Daughter,
Hey sweetie. Hope you’re comfy in there. You’re going to be joining us in a few days, making your mother and I the happiest people out of roughly 6 billion on this super-weird planet. It’s going to be daunting, exciting, overwhelming, unbelievably amazing and unbelievably scary for you. That’s ok – it still scares me sometimes.

But we’re going to do our best to help you feel at home. There’s a lot to learn about the world, how it works and where you fit in. Sometimes it can seem impossibly enormous and other times you’ll be shocked that it feels so small. I can’t wait to watch you explore.

It will help if you know right off the bat that the world usually doesn’t make sense. We don’t use the metric system and there’s an organ in your tiny body that literally does nothing for you. People eat cauliflower for some reason. I can’t explain those things and many others. The world is just a weird place, and some people spend their whole lives searching for ways to explain what it all means. Well, Claire, I don’t know the meaning of life, but I know one fool-proof thing that always gives life meaning:

Appreciation.

Trust me when I say that there will always be something beautiful around you. Maybe you’re watching the rolling waves of the ocean or looking down on an untouched valley in the wilderness. Maybe you’re admiring a sculpture or reading a good book. Maybe all you have in the world is your spirit but none of that matters Claire because if you can appreciate what you have, what is right in front of you or deep down inside you, if you can see the value and the meaning in that moment, then you’ll always be on top of the world.

Things don’t make people happy. People aren’t happy or sad because they can or can’t have something; people are happy or sad because they do or don’t appreciate the things they already have. Love. Food. Money. The value is not in these things. The value is in yourself, and things are valuable when they help you recognize your own value and self-worth. This is why it’s wrong for some people to spend so much money on Porsches but Daddy should absolutely have one. You see?

I realize that this is probably not a reasonable concept for you to grasp right now. For the first few months you won’t even be able to physically grasp anything with your hands, let alone this rambling philosophy that it took your dad almost 29 full years to develop.

But I’ll help you. I’ll help you wrap your fingers around a fork and your mind around the world. I’ll help you understand shapes, colors, and why crying won’t get you another popsicle. Me and your mom are going to teach you everything we know, and then we’re going to learn more so we can teach you that, too.

Things won’t always bring you satisfaction, but you will always have the ability to step back and be thankful for what you have. You will always have love and you will always be able to share love with others, you will always have the ability to recognize beauty and appreciate what it brings to your life, and appreciate the beauty that you bring to the world. Most importantly I want you to remember to appreciate yourself – your thoughts and beliefs and hard work, your relationships and experiences, your successes because you’ve accomplished something and your failures because they will teach you something. There are ups and downs, but there is always something to appreciate.

Even cauliflower.

Love,
Dad

Oh hello there I cannot believe 40 weeks is here, thanks for continuing to read along haha things are going well over here. Freshly done nails and girl dates have been keeping me pretty busy. I did have a slight mishap at the gas station today, I tripped pretty hard - thankfully I did not hit the ground but I totally tweaked my back. I am thinking I might go visit the chiro tomorrow just in case. I might also go to the OC Fair we are just going to see how that pans out, I don't want to do too much but I might as well do as much as I can, right? Ryan says "no" :)

My mom and dad plan on coming into town with the RV on Saturday to leave it here so they can be ready with their home on wheels when Claire decides to join us. It will be very nice to have my mom so close when the baby is new and I hope that Saturday is that big day. I just got home from my midwife appointment and dilation checks have begun! Pretty exciting/not so comfortable stuff. For those who want to know [many of you have been asking and I do plan on sharing allllll the deets on the blog so here we go]
Here are some terms you might not be all that familiar with and I will be throwing them around left and right if Claire continues to take her time.

Dilation: The opening of the cervix, this is measured in centimeters.
Effacement: After the baby has engaged in the pelvis, it gradually drops closer to the cervix; the cervix gradually softens, shortens and becomes thinner. Measured in percents.
Stages of labor and delivery: there is lots to read on that site
Pelvic station: baby's position in relation to the pelvis
So what I have going on -- is Dilation 0 Effacement 70% and she is at  -2 pelvic station. Again this does not mean that much to me but things are happening. Let us all cross our fingers for a Saturday/Sunday birth :) I have a wedding to attend Friday <3

Other than that there is not much to report on my end, hope you are having a good week!

Instagram Photo Dump

Oh my sweet baby Claire, you must be so comfy and that really does make me happy that I have made you a good home that you call your own. I understand that coming to meet all of these excited but new faces might be scary and that you will now need to learn how to eat while I learn to feed. That you will need to deal with hot and cold weather, diapers and burping. I get that its all new for you and maybe you just aren't ready. I promise to not get frustrated I just got so excited. I get so excited. I love you and want to hold you but I guess I get to do that for the rest of my life, so I have decided that instead of being even a teeny bit stressed I will just enjoy the fact that you like my womb, that you still are playing with me from the inside and that you are still allowing me to feel good enough to walk, eat lots and have great times with your daddy. 
Babies are being born daily all around us, I think we are the last ones standing haha. There are a few babies in bellies that are due after you are but most have already come out to join their families, I like that you wanna be different, I am into it and I know you are going to just have the most personality that I have ever seen.
Everyone keeps texting me, Facebooking me and calling me to ask how you and I are feeling - we are very lucky gals to be surrounded by so much care and love - cannot wait to kiss your belleh. love you baby.
xox
mommy



Baby Updates!

Due mid August, Katie and Enrique got a little bit of an early surprise! Lena Figueroa, such an adorable little baby girl! Makes me even more excited to meet my own, all the best! Hope your new little family of three is feeling happy and healthy!

Kristi and Mike Wilson  welcomed their 2nd son yesterday too! The end of July seems to be a very exciting time. Hope its contagious haha. Love his name and little lips, congratulations!!


I haven't posted about Hailey Montan in a while and that is a shame because she is so cool, so here you go - 

What a big girl and how cute is her romper!! Hope to see  her in person again soon!!

:)

Our due date is fast approaching and I have gone through all sorts of emotions since our 39 week mark passed. I am writing this on the 28th which makes me 39 weeks and 5 days! I wanted to keep track of what I have been doing with my time while I await Claire and I get a little bit more uncomfortable. Since my last update I have taken 6 naps and watched 6 movies: The Cottage, Black Snake Moan, 6 Souls, The Tiger movie, Land Before Time 4, and The Awakening. I actually really liked all 6 and that doesn't usually happen.

My midwife appointment was on Friday and it went well. Claire is growing, is head down and will slowly but surely make her arrival. Nothing is happening so far other than a few pre labor surges but I am really glad we had the last appointment because I finally met midwife #4, so now I have met them all and I feel comfortable with all of them, she was really nice and went over our entire birth plan with us. I plan on practicing my breathing and swirling/bouncing on the yoga ball as much as I can and I guess my dilation will be checked on Tuesday at my next checkup [that is if Claire has not joined us yet]. I have still been walking daily but I have slowed down a lot and this belly is no joke. I feel HUGE. She is heavy and still very active in there. My surges were pretty regular from Wednesday night to Thursday afternoon but my body is just getting ready I guess, thankfully I still feel pretty great, I am tired, achey, grouchy, and occasionally I hit a wall but I really am so lucky. I get anxious and impatient but I just have to remind myself [Ryan is also really good at reminding me] that I want her to come when she is good and ready, whatever timeline we have is not really important as long as she is happy and healthy. I have been experiencing most of these symptoms #8 is no joke but at least I can still laugh about #4. I also have continued to have nausea and an upset tum, I need to start eating smaller meals again and make sure to drink either before or after my meal and not during, they said that will  help my stomach deal with how little space is left in there.

After my appointment Erica came over and baked me those Break Your Water cookies I had told you about - they were delicious! She added even more spice then was in the recipe, really they are cayenne pepper ginger snaps. Erica is a great baker so I knew they'd be made well but never did I think I would want to eat so many hot cookies! Yum. They did get my tummy going but nothing else other than that. I still have a few more and plan on having some more tonight with the spicy hot cocoa, mmmm.

Speaking of natural induction techniques, these are the ones that I have given a shot - evening primrose oil, labor cookies, walking, intimacy, spicy food, eating pineapple and yoga ball exercises. If you have any that you suggest send them my way haha I am staying away from castor oil though, at least until next weekend.




Instagram Photo Dump

Lots of people have been asking when I think she will arrive, short answer, I have no idea haha. I thought last week was gonna be a good week for a baby to join us but no dice so now I am just riding these surges and hoping she is ready to go. The Brenes wedding is right around the corner on the 2nd, then my sister Stephanie arrives on the 4th but leaves on the 9th and then Melissa gets back into town on the 18th. There are lots of dates floating around in my mind. 1st and foremost I want Claire to arrive when she is ready and at her healthiest. Then I would like to attend the wedding of two dear friends and of course I would like Claire to be here during Stephanies visit. If Claire decides that she is just NOT coming on her own then I would be induced on August 14th, not ideal for a few reasons. 1- I do not want to be induced, at all. That would change my birth plan entirely but of course whatever has to happen has to happen. 2 - Ryan would leave for the Conroy wedding very shortly after her birth and I wouldn't be able to go with! haha.
But again, I feel fine and still in good spirits so no big deal, I just have been thinking about all this and needed to get it out :)

Hope you have had a lovely weekend! Mine was full of yummy, spicy food, good friends/family and lots of rest. No complaints over here
xo
Nikol