Baby Bria is here!

Bria Courtney Mangum was born on April 25 at 2:29 am.

She weighed in at 8 lbs 8 oz and measured 19" long.

Details are forthcoming!

The Update . . .

So I am scheduled to be induced on Thursday, which I feel pretty good about. I think it's a good balance between giving my body a little more time and not letting the baby get too big. I'm dilated to a 3, and the baby is really low, so I think I have at least a good chance of going into labor before then, but you never know.

I also had a Non Stress Test today and everything looked good. I had them double check (for the THIRD time, so really, it was a triple check) that the baby is still a girl, and it is! I was happy about that. I worked with a girl who found out during her non stress test that her baby girl was actually a baby boy. Surprise! If that happened, our poor baby boy would have to wear pink dresses.

Now it's just the waiting game. The downside to this is that now Sam won't be able to go to his graduation. We are pretty bummed about that, but Sam is still going to get his cap and gown so we can take pictures. This Baby Girl is probably going to be a drama queen-- she's already stealing the show! (But let's be honest, look at her parents! We all know where she gets it from.) We are trying to keep ourselves occupied so we don't drive ourselves crazy wondering if she will make her appearance before Thursday.

Still No Baby . . .

But we are going to see the midwives today. I've been having 10-minutes-apart contractions since Thursday night, and I think they are planning on inducing me tomorrow, so we'll see. Sam is planning on begging them to just induce me today; I am planning on begging them to wait until Thursday. We'll see who wins.

Food Boy Trailer!

No baby yet, but for those of you waiting with baited breath here is a little something to pass the time. We put this new trailer on youtube and the Food Boy website the beginning of this week. Check it out.


And here is the link for the trailer on the official website. Also you can check out the movie's site on the Newport Beach Film Festival site here. Sign up on the page and add it your to calender.

We're down to the single digits!

Um, let's just talk about the fact that the countdown is at 6 days. SIX DAYS! In December, one of the women I visit teach was 8 months pregnant and she told me that when you are going along being pregnant, your due date always seems so far away, until you get the end and you realize that it actually went by so fast. That is so, so true. I can't believe it's already about time to be done with this! Now every time I have an appt with the midwives, they say "we'll see you next week if you're still pregnant." I don't mind if she comes late, early, or right on time, but I just want to know when it will be! The suspense is driving me batty.

My last day of work was Wednesday (!!!!) and my birthday was on Thursday (I'll admit, I'm glad the baby didn't come then. I like to have my own special day), so this has been a fun week! My co-workers had a birthday party/baby shower/farewell party for me on my last day-- it was great. Here is a picture of me with my friends from work. I don't think I could have gotten through the past six months without them!
My birthday was very fun. Sam and I spent (almost) the whole day together. First thing in the morning, we had an appt with the midwives. Then Sam took me to a salon where I got a pedicure. Then we went to the mall and Sam bought me some fun new makeup. And then we went to lunch at P.F. Chang's. Sam had a job interview, and then class, so I hung out at home for a little bit. When Sam got home, we went to my sister Lindsay's house and watched The Office and ate ice cream cake (my favorite thing in the whole world). It was really a great birthday!
Today we went out to lunch with my parents and my sister Lindsay's family (her son, Hunter, turned two on Tuesday). I didn't realize quite how huge I have gotten until I saw these pictures! Standing by my mom, my belly extends halfway past her! Well, my mom's really small, so that might not be so impressive. One thing I love having in common with my mom is that she also was due with her first child about a week after her 23rd birthday.
So, stay tuned! Either the next post will be from an impatient-and-still-pregnant me, or from Sam telling you the exciting news about the new arrival!

Of Babies and Baklava (and a few other things too)

Since I am home sick today with a vicious cold, I thought I could update the blog with a real post. The past few mornings, I have woken up with a sinus headache and a sore throat. I thought I was just getting too hot at night (despite Sam being in a phase of stealing ALL the blankets), but then I woke up this morning and knew this was no too-hot-at-night thing. I have a cold. I am not so happy about it. So I decided to cash in one of the sick days I was storing up and stay at home. It's amazing how much faster the day goes when I am just hanging out at home with Sam than when I am sitting at my desk at work, staring at a computer screen. I guess that's the theory of relativity for you.

In exciting news, The Adventures of Food Boy will be premiering at the Newport Beach Film Festival on April 26! We are so thrilled to have it showing in a festival! We are hoping that Sam will get to go out for the big premiere, but it all depends on when the baby decides to arrive. Sadly enough, no matter when the baby comes, I won't get to go. I think they discourage taking days-old infants on trips. :) I am pretty disappointed that I will miss the exciting event, but I do hope she comes in time for Sam to go-- I would be even more disappointed if he had to miss it too.

We are really getting close on the countdown. My oldest sister, who is pregnant with her fourth, is going in to have her water broken tonight, so that means I'm next! I finish work next Wednesday, and we even got to take a dry run to the hospital two weeks ago. Here's the story on that one: around lunch time, I was at work when I suddenly started having this excruciating back pain. I had know idea what it was, and it was really freaking me out. It came on very suddenly, and it would come and go. I wasn't having any regular contractions, but I really wasn't sure what to do. By the time I got home from work, Sam was starting to get concerned. We called the on-call midwife and since she couldn't really tell what was going on just from talking on the phone, she had me go in to the hospital. We were there for about three hours while they ran some tests, including checking for kidney stones. In the end, the figured it was just some muscle problem-- the baby was probably positioned weirdly and was causing some odd pain with some pinched nerve or muscle spasms or something. So, they gave me some percocet and sent me on my way. I had never taken percocet before, and let me tell you, I certainly enjoyed that! It took a few days for the pain to go completely away, but now I am feeling great! Well, as great as you can feel when you are just about 9 months pregnant. :) But now I know what it's like in the hospital, so that's one good thing!

So, we are slowly but surely getting ready. On that note, I think there is nothing better than some homemade baklava. If you are in the mood for a mediterranean treat, try this recipe that I made yesterday. It's insanely delicious. (I suggest increasing the sauce by 50%)
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Baklava/Detail.aspx?prop31=3

I Get Bored at Work . . .

You Are Pocahantas!

Free-spirited and wise. You have a strong passionate spirit that touches and changes all who know you. The wisdom and common sense that you have is really what guides you through life. Even so, you also have a very playful side that loves adventure and excitement.

Which Disney Princess Are You?