Ferrara's in Florida

MiMi makes at least one stop at Macy's whenever she visits and this trip was no exception. This time she convinced Pops to accompany her so they took the subway to Herald Square before we met for brunch at Friend of a Farmer. Among the many outfits that MiMi chose, there were a few undershirts in the mix. Her daddy calls them karate outfits but I think they resemble a chef's uniform.

After receiving two nights of intermittent sleep along with a cocktail of iron pills, ibuprofen and prenatal vitamins, I've emerged from the land of New Baby--at least for the next few minutes. Just want to say thank you from Philip and me for all the nice comments you left on the blog. Also thank you to those who brought us meals, left us voicemails, came to the hospital or our home to visit, "baby-sat" both Sable and myself this week (I'm house bound), and for those who sent flowers and gifts. Special thanks to Aunt Ginger, aka the hacker, for keeping the blog up-to-date. My acceptance speech is officially over... Brandon and Lauren visited us tonight and brought a DELICIOUS lasagna & garlic bread. They took our first family photo, too.

"Sable picked out her favorite shirt today" - Philip Sleeping Beauty - I bet she is dreaming about her daddy. Look closely and you can see Phil's log of baby feeding times. I don't think Gina & Phil are sleeping; however, I do believe my baby is keeping a full tummy - she pooped today and yesterday. That's all I have for you guys. I know you faithful Fan Club Members can't get enough of this sweetie pie but don't worry, I'll keep posting everything I get! (HINT HINT Philip - I can't get enough of this stuff!) Philip, thanks for the pics, & please keep them coming. You are doing a great job Sable's portfolio. Ginger, Proud President of the Sable Yukari Fan Club

More pics posted by the hacker: That pacifier is almost as big as her cheeks How can anyone resist this sleeping sweet pea?!?!?!?! Only 2 days old and daddy's hooked! How sweet in her fuzzy star outfit with matching hat

Ginger hacked into Gina's blog to give all the Big Apple Baby fans the news of her arrival since mommy & daddy are in the hospital... Big Apple Baby is here!!! Baby girl, Sable Yukari Ferrara, 6 lbs. 14 oz., 19.5 inches entered this world at 1:00 p.m. on the dot yesterday, Saturday, March 10, 2007. She and momma Gina are healthy and doing great! Look at those beautiful feet!!! Beautiful Baby!!! So Sweet!!! Gina & Philip requested I tell everyone thank you for your phone calls & prayers! Momma & Baby should be leaving the hospital sometime Monday.

Today is Big Apple Baby's official due date. Before he left for work, Philip reminded me that I couldn't go into labor until after his topping-off party & biz dinner at Peter Luger's Steakhouse. How about that for a good morning wake-up call?! LOL I felt absolutely perfect all morning so I curled my hair, threw on a dress and even went on a nice, brisk walk around midtown west. To a 9mo.+ pregnant woman, 32 degrees feels more like 50, so I especially enjoyed the weather. I spent my lunch break at a dr. appt. only to find out that my blood pressure was high, which has been a normal occurrence over the last month. Dr. Rhee didn't seem happy to hear that I was working with high BP so she gave me orders to lay on my left side until the baby is born...that means official bed rest. And for the first time she said no exercising. The good news is that she said Big Apple Baby is very close to entering the world. One blessing of the timing of the church's closing ...

Will this be my last progression summary? Only God knows the answer... Weeks 39, 36, 34, 31, 24, 20, 16

We were invited to one of the coolest parties on Sunday night. Elijah and Raina hosted an Oscar party with a five-course menu, Oscar trivia, prizes in the form of chocolate Oscars...all complete with a red carpet! David and Kristin brought special guest, Solomon their lap dog, complete with his own tuxedo bow tie. The dress code was cocktail attire, so I had to get creative. When I was just under 7 months at our Christmas party, I (barely) fit into one of my cocktail dresses so I didn't even chance it at 38 1/2 weeks. I got creative and pulled out the floor-length skirt the bridesmaids wore in my wedding...and donned it as a strapless tea-length dress complete with matching wrap. And talk about comfortable! Thought y'all would get a kick out of this photo; we certainly did.

Wow, I'm officially 9 months today. This week, to my surprise, I slowed down tremendously--left work early two days in a row & am exercising only 20 min - 1 hr a day. Work has been so much fun as fundraising has really picked up this first quarter, and I think I will miss it when I'm on maternity leave which begins March 12th. Only one week til my due date--50% effaced and 2+cm dilated. For the first time in 9 months I shed a little blood & for the first time ever , I was happy to see it. The doc says this could mean only one thing--Big Apple Baby is on the way!

Dr. Rhee is on vacation so Dr. Playforth checked me on Wednesday. She said I'm 2.5 centimeters dilated indicating a fast delivery and the baby's steady heartbeat points to a mellow baby. That news sounds good to me. Looking forward to next week's appointment...

I'm 38 weeks pregnant with less than two to go until my EDD. I've been so busy at work that I hardly have time to think about having a baby, but my boss is doing a great job of reminding me. I think I've had more meetings with him in the past week than I've had in the duration of my employment at Fenway Partners. This week became the first week in ~5 years that I didn't teach one aerobics class (other than vacation) and I have to say, other than feeling a tinge of laziness, it was enjoyable. Sleeping 8+ hours a night does wonders for my daily energy levels. Since my early mornings were free this week, I laid in bed for a few extra minutes enjoying the wiggles of the baby inside of me. I really enjoy feeling the baby move around my belly; it's such a miraculous time. With my doctors and colleagues reminding me that I could have the baby any day now, it still feels like make believe. Our hospital bags are packed, the car seat is installed & our excitement is ...

This was a fun pic taken of Kristin (week 33) and me (week 37) at Colin and Sofia's Jack and Jill wedding shower. Their shower was probably the best co-ed bridal shower I've been to as the entertainment was so much fun. As you can see in this photo, Big Apple Baby has started his/her descent. Although I walk a little slower, I prefer carrying the baby lower as I seem to have less back pressure, I don't breathe as heavy, and getting in and out of takes less effort. It's been so much fun being pregnant with a friend!

Big Apple Baby's nursery is complete. Surprisingly, our home doesn't look overcrowded at all, and the actual baby's room looks more spacious with nursery furniture than it did when it was empty. Victoria visited yesterday and was the first to see the decorated nursery. As she put it, she "couldn't believe how nice it looked compared to when it was Louie's room." Her first impression got me excited b/c it was the first room I decorated on my own since I left my parents' home for college. (Usually Philip has great ideas for home decorating, hence his nickname Marty Stewart, but I actually picked out the renovations & all of the furniture & accents.) The nursery is missing just a few things--a mobile, some art that is being framed and of course, Big Apple Baby. We have yet to find a mobile that coordinates in color and style of the nursery--we're open to any and all suggestions so please leave comments. As for the art, it will be ready in on...

On Thursday, 2/15 I'll be full-term at 37 weeks. I remember the day we found out we were expecting, wow how time really flies! I received good news at my doctor's appointment today--I'm dilated 2 cm (up 1cm from last week), I'm measuring well, and my doctor said the baby is getting ready. I'm sporting a full figure although I have nary an appetite. Philip calls me "Snow Woman" whenever he sees me in my non-maternity, very, very snug tea-length winter coat. And...we've been playing house...Well, Philip has been "building" house while I've been decorating the nursery. We finally have a full house of baby stuff, and the excitement is building daily as we await the arrival of Big Apple Baby.

Today I'm 36 weeks pregnant with exactly one month until my due date. I've noticed some dramatic changes this last week--the most noticeable ones yet in my 8 months (other than my protruding belly). The biggest change is that I can't keep up the same daily pace without sacrificing my sanity. I had my weekly ob visit yesterday. My doctor said my blood pressure was higher than usual the past two weeks which could be a sign that I'm on my feet too much. I initially disagreed since I work in an office, but later in the day I started thinking that maybe the doc was right as I had been feeling emotionally overwhelmed this week. Yesterday I felt unusually stretched as it was a particulary busy work day, so by the time I left work I had as much as I could handle. I went to meet my driver who was parked on the wrong block, which would usually be no big deal; however, last night it was drama, drama, drama. There I was standing outside of Carnegie Hall on 7th Avenue in the middl...