Introducing Our Baby Girl

BOSTON, MASS. -- On Sunday, December 15 at 6:42 p.m., in the middle of a massive New England snowstorm, Isaac and I welcomed this cute little girl into the world.

Meet Marin Jean Reeve. She's named after a special place with deep meaning to the Candrian family; and after Isaac's grandmother, a tremendously talented, gracious woman, who passed away a few years ago. Marin weighed 8 pounds and measured 20.5 inches long. We are so glad she's finally here, safe, healthy and happy.

Just four days old in this photo

Overjoyed dad gazing at his daughter a few minutes after her birth 

Proud, tired mom just moments after Marin was born

Marin was a week late, so I was induced Sunday morning, after checking in to the hospital Saturday afternoon before a big snowstorm hit the region. They started me on some kind of pill Saturday to get the process going (since I had not progressed at all), and boy did it work!  After a sleepless night of ridiculously painful contractions every minute and a half, I got an epidural (how does anyone give birth without one?!)... wondering why on earth I didn't ask for one sooner. After a day of slow but steady progress, the doctor popped in around 5:30 to check my progression and she gleefully announced, "Are you ready to start pushing?!"  I wasn't expecting it to happen just like that, and it kind of freaked me out a bit, but moments later I was pushing. And less than an hour later our little girl made her big debut into the world.  She sure is a sweet little thing. We are so glad she's ours, though it hardly seems real.  Christmas was extra special this year with Marin in our home.  What a tremendous reminder of our Savior's birth.

Pregnancy: Curing What Ails Me

BOSTON, MASS.- Well, my due date has come and gone. A certain little baby girl never got the memo apparently. If she doesn't come on her own this week, then the plan is to likely be induced early next week.

So, in recognition of still being pregnant, I thought I'd jot down some things to remember/not remember about this first pregnancy of mine:

This is me on my due date, December 8. I'm posting it knowing full-well I look chubby. I feel it too.

• During my first trimester, I never got really bad morning sickness, but I did feel something equivalent to being car sick much of the time. And smells... ohhhh. I wish there was an on-off button for my nose, because I would shut it off for sure! I could smell anything and everything, amplified about 10 times. It was the worst! Especially during lunch time at work when everyone would eat lunch at their desks (open cubicles nonetheless) and all the scents would some how accumulate to my desk. I remember covering my nose to keep from gagging more than once. 
• I get hot all the time. This is a huge incentive to me to never be fat. I now understand how overweight people are hot all the time. Folks: there is a cure: don't be fat (or pregnant)! Problem solved.
• My back aches in this one spot, right in the center (and slightly to the right) almost constantly. It feels like someone is twisting one of my back ribs.
• Pain underneath the ribs is not fun. For months, this baby has enjoyed digging in under my right rib cage.  At one point it throbbed constantly, but now I think it's so bruised beyond repair that it is often times just numb. 
• It's hard to stay comfortable sitting down at my desk at work (or sitting anywhere, really)... but if I stand, then I suddenly feel like I have to go to the bathroom every 5 minutes. I'm not sure which is the lesser pain.
• Pressure. Holy moly. Sometimes it's bad. And it makes me limp when I walk. Now I know why pregnant woman waddle.
• I've never had trouble sleeping before, so this ailment irks me to the core: Every few nights I have a hard time sleeping (though it's become more regular as the days/nights go by). Like really hard time. Tossing, turning, not being comfortable, feeling overheated, major heartburn, having to get up at least a few times to go to the restroom. If I've slept well for two or three nights in a row, I know I'm due for a lousy, restless sleep. Last night was one of those nights. I hate them.
• At night (though sometimes during the day) I get MEGA heartburn. It burns my entire chest and develops into acid reflux. So gross. And so uncomfortable.
• Off and on during the last nine months, my feet and ankles have become the unattractive "cankle." Some days they come. Some days they don't. Most recently the doctor noticed even my legs are swelling a little. And my fingers. Some days my wedding ring doesn't even fit (but on cold days, which we have a lot of around here, it fits just fine, thankfully). 
• One symptom I won't go into detail about has caused some not fun moments involving what I think is these. Ew. Thankfully, they've subsided for the time being.
• During my first trimester, I craved smoothies all the time. And pretty much anything that could be classified as a dessert. Now, most "food cravings" are minimum (though I still crave any dessert always, any time, anywhere), and instead I have this weird thing for toothpaste and certain smells. Mostly smells that contain chemicals I shouldn't be smelling in the first place, like paint, gasoline, cleansers, etc. They smell amazing to me!  And if I wasn't concerned about my brain cells, I would be sniffing them all the time. But back to toothpaste... oh my. I could brush my teeth for hours at night, if my gums didn't bleed so dang bad! Another fun pregnancy symptom.

I think that's about it. Sometimes it feels like I've been pregnant forever. But I'm sure as soon as this little baby girl is here in my arms, it'll seem like she's been here all along. So for now, I'll enjoy a few more diaper-less, non-crying days and nights. Our lives are certainly in for some major change, that is for sure!