The New Family

Here are some pictures of Aurelia with her Momma and Daddy.

Love,

Momma

Snuggling with Daddy and Momma at the hospital

Ready to come home from the hospital, YAY!!!

(Thanks for the blanket and hat Gramma V!)

Aurelia's first bath at home

Hanging out at home with Momma and Daddy

Our Tiny Addition

Aurelia Ayn spent her first night at home with us and she is just doing incredibly well. We think she likes it. Her grandmothers, Honey and Marcia are here helping us all adjust to our new roles as parents. I just wanted to post a few more pictures for everyone to see how amazing she is. These are the pictures of her with her grandparents.

Love to you all, and more to come, I promise.

Love,

Momma

Our first family photo

Aurelia with her Honey

Grumps & Grandma Becky

Aurelia and Grandma Marcia

She's here

Momma labored and pushed and our perfect little girl is now here. Quite an effort, starting on Tuesday night and ending a few hours ago when Aurelia was released from the NICU. So many people played important roles. Thank you all. Here are a few morsels. More pics and video to come.

A few pics from the days before . . .

The waiting continues. Here are a few pics from family time during the days before the big day. Suzanne and her mom look great. Plus some serious Runa cuteness. We'll keep everyone posted as things develop.

As December Fades

As December comes to a close, I am reflecting on the holidays we have recently celebrated with family and friends: Thanksgiving with my Mom, the Ingrams, Whitney, the Trifiros and Daniel; Hannukah with the Christensens, Shana and the Cravens; Solstice with the Ingrams, Whitney, Ma V, Ricardo, Ivy; and Christmas with the Galvans and the Yeagers. I am so grateful that Aurelia will grow up surrounded by such wonderful and loving people. Wow, what a lucky girl.

I am 39 and a half weeks pregnant now. Here is a picture Jonathan took of me on the 25th (39 weeks, 1 day).

In addition, here are some pictures that Shana Berenzweig took of me and Aurelia a couple of days after Thanksgiving. You can check out Shana's amazing work at http://ideallightphotography.com/idl/home.html.

We wish all of you a safe and wonderful end to 2009 and look forward to updating you once Aurelia arrives!

~ Happy New Year ~

Room to Grow

I am 37 weeks pregnant today. That's full terms folks. Woo-hoo! Here are a couple of pictures Berry and Whit took of me yesterday.

While there seems to be little room left for Aurelia to grow in her current space, her room here at the Kaplan household has more than enough room for her to stretch her legs and spread her wings. Jonathan and I are simply amazed at how beautiful the nursery is. Ian did an amazing job creating a wonderland within her four walls. Marcia and Henry got us a Flip video camera (thank you!!!), so you can see for yourselves . . .

All is well

 Jonathan and I went to my 36 week check-up yesterday and the doctors confirmed that everything is going smoothly.  For those of you who might be worried, I also got the H1N1 vaccine (without the mercury in it).  We had an ultrasound to confirm that Aurelia is in position and, yes, she is head down and ready to go!  During the ultrasound the technician switched the viewer over to 3-D to try to get a clear picture of her face, but Aurelia had her hand in front of her face, foiling any attempt to catch an early glimpse at her.

 I am very relieved in a way.  I was not at all prepared to see what she looks like yet because it would make waiting to meet her that much more difficult.  No, I want to meet her face to face.  So a special thank you to Aurelia for playing peekaboo or hide and seek, or just being shy at just the right moment yesterday to keep us in suspense!

 The nursery is even closer to being complete.  Ian put some lovely grass on the rolling hills in the foreground, and an inviting little beach along the waterfront cliffs.  He will return to fill out the canopy of the tree with lively green leaves and then I think we will set up the furniture.  Once we have it all arranged, he will return to fill in some wildlife to further enchant Aurelia and, frankly, everyone who enters her room.  What an incredible gift - thank you Ingrams and Daniel!