Alien Inside Me!

I finally caught baby doing a jig or playing soccer or something on video today!  Check out how freaky this looks (full-screen is best for viewing - click the little box at the bottom right of the video):

Craig & my mom set up the crib (thanks Barbara!) over the weekend.  Chip even got into the action!  I was only allowed to sit back & watch, and occasionally pass them a screw or washer.  After the "construction" was complete, Mom & I dressed the bed (thanks to the Malls/Hanuschs for the mesh bumper!) and I installed the mobile (thanks Uncle Gregory & Aunt Christina!).  Here are some pictures of the process:

Always important to read the instructions!

Mom is good at handing Craig the screws.

And holding pieces together while he gets the screwdriver!

This crib will be so sturdy when he's finished!

Getting the backside trim installed

Chippy is helping too!

It never hurts to double-check the next step!

Chip, assessing the remaining pile of screws

The front side gets installed

Adding the front trim

Babcia approves!

The finish product & Papa-Bear!

Looks great all decked out with the bedding & mobile!

Now the baby's room is ready for baby's arrival!  Only 3 weeks left!  We can't wait!

Swaddling, Primping, & Pediatricians

I just had to share this picture of Chip!  Craig's statement was, "Look, babe, I am practicing swaddling!"  (I personally think he needs some more practice!  At least the swaddle blankets we have for baby have Velcro so they're pretty easy to use, haha!)

Craig practiced his swaddling on Chippy.

I am doing a little bit of primping these next two weeks to get pretty for baby arrival pictures.  I headed to my niece Chrissy's house today for a haircut and had the pleasure of playing with my great-niece Hailey for a little while.  She was enamored with my damp hair after it was cut, so we took the opportunity to take a couple of "selfies!"

Hailey, loving on my hair

It almost looks like she's going to lick my face!

Scrunchy faces!

She pinched my cheek, so I pinched hers back!

I left with my hair a crazy mess, but it was so worth the Hailey-Auntie time!  I can't believe she will be 5 soon!  Time flies!

Next week is a pedicure at the spa - can't wait!

I entered another Baby Hunch today; it's so fun to see what everyone thinks will happen!  If you haven't entered yours yet, you still have a little time!  (Click here to enter your guesses!  Don't forget the password:  babylatour )  Here are the current stats:

I also took some time today to call up a pediatrician's office about a 1/2 mile away, and it turns out the doctor that is taking new patients is returning from her own maternity leave on my due date!  Craig & I both prefer male doctors, but I felt that convenience is better at this point, and you can't beat the proximity of this office to our house.  (Worst case, we can always change doctors!)  The receptionist told me that all I have to do is notify the hospital when I am in labor & delivery that this will be baby's doctor, and this doctor or one of the doctors in the practice (if baby arrives before she returns to work) will come to the hospital to check out the baby.  They have pretty decent office hours and after-hours on-call services, so hopefully it will all work out.  The hospital has a staff pediatrician that will see baby upon arrival, but it's nice to know we now have a go-to clinic for baby's regular visits after birth.

I think the last things we have to do are set up the crib and install the car seat!  Wow, finally things are slowing down!  Good thing, since this baby will be here in a mere 3 and a 1/2 weeks!

9 Months!

This week marks the start of my 9th month of pregnancy.  Only 4 weeks left until baby arrives!  It is getting real now.  I've been forewarned about all of the signs of impending labor, and this topic is never far from mind, considering that babies are considered full-term if they are delivered any time after 37 weeks (which is next week).

36 Weeks Pregnant

I've started to waddle (my friend Janet commented "finally" when I told her - she has been on waddle-watch since I teased her when she was pregnant with her first 2 years ago!), and I'm finding it cumbersome to put on underwear, pants, socks, and shoes now.  I huff and puff walking up hills and stairs.  But really, I still feel good.  Just tired and annoyed with peeing every hour & a half a night.  Baby seems secure in the womb, still riding a little high in my belly.  I get treated to a mini soccer game on the upper right side of my abdomen approximately an hour after eating a meal or snack.  I think that is one of the things I will really miss - feeling baby's movements in my belly.  It's such a cool feeling and quite comforting to know that s/he is in there.

This week at our doctor's appointment, I got tested for Group B Strep.  Hopefully it comes back negative.  If not, it just means that I have to be on antibiotics during labor to protect the baby.  Not a great big deal either way. We also listened to the heartbeat again, which is probably my favorite part of the appointments.

Next week is a flu shot; this is where I sarcastically say "wahoo" since I don't usually get flu shots, but the doctor sincerely recommended it during pregnancy.  Other than that, we're just waiting for the big day and baby's debut!  S/he is still on track to be a "normal-sized" baby according to the Doc.

My mom (baby's Babcia) is visiting this coming weekend for a marathon cooking session to make freezer meals for those nights when we don't feel like cooking after the baby is here.  Who knows how our sleep will be with nighttime feedings, and I'm not that great a cook to begin with, so my skills probably won't improve on decreased zzzz's.  We also plan to coerce Craig into setting up the baby's crib.  With only 3 and a 1/2 weeks to go by this weekend, there's no time like the present to be prepared!  And I'm really eager to put the freshly washed bedding in place and see baby's room really take shape.  (I promise to post pictures!)  Everything will get covered so the cats can't take over, but at least the furniture arranging will be settled.

I keep praying every day for a healthy, happy baby.  We can't wait to welcome our little one into the world!

Birthdays and Breastfeeding Class

Friday was my 31st birthday, and I can happily say that I accomplished my goal for being 30.  It was to either be pregnant or have my first child by the time I was 30 (thank you, type-A personality!).  Right on track, considering little one is due in less than 30 days now!

Celebrating DJ & my birthdays

I got a nice birthday card from my coworkers, lots of birthday wishes on Facebook & via text message, dinner and cake with Craig's family, lots of calls with happy birthday singing from my family (my favorite was my brother & my nephew where my nephew was whispering the "to you" part!  So cute!), and kicking almost on cue from the baby when people were eagerly awaiting feeling the baby move.  Craig officially has the best memory of anyone I know!  He remembered that I really loved a cuppola/weather vane thing we saw at a particular store 2 years ago (!) for over the garage.  It's beautiful!  I can't wait to see the copper patina.

My beautiful birthday present!

I'm also excited to schedule my next spa pedicure using the gift certificates from my mother-in-law and my sister-in-law & family.  Not being able to reach my feet easily is quite inconvenient!

On Saturday, we attended breastfeeding class at the hospital.  It was definitely educational.  Amid Craig's reminders to "Watch the neck!"  (something his mom told me all the time whenever she saw me holding someone's baby), I learned some of the most common breastfeeding positions and how to get a good latch.  I sincerely hope that breastfeeding will go well for me and baby; it's such a great thing to be able to share and there are so many benefits to both of us for doing it.  (Oh, yeah, and formula is terribly expensive!)  We also learned a little bit about pumping.

My favorite part of the class was when the instructor said to pass the babies (dolls) to the dads and have them practice burping.  I handed Craig the baby and he just sat there drinking his coffee proclaiming that he already knew how to burp the baby.  I was pretty amused; he was the only 2nd time parent in the room, so of course I know he knows what to do, but he had the funniest body language with the baby draped over his shoulder.  I wish I could have been able to get a picture!  I think the part he enjoyed most was the yummy cookies they provided!

I also liked the "To the grandmother of the breastfed baby" pamphlet we received.  It may (or may not!) help remind my mother that the baby shouldn't be sleeping through the night in his/her first week of life outside the womb.  (She keeps claiming that she's going to make it happen during her visit!  And while I genuinely like the idea of baby sleeping through the night because that means I can, too, I still want what's best and recommended (and realistic!) for sleep habits, haha!)  So a copy of that is going into the mail for her this week, and I'll get a copy to Craig's mom too so both grandmas are covered.

I picked up a few more baby books (those touch-and-feel kind) and some infant hats from Amazon over the last few days.  I love the GIGANTIC book collection we've compiled for baby.  The only small probably I've been noticing is that Zephyr (one of the cats) had taken to carrying baby's monkey stuffed animal (courtesy of Lorene) and giraffe stuffed animal (courtesy of MaryJane) around the house occasionally!  I am never fast enough to get a picture, but he looks so silly - a 14-pound black cat carrying an infant-sized stuffed animal down the stairs in his mouth!

End of Eight!

This week is the last week of month 8 of pregnancy.  Yikes!  That, of course, means next week begins my 9th (and hopefully last!) month.  (The average gestation for first babies is 41 weeks, so it's possible to see month 10 before baby arrives.)  In terms of changes this month, I have been starting to feel huge, which somehow resulted in the "Wow, now you definitely can't mistake that you're pregnant!" comment from my mother-in-law earlier this week, haha!  However, I don't believe I've started to waddle yet (much to the dismay of my friend Janet, who is waiting to tease me like I did her!).

35 Weeks Pregnant

I've been experiencing a little more heartburn (of course, it would help if I didn't load my pizza with red pepper flakes and garlic powder...) and the same annoying carpal tunnel syndrome and swollen ankles.  But overall, I still feel great and am still (happily!) getting compliments about how great I look.  My students and coworkers are so very curious about the baby, it's kind of amusing!

This week baby is gaining fat stores and brain cells.  His/her length is supposedly maxing out at what the birth length will be, but s/he's still gaining weight steadily.  Some days, baby is lying towards one half of my belly and it looks so lop-sided!  S/he prefers the right side of my abdomen.

At our doctor's appointment this week, the doctor again confirmed that baby is head-down (as s/he's supposed to be at this point) and estimated baby's weight at about 5 lbs.  He still believes s/he will be at around 7-7.5 lbs at birth (I am holding him to this!).  What I thought was baby's bum is probably baby's chubby legs, since it's where I'm feeling the kicks.  His/her head is down on my left abdominal area and s/he's facing to my right.  We listened to the heartbeat again, which sounded great!

At home after the appointment, baby was going crazy kicking and my belly was moving like an alien was trying to get out!  It was so creepy/cool!  Craig could even see it from a few feet away.  I want to try to get it on video sometime soon.

In other news, my mother-in-law and I had another date to Carter's (wahoo for sales & coupons!) to pick up a few more cute baby clothes.  I also got a large shipment of neutral onesies (long- & short-sleeve of various sizes) that I ordered from Target.  Now I need to go get more hangers, haha!

Our Carter's purchases

Childbirth Class

While childbirth class was a particularly interesting reason to spend time together, it was really nice to hang out with Craig all day on Sunday thinking about baby's arrival.  (Although, the Patriots game did interfere slightly.  Amazingly, the instructor was amused and not irritated that he had the game playing live on his phone (sound off, of course) during the second half of her presentation!  He was the hero of all the guys in the room, for sure!)

Excited for Childbirth Class!

After a little mix-up with what room we were supposed to be in (I swear, the problem was not on our end!), resulting in somewhat of a scavenger hunt, we finally made it to class.  The morning was filled with what happens during labor & delivery, including a video that really wasn't as bad as I was expecting.  Though I determined that I do not want to see the placenta after it comes out!  (Really, who would want to and for what reason?  It's kind of gross, and though I am in a type of medical field and think it's interesting, I still don't want to see it!)  We also learned about medical interventions like epidurals and c-sections.

Lunch was underwhelming at the hospital cafeteria, but I don't know why we had higher expectations, considering it's still hospital food and it was a Sunday (not their busiest time by any means).  The cookies provided in class were top-notch though!

We spent the afternoon discussing post-partum recovery and some minor things about newborn care.  I had a really big laugh when two of the dads (not including Craig) thought that the instructor's demo bag of GIANT maxi pads were actually newborn diapers!  I almost peed my pants, it was so hilarious!  At the end, the dads gave the moms nice back massages and we performed a relaxation exercise, which was great.

We rounded out the day with a stop at the auto parts store to order a part for my car, which got a big red "R" rejection sticker at inspection over the weekend, and spent some time in the evening setting up my new laptop, which had to be purchased to replace the one whose processor died on Friday (that's what you get for not replacing a 7+ year old computer sooner...).  Not an uneventful few days by any means, and definitely not how I envisioned spending a chunk of our savings (I would have preferred purchasing baby clothes!).  (And, while my hard drive was thankfully recoverable, I also learned that I'd better start backing up my files on a more regular basis!)

In happier news, the Babcia bib arrived late last week!  I think my mom will be pleased. 

Surprise for baby's Babcia!

I also opened up the baby's crib mattress to air it out; apparently new mattresses can leak VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and should be aired out for at least a few weeks prior to use, especially because the warmth of baby's body lying on it can cause the mattress to leak additional chemicals.  We don't want that happening!  Only a few more weeks to go before Craig puts the crib together!

This week begins our weekly doctor appointments.  I am not that excited, though it means that we are rounding out the remaining month or so of pregnancy and baby will be here soon!  I installed a "widget" (one of those little icon things) on my cell phone that is a countdown calendar, and it really shocked me when I installed it - saying only 36 days left till baby!  Today is 35 days left; this is all happening so fast!  (Craig, of course, made the intelligent response to my shock that, "Well, babe, 4 weeks is 28 days, and you said you have 5 weeks left, so are you really surprised that there are only 30-something days remaining?")  Still, with the realism of childbirth class and the countdown at so few days, I am excitedly anxious to meet the new addition to our family!

Baby countdown widget today!

Large & In Charge

Yep, that's how I'm feeling this week!  Super large!  I huff & puff when I walk across campus for work.  Stairs are interesting, too. I keep getting sweet compliments from people I know about how I'm glowing, though, so that's what I'm holding on to!

34 Weeks Pregnant

I can't believe I'm already 34 weeks pregnant and there are only about 6 weeks left till the baby arrives!  We finally got all of the bedding for the crib, bassinet, and pack'n'play - it's crazy how many types of linens this baby will have!  Craig comments all the time on how s/he has more stuff than we do!  Anyway, all of the sheets, waterproof covers, etc are now washed and ready to go.

I also washed the baby's going-home outfits (one in newborn size & one in 0-3 months size, depending on how big s/he is) and a set of PJs for me for the hospital (maybe what I'll go home in, since they're nice & comfy).  So, both of our hospital bags are packed & ready to go at a moment's notice.

Baby has been kicking a little more than usual this week, which is a pleasant change.  The doctor rescheduled our appointment for next week, so we have to wait until then to find out how big baby is getting and to listen to his/her heartbeat again.  That will begin the weekly rendezvous with the doc until the baby arrives.

This weekend should be interesting - we have our childbirth class at the hospital on Sunday.  I'm interested in the maternity ward tour (though I have been in it twice to visit after the birth of other babies) and to find out how things are done there.  Craig is not so excited (not his first time at the rodeo), but he is coming because I said so, haha!

I purchased surprises for baby's Nonno and Babcia.  Well, they are kind of for them - cute bibs for the baby!  I can't wait until Mom & then Dad visit and see the baby in them!  The Babcia one hasn't arrived yet, but here's a preview of the Nonno bib:

A cute bib in honor of baby's Nonno!

Craig & I were perusing baby announcement and baptism invitation designs this week.  I ended up modifying a cute idea for a baptism invitation that I found on TinyPrints (their background was a little gloomy), so they are ready to print except for a baby's name.  We're waiting to pick out announcement designs until we take newborn pictures and see what shots we get and like.  Everything will have to happen pretty quickly once the baby is born, since the baptism is so soon after my due date.  It's fun to think about this stuff coming up so quickly!  Only 6 weeks till baby!

Time is Flying!

At 33 weeks pregnant, baby is now developing his/her immune system antibodies.  Good thing, too, because baby is arriving just at the start of cold & flu season!  We watched a clip on the news the other day about the Whooping Cough (Pertussis) vaccine and a couple who were not allowing anyone who did not get the vaccine to see their child until either the child was vaccinated at 6 weeks old or the person was vaccinated.  Craig & I decided not to go to this extreme, especially since we don't intend to keep baby locked up in the house until s/he receives his/her vaccinations; however, we agree that anyone who is even remotely thinking about feeling under the weather (whether adult or child) should absolutely wait until they feel healthy to come visit.  He says he will be asking at the door!

33 Weeks Pregnant

This week my carpal tunnel syndrome has been getting worse in my right hand - mostly just a crazy tingling sensation.  I realized I forgot to ask my doctor about it last week, but everything I've read says that it's a normal occurrence during pregnancy and goes away after delivery.  Just something else I have to deal with that at least is not painful.

With the return to a full workload last week, I am realizing that these next 7 weeks (yep, that's all that's left!) will fly by with my being busy teaching.  It's great to be back on the job, because I really do love teaching, but my ankles are suffering a bit even though I try to sit as much as possible when I can.  Again, another painless symptom that's mostly just annoying.  On the craving front, I'm currently eating up all of the grapes I can find!

Freshly washed grapes (and flowers from our garden!)

In other family news this week, our new little niece was welcomed into the world!  We are so happy for my brother and sister-in-law (& our nephew, who is now a big brother!), and we can't wait to meet Addison in March when our little threesome takes a trip to Florida to visit.

Beautiful Addison!

Furniture!

We finally were able to pick up the hand-me-down furniture from my mom's house (it used to be my brother's bedroom set growing up).  I'm ecstatic because I can finally now arrange all of the baby's clothes & linens!  Up until now, everything was packing into baby's closet in various bins - talk about an organizational nightmare!

We wrapped up the furniture in the truck bed in hopes that any rain we encountered (of course it would be a rainy forecast for the day we could actually get to NY & back!), and my mom stuck a red bow on it!  (I could not resist this photo op!)

Baby's furniture all wrapped up with a bow!

Needless to say, tarps are fairly useless at 60+ mph on the highway, so we had to make quite a few stops to fix the ropes.  We got home without encountering anything but a slight drizzle for a few minutes here and there.  Once we arrived home, we decided to have a quick bite to eat before unloading the truck, which is when the HUGE thunderstorm (complete with torrential rain and a small tornado that hit elsewhere in the city!) decided to arrive.  (I am upholding my dislike of weathermen based on this experience, since the storm wasn't supposed to come in until 2 hours later!)  Luckily, the tarp kept most of the water off, though not all.  We ended up bringing the stuff in and wiping it down when the rain slowed to a drizzle.  Much of the wood had dried by morning.

Baby's tall dresser, complete with a small sample of baby's book collection

My mother-in-law Barbara came over to help with the organization; she was a great help!  And baby's closet no longer looks like a tornado hit it!

Baby's long dresser, with changing station