WHOA BABY!

Today we had our 34 week prenatal, which included the standard Group B Strep test (results forthcoming). In addition to that fun, we were relieved to hear that I am not at all dilated yet. Then, in more interesting news, Baby James' heartrate was in the 150's and I measured on schedule with a fundal height of 34cm. The doctor was happy, and she called me perfect again, so I was happy. Jay and I asked a lot of questions about the delivery, and learned some things they didn't mention in our classes (or any of the books I've read). We love the fact that our doctor is very frank with her answers and explanations, and she doesn't leave anything to the imagination!

Whoa Belly! My belly continues to grow, yet somehow still defy gravity... Although everyone does tell me that I'm carrying low - of course, they've been saying that since week 28!! I'm feeling OK - still sleeping well, but I've been waking up with sore knees and hips. I always feel good during the day though, except when the little guy is kicking me in the ribs... Or when my sciatica acts up! Here I am this morning, at 34 weeks 4 days:Our classes, and thus our crazy January, have come to an end. Last week we had a doubleheader: the Infant CPR & Safety Class AND Childbirth Class #3. In the CPR class we learned the American Heart Association method for infants: 2 breaths, followed by 30 compressions at the rate of 100 per minute. Jay was a pro (due to all his years of lifeguard training), and the instructor called him out right away - I'm just glad he's so confident! Between the 1/3- to 1/2-depth chest compressions and the strong whacks on the back you're suppose to give a choking baby, I personally felt a little nervous. I certainly learned all the techniques, but I worry about doing them incorrectly (i.e. too delicately), should I ever find myself in the situation. Everyone says you remember though, even in the heat of the moment, so I'm trying to just trust myself. I'm really glad we had the training (or, a refresher in Jay's case), even though I hope we never need it... Childbirth Class #3 was the opposite of fun. It's the class where they tell you about all the potential interventions during labor and delivery: Pitocin, vacuum, forceps, C-sections, etc. AND then came the epidural information! For anyone out there who, like me, was unaware of the exact procedure for getting the epidural, let me break it down for you:

1) Daddy is required to leave the room because 9 out of 10 men faint at the sight of the needle
2) The needle really is THAT large
3) Mommy curls into the fetal position (out of fear, as much as for allowing spine accessibility)
4) Local anesthetic is applied to the area to reduce the pain of the giant needle
5) The giant needle is injected into Mommy's spine
6) It's not over (I was under the impression that the epidural was simply a big shot - it's not)
7) A catheter is placed, through the needle, into Mommy's spine (yes, a catheter)
8) The giant needle is removed, leaving the catheter behind to administer the medication
9) The catheter is taped to Mommy's back and hooked to a machine - Mommy is no longer allowed to move around, let alone leave the bed anymore (and that means a second catheter...)

So, I had been planning on having the epidural from the day I found out I was pregnant... Now, not so much. I hate needles (not that anyone likes them), and the idea of being bound to the bed for 10-20 hours makes me cringe. Not to mention, I'd really like to avoid Pitocin, which is much more likely to be administered following an epidural, since epidurals tend to slow labor. Then we'd have to deal with the loop-de-loop of drugs to find the right balance. And if the Pitocin isn't enough to keep labor moving along? Then you're at a higher risk for those other interventions I mentioned earlier (vacuum, forceps, or C-section). No thanks. We're now aiming for a natural, drug-free labor and delivery, while keeping the option of an epidural open if it becomes absolutely necessary (if it just REALLY hurts, or if I'm getting too exhausted - i.e. if labor ends up being really long). I've written a birth plan to state my wishes, but I'm calling it my "Birth Preferences", since I'm certainly willing to do whatever it takes to deliver Baby James safe and healthy!!

There was one fun part of the class though... we got to have a hospital tour to see the labor and delivery rooms, post-partum rooms, and the nursery. That's always Jay's favorite part - watching the new babies! We even bumped into someone we knew, a member of our church that was there to welcome his new granddaughter - she was a big girl (almost 9 lbs), and really cute - very pink and wiggly (Jay and I think it's funny that newborns seem to spend so much time stretching their fingers and toes and arms and legs - it really is adorable).

Then, tonight was our final childbirth class, and this was the really fun one! We learned all about caring for our newborn!! The instructor showed us everything that would be used on myself and the baby while in the hospital, and explained every standard procedure, including the APGAR test (where they score the baby a 0-10 based on heartrate, respiratory effort, muscle tone, relfex irritability, and color), baby's first bath, the vitamin K shot and hepatitis B vaccine, and the goop they put in the newborns' eyes. And we didn't even have to watch any videos! Then, to end the night (and the class series), she once again split the men into 4 teams and had them do a relay race of diapering, changing clothes, swaddling, and bottle feeding. And once again, Jay went first for his team. And once again, his team won (even though they had an extra person)! What a great note to end the class on! I'm really proud of him, and we both feel so much more ready for the arrival of our little lucky charm!!

SHOWERED AT WORK

Jay and I are feeling very lucky today... Our coworkers threw us an awesome baby shower! We had attendees from both of the branches we work in (for those who don't know, Jay and I work together, but we don't actually WORK together - we are on different teams, in different branches of the Environmental Lab), as well as some of the ladies that I play BUNKO with from the admin branch. There was a great turn-out and we received some really generous gifts: lots of adorable baby clothes and blankets (even some handmade items, including 2 blankets, a bib, and a nautical-themed set of picture frames for the nursery wall), some really cool toys (including a basket that was filled with bathtime fun items, all in the underwater theme), and some items from our registry that we were really hoping for (including the baby grooming and first-aid kits, the highchair, and the crib tent - to keep the cats off Baby James while he sleeps). We also had the opportunity to talk with other parents and get some advice, which we always appreciate. If we had only written down their cell phone numbers so we can call them at 3am with questions...

Here we are with the ultra-soft and cuddly teddy bear that Pam gave us:

And here is a small sampling of shower attendees, enjoying their cake:

The best part about the baby shower (other than the gifts, of course) was the lack of baby-themed games (hooray!) and the presence of TWO cakes (one vanilla, one chocolate - and yes, Jay and I had both - twice)! The Ahoy James cake was made by Cheryl, and the super-duper chocolate cake was made by Marilyn's mother. They were both delicious, and I'm happy to report that there is plenty left for us to eat cake all weekend if we choose to...

Now, I don't think I've mentioned it before, but there is something in the water here at the Environmental Lab... Jay and I are the 5th couple to be expecting a baby this year, with at least 3 more couples due after us! The newest addition was our youngest baby shower attendee, Dawn's adorable son Coltin (7 weeks old). He was a perfect little angel throughout the party. Check out his gorgeous hair:

By the end of the party, we had quite a haul of bags and boxes to tote to the car!

Thank you all for such a wonderful baby shower - we feel so spoiled!

OUR BAGS ARE PACKED!

Today we had our 32 week prenatal appointment and growth assessment ultrasound. Sweet Baby James is even bigger than his mommy thought - a whopping 4 pounds 10 ounces! (But I win - Jay thought he'd be 4 pounds 2 ounces, I guessed "at least 4.5 pounds") Remember how I mentioned in the 30 week post that I'm suppose to gain one pound per week this trimester? Well, half of that weight goes straight to the baby, so that means he'll gain at least another 4 pounds by his due date, if we go full-term. That would make him an 8.5-9 pound baby, the same as his daddy was (and something I've recently learned - babies birthweights can reliably be guessed based on their daddy's birth weights). Maybe I won't have to deal with a 9-pounder though... If I haven't mentioned it before, preemies run in both our families, so we're predicting an early birth. But we'll see... as Jay's grandmother told me, "When the apple is ripe, it'll fall from the tree." Just to be safe, we packed our bags over the weekend:

In other appointment news, Baby James' heartrate was around 140 bpm, and he measured in the 53rd percentile with his head circumference and femur length, which is exactly where they want him to be (not too big, not too small), so the doctor called him perfect! Yes, he is, isn't he? Jay received praise from the technician because he was sweet enough to mop up all my "belly jelly" after the sonogram, something apparently most husbands don't do. Not my guy, he's all about helping out! Good thing too, because it's getting hard for me to see under my belly! Also, my blood pressure was excellent, so I got a pretty good score today too. We're quite the happy family tonight!! As far as my belly, there isn't much difference in size or shape from my 30 week photo, although I do have more stretch marks now. Regardless, you know I have to show it off, so here I am this morning (at 32 weeks 4 days) on my way to work:

In other baby news, we attended our first and second Childbirth Classes over the past two Thursdays. The first class was mostly an introduction. We met the other participants, watched "The Video" (and let me tell you, it's NOT like what you see on TLC - we had to watch the delivery of the placenta, and it wasn't pleasant), and learned about all the 3rd trimester body changes I'm currently (or will shortly be) going through. Then, the instructor loaded a backpack with 27 pounds worth of food products (flour, sugar, beans, rice - the making of any great southern meal!) and invited the husbands to give it a try, to simulate what they're wives are going through. Jay was the first to take on the challenge (see the photo below - he's such a good sport)! When the second guy got up to take his turn, he didn't leave the backpack on for very long and everyone gave him a bad time. His response? "You ladies have had 7+ months to get use to carrying this weight!"

Tonight was the second Childbirth Class. We had our first quiz... Jay and I did pretty well on most of the questions, but we failed the membrane/amniotic sac rupturing review. We won't forget again though: COAT (which stands for Color, Odor, Amount, and Time) - all important "water breaking" info to record and tell your doctor. We watched another childbirth video, all about natural (drug-free) childbirth (which only 2 out of the 20 moms in the class plan to attempt, myself not being one of them - modern medicine is there to assist me!) It was similar to the first video, but less graphic, and more about learning techniques for coping with labor pain. Then we did the typical childbirth class routine of practicing massaging (I'm so lucky Jay is already good at this) and breathing techniques. We learned the "deep cleansing breath", "feather breathing", the "hee hee hoo's", and the pushing breath holds - each to be used during a different phase of labor (the first 3 during the first stage, though mostly during the active and transitional labor - then the last for the delivery). Finally, the instructor broke the husbands into 4 groups and had them come up with lists of all the things they can do to be helpful throughout labor. It was a competition, and Jay's group won, so they all got Lifesavers for being "our lifesaver" (see the picture below). The best part? One of the helpful and encouraging things Jay thought of for his group was bringing flowers to your wife after the delivery. How sweet is he? And yes, I'll hold him to it (and he knows it)! I highly recommend these types of classes for my other pregnant friends and family members - even if you can read it all in a book, there's just something to be said for doing it together with your spouse, and in person with an instructor - it's a real bonding experience, it makes you feel more secure in your abilities, and it's enjoyable - we've had a great time so far, and I sure loved the massage "practice"!

In between the Childbirth Classes, we had the Carseat Safety Class, which actually encompassed much more than just carseat safety. It was taught by a local fire and rescue worker, and she included useful information on smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors, poison control, home safety, etc. And she helped us install the carseat for the first time! That was fun, since we had left the instructions at home... Luckily, they were also printed on the stickers that we had yet to remove from the shiny new carseat. And luckily, it was easy. Hooray for us! We're definitely feeling more "ready" for Baby James with every passing week. In addition to all the reading we're doing and classes we're taking (we have 3 more to go, including another two sessions of the Childbirth Class and the Infant Safety and CPR Class), the generosity of our family, friends, and coworkers is certainly helping to get us ready! We'd like to thank my Aunt & Uncle, and my cousins & their husbands, for the awesome swing, bouncer, and toys they recently sent. We love the glider that my parents special-ordered for us. My brother and sister-in-law sent a ship's wheel that's perfect on the wall, and John & Betsy gave us the cutest Pirate's Cove growth chart when we were home for Christmas, so the nursery is looking more and more decorated. Also, we had a great surprise from Kelly & Adam a couple weeks ago - two really neat educational baby toys! So, now that we finally have everything put together and hung up, we thought we'd post some photos (below). Also, a quick shout-out to Jim & Kristy, and Elizabeth & Philip for the excellent array of hand-me-downs they've recently provided! Baby James is very lucky - he'll have clean clothes even if we skip laundry for a whole month!

In our room, we set up the cool play-yard that Jean bought us (it has a nightlight, music, and vibration feature, and a mobile and changing station, which we've left off for now, for ease in getting a newborn in and out of it!) We're planning to use it as a bassinet for the first few months, until Baby James out-grows it and moves into his crib. Until then, the cats have been taking turns testing it out (we'll have to get that crib tent soon, and hope that it fits the play-yard too)! Then, this piece of baby gear will be used as a portable crib for when we travel. Here it is, next to my nightstand and under one of the gorgeous new photos Jay gave me for Christmas (a close-up of a plumeria tree at the resort we stayed at on Maui last May):

Thanks for reading, and please keep Baby James in your prayers. Send him good thoughts to stay "cooking in the oven" for at least another 4 weeks or so - we don't want him to show up too soon! I'll end this post with one more photo of our little man, smiling big!

WINTER BIRDS

Although temps are still in the upper 60s/70s, our winter birds have arrived! For the past week we've been enjoying the goldfinches on the thistle feeder, then this weekend, the juncos showed up and we noticed the leatherleaf mahonia blooming and covered with bees (and yes, we know it's nonnative, but we didn't plant it, and it smells sooo good).

HAPPY 2009!

Happy New Year! We hope you all had fun celebrating last night and are starting 2009 off right today! We had a quiet evening... we knew there was no way I'd be able to stay awake until midnight anyway (although I did last until almost 11:30pm), so we skipped the local party and celebrated at home. Jay made delicious steaks for dinner (using his new meat turner, an E-Z Hook straight from Alaska, a Christmas present from Jean), we set off some fireworks (and yes, the baby kicked every time a loud one went off), blew up the air mattress and set it right in front of the fireplace (the cats absolutely LOVED it - and by the way Stephen, the wedge pillow was a perfect addition to the set up), watched some of our DVR shows, and ate yummy DOVE ice cream. It was a great night!