Ok, seriously...

Can you honestly look at this picture and not think Miss Stella is the cutest baby on the planet?!?

(Apologies to the Westbrooks, Freemans, Sewells, Steakleys, Shugarts, Throops, Kings and Wrights. And by 'apologies' I mean I'm sorry your children aren't this cute.)

Not convinced? Check this one out...

Are you kidding me? I mean, come on. Al Gore is gonna have to launch a campaign about the sudden rise of global cuteness.

Get Your Stella Fix Here

I launched a new photo gallery page for those who want (or need) to see more pictures than I tend to post on the blog site. Also, I hate to keep bombarding personal email accounts with large files.

So, from now on, you can visit our online photo gallery at http://picasaweb.google.com/ChipJordan72. I also added this link to the blog's right-side Favorite Links for easy access.

I've set the gallery to allow downloading and print ordering (Mom), so let me know if something doesn't work as expected. For those who choose to download and print to a personal printer (Mom), let me know if the quality is good enough. I tried to keep the file sizes to a minimum, but I'm not sure if it's too low for good prints.

Enjoy.

Stella Declares Her Independence

Born July 4, 2008, 8 lbs, 20.5" long

Long story short, Stella joined us Friday morning (10:22 AM) in plenty of time for the annual fireworks extravaganza and Coney Island hot dog eating contest. She surprised everyone with a head full of dark hair and Walter Matthau jowls (circa Grumpier Old Men II). After a long night of "what the hell am I doing here?" screaming at the hospital, Stella, Mommy and me came home to enjoy our first bath and Braves game.

This is your life, baby.

(oh, and here's another photo after the bath. and right after she peed on Mommy. hee hee.)



Love to all and thanks for the support. More writings later after we catch up on a little rest...

Waiting for Stella

I had a nice visit with a midwife yesterday. Not sure why they want you to come in once a week since nothing has happened to report. I repeat - nothing has happened!!!

Yesterday afternoon I found myself unable to do anything but lay on the couch and involve myself in countless episodes of Law and Order. Pathetic, I know. But I am feeling not only discomfort, but a deepening bout of angst. Chip and I just look at each other and wonder when she is coming. We wonder when, we wonder how, will he be at work, will he have taken the bus to work that day and have to find a ride home, will there be construction on the interstate and what alternate route will we take? My mom warned me of the dangers of having too much time to sit and wait...

But really, the suspense is killing us! We just can't wait to see her. I try and try, but I can't get a visual in my head of what she will look like. I watch Chip as he is sleeping and wonder if she will have his mouth or his eyes (he hopes that she does not inherit his nose). I love to look at her little gowns and hold them up my belly and imagine how tiny and snugly she will be. I long to see her and hold her and love her.

tick...tock...

Week 38

And in this corner.....

Week 36

Weighing in at 181..... Yes, I have been to visit my midwife today. I am still always amazed to step up to the scale and see how much I weigh. Today I was even more surprised because I have gained 12 pounds in 2 weeks. The midwife says that I am retaining extra water. You think? Look at these feet!

I have to say that other than the occasional bout with acid reflux (well, daily at this point really) my only complaint is these monster feet. Anyone that has seen me has been concerned, so on Monday I went and had my blood pressure tested and a urine test. Both of which were fine. Today, seeing my midwife, she took one look and felt there might be something beyond what the other tests has shown. She requested blood work, so I will have to report back on that when I get the results. (I just heard from my midwife and the blood work was normal 6/14)

At our visit today she also did an examination and it seems that I am nearly 2 cm dilated. She also said that I have a very soft cervix. Both of which I am not sure that I fully understand, but as long as she says everything is good, then I am good.

This weekend we will spend some time getting all of her goodies put away from the baby showers and pack a bag for the hospital. I am feeling the need to get everything ready just in case. There is a full moon on the 19th, so who knows what will happen.

"I don't think so"

Week 33

Markana has come in contact with several friends and colleagues in the past few days that have greeted her with smiles and a quick, "So, how much longer?" When she replies, "About seven weeks," they all say, "uh...I don't think so."

And that would be fine with us. We're ready.

I'm using my daughter as an excuse to buy new toys (a true Dad already), the first of which is an off-camera flash for my digital camera. The excuse is that it'll make our Stella photos better, and my defense against M's suspicions is, "Do you want to be the one to explain to Stella why we have no good pictures of her?" Heh heh.

So far, my subjects aren't much help and my training is slow-going. Markana went to bed after about 7 head shots. Jack won't look at me if I pick up the camera.

So I had to find a willing participant that wouldn't tire under the demands of an amateur photo shoot.



Really captures his pensive side, huh?

Vanderbilt Hospital

Chip and I took a tour of Vanderbilt Hospital last night. This is the place that we have chosen to have Stella - mainly because this hospital has the program with the midwives. We were given a tour of Labor & Delivery, as well as, the Postpartum rooms that both provide modest accommodations. The instructor did answer all of our questions and concerns and again we feel at ease that we have made the right decision.

My Dad has been spending some time at Vanderbilt Hospital these days as well. I have not shared through this blog that on March 25 my Dad was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer. It was found during a routine physical, so we are hopeful that it was caught in good time. He met with a specialist at Vanderbilt hospital and will have surgery on June 3. This is why it is so important for men and women to get an annual physical.

The specialist did run some additional tests that brought attention to some spots on his lungs. Dad then sees a lung specialist at Vanderbilt and a series of other tests were given and eventually a PET Scan to see if there was anything anywhere else in his body. They did find spots on his pelvic bone and sinus region. The doctor has chosen not to do anything at this time and has asked for another PET Scan in three months. I have tossed this around in my head a hundred times and really not sure what it all means. We were hopeful that he would call and say that there was nothing to worry about and to carry on, but it makes me nervous that they want to revisit the situation in a few months. Routine, maybe.

When all of this started to unfold, I kind of fell apart with it. How could all of this be happening to my sweet dad. The man is a model for good health and happiness (with the exception of a lifestyle of good ole southern cooking that I adore as well). Even through my initial tears and heartbreak, he has remained confident that everything will be just fine. If you know my dad at all, this is exactly what you would expect him to say. I did sense that he was strained by the pain his family was experiencing, so I made a conscious decision to keep my tears private and just be there for him.

So, in the midst of our grief and personal despair, our girl Stella is a star after all. I know that the thought of meeting her brings a bright spot to all of our lives. Though many of our experiences unfortunate, maybe it all has happened in the time that it should.

Two down, one to go

Week 28

Welcome to the third trimester. Stella is extra busy these days, and from the looks of it, extra big, too. Markana has received some comments that because she's carrying Stella low, it might be a boy. I hope he likes yellow sweaters.

26 Weeks

So, we went for an ultrasound today and found out that the placenta has shifted. Hooray! The doctor said that everything looks perfect and we are all set to move forward with a vaginal birth. No Cesarean. This is fantastic news. (I bet you never thought you would hear so much about a person's placenta)

Now, I must deal with the politics of abandoning my OBGYN. She has been so wonderful to me throughout this crazy adventure, but we just do not share the same point of view of my desired birth. We spoke with her about the hypnobirth at out last appointment and did not receive a "warm and fuzzy" feeling from her. We are so excited about the birth, and know what we want, so we have to seek out a more suitable person to share this with us. Our first stop will be at Vanderbilt Hospital with a nurse midwife. More later on that, but any advise on how to I should let my doctor know that I will no longer need her services is much appreciated.

Meanwhile, I also learned today that I have gained 17 pounds. Wow! Is this normal? Considering I have 3 months to go, I think I better slow down on the sweets. But the gelato at work is so delicious!

Lastly, in the ultrasound today Stella was sitting upright inside me- on her little toosh. That just makes me smile.