Steve is back at work and Aunt Melissa left this morning to head back to the snow, so Sara and I are officially on our own during the day now. It was so great to have my sister here; we watched movies, drank wine, had lots of laughs, and -- unfortunately -- introduced Sara to one of life's great disappointments: shoe shopping without success. Sad for us, happy for our wallets.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Goodbye to Aunt Mel & One Unsolicited Opinion
Posted by Katie at 1:58 PM 1 comments
Monday, December 29, 2008
Friday, December 26, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Fa-la-la-la-la!
Grandpa, Sara Noel, and Grandma
Sara had her 2-week doctor's visit today, and she is now 7 lbs. 13 ozs. and 19 1/2 inches. We'd been anticipating growth based simply on her recent eating habits; the doctor told us that right now we basically can provide her an all-hours buffet, and allow her to eat as much as she wants whenever she wants. Since we want to avoid giving her any body image issues by cautioning against overeating, we'll follow the doctor's orders and let her nosh at will.Sara at her first doctor's appointment
In keeping with the spirit of the season (seriously, can you believe tomorrow is Christmas Eve?!?), the following are pictures of Sara's Holiday Fashions. Thanks, Grandma Pam, Great Aunt Jane, and Great Aunt Mary for the adorable holiday attire.Posted by Katie at 1:43 PM 4 comments
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Sunday, December 14, 2008
You Told Me So
You all told me that this would be the most wonderful experience of my entire life. It's not that I didn't believe you, it's just that I really didn't have any perspective on the issue, so I couldn't wrap my mind around what you were saying. And although I can't put it into words, I now understand the point you were trying to make. This has been an unparalleled journey, and it's only just begun. We are overwhelmed with the love we feel for little Sara, and we will never again be the people we were just a few days ago.
We plan to head home today; we're just waiting on an "okay" from the docs. My parents came into town yesterday and will stay at our house to help throughout the week (though the help is understandably secondary to spending time with their first grandchild). I'm still moving pretty slowly, so it will be nice to have extra hands on deck. Thanks to all of you who've stopped by to visit, who've called or sent e-mails, or who've simply sent your thoughts our way. We love you and appreciate you!
Posted by Katie at 8:30 AM 9 comments
Friday, December 12, 2008
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Our Angel



Posted by Katie at 6:56 PM 20 comments
We're having a baby.
Today. In about three hours to be exact. OMG. I'm completely at a loss for words, so I'll borrow a prolific line from R.E.M. (remember when they were cool?!): "It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine."
You'll hear from us on the other side!
Posted by Katie at 4:24 AM 4 comments
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
The Brittain is Coming, the Brittain is Coming
And she's coming by c ... c-section, that is. She'll be here on Thursday, December 11th shortly after 7:30 am.
I went to the doctor on Monday afternoon and, at that time, was told that I still hadn't dilated and the baby's head hadn't moved down into the pelvic region. My doctor was concerned because there hadn't been any progress, and she expressed that often times when a full-term baby hasn't made any descent, it means that he or she is too large to fit through the pelvic/hip/tail bone regions. We went back this morning for an ultrasound to confirm that size - the combination of hers and mine - is indeed the issue. Sure enough, the baby currently weighs approximately 7 lbs 10 oz (yikes), and her head is larger than will fit through any canal I have to offer. My doctor told us that we can certainly take a stab at "trial labor" through inducement (since my body isn't contracting, dilating, etc. on its own), but she's pretty positive we'd end up in the O.R. in the end. On one hand, I think, Wasn't a woman's body designed to be able to do this? But then, on the other hand I think, Wasn't modern medicine designed for the bodies that can't do this? (And the people said, "Amen").
So, we've opted to skip the trial labor and go straight for the c-section. I'm not interested in laboring for hours only to end up in surgery, and the possible increased risk to the baby's health isn't worth it, either. Like my doctor told us today, "Remember, no trophies are given out for vaginal deliveries!"
We're so excited to have a birth date for Sara Noel. She was so cute on the ultrasound today, and we can't wait to meet her!
Posted by Katie at 5:33 PM 15 comments






