Lyla Bird Davis

Lyla Bird Davis was born a little after 5 am on Friday, May 18
weighing an even 7 lbs and a perfect 20 inches long. 

I am so in love with this little girl and the man who gave her to me. 

She looks so much like her daddy which makes my heart melt all the more. 

We spent our first night at home last night and we're still recuperating, but doing well. 

Although those 21 hours were long, they were some of the very best of my life.

Welcome home Lyla Bird!

39 weeks

I can't help but wonder if this is the last weekly countdown with you in my belly -

growing ever so steadily, my body home to two strong hearts 

beating anxiously for this very moment in time.

I'm taking special notice of each kick and wave that flows through my abdomen, 

remembering exactly how it feels to have you inside me. 

I love you, baby girl. 

See you soon!

38 weeks

A moo moo for two reasons: one, in honor of cinco de mayo, and two because its just about the only comfortable thing I can fit into these days... so baby and I are still celebrating cinco de mayo a couple of days late over here.

I wasn't able to write very much last week...not for a lack of words, but because it was a hard week and I was afraid that if I did sit down to write, it would turn into nothing but me complaining and feeling sorry for myself, which is neither becoming nor entertaining. To summarize, I miss my husband and eating breakfast, lunch and dinner by myself gets to be pretty depressing sometimes. He had to work a lot on Sunday too...and you have no idea how I long for our Sundays together...so it was a pretty big bummer after a long week. But for the record, I am really proud of him and so, so thankful for every little moment we are able to be together. I'm also really thankful for the friends we have made here...I don't know what I would do without them.

Baby and I have started going on long early morning walks. Just as the city awakes, but before the stores open their doors. It proves both refreshing and therapeutic - even if I'm waddling the whole way - and I fall a little more in love with this new city of ours each time.

So...38 weeks...I am officially uncomfortable and ready to meet this baby girl. I literally cannot lift my left leg thanks to a shooting pain that I can't quite describe due to how low baby girl is now and when I stand up I feel like she literally might fall to the floor. AND hello, contractions. They are coming pretty regularly now, but only a few of them have actually hurt...so I'm not getting my hopes up because of them.

But. BUT. After last week's doctor appointment, baby girl's arrival is definitely in sight! And she is worth all the shooting pains and back aches.

Happy 38 weeks baby girl!
(and happy cinco de mayo a little late)

37 weeks

37 weeks...which means I am officially full term! 

Which means...baby girl, you can come any time you want now, ok?!!

36 weeks

We are officially 9 months! Some days I feel like I could not be more ready to hold our sweet baby girl and other days it all seems so overwhelming. The anticipation is so exciting and unlike anything I have ever waited for...soon I will meet this little person who I already love so incredibly much.

She is still in a transverse lie position (or sideways) and she only has a few more days to turn around on her own. We are going in for an ultrasound on Wednesday morning, and if she is still sideways, then they are going to have to manually move her (an external cephalic version or breech version). We are all hoping she will move on her own over here...and I've been trying all sorts of silly positions (thank you, Rachel for the spinning babies website recommendation!)...

Here's hoping she turns on her own in the next 48 hours...
Happy 9 months baby girl!

35 weeks

My feet have officially disappeared...but man, oh man can I feel them. 

I feel like my belly has really grown just this past week alone 

and getting dressed every day is getting a lot more challenging. 

Everyone says this last stretch is the hardest, 

and while that is proving to be true...I've also never been more excited. 

We are going to meet our sweet baby girl SO soon! 

34 weeks

Only three more weeks until I'm considered "full term"...

I've had a few braxton hicks contractions and its hard to believe she still has room to grow. 

The past few months have gone by really quickly, 

but now that Mr. D is away at work for such long hours and we have entered the world of 

"close...but not quite close enough," I feel like I've begun a whole new period of waiting.  

I want so badly to meet her and see Mr. D hold her for the first time. 

We are so excited for her to get here!!! 

As much as I love this bump, I am sure ready to feel like my normal self again.

Happy 34 weeks, baby girl. 

32 weeks.

Thirty-two weeks feels round...quite round. 

We are at the point where we have to see the doctor every two weeks

and the fact that we will be meeting baby girl soon 

is beginning to seem a little more real.

Her crib has been built and her stuffed animals sit awaiting her arrival. 

At thirty-two weeks, I feel pregnant...quite pregnant

and so ready to finally meet our little girl.

-----------------------

I fell a little more in love with my husband this weekend.

I can't wait to see him become a dad! 

30 weeks!

Its hard to believe we have already hit the 30 week mark...
but my body is feeling it for sure.
Baby girl is starting to feel so crowded in there and it
catches me by surprise when I feel her little feet kick at my ribs.

Uncomfortable is the new norm...except for those delicious moments
when I find the perfect position on a couch surrounded with pillows
or floating in warm water, the sound of lavender bubbles popping near my ears.

We can't wait to hold you baby girl!

Happy 30 weeks.

29 weeks.

It's getting harder and harder to do little things like put my shoes on

and suddenly I feel like this belly of mine has doubled in size.

It's crazy to think that I still have 10 weeks or so of growing to do... 

I know it will be here soon, so I am trying my best to just enjoy every minute I have 

with baby girl safe and sound inside my womb. 

We get to have another sonogram this week and 

I just can't wait to see her! 

Plus, between you and me...I am anxious for them to tell me 

again that Baby Davis is in fact a girl...I keep hearing stories where 

doctors get the gender wrong the first time. 

(not that I wouldn't LOVE a boy...

but it sure would mean I'd need to return all the cute dresses I've been buying)

Here's to 29 weeks and strong healthy heartbeats! 

28 weeks (a week late).

As my belly grows, so too does my excitement to meet our baby. 

At 28 weeks, its becoming a little more difficult to get comfortable and all I can say is thank goodness

for shea butter, pillows and back massages from Mr. D....

but really I am feeling pretty good and just so excited about our little girl. 

She moves so much that I feel like I could almost grab her little feet if only I was quick enough. 

Mr. D and I both stare in awe at my belly as we clearly see her head sticking out on one side or the other

and watch as flutters of feet send waves across the round surface of my stomach. 

 Sweet friends of ours just had their baby girl a couple of days ago. 

I am so happy for them and can't believe we will get to meet our little girl soon, too.

27 weeks.

I read the other day that baby is now able 

to have REM sleep in 20 - 30 min. intervals and can therefore dream.

And as I spend so much of my day dreaming about her...

I can't help but wonder what she must dream about.

This second trimester has been really lovely...but I can feel my body begin to shift 

and those familiar symptoms that I gladly left behind in the first trimester are

slowly beginning to return. 

I took a warm bath the other night for the first time since I've been pregnant

 and my, oh my did it feel good...

how have I been missing out on those for this long?!!!

Happy 27 weeks baby girl!

26.5 weeks

In the midst of moving and being so sick the last couple of days, 26 weeks is suddenly passing me by. 

So for document's sake, here we are at 26.5 weeks. 

Lately, my reflection in the mirror takes me by surprise more than ever 

- putting two and two together - thats me...and thats me pregnant (!) 

Baby moves frequently, but in a much more patterned way and music makes her move almost immediately and unfailingly. And even though I've been sick the last week, it hasn't seemed to slow her down 

which makes this mama's heart happy. 

At almost 2 lbs and a little over 14 inches long, baby looks like a smaller, more wrinkly version 

of what she will look like when we first meet her - 

and that fact alone blows my mind. 

Happy 26.5 weeks, baby!

25 weeks...and another adventure on the way!

25 weeks and...we're moving to Boston! 

Another exciting [and quite unexpected] adventure for the Davis family this year. 

The past couple of weeks have been quite stressful to say the least.
A couple of days before we were about to sign a contract on buying our first house here in DC,
Rob was given a job opportunity in Boston that we decided
 [after much praying and contemplating]
we just couldn't pass up. 

So, this family of three [with one on the way] is headed to Boston!

Its a little bittersweet leaving this city of ours... 

but we plan to move back to the District in November
so we are so excited to live in and explore Boston in the meantime. 

Here's to leaps of faith and life's many adventures and a plan 

that is thankfully much bigger than we could ever design!!