so thankful

Today is the day I'd be returning to work after maternity leave if I hadn't gotten laid off at the end of September. As I looked at my sleeping baby when I put her down for her morning nap, I almost burst into tears. How could I have possibly left her?? 12 weeks is not enough time, for either of us. Although we are not the most financially secure right now while I'm out of work, I am beyond thankful for the chance I get to stay home with our sweet babe. I wish that the selfless care mothers provide to our precious children was more appreciated by the workforce. To me, there is nothing more important than providing time for a mother to help her baby grow and thrive. Of course I am going to go back to work someday. But for now, I am enjoying and savoring every moment I get to spend with this precious angel child. She is the best job I've ever had!!!

11 weeks of bliss!!!!

Our little baby Cora is 11 weeks old today so I just wanted to take a second to reflect on our time together. She is a slice of heaven, a great sleeper, and has the cheeriest disposition. We are infinitely thankful that she is in our lives.

Some stuff she likes to do:

• Smile
• Suck on her hands
• Ride in the front-pack
• Kick her legs
• Look at toys 
• Take selfies with mom
• Coo, squeal, and squeak in delight
• Go for walks in her daddy's arms

Love you so much baby girl!

Our little turkey girl is here!

SHE'S HERE!!

Cora Elise Martinsen was born on Thanksgiving day, November 27 (41 weeks!!), at 4:37 AM. She weighed in at 7 pounds, 2 ounces and 20 inches long. She is an angel, a true light in our lives, and we are so extremely blessed that she's here and healthy and stealing our hearts more and more every day. This has been the most rewarding, transformative, crazy amazing, crazy exhausting, love-filled two weeks of our lives. 

We love our little turkey girl! 

This is the babe on the way home - we only stayed at the hospital one day and wanted to be home asap to start our own family time. I have never been so happy to walk through our front door!

This is Riggs meeting the babe for the first time. He is going to be great with her.

Her little facial expressions melt me.

My whole heart and soul!

WE LOVE YOU, CORA! Welcome to our family.

remember when....

....I was bragging about being in the single digits of WEEKS left in this pregnancy? Well now we are down to single digit DAYS. This is assuming baby is on time. But let's be honest, I am a little psycho about being on time and think people who are late are rude. NO RUDE BABIES ALLOWED.

This waiting around period is really really hard. Really. Every week since about week 34 I've been taking a minute to be relieved that she's made it past some scary timeline points - this is the week she can viably survive outside if anything happened, this is the week her lungs would be OK, this is the week she can regulate her own temperature.... Now we are at the point where she could come any day and is "selfishly" staying around, packing on pounds. Pounds that I have to push out. My midwife says she's not a very big baby, but I feel like maybe she is. I know that she's snug in there and can't be comfortable because I am way past comfortable. I feel her stretch like she has RLS or something and there are no little movements anymore, it's all like the macarena in here.

I've also had two friends have their babies in the last 11 days which just adds to the anxiety of waiting. She's not late yet so I'll give her the benefit of the doubt, but I sure hope (for my mental sake!) that she comes early or on time so that we can just start the next phase of our lives. I've never been so ready for something in my whole life.

We love you, baby. Please come soon!

It's November! 38 week update

It's finally the month that we will welcome our little angel babe. I wouldn't say that these past nine months have been quick, but so much has happened. We are officially ready for her arrival - from the room, to all the gear, to my body being done acting as a human oven! We just want her here so badly and the hardest part is knowing she could come any time. Two weeks ago, Kirk turned 30...it's not too hard to visualize two weeks from now coming sooner than imagined.

:)

impromptu pregnancy photos

So these pics were taken on our camera on a self timer...in a nightgown...in our hallway and in the baby's room. I had gotten ready for a brunch an hour earlier than I needed and spent the free time I had (and the makeup I'd done) by taking these. I added some fun, highly advanced filtering through google picasa and that's it.

I think they turned out pretty cute considering I wasn't going to even take any photos before the babe arrives. Enjoy :)

Home stretch!

This picture was taken for my 35 week photo and here we are almost into week 36 (the start of the 9th month!!!) How am I feeling? Full of baby. She moves almost constantly, which is great and magical because I know she's OK, but it's tiring. Constantly having to deal with stretching, twisting, punching, kicking, and just plain feeling huge is not the most fun. I am also not really able to sleep, which means I feel like resting during the day, which makes me feel lazy but I don't have the energy to really go out there and seize the day. I struggle to breathe because of how she's positioned, which makes neighborhood dog walks slow and labored. I now understand why some women have to take time off of work during these last weeks and I'm "lucky" that I'm able to spend these weeks at home (The lucky is in quotes because I got laid off but honestly I am very lucky). Also, the number on the scale, although superficial and not the focus of my life at this time, is quite the mind-F. Every time I step on the scale I see a number I've never seen before! I know where the weight is and where it's going, but that doesn't change that it's difficult to wrap my brain around. I am also constantly surprised by what strangers think is appropriate to say to me, but more often it's people who know me who say the off-colored remarks. I am not pudgy and I am not "the huge one"!!!! Saying it as a joke does not make it okay!

I just got back from a trip to the Bay Area where I endured another heat wave in Northern California (wtf), went to a friend's wedding, spent time with family, and de-stressed.

Then, last week my mom drove with me from San Jose back down to San Diego so I didn't have to do the drive alone. We had a wonderful time together shopping, cooking, and just hanging out.  I can't wait for her and the rest of the fam to come back to town after the babe is here for another lengthy visit.

This is us having a yummo lunch at a La Mesa mexican restraunt called Por Favor. 

So....what's on the agenda for the next four weeks? I have a handful of low-impact home projects to complete but I mostly just plan on taking it pretty easy until baby girl is here. Like I said, I really feel like people underestimate the energy it takes to grow a human, and I am infinitely thankful that women don't have to carry around a 6 pound baby for the whole 9 months. I know she's probably as uncomfortable as I am, which makes every passing day a little sweeter because it means she's that much closer to being here (and out of me!!).