He's Here!

Mark and I welcomed our son, Elijah Emerson LoPresti, on Monday, September 14th at 6:40 p.m. He was a big boy, weighing-in at 9lbs 5oz and 21 1/2 inches long, and a head full of blonde hair! We've been home for a little over a week and boy has life changed in the LoPresti household! The past week has been filled with lots of visits from family and friends. Needless to say, we've felt very blessed and continue to do so. Mark is finishing up his 2 weeks off from his "real job" and went back to work at Apple for a few days/hours this week. Thankfully, my mom was able to stay with us from last Friday through this Wednesday, to help with the transition of becoming a family of 3. It was so wonderful having her here to do everything from cooking meals to simply providing an extra pair of hands to hold baby Eli. We miss her a lot already, but will see her again soon! Not to be forgotten, my younger sister, Erin, was also a huge blessing to us, as she too came down to stay with us for the days before mom was able to come down. It was so nice to not have to worry about anything associated with our home. She took excellent care of our first "child" Candy and spoiled us when we left the hospital. Let's just say it was a very emotional good-bye for me when she left to return home Saturday evening. I hope to someday be able to show her just as much love when she has her own children.

So, now we are completely on our own, but loving every minute of this new time as a family of three. I will be posting more details about Eli's birth story soon, but as of this moment I am out of time to type, as our little man is eagerly awaiting his next meal. In the meantime, enjoy some pictures of our precious little guy.

Oh Mini-Muffin...

So, I had another scheduled doctor's appointment early this morning for the aforementioned non-stress test and internal exam. It was kind of strange to be there, because last Thursday we had thought there would be absolutely NO chance we were going to make it to the following Friday (today). So, after the routine fluid and vital checks, I was strapped-up to the fetal heart monitor for about 20 minutes, with a button in my hand to press whenever our little one decided to move. Next, we met-up with the doctor to review the results and proceed with the rest of the exam. The doctor said everything looked great from the NST and that she also wanted to do a quick ultrasound to check on the amniotic fluid levels (which is also standard procedure after your due date), as you don't want the fluid to get too low. Once again, everything looked great, which was a huge sigh of relief for me! Finally, the doctor performed an internal exam to see if I had progressed at all since last week. I am still 50% effaced but am now about 3cm dilated, which shows that my body is still moving in the right direction to deliver this baby, but still means very little as to when he would actually arrive. Since I will be 41 weeks this Sunday, it was strongly recommended that we set an induction date for the upcoming week. So, unless Mini-Muffin decides to arrive earlier, I will be admitted to the hospital early Monday morning, September 14th. Ironically, that date is my parent's 35th wedding anniversary and my father-in-law's birthday, so he would win some major points on both sides of the family! Guess we'll just have to wait and see what God has in store! :-)

Mark and I would appreciate continued prayers for the health of our son and a safe and smooth delivery for me. It's kind of strange (in a cool sort of way) to know that we will have our son in our arms this time next week! I'm also hoping, if I do not go into labor until the induction this Monday, that Mini-Muffin will hold-out until after 1:00 p.m., because then my regular OB would be the one who might actually deliver me...and that would be so AWESOME!

Finally, we wanted to thank all of our friends and family for all of the love and support they have shown us during this pregnancy and especially over this past week. It is such a blessing to know that we are continually being lifted-up in prayer during this uncertain and exciting time in our lives. We love all of you VERY much!


P.S.-->Sorry there are no pics with this post, but I promise that there will be a TON very, VERY soon! ;-)

The latest 411

My OB appointment yesterday morning went well. Looks like Mini-Muffin continues to prep for his big debut! I am still just shy of 2cm dilated but am now 50% effaced. My MD also said that he has finally dropped, but still could drop a little more. Overall, though, the numbers could mean that we could go into labor anytime...tomorrow or even a week from now. Currently, I am scheduled for another appointment next Friday morning for a Non-Stress Test (which is standard procedure for anyone past their due date), but we will have to wait and see if we make it that long. Please continue to lift our little family up in prayers, namely for peace in this uncertain time. Mark is actually working his 12-hour shifts (6 a.m. to 6 p.m.) all weekend, so I'm a little nervous to be home by myself for the majority of the weekend. Guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens! 'Til next time...

Still baking...

Well, we've made it to our 39th week of pregnancy and our Mini-Muffin (or should I say our Jumbo-Muffin)is still baking. As of last Friday's appointment I was just shy of 2cm dilated, with no effacement and he still had yet to drop. Our next OB appointment is tomorrow morning, so we will have to wait and see if anything has progressed. Stay tuned for updates!

Here "we" are at 39 Weeks 2 Days...

Upgrade

So, as Mini-Muffin's arrival gets nearer, Mark and I have finally bit-the-bullet and bought a "new" car. Sadly, my 1996 Saturn was just not going to cut-it for our expanding family...especially with a 90ish lb. dog that "needs" her space when traveling. (We tried to put a bunch of stuff in one of the back seats of Mark's Maxima during a recent trip home to VA, in an attempt to get Candy used to the space that would be taken-up by a carseat, but all she proceeded to do was sprawl-out all over everything in the back seat...not a very successful endeavor to say the least.) So, we said good-bye to my little Green car of 8 years and hello to The Banana Version 2.0 aka a 2006 Nissan X-terra. Needless to say, Mark is rather excited to have another yellow vehicle to drive, that is also a manual transmission (6-speed). I am now the primary driver of the Maxima, which in itself is quite an upgrade, and has a lot more room for our little man, than my old car would have provided. Overall, we feel very blessed with the outcome of the entire situation and look forward to driving our "new" Banana for many years to come!


My little green car was definitely no wimp! It hauled our Christmas tree home this past Christmas!







The Original Banana--Mark's 1981 Toyota Starlit--he drove it up until about 3 years ago!







The New Banana!

Getting Closer...

Yesterday, Mark and I had another doctor's appointment to check-up on Mini-Muffin...who is almost 38 weeks! Everything looks to be right on track and he's still VERY comfortable in his uterine home (which is getting more and more crowded each day), as he has yet to drop or make any progress towards labor. This news was perfectly fine with us, as there are still quite a few things to be done around here. The nursery is also coming together. Mark assembled our crib, glider-rocker/ottoman, and changer/dresser this week. Now it's up to me to organize all of the fun new things we've received from all of our extremely generous friends and family. I will be sure to post pics of the nursery once it's finished. Mark and I are trying to make the most of our last days/weeks as a family of 2. We are so very excited to meet our son and begin this new chapter in our lives...now in less than a month's time! Craziness!

Mark decided that it would be hilarious to take a picture of me with a basketball...as these days he's always saying it looks like I've swallowed one. So here's Mini-Muffin and I in all our glory at 37 weeks 4 days pregnant.

July has come and gone...

July was a busy month for us! To begin the month, we celebrated the 4th with Mark's family here in Durham followed by our 4-Year Wedding Anniversary a few days later on July 9th. I can't believe it's already been 4 years since we united as one, but I must say we are very much looking forward to the wonderful changes our 5th year of marriage will bring! Next, we spent a week at VA Beach with ALL of my family. It was such an awesome time to enjoy each other's company, as it's becoming more challenging to get everyone together at the same time. We even had to rent a 3rd condo unit to house our rapidly growing family! Lastly, the month finished with a beautiful shower for Mini-Muffin back in VA with friends and family. Mark and I feel so blessed to have so many friends and family that are so excited along with us to celebrate the arrival of this special little guy. The nursery set-up continues to progress and the baby continues to do well. He's definitely running out of room in my belly, but Mark and I are loving all of the jabs, squirms, and wiggles he's blessing us with on a daily basis. We're so excited to meet this precious baby in about a month!




Mark & I forgot to take a picture at our anniversary dinner, so here's one we took when we got home afterwards.





Mark loved his lobster dinner at the beach...





Here are a few pics from my VA baby shower...I am 34 weeks in these pics...craziness!