Gianna--day 4

Wrapped up like a burrito.

Already a baseball fan (check out the "recliner"--it's actually a baseball glove).

Gianna--day 3

Look how big this newborn pacifier is.

Bendy baby (and Grandma).

A new use for the Boppy.

I'm tired...

Our Very Small Surprise (3 weeks and 1 day early!)

At about 4:30 am on July 3rd, I thought I felt something a little wet. Of course, I was in denial, but it became more and more apparent as the morning went on that my water had indeed broken. So, at about 8:00 am Matt and I headed to the hospital.

Apparently when your water breaks, they need to get the baby out within 24 hours to avoid infection. I was not really having contractions, so they had to induce me with Pitocin. Now, I really thought I would be able to get through delivery with no pain medications. However, I guess I really didn't have an accurate picture of how much pain it actually entails. So I got an injection of demerol and felt a little better, but then I decided I needed an epidural as well. After I got the epidural placed, I had uncontrollable shivering. The interesting thing was that I went from 1cm dilated to 10cm dilated in the span of about 3 hours (very fast!). Then the nurse decided to check my temperature and turns out, I had a 103 degree fever! This increased the urgency of the situation. We needed to get the baby out as soon as possible and if I didn't push her out fast, I would've had to get a c-section. So I pushed like crazy and broke about a million blood vessels in my face (you will not see any close-ups of that). But I was able to get her out within about 45 minutes (this is according to Matt...to me it seemed like I was pushing for hours). She was born exactly at 6pm on July 3rd. However, she looked pretty bad at first and she had to spend a few hours in the neonatal ICU. We finally got her back with us at 11:30 pm.

Gianna Jolie Torregrossa. Isn't she cute? She has Matt's dimpled chin. She was very small at birth (6 lbs and 1.7 ounces) and was even smaller when we left the hospital (5 lbs and 11 ounces). She is 19 inches long. We left the hospital today--they kept us for 48 hours just to make sure we were ok, and I had IV antibiotics for 24 hours.

Matt and his new girl.

Our newest outdoor cat

Matt has named this cat Charlie. We are not sure if it's a boy or girl, but he has gotten a lot more friendly lately. Of course, we are putting food out for the neighborhood cats at least twice a day. I guess that makes us popular!

My belly--36 weeks and 4 days

Freaky front view.

Scary Cankles

This is my "ankles" after being on my feel all day. Pretty frightening...

Opening Presents...Houston Shower

Our baby's first set of dishes. Doesn't Matt look like he's up to no good? I guess I will be able to drink coffee with the baby as soon as she can hold a cup!

Our Baby Shower--Houston

Before the shower.

The top of the invitation.

Cookies, compliments of Matt's Aunt.



Table decorations.

Matt is in the "nesting" phase...

Last weekend Matt decided he just had to paint a room in our house.

I can't fit into my pants!!

I don't know if other pregnant women have this problem, or it is just me, but I have had to purchase several phases of maternity clothes. I was under the impression that only the belly got bigger during pregnancy, but have come to the sad realization that my legs, hips, bootie and arms have also expanded exponentially. Since I am close to the end, I am hesitant to buy any more clothing, but today I realized one of 5 pairs of "work" pants no longer fits. Maybe no one will notice if I wear the same pants everyday!

First Baby Shower--Columbus, TX

Doesn't Matt look excited? His job was to write down everything we received and who gave it to us.

One of Matt's relatives made us this really cool basket. It has everything needed to take care of a baby...diapers, wipes, this nice handmade burp cloth that Matt is testing, a handmade blanket and pillow...etc. Plus it is easy to carry around the house! All the ladies who had previously received one of these said it was a lifesaver!

A beautiful handmade blanket...I look sad, but really I was happy!

Our first package of diapers. What really scared me was the quantity (112) and the fact that all the women said this would last about three days! I am glad we live about 4 blocks away from a 24 hour Kroger grocery store.

Austin Wildflower Garden

Lunchtime--it was hot! (~95 degrees)


Ready for dinner

Will we look crazier after the baby?

In Austin there were decorated guitars throughout the city (kind of like the "cows on parade"). This was the Lance Armstrong guitar.

Austin--our last hurrah before baby

Matt at the capitol.

The top of the dome.

The door hinges.

32 weeks and 4 days

Am I really this big?

Creative swimwear

This is what I wore today while swimming in Matt's parents pool. The shorts are Matt's. We are wearing the same size pants now!!

Crazy cactus plant

I have never seen this before. This cactus sprouted this huge tendril-like growth practically overnight (in the span of a couple weeks). Now I want to have one in our yard, but Matt says it will take 20 years to get big enough for this phenomenon to happen. Think these people will notice if we dig up their plant?