All Quiet on the Eastern Front

Not much to report at present. We're 2 days past the due date and there are few indicators that labor is imminent. As such, Kelly is trying out various methods (acupuncture, walking, spicier food) reputed to spur labor, in the hope that the baby will arrive before its scheduled induction.

So, life continues unabated. Kelly and her parents have been doing odd-jobs around the house, while I catch-up on previously unresolved items at work and plan for my time out of the office.

Thanks to everyone for their calls and emails; we will be sure to let you all know as soon as the baby is delivered.

Le Weekend

Sunday morning now and we're just 48 hours from Kelly's due date. Since the last appointment with Karen (the midwife), Kelly has been trying to rest and relax, which contravenes all of her innate tendencies. With her mother now in town, there are two people to take care of tasks around the house, leaving the mother-to-be to her various thankyou cards, reading, and learning new card games (such as 16-card mini-Pai Gow).

Yesterday, we had lunch with Jerry and Lisa Sorkin and their two kids, Emma and Claire (who you may recall were flower girls in the much-acclaimed production "Kelly and Mick Get Married").

While the adults imparted lots of great advice, and generously donated books, outfits, and toys to us, the kids entertained the guests with Michigan fight songs, flashing blue ice cubes, and stories of summer camp. As I later found out, Kelly went to camp until she was 17.

Preparations for the hospital are largely completed. The bags are packed and the jeep has a full tank of gas (although, with the hospital being just a mile away, we could probably walk there). Shergar has begun to get her bag ready; so far it only includes a bone.

Finally, for the music-lovers among you, Kelly has found that the best way to encourage the baby to move around is placing headphones on her stomach and blasting a mix of Metallica, Chemical Brothers, and the Prodigy. It would seem that this child likes drum and bass as much as its father.

One Week from Due Date

Well, I made it to week 39. That's a VERY good thing as my mom arrives from Michigan tomorrow evening. It was tricky to plan her travels around when we thought I might deliver. So far, we've been okay and haven't had any need to make last-minute travel changes. Now, if I can just get through the next 20 hours until her arrival...

We visited my midwife today and she confirmed that the baby is very low (which I kind of knew already as it's getting very difficult to stand or walk). My blood pressure was a bit high (which Mick and I joked was b/c of my mom's impending arrival... all in good fun though as I'm really looking forward to her being a part of this) so I have to go back on Thursday morning to have it checked again. If it's still high, they will likely induce me on Thursday so the baby is not in harm's way. Otherwise, we'll continue to wait it out.

I had acupuncture tonight to try to induce labor as naturally as you can (without drugs). When acupuncture works for induction, it usually starts labor in 24 - 48 hours. So, we'll see. I have my next acupuncture appointment on the 29th (due date) and my dad arrives that night.

It becomes more real every day that Mick and I will soon be parents. I am excited and nervous and a little emotional (Mick might say a lot emotional) about this whole thing; I'm sure it will be near impossible to describe.

Off to practice our Lamaze breathing. I'm hoping we don't laugh as much as we did during the class...

Baby's First Room

Attached are a couple of photos of the redecorated baby's room. We painted the walls orange (which actually looks less psychedelic than you might think) and added a John Lennon-inspired border--apparently, the legendary Beatle drew cartoonish animals when not being the most influential icon of the Twentieth Century. Makes me look rather lame in comparison.

Or does it? The crib, dresser, and rocker have all been assembled, using wood from trees we planted in our garden a while back, then lovingly hand-crafted in my garage/woodshop. The bedding we made from duck feathers and homemade silk. Take that, King of Pop!

The Office

With all of our staff in town for training, several team members threw a surprise baby shower for Kelly and I, even going to the length of having Kelly come over from her office. I had no clue it was being planned, as was obvious from the look on my face when I rounded the corner and spotted cake and presents.

I thought for a moment that it was my 7th birthday, but quickly realized that it was a party for the soon-to-be-delivered bairn. Encouraging the team to crack open some wine (we may as well be civilized!), we proceeded to unwrap our numerous gifts in front of a steadily depleting audience--many took the chance to reconvene a game of the infamous Pai Gow.

The consensus favorite toy? A sheep in the style of a Wallace and Gromit character....however, this one plays whale sounds. Yes indeedy; some wise guy product developer thought that adding the sounds of a dying whale to a farm animal would be MONEY! I predict that our toddler will wake up sweating one night, eyes darting around the room to find out why we now live in a submarine.

Despite such shenanighans, the party was very generous and my co-workers watched with looks of "Good On Ya!" in their eyes. Or disappointment. I couldnt see.

Now Taking Bets on Baby's Weight & Gender...

I've had two appointments this week. The first was for my 37 week check-up. All is still well & my midwife thinks I dropped even more between Thursday (when she had last seen me) and this Monday. She suggested this could be an earlier-than-due-date baby. That would be fine with me, as long as the baby holds off on making its grand entrance until after my mom arrives on the 23rd.

I had an ultrasound this afternoon to estimate the baby's size. (S)he is currently measuring at 6 lbs, 13 oz, which is already a full pound heavier than its dad was at birth (I think Mick was 5 lbs, 5 oz... and, he was born ON his due date!). All of that said, my midwife reminded me that these estimates can be off 2 lbs in either direction. (Given that wide of a margin of error -- almost a quarter of a baby! -- I kind of wonder what the point is of these tests.) Anyway, at its current estimated weight, the baby is measuring squarely in the "average" category which is a-ok with me. I could see its face and was shocked at how much its cheeks have filled out (the nurse laughed, saying "of course it's filling out -- you ARE full term now!). Looks like it is going to have the same round "cherry cheeks" that Trevor & I have.

We still don't know (and don't care about) the baby's gender but the predictions are already rolling in. I've had loads of girl dreams since I found out I was pregnant. Mick's mum predicts a girl. My mom & my midwife predict a boy. The guy at the small diner down the street says girl while one of the gentlemen I visit weekly at the nursing home says boy. Shergar hopes it is a cat. We shall see...

Summer Days

Yesterday, we took advantage of one of the few remaining "quiet days" to have friends over for food and drinks. The menu included salmon filets (cooked on a plank), thai chili chicken drumsticks, turkey burgers, and sweet potato fries; while many of the beverages were provided by our guests, I did rustle up a pitcher of mojito's for the rum-and-mint crowd.

Thankfully, the rain stayed away and we enjoyed milder temperatures than the previous week. Shergar behaved very well, especially around the toddlers, and got to sample much of the menu.

Quiet day today, watching the Wimbledon Men's Final and various golf tournaments. Did catch a new FedEx commercial in which officeworkers overhear their boss calling in sick, grab their golf bags, and standup to leave...only to hear alternating good ("he'll pick up the presentation tomorrow" and bad ("the conference call is still taking place") omens on their chances to hit the course. The continual standing up and sitting down is pretty funny.

Week 36 Appointment

Mick & I went in this afternoon for my weekly appointment (I now go once/week until delivery). Baby's heartbeat was nice & strong, I confirmed that the baby has been extremely active over the last week (maybe it figured out that it gave us all a scare?), and my blood pressure was normal. My midwife confirmed that I have indeed dropped and said that the pressure I've been feeling lately is the baby moving down. She suggested that things could start moving in as early as a week and a half. But Mick and I think she was kind of joking. We hope (!!!!).

We did have a very brief discussion about what would happen if I hadn't delivered by August 3 when my midwife leaves for vacation. I really want her present at the birth. There will be a few options open to us (induction, going naturally & being delivered by an OB from her practice) but we aren't going to worry about them yet as I'm still 3 1/2 weeks from my due date.

Other than that, the appointment was pretty standard. Mick even had an opportunity to poke fun at the giant list of questions I had prepared. I would be lost without my lists...

Next appointment is on Monday for my first full-term checkup and then I have an ultrasound on Wednesday to check the baby's size. My midwife does not think that the baby is "huge" (as some of my acquaintances have suggested).

So, that's the news that's fit to print for now...

Have a nice 4th of July & three-day weekend. While everyone else celebrates our independence from Britain, Mick will be sure to remind me that everything in America that is good has come from the Motherland.

Everyone's Nicer When You're Pregnant

Once I started really showing, I noticed a difference in how people related to me. The parking garage attendants where I park for work every morning started parking my car in an end spot, easily accessible if I needed to leave early; they usually have it waiting for me at the end of the day so I don't have to stand and wait 5 minutes for them to go get it. The security guards in my office building always smile & say "good morning" now and ask how I'm feeling. People hold the elevator doors for me rather than pretending they don't see me coming (be honest, we've all done it!).

However, the biggest surprise I've had has been the reaction I've received from various homeless people who are stationed on street corners around the city, asking if passers-by can "spare some change." A week or so before Mother's Day, instead of being asked for money, I was told "Congratulations on that baby - you take care of yourself now!" and "Happy Mother's Day." I've noticed that people walking on the street all around me are still asked for money. But I'm given child-rearing tips ("Don't let that child give you no attitude") or have been encouraged to take it easy ("Girl, you need to get yourself a glass of water and get out of this sun!").

It really hit home for me a few days ago when I came out of CVS. The guy who is normally stationed there, collecting people's spare change, was there as usual. He started to ask me for some money and then he looked at my belly, abruptly stopped mid-sentence and instead said "Oh, never mind. You're going to need all the money you can get when this child is born!" I couldn't help but laugh.

Week 36... and Counting

Just a quick update from us tonight. Today I hit Week 36. That means one more week until I'm full-term and four more weeks until my due date. The appointment I had yesterday went very well. The baby's heartbeat was normal as was the level of amniotic fluid. The baby's activity level has remained very vigorous (which is a wonderful relief!). I couldn't see much in the ultrasound, but the technician told me that the white stripes on the monitor (of which I could see about a dozen) represented hair on the back of the baby's head. Ahhh!

I have another appointment on Thursday and will provide an update then if anything exciting comes from it. For now, here are a few pictures of my 36 week belly. Note my trusty hound next to me, looking regal as always (and secretly hoping I'll let her into the baby's room to chew the delightful-looking plush toys that are waiting in the crib).