stocking picture

I tried doing the cute stocking picture of Hazel. I put her in the cute red and white pj's from Aunt Christi and cute My 1st Christmas cap from Mimi.


However, the stocking was a bit small to fit over her diapered bottom. And as you can see, she didn't really like being squeezed into a stocking.


Since she was wearing neutral colors, I took the cap off her head and tried a little bow so you could tell she was girl. Once again, she wasn't too happy.


This is the only picture where you can't directly tell she's mad as all get out. Even while crying, she was so cute I couldn't stop taking pictures.


But she's definitely happy in Mimi's arms!

mimi's here!!

Hazel's been getting some very special visitors lately. The best of whom is her Mimi!!

Yes, my mother is in India, and rocking Hazel to sleep all day long. I've never seen a baby take so quickly to someone like Hazel did to her Mimi.


Tonight, some of our friends came to visit Hazel and bring her a cute little outfit.


While they were here, Jaya showed up too! She ran in and hugged my mom (they've been emailing!) like they were long lost friends, and then sat and chatted with us for 2 hours. She also brought a cute little red cardigan and knitted hat.


And Mimi brought with her some really sweet gifts from some family members back home. This is a cute little Christmas outfit from my Aunt Barbara. Hazel is modeling it wearing her fussy face.

lucky hazel!

Most people here believe that when a woman gives birth, she and the baby must stay indoors completely for 6 weeks. I'm pretty sure I'll be risking the occasional scolding from strangers to go out some. But there is at least one really cool post partum custom I am gladly taking part in...the post partum massage! For those 6 weeks, a masseuse is supposed to come daily to massage the mother and the baby. Jaya totally hooked me up with this! Although I'm having her come every other day for a month instead. But it's great! And because this is India, it's super cheap! I must say, though, that Hazel did not enjoy her massage like I did. Getting her first massage at 4 days old...she doesn't realize how lucky she is, does she?

video of hazel at the hospital

Here's the awesome video Andrea made!

what you really want...

a november baby after all!

Obviously I have much to write about the last 4 days! I'll try to sum it up over the next few posts. Also, I tried to put pictures to this post, and had to delete them because they formatted very strangely.

Friday, November 30 - Labor Day! (yes, this is summed up...)

• Although I had stronger cramping in the days leading up to Friday, I noticed the labor pains began around noon. Ironically, I was watching Notes From the Underbelly!
• I classified the contractions as painful around 3:30pm.
• By 5pm, we were at the hospital, and Dr. Kapur said I was only 1.5cm dilated and 60% effaced. I was nervous she would send me home, but she assured me I was definitely in labor because my contractions were strong.
• James ran to get Subway because we knew it would be a long night. My wonderful 'co-labor partners' Andrea and Tonya kept me company. Knowing it took my mind slightly off the pain, Andrea chattered during my contractions, and Tonya rubbed my shoulders and back. Andrea also reminded me of the focus technique, which also helped a little.
• I hit a time of panic, where I cried and repeatedly told James I was a wimp and couldn't do it. He encouraged me in the literal sense of the word - gave me courage. What great support he gave me throughout!
• Friends of ours topped in to affirm me and pray. It was awesome!
• Dr. Kapur had predicted I'd be at 3cm around 7pmand could get the epidural then. I don't actually know how far along I was when I got it, but it was an incredible relief! It didn't hurt a bit. I did freak out for a moment, though, when right after I got it, I felt a pain in my lower back and thought they made a horrible mistake. I yelled, "My back, it hurts!" until I realized it was just a contraction I felt. I'm sure the anesthesiology staff found me very odd.

• After that, I felt no contractions for about an hour. It was pure bliss! When they wheeled me back to the room, I cheerfully exclaimed, I'm back!" James said he was relieved to see me back to normal. At this time, I was able to call some family members back in the US to update them.
• While I had been gone, my visitors had predicted when they thought Hazel would be born. I guessed 3:30am.
• I began to feel my contractions more, and soon was in incredible pain even though I was still receiving the epidural. After about 30 minutes of complaining to the staff that my pain was unbearable, a doctor came in and checked me, and discovered to both our shock that I was fully dilated. She declared I as ready for delivery, and I think I asked, "What does that mean?" I honestly couldn't believe I went from about 3cm to 10cm in 3 hours!
• During the check, my water broke, and the doctor cursed. She informed us the baby had already passed the meconium, and was in distress. Obviously, we were freaked. She whisked us off to delivery where Dr. Kapur met us and told me I'd have to deliver quickly or I'd have to do an emergency c-section. With Nurse Tough-Love pushing on my stomach and telling me not to yell, me praying outloud to Jesus to give me strength and save my baby (Dr. Kapur even joined in once!), and Dr. Kapur's double whammy of the vacuum and threatened c-section, Hazel arrived after 25 minutes of pushing.
• I could actually feel Hazel leave me - there was a definite flattening of my belly and I knew immediately without seeing that she made it out!
• James and I stared in awe, and when she cried we both started crying. It was a release of so many emotions. She was born at 11:06pm (J.O. guessed one minute off at 11:07!) and weighed 3.51kgs (7lb12oz). Praise the Lord she wasn't the 9lb baby I was so nervous about!
• James ran out to tell those waiting that she was born. Dr. Kapur and I both laughed as we heard him yell from down the hall, "I'm a dad!"

The Lord was so gracious to us! I had been praying for months that she’d come between 38-39 weeks and be under 8lbs, and obviously He didn't have to say yes to these, but He did. I had asked Him for a daytime labor, also. He took care of all this and more. He gave us a healthy and safe labor and delivery, a beautiful and healthy daughter, and friends who not only came to support us, but went above and beyond. As many of you know, Adam and Andrea posted pics and also sent out pictures to our friends and family while we were in the hospital. They stayed with us after Hazel was born until around 2am (with their own newborn in tow!) so that they could get the pictures, since the hospital kept her in Nicu for a couple of hours to monitor her. And they also made a movie and sent it out that I will post here soon. What great friends we have! Much more than a support network, wouldn’t you agree?

baby time?

Contractions for 4 hours now, they're every 4-6 min apart.  Dr. Kapur told me to come on in...we'll see!  Check out Andrea's blog for updates, I'm sure she won't mind. :) 

a special song and things they don't tell you

My friend Kelley who had a baby here last year said that some of our Capital friends sang her a song the night before she went into labor. Last night, we got a phone call from these friends, and I was hoping it was the magic labor song. It was!

Baby Hazel
(to the tune of Baby Caskey :)

Baby Hazel, won't you come out
Baby Hazel, you'll be so much fun
Baby Hazel, you'll be number one...in your family
Oh Hazel baby, Oh Hazel baby

They sang it twice for good measure, and I know Hazel appreciated it. Her mom and dad sure did!

Since she hasn't come yet, I've come to the logical conclusion that some of you just aren't praying hard enough. James keeps reminding me that I still have a week (well now 6 days) to go until the due date. I really can't complain because my pregnancy has been so easy and active. But there are some things that other moms don't tell you about the ninth month of pregnancy. For those of you who are either not quite to the 9th month or not pregnant yet, let me be your honest informant:

1. The pelvic bone softening pain! It's incredible how much you can feel your bones softening. Putting on pants, kicking off shoes, standing, sitting, walking...it's all very difficult, and causes quite a few loud sickening pops.
2. The carpal tunnel when you sleep. I haven't had any swelling during the pregnancy, except now my knuckles swell when I sleep. So I have to wake up about 4 times a night and drink a glass of water to help with the swelling, which of course, makes me need to wake up 4 times a night to also go to the bathroom.
3. The fatigue. If you think it's bad in the first trimester, just wait.
4. The pelvic bone softening. It's so bad, it deserves a second mention.
5. The mood swings. Lucky for James, these have been limited mainly to just crying spells and not all-out evil. But I'm sure it doesn't lessen his confusion.
6. The nesting. Well, to be fair, they do tell you about the nesting to a degree. But it occurs differently for everyone, so when you wake up one morning, and unknowingly rearrange the living room furniture, it's quite a shock after you see what you've accomplished.
7. The incontinence. That's all that needs to be said about that.
8. The painful baby movements once she drops. I swear I can feel her grinding her head into my cervix, and if I didn't know any better, I'd think she took some sort of evil pleasure in doing so.

This is all said lightly, because honestly, it's really not all that bad. In fact, it's pretty incredible to think of how God designed our bodies to do this. I mean, the pelvic bone softening thing hurts like a mother, but the fact that He had our body (and even our baby!) produce hormones to allow for a slightly easier passage of the baby, it's mind-blowing! And there are so many examples of this work, I wonder how someone could go through pregnancy and not believe it was intelligently designed.

baby bedding

Last week, we got a much awaited package from James' family. As soon as we found out we were having a girl, James' mom (a talented quilter) began making a pink girly quilt for Hazel. It's beautiful, and I wouldn't expect any less from her!


On the back, there is a very sweet note for Hazel. Does this mean she has settled on being called Nana??


Along with his parents, James' Aunt and Uncle sent along some sheets for the crib! They are in assorted colors, and will keep Hazel nice and cozy. Thanks, y'all!!

'tis the season - officially

We decorated for Christmas last night! I had actually asked James if we could decorate before Thanksgiving (yes...I'm one of those people), but wisely, he opted for us to wait until at least the day after Thanksgiving. So...we pulled out our measly/tacky decorations and got to work. It's fun to think that soon we'll be taking a picture in front of the tree with another family member.


Since I need to stay off of ladders and chairs, for the first time in our marriage, James put the tree up, including the lights! I didn't know what to do with myself while I waited to decorate the tree.


1. We don't have a good tree topper, so I decided to just tie a couple of ribbons on there. 2. Notice I need to make a new stocking! 3. No, I can't believe the size of my belly either.


The Roberts, soon to be three!

thanksgiving - 38 weeks pregnant

Did any of you think the lack of posting was because we had the baby? Sorry to disappoint. Hazel is still enjoying my tummy. Come join us, Hazel! It's fun out here!

I haven't taken any pictures since Diwali, and I was shocked when I saw these pics of me. Not only do I look tired (getting ready for those sleepless nights?) but I am huge!


Andrea and I doing a 'belly picture'. Yes, that is the same Andrea that looked like she was carrying a beach ball under her shirt just two weeks ago, and look at how tiny she is already! Now I'm the one with the beach ball!


And here's the beach ball. :) Precious baby Aashini, who slept through most of Thanksgiving, but was gracious enough to wake up long enough for me to hold her for a few minutes.

After lunch, I went for a long and fast walk. Well, fast for being 9 months pregnant. I also added extra poultry seasoning to my leftover dressing for dinner because sage and thyme are supposed to bring on contractions. It may all be wives' tales, but I'm still trying it all!

daddy-to-be

Is there such a thing as Sympathy Nesting? If so, James totally has it! He hasn't left the kitchen in about 2 weeks now. He has frozen so many meals for the future that we have literally run out of room in the freezer. He bought groceries to make a pie for one of the kids of the family we hang out with, and they even remarked that he must be nesting. Today he came home with a tandoor oven! It's kinda like a grill, but Indian style. When I teased him about nesting, he smiled and said, "I thought it would be fun to cook with Hazel." How precious is that?

I have to say, James is going to make a great dad. Especially if patience with a pregnant wife is any indication! He loves children, and they love him. I think it's because he's so young at heart.

Every day I realize more and more how much of a blessing James is. He is so ready for Hazel to get here, even more than me, I think. Today, at the doctor's appointment, she indicated that things are progressing very well and I'm pretty much in early labor. (although still a ways off, obviously) James was grinning and laughing, and the grin was plastered on his face the rest of the night. We went to a new mall by the hospital after the appointment, and he kept encouraging me to walk upstairs and all around the place. He is ready to hold his baby girl!

what about you?

Because I absolutely crave to hear other womens' birth stories right now, I am posing some questions that I hope you all answer! I'm very near my due date, so the more info, the better!

1. Were you early or late?
2. What do you think brought on your labor?
3. Did you try any of the "natural labor inducements"? (ie, walking up stairs, drinking castor oil)
4. For a week or a few days leading up to labor, did you have any signs that it was coming?
5. How long were you in labor for?

Feel free to post your birth story...you know I of all people could never think anyone was too wordy!

they're having a sister!

I never passed on the good news - my brother and his wife found out they're having another girl! So the twins will have a younger sister, and Hazel will have a girl cousin her age to play with. I'm so excited to meet my niece next year!

37 week phenomenon

The weirdest thing has happened. Today marks 37 weeks of pregnancy. Hazel's lungs should be fully functioning now, and in the chance that I go into labor as soon as today, most likely everything will be perfectly fine with both of us. For months, I have been looking forward to this milestone, and thought that once I hit this magic number, I would be praying for immediate labor and doing all the things that are supposed to bring it on.

But...now I'm hesitant. Is it the fear of the most painful thing known to woman? Is it because I love sweet potato casserole so I want her to wait until after Thanksgiving? Is it because now, all of a sudden, I'm terrified of the responsibility of caring for another human? If you guessed d.), all of the above, you would get an A+.

I never would have guessed my feelings could change so drastically from one day to the next!

week 36 pics and doctor appointment

Look out! Big belly coming through! There's definitely no hiding that I'm really close to having a baby. I'm dressed up because we were on the way to Jaya's for a Diwali party.

I went to the doctor again today. We "reserved" our room for the delivery. I was highly confused about that when I first heard we had to reserve a room. I guess it's just so they have an idea of how many women to expect around a certain time.

I had some cramping last night, just for about 20 minutes. I read in What to Expect that cramping is a sign of possible early labor. (which can last for hours or for weeks) But Dr. Kapur told me that most likely I just ate something that disagreed with me. I've convinced myself she told me this just to keep my expectations low. Unfortunately, I'm all too ready for this baby to get here, so my expectations are sky-high. She said Hazel is about 3/5 engaged, but seemed to think I'm still a ways off from labor. Also, she had to be reminded that Hazel has been measuring as quite a large baby. That's odd - it's all I can think about. :) She did some metric system math in her head that would mean nothing to my American readers, but came out with the number of 4 kg (about 8 lb 12 oz). Her eyes got big when she realized the number. So much for comforting me.

hazel's room

At the baby shower, Tonya provided an activity for us to do that turned into a cool gift for Hazel's room. In lavender, pink, and green (colors I told her I would have used to decorate Hazel's room had we an actual nursery) she had a friend paint/draw on a canvas the letters HAZEL with some girly details. Then everyone at the shower thought of a word starting with each letter in her name to describe Hazel. For example, for 'H', people offered happy, honorable, heavenly, etc. They did this for all the letters - obviously 'Z' was a little hard! Then I chose one word I liked the best, and someone wrote that word out, and it turned into a cute custom made painting just for our little girl! Isn't that creative? Also, her name is written in Hindi on the right side. What a great idea and memory for Hazel and me.


The room is pretty much ready for Hazel's arrival. Since her room is also the spare room and so it's functional and not very decorative (we're leaving this house in just a few months, so that would have been a waste of energy and money!) it didn't take me that long to get it together.


Here is her crib. If I have the time or energy, I'm gonna get a pillowcase made for the little white pillow. If not, then it'll be tossed. Also, James' aunt and uncle, and his mom are each sending some more sheets for the crib!


Aunt Tiffany (maker of delicious scones and quiches! :) bought this wicker shelf for me to put some of the items that I'm assuming will be the more used ones, like diaper paraphernalia and onesies. I really needed this shelf, because I completely ran out of room in the closet.


The stuffed closet!


A side note - our very sweet friends in Russia, the Goodman's, sent Hazel a couple of bibs. (Thanks, y'all!!) She's getting quite a collection of international accessories!

jellybean has arrived!!

Stay tuned to their blog for more details. They'll update it when they get a chance...

a tale of two baby showers

Once upon a time, two kind ladies named Suzie and Tonya wanted to throw a joint baby shower for two very pregnant friends, Andrea and Emily. One said pregnant lady, Andrea, ended up needing overnight monitoring in the local hospital. So what were a group of fellowship-loving ladies to do?

Well, have two baby showers, of course!

Our heroine, bedecked in pink to represent the anxiously awaited arrival of her daughter, Hazel, went to the baby shower as planned. She was a little sad to not be able to share this honor with Andrea, but the large amounts of food made up for it. It was a brunch theme, and after all, breakfast is her favorite meal.
The guests all graciously prayed for Emily and Hazel, and then said a word of advice for the mother-to-be.
They laughed, joked, and talked with each other until Suzie brought out some toilet paper. The guests wondered why would toilet paper be at a baby shower? Suzie quickly explained that everyone was to guess how much toilet paper it would take to wrap around the pregnant belly. The toilet paper was Indian, so each square was a slightly different length. Our heroine was about 10 squares around, and Lydia guessed the closest with 11 squares. Everyone else over-guessed, much to the amusement of Hazel's mother.Gifts were passed around, and our heroine was overwhelmed by her friends' generosity. Everything to prepare for a bouncing baby girl was provided, and the mother-to-be felt the true meaning of what it meant to be in the Creator's family.Then delicious cake made by Tonya was passed around, and everyone was full of sugar. None was more delighted than our heroine. A very unique gift was created on the spot for Hazel, which will be posted later. And then as some people left for their homes, others boarded a vehicle to take the baby shower on the road! The less round ladies boarded a lot more gracefully than our heroine.

After sneaking gifts up to Andrea's room, 5 ladies, one man, and a little girl celebrated the up-coming arrival of Jellybean in what was surely a hospital rule-breaking baby shower. Some cake and tasty scones made by Tiff were brought for Andrea to enjoy later, and the toilet paper was pulled out one more time.

Although our heroine came close, it was actually the father-to-be, Adam, who knew the exact amount of toilet paper needed to circle his wife's belly.

Gifts were opened, and Jellybean's creative gift was worked on as well.
At 36 and 34.5 weeks, the mothers-to-be took another belly picture, and everyone enjoyed the impromptu hospital baby shower. More prayers were said, this time for Andrea and Jellybean, and smiles were on the faces of all in that hospital room. No one can know for sure, but legend holds that even Jellybean and Hazel were smiling that night. The end.

maternity sari

Yesterday was a wedding! So I got to wear a sari while 35 weeks pregnant! I was nervous about my belly showing, but the sari that Jaya bought for me is actually made to be worn Gujrati style, which covers the belly. Not only am I big, but the material is a thicker silk that doesn't really hang, so I look like I'm wearing a tent. But that's okay. I still got to play dress up!


Jaya tying my sari.



The finished product. The weird flare up on the side is supposed to be there, although I think it looks strange. I think if the material was georgette, it wouldn't have done that.

Side view. I love the pallu from this view!

James and I at the wedding. Look how dusty it is now days!

With some friends - aren't they beautiful? Their saris are tied the North Indian way. I realized last night I still have not bought my own sari yet. I can't wait to pick out my own! This country is so fun.

With the bride and groom!

More pictures (not of us, as usual) are on the other blog.