11 Days

OK, 11 days to go until our induction is scheduled on Feb. 4th. We are all hoping that little Coco makes her entry into the world before that date but you never know. If we've learned anything about pregnancy over the last 2 years, it's that we can't predict when anything is going to happen! LOL!

We had an appt. last Friday (Kira was 37 weeks 4 days) and she is staring to dilate (1 cm) but she is not effaced (meaning the cervix has not thinned out yet) and Coco is at -3 station (that means the baby still has quite a way to go down the birth canal!). That said, these things can change in an instant. It's really quite amazing and a lot of the triggers for labor are unknown so we wait!

Kira is definitely ready for the birth but not thrilled about an induction so we will most likely try some "natural" induction techniques at the end of next week (if she hasn't gone into labor). We have heard about a restaurant in Studio City that makes a salad that women all over Southern California travel to to eat because the salad dressing is believed to induce labor. Don't laugh! Hundreds of women swear by it and they are so protective of the recipe for the salad dressing that all employees have to sign a confidentiality agreement in order to work there. So, we're gonna go have a salad! Check out the link below for more info. about the salad. Also, foot reflexology is believed to trigger labor so next weekend we are going to take Kira for a reflexology session. Hey, it's worth a shot right! LOL!

In the end, we know that Coco will come when she is supposed to come. We are all having a little fun trying to figure out when that will be but will continue to wait patiently until the big day.

http://www.maternitysalad.com/

Are We Ready?

It's so hard to believe that we are literally days away from being Dads. After wanting something for so long, it is incredible to think that in short order we will be responsible for a beautiful and dear life.

As we wait for our daughter to be born, lots of thoughts have been floating through my mind. I've been thinking a lot about our parents and what they must have been feeling as they waited for us (me and Chris) to be born. They most likely experienced many of the same feelings of excitement, anxiety, nervousness, anticipation and fear that we are experiencing right now. I'm almost 40 and Chris is almost 41, yet our parents were going through this experience at 27 (my Mom) and 23 (my Dad) and Chris' parents had Chris in their early 20s too. I can't imagine becoming a parent at that age. They were all clearly more mature and responsible in their 20s than we were (LOL!).

I ask myself all the time if we are ready for Coco. Do we know what we're doing? Can we handle a baby? I don't have an answer! I'm not sure that you can ever be completely prepared for a life-changing event of this magnitude. What I do know is that we are filled with love for our daughter and I know that that love will allow us to be the best parents we can be for Coco.

Just a few days to go!

The Countdown Begins

So, we made it to LA and are getting settled in our home away from home. Truthfully, it's not so bad being away from NY at this time of year!

We are a little over 36 weeks now and things are moving right along. Kira came up to LA to spend the day with us on Saturday. We spent the afternoon sitting around chatting, feeling Coco move around (now that was AWESOME!!!), went out to eat and Kira and I (Victor) had an afternoon of beauty at the spa. (Chris opted for chatting on the phone and buying lots of moisturizers and hair products at CVS...). We had a wonderful time and it's really special to be able to share this time with Kira.

Kira started to feel "false labor" pains and Braxton-Hicks contractions on Friday night and they have continued. So, it looks like Kira's body is getting ready for the big day! Now the question is, when will that day be?!?! It will be a surprise to us all but no matter when it is we'll be prepared. If Coco hasn't come on her own by February 4th, Kira will be induced that morning.

In the meantime, we are trying to relax as much as possible while we wait to meet our daughter!

Stay tuned!