressing that I got from my Rachael Ray magazine. We had a nice dinner that night!

Friday was a really fun day. I ordered some decorative items for the nursery (a to z bookends, a my first year frame where you take pictures of the baby every month and put them in the same frame) and then I went with our neighbors and their two kids, 4 and 2, to see "Happy Feet." It was a really cute movie and actually has a message about saving our planet. The dancing penguins are ADORABLE and adults and kids in the theater, including me, were dancing in their seats because the music from the movie was so good. We had a great time and it was a fun afternoon. In the evening Chris and I ordered pizza and watched "Firewall" with Harrison Ford. It was ok, don't expect a lot. There are also some loose ends, but it was entertaining as a DVD to watch at home.

No baby yet, obviously. However, my contractions are getting stronger. Hopefully that's causing some dilation to occur. C'mon baby, get out here! People are waiting to see you, including your parents!

As you can see I've put some pictures here of the nursery. I'ts best to click on the pictures because it will make them larger and easier to look at. I had to shrink them a little to put them on the blog. Hopefully it gives a good idea to you all of what it looks like. I'm happy with it...now I just need a baby to occupy it!

Today was a good day! My mom came over and she helped me assemble the stroller, swing, and bouncer. She also helped me take everything out of the packages, wash things, arrange things in the cabinets, etc. I am so grateful to her and feel so lucky to have her in my life. Without her I wouldn't have gotten so much accomplished today. Everything is pretty much done, I just have a few things here and there I need to buy to complete the room. Now that everything is arranged I know what practical stuff is missing, like extension cords, bulbs, batteries, etc. The room looks really cute and hopefully tomorrow I can post some pictures of what it looks like.

Other than that, everything is the same. I know it's so lame, but I'm glad I wasn't induced yesterday because I got to watch "Dancing with the Stars." It was so good and I REALLY hope Emmitt Smith wins. I'm a die hard Dallas Cowboys fan, but that's not the only reason I want him to win. Unlike Mario who I pretty much knew would do well because he's young and agile, I think Emmitt deserves to win because he actually had to work hard and perfect his moves to get to the finals. Plus he remained so humble throughout the competition, stayed focused, and really cared about the competition. He didn't have any scandals surrounding him or any off-screen romance like Mario supposedly did. Kudos to Emmitt for being a classy, talented individual...you rock baby!! I voted for you every week and hope you win!

Today was my doctor's appointment! I am not dilated and the doctor does not feel I need to be induced because due dates are usually off, meaning you can deliver two weeks after the estimated due date and still be ok. So per the doc, I really have until November 26th to deliver. I'll keep blogging until then and hopefully this little guy will decide to enter the world on his own. When I go into labor, we will call everyone, so don't worry. I have given Chris an extensive phone list with everyone's phone numbers so he can make the calls :) In the meantime, we are going on with our lives as usual: hanging out with friends, going to the movies, and enjoying things we'll have to put off once the baby gets here.

One piece of good news today: the furniture is here!! I can actually put everything in our living room away, clean up the nursery and get ready. That is such a huge relief to me I can't even explain it! The bad news is that the crib came completely unassembled and Chris is home today trying to put it together. The furniture is really nice though and I can't wait to have everything put away...I'm so excited!

I'm off to organize and decorate!

Today's the due date and no baby today. Not that I was expecting it to happen magically today. What are the odds of that happening?! Although my next door neighbor has two kids and they were both born on their due dates!

Anyway, it was a pretty busy day. Went to my parents' house and visited with my mom's best friend who is visiting from India. We had lunch there. Then we came home and went to our next door neighbor's son's 4th birthday party. It was fun and nice to be able to just walk home when I was tired :) After that I watched, "The Producers" on DVD. It wasn't as good as I thought it was going to be and I actually found myself a little bored at some point in the middle.

That's about it. I'm tired and am going to relax and watch my Sunday night shows, "Desperate Housewives." To my friends who called today, I'll call you tomorrow. I'm just tired today and am praying that on Tuesday my doctor induces labor. I can't take the back pain anymore and it's gotten so bad now that I can't even sleep on my right side because that whole side gets so numb and then starts throbbing. If he is not sure, I'm going to turn on my convincing charms :) The only drawback to inducing labor that day is that I'll miss my favorite show, "Dancing with the Stars." I really have wanted Emmitt Smith to win and now he's in the finals! I can't miss it. I'll have to have someone record it for me.

It's Friday morning, doctor's appointment day. Everyone pray that I get some good news, either that I've started dilating or that they are going to induce. The back pain is getting really bad and I have had a pinched nerve near my rib cage for 4 months...time for some relief, seriously. Induction is sounding better and better everyday. UPDATE: My next appointment is Tuesday and it's very possible I will be induced that day.

Yesterday was a bad day for me. I was pretty depressed and I've realized something: the more people ask if the baby is here yet, the more depressed I get because I hear myself repeating that he's not here yet, the my back hurts, my rib cage hurts, I don't sleep at night, and that it feels like there is no end in sight. It's like a broken record that plays in my mind all day long. I tried to combat the depression by going to the mall. It kind of worked: I ended up buying 2 new pairs of shoes and two really cute sweatsuits from bebe Sport. They were on sale and so were the shoes. I also took myself for a last pregnancy massage. It was really nice and relaxing and I actually fell asleep for a little while. In the evening Chris and I watched, "The Da Vinci Code." It was really good! I started the book and never finished it. Now I'm going to try and finish it because the book is always more detailed than the movie. Plus I'm sure they will make the sequel, "Angels and Demons", and I want to see that too.

Furniture update! We just called and apparently it's at the dock here in California and there is a possibility it's going to be delivered today! Say another prayer...although the GREATEST irony would be that it's finally delivered today when I can finally set things up, and the doctor will decide he's going to admit me today for the baby delivery. Part of me wants to set up the furniture, and part of me wants this baby out! I should know by about noon exactly happens how this day is going to play out. UPDATE: After numerous phone calls to the shipping company, it looks like the furniture is scheduled for delivery on Tuesday at 8am. I'm extremely disappointed and will FREAK OUT on these people if they don't deliver it on time because I have a doctor's appointment that day and may be going to the hospital from that appointment. That leaves me no time to get the room ready...I'm very angry about that and Costco will be refunding us money for the hardship and delayed delivery. Note to everyone: don't ever use a shipping company called Bekins/Home Direct. They have poor customer service and don't deliver on time. I also say don't bother ordering furniture from Costco because they couldn't do ANYTHING to expedite the order even though they said they would.

Chris is off today so he's going to set up the bassinet and hang up mini-blinds in the nursery. He's getting more excited about the baby coming since it's right around the corner. It's cute :) He's going to be an awesome dad. I can just see him playing computer games with the baby in his lap or teaching him how to use the computer. Too cute.

I guess that's it for now. If there are any updates, they'll be posted here!

I started the morning off today with a special treat for myself: a decaf Pumpkin Spice Latte and a pumpkin cream cheese muffin from Starbucks. YUM! Then I relaxed and watched a lot of post-election coverage which I enjoyed because the Dems have taken over the House. WOO HOO!! Now Bush has to be more accountable.

The other breaking news I'm SO EXCITED about: Brit and K-Fed are broken up! FINALLY...what the hell took so long! Yes, I listen to bubble gum pop...it's a guilty pleasure. I think Britney's life went down the toilet after she married this guy. Now she's back and I have a feeling this divorce is going to do great things for her career. Let's see...

OK...so the movie preview last night was TERRIBLE. The story's premise is interesting: the story of the man who killed Jesse James. Sounds interesting right? It is, except the way the movie moved (over 2.5 hours BTW) was so SLOW!! The dialogue was slow, there were a lot of unnecessary scenes, and it wasn't really action-filled like I thought it was going to be. There has to be some major editing done before this movie is worth going to; and even then, I say wait for the DVD. Unless you like Westerns, but even then, it wasn't that good. I'll tell you what was good: the sets, the costumes, and the acting by Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, and Sam Rockwell.

The other annoying part had nothing to do with the movie. I'm not sure if it's me being pregnant, but the littlest things get on my nerves these days. Yesterday during the preview, these women sitting behind us were eating sunflower seeds and all I kept hearing was the hulls popping. Then we heard plastic bags opening, Capri Sun juice pouches crunching, and to top it off...I smelled Wet Naps that they were using to wipe their hands! What the hell dude?! They had a full on meal back there. And they were opening more food right when the movie was about to end. What I can't tell is: Was it annoying because I'm pregnant and have no tolerance right now; or was it that the movie was boring so my mind was focusing on something else?; or was it truly annoying? Feel free to leave me comments on this issue :)

On a less complain-y note, I'd like to tout the effectiveness of a product that my sister-in-law Carrol sent me for my birthday. It's Ole Henriksen's Muscle Comfort Lotion. WOW do I love this stuff. I put it on my back in the morning after my shower and in the evening before bed and it soothes and relaxes my back, really. It has peppermint in it and it feels tingly and cool about 2 minutes after I put it on. My back feels really good and mind you, I don't believe in stuff like this very often. Thank you Carrol!! This is a wonderful treat you sent me.

And as you probably guessed...no baby yet!

I think our furniture is finally going to be here on Thursday or Friday! After making dozens of phone calls to Costco and the trucking company they're using, I think we made some headway in expediting the delivery. Everyone pray for me!! It would be nice to set up the room this weekend.

We're going to a movie preview tonight for a movie called, "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford." Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, and some other well-known actors are in it. We have to wait in line and hope we get passes because it's free. I hope I can stand the wait, I'm worried I'll get tired pretty quick. I'm going to take my favorite therapeutic back pillow and will hopefully find a place to sit. No baby yet!

Here's a tip for new parents: order your baby furniture about 3 months before your due date. We waited to order ours because some books we read said you won't need it right away because the baby won't sleep in the crib and you'll do a lot of diaper changing on the sink or the bassinet changing table. However, that was a bad decision for 2 reasons: 1) Now I don't have any place to put away all the clothes, blankets, toys, changing pads, etc. so everything is sitting in my living room (and I'm afraid that when the baby is here in a week, I won't have time to set up the room); and 2) We didn't realize is that furniture is ALWAYS delivered late. We were told our furniture would be here in 4-6 weeks and we thought, even if it arrives in 6 weeks, it will still be here before the baby gets here. WRONG! It's now been 7 weeks since we ordered the furniture and it's not here yet. I've spent the morning making a lot of phone calls to find out the status. Moral of the story: don't wait to order the furniture. You may not use it right away, but chances are you'll have at least one baby shower and you'll get lots of stuff that you need to put away. Plus, you want to have time to set up the nursery so you're not scrambling to do it when the baby gets home.

I spent the day doing a lot of housework and organizing things. It was a sort of burst of energy which was nice because I don't have those too often. I also watched one of my new favorite shows, "Heroes." I keep thinking how in a week or less my life is going to be so different. I also want to the doctor to induce labor because my back pain is getting more and more annoying everyday! I do think I'm close to delivering because my contractions are getting stronger and are happening more frequently. I used to only get them at night for a couple of minutes, but now I get them during the day once or twice, they're just not regular. Come on baby, get here!

What a weekend! I'm exhausted because I pushed myself to be really active, hoping to induce labor! I've been doing my exercises and walking...A LOT. On Saturday Chris and I went to Home Depot and got mini blinds for the nursery windows and some other windows in the house. We also got some decorate pots for some plants outside. That night we took my mom out to celebrate her birthday. She wanted to see the movie, "The Queen", so me, Chris, my mom, and dad all went to see the movie and then went out for dinner at Macaroni Grill. The movie was REALLY GOOD! I highly recommend it for a few reasons: the acting is amazing, the story is interesting, and the dialogue is well written. Dinner was good and for dessert I splurged and had a slice of New York cheesecake. YUM!!

Today I went to the temple with my parents and grandma. It's been a long time since I've gone and I have a lot to be thankful for. It felt really good and I feel rejuvenated. Funny how a simple trip like that can make you feel so good. After that I came home, totally exhausted. I veg'd out and watched a few episodes of "Law and Order" and took a nap. Then Chris and I went for a walk which totally wore me out. I'm exhausted and am sure will start my week tomorrow by sleeping in and taking it easy. Hopefully the baby furniture will arrive on Tuesday so I can get the baby's room ready. I'm really anxious to do that and if it doesn't get here soon, the distributor is going to deal with a really mad pregnant woman!

It's Friday! I had my weekly appointment yesterday and was shocked to learn from the doctor that he was thinking of inducing labor yesterday! He decided not to because he said I'm not dilated at all. I guess the baby is very comfortable in my womb and the doctor is predicting that he won't be born until after November 12. I guess I'll have to last a few more days with this little guy in my belly :) In the meantime, I found exercises online that will help me get ready for labor, so I'm doing those everyday, in addition to walking. I've included the link on my blog to the exercises in case any pregnant women are reading this and want some ideas to get ready for labor.

Today's plan: I'm getting a low-maintenance haircut so I don't have to worry about fiddling with my hair after the baby arrives. I'm excited about the haircut because I always get a great neck and scalp massage as part of the haircut. Then I'm off to look for mini-blinds and curtains for the nursery. It's also my mom's birthday so we might be taking her out tonight to celebrate.

TGIF!

It's my first blog! I decided to create this blog for a few reasons: 1) I have a lot of time on my hands because I'm on maternity leave; 2) I figured it would be a great way to chronicle being a new mom and share moments (good and bad) with my friends and family; 3) Hopefully it will help other new moms to read it and see we are going through similar joys and struggles.

I'm due on November 12, 2006. It's my third week of maternity leave and I'm feeling like I predicted - bored and needing things to do! After working since I was 14 years old, I thought going on this leave would be really fun, because I've never had this much time off! The first week was pretty good - I caught up on scrapbooking, cooked dinner every night, baked a pumpkin cake, and finished some other house projects. The second week I had lunch with friends, went shopping, and watched some interesting TV shows on daytime TV. This third week has been a struggle because I've run out of things to do. I thought the baby furniture would have arrived by now, but it hasn't and all the baby stuff is sitting in my living room waiting to be put away. I'm so excited to put the nursery together and be prepared for our baby boy's arrival, but we have no furniture! Hopefully it arrives in the next few days.

The other thing that happens sitting at home on maternity leave is that everyday I wake up and wonder, Is this the day? And at the end of the day when it's not, I get a little down and know I have to get through another day carrying this huge belly, having back pain, and finding more ways to get through the day. Don't get me wrong, I'm REALLY excited about the baby, but I have found that pregnancy is not all it's cracked up to be...and I haven't really had a difficult pregnancy. In the 9th month, what gets you is the day-to-day because all you think about is, WHEN IS HE/SHE COMING!? The mood swings also get to me and my husband because we've endured them for almost a whole year...time for some stability! For me, it's 11 more days until the due date...hopefully he comes sooner because I'm so excited to see him, hold him, and hug him.

Today I plan to run errands and walk, walk, walk. Apparently that helps labor begin and at this point, I'll try anything! Hopefully this blog is interesting to read. If you have any suggestions of things you'd like to read or see, let me know!