She's Here!

We're so excited to share the news that Brooklynn Olivia Page is here! She arrived via c-section at 11:29 AM on Saturday, June 6, 2009, weighing in at 7 lbs 10 oz and measuring 19 1/2 inches long.

Mom and baby are both doing amazing, and baby is already impressing us with her overachieving skills in breastfeeding, pooing and snuggling.

We have many photos and videos to share with you until we can catch our breaths start sharing new stories about Brooklynn with you all here on this site.

Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers!

To see videos of Brooklynn, follow this link:
http://www.youtube.com/user/kimandderekplusone

To see pictures of Brooklynn, follow this link:
http://picasaweb.google.com/dpage14/BrooklynnOliviaPageFirstDays#

No Baby Yet >:-(

Technically my due date is June 6, but the every other day visits to the doc have been getting our hopes up a bit. We've been told all along that she is a very "healthy" girl and will be big at full term, so my doc has always been interested in inducing early (if right) so that I could have a good natural delivery. However, my cervix apparently has a completely different plan.

The last two weeks we've scheduled two inductions, but we've had to cancel them both because my cervix (sorry TMI) is not soft, dilating, effacing or showing any kinds of signs that a baby should be coming through soon. I wonder if it has been eavesdropping on my brain thoughts and I've scared the poor thing to death thinking about the whole process of "pushing a watermelon through a garden hose."

Well, at today's visit we still are seeing no progress, so we had to have the c-section conversation. If she doesn't make an appearance on her own next week, and my cervix is still uncooperative, the odds of a successful induction are low - but we can still try. It's just that when you try to induce when your body shows no signs of readiness, it can be a long labor, there can be complications, and like 50% of non-ready inductions end up in c-section anyway.

So, all this to say - on next Monday I get to make the decision - to cut or induce. I'm leaning toward a c-section because honestly to me, it just seems so much easier. I've had my stomach cut open before on two other occasions, so I'll be somewhat familiar with the pain and healing that comes with it. But who knows, maybe my body will kick in and she'll arrive all on her own this weekend - when she's due!

Stay tuned and hopefully next week I'll be posting her baby pics for all of you to see!!

Operation Induction has begun!

So, my impatience has totally kicked in and since there isn't much to do in this tiny little hotel, we decided to explore some "suggested" induction activities.

There is a place in Tujunga Village (Studio City) where they serve a salad for pregnant ladies close to or past their due date. The story goes, women who eat this salad go into labor by the next day! There is a lot of fanfare around THE Salad, and some good stories to go along with it. My favorite story is the lady who ate the salad and started having contractions only four hours later.
So, for lunch I had THE Salad. I wasn't sure whether the "half" salad would do, or if I would have better luck with the full size version - nobody ever wrote how much you had to eat for it to work! Since there isn't much room in my tummy right now anyway, I chose the half portion. It was pretty good - nothing gross about it - quite classy, in fact.It's officially been two hours since THE Salad and so far I don't feel anything. But we do have a doctor's appointment in a few more hours, so maybe he'll notice some physical changes? Because honestly, I have no idea if she's dropped, if I'm effaced or dialated, or if I'm having any "symptoms" of labor. I'm pretty sure it's all going to sneak up on me since I refuse to read about birthing stories and such.

Either way - I'm ready for her!

Check out the Caioti Pizza Cafe website and the fun stories about THE Salad at:
www.caiotipizzacafe.com
www.maternitysalad.com

Let the fun begin!

Ok, it's official. I'm on maternity leave. And boy am I having a ball! For the last three days, I've been able to sleep in, take naps, watch loads of TV and even hit the mall! Last night, Derek took me to my first Dodger's game. He's been to a dozen or so since we've been out here, and he said there was no way I could leave this town without experiencing America's pastime.

So, yes, at 9 1/2 months pregnant, I strapped on my best walking shoes and took the challenge. Parking miles away from the stadium, climbing the stairs to our upper deck destination, eating potentially super-contaminated Dodger Dogs - all of it. And here I sit this morning no closer to a labor contraction. Man, I was sure that would help throw me into labor!
We had a great time though - it was a night game, and the evenings in LA are the best weather I've ever experienced. We saw Blake (I'm pretending to know who that is) hit a homerun, and Derek swears he saw "Stiffler" from American Pie. I was in line for food, so I cannot actually confirm the star sighting, but highly possible he did. I mean I did sit next to Molly Shannon on Monday while getting a pedicure, so the odds are high that you will see celebrity.

Click here to see more Dodger game pics. Or paste this link into web browser: http://picasaweb.google.com/dpage14/KimSFirstDodgerSGame#

But the game ended with a Dodger win and we captured some more memories to share with everyone. Alright, I've been up a bit, maybe I should go take a nap now or something? Hey, the doc keeps telling me to rest now - something about never sleeping again once the baby is born. I'm just listening to orders!!

Stay tuned for more maternity leave adventures and this will be the place we'll post once the baby is actually here (here and Facebook - don't ya love technology).

Another Baby Shower!

Last Friday, May 1, my team threw me an incredibly fabulous (and generous) baby shower to celebrate the coming of little Baby Page. It was huge turnout and all of my favorite work peeps showed up for the event! We had great games and activities - not the normal baby games (yawn!) that can sometimes be the focus of such a gathering - they were quite fun to play!

Also, there were so many gifts, I could not believe how many generous people I work with. Everyone has been so incredibly supportive of me during this time. And really, I just work with the most amazing people - but I've always known that!

My sister, Kristy, was able to make it down for this event (she missed the one in Oklahoma), and I was so happy to have her here to lean on. You know how it's always good to have that one person to clutch to in the crowd! She ended up being an honorary host, helping decorate, passing gifts and even buying food for guests - THANK YOU SISTER!!

Check out pics from the shower here. Or paste this link into your browser: http://picasaweb.google.com/dpage14/BabyShowerCalifornia#

She spent the weekend with me and to thank her for her time and generosity, I tried really hard to wear her out with shopping and eating out - I think I succeeded! Here's a pic of us at the Beverly Hills Hotel for brunch on Sunday.

We also had some good times making fun of my big belly. She hadn't seen me since last October when I first started spreading the news! Here's a pic of us being silly as usual.

It was a great weekend, and now I'm so excited for this little girl to come so I can really play with all these new gifts!

See more HUGE belly pics here: http://picasaweb.google.com/dpage14/35WeeksPregnant#

Baby's Got a New Pair of Shoes!

This weekend I went to the Baby Expo at the LA Convention Center to check out all things that are baby-fabulous, and lo and behold, found some fabulous new shoes for the baby!

The fancy little slippers are patent (faux) leather cowboy boots - rather fitting since her roots are in the south! Check them out!


Do you love them or what! They are from this company called www.heelarious.com and they make all sorts of baby's "first" pair of high heels. They are, of course, for those babies who can't walk yet, but still wish to remain incredibly trendy and stylish.

I was able to restrain myself at the expo and only bought this pair, but I must admit I've already been to the website twice to see what other styles I can buy! I love this whole having a baby girl thing!

Latest Update - Baby and more

I know it's been a while since my last post - hopefully, this post will fill in all the excuses for why I've been so neglectful!

First and most importantly, little girl Page is growing fabulously in my belly. She's 33 weeks along now (8 months and some), and is weighing in around 4 1/2 lbs. Her growth is definitely impacting my ability to bend and twist and it's quite a scene to watch me put on tennis shoes or shave my legs. Not that you would watch me shave my legs, but I digress.

Of course, if you know me, then you know that I can't do just one exciting, drama-filled thing at a a time. I've got to be pushing the "crazy" envelope every minute! Which is why it may or may not come as a shock that we are going to be moving back into our home in Texas this fall.

Ok, let me explain! I was abducted by pregnancy hormones and they made my brain all mushy and emotional and longing for a more family-friendly environment in which to bring up this baby girl. However, I am totally in love with my job here, so I was in some serious conflict over the past few months. Should I leave my dream job for affordability and family back in Texas?

After much struggle, brilliance struck (hey, I have to brag since my brain is typically mush with all of this preg amnesia stuff)! Why don't I just see if I could work out of a Disney office in Dallas? I mean we have two radio offices and two TV News bureaus in the area. No, they don't actually do my type of work, but they belong to my same segment of The Walt Disney Company and they have network connections and phone lines and more!

I put together a proposal that urged and begged them to see how I could still be a meaningful and productive part of the team - only from Dallas. And I'm so blessed and grateful that they agreed to let me try it out!

So for the past few weeks, we have been packing like crazy and getting stuff loaded into PODS (great little invention, by the way) - so that everything will be ready to go once I return from Maternity leave in August. We've decided to give up the big house, put our things in PODS storage and move into corporate, fully-furnished housing from mid-May to mid-August so that all of our attention can be on baby.

Last week, we drove the doggies back to Oklahoma and Texas for "summer camp" (with friends and family) and we also left our Jeep there as well. Just another strategic tactic to clear our plates for baby.

It is amazing how things have been falling right into place to support this decision to come back home. And it's quite amazing how giddy I am to return (who woulda thunk it?). I can't wait to get back around family, and I'm so excited that we'll be home to celebrate yummy holiday traditions with our little one.

So hopefully that sums up what we've been up to. And now that you're all in the loop - stay tuned to the site again. I'm back on track for updating!