Category Archives: Baby

36 Weeks!

April 28, 2008 timewellspent

I’m nine months pregnant now — how weird is that?!

We had an appointment this morning, including an ultrasound to see how Joe is doing in there. He’s upside down (that’s a good thing), with his feet up by my ribs and his head bouncing around on my bladder. We didn’t get a photo of his fingers and toes, but we did get a look at them (not enough to count them all, but enough to see they are CUTE!)

Here’s his profile, labeled for those of you who (like me!) can’t always make heads or tails of these things:

He kind of looks like he’s smiling, doesn’t he?

They estimated his current weight at 6 pounds, 10 ounces. His heart was beating away at 140 BPM. He’s a healthy little monkey!

After the ultrasound, my doctor examined me and said that it doesn’t look like anything will happen soon. That’s actually a relief, since I have lots to finish up at work and home before I’m ready for this little dude. I don’t want him to be weeks late, but weeks early would have stressed me out for sure.

Once we were done there, Patrick and I went to Friendly’s and ate a gigantic lunch. We came home in the pouring rain, and soon Lola was shaking like a leaf. She gets a little nervous during thunderstorms, but for some reason rain alone was completely freaking her out. She couldn’t hold still!

It wasn’t long before we figured out what was scaring her: a tornado about a mile away! We never heard or saw it, but the emergency service sent us e-mails and voice mails to say that there was a tornado warning, and soon all the local TV stations were breathlessly reporting cars flipped over and stacked on top of one another at the local Target shopping center. Sirens were screaming by and every dog in the neighborhood was howling. Crazy!

Patrick’s folks were here for the weekend and got to see me in all my large, slow-moving glory. I did manage one lap around a flea market without passing out, but spent most of the weekend with my feet up. Pregnant women make terrible hostesses — thank goodness Patrick was here to pick up my slack.

Tonight we have an infant CPR class at St. Francis. I wonder if we’ll get creepy mannequins like these to work on?

Baby

34 Weeks …

April 15, 2008 timewellspent

Joe and I had another appointment this morning. His heartbeat was nice and strong, and he’s measuring at about the right size. (Or at least my belly is … they just sort of drag this tape measure across it and nod …)

Our next appointment is April 28 — for another ultrasound! We haven’t laid eyes on him since he was at 20 weeks, the day we found out he was a boy. It’s a bit more crowded in there now, so I’m not sure how much of him we’ll be able to see. But we will find out for sure what position he’s in and get an estimate of his weight. Place your bets!

Not much else to report, except that I think I’ve entered the “OK, this isn’t that much fun anymore” phase of pregnancy. My feet and legs are swollen to grotesque proportions and sleeping has become a challenge. This must be nature’s way of making you really look forward to the baby; just last week I was saying that I would miss being pregnant. Hah!

Joe is very active, wiggling and squirming all over the place. A few weeks ago, I snuggled up against Patrick’s back after his alarm went off — and Joe kicked him! He’s already got a sense of humor, the sweet thing.

Time to get to work. But first, enjoy this headline from today’s Fayetteville Observer:

Girl walks into side of pickup truck on Cliffdale Road

I mean really.

Baby, Home

Joe's Room

March 30, 2008 timewellspent

I took a couple of snapshots of Joe’s room as it looks now. We still have to find new sheets for the bed (which looks like it will fit in there!), plus shelves and artwork for the walls, but here’s what we’ve got so far:

The changing station/dresser: This is chock-full of clothes, all washed and ready for him. I need to get some shelves and a basket or two to organize all the doo-dads, but you get the idea.

The nursing corner. We’re going to get a rug to go under here — the floor boards are uneven and it makes for a bumpy ride when you rock.

The crib! I wanted to dress it up in all the sheets and bumpers right away, but Patrick made a very good point that we should wait until Joe’s almost here so it’s fresh. In the meantime, it’s holding all the stuff we haven’t hung up or put away yet.

Inside the armoire. Look at all those blankets!

Baby

Today's Checkup

March 18, 2008 timewellspent 2 Comments

For the next several weeks, Joe and I are seeing the doctor every two weeks instead of once a month. This morning, the doctor listened to his heartbeat (nice and strong!) and felt around to see where his head is. Turns out he’s in a transverse position (sideways, instead of upside-down or right-side-up):

This makes sense, because I’ve been feeling lots of kicks on my left and occasional fluttery fingers on my right. Last night I was lying on my right side, with the TV remote resting on the left side of my belly. Joe began vigorously kicking, making the remote rock back and forth and wobble up and down. Patrick could see it from across the room!

I also learned from the nurse that I’ve gained a whopping 40 pounds, so I was prepared for a lecture from the doctor. (My mother still recalls the talking-to she got from her doctor at this stage of pregnancy — she went on to have my 11-pound sister, so the joke was on him!) Anyway, my doctor said she wasn’t worried about it and that I’d be surprised how much of it comes off as water weight after the birth. She’d be more concerned if I weren’t gaining enough weight. No chance of that!

Baby, Family, Friends

Shower!

March 16, 2008 timewellspent

This weekend my friend Alecia flew down from Boston and threw me a lovely baby shower in Fayetteville. The room was full of women I love and admire, some of whom I’ve known since I was a baby myself! (My mom pointed out the wide age range of the group, too — there were women there in their 20s, 30s, 40s … on up through their 80s!)

(From L-R: Anne, who was our neighbor and regular babysitter when we first moved to Fayetteville in the ’70s; me; my sister, Amy; and Laura, Anne’s daughter)

Aside from a huge haul of amazing gifts (Joe is pretty much set now!) we also had a yummy lunch and a delicious buttercream cake.

My only regret? In all the activity and picture-taking, I didn’t get ONE SINGLE SHOT of Alecia and me together. Alecia, please return immediately so we can fix this.

The rest of the photos are on our Flickr account!

Baby, Home

I-I-Ikea

March 8, 2008 timewellspent 2 Comments

We had an exhausting day. Just getting through Ikea is a feat unto itself (although I never get tired of looking around there). We found a dresser that will serve as Joe’s changing table and an armoire to hold all his hanging clothes.

The traffic on the way home was madness, and we ended up taking not-so-shortcuts through Fredericksburg to get home. Patrick put together the crib and the dresser, but we’ve got some rearranging to do before the armoire gets put together — there’s no room left! We may have to get rid of either a bookshelf or the bed to accommodate everything. The room has four doors (yes, four!) and two windows, which makes it really hard to place furniture.

We got a package in the mail from Natalie, a friend who lives in Tennessee. I have known Natalie since we passed notes in Mr. Eldridge’s 8th grade N.C. History class. (Our other partner in crime from that class, Lisa, is now a comedy writer with “Arrested Development” among her credits. Crazy!) Anyway, in the package was a sweet little outfit for Joe — and Pee Pee Tee Pees! Those will be going right next to the changing table …

Baby

Favorite Kids' Books?

March 6, 2008 timewellspent 6 Comments

Did you have a favorite book as a child? I’m starting to build a little library for Joe and I want suggestions. Scroll down to the comments and let me know!

Here are mine. I’ve already gotten some of them and I’m keeping an eye out for the others.

Baby, Family, Home, Products

Christmas in March!

March 6, 2008 timewellspent 1 Comment

I swear, every day this week there has been a package waiting for us on the porch. First came the Britax marathon baby seat from Patrick’s folks:

It’s nice and roomy, which is great because now you have to keep your kids in safety seats right up through, oh, 11th grade or so. We almost put Lola in it for a test drive — that’s how big it is!

Next came a crib mattress and bedding from my folks — we were eager to get these so that when ~~we put~~ Patrick puts the crib together, we can get the whole thing all dressed up and ready to go.

Today we got another package from Patrick’s parents. In it was a snuggly baby carrier and a mirror we can put in the car to keep an eye on Joe while he snoozes in his little throne.

Last night was our last Confident Childbirth class. We almost made it through without laughing, but at the end we did this exercise where you have to clutch ice in your hand (ow!) and breathe through the pain. I was leaning against Patrick and hee-hee-hooing when he chastised me for not looking at my focal point. It won’t be as funny during the real event!

We might sign up for infant CPR or one of the basic baby care classes next. If I can get a photo of Patrick changing some doll’s diaper, you will see it here!

I visited MCV today. The midwives were lovely, but I don’t think that’s the place for Joe to be born. So St. Francis it is. My doctor has gotten a lot less nervous about the natural plan, so I’m feeling better about that.

This weekend, we’re off to Ikea to find some baby furniture. Joe’s room is looking a little bit like a warehouse now, with boxes and boxes of stuff but nowhere to put it all when we unpack it. If we can come home with a little armoire and a dresser/changing table, we’ll be almost finished!

Baby, Home

Stuff

February 27, 2008 timewellspent

Here are some things I forgot to mention in that last post:

We ordered Joe’s crib! It was marked down to 1/2 off, AND we got free shipping. Plus it was getting rave reviews from other people who had purchased it. (And yes, Amy, it has the hidden hardware to protect his little fingers.)

I have to tell you about my new favorite cereal. Fiber One (also known as “Colon Blow”) has been my cereal of choice for a while now. They make a raisin bran that is tasty and filling but not something you spend your work hours daydreaming about. However, they just came out with a caramel-flavored cereal that is SO YUMMY! It still has something like 35% of the RDA for fiber, but it tastes like cookies. Go get a free sample!

We got a DVR! My sister and several of our friends swore that it would change our lives. I wouldn’t go that far, but I will say that we haven’t missed a single episode of our favorite shows and we don’t have to rush home to see them anymore. Plus we can zip right through commercials! I am now all caught up on “Project Runway,” and Patrick has filled up about 1/2 the memory with old movies that he may someday get around to watching.

Tonight is our third “Confident Childbirth” class. We’ll see if we can get through this one without laughing!

Baby, Friends, Home

27 Weeks Down, 13 To Go …

February 25, 2008 timewellspent

To look at me, you’d think I was due any day now. I can’t imagine how much bigger I’m going to get!

[rockyou id=103850798]

Last week we hired a doula to attend the birth. Her name is Cynthia and she put us right at ease. (Her hobby is going to estate sales and junk shops, and then re-selling what she finds — so right away, we had lots to talk about!) She had her own six children naturally, and helped her daughters bring four of their kids into the world naturally, so she knows what she’s talking about.

But she’s not a stickler for the natural way. If you need pain relief, she’ll help make sure you get it. And if you need a C-section, she can come into the OR with you and tell you everything that’s happening. The key word there is need — if someone comes after me with a needle or a scalpel, I want to know that I did everything I could to avoid it.

When my sister gave birth three years ago, we thought that having a doula was one of those self-indulgent things only my sister would do. But when her very level-headed, no-frills husband said it was great to have one, we thought there might be something to it. In my reading, I found that having a doula at the birth dramatically decreases your chances of having a C-section, so that’s when we started the search. I think it will be nice for both of us “newbies” to have someone on hand who can reassure us that everything is normal.

The next order of business may be to switch practitioners, and possibly even hospitals. My doctor seems resistant to the natural childbirth idea, and if she doesn’t ease up soon then we’re thinking a midwife might be the better option. The only midwives our insurance will cover are at MCV, which is a perfectly good hospital but not as posh as the lovely St. Francis. (One cool thing about MCV: You can see it from I-95 as you pass the big clock tower in Richmond, so it could be an important landmark on family trips. “Look, Joe … that’s where you were born!”)