We are delighted to announce that after a 14 hour labor, we welcomed a healthy baby girl into our family. Her name is Nia Marisa Novak and she weighed in at 7 lbs 8 oz. She was 20 inches in length and born at 12:39 PM in the afternoon on Saturday, October 22nd (we went into labor at...
Tag - Baby Novak
So, tomorrow (October 21st) is my official due date. Â I had what I **HOPE** will be my last Doctor appointment this morning and was THRILLED to finally get some uplifting news. Â Here’s what we found out: I am 1 cm dilated! I am 50% effaced (that’s where the cervix thins out...
I had an experience on Wednesday that gave new meaning to the phrase “Rolling Out the Red Carpet.” Â It was, hands down, one of the most exceptional service experiences I have ever had. Â I imagine you are trying to guess where this incredible service took place...
Baby is slowly starting to make her way down. Â Hopefully it’ll be any time now that we’re welcoming Nia into the world. . .
In case it isn’t obvious, I’ve got some MAJOR control issues surfacing around this whole birth thing. Â This is frustrating for a variety of reasons, but most notably because I’ve done a ton of personal work on this in the past and largely eliminated it from several...
A Brief History of My Relationship with My Body I’m sure you’re wondering what the heck I’m talking about when I say “my relationship with my body’. Â Surprisingly, we all have one. Â Think of it as a lens that we view our body through. Â Much like any...
Well folks, we’ve reached the 37 week mark and with all the recent pain in my legs from her compressing my sciatic nerve, I’m VERY ready for her to come out. Â And technically, I’m full term, so we’re good to go at any point from here on out (even though my...
I am officially registering a complaint! At 36 1/2 weeks, pregnancy is no longer fun. Â Yes, up until Saturday, I would have told you that I was having a jolly good time being pregnant. Â I felt like my tummy was relatively compact and sitting higher up (which was nice for my bladder)...
Fact: 10-15% of women are affected by postpartum depression (PPD). Fact: If you have a history of depression in your past, you are 30% MORE LIKELY than the average woman to get postpartum depression (PPD). Reality: Given my history of anxiety/depression, there’s a strong chance I...
I’ve been a girl on a mission this last week. Â While the setting up house was important insomuch as it made Nick and I feel more at ease, the critical issue at hand was putting together our birthing and postpartum team for Baby Nia’s delivery (who is due 5 weeks from...
With less than 6 weeks to go now, I’m starting to acquire quite the bump. Â Honestly, it doesn’t feel that much bigger than the 30 wk bump and I’m crossing my fingers that it just stays right around this size! Nesting is in full force and I’m taking advantage of...
It’s been a heck of a week folks. Â Last Friday we pulled out of MN at 6 AM, headed for our nation’s capital. Â Given that I feel like humpty dumpty now at 34 weeks pregnant, I convinced Nick that we should split the drive over 3 days (roughly 5-6 hours a day). Â It ended up...
We had our 7th ultrasound of Nia today and I’m pleased to report that she’s thriving in my womb. Â She is up to a robust 5 pounds now and is measuring in the 78th percentile. Â I let her know that it’s just fine if she slows down her growing, as there will be plenty of...
My belly is finally getting some substance to it now that I’m 2 weeks into the third trimester. Â Nick and I are currently in Bend, Oregon with Nick’s parents and I’m taking advantage of the beautiful views and peaceful environment. Â The picture above is a shot from...
Have I mentioned that my husband amuses the heck out of me? Â Get this. Â He’s been begging me for months to find him a baby that he can practice diapering and swaddling on. Â He initially wanted a real baby, but I told him that was out of the question. Â I thought he’d...
On Sunday afternoon my Mom and Sisters threw a Baby Shower so our friends and relatives could celebrate the upcoming arrival of Baby Nia. Â Given that my Mom was in charge, guests knew that they could expect a memorable time (she has a reputation!) Â Being a big fan of party themes, I of...
Hi Blog Readers – I just got my first US ultrasound done last thursday. Â Boy was the tech surprised when she casually asked if this was my first ultrasound and I replied that it was actually my 6th! Â Then I had to go on to explain the liberal use of ultrasounds in Manila. Â She...
One of the best pregnancy benefits I’ve experienced thus far has been an increased awareness of my body. Â I think this occurs naturally for most pregnant women, but to varying degrees depending on the degree to which you let it affect you. Â As with anything, I realized that there...
Miller Sisters at the Groom’s Dinner. L to R: Beth (3rd), Emily (2nd), Jenna (4th), Sarah (1st) It was a big weekend in the Miller Household. Â Emily Miller (second oldest) married her superstar guy Andrew Sullivan. Â Since these events only come around once in a lifetime...
As with all things in this pregnancy, I am finding it impossible to wait. Â Yes, I could hold out on you and not tell what the name is till the birth. Â But that’s just not my style! Surprisingly, we settled on one of the first names we came up with. Â We both intuitively knew that...
Big day today.  After an extensive search, I finally selected my Prenatal Yoga Studio.  I ended up choosing Blooma in St. Paul, which is devoted exclusively to Pre and Post-natal Yoga, in addition to Mom & Baby Yoga classes.  The studio is located in an adorable house on Grand...
I know you’re sick of hearing about baby and my amazing garage sale finds. Â The thing is, that’s what I’m obsessed with at the moment. Â I think garage-saling is my form of nesting since I don’t have a home of my own right now or a nursery to decorate...
Hi all- Â I hit the halfway mark of the pregnancy this week and thought I’d post another picture since I’m finally starting to have a legitimate belly. Â Just pulled out the first maternity clothes this week so there’s no going back now… Sorry for the lack of posts...
Our Tentative Travel Schedule I’ve been getting lots of questions about our schedule for the next year from friends and family. Â Although we do not have our official orders yet (which means there’s still a small chance things could change), I’m going to go ahead and...
Baby Novak’s Brain! (a top view) As you all know, I’m quite impatient in general, so this whole baby gender thing has been on my mind since we found out we were pregnant 11 weeks ago. Â Thankfully, Nick also had a desire to know early (and was okay with me telling the...
So last week I had the chance to go on my first-ever Medevac for the Foreign Service. Â The term sounds a little scary and that’s because usually it is just that – A Medical Evacuation. Â Medevacs are used when appropriate Medical care for your condition cannot be...
If you remember back just 3 short weeks ago, Baby Novak was a 1/4 inch, lentil-sized blob with a little flicker of a heartbeat in the middle. Â Fast forward 3 weeks and we’ve got a 1 inch, grape-sized gummy bear, complete with arms and legs (and what we think is an above-average...
So here’s how we’re divvying up the overwhelming amount of baby-related information to learn in Novak land. Â It’s really quite simple, I take care of anything that has to do with my body, including: Pregnancy Health/Nutrition Birth/Labor Breastfeeding Nick gets...
I feel misled. Â I was told that pregnancy was magical. Â And I believed it – hook, line and sinker. Â I was ready to GLOW from within and feel an INSTANT BOND with my unborn fetus. Â Instead, I am miserable. Â Today I went so far as to try and barter my 7 week...
There’s nothing like a little end-of-the-week baby scare to get a soon-to-be-parent’s heart beating faster… Earlier in the week on Tuesday morning I had a bit of dark spotting (for those not as familiar with pregnancy, blood = bad). I texted the doctor (how cool is that...
If you’ve been following me on the blog or Facebook lately, you’ll know that I’ve been very vocal about my top goal for 2011 which is (Drumroll, please….) TO HAVE A BABY. Â Being the powerful intention setter that I am (and with a little help from Nick), I’m...