Announcing the Winners

Some of you entered guesses about the Boise Baby's gender, length, weight and so forth on the expectnet site. The scores of the winners in each category have been calculated and the results are in...

Birth Date/Time: my sister Monique wins with her guess of 12/25 at 12:00 am
Weight: Katie P McD wins with a guess of 6lbs 12oz
Length: 5 way tie between Ann Tan, Liz Sabin, Robin Young, KP McD and a gal from the message boards

Overall winner............

My sister Monique

I'm Back

Hello all! Aiden and I came home today and we all are excited to start our life as a family. I appreciate all the emails and voice mails I've received over the last few days and I promise that when we settle into our routine I will work on responding to them personally. I appreciate everyone understanding that we are mostly not ready to answer the phone right now but we will be soonish.

I am lucky to have some help here tonight so Adam and I can get some sleep. Off to bed...

Aiden Michael Ross, born 12/27/07

Medical Update

I started having weekly appointments today and, since Adam is off today, he was able to come along. I saw Dr. Anstine (my regular doc) and she said I am definitely making progress. She also noted that the baby is VERY low (which I already knew thank you very much). Dr. Anstine wants me to keep the baby cooking until at least this weekend but she didn't put any restrictions on me and said that everything would probably be perfectly fine if the baby were born this week.

She is on call this weekend but out of town next week so I need to either have the baby this weekend or keep everything under control until she comes back. The sad thing (for me) is that it could still be several weeks before the baby is born which would mean several more weeks of this discomfort.

Merry Christmas

Adam and I have had a great Christmas. We decided to have a pretty low-key holiday this year because we have bigger things coming down the pike AND because it is one of the last years we won't have to do a big production for Christmas.

Yesterday Adam worked until noon, we had lunch at home, took a nap, ran a few errands and had an early dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant. After dinner we opened presents, made coffee cake and fruit salad for today and watched a few episodes of Big Love season 2.

Today we ate our delicious coffee cake for breakfast and opened stockings. We also talked on the phone with various family members, ate lunch at home, saw Juno and I took a nap. Tonight we are making pizza for dinner (one of our favorite things to do) and doing laundry (not one of our favorite things to do but a fact of life). We are also doing some research on laptops as we are FINALLY feeling ready to buy one.

Maternity Support Belt

I posted earlier that nobody in town had my size in the maternity support belt my doctor recommended. Adam and I decided to go to Babies R Us just in case the girl on the phone was wrong and it turns out the belts aren't sized like normal clothes so I wear a medium in this item and they had it! It seems to work pretty well too so that's good news.

Update

Went to the doctor this morning and they tested me for a urinary tract infection which I do not have. I talked extensively with the nurse and they decided to wait until my appointment on Wednesday to check on other stuff. Until then, I am to take it easy, drink water, take Tylenol and get a maternity support belt to help with my back pain. Only one problem...NOBODY IN THE TREASURE VALLEY HAS MY SIZE RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!

The doctor and the nurse told me I could go run a few errands as long as I paid attention to my body. They said if it started feeling too hard to walk around that I needed to go home so I finished buying a few small presents for Adam's stocking. It was exhausting and starting to get painful so I got myself home and I guess I'm back to bed rest until I see the doctor on Wednesday.

Testing

I'm testing a feature that allows me to post directly to the blog by simply emailing the post.

Grounded: Update

Adam bought me a book at Barnes and Noble and I already read the whole thing. He's making dinner right now and I'm taking some time out of bed (but still sitting). I haven't had any contractions today but my backache and cramping haven't really gone away so I called and spoke with the doctor again. I am going in tomorrow morning to get checked. I wasn't scheduled for an appointment until Wednesday but he thought it would be best if I got my urine checked tomorrow and had someone do a quick internal exam to make sure everything is still okay (especially since they are closed on Tuesday).

So, I think we will make sure our hospital bag is packed TONIGHT just in case.

Grounded

All day yesterday I had a really bad backache and menstrual like cramping. I also had some contractions in the car when we were running errands last night so I decided to call the on call doctor around 8pm. Since I'm 36 weeks right now (next week the baby will be considered full term!), he told me I needed to go on bedrest for the rest of the night and all day today. I'm out of bed right now (just so I can update my loyal fans) but I'm headed back in a minute or two. I think Adam may go to Barnes and Noble to get me a book or to Blockbuster to rent us a movie.

Weekend Update

First of all, let me reassure everybody that both baby and I are perfectly fine following my fall in the parking lot at school. A lot of people have called and emailed and we really appreciate the concern. One of the reasons I'm feeling so much better...swimming. I really can't believe how much it helped and I am trying to go every day so I can maintain this good feeling. I swear, swimming is a miracle cure for the aches and pains of pregnancy.

Yesterday I spent most of the day working on prepping things in my classroom. My assistant Holly kept me on task and we got a lot of work done. I think my sub could basically walk in Jan. 7 (our first day back to school) and be ready to roll. I have almost all my photocopies done and a basic outline of my lesson plans filed by week for the REST OF THE YEAR. Holly and I are planning to go in one day this week to finish the last few things we were just too pooped to do but I'm feeling good because it's one more thing to cross off my list. Of course I'm convinced now that I've found a sub and am ready for her to step in, the baby won't be born until July!

This weekend we are trying to get a bunch of stuff done. I am out of school for the break so it's a perfect opportunity for us to get busy. Our goals for the weekend (which extends until Tuesday in my mind because of the holiday)...

1. pack hospital bag
2. wash baby clothes (we won't do this until after Christmas though because I know the baby got more Christmas presents than either of us and I'm sure at least some of them are clothes)
   
3. FINALLY set up a time to get new doors installed in the baby's room
4. oil change on my car
   
5. prep a few more meals for the freezer
6. finish Christmas shopping for each other
7. haircut for me (and maybe a pedicure??)
8. order/buy the last few things we really NEED for the baby
   

Good News

The kids at school were SO WORRIED about me when they heard I fell. I can't believe how many kids have stopped me in the hall and asked if I'm feeling better. It's nice to know that kids actually care about others.

In other news, I finally found a substitute to cover my maternity leave. I was starting to panic because I was having such bad luck finding someone who would be both competent and tolerable. I am so relieved!

A Slip and a Fall

I slipped this morning in the parking lot at work. No, it wasn't icy but it was really wet. I was getting something out of the back seat and I just fell straight to my bum. I was wearing light colored pants (isn't that the way it always is?) and I got really wet. I called the doctor's office as soon as they opened 15 minutes later just to let them know.

They sent me in to Labor and Delivery Triage to get monitored. I ended up being there almost 2 hours because the baby was moving so much that they couldn't get quite enough monitoring time before it would decide to slip the monitors and hang out elsewhere.

Everything looks good. I'm not having any contractions and the baby is fine. My hip is VERY sore now though and I am REALLY struggling to walk so I took the rest of the day off. I'm planning to go swimming (it's supposed to take some pressure off my hips) and just take it easy.

Mama's Little Jumpin' Bean

Last night I was sitting on the couch and realized I could really SEE the baby moving around. I called Adam over and told him to just watch for a minute. Sure enough, Adam was able to see the movement. The Jumpin' Bean was pretty quiet after that though so we don't have any video to upload.

I Shaved My Legs for This?

We went to Portland this weekend for Adam's grandmother's birthday party. We had a great time and I am so glad we were able to attend.

The only disappointing thing...our hotel didn't have a working pool. I thought for sure it would have an indoor pool and I was really looking forward to swimming (it's supposed to help take pressure off your back and hips during pregnancy). Unfortunately the pool at the Marriott Residence Inn near Lloyd Center is an outdoor pool. Why in the world would ANYONE in Portland have an outdoor pool?

Off to Portland

We are leaving for Portland right after work today. I'm looking forward to the trip but am more than a little concerned about my energy level. Some days I feel pretty good but some days I feel an exhaustion level that simply can't be described. On those days I struggle to keep myself moving, I slur my words and I simply have to take a nap. I almost always have one of those days on Saturday so we've requested early check-in at our hotel with the hope that I will be able to take a nap between lunch and dinner.

Clothes!

Today I received a Hanna Andersson gift card in the mail. It's funny because I was thinking as I drove home that I didn't really have many clothes yet for the baby. I got online and placed an order immediately. We should get the order in the next week or so. I ordered 5 white long-sleeved shirts (in two different sizes), 5 little pairs of pants (also in two different sizes) and a little fleece jacket similar to the one we already have but in the next size up.

So now the baby will have a fleece jacket, red pants, blue pants and striped pants in size 50 (0-3 months) and size 60 (2-6 months). I thought these were pretty foolproof unisex outfits though and I like that they will definitely mix and match.

Beached

I rolled over onto my back last night in my sleep. Just in case you've never been 34 weeks pregnant, let me tell you, it wasn't pleasant. I was in a lot of pain from all the weight of the baby pressing down on me and then I really struggled to get up to change positions.

Rockabye Baby

I was looking for things on Amazon to add to my Christmas list and came across these CDs. They make these for a bunch of bands. If you're interested in hearing samples you can find them on Amazon.

Medical Update

Had another appointment with the OB. Today I saw Dr. Grissom and she was efficient. I can't really say she was warm or nice but she did answer my questions and do all the things she needed to do.

My blood pressure was 120/70, my weight was up 1 lb (from 2 weeks ago), the baby's heart rate was in the 120s. Also, I got cleared for takeoff to Portland this weekend so everything is good.

Busy Busy Busy

Well, we didn't get quite as much done as we wanted but we still did a lot of work today! We made lasagna and are in the process of making chicken pot pie. We got all the windows insulated (amazing what a difference that makes!). We went ahead and saw the movie even though we didn't get ALL the stuff done.

Overall, a pretty productive day.

Planning Ahead

This week I used my newish cookbook to make macaroni and cheese. I made three loaf pans of it and froze two. We made small hamburgers to eat with it and the dinner was a hit! You may remember that I've been trying to make and freeze meals for when the baby comes. The past month or so we've been really busy and tired and we haven't managed to freeze much of anything. After the rousing success of macaroni and cheese I decided to look through my cookbook again for inspiration.

This week we are planning to make chicken pot pie, lasagna, pizza dough and enchiladas. We are going to try to make as many as possible today so we won't have to cook during the week. While I am working on cooking, Adam is going to work on insulating our windows with that plastic film stuff. When we finish our very ambitious project we are going to reward ourselves with a trip to the movies to see The Golden Compass...I might even drink a coke.

Next weekend we will be in Portland for Adam's grandmother's birthday and our last out of town trip until after the baby comes.

My Favorite Thing

I recently bit the bullet and purchased a maternity wedge pillow. It has made such a difference in my comfort level while sleeping. It works sort of like a shim...I place it under my belly and it keeps me from rolling too far forward and putting weight on my belly. I can also use it if I want to sleep on my back because it elevates me enough to keep all the blood flowing but allows me to sleep without pressure on my hip.

Sunday Triple Header

All of a sudden I've got a bunch of things I want to write about. Not wanting to forget any of these gems, I will post them all right now.

1. Mick (our dog) has always liked hiding under things, in corners and so forth. Since we started putting furniture in the baby's room he has taken a liking to hiding under it. When we first got the dresser we started finding him under it all the time. We weren't expecting him to be able to get under the crib because it has a lower clearance but I guess we underestimated his terrier persistence. The only problem with him getting under the crib is that we don't think he's figured out how to get out yet. Several times now we've had to lift the crib to let him out. It seems like he should be able to get out if he was able to get in there but who knows.

2. This morning I was sitting on the couch and Adam placed his head on my belly. After about 10 seconds the baby kicked Adam in the head. It was pretty mild as kicks go but Adam definitely felt it. Adam kept his head there another minute or so but Baby Ross was NOT HAPPY and dealt him a huge combination kick that had us both laughing hysterically. Adam was surprised at just how physical a kick a 4 pound baby can deliver. Adam doesn't have to get kicked in the head too many times to get a clue so he moved his head out of the danger zone.

3. Kids at school are slowly realizing I'm pregnant. One girl, a first grader, is totally fascinated by the baby. The other day I was sitting down and she needed her shoe tied. I had her put her foot on my thigh because there was just no way I would be able to bend over and tie that shoe! Anyway she very sweetly said, "Mrs. Ross...am I kicking your baby?" I had to stifle a laugh but I replied, "No honey, the baby is not in my leg, don't worry."

Sore Ribs

I guess I've officially made it to another milestone. I woke up this morning feeling like I'd been punched in the ribs on my right side. I'm having trouble breathing because it hurts more when I inhale. This too shall pass.

Kitchen Pictures

We've been meaning to post them but we just kept forgetting. Now you can finally see pictures of all the hard work we did in the kitchen. We still want to replace the floor and the counters but you'll get the idea.

The first picture shows the new light fixture that Adam installed. The second picture shows not only the repainted cabinets but also the fancy new hinges and the shelves we put up.

Crazy Baby Judo

We had fun at the party last night but it WORE ME OUT. It was different than any other party I've ever been to...they had a mechanical bull, trick ropers, gun slingers and a wild west photo booth. My work Christmas party is at a pizza place. I'm thinking it will be a little more subdued.

Anyway, when I was trying to get to sleep the baby started doing this crazy kicking that we call Baby Judo. I'm not exactly sure how s/he does it but I can feel it simultaneously on both sides of my belly and they are so hard that Adam can definitely feel them. We've never had a chance to SEE Baby Judo (s/he only does it when I'm trying to sleep) but I'm pretty sure we'd be able to see them pretty clearly. I was trying to figure out exactly how s/he is doing Baby Judo and the only thing I can figure is that s/he is doing the splits.

Not So Hot

I woke up this morning feeling terribly nauseous. I tried to eat and drink to see if that would make me feel better but the nausea didn't really let up. It was hitting me in waves at sporadic intervals but it was accompanied by tightening in my abdomen and just didn't feel right. I got dressed and went to work thinking I would start feeling better any minute.

When I got to work I was still feeling yucky so, I tried to get through my first few classes but, I finally just called Dr. Anstine's office. They sent me home for the day with instructions to drink a whole bunch of water and REST. They also told me to go directly to the hospital if I didn't feel 10 movements from the baby in 2 hours or if I kept feeling the nausea and abdominal discomfort.

I followed the doctor's instructions and ended up sleeping much of the afternoon. I was able to feel 10 movements from the baby in just a few minutes (more on Crazy Baby Judo later). My nausea and abdominal discomfort went away too.

Adam's company Christmas party is tonight. We are going BUT we will leave if I start feeling sick again.

Medical Update

I had an appointment with my OB today. Well, my appointment was actually with one of her partners (Dr. Carter). He was really nice and jolly and pretty laid back...he reminded me of my friend Robin's dad. The baby's heartbeat was 132 and I only gained about 1.5 pounds from my last visit. If I have to have someone other than Dr. Anstine deliver my baby, I hope it's him.

My next appointment is December 11 with Dr. Grissom. She will be the one evaluating me for signs of pre-term labor before our planned trip to Portland on the 14th.

Baby Outfits

Okay! I admit it! It is sort of killing me not knowing if this baby is a Portia or an Aiden. I went shopping with Adam's grandmother yesterday and we had SO MUCH FUN looking around BabyGap. There were tons of cute outfits for both boys and girls but you will notice the pictures I've included are both girl outfits because the boy outfits just don't translate as well on screen.

Adam has a cousin getting married in March and I have seen so many cute outfits I WOULD buy for the baby to wear to the wedding. I can't really make any choices though because I don't know!

My current favorites all have something of a winter/holiday look to them because that is what's out there right now. Since the wedding is in March in Colorado I am assuming it will still be cold. I don't really know anything about how formal of a wedding it is but I figure an infant can pretty much get away with anything.

Liz and Emily, I know you read this blog...help me out with some weather information.

Safety First

Adam's grandmother Sue is in town. Today we went shopping. Not the crazy Black Friday bargain hunting variety though. We went shopping for baby stuff. Babies R Us was not crowded at all and we had fun looking at all the different choices for strollers and car seats. We settled on one we really like and Adam's grandmother bought it for us. I guess now that we have a crib AND a car seat we are really ready to bring this baby home.

After the shopping excursion we dropped the stroller off at home (it comes in a HUGE box) and headed out for lunch and a movie. Adam really wanted to see No Country for Old Men so we saw that and I mostly enjoyed it. I did have to get up to use the restroom once during the movie. Unfortunately, the man at the end of the aisle was really rude to me. He ROLLED HIS EYES at me when I was walking out and, just in case I thought it was my imagination, he did it AGAIN when I came back! I wanted to "accidentally" step on his foot but I rose above.

Thanksgiving Recap

Our Thanksgiving dinner turned out great! The only other mishap (after the garbage disposal and the can opener) was me burning the top of the yams...I forgot I was broiling until I smelled burning sugar. Luckily, I was able to scrape of the burned part and the yams were still quite tasty.

After dinner we took Adam's grandmother on a tour of Nampa and Boise. Tomorrow we are doing a little bit of baby shopping, having lunch and seeing a movie.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We've already had a pretty eventful morning...our garbage disposal backed up and Adam had to drive to Wal-Mart for a plunger. Right after we got that fixed, our can opener just decided to stop working. This was a manual can opener too so I'm not sure what went wrong. I had to run next door and borrow a can opener from the neighbor.

The good news is, our dinner is pretty much ready to go. It will be a matter of getting things in the oven at the appropriate time but everything is already prepped. We still have some cleaning to do around the house so that will probably keep us busy until Adam's grandmother arrives.

Childbirth Class

We had our first class on Monday night. The way I see it you can end up with two types of childbirth educators...the sacred miracle of life "isn't childbirth beautiful" type or the practical "this baby's coming whether you're ready or not" type. We're lucky because ours falls more into the second category.

There were nine couples in our class. Out of those nine couples, only one other couple has chosen to not find out the baby's sex. It's funny because later in the class when she asked who was planning a natural childbirth only two out of the nine couples were planning one (we're not one of them).

Next week we will be talking about natural childbirth. The week after that we will discuss "medical interventions". I'm not sure what the topic is of the fourth and final class.

The class was much better (and less corny) than I expected. One thing that I was reminded of during the class is how we need to have our car seat purchased and installed BEFORE the baby is born. I am going to try to get that done in the next two weeks.

Public Humiliation

We went to Costco on Sunday (that was our first mistake...it was SO crowded). While Adam was paying for our purchases I got some water and then proceeded to spill it all over the place. A manager quickly came to my rescue, throwing away the cup and running for paper towels. But, I swear people were staring at me and at least SOME of them were thinking my water had broken.

For the record, I am told that water breaking does NOT cause a huge puddle to form around the pregnant woman. That's just what Hollywood wants you to think because it makes their movies funnier.

Strange Dreams

For the past month or so I've been having weird and vivid dreams. Most of them are totally unrelated to the baby but still really strange. I did have one a while ago though that was related to the baby and may cause us to use a different name if we have a boy.

In my dream we had the baby (a boy, every time I dream about the baby it's a boy) and Adam left the room for some reason. The nurse came in and asked me what the baby's name would be and I told her it would be Aiden. I didn't hesitate at all and she put it on all the official paperwork. By the time Adam came back and found out about the switch, we couldn't change it.

The weird thing is that we never once talked about the name Aiden and I have no idea how it came into my head. But, I kind of like it so I think if we have a boy he will be either Henry Aiden (not much of a change from Henry Hayden) or Aiden Henry.

And...just in case you're wondering...Aiden is an Irish name meaning "fiery" so it would be totally appropriate for him if he takes after me!

One more thing...while looking up Aiden in our baby name book we came across the name Addison. Addison means "son of Adam".

Update

Today Adam has been hard at work in the kitchen. We keep thinking we're almost done but then another things begs to be done. So tonight Adam will be painting the ceiling in the kitchen. Once we got the paint up on the walls, the ceiling just looked so dingy. Usually you paint the ceiling first so we're hoping he doesn't have to repaint the walls after this. Once the ceiling is done we will install the new light fixture we bought this morning. The cabinets are mostly all painted now (they're drying outside) so tomorrow night we will rehang them.

I'm waiting on the Thanksgiving grocery shopping until we get the kitchen back together. It doesn't make sense to bring more stuff in right now.

In baby news, the baby has been really active lately. Especially at night when I'm trying to get to sleep. I feel him/her down low mostly (around my pelvic bone) but sometimes up higher (around my waist). We are starting our childbirth class on Monday night.

TGIF

I can't believe it's finally Friday! I've had the longest week. This weekend I plan to get stuff ready for Thanksgiving (Adam's grandmother is coming!!!!). Our dinner will consist of turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes and roasted yams. Tonight I will make the grocery list. First thing tomorrow morning I will do the shopping. On Tuesday or Wednesday I will make the mashed potatoes and yams and pick up the pie from Costco. Thursday morning I will make the turkey, stuffing and green bean casserole.

The whole thing sounds pretty manageable actually!

Lab Results

My doctor called today and my gestational diabetes results came back...I'm good! I'm happy but not surprised since I'd had a blood sugar test done not too long ago when I was having all those headaches.

Voila!

It took about two hours but I got the crib put together! We had a little scare when we tried to move it from the living room into the baby's room...it didn't look like it was going to fit through the door. Thanks to my superior spatial awareness though we figured it out in less than two minutes. Our wall and crib now have corresponding scratches but at least the job is done. While I worked on the crib, Adam worked in the kitchen painting his little heart out. He's still hard at work.

You may be able to tell that our crib is smaller than the standard size. We decided to go with a mini crib because our home is small and because it was A LOT cheaper. Our baby will probably be in a big kid bed sooner than most kids but we're okay with that.

It's Here!

The crib arrived today!!!! Adam is planning to paint the kitchen tonight. Maybe I will focus on putting the crib together. I'm good at that kind of stuff and it will be exciting to see it up. I only wish I had the bedding!

I will post pictures as soon as I'm done.

Kitchen Update 1

We've been hard at work since about 9am. It's 2:30 now and it doesn't LOOK like we've done much of anything. We took everything out of the kitchen...every shelf, every drawer, every everything. Adam spent about an hour figuring out how and where to drill the holes for the new hinges. While he did that I filled all the old holes on the frame and the cabinets with wood filler.

We took a break for lunch around 12. When we got back from lunch I sanded all the filled spots on the cabinets and then primed the backs (we did the fronts last night). I also sanded and primed all the drawers. Adam is just about done drilling the holes into the frame so we will start sanding and painting that part of the cabinetry in about 30 minutes. Once we get that stuff painted we will start on the walls and then finish the cabinets and drawers.

I'm still hoping to have the bulk of this project done tonight but I know there will be some work to do next weekend.

Oh, and don't worry about me. I took a chair outside for the sanding and the priming. I also wore a mask the whole time. Now I'm going to sit and watch Adam work for a while.

Kitchen Confidential

We were going to work on our molding project this weekend BUT Adam really wanted to whip our kitchen into shape so we decided to repaint all the drawers and cabinets and finish painting the walls. We bought new hinges and have the fun job this morning of drilling all the holes and making sure the cabinets all hang right before we do the final coat of paint.

The upshot of this project is that we finally had a legit reason to buy both a sander and a drill. I love using the sander! I will spend a lot of my day sitting while I fill the old holes on the cabinets and then sanding them after they dry. We're hoping to have all the painting done today. We won't actually rehang the cabinets though for at least three days or so because we need to make sure the paint is totally dry and hard before we put the hardware back on.

Mall Rats

Last night Adam and I went to the mall to pick up my library books (yeah, our library branch is in the mall...it's VERY convenient since we basically live across the street). We decided to look around a bit and were headed to Borders when Adam told me he wanted to stop at the hat store and look at Oregon hats. I told him I would meet him there (meaning the hat store) but he heard "I will beat you there" (meaning I was going to zoom to Borders). I walked slowly through the game kiosk and found myself at the hat store about two minutes later.

Adam was nowhere to be found so I sat on the bench and waited and waited and waited for 30 minutes! I tried calling him about 900 times but he only answered the first time and I couldn't understand what he said before we got disconnected. I was starting to make up all kinds of crazy scenarios in my head and really freak myself out.

After 30 minutes I decided to go to the information booth where they informed me the mall does not have a paging system. Right after I discovered this, Adam walked out of Borders having just realized I wasn't in the store.

So, we found each other and all is well but it definitely made for a stressful trip to the mall.

Another Day

I had an appointment with the OB today for my gestational diabetes screening. I will know the results on Tuesday but I'm not too worried. The "cola" was totally disgusting though. It tasted like flat, watered down orange soda and had a kind of weird after taste. I thought I was going to be sick but I did manage to keep it down.

The baby's heart rate was 138 and everything measured perfectly. I gained a couple pounds from my previous appointment so we don't have to get a growth scan (you may remember at my last appointment I had lost weight as a result of not eating much when I had my neck trouble). I start going in every two weeks now and will get the chance to meet other doctors in the practice just in case one of them ends up delivering my baby. My doctor will be out of town the week after Christmas so let's cross our fingers the baby doesn't decide to come that week!

The crib is arriving Monday via FedEx so we will be busy this weekend making room for it. Nothing else to report right now.

Ugh

I had parent teacher conferences last night. I have them from 8-8 today! I was so wiped out when I got home last night. I'm just hoping I make it through today without falling asleep on the floor. Thankfully tomorrow is a comp day. I have an appointment with my OB at 3 but I plan to do NOTHING the rest of the day.

At my appointment tomorrow I will have my gestational diabetes screening and I will get to schedule the rest of my appointments. I'm at the point now where I will be going to the OB every two weeks. Right around the first of the year I will be going every week. Starting with my next appointment I will be seeing the other doctors in the practice. I guess the theory is that IF my doctor happens to be unavailable when I'm ready to have the baby, I will be comfortable with one of her partners delivering because I've at least met them. I'm just hoping it doesn't come to that because I would really prefer to have my regular doctor deliver the baby.

This weekend the Ducks have a bye. If you don't understand why that's important, you don't know my husband! Having a bye means they will not be playing. I could go into all the reasons this is great for the team (yeah, I know the reasons) but I'm mostly excited because it's good for me. Adam decided to use this weekend to rip out all the molding in our bedroom and maybe paint the kitchen. I'm hoping he will want to get started on replacing the molding this weekend too but I'm not going to push my luck.

Pain in the Back

My back has been ACHING all day. I'm planning to spend most of the evening resting on the couch. I might try to get in some yoga because I think it will help my back. Mostly though my plan is to rest on the couch. Adam will have to make dinner tonight because I don't think I can handle standing at the stove for any length of time.

Getting Organized

Last night I ordered the crib! I got a great deal on it from babycenter.com and it should be here by next weekend.

This week I started getting together our list of people to call/email when the baby is born. If you want to get an email (with pictures!), make sure I have your address. I also preregistered at the hospital (which was WAY easier than I thought it would be) and chose our pediatrician.

I'm kind of on a pumpkin kick. I made pumpkin waffles for breakfast yesterday and then used the rest of the pumpkin puree to make some seriously delicious pumpkin bread.

Today I am having lunch with a friend and getting some household chores done. I'm also making a batch of Macaroni and Cheese from my new cookbook.

TGIF

I went to bed last night with every intention of going to the gym this morning but I just can't do it. I think I may actually go back to bed for a while since I don't have to be at work until 8am.

In other news, I remembered something amusing from yesterday.

I was walking down the hall and our PE teacher stopped me and said it looked like I was limping and asked if I had hurt myself. He's a really nice older guy (probably about 60 in case you're wondering about my definition of "older") but I couldn't help myself. I said, "Lee, I'm 7 months pregnant. I'm not limping, I'm waddling!" I think I may have embarrassed him but it was the first thing that popped out of my mouth.

Exhausted!

I haven't had anything interesting to post in the last few days because I have been REALLY tired. Tomorrow is a teacher work day so it will be a nice break to not have kids around.

All of a sudden I felt like the baby was trying to escape THROUGH my belly button this morning. I was startled and somewhat amused.

One more thing...this weekend we are going to try to take some more old molding off so we can start the process of redoing the rest of the house. Wish us luck!

Debbie Sparks Update

I called the doctor's office about the ultrasound mishap. I was surprised that they weren't more concerned about it! They basically said, "yeah, that happens sometimes". They had me check the end of the DVD to see if my ultrasound got tacked on at the end of Debbie's. Turns out that's exactly what happened so we still have our ultrasound and all is well.

I HEART Cook's Illustrated

If you know me very well you know that I LOVE cookbooks. Seriously, I like to read them cover to cover like a novel. I even checked one out from the library in 1st grade. Anyhow, I got a new one yesterday. "The Best Make-Ahead Recipe" is published by the people who put out Cook's Illustrated and it is fantastic. I'm getting together with some friends next month to do a freezer cooking session at one of their houses.

Who is Debbie Sparks?

I met Trish for coffee today and had her bring her laptop so I could finally show her the DVD of the ultrasound we had in September. The first frame surprised me a little because it showed a baby with its arms and legs in the air. I could have sworn our baby was curled up in a ball on its tummy but I chalked it up to my faulty memory. A few minutes later I noticed the name "Debbie Sparks" in the upper left hand corner (where the patient's name is) and broke the news to Trish...this was not my baby.

I'm disappointed and I really hope my doctor's office has a backup of MY ultrasound. I'm calling first thing Monday morning so I will let you know what happens.

FYI

Things are really shaping up in Boise...

This week I signed us up for our childbirth class. It starts on November 19 and goes four weeks.

Tomorrow morning we're going to the hospital for a tour. It starts at 9:30 and goes for TWO HOURS. I'm excited to see what the labor and delivery area look like but I can't imagine why the tour takes two hours! I think we will have a chance to pre-register at the end of the tour so that will be another thing to cross off my massive to do list.

Good News about Thanksgiving

Adam and I decided not to travel for Thanksgiving or Christmas this year for a number of reasons. Well actually, we decided not to travel for Thanksgiving but the timing of the baby makes it so we cannot travel for Christmas. Anyhow, with Adam starting a new job and me being pretty tired, it just didn't make sense to travel for Thanksgiving.

I was starting to worry because I happen to know we don't particularly love holidays when it's just the two of us. I thought we would end up

A. cooking a big dinner for just the two of us
B. going to Cracker Barrel for Thanksgiving...again

OR

C. subtly begging Trish to include us in her festivities

Lucky for everyone (and especially Trish), Sue (Adam's grandmother) decided to come out to Boise for Thanksgiving. We are really excited to see her because she's never seen our condo and she's always fun to spend time with.

The Name Game

We think we've decided on both first AND middle names. It's practically a miracle! Of course we may change our minds on the middle names so don't go embroidering things...

Weekend Update 3

Adam and I had a very productive weekend! On Saturday, we put up the rain gutter book shelf, took care of leaves in our yard, ran errands, watched football and went to a party. I'm always really tired on Saturday so I also took a nice long nap.

Sunday was even more productive. We made a trip to the grocery store and did a bunch of laundry. Adam had a friend over and I made 2.5 meals! I made meatloaf for Sunday's dinner, curry chicken for tonight (it's always better the next day) and prepped the ingredients for a crock pot roast I'm making on Tuesday. I froze enough meatloaf for it to be dinner another night. I'm trying to freeze 1-2 meals a week until the baby is born...some weeks I am more successful than others. I also finished reading a book and tried to watch Pippi Longstocking with Adam.

In the Gutter

Thanks to my dear friend Trish we found a cool way to display books without spending $95 on the Pottery Barn shelf I wrote about last week! Trish suggested using rain gutters as book shelves. I was skeptical but she swore it would look cute. I did some research and realized these might actually come out looking pretty cool.

Today we went to Home Depot to get the necessary supplies. We had a few problems but we got the shelf up and we think it looks pretty cool.

What do you think?

I'll Sleep When I'm Dead

I have never had trouble sleeping. My college roommate got in trouble with our RA (for being too NOISY!) while I was sleeping. I've slept pretty peacefully on the floor at an airport. I never used to wake up much in the night.

Ever since I've been pregnant though I wake up about 100 times a night to pee. In the last week I've begun to enjoy a new (and much more annoying) problem...I can't sleep in any one position for longer than 30 minutes. I am constantly tossing and turning to find a comfortable position (but there doesn't seem to be one). As if that wasn't bad enough, I am also a really light sleeper now.

I guess this is how the body gets ready for sleep deprivation and waking up when the baby cries but that doesn't really console me. I just really want to sleep comfortably ONE NIGHT!

Signs of Life

Adam finally got to feel the baby move!!! It was faint but it was definitely the baby!

It's funny too because for the past week or two the baby stopped moving as soon as I called Adam over to feel it. I told him he had to be patient and keep his hand there for more than a few seconds. His reply..."Oh, so it's like fishing."

Weekend Update 2

We didn't get much done this weekend in the baby's room. I went to bed early on Friday night (really early, it might not have been dark yet) and felt pretty tired all day Saturday. We did manage to rake up some leaves and listen to the Duck game online. Adam went grocery shopping and I spent a lot of time resting.

Sunday was more productive. We got up early, took Mick for a walk, cleaned the house, saw a movie, did a bunch of laundry and made our famous pizza for dinner.

We really don't have much left to do in the baby's room. Here's our list...

1. put up curtains (we can't find the hardware right now)
   
2. order and assemble the crib
   
3. consolidate or move our computer stuff so that we have a little more room for baby stuff
4. have new doors installed
5. install shelving for books

We need some help with the book shelving. I would like to copy this idea I saw in Pottery Barn Kids but I don't want to pay $95 for each unit! It seems like it wouldn't be too hard to find or make something similar.

Does anyone have an idea of how we could duplicate this? We would be okay with something of different dimensions, we just like the idea of books being displayed and so readily available.

My Favorite Things

I just got this mug as a gift from my friend Trish. We had coffee (decaf for me) on Thursday after I helped run interference during a birthday shopping trip for her oldest daughter. She also got us baby's first stuffed animal. Adam loves the "snugglepup" and even Mick is pretty interested in it.

I Thought I Had More Time

Today marks 98 days until our due date! When we first found out we would be having a baby January seemed so far away. Now it's starting to sneak up on me. The baby will come whether we're ready or not but I would like to be ready!

A Dubious Milestone

I noticed this morning that when I am lying flat on my back I can see my own belly.

I know this will bring up the question, "why haven't you posted any pictures?" It has nothing to do with vanity or not having a camera or any other of the myriad of excuses one could come up with at a time like this. It's on our list but we just keep forgetting. We will get on the ball and I promise pictures before the end of the week.

Weekend Update

Last weekend we put up a tension rod and curtain over the baby's closet. We decided against doors for now because we like the cottage feel of the curtain look. I didn't intend for this to happen but the nursery is starting to take on a Shabby Chic look.

We worked more on cleaning out the nursery this weekend. We got my treasured angel print on the wall (I had it in my room as a child...my mother had it in her room as a child...my baby MUST have it). It has a pink frame and we picked it up at a church rummage sale for $5 a few years ago.

I decided to check out The Painted Chair (a really cool/funky furniture place in Boise) to see if I could find a dresser that might double as a changing table. I found one I liked and it was only $89! It's black and fits in with the decor of the room and the price was right. I drove home to drag Adam back so we could buy it and lug it home.

Now, you may remember that Adam and I have two cars but they are cars (not trucks, vans, SUVs...). Because of this we often struggle with how to get things home. We've managed to get some huge things home though (like a buffet) so we thought this tiny little dresser would be NO PROBLEM. Turns out the thing is barely inches too large to fit into my car. We tried every Tetris move we could think of and we just couldn't get the stupid thing in the Accord. We do have a really nice neighbor with a truck though and she is going to take me to pick up the dresser Monday afternoon.

Today we are going to put up some other items from The Painted Chair. I bought them over a year ago with a baby room in mind...a blue shadow box shelf thing and a clothespin memo board. The Painted Chair also had a really cool black rocking chair for $99. We already have a chair in the room but I really want a rocking chair because I don't think the chair we have will be good for nursing. If they still have it on Monday I will probably buy it.

We still need to get a crib (we found a great black crib from Babies R Us that we want) but the room is shaping up. Now we need to figure out what to do with our computer and desk setup. We want to get a laptop but the reality is that the baby's room will probably double as our office for a while.

Clownin' Around 2

So if you've been reading this blog faithfully you know that Adam got a chance to be a Ringling Bros. clown on Thursday and write about the experience. Unfortunately the article isn't online but Adam was kind enough to retype it for your reading pleasure. Also available online are the pictures.

Clown for a day
IPT reporter spends time learning performance tricks at the circus

By Adam Ross

"You're not a guy any more. You're a clown. You're a magical being
with special powers -- which is to make people laugh."

NAMPA -- Those words, spoken to me only half an hour earlier by clown
Tom Dougherty, seemed distant after a span of two minutes where I
nearly fell on a child tripping over my clown shoes and had a parent
tell me his daughter "doesn't really like clowns."

How long does it take for those powers to kick in? Looking for my
clown superiors proved little help, as all three were commanding their
own audiences, effortlessly holding the gazes of young and old.

With about 15 minutes -- and probably double that number in autographs
-- remaining until the makeup came off, the time was now to strive for
my clowning achievement. Looking for any circus-goer who would give my
act a chance I suddenly realize that I still don't have an act (or a
functioning joke).

The offer didn't sound this challenging: Be a guest clown at the
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Then again, these aren't
the kind of clowns who do birthday parties and blow up a balloon.

In the 'alley'

Before I was set loose in the circus' pre-show at the Idaho Center on
Thursday, I was the subject of a Frankenstein-like project in the
clown "alley" (dressing room). My facial featues would dictate the
clown makeup, and my silly get-up was born out of the wardrobe from
two clowns with over 50 years combined experience in the business.
Dougherty was a constant source of clown philosophy and history,
relating his experience as an instructor at the circus' official clown
college and decades of practice in the art.

A contrast to Dougherty's wild caricature of sophisticate was Mitch
Freddes, a rare breed of clown who does not use speech or mime
elements in his act. Freddes' makeup, costume and body language is
able to convey the qualities of a lovable, bumbling character.
Dougherty estimates there are probably three other clowns in the
United States with an act similar to Freddes'.

Both clowns started with Ringling Bros. int he late 1970s, when each
of the company's two circus lines had 28 clowns. Now the two larger
lines (blue and red) have 12 clowns, and the gold line that visits
Nampa and other smaller markets only has three.

"The American circus clown is starting to die out, " Dougherty said candidly.
Dougherty and Freddes give me a crash course in the art of clowning,
frequently tossing in snapshots from their careers, both of which
included extended stints away from Ringling Bros. While trying to
explain a gag I can do at the pre-show, Dougherty recalls a joke from
1984 that still makes him laugh.

"I had a big eyeball coming out of my back on a little wire, aiming at
me, and I was reading George Orwell's '1984' -- the few people who got
the joke burst out laughing," Dougherty said, referring to the Big
Brother aspect of the classic novel. "It was probably 1 in 10. A
delicious little moment."

But a clown's job is not immune to traumatic moments. At any time,
Dougherty and Freddes might hear "The 12th Street Rag" from the circus
band -- code for trouble that signals the clowns to distract the
audience. The two clowns recalled a time years ago when that song
summoned them to perform while staff tended an aerial artist's fall.
The resulting 10 minutes of entertaining seemed like the longest of
their career.

Under the big top

With my moment in the spotlight fast approaching, Dougherty and
Freddes built up my confidence like a pair of trainers for a nervous
boxer.

"The circus is a poetic expression of spirit," Dougherty told me.
"What drove us to land on the moon is the same spirit that drives the
guy to land the triple somersault. We're expanding the boundaries of
experience, and the audience lives vicariously through us."

I pace through the game plan one more time: I walk out with the
performers and entertain small groups with my Prince Charming gag, a
shoe on a pillow that may find me a queen. aFter a few minutes of
that, I help Dougherty with his seat gag, where we go into the
audience and toil over the problems presented by the flip-up Idaho
Center seats. It soudned promising walking through the routine before
the audience streamed in, but it's also easy to run into the end zone
on an empty football field.

The optimistic thoughts escaped me when confronted with a sea of
circus-goers who expected to be entertained by the clown in front of
them. Suddenly I was at a loss, and my Prince charming gag wasn't
saving me.

Luckily, I soon found that posing for pictures was enough to satisfy
most and served as an easy-enough mask for my clown inexperience. The
seat routine with Dougherty went off better than expected, and once
behind the curtain my seemingly modest efforts earned praise.
With the big show about to start and my makeup about to come off,
Dougherty shared what matters most to him during these 50-city,
two-year tours. Decades of clowning has made him a fixture in family
photo albums around the country, with some fans even having him sign
pictures taken with the clown years earlier.

In a brief revelation, I imagine the family pictures I posed for that
night, and how my inexperience won't show up on film. They'll only see
a clown.
"Clown is all about connection," Dougherty told me before the show.
"It's what we do, we connect to people."

A Visit to the Doc

I went to see my OB yesterday for a regular check-up. I got a flu shot which wasn't bad at all. I lost two pounds in the last month (probably a result of the pain in my neck since I hardly ate anything for a week) but everything else was perfect. My blood pressure was good and the baby's heartbeat was 138. I go in again the first week in November and get to drink the dreaded orange elixir for my gestational diabetes screening.

My doctor is sending me to a spinal specialist so I can get an MRI to make sure I don't actually have something wrong with my neck. Also, we pretty much decided that Tylenol doesn't work for my body. That stinks because Tylenol is the ONLY thing you can really take when you are pregnant.

For Those About to Talk

Adam and I saw a version of this shirt on vacation this summer. I should have bought it! I've been looking online for one to buy for Adam's Christmas stocking. I think I will buy this one from Pixie Rock

Clownin' Around

So yeah, this post isn't really baby related. Whatever.

Adam got to be in the circus last night!!!!!! Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey came to town and offered Adam (fun-loving reporter that he is) the opportunity to be dressed up as a clown and perform with them in the "pre-show". I went to the circus for the first time in 10 years and was amazed at the quality of the show. Adam had fun and got a souvenir stuffed elephant. The best souvenir of all though...

It's a Girl!!!!!

Or at least that's what one of my students thinks. I told my first grade reading group that I have a baby in my tummy (it was all part of a discussion about keeping people safe from germs) and one of the girls said, "You're having a baby? It's a girl!"

So if you're willing to take the word of a 6-year-old with no previous record as a seer, you should start thinking pink.

A Pain in the Neck

I woke up Sunday morning with a very stiff neck. I figured I had probably slept funny so I tried to take it easy. Monday morning I was still in a lot of pain and by the time I got to work was sweating and nauseous. I put in a call to the OB and took a sick day. I asked if I could get a prescription for tylenol with codeine or if I should try a chiropractor first and the on call doctor told me to try the chiropractor first (Monique, I was desperate!).

I went to the chiropractor on Monday morning and then went home to rest. On Tuesday I felt stiff but pretty good. The chiropractor had me change to a new pillow Tuesday night. By Thursday morning I was in A LOT OF PAIN. I worked about half the day and then went home (that's the drama free version...in the real version there was a lot of crying). I got a prescription for Tylenol with codeine and it didn't really help. I used a regular pillow Thursday night and that DID help a bit.

Today is Friday and I have a sub. I am hoping that resting over the weekend and some prescription muscle relaxers will get me to a point where I can face next week. My regular doc (not the one who told me to go ahead and try a chiropractor...that was an on call doc) is going to refer me for physical therapy so that I can work on preventing this in the future.

Closet Update 1

Installing the closet kit was more frustrating than we expected. Several drywall anchors just would not go in properly forcing us to resort to desperate measures. Adam prevailed though and now the closet hardware is installed. We need to pick up a few more shelves to really make it work but you'll get the idea.

My big contribution was driving to Target and buying itty bitty hangers. I used those hangers to put away all the baby clothes we've got so far.

Hi Ho Hi Ho

It's off to work we go. After a break of several weeks from home improvement projects, Adam and I are installing the new closet system in the baby's room today. We are also going to remove the closet doors in our bedroom and start prepping that room for the moulding makeover.

Another Darling Gift

Sue Ross (Adam's grandmother) just sent us a really cute little shirt. Liz (Adam's aunt and a fellow teacher) helped her choose it.

Decisions

I think we all know the biggest decision Adam and I will need to make in the next few months...what to bring the baby home in. My mom just bought us a Hanna Andersson outfit that is at the top of the short list.

Names from the Cutting Room Floor

I was chatting today with a friend about the huge task of selecting a name for your baby. I never realized how intense the negotiations would be after all, it's not that hard to think of names YOU like. You have to be a mind reader though to know which ones will be vetoed by your spouse. That being said, I thought people would enjoy learning about the OTHER names we campaigned for.

Adam liked...

• Isaac
• Wesley
• Ethan

Marianna liked...

• Suzanne
• Hope
• Matilda
• Annie
  
• Virginia (Ginny)
• Georgia
  
• Mitchell (Mitch)
  
• Howard (Howie)

We both liked...

• Dora (Dottie, Dot)
• Jane
• Elise
  

The Early Bird

I've taken to working out (nearly) every morning. I had gotten lazy about this before being pregnant. Something about the combination of working full time and going to school made it nearly impossible for me to commit to fitness. Now I'm going to the gym every morning around 5:30 because I am trying to maintain a manageable weight gain. There are only a handful of people (Adam, my parents, my sisters and Robin...yep that covers it) who know how GRUMPY I am in the morning and how difficult it really is for me to get going. The funny thing is, once I actually get to the gym I am so glad to be there. I think I'm becoming one of THOSE people.

A Refresher Course

For those we haven't talked to in a while here are some quick updates...

Morning Sickness
I was lucky to avoid this pregnancy symptom almost completely!

Gender
We decided at the beginning of this adventure to not find out the gender of our baby until the big day. We just had our 20 week ultrasound so we probably won't even have another opportunity to find out.

Names
After exhaustive (and often exhausting) negotiations, we decided on names. If we have a boy he will be named Henry (Hank?). If we have a girl she will be named Portia. We also considered Dora for a girl but just couldn't live with the popularity of Dora the Explorer.

Preparations
Julie (Adam's mom) came out for a weekend and helped us install new baseboards in the baby's room. We are slowly replacing all the baseboards and interior doors in our condo. We still have a lot of work to do!

Movement
Marianna has felt the baby squirming around for several weeks now. So far s/he hasn't demonstrated any kickboxing ability though.

Looks
This baby is cursed with two parents that have VERY thick hair and lucky that we both also have pretty good teeth. Marianna has green eyes. Adam has brown eyes. Our scientist friends could probably use a Punnet square to predict the baby's eye color but we will just have to wait and see.