Aisling's nap time update

Aisling is doing great. It took some time, but Mommy and Daddy has finally got the hang of her nap times. She is really liking her crib in her room. The humidifier is helping her a lot with her nose. Unfortunately she got my trait, always has a stuffy nose when she wakes up and goes to bed, poor thing... She takes about 3 naps everyday. Usually, she takes a short nap in the morning (short cause she tends to sleep in), then another nap during the afternoon time/lunch time which usually lasts 1 hour to 2. Then she takes another nap later in the afternoon time usually 45 mins to one hour. We don't want to give her a long nap later in the afternoon cause we don't want her to not get "enough sleep" at night.

So this is how it looks like so far. I am enjoying being a stay at home Mommy. Learning so many new things about my pumpkin everyday and I love every moment of it.

Its been a week...

Its been a week since we started the afternoon nap schedule and it has been interesting. Today is day 7 and Aisling woke up a little bit before 7 am. She got a little tired and fussy a little past 9 (which we know it's really early for a nap considering the time she woke up). So we put her down anyways an she took a 30-45 min nap.

She woke up, ate and played some more. After playing with her for a while, around 12:15 she seemed tired again. We decided to put her in the crib. She cried and fussed a little bit, not really considered "fussy" really if you ask us... She soothed herself by touching her face, sucking on her hand and fell right to sleep.

We will keep you updated on how she did :)
Thank you for always reading my blog. I really enjoy keeping a blog on her journey.

Day 6 afternoon naps

It is really tough... She started getting tired at 9:00 am today. She fell asleep for about 45min to one hour. That is fantastic, but I know she can do better/take longer naps.
She is moving around, crying and not napping now. I've been going in the room to give her binky and soothing her without picking her up.... Sooooo hard!!! I am just tryingto let her cry it out and let her learn how to soothe herself to sleep (ex: rubs her face).

If I let her cry it out, does this make me a bad mama?
Oh...boy...this is so hard :(

Friday January 6: Day 5 afternoon naps

We really had a busy day today, so it was really difficult to do afternoon naps.
We tried to let her sleep in her stroller as much as possible. She did sleep really well again at night. We put her down at 9:00 and she slept till 7! Great job Aisling ;)

Day 4 afternoon naps

Aisling is showing great progress with her afternoon naps. Today she slept from 9:15am-11:15am. Then again, she took another nap at 2:10-3:15pm. Wow, what a fantastic day!!!

Aisling, you are awesome and we love you soooooo much!!!
We are so blessed...

Picture after her second nap time :)

Day 2 and 3 afternoon nap time

I forgot to blog and give you all an update as to how my pumpkin Aisling is doing on her afternoon naps.

On day 2, Aisling was still getting used to the afternoon naps. She cried...then Mommy cried. She cried for a while, then fell asleep. She only slept 20 minutes.

On day 3, Aisling did a fabulous job. Mommy did something different this time. Mommy put her blanket, warm(i put it in the clothes dryer). I also put my pillowcase in here as one of her blankets. She cried for 3-4 mins, Mommy went in and put her binky on and she walked out of her room. Aisling took an afternoon nap from 12:30-2:30pm !!! It was the most awesome feeling as a new Mommy.

I praised her sooo much and gave her lots of hugs and kisses :D

First afternoon naps

Today, we tried implementing "scheduled naps" into Aisling's daily schedule. She will now try and take naps at 10:00 am and 2:00 pm. It is still a little hard, Aisling cries her heart out to Mommy and Daddy, but we are trying to stay strong. We will keep you up to date on how she is doing. Here are some pictures I took of her from the video monitor this afternoon.

In her big girl bed

Happy New Year! It is now 2012. I can't believe its been 3 months since I had Aisling. The time has gone by so fast, it's incredible. Aisling has started sleeping in her crib in her room starting yesterday, January 1, 2012 kind of like her New Year Resolution, lol. Both Mommy and Daddy were quite worried putting her in her room, it is a big step not only for baby, but for us. Mommy and Daddy put a video monitor inside her room. Her Jiji and Baba (my parents) bought it for her for her Christmas gift. It is one of the best things we have invested.

Every time the video monitor turns on (there is a motion sensor), we would both wake up and look at the screen. She would just be tossing and turning, kept sleeping. She slept for 9 hours the first night and 8 hours the second night. Aisling is growing up so fast... She is amazing and we love her unconditionally.

In case somebody asks, Aisling is wearing a long sleeved pajama with covered feet. The pajama has a hood and that is what she has on her head, lol. The hood has ears on them :)

2 months, 2 weeks

My little girl turned 2 months, 2 weeks today. We are so excited for her first Christmas this year. Aisling loves looking at the tree with the pretty lights and looking forward to all the gifts Santa will be bringing her. We will be going to Santa's house in Poway again this year. We are hoping that she will be awake and won't cry too much seeing Santa and Mrs. Claus... Pictures to come soon :)

November 20, 2011- Aisling turns 2 months

Tomorrow, November 20, 2011, Aisling turns 2 months old. I cannot believe how fast it has gone by since I had her. She is growing up so fast... she is beautiful and darling as ever and I love her so much. Happy two months pumpkin! Mommy, Daddy, big brothers and all your family/friends love you :)

November 17, 2011- Aisling's two months checkup

So today, Josh and I took Aisling to the pediatrician for her two months checkup. We were both excited because we wanted to know how much she had grown over the past few months. Unfortunately, Aisling had to get her first set of shots at this appointment.

Aisling weighed 10.3 lbs and she measured 22". This is her report card. Mommy and Daddy were very proud. The doctor said she was very healthy and is doing great!

Aisling got three shots and one oral vaccination. She was very brave. Mommy on the other hand, she cried as soon as Aisling cried. I was happy that Josh was with me and supporting us. Aisling will go back and see the pediatrician again at 4 months :)

Nov 16, 2011- Wearing my first pair of jeans

Mommy put a pair of jeans on me for the first time and I love it!!!

Aisling Mana Barnes- 5 1/2 weeks

Its been 5 1/2 weeks since I had Aisling (Wow, that was fast). I decided I wanted to be a stay at home Mom and its been so much fun. I LOVE BEING A MOMMY!!!

Post Pregnancy Pictures

Arrival of Baby Barnes

On September 20, 2011 at 7:00 a.m. I went to Pomerado Hospital in Poway, CA. It was the day I was going to get induced. As we were driving to the hospital, I felt nervous because it was my first time giving birth and I didn't know how it was going to feel. I also felt happy and excited because I knew we were finally going to meet our baby girl after 9 long months.

When we got to the hospital, the nurse got me all checked in. I was excited to see one of the moms from the preschool I taught at. Her name is Allison Orona. She is a nurse at the birthing center at Pomerado Hospital. I've known her for several years now, I taught both her children at Discovery Isle. She definitely gave me some extra TLC at the hospital :)

After registration, they had me changed to a hospital gown (very sexy, NOT) and hooked me up with IV's and pitocin. They started me with a low dosage at first, then increased throughout the day because I was not dialating fast enough.

As I got closer, I definitely felt more and more pain. I think I almost broke my husband's hand and this was even before the real labor when I had to push the baby out, LOL! I decided to get the epidural at 5 cm, I could not stand the pain. At this point, I remember how I dreaded watching the anesthesiologist putting the epidural in when I was watching the baby story a few months ago and listening to how much pain they were in. Oh how I hated this moment. Luckily, I had a great anesthesiologist. He was very calming, and talked to me throughout the procedure.

When they finally told me that I was at 10 cm and was ready to push, we were very excited. My doctor, Dr. Lasting wasn't there during the beginning of my labor because he had two back to back emergency c-section. I guess this is what you have to expect when your OB/GYN is the physician of the year, lol! So Allison, Josh and another nurse helped me start pushing the baby out. In the beginning, I didn't know how to "push" and I was quite frustrated, but when I got the hang of it, the nurses were impressed with me LOL! I didn't realize how much strength I had. I felt bad for Josh because I was crushing his hands while I was pushing. He was the most amazing coach.

After several pushes, Dr. Lasting came in and finished delivering our baby. Although I didn't want a mirror to see the baby come out (which I thought it was kind of weird, but I guess a lot of people do it), I did get to touch the top of the baby's head when she was coming out, WOW!

When the doctor told me I had one more push, I was so happy. Last push...then the baby came out. We heard a loud cry... it was the most beautiful cry I ever heard in my life. As the doctor put her on my lap, I could not believe she was finally here. Josh got to cut her umbilical cord. We waited 3+ years for this moment, and it was all worth it.

We started this blog by naming it "Baby Barnes." I am officially going to change it with her new beautiful name:

Aisling Mana Barnes
Born September 20, 2011 at 11:44 p.m.
She is definitely our miracle baby. She was born on the same birthday as MY late grandfather.

4 Days till my due date...

Today is September 10, 2011. I have had some contractions, but nothing big yet. I went to the doctor's yesterday and he said that I am progressing well. He said she may already about 8 lbs. 1 oz., but that is just an approximation. My whole family and friends are very anxious. I think we are more anxious than anybody else, lol!

We got most of the things done in the nursery. All we have to do it put the clothes in drawers and put some cute wall decals in the room. We purchased a nice play yard for her so she can sleep in our room.

I'm kind of hoping that she will not be born tomorrow on September 11th, but I guess we can't stop the process if it does happen, lol.

Well 4 more days till my due date... We will keep you posted :)

Recent pictures of me (9 months pregnant--39 weeks and 2 days)

My manicurist did this on Thursday, LOVE IT!!!

Nesting

I can't believe the day is almost here. We are at the homestretch! I will be 38 weeks pregnant this Friday. Josh and I have started visiting our doctor every week now. The doctor said that she is doing perfect.

Josh and I got most of the items we needed for the baby at Babysrus and Target and we have started the "Nesting" process. I know it took us a long time, but at least we are "getting it done", LOL!

The baby room is looking good so far. We got some wall decals for the room so we are planning to put them on to make it look cute. We washed and put away most of the clothes we have for Baby Barnes, which I am so thankful that I have such wonderful family/friends who has given us so many... she will definitely be very fashionable. She definitely is a lucky girl.

Her due date is September 14th. Countdown begins... 15 more days (maybe, lol)

So here are some pictures I took of some of things we did for her room.

NOT EVEN HALF OF THE CLOTHES WE HAVE FOR HER, LOL :)

Bookshelf

Some of the items we needed at Target

34 weeks Preggo

Its been a while since I posted any blog. I am now 34 weeks pregnant and Baby Barnes is doing great. She is very active and very energetic. I noticed that she always has the hiccups. Its a pretty funny feeling when she is having the hiccups in my belly. Josh loves to feel my belly now, now that he can actually "feel" the baby kick. Yesterday, we went to go see our doctor and he checked my vitals, weight, measurement and heartbeat of the baby. Everything looks great...my blood pressure is normal, haven't gained too much weight (knock on wood) and her heartbeat was very strong. The doctor said my due date is probably September 14th, but who know... she may arrive early or later.

A lot of things going on this month. Tomorrow and Sunday we are going to the Child Birth class. Also, I'm excited to have my baby shower on August 14th at my sister's house. It will be a summer theme where the guests can come in their swimsuit and swim in the pool or just hang in the jacuzzi. We are also having snow cones too, yay!!!

As for the baby's room, it is still under construction. We are planning to clean out many things out of the closet, start hanging baby clothes in it and actually decorating the room. We picked up the crib and the rocking chair from my sister's place so that is all set :) She will have a "Bug theme" room.

So here is a recent picture of me that I took. We are at the home stretch... Can't wait to see her beautiful face :)

Amazing Experience...

On July 3, 2011 (Sunday), my family and I went to a place called Baby's First Ultrasound. This is the place where we wanted to do the 4D pictures. I was excited that it was open on a Sunday :) So we went to breakfast first at Mimi's Cafe and then we headed to our appointment. We were all anxious to see what she looked like. We talked about if she looked like me or Josh more. My parents, my sister's family, Josh, Ian and Lachlan came.

When we first saw the image on the screen, I thought it was the most amazing thing I have ever seen. I've waited so long for this moment... and seeing the cute little baby that is growing inside me... she is truly a blessing to our family.

The person who did the sonogram was amazing. She took so many pictures and also made us a video/DVD of all the images they took. She had so many poses. We even saw her yawning, so adorable. So now I am going to show everybody some of my favorite pictures of Baby Barnes in 4D :) Who does she look like to you??? HAVE FUN LOOKING AND ENJOY!!!

MOMMY AND DADDY CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU PUMPKIN... WE LOVE YOU WITH ALL OUR HEARTS :)

May 31st - Glucose Test

Today was the day I had to get my glucose test. I must say I was not looking forward to this one. I went to the Labcorp at the Arch Health Partner in Poway. All day, I was thinking to myself, "What kind of gross drink will they have me drink before this blood test?" Then I thought, "What if it taste like dry chalk or something?" If that wasn't bad enough, I had to stop eating at 2:00 p.m. Baby and I was not happy. We definitely wanted to snack on something, lol :)

I arrived at the hospital and check in at Labcorp at around 4:20. The drink they gave me was not so bad. It tasted like orange soda, but it didn't really agree with my stomach at the time. I thought, at least it didn't taste chalky and gross. They wanted me to drink the liquid in 5 minutes... now that was a little bit tough.

After drinking the liquid, I had to sit in the waiting room for an hour. They finally drew my blood around 5:35. My results will be sent to my doctor in 24-48 hours.
Here is what my arm looks like. A little bit bruised (I guess the lady who drew my blood wasn't very good, LOL!)

Week 24: May 25th-26th Ultrasound

Our baby girl was a little stubborn the last time we had to go to an ultrasound. They had to take pictures of the spine, arms, legs, body, etc. They were able to take everything else but her spine. She was so wiggly and she wasn't positioned right so they had me come back.

When I went back on the 26th, Josh and I had a talk with our little girl in the waiting room letting her know that we are back at the hospital, to try and take a picture of her spine. Josh started singing the song "Total eclipse of the heart" by Bonnie Tyler. It was so funny. (If anybody forgot how the song goes, make sure you youtube it, LOL!)

So we get called in and it was the same lady who did our sonogram before, she was so apologetic. I really didn't mind... I wanted to see my baby girl anyways, LOL! So after a few minutes, these are the pictures we got... I guess the song did work :) Great job Baby Barnes!!! Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you.