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!

Welcome to my 3rd trimester

So we had our 27 week ultrasound, which marks the start of my 7th month and 3rd trimester. We are in the home stretch now! Baby Page is doing extremely well, weighing in at 2 lbs. and 4 oz. so far. We had the doc capture a 3D image for us so we could see how she's developing - it's so amazing what technology can capture these days.




She is wiggling and kicking me more and more each day, and it's so amazing to feel some personality habits starting to develop. For example, if I bend over or lean forward in any way for any period of time, I'm pretty sure she doesn't like it. I start to feel big kicks in my lower abdomen. As soon as I straighten out, she eases up.


We also try to have a "music" lesson each day either on the way to work, or on the way home. I'm trying to teach her the greatness of classic rock (no, not the 90s - the 60s/70s). She will wiggle when the music is up, so I'm going to assume she likes it and it's not her way of protesting!


Her growth is starting to translate on the outside as well. I've not really paid attention to or taken pics of my belly until now, but I can tell it's reallly starting to get big now. Many of you have asked to see my big belly so I finally broke down and took some shots last night.


Click here to see Kim's big belly and more ultrasound pics!


Other than that, we are just decorating the nursery now and I hope to have some pics up here soon to show everyone. Stay tuned!

Latest Baby Update - 25 1/2 weeks

We had another OB appointment today and got to see the little one. According to the doc she is growing quite excellent and is weighing between 1 1/2 and 2 lbs right now. She's been growing and gaining consistently and doc is predicting a "big and healthy" baby. Yes, I also halted at the word "big."

"Hey doc - exactly what do you mean by big?" I asked. He said, "You know, at least 8lbs. Nothing your body can't handle." Yeah, cause he knows just what it's like to push a watermelon out of his vajay-jay? Anyway, despite the scare of having an 8-pounder, this is actually great news. We are completely blessed to be growing a very healthy girl.

Oh and the best news is I only gained ONE whole pound this month. HOORAY!

We didn't get any pics this time around, but we go back on March 9 to the hospital ultrasound specialist to check on how my placenta is moving. We should get some great photos at that visit - hopefully some good 3D/4D shots, so check back then to see the little one and hear more about how she's growing.

Party Central!!

Well, last week was so busy I wasn't able to update the blog at all. I hope you'll stay with me for this extra long post today - I've got stories about my birthday, Valentine's Day AND my first baby shower in Oklahoma!

First things first - I celebrated my 36th (yes, I'm that old) birthday last Wednesday (Feb. 11) and if you know me well, you know I love my birthday. And if you don't know me well, I make sure you know I love my birthday. Since I had let my team here at work know, daily, how much I love my birthday - they surprised me with an office full of decorations and a day full of "all about Kim." It started with breakfast doughnuts, followed by lunch at Buca di Beppo and an afternoon cupcake party with the rest of my co-workers. I loved it all! After work, Derek surprised me with dinner at Outback Steakhouse and once home, a homemade German Chocolate birthday cake! Even my mother who is 1400+ miles away joined in the surprises making sure a big box of presents arrived for me to open. See, how can you not love birthdays when they are like this!

Here's a link to check out my birthday pics!
http://picasaweb.google.com/dpage14/HappyBirthdayKim#

Ok - a brief Valentine's story to tell. I traveled back home to Oklahoma on Friday, Feb. 13, while Derek flew to Dallas the same day. The plan was to meet in Oklahoma on Saturday, Feb. 14 and then on Sunday, Feb. 15 we would have the Baby Shower at my mothers house. Well, after my mom and sister picked me up from the airport, we stopped at Homeland in Yukon for some groceries, and so I could look for some yummy goodies to give to my Valentine. I came across this suggested gift idea while at the Homeland.

Yes, that would be a display of used BEER bottles holding a single rose. OR, if you wanted to give a more extravagant gift, you could purchase SIX beer bottles in a handy cardboard carrying case with SIX roses included. How romantic. Bet you California people are jealous of the gifts we create Oklahoma.

Ok, last but definitely not least, we had a baby shower this past Sunday. OMG (Oh my God, for those over the age of 30), was it a blast! There were so many people and presents it was all so overwhelming and touching. My best friend Holly and my sister Jamie were the hosts of the shindig and pulled off an amazing event. I'd say about 35-40 people were in attendance - maybe more - that house was so full! I was able to see so many old friends and family members it was amazing. And it made me really homesick too. It's hard to leave all of that love and support in Oklahoma/Texas. I'm so thankful for all of the gifts - we got tons of goodies. The grandparents bought us a crib, travel system and pack and play bed. We got playmats and bouncy seats and tons of the cutest girly clothes. We received so much stuff that I have to say we don't need any more 0-3 month clothes - I'm not sure she'll make it through all she has now!

You can click on this link to see some pics from the event: http://picasaweb.google.com/dpage14/BabyShowerOklahoma#

Thanks to everyone for all the birthday and baby wishes!! Stay tuned for updates on the nursery decorating!

Baby Page Update

I wanted to give everyone a quick update on the little girl. Last Friday we had an OB appointment and to my shock and dismay I had gained 9lbs. YOWZA! To clarify, that is almost a full 10 lbs in 4 weeks. I have heard rumors about these so-called big weight gain periods but I was not prepared for the reality of it. Since I had only gained 3 lbs since the start of the pregnancy, I'm still in ok shape. However, the doc did say, "Maybe keep it to 1/2 a pound a week for the next month." We'll see - my appetite has totally kicked in.

We got stuck in the ultrasound room that didn't print pics for us, so I'll have to recap verbally and you'll have to use your imagination on the visuals. She is growing right along as normal as can be - measuring exactly 23 weeks. And when we first took a peek at her she was sucking her thumb. Aww, how sweet :) Or maybe oh no? Oral fixation already?? The placenta is still located very low (close to covering my cervix), but doc really thinks it will start to move up now that I've started gaining weight.

Just the FYI on low placenta - if doesn't move and is blocking her way out, then she may have to be delivered via C-section to avoid any trauma or hemmoraging to mamma!

She's beginning to look like a real baby in there now - legs look like legs, you can see toes and fingers and facial features! What's making it all the more real is the fact that I can feel her moving around very well now. And Derek and I were able to see my belly move from a kick this weekend (it looked kinda like popcorn popping in my belly).

From now on, the baby excitement will increase. Next visit is the glucose test, then we do another big ultrasound (hopefully capturing a good face shot) and then the birthing classes start. I noticed yesterday on Derek's iPhone that our calendar said 16 weeks left. I know that is far away, but that sure doesn't sound like very long!

Stay tuned!

What will you pledge?

I'm sure everyone witnessed at least 5 minutes of history today. Of course here at work it was hard to ignore the amazing events going on as ABC News covered the Inauguration and related events all day long. We were encouraged, as employees, to log onto our ABCNews.com website and tune in if we were able.

In addition to all of the TV and Web stuff I saw today, I was linked to one video that I thought was touching (I am hormonal, so all emotions are on a whole other level these days). But this video sends a strong message that each of us can easily make a difference in our own way. Take a look and decide to pledge your spirit and self to something you enjoy :)

MySpace Celebrity and Katalyst present The Presidential Pledge

I'm already out of control...

Well, with the news last week that we are having a baby girl, I decided it was high time to do some shopping. I mean come'on, I've been waiting 5 months now being tempted by all things that are baby cute. It's time to finally buy something that ISN'T sex-neutral!

Well, I had purchased some maternity clothes from Target that didn't quite work out (I'm still trying to figure out what the heck size I am), so I returned them for store credit. And to my amazing disbelief (and maybe to yours too), I actually skipped buying for me and decided to buy for the baby. This is a good sign I'm thinking. Because those of you who have chatting with me recently have heard my constant maternity hymnal - "My ass is fat, My ass is fat, nothing fits me anymore, my ass is fat!" But I still chose to buy for baby instead of me - shocker! But look at these cute onsies - how could anyone resist??

Well it gets better. Over the weekend we met up with our friends Jo and Justin (our friends that relocated from Australia the same time we did from Texas) to visit their newborn baby girl, Siena. Jo took me to the Century City mall to show me only the most adorable baby clothing store ever! The store is called Naartjie and if you can pronounce it you win a prize (I'm told it sounds like "nar-chee"). Anyway, they were having amazing sales and I managed to get this whole adorable outfit for $12.31. I mean seriously - why can't we find full outfits at this price for adults? No wonder new moms go crazy buying baby clothes!

I've made a deal with Derek to slow down a bit, because he's right - I'll probably get a ton of cute outfits from friends and family. It's so addicting though!

My First Press Tour

So I've been officially been initiated into the world of entertainment reporting - and it was awesome. This week the Television Critic's Association held a Winter Press Tour and Disney ABC TV Group brought in their new mid-season shows to show off to the press. On today's agenda were the Jonas Brothers, the creators of Lost, and a variety of new shows for ABC scheduled to launch in the March/April time frame. I'll recap the best I can :)

The first panel I saw was the Jonas Brothers. They have a new show coming out on the Disney Channel called "Jonas" and they were joined by two lovely young ladies who are also on the show. Although you would've never known that since they never had an opportunity to talk. The press just killed the three kiddos with constant questions about playing at the Inauguration, getting along with each other, being famous and so on.

I learned about two new comedies for ABC "Better Off Ted" and "In the Motherhood." "Ted" is about research development guy who struggles between moral rights and wrongs in work and love. The company he works for produces crazy new products like pumpkins that double as weapons of mass destruction, and tests cryogenics on their lead scientist. It's a tongue-in-cheek look at the corporate environment of "profits before people." In "Motherhood" you'll see three friends struggling with the ups and downs of being a mom. The casting is amazing and from the clips we saw it already looks like a hit. But how can it not be? It's got Megan Mullally and Cheryl Hines! Both look like good choices for ABC if they can get the scheduling right.

For lunch we were lucky enough to see a new episode of LOST - sorry, we had to swear not to spoil it for the rest of the public, but I will say Season 5 is definitely starting out good - you won't be disappointed.

The afternoon brought two new police procedurals/dramas "The Unusuals" and "Castle." Both are set in NYC and offer different views of crime, love and drama. Both look interesting and as always, I'll give them a chance, but they better impress. There's a whole lotta crime dramas out there and my plate is pretty full with the CSIs, Mentalist and Criminal Minds. I can't even fit in Law & Order and am reduced to watching the reruns on marathon weekends.

It was a long, but exciting day and I can't wait until the next event. You can check out all the press pics by clicking here. Enjoy!

First Highway Accident

Yep, it's official. I can say I've had an accident on a highway. On the 101 in California, even. Before I tell the story I'll assure everyone that all parties involved are fine - thankfully. But it was still the scariest experience ever!

While in rush-hour traffic after work, a motorcycle and myself decided to merge into the same lane. We must have both seen that sweet spot open up after this pickup truck and both made the attempt to grab it. We smacked right into each other, neither of us realizing the other's plan. Yes, I looked before merging - and yes, I did have my blinker on. A kind witness tells us that neither of us were at fault. I'm not so sure the insurance companies want to hear that - or maybe they do?

So back to the drama part of the story. I start to slowly creep out into the lane on my left. As soon as I'm halfway in it, I hear a thud, crash, thump, and see this gray motorcycle rip my mirror off and begin to wobble and lose control. He lost the fight with balance and the cycle landed on its side with him a few inches away. I slammed on my brakes, threw my hands over my eyes and screamed outloud - don't die, don't run over him! It was like watching in slow motion. But as I mentioned before - it was rush hour and the top speed was about 10 miles an hour, so we were all very lucky.

Since nobody was hurt and both vehicles were operable, the police refused to come visit us and advised us to exchanged insurance information. After the initial shock wore off and we both stopped shaking - the cyclist and I were back on our merry little way.

So now I guess I'm officially a Californian - a credentialed "crazy driver" and all. I'm a bit gun shy about changing lanes today, and I never realized how damn important that side mirror is! Stay safe everyone!

It's a girl!

We had our 2nd trimester ultrasound today and the doc says we'll be having a girl! Of course we are very excited, but I will admit my mind did go into a brief panic about all of the drama that comes with a girl (hello, I remember what I was like!).

She's growing as she should be, heart looks fully developed and healthy, both legs and arms, all fingers and toes, eyes, nose, mouth and ears and so on. If you'd like to take about three minutes of your life and watch the ultrasound, click here. If you are short on time, you can check out some snapshots here.

Even better news is that momma has only gained 2 lbs. so far. Doc is very happy about that, but tells me not to be surprised if I start gaining more from now on. I guess 1 lb. a week is normal. No matter what the increase in pounds, you can definitely see the increase in my belly size.

Over the holiday, I officially moved into the maternity clothes and must say that some of them are quite cute and comfortable. I'm thinking perhaps I could even keep some of them after! I hate to disappoint, but I've not been documenting belly growth at this point - maybe soon, we'll see.

Stay tuned - we'll keep you updated on the progress!