Nolan is here!

Nolan Thomas Yonemura was born Friday, May 28th, 2010 at 4:50 p.m (7 lbs. 3 oz. and 20 in. long). Makoto and I checked into the hospital the day before to begin the laboring process - afterall I was 41 weeks and ready for this little man to get here. As you all can see below he was worth the wait!

Everyone is doing well (including Zoie). We have all fallen head over heels in love with him and can not believe we went this long in a world without him. Enjoy the photos there will be plenty more to come in the future.

Nolan's Nursery

Now that we have been able to put up so much of what we have been blessed to recieve from friends and family Nolan's nursery has really come to life! With the exception of a few more pieces such as his rocking chair, some additional wall art and a rug we are almost finished!

Now that I have reached what I am told is the nesting phase I've been really focused on getting the house ready for our little bundle of joy. I think the room is perfect and will be a place of peace and relaxation (atleast initally...before he goes mobile).

BIG NOTE: At my last doctors appointment we were told Nolan had dropped! This news has definately contributed to my obession at getting things wrapped up and ready. Check out the progress below.

A Fabulous Weekend!

The weekend of April 10th was such a special one for me. We started on Saturday with the Orangeburg March of Dimes Walk at Edisto Gardens. So many friends and family came out in support of a very special little miracle - Morgan Kate! It was so much fun getting the opportunity to see all the girls and reflect on how much we have all grown over the past 12 years since high school. Most of us are parents or we are close to becoming parents - it was very special to see that despite time, distance and whatever else is between us the bond is still there! I couldn't help but think about next year when Makoto and I will have Nolan in our lives and he will be the baby of the group. (Note: I have already told Koto that he will be the one pushing Nolan's stroller on the 5 mile walk - LOL).

On Sunday, April 11th my very best friends hosted a Baby Shower for me in Orangeburg. There are no words to describe how thankful I am to have so many wonderful people in my life sharing in this special time. Friends and family showed up from Orangeburg, Columbia, Beaufort, McCormick and everywhere else to be there for me and I will never forget how special it was. The girls went above and beyond my expectations with there creativity and talent for entertaining. Here are a few photos showing how much fun it all was.

Getting Ready for Nolan!

Wow, it has been way too long since I updated the blog and so much has happened. One of the most exciting of these updates is the development of Nolan's nursery. We began by picking out paint colors and I wanted to go with something a little different than your traditional baby blue so I chose a blue that was almost navy in color. Special thanks to my brother Josh and my Aunt Carla for coming over to help paint. As the walls started to take shape/color, I began to panic that maybe the color was too dark... so in a last minute effort to lighten things up we painted one wall a lighter shade of blue and the end result - PERFECTION!

We also had so much fun going with my parents to search for nursery furniture and finally found the perfect set from Baby Furinture Plus Kids in Columbia. We went with Young America and I LOVE it! Now my Mom and I had already picked out furniture and decided on what we were going to buy but as with a lot of my earlier decisions that changed on arrival. The color of the furniture was too creamy yellow and I was going for white. My Mom, Dad and Makoto were all about to give up several hours into me going back and forth in the store but as they say the best comes to those who wait!

Finally, we were super excited to get the news that Nolan's crib for my parent's house was ready. Now for those of you who are unaware, my Mom couldn't be more excited about her grandson and to show just how excited... she has begun preparing for him to stay with her as soon as possible. She started by choosing to have our old crib refurnished (with the help of MiMi - thank you!) and it turned out wonderful. I think knowing that he will be sleeping in the same place I slept makes it that much more special. Mom also selected crib bedding that perfectly coordinated with the house and specifically her bedroom. That's right HER BEDROOM! My parents have completed all this and placed the crib in their bedroom next to their bed! :) My parents want nothing more than Koto and I to consider our visits to Orangeburg as time off and allow them to do as much as possible - we shall see....

Now that we have the basic bones of the Nursery now comes the details. We are working on placing a wall decal, art, pillows, baskets, toys, etc. to give the nursery its personality. I'll be sure to post pictures of the finished nursery as soon as I actually complete it.

We have a BOY!!!

Makoto and I awoke early on Monday, February 1st anxious for our 10:15 appointment and finally finding out what our precious baby was going to be. We jumped up showered, dressed and waited for my parents to arrive at the house (Mom a.k.a. Proud Grandma) was planning on spending the day with us. Text messages from friends and family began to pour in on my cell phone reminding me of how many people were anxiously awaiting the same news.

We entered the dr.s office, signed in and were taken straight back. The 20 minute wait until the ultrasound felt like an eternity! Luckily just as I was about to lose patience they called us all into the ultrasound room. Now as you remember...last time we attempted this we had no success my assumption was that I simply did not provide a big enough audience for this secret to be revealed. Not this time, as soon as the wand touched my belly there was my baby positioned behind upward providing a perfect view for his male anatomy! Out came the words - well you're definately having a boy! All three of us busted out in laughter and smiled at each other. It was like no other feeling finally knowing (in case you have not picked up on it I'm somewhat inpatient). From that instant second I could see little blue jumpers, baseball games, a nursery filled with little boy colors (blues, greens, yellows and maybe even a touch of orange just to make Daddy and Pops happy).

The rest of the appointment continued in complete amazement as the technician took a close look at every part of Nolan. It was a blessing to receive the news that everything looked very good and that we were both growing and doing well.

After some baby furniture browsing and lunch we went shopping for some cute little boy outfits as I was really in the mood to buy sometime for my baby boy! Below are the items we brought back! It was a fabulous day, one I will remember forever!

Dear Angel Baby,

It is now only three days from our big date where we will get to see you and discover your secret. I am so excited to show Daddy and Grandma the wonder that comes with seeing you on ultrasound. Whether we find out girl or boy I will likely be so overjoyed that I cry with emotion (Daddy says I cry about everything).

Our family has a very special day planned on Monday after the ultrasound. Soon after phone calls will need to be made to family and friends to share the news. From there we head to finalize baby furniture, register and finally buy a gender appropriate outfit. Grandma has planned a very special dinner that evening with Mommy, Daddy, Grandpa and your Uncles Josh and Ryan. (I can't wait!)

While we all continue to dream about the special day when you arrive and we get to hold you for the first time, we will be happy in knowing that you are safe, growing and thriving in my belly!

Already love you more than you will ever know!

Love, Mommy

P.S. Below is a photo of Mommy and Daddy as a baby! Thought this would be fun to share with you so that you can see what a unique and wonderful combination you will one day be!

Is it a Boy or a Girl? We still don't know!

BOY OR GIRL????

We had our long awaited 20 week appointment on Tuesday, January 5th with Dr. Grumbach. Now I always knew that while most people had their BIG ultrasounds scheduled at this point mine wasn't going to take place until February (at 24 weeks). I have no idea why I but my doctor wanted to wait until then and since he has been with me through everything else I opted to accept his judgement.





Now the BIG ultrasound is really for checking the baby's organs and making sure everything is physically in check. The added bonus for most parents is that this gives us the opportunity to find out if we are having a beautiful baby girl or a handsome baby boy. At my 16 week appointment the Dr. explained what would happen at my next appointment - it didn't include an ultrasound! After a little bit to complaint he said, "ok, at your next appointment if I have time I might take a quick peek at the gender with the portable ultrasound machine." I held on to this for the next four weeks.





I arrived at the Dr.'s office on January 5th at 11:00 a.m. - had the usual lab work done, and headed back to the exam room. Dr. Grumbach came in asked questions, checked everything out and provided a good report. He finally asked how I was doing - my reply, "that depends on whether or not you will take a peek at the baby and tell me boy or girl." He smiled and said I will take a 2 minutes look but can't promise anything.





The jelly went on my belly and there in black and white was my little angel. There is no better feeling of relief than to see your baby and know they are doing just fine. Dr. G described everything he saw - providing me with a basic play by play then came Nurse Linda's comment, "is that baby's legs crossed?" Dr. G, "Yep, I'll try a few angles but it looks like your baby doesn't want to cooperate today.





After many attempts on his part we had to give up. Now we are forced to wait another 4 weeks until Monday, February 1st! Koto was not able to make it to my 20 week appt. so it was no surprise that when I went to check out he had sent several text messages asking if I knew anything yet. The next couple hours were spent spreading the news about my baby's preference to sit Indian style. I have opted to believe that Baby Y preferred to hold out for a much bigger audience in order to reveal his/her secret.





At my next appointment I will have both my husband and my Mom there to support me and share in the wonder of seeing this baby on the ultrasound screen and finding out the answer to the question everyone is waiting to hear!