IT'S A GIRL!!!!!

Please help us welcome the newest member to join our family!

Julia Rian Barnes was born on 12/29/09 at 11:34am, 6 lbs 12.6 oz, 20 inches. We have been so truly blessed and could never be more thankful for having such a little piece of heaven sent down to us from above.

Everyone is doing fantastic as we all revel in awe over the event of Julia's birth this week. We thought for sure she wouldn't arrive until long after her due date (which is Saturday!), but we were wrong! Our doctor admitted us to the hospital Monday (12/28) evening after our appointment earlier that day revealed that my blood pressure was slightly high for the second week in a row, along with some swelling and weight gain. I had started to progress towards labor on my own the slightest bit over the previous week, so we were heading in to try an induction and make sure our little bundle on its way could arrive safely. We checked in at 6pm. Here is one last photo of Andy and I with Julia in the belly just before we headed to the hospital.

And, here I am at the hospital waiting to be admitted.

The process started around 7pm, where I was given a medicine to start softening things inside to get the show on the road. This part was a piece of cake - until my water broke (thankfully, on its own) around midnight. And, that's when the "fun" started. I never could have imagined what labor would be like - I don't think anyone can. I started having contractions at that point with really bad (and painful!!) back labor. I labored through the night and around 7am, I had progressed enough to start the pitocin to induce labor. At that same time I was also able to receive an epidural. So, they started with just a little bit of pitocin until I received the epidural, then they were going to up the dosage. However, the hospital was a little short staffed with anesthesiologists, which meant I didn't receive my epidural until about 9:30am, at which point, I had progressed a lot more. Just my luck, the epidural did not take completely and it more or less only numbed my left leg, but because I had moved along so far now, they couldn't re-administer another one - so off we went continuing with hard labor. Eventually it was time to start pushing, and after a little more than an hour, we were blessed with the news that we had given birth to a beautiful little GIRL! Every ounce of her that we saw was perfect, and when we heard her cry, Andy and I both just stared at each other and smiled/laughed. That moment was so unbelievably indescribable and just so very very surreal - I really do not have words to describe it with justice. We did it - we brought a daughter into this world! And, at that moment, she instantly stole our hearts away all over again.

Here I am, just minutes old!

Me in the nursery

(please don't mind my little boo boo on my leg, they did all kinds of tests on me, and I wasn't quite cleaned up here!)

More photos from our hospital stay:

Daddy and Mommy in the hospital just after my delivery

When I was in Mommy's belly, I heard Daddy teasing Mommy telling her that when she was in labor he was going to just sit there next to her eating her favorite candy bars (Twix!) all night while she did all the painful laboring. But, Daddy was smart, and as part of Mommy's Christmas present, he gave her a Twix bar to bring to the hospital for her to enjoy herself after I was born. Good thing he was only teasing her - Mommy would have been awfully sad if Daddy really did just sit there and dined on Twix bars all night after all that hard work she did to get me here!

Some of my first pictures!

Mommy burping me -

I was tired, it was the longest day of my WHOLE life!

Gran changed her flight so that she could be there to see me at the hospital!

And, here's me and Grandma - she had a very special job of helping to take care of Delaney at home so Mommy and Daddy could go to the hospital and have me!

My first photo shoot (hospital photos) - Mommy said I better get used to this because she likes to have lots of "photo shoots" of her own at home - I think I better learn what this word means.....

The ladies taking my pictures kept complimenting Mommy and Daddy on how strong I was for being so "new" when they moved me all around to pose me. I have liked lifting my head up on my own since the minute I was born!
Me with Daddy at the hospital - I love him! :)

Our first family photo just before leaving the hospital.

Me with my Grandmas ("the GG's!") just before we left the hospital - they love me a lot, you can tell by their big smiles!

Leaving the hospital...

Me with Mommy

Me with some of my new family: Gran, Mommy, Grandma, and Daddy

Me with Mommy and GrandmaAbout to get in the car!

My first car ride!

Getting into my seat

"I don't like it." :(
"Well, maybe it's not so bad..."
"Hey, that Daddy is a pretty good driver - I like the car!"
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We came home yesterday, Wednesday, 12/30, in the afternoon, and the house has been "a buzz" with all things Julia ever since. We all can't get enough of her! She has been such a good little baby. She is eating well, burping, sleeping, and even "peeing and pooing" all the right ways. Our first night at home proved to be very difficult and sleepless, but we're convinced that a lot of that had to do with her wacky eating schedule yesterday with the hoopla of being discharged from the hospital and settling into home. We're hoping tonight we can take at least one step in the right direction towards conquering this sleeping at night thing.

Photos from home:

Me with my pretty flowers -

"These are from Grandma and Uncle Chris, and also from Daddy's co-worker Wes and his wife, Lee!"

"And, these pretty roses are from my Papa Lou - they're all so pretty... thank you!""And, this 'Edible Arrangement' is from Carroll Foreman and Daddy's Contec Holdings friends. I'm too young to eat it, but everyone else here was 'ooo'ing and ahh'ing' over how excited they were to enjoy that tonight!"

Soon after I got to my new home - Daddy introduced me to my sister, Delaney - she's really hairy. So far, I like her, and I think she likes me, too!
Here's me with Mommy and Delaney.Snuggling with my Mommy just after getting home from the hospital.

I have a big soft spot for my Daddy. When I cry and nobody else can make me stop, Daddy just has to hold me and I'll stop immediately. Mommy doesn't know how he does it. I'm working really hard on wrapping him around my finger - how do you think I'm doing so far?Me with Mommy and Delaney in my nursery - I love all of the nice things in there, and I think Delaney does, too!

Me smiling at my Daddy

Me trying out my crib..... I think I prefer snoozing in people's arms for right now though. Maybe I'll surprise Mommy and Daddy one night and actually stay in here!

Me on my changing table - I REALLY don't like it when the cool air touches me. I don't like my diaper being changed, but I'm happy that Daddy tried changing me even when I heard him say a long while back that he wasn't going to "do" diapers. :) Guess he was wrong! hehehe

This is how I like to hold Mommy's finger when I eat...Mommy's finger seems so big next to mine!

I'm sure Mommy will post more photos soon! Before I go, here's a short little video of me on my first night at home in Daddy's arms.

"Thanks to all of you reading this for loving me and helping Mommy and Daddy prepare for my arrival - I can't wait to meet you all!"

PS - Mommy said if anybody has a webcam and wants to "meet" me over the internet, to let her know!

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Dear Julia,

Daddy and I are head over heels in love with you! And, the crazy part is that we know as the days go on, our love is only going to continue to somehow grow and grow even more! To us, you are absolutely perfect and we couldn't ask for a better way to close the year of 2009 and welcome the year of 2010 with such a gift as yourself. A few months ago, your second cousin, Kaden, (who shared the same due date with you in 2009 (1/2/09) sent you a CD of "Baby Tunes." I fell in love with the sweet little songs on it and started playing them for you when you were still in my belly. Your first night with us in the hospital room, we played the the songs for you, too, and you loved it! So, last night, as I attempted to get your sweet little self to sleep, I swayed you in my arms as I sang you my favorite song from that CD (the "You Are My Sunshine" song) and as you laid in my arms, your eyes connected with mine, and you made an ever so sweet little smile, and Mommy's hormones kicked in at that point to get the best of me with a nice little uncontrollable cry as I sang that sweet little song to you. You make me so happy already and I haven't even had you here with me for more than 50 hours! I just look at you and you are so perfect and healthy and to know that you're all ours is just more than I ever could have hoped to receive. As, I stood there in that moment, I also couldn't help but think about our lives one year ago when we were experiencing the loss of our first pregnancy. We went through some very long months of feeling hopeless in thinking that we may never get to experience a love like this. The fact that we knew we were pregnant with you was indescribably filled with joy and relief in knowing that we had another chance at this fantastic gift. And, now here you are - alive and healthy and more beautiful than we ever could have imagined, and we know we will always always love you. We both think you've already grown so much just in the last 2 days that you've been in this world with us, so we're aware how fast you will probably continue to grow before our eyes. Because of this, I'm trying really hard to take in as many "little things" about you while you're at this precious newborn phase - like the fact that your ear is about the size of my thumb, and the way that your sweet (and tiny!) little body just curls up so perfectly on my shoulder after I feed you, how incredibly soft your smooth skin is, and the mini little grunts, gurgles, and squeals you make when you're sitting contently in our arms - it all fulfills me beyond belief. Mommyhood is definitely magical and I have a feeling it's just going to keep getting better! Thank you for coming into our lives - we are so glad you're here! xox

Love,

Your very proud, Mommy and Daddy

P.S. - We want you to know something about your name that makes it extra special. You're named Julia because Mommy and Daddy love that name and we think it's perfect for YOU, and your middle name was chosen after two very special ladies in your life - your grandmothers! We combined "Rita" with "Susan" and came up with "Rian." We think it fits perfectly with Julia, and we hope you like it!

We're heading to the hospital!

We had our weekly prenatal appointment this morning and the doctor has ordered us to "check-in" to the hospital this evening! I'm shocked!! My blood pressure was a little high last week, and was also slightly high again this week, plus I had some weight gain and swelling, so the doctor is concerned that preeclampsia might be setting in. The doctor feels that because I'm so close to my due date, it's better to get the baby out now than to let things progress further. I had some progress on my own as of today, being just the slightest bit dilated, but it's not enough to just induce labor right now. So, the doctor has ordered us to come to the hospital this evening at 6pm where I will be spending the night. Tonight they will administer a medicine to help soften my cervix. Hopefully that will get things progressing even more, and then they will induce tomorrow! If things don't start progressing on their own from the medicine, there's a chance I could be in for getting a c-section, but we're taking things one step at a time right now.

I cannot believe that I'm about to have this baby!! We are so ready to finally meet him or her, but the fact that it's suddenly all happening now is just so surreal to me! We will have our laptop and cell phones at the hospital with us and will be keeping in touch with everyone from there as we get more information.

Stay tuned here to the blog for more info and our little one's first pictures!! I cannot believe that it's actually my turn to say that! So amazing, yet also so bizarre! Thank you all for your continued support as we made our way through this pregnancy. I am so excited to "introduce" our little one to you all here on our blog via the internet! :)

39 weeks and counting....

Today, we're 39 weeks pregnant! At this point in pregnancy, I'm about as big as I can get and therefore, the same goes for baby. He/she probably weighs a little over 7 pounds now and his/her total length should be about 21 1/2 inches long.... about the size of a small watermelon! :)

Yesterday we celebrated Christmas here in Texas with my mom and brother. It was rather low key, but still really nice. The baby received some really cute gifts from our families, in fact I think the majority of the presents under our tree were for baby - spoiled already!!

Here are some of the more unique gifts that baby got that I wanted to share:

Gran & Grandpa sent baby this Teddy Bear who's name is: "Barnsie" - perfect because that's a nickname of Andy's! And, this sweet little Siena onesie for our future Siena fan!

Grandma got baby this "Elf on the Shelf" book - if you've never heard of it, you have to check it out. The elf comes out for the month of December and "moves" around the house each night for our little one to find. The elf keeps an eye on the kids and reports back to Santa who has been naughty or nice!

This, I just LOVE... it's the coziest little snow bundle-upper suit I've ever seen - We probably won't need it all that often here in Texas, but it'll definitely come in handy for our trips home. Thanks Grandma!

Uncle Christian brought the baby this "Quatchi" doll from Vancouver when he was there - it's the mascot for the 2010 Olympics, and should be fitting for our winter 2010 (we think!) baby to be!

And, baby wasn't the only one who got spoiled - "Daddy" spoiled "Mommy" with an amazing gift, too! In addition to the new computer, DSLR camera, and every other large purchase we've been making this year in furnishing our house/nursery, which was supposed to be where

we drew the line in not exchanging any more gifts, Andy surprised me with yet another gift! He got (or actually ... is getting) me this beautiful and personalized necklace that I spotted at a jeweler last year. It's a type of charm necklace where you add to it as you like, but the first charm will be one with our baby's name and birthdate on it! How sweet is my husband to remember me spotting that necklace a whole year ago, and to decide it was something he wanted to get me eventhough we're surrounded by so many other gifts right now, too! Here is a picture of the cliping from the jeweler magazine that he gave me showing the necklace... I can't wait to get it!

So, now with Christmas behind us, we have successfully made it with no Christmas baby.... New Years baby...?

Here are some Christmas photos!

Our tree on Christmas Eve

Delaney very patiently waiting to open up all of those fun presents!

Our attempt at a family portrait on Christmas Day

Mommy (and baby!) with Uncle Chris

Mommy (and baby!) with Grandma

And, here's Delaney helping me open a present..... she looooooves opening presents, or actually I think she just loves eating paper!

I could not be more thankful to be in this spot right now. I'm loving each remaining day of being pregnant (though, I will admit that I could do without carrying around this extra weight and the unpredictable raging hormones), and at the same time am so anxious and ready to meet this baby! We have one week left until our due date (7 days! - just 7!!), and I'm finding myself now waking up each day and wondering: "will today be the day?" As of our last doctor's appointment there was absolutely no progress, and therefore a very slim chance that the baby would be joining us any time soon, but I'm convinced that SOMETHING has happened in there this past week - I've felt a lot of different and new sensations in my stomach, and I have suddenly become absolutely exhausted, yet still seem to battle sleep each night. I've heard from so many people that "no progress" at an appointment doesn't really mean a whole lot because anything can happen at any time right now. So, I'm keeping myself ready and prepared for this baby whenever he/she decides it's "go" time. The only thing I'm somewhat fretting about now is whether I'm going to know when "go time" really is....... they say: "you'll know" - I just hope "they" are right!

Let's talk about gender.....

Through these last 273 days, Andy and I have wavered back and forth over whether we have a son or daughter that's been cookin' in our oven. I'd say overall though, I've been thinking "boy" the majority of the time and Andy has been thinking "girl." And, though the poll on our blog here right now reads: 35 votes for "boy," and only 13 votes for "girl".... I'd say the general consensus has been about even from the people we ask.

Throughout the pregnancy I've had fun taking the various old wives tale gender prediction quizzes on the internet, and I've enjoyed hearing people's reasons for why they're convinced we'll be having one gender vs. the other, but overall, I've learned not to read too far into ANY single one of them! I thought I was a good judge for determining what gender people were carrying, but I have been proven dead wrong on SO many occasions with friends' pregnancies lately, that I just give up. One person's guess is as good as anyone elses, in my opinion right now! In the last month though, I've done a 180 and have completely changed my thought from "boy" to "girl." So, at this point, for the record, I'm expecting a girl....but would not be the least bit surprised if this little baby ended up being a boy! Two more weeks (max!) and we'll know for sure - I cannot wait to start calling our little one by name and not just "baby" any longer!