last minute shopping

Yesterday I ordered our gdiapers starter kit and the Dunstan Baby Language DVD. I'm sure I'll have all sorts of things to say about how they both work... once we're actually using them.

gender determination

I was pouring my cereal this morning and thinking of all the different methods of gender determination I've heard from people since we started telling people we weren't going to find out the sex of Baby E.

1. Of course "how you carry." But no one can seem to agree on which station of carrying means what. Are you low, all around, straight out, high, etc. The doctor says how you carry is hereditary and has nothing to do with your baby's gender.
2. "The ol' wedding ring and hair trick." In this method you tie a piece of hair to a wedding ring and swing it over the mother's belly. Depending on how it swings—round and round or back and forth, or is it clockwise and counter clockwise—determines the sex of the baby. We didn't do this but apparently it's supposed to be pretty accurate. I will point out that our local practitioner, Fr. V's wife, Matushka, tried it on her own daughter's pregnant belly and it was wrong.
3. "How intense is your morning sickness?" Researchers found that 56 percent of women who have severe morning sickness had a girl. I had horrible "morning" sickness (as in all day) well past my first trimester (though I never actually threw up... except for one random morning in the Metro). I also had the good fortune of having it return in the last few weeks. So what does that mean?
   
4. "The intensity of the linea nigra (dark line)." This was a new one for me. Apparently if the line that runs along your belly in late pregnancy is light, it's a girl and dark it's a boy. My line is very light. I guess we'll see.
5. "The heart rate." This one probably has the most scientific validity behind it. According to our sonographer, it's true, girls' heart rates tend to be higher, boys' lower. Right now Baby E's heart rate tends toward the lower side. However, I will note that the kid sleeps ALL the time! When you wake her/him up with say... a buzzer to Mama's belly, the heart rate gets way up there. So really, who knows?
   
6. "Where you carry your weight." If your pregnancy weight is in your butt, it's a girl. Not sure where you carry your weight if it's a boy. Or maybe that's it. You don't gain weight if it's a boy. Our friend Kathy was all baby and she just had a boy. Hmmmm...
7. "What does your gut tell you?" Absolutely nothing. I've flip-flopped so much on this there's no telling what we're having. The sonographer's report says "Normal."
   
8. Finally, and my favorite so far... "Tending to eat more meat or vegetables." Our favorite little breakfast place, Kay's Diner II, is run by two Korean sisters and one of their husbands. Since we eat there at least 2 weekends of every month, they've gradually seen me get more and more pregnant over the last 9 months. Last weekend one of the sisters finally asked when the baby was due. We told her 2 weeks and she asked if we knew the gender yet. After learning that, no, we didn't, she asked "Do you eat more vegetables or meat?" Now really, to make an accurate call on this is nearly impossible. I've been trying to eat a balance diet. At the beginning all I could eat was Potbelly sandwiches. Now I've tended more vegetarian. I eat meat when it's put in front of me but given the chance to make my own meal I tend to go meatless. So who knows? After hearing that I've been eating both she declared the baby a boy.

At this point I'm happy with the gender determination "Normal." And I'm looking forward to being utterly surprised when the doctor puts Baby E on my chest and says, "Congratulations, it's a __________!"

just thinking

We actually have to cram our last two birthing classes with our instructor since they'll be held after the baby is already born. I keep looking at my belly and thinking it's going to be "empty" in a week and a half. I think I might miss it a bit, the belly. But I'm really excited to meet the 3rd member of our family. Is it a girl? Is it boy? What the baby's personality? He/she's a big sleeper right now. Will he/she be the same in the outside world? So exciting.

inducement

We have scheduled my inducement. Sorry, this news is late in coming to the blog. Now that the baby is fully baked, my doctor is too. I mean... the doctor is ready for the fully baked baby to be born. Because of the protein deficiency that they discovered earlier on in the pregnancy they say it's best just to get the baby out after the 37th week.

So, drum roll... Baby E. is scheduled to come into the world around dinner time next Friday! Friday, July 13th! First of all, holy moly! Second of all, wow!

Our doctor's schedule determined the date. And she did ask us if we were superstitious. But neither of us is worried about the connotations associated with Friday the 13th. You make your own luck. And the kid will always have a story to tell about his/her birthday. That is of course if I make it to next Friday. I'm already 75 percent effaced and about 1/2 centimeter dilated.

biophsyicals

We started our weekly countdown at the OB two weeks ago. This weekend was the beginning of my 37 week. Baby E. is officially, fully baked.

We've been having weekly biophysicals to watch the progress of Baby E. and to keep close tabs on his/her physical state. So every Friday we get a sonogram and a pelvic. (Yippee to the second.) Baby follows directions excellently and is gaining a half a pound a week. At last check he/she was 6 lbs. 13 oz. They don't officially check length but I have a feeling this kid is LONG. His/her rump is squashed right up under my right breast, so I've got an unsightly bump on the right side of the belly. Not to mention the difficulty breathing when the kid decides to stretch. So there can't be much room left in there anymore.

They also put me on a fetal monitor every time I go in. Baby E. is supposed to have periods of elevated activity 3 times in 20 minutes. This he/she is not so good at. He/she is VERY good at sleeping though. So last Friday after some half-assed efforts at elevating his/her heartbeat through poking and talking, a nurse was sent in with a buzzer to buzz my belly and essentially scare the crap out of the baby. After two buzzes the baby was surely awake and gave them what they wanted. Poor thing. Still, after all that though he/she promptly fell back asleep. A kid after my own heart. Unfortunately though, Dr. B. said this habit will most likely not transfer to outside of the womb behavior. Darn!

slowing down

I've been a bit blog-slack lately. I'm tired. And not feeling especially creative, which makes blogging more challenging. Not sure if this is purely a symptom of pregnancy or if I've just hit a lazy streak. I'd like to think it's a symptom of coming into the home stretch. So since I've been slack...

I took the Envirosax shopping at Giant and Target. What fun! I felt so socially responsible. And the checkout lady seemed pleased to be packing up my purchases in such visually pleasing sax. I also pimped them to the ladies at Catch Can, a little boutique that is next to our favorite weekend breakfast place, Kay's Diner II. Who knows? Maybe they'll start carrying them.

what's good for the garden...

So we're having a bit of a drought... and we also just happened to put it a bunch of new landscaping. As such, having seen our last water bill, Dima and I have been talking about getting a rain barrel.


Ideally I'd love to have a xeric garden (there's a house on the way to the hospital that we LOVE. We call it the Ikea House and their yard is xeric.) or at least one full of native plants that requires less water. (Well, IDEALLY I'd like to have a garden that looked great and required little work to keep it that way. Thankfully Dima seems to have inherited his mother's green thumb. So he's the gardener.) But with this house, at least with our newly planted "curb appeal" beds in the front, xeric and native are not key words.


So the rain barrel search is on. I found a great buying guide online. Most of them seem to have screen guards on them, to keep pests and mosquitos out, which in our yard would be a concern. We'll see. A 65 gallon one ought to do it, right?

the blessed arrival

My Envirosax finally arrived today! They are so awesome. I can't wait to go grocery shopping.

well at least I saw it coming

At least I saw Hollywood's cleaned up version of it. Dima and I went to see Knocked Up last night. Now I'm not feeling especially humorous today because I'm actually am feeling especially knocked up, but here goes...

Well first, my presence in the theater was amusing to some of the other movie-goers. Look a knocked up girl is watching a movie about being knocked up. Giggle, giggle... But once the film started to roll they forgot all about me. It's a completely hysterical movie. (Hear for yourself. NPR reviewed it here.) I laughed so hard at one point I might have peed a bit. In fact I think we missed some of the funnier bits because everyone in the theater was laughing so hard we couldn't hear.

Beware, there are shots of Katherine Heigl's supposed nether regions and a baby crowning. A first for me, and the world I'm sure, in a such a mainstream movie. Dima's jaw dropped and the whole theater let out a simultaneous "Ewwwwwww." As fake as it looked though (think franks and beans from Something About Mary), it definitely made me think about what's to come. So, at least I saw it coming... and it was certainly more sanitized than anything they'll soon show us in our birthing class I'm sure. Maybe it was a good gateway experience.

Overall, the movie is a must see. Whether you're preparing for this experience or not.

the truth comes out

Dima's friend Gretchen called today (She's prego too. Congratulations Gretchen and Reuben!) to catch up. Dima's quote of the week: "I'm not really nervous. I mean I'm kind of concerned about the whole giving birth thing from Jen's perspective. I mean I know it's natural. But it doesn't seem like there's anything natural about something that big coming through and area that's that small." It's actually nice to know he's a bit worried about all that.

He also revealed to Gretchen he feels unprepared to deal with a newborn... holding, changing, feeding a baby that small. He claims never to have handled a newborn but he forgets that he held our nephew, Wesley, when he was just a day old. Now, with the feeding and the diaper changing... he is starting at a deficit, but he's a quick study. I have absolute faith in him. And really that faith makes all of this so much easier for me. If I really felt like I was dealing with a partner that was going to fall down on the job in crunch time I would be hysterical by now. But not Dima. He's been so good to me, so conscientious, so above and beyond. I have no concerns about him being able to step up and do what has to be done. He's going to be such a great Papa. A natural.

I will admit though, the one thing we are both totally freaked about... Cutting tiny fingernails. Yikes!

save the plastic...

I got e-mail notice yesterday... My new grocery bags , pardon me my new Envirosax, (save the plastic, save the world April 26, 2007) have shipped! They should be here any day now. V. excited.

3d baby e

We were surprised during our last visit to the "high risk" OB. Our sonogram technician told us she wanted to get a good picture while the baby was in an ideal position and the next thing we knew we were looking at our kid in three dimensions. Words to describe this? Wild. Weird. Cool. Amazing. In one moment we actually saw the baby frown and then smile. It was breathtaking. These 2D photos of the 3D experience don't come close to capturing what it was like to see it in person, but they are cool in their own way.

After this exhilarating experience they let us know that we didn't have to come back anymore. The baby and I have been released from "High Risk!" Which is great... but I think, secretly, both Dima and I were hoping for more "surprise" 3D opportunities. Not to mention the staff are so nice. However, I am absolutely willing to take the dismissal with no prospect of more 3D pictures knowing that the baby and I have a clean bill of health.

the final countdown

As of our last OB appointment our doctor has instructed us to be "prepared" (have my bag packed, etc. in the most benign, practical sense...) to have the baby starting July 1st. We also found out that, provided the baby doesn't arrive before, I'll be induced on the 21st, my actual due date. She said she doesn't want me going past my due date... no reason to go into the medical details of that here. The whole point is...

Baby E. is coming. And fast. As soon as 3 weeks! Sigh. Eak.

Now, being prepared for THAT in a more emotional sense is complex. Preparing for the moment when I am no longer just pregnant... but a mother. A parent. No longer a house (literally and figuratively) but a nurturer. I can only truly speak for myself in terms of how I'm handling the imminent transition, but I'm sure Dima is feeling similar: Nervous. Excited. Expectant. Concerned about the impending lack of sleep. (Being someone that NEEDS a good amount of sleep I'm really concerned about that.) And I think we're both wondering if Melba will try to eat the baby. (Fingers crossed.) Now, being prepared for all THAT? Can you ever be truly prepared for that? Well and then there's the worry... the worry about the whole giving birth thing.

Last night at our first birthing class our instructor asked all of us, to REALLY be honest, and raise our hands if we were feeling fear, anxiety, etc. about what was about to happen. Birth, parenthood, the whole shebang. Only about 3 or 4 of us raised our hands, me included. 3! More than a few soon to be first time mothers defiantly sat there with their arms crossed radiating an air of "I'm not worried. Snark. I can't believe you're worried."

Whatever!

If you're not worried... something is severely wrong with you. I mean, there's no sense in getting yourself really worked up about it. That will only make the whole process harder, and more painful according to our instructor. It is what it is, right? There's no turning back now. But really! Not worried. Not worried at all? You're delusional.

Let me end here by saying my excitement far outweighs my worry... but come on!

the belly

Need I say more?

itsy bitsy

Look at these socks. (Well first look at Dima's toes. The silver is back! It's summer time!) But then look at the socks. Ridiculously tiny. It's hard to imagine baby feet the size of Dima's big toes. Or is it big toes the size of baby feet?

handy cat strikes again

Melba has been very helpful lately. Especially with electrical projects. Here she's assisting Dima with outlet installation in the new linen station and in Baby E's room.

the world is changing

Melba, last weekend as we were unpacking and building baby gear. She's never one to say no to an empty box but I believe the shear number of boxes and mounds of new stuff that have made their way into the house of late are a bit overwhelming to her. After she made her way into this box, one for the baby's car seat, she just stayed there and fell asleep. Poor kitty. She has no idea how much her world is about to change.

for the love of etsy

I love Etsy.

It's an online marketplace for buying and selling all things handmade: clothing, music, furniture, software, jewelry, robots. They launched on June 18, 2005. Not so long ago I made my first purchase with a beautiful felt pincushion for Claire by loosestring. (I'm actually hoping to start selling some of my own stuff on Etsy in the coming months—jewelry and eventually glass. It will give me something to do while I'm waiting for the baby to wake up from his/her naps, right? ;^))

Anyway, while I was on bedrest I found that not only was it THE place to shop for pincushions, it was a great place to shop for kids stuff too. So many cute things and all handmade with unique styling. Some of my favorite sellers: ModCherie, kinchi, minitoes, snugabugblankets, bellaserababy, smallthreads and circularaccessories.

the return of Handy Cat

Yesterday, while I watched, Dima spent most of the day installing hand-me-down Ikea cabinets in the basement. Josh and Carey (my brother and sister-in-law) had these cabinets left over when they remodeled their kitchen. And until now they've been taking up room in our already overcrowded garage. It's safe to say that both of us had moments of regret in taking them. They were dirty and in the way. And I know it made the mess in the garage feel all the more overwhelming. But now that they're installed in their new home and nearly playing a great new role, we're both very excited. Dima even said this morning they look like they were meant to be in their new location.

We plan on using them as our new linen closet/laundry center. And with a baby on the way and such a tiny linen closet upstairs this new setup is long overdue. We'll be able to store all our linens right outside the laundry room now and the counter is a great place to sort and fold laundry. Wow... how domestic that I'm so excited by this.

And, as you might suspect, the whole installation it was just too much for Melba to resist. She was quick on the scene as her alter-ego "Handy Cat." You can see her here, closely inspecting Dima's work. Thank goodness for her keen grasp of her crucial contribution. Otherwise I'm sure the cabinets would have been installed incorrectly. ;^)

evolutionary imperative

My friend Carmen says the lack of short term memory that is afflicting me is an evolutionary imperative that's designed to keep pregnant women close to the nest. Better to protect your fetus. Whatever... it's annoying. In short, and unfortunately in the most politically incorrect way, it makes me feel like a retard.