No, it's not a little high chair!

You might think the highchair is little, but it really is not. This is Larry and he's just really fat. He was over 16 pounds last year at his vet visit, which will come due here again in another 2-2.5 months (I wonder how much he will weigh this year.) So, if you have actually see him in the flesh you will realize that this is a very decent size highchair that is made to look minitaure next to him.

Daddy took the picture to email to his co-workers that chipped in to buy this highchair. Larry likes to pose for pictures. Daddy put it together and set it up in the dining room. I think it's a good thing we registered for the wooden highchair, as we probably need some sturdiness to it so that it will hold up so that eventually the baby will actually be able to use it someday.

Article in the Onion

Daddy sent me this article in The Onion. Funny, but sad.

Daddy Nesting?

Do daddy's do nesting? Just curious.

Daddy installed the car seat in his car, put together the high chair & put that in the dining room, is picking up the travel system (of which the carseat will go in my car), and also did the reading on labor & delivery in the book (which I asked him to do).

Hopefully tomorrow we can go pick up the Red Maple we bought from Lowe's and daddy can plant that this weekend. We are planting the tree for the baby.

What Do I Really Need in that Diaper Bag?

You know - I have been looking at several places trying to figure out just what I need to pack in the diaper bags (yes, one for each of us, we just picked up one for daddy on Friday, it's actually just like mine but the color is slightly different and it doesn't have that diaper bag look to it - we like them.) Here is one site that is excessive, and another that is very simple.

Anyways - maybe some moms out there want to comment on what they found helpful.

So, diapers & wipes are a given. Do I really need a whole days supply of diapers in there? I think that may be overboard, unless we are going to be gone for a whole day. Most of our excursions are only a few hours. But I will bring along a plastic bag for the diapers - a given.

The plan is to breastfeed, so hopefully "I" don't have to worry about the bottles during the next year, but daddy may have to bring along some bottles if he is going out with the baby.

What about change of clothes? Do I really need more than one? Some websites said to have 2-3 changes of clothes and others say just one (& make it a simple one piece outfit).

You know - I like our new diaper bags, but they really aren't equipped to be carrying EVERYTHING that some of these websites recommend. Some sites recommend bringing my entire medicine cabinet practically. Like a baby hairbrush - do I really need to bring that? I mean Come On! They are a baby with soft fine hair, you just pat it down with your hand (unless you are going out to get pictrues taken) You can wait to comb it again until you get home. I don't even carry a brush along for me, why would I weigh myself down with that for the baby?

I understand once the baby gets older I'll need snacks & sippy cups along - I mean, Come On! I do that for myself even. Bring on the snacks & beverages.

I was thinking carrying along some of those travel Shout wipes would be a good idea (to prevent stains on the baby & me!)

Some things should be brought along only if you are going to be gone for a while and it is appropriate for the day. Like sunscreen, in most cases we won't be gone long enough that I can't just put it on at home. Or diaper rash ointment - do I really need to bring this along unless she has diaper rash? Teething gel - again, do I need to bring this unless she is teething? Acetaminophen - I suppose I could just out some in there just in case, that won't take up too much space. Antihistamine for babies - should I or shouldn't I? Should I go out & purchase this before the baby is born, as we don't know if she'll be allergic to bee stings (Are people who are allergic to bee stings also alelrgic to wasp stings?)

Recieving blanket - well, I think we'll just have one in each vehicle anyways and we generally aren't going places unless we are in our cars anyways. There isn't a whole lot of places to walk to in our little town, and if we do, I can just grab one if we need one.

Toys & books, I think we'll grab what we need when we think we'll need it. I am sure there will be random toys littering our backseat (I'd get one of those backseat organizers, but I don't know if we would use it - just bring realistic - neither of us keeps our cars super organized and I don't think that will change just because we have a baby, actually, I anticipate out backseat looking even more dishelved.)

And when we take her to day care, we'll already have a supply of diapers, wipes, & ointment there. We only need to have the change of clothes available in the diaper bag - well, and my day's supply of breatmilk (which I was thinking of going out & getting a small lunch bag - because mine is big & already carries my lunch - to put the milk I pump at work in & transport.)

Well, so far, we both have our diaper bags with a change of clothes in, half day supply of diapers, wipes, a plastic bag for diapers, the changing mat that came in it (so you ever use those?), and a bunch of little sample products I've received, & mine has a receiving blanket in it in case we need it for taking her home on the first day.

I also made up a checklist (from going to a bunch of different websites) and started packing my labor bag and hospital stay bag. I packed what I already can (& don't need now or have extras of it), and then we'll pack the rest when it comes time. But for now the bags can sit in the closet and have the checklist that makes it so we don't have to worry what we are forgetting. And if we do forget something - oh well - we don't live that far away that Andy or someone can't run & get it for us, or we probably didn't need it anyways. The important thing the hospital wants is our insurance stuff, which I have already pre-registered (filled out forms & the made a copy of the insurance card) and they have a copy of the birth plan. Anything else we bring is just for convenience or comfort (other than my change of clothes for when I go home), everything else you can get at the hospital if you don't have it yourself (like toiletries, pads, snacks, etc.)

Ok - long enough post here.

I signed up a couple weeks ago for a free magazine called Baby Center. I wish I had know about it before now, but oh well. I just got my 3rd trimester issue. Here's what I found interesing in there:

* Expectnet.com is a place where you can register a game for participants to take guesses as to the sex, birth weight, birth length, birth date, and birth time. You get points for everything. I put in my guesses. I went early, I am thinking I may go into labor on the full moon (May 13th) and end up having the baby the next morning (which happens to be Mother's Day). People at work have started a guessing thing on the white board in the classroom, most everyone thinks I will go late. I sent out an email to friends & family to allow them to guess (you need our game name to access it). If I missed you or you are one of my frequent blog readers, let me know and I will get you the game name.

* Some cute ideas for handpainted onesies to give as gifts.

* Lots of interesting statistics

* An article on 10 Childbirth Surprises - very interesting. (6 different moms tell their stories of each of the 10 areas.) And then it goes on to provide short comments on 10 postapartum surprises.
- You may not realize labor has started
- Half your laboring "tools" may go unused
- The pain is manageable - really
- Great dads don't always make great doulas
- Nothing prepares you for the final phase of labor
- Pushing isn't instrictive (except when it is)
- You may have no clue what your body's up to
- An emergency C-section isn't as scary as you think
- Tearing isn't a given - and it sounds worse than it feels
- Bonding isn't always instantaneous

She Thinks I'm Cuuuuuttteee!

Do you remember that line in the Christmas cartoon special of Rudolph? When Clarice tell Rudloph she thinks he's cute and then he starts jumping all over the place and flies around and impresses everyone.

Well, that was the thought that was going through my head tonight when some of the daddy's co-workers told me I looked cute. I always wanted to be that cute pregnant lady, not a big fat tub-a-lard (Daddy thinks that's a funny sounding descriptor and laughs when I say it.)

I had made a point of going out and buying some maternity clothes that were well-fitted so that they would hug my womanly pregnant curves. Don't get me wrong, I do have some of the big tent t-shirts. But I never get compliments when I wear those. I get compliments when I wear stuff that fits and makes me look pregnant rather than fat.

Now, these ladies had no reason that they even had to acknowledge what I was wearing or what I looked like. So, I really appreciated it and it made me feel good. Actually, when I was at work today I had received a couple of comments as well. I do like this stage of pregnancy better, as far as dressing is concerned, because there is no mistaking that I am pregnant.

A lot of people have also been telling me that I am "small" for my stage of pregnancy. But I am measuring right where I am supposed to and I am weighing right where I am supposed to. So, I don't worry if people think I am "small", as the doctor is not concerned about anything, so why should I be. But I like being told I am "small" I don't think anyone has EVER told me I was small. And my stomach has never been so rock solid before either. Maybe I could just be perma-pregnant.

Actually, I think the reason that people say I am small is because I basically look like me with a pregnant belly and slightly wider hips (supposedly due to joints spreading and is supposedly to go back to normal after birth.) But I have not gained all sorts of weight like some people do. It kinda drives me nuts when people tell me I should eat more *crap* because I am pregnant and am eating for two. It feels to me like they want me to get all huge & fat. No one tells me to eat some more carrots or another pear. It's "have a piece of cake", "want some candy", "eat some chips", or "oh, take two because you are eating for two."

Yes, I have eaten plenty of *crap*, I am in no way restricting myself. But I was not going to let myself balloon out and risk having all sorts of issues because I wanted to eat everything. I did that one month and gained WAY too much weight in that one month.

The daddy said I shouldn't say too loudly how much I have gained at the shower tonight, as I may be strangled. But I am proud of myself for eating healthy. I didn't use pregnancy as an excuse to eat anything & everything. I could have, and would have eaten even more ice cream than I have. But I make sure I am getting enough fruits & veggies & whole grains. I'm a label reader and need to take care of my body and of my baby.

Ok - off my soap box. This really wasn't supposed to be a long rant post. It was simply just to brag that some ladies said nice things to me and it made my day.

Baby Shower #2

Now, I know I said I only wanted one (due to the abundance of unnecessary bridal showers I had.) This 2nd one was from daddy's co-workers. They had a "Happy Shour". Daddy really wanted to do this and I stepped back and thought about how this wasn't just about me (& the baby), it was about us and if he wanted a shower for him, then there shall be one.

So, that was tonight. It was actually a joint shower with another co-worker whose wife is also pregnant and due around the same time as us.

We received a lot of really nice gifts. We did get the high chair we really wanted. And we got Target gc from Jerrod & Heidi that we will use towards getting one of the two car seats. I am going to go pick one up tomorrow after work so that we can install it this weekend and already have that taken care of. The car seat was really the only things we had to have yet. I pretty much have us covered on everything else for quite a while. So, once we get the carseat we are ready (physically) for the baby.

Even though I wasn't drinking, I forgot how nice it was to go out for Happy Hour after work. There hasn't really been any of that this year since myself (& another who usually did the happy hour thing) are pregnant this year. We'll have to get back into that again when I go back to work. The only thing is down here most places allow smoking, where in the Cities most places people would go for a happy hour are smoke-free (which I prefer.) I don't miss the smoke, but hanging out & having a drink once in a while is missed.

Week 36 Doctor Visit

Just got back from my week 36 doctor visit.

* We listened to the baby's heartbeat -- 140 bpm.

* He did a culture for Group B Strep; I'll know the results of that at my next visit.

* I gave him our Birth Plan, he's going to make a copy of it and send it over to Labor and keep one in my chart.

* He measured my uterus, measured 35cm, exactly where I should be for just having finished 35 weeks.

* He palpatated the uterus to feel the baby (still staying head down - good!) and says she feels around a 5 pound baby (which is where she should be and I am happy about, as I have 5 weeks left and at this stage they are increasing in size around 1/2 pound a week, so no 10 pound baby for me, probably not even an 8 or 9 pound, unless I go over.)

* Took my weight, gained 2 pounds in the last 2 weeks, which is what you are supposed to be gaining at this stage of the pregnancy, a pound a week, and of that 2 pounds I gained 1 pound went to the baby's weight, and the other stuff is in a variety of places - fluid, breast size, fat, etc. I'm doing good on my weight gain. You are supposed to gain between 25-35 pounds (if you started out around average weight, more if you were underweight and less if you were overweight.) And I'll be right in that range, unless I decide to start pigging out on Krispy Kremes, pizza, & chocolate chip cookies like I did in January (& gained too much weight, but it all worked itself out and I am still in the right range for weight gain.)

* Blood pressure still looking great! I am usually around 110/58.

* Talked to him about whether he knew for sure or not if he will be out of town on Memorial Weekend (& if so, when will he be gone, as he thought a while back he may be gone.) That weekend is 1 week past my due date. Well, it turns out that he happens to be on call that weekend. And he said if I don't have the baby by the 21st we can schedule an induction for the end of the 41st week or first thing in the 42nd week, but he doesn't like to wait to the 42nd week. So, if the baby doesn't come on her own, it looks like we'll be parents before Memorial Weekend.

* He checked my cervix and it's very high. The baby has not begun to drop yet, which from what I read usually starts to occur in week 36.

* I had talked to the nurse (before the doctor came in) about the doctor being 99% sure it's a girl. And she said as long as she has been there, she has never heard of our doctor being wrong. She said other doctors in the clinic have been wrong, but he hasn't. She said he just won't tell the parents unless he is 99% sure and has a very clear ultrasound that shows the sex. He was even the one who had typed on the ultrasound pictuer "It's a Girl" So, now I feel a little better, because I have had about 6 people in the last month tell me that they thought they were having a girl (because their doctor told them, not mine) and it turned out to be a boy, and only 1 person who told me their doctor told them it was a boy and turned out to be a girl. I would be just fine with a boy, and the nursery is pretty gender-neutral and I did buy a bunch of clothes that are yellow & green, but everyone else gave me tons of pink stuff. Now sure I want to put a little boy in pink & lace.

* We also talked about the tearing (or cutting) of the perineum. He's a big "studies" kinda guy and said that women who stay within the recommended weight gain are less likely to tear or tear as much because they still have a little bit of stretching room to their skin. Another indiciation of how much stretching room or flexibility your skin has is whether or not you received any stretch marks (none for me so far - let's keep our fingers crossed.) And fnially he said is I continue to keep trying & getting out there and going for walks my skin will tend to be more flexibile and make it less likely I will tear or need an episiotomy. Of course, he can't promise all of this will keep me from tearing or needing one, as the baby may decide to be uncooperative in her positioning or I may not be relaxing as much or they may need to get the baby out quicker and need to do an episiotomy.

* We also talked about full moons and women going into labor. I watched a show about how more women end up going into labor on full moons than any other day. He said he knew of studies being conducted looking at that, but wasn't sure of the results or if they studies were complete, but that in his own experience he did tend to see more women going into labor (& more people in general going to the hospital) on full moons. BTW - the next full moon is Saturday, May 13th (the day before Mother's Day.)

I think that's it. Yup. That's it.

Whew.

Well, as of Sunday we can officially have the baby down here. They don't deliver babies at that hospital that are under 35 weeks, but now that we have finished 35 weeks and are into week 36 and I have not had any problems and am not a high risk pregnancy, we can stay down here. Otherwise we would have had to go to the Cities or Rochester, which we didn't want to do.

The other thing that Sunday marked was now if I go into labor my Short Term Disability through Aflac will cover me through the end of the academic year until my summer pay would kick in (with the exception of the first week, they don't cover the first week and then cover 6 weeks after that for a vaginal birth and 8 weeks for a caesarean birth.)

Today I have another Dr. Appt, then another 2 weeks from today, and after that I will be on weekly appointments until I have the baby.

Cost of Diapering

So, I have been researching the cost of diapering for the last 1.5 hours. Now, there are SO MANY independent variables when it comes to diapering that will change the range on sizes & quantities of # of diapers needed and cost of diapers. I tried to do an average to find out the cost.

Here are the independent variables:
1) How big your baby was at birth? (You may go right into a sz. 1 diaper and not do a NB diaper.)
2) How fast they are growing? (Larger diapers come less in a pack, and hence will cost more per diaper)
3) Can you do cloth diapers all the time? Half-time? (I didn't calculate the cost of cloth diapers, as their are many more variables there based on preferences.)
4) Will you do cloth wipes all the time? Half-time? How wasteful are you with each disposable wipe?
5) Are you breastfeeding? (Yes, this does matter, as breastfed babies need 10-12 diaper changes a day, bottle fed babies tend to need 8-10 diaper changes. Toddlers aged 18 mo.+ use about 6-8 diapers a day.)
6) When will your child (& you) be ready to begin potty training? (Kids are generally potty-trained between ages 18mo.-3 years, some as early as 12 mo. and some after 3 years. But in general kids elimination muscles are fully mature between 12-24 month, and so the average time to begin potty training is around 18-24 months.)

So, those are my variables and I tried to average things. Now, I have to tell you my prices are based on buying Seventh Generation products in cases from Amazon. I did a little research on the cost of going with natural products as opposed to the name brands (Pampers, Luvs, & Huggies) and really there wasn't any difference in cost. But the key here is that I am buying by the case from Amazon (or I could through the Co-op and would get a case discount) and by buying in bulk (& the free super-saver shipping Amazon has been offering for wuite a while now) the cost tends to be the same. Now, if you are buying generic diapers or wipes than these prices will be sligtly lower. So, for the purpose of my costs, consider that these are name brand prices and not generic.

Now if we were to do all disposable diapers & wipes, it would cost us roughly $1000/year.

If we do half/half (dispoable/cloth) diaper and all disposbale wipes, it would cost us $640/year.

If we do half/half on BOTH diapers & wipes, it would cost us $480/year.

We can't do all cloth, because our child will be in daycare and they don't do cloth. So, at a minimum we will be doing half/half. We are not doing flat-folds, as daddy doesn't want to deal with pins, and so I bought a combination of AIO's and pre-made diapers.

Now, those above average costs are only for diapers & wipes. You will have to add in any creams, lotions, & powders you buy.

When you buy cloth there are many factors to consider the will change the price of using cloth diaper dramatically.
* Will you use flat folds with pins & covers? (This is the most economical route.)
* Will you buy pre-made diapers (w/ snaps or velcro) and use a cover & possibly doublers/liners? (next most economical route)
* Will you buy All-in-Ones (it's the diapers w/ waterproof covers in one) and possibly doublers/liners? (This route can get to be as costly as all disposables for your first child, but if you have additional children, that's when you save money.)

The quality of cloth diapers varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. If you really want to save some money and still have pre-made diapers & AIO's, then you should make your own. There are a lot of WAHM's on eBay selling diapers they made. Plus, you can buy/make diapers that grow with the child through various sizes by having more velcro or additional snaps placements, which will allow you to use your same diapers longer. Flat-folds will accomodate all size babies because you just change how you fold & pin them, but with pre-made diapers you may have to buy different sizes, unless you buy/make ones that allow chnages of sizes. Even if you do buy flat-folds, you will still have to buy different sizes of waterproof covers. But with all cloth diapers and waterproof covers & cloth doublers/liner, you cost is all upfront and then you don't have to continue purchasing every week/month/etc. And when you have your 2nd (& subsequent) child, you have already made your investment and you may only choose to replace some that were well worn and your cost is minimal.

For making cloth wipes, here is a simple guide I found:
Cloth Wipes: 8"x8" squares cut from too-small t-shirts, sleeves, and leftover bits make excellent wipes. For t-shirt fabric, sew 2 layers together (serging holds up best, but straight stitch &/or zig-zag does just fine), and for heavier fabrics, one layer will do. Try sweatshirt fleece, waffle knit, heavy rib knit, or french terry for variety. Cloth wipes also make good handkerchiefs.

So, you can recylce those old t-shirts & the wipes cost you nothing or you can go buy some fabric, the choice is yours. Some babies won't be able to tolerate the soaps & scents put in disposable wipes, so you may have to use cloth ones. With cloth ones you generally just wet them with warm warm and could use some soap if you want, but's really not necessary, all you really need is water. I have also ready posts by people who use paper towels (they cut the roll in half) as an economical way for disposable wipes.

You probably didn't care about all of this, but I did a lot of research on it. I can't tell you how much I spent on cloth diapers, as I didn't think to add that up as I was buying. I don't have time to make my own, as I do work, so I chose to purchase the cloth diapers we will use. I am sure someone out there will find this information useful, as I get a lot of hits on this siet from people doing various searches for information. I just needed to crunch the numbers for my own knowledge as we start to figure out our budget.

I plan to breastfeed and hopefully that will agree with the baby. Some babies cannot tolerate the lactose (15% of Caucasians are lactose-intolerant, this percentage is MUCH higher for other ethnic groups) or the protein in the breastmilk (2-7.5% of infants have this problem). If either of those things happen, then I guess there is another cost to add in, and then you aren't buying regular formula either, babies with those issues need special forumla because of those problems and that formula costs even more. Plus, there are always problems the mom may have with producing milk or inability to tolerate pain associated to various causes or any other number of reasons. Since I am already producing colostrum, I don't have any concerns about "my milk coming in", but some moms can't produce enough milk (even though I have read that you just need to pump more often than your baby feeds and then your body will start responding by producing more milk.) So, we'll see. We'd like to think the feeding cost initially will be minimal, until she is starting solid foods and we transition her to milk (I do plan to pump once I get back to work), but until we have the baby and start trying things out, we just don't know how it will work. Here is a website that breaks down the cost of formula feeding.

Baby Shower

Here's a picture from the baby shower.

It was the same day that the pictures below are from, but I think I look puffier in the shower pictures. Not sure why.

Anyways, it was a nice shower. Baby showers are so much different that bridal showers and bachelorette parties. There are no half-naked men, no booze, no penis references.

In the picture with me is Rebecca, Carrie, & Salie (and the little girl back belongs to Evie.)

Hardening & Leakage

Wow. These Braxton-Hicks contractions have been increasing a lot lately. Occuring for longer, or a greater area, and more often. I notice them happening more often in the afternoon going into the evening. I especially notice them when I take a walk. When I take a walk they happen longer and more often. My belly gets so hard when I have these contractions.

And my breasts -- well, they haven't increased in size since early on (thank heavens), but they have begun leaking colostrum. Just a few drops in my bra every day this week.

I definitly have to pee more often.....about every hour now. And when I am on a walk I have these sensation I have to pee, then they go away, then they come back again.....all while I am having Braxton-Hicks contractions.....

Amazing!

Daddy & I watched the video to the book The Happiest Baby on the Block. We heard about it in our baby classes and it was available at our library. So, we watched it last night. And it's just amazing how this guy can get babies to calm in a matter of seconds. I don't think it's any kind of trick filming or anything. I think he really knows what he's doing.

I'm glad we watched the video rather than get the book. The video is just over an hour long, but is split into 2 parts. The first part shows you the techniques to calming the baby using the 5 S's (Swaddling, Side/Stomach positioning, Sshhhhing!, Swinging, & Sucking) and then the 2nd part is most commonly asked questions. So, after the credits role for the 1st part, stay tuned - or come back later. I could see not having that much time to sit & watch once the baby is born and have to do it in separate parts.

But I am glad we watched it now. I do feel even more prepared for a newborn. I am not sure if my MIL, who is a postpartum doula, has read the book or watched the video, but I think I will recommend it to her (actually, I would recommend it to anyone who EVER has any contact EVER with babies.)

Taking Fish Oil Supplements

So, in a recent article I read in a magazine (I think it was Fit Pregnancy), they talked about a study that found that babies born to moms who took fish-oil supplements in pregnancy and while breast-feeding had higher levels of brain activity and scored higher on IQ tests.

I thought I would look up some more information on that and I found this website that lists MANY different studies (7 that they summarized & 9 others that they gave the reference information & conclusion) addressing the benefits of taking fish-oil supplements.

I picked up some at the store today and thought - why not? I did read other websites besides this one and found that I need to be looking for the supplement that contains DHA and are not from fish livers. So, that's what I did. I know it's getting late into my pregnancy, but what I have found says you should take it during your last trimester. So, I figure better late than never. I started tonight. I haven't eaten fish really this entire pregnancy (I think twice total), so this is probably good for me too. The DHA is supposed to help with brain & eye development. And it supposed to also helps the baby grow (although big babies run in the family, so I am not sure that will be an issue and I don't think a lot of fish was eaten by family members either.)

Some of the studies support taking the supplements early in the pregnancy too. And there seems to be a lot of support for taking the supplments and how they benefit pre-term infants (although we are almost past that point.)

This study found that if mom took the supplements during pregnancy, it found that babies had reduced immune responses to allergies (like dust & cats -- I do worry about if the baby could be allergic to the cats, but have read in some studies that babies growing up with cats right from the get go tend to have less allergies to pet dander, as they body adjusted to it right away.) Plus, this stufy found that these babies are 3 times less likely to develop food allergies.

There are some studies out there that also address the benefits that it has on pregnant moms, which include less likelihood of preeclampsia and postpartum depression. This website address that, as well as says that kids who get adequate fish oils are less likely to develop asthma.

And if that is not enough, it helps reduce pain, prevent cancer, helps prevent Alzheimer's, diabetes, ulcers & hyperactivity, provides greater resistance to fighting colds and flu, increases your energy and ability to concentrate & fight and prevent heart disease.

So, again, I ask. Why not? Why not just take it all the time? It's no wonder you read so much about eating salmon (which is a nice fatty fish full of omega 3.)

End of Week 34 Pictures

Sunday marked the start of week 35 and these were taken on Saturday (after the baby shower, which I will blog about later, as I have pictures but have not uploaded those yet.) These are pictures taken my my dear friend Jessi. She took these at our place in the backyard.

The first one you see is obviously the actually belly shot. Look at that round glorious belly. People ask if I am ok with them touching it & I appreciate them asking. I always thought I would hate it because I have never really liked how my belly looked without clothes on. But it's different once it's all filled up with baby. My stomach has never been so hard before. Better let them touch it now, because later it is going to be all soft and squishy again and they won't be allowed to touch it. My sisters & Jessi were very excited to feel the baby move. They would sit there and be patient (well, as patient as they could be, Steph was poking her to get her moving.) It was really very sweet.

This next one is of me & the proud daddy. He's pretty exicted about becoming a dad. I really appreciate that he shares feelings with me & I can with him, about this pregnancy & everything else. Sometimes he has to be a smart-ass in front of others, but he is very into becoming a dad. He has some of his co-workers throwing a shower for us in about a week & a half. He's pretty happy that they want to do that for us. You should see daddy with the baby toys. He's having so much fun playing with them. I am afraid that someday the kids will come running to me saying, "Mom, dad is playing with my toys and won't share."

And finally, the last picture of just of me. Not finally like At last, but finally like this is the last one. So, it's just me holding that glorious pregnant belly. After watching some episodes of Yummy Mummy and having them glorify dressing nicely (& not all frumpy & fat-looking) I decided to go out & buy some new tops that would hug that beautiful belly (they also really give lots of compliments to the pregnany belly). So, this is one of them.


I picked up a few tops & some very nice fitting jeans and have been getting compliments on them, even from the kids I work with who don't give compliments easily. I figure I better enjoy the compliments while they come, because later on when the belly is soft & squishy I am just not going to get them.

A Baby is Born.

No, NOT MINE!

My friend April called to say that they had their 2nd child 3:30am yesterday. They had another boy and named this one Noah James. (When I hear the name Noah, I think of the hottie on Passions.) He was 8 lb. 10 oz. and 20" long. Kallen now has a little brother.

Congratulations April & Jason!

Target Registry is Frustrating

So, we registered at a couple places, Target being one of them. After being told we didn't have much on our registry that was available in stores, we went in and took off stuff that was discontinued and replaced itwith other stuff.

Now, today, I get an email from Target registry saying that about 7 things are discontinued and may not be available for purchase. Arghh!

2 of those things happen to be the highchair (which is also at Babies'r'Us & Shopko has it too and $10 cheaper!) and the Travel System. I had done a lot of research on the travel system and found this one that got very good reviews and was even reviewed in one of my pregnancy magazines. Now I want to figure out where that travel system can be purchased so that I can go get it. And the highchair was one we really liked, but we know it's available at other places, so I am not as concerned about that. Plus we don't need that right away.

Most of the other things were clothes items. But what is frustrating is that it was just last weekend that we changed items because of things being discontinued. Bah! See, this is why I have already bought so many things - because they just won't be available if you want them later.

Questions Answered

I just had a Dr. appt. and I went in there with a list of questions. Now, I have to say that in the last few months I try not to watch any of those baby shows where things go wrong, because that just worries me. But this one show sounded good when you hit info, but after I Tivo'ed it, it just caused me worry. It was about 1st time moms who had low amniotic fluid. Now, the info just said 2 first-time moms deliver their babies. It didn't say anything about low-amniotic fluid or that one was being induced at 33 weeks and the other @ 41 weeks.

So, I had to ask the doctor how he checks for that. He told me he first checks by measuring the uterus. I should be measuring the same cm as I am weeks (give or take 1-2cm)......I just finished 33 weeks and am measuring 32cm. So, I am right on track. Plus he feels by pushing on my stomach to see what kind of movement there is (or not) to tell if there is too much or too little amniotic fluid. If those things didn't check out good, then we would do an ultrasound to look to see what's going on and if the baby is small or what. But, I am happy to say that both those things check out just fine.

Next question.....when do you check for Group B strep? He will check for that at either my next appt. in 2 weeks or the one after that. It's a swab test that they do in the office.

Another question.....should I be couting fetal kicks? Answer: Yes, after 32 weeks you should count fetal kicks at least once a day. You should get at least 10 movements in an hour when she is awake. Babies do sleep in the womb, so there will be quiet times and you make have to check at a different time, but try to do it around the same time every day.

I asked about fetal hiccups and he said some women notice them more than most and there has been no known cause found, it's just some type of disturbance to the fetus' diaphram and hiccups are ok.

And then I asked what the fetal presentation of my little girl is and he said she's presenting head down (good) and then showed me where her head was, her shoulders, butt, and where her legs and arms are. Most of the movements I feel are her hands and feet, and the big ones are her shoulders. So, I gotta wonder, if she is always head down does she get a head rush? It's good that she is head-down and pretty much always has been because we don't want a breech baby. But whether or not she faces my back or my stomach seems to change. But from the things I have read or watched, it's much easier to help change the direction (stomach or back) the baby is facing than it is to change them from breech to head-down.

But things are still looking good....still on track for a May 21st due date....next appt. in 2 weeks.

Daddy is funny.

Ok - this might be one of those stories that you just had to be there for. Because it was funny to me, but re-telling it might not be so funny.

So, it was at one of our baby classes and they were talking about an infant massage class that ECFE offers. They were talking about the benefits of infant massage and one of those being that is the baby is consitpated or has gas it will help get the elimination system working properly again.

So, what does daddy do? He says to mommy, "What is it like a bottle of ketchup?" And then puts his hads in the air as if he were holding the baby under her armpits (or holding a squeeze bottle of ketchup), give the air a couple of squeezes and makes "Pbrrrt! sound." As if the imaginary baby in the air just crapped on the table from his infant massage.

I am laughing so hard typing this that I am crying. Maybe you just had to be there for that one.