34 Week Update from Baby Center

How your baby's growing: Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. His fat layers — which will help regulate his body temperature once he's born — are filling him out, making him rounder. His skin is also smoother than ever. His central nervous system is maturing and his lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

Whoa.... what have we done?!?!?

We finally attended baby class this past weekend. While it took about 8 hours of our weekend, it opened our eyes to a whole new world.... oh my.

The very wonderful and earthy teacher opened up the class with "introduce yourselves, and let me know what kind of questions you guys have so I can make sure we address it in class." My response was "hi, I'm Lina, and this is Tim. I have no questions, because until now, I haven't let myself even think about labor and delivery, let alone post-partum and bringing Monday home." So confession out of the way, we started listening and boy, I am in for it.

The videos were good (GROSS!!!!) but left one with the feeling of "really, seriously? the placenta? really? breach? c-section? really?" As Timmy and I talked afterwards, I am sure it will be different when we're talking about Monday. Labor really just is the bit we have to get through before we can meet our little man.

We're both so excited to be introduced:

• - who will he look like?
• - what will his personality be?
• - what will he really like to do? and not so much?
• - what will make him laugh?

Having passed this milestone, we're now full steam ahead on talking about names, cleaning up the nursery (this week) and otherwise just preparing him to come. He is fully baked in 3 weeks, due in 6. We're getting into the final countdown, and Tim and I are getting ready. Life is really good right now. We're really optimistic and happy - and just can't wait to bring him home.

Ultrasound update

The last 2 times we went to the Doctor, they were slightly concerned that I wasn't growing enough based on an external measurement of my belly. They wanted to make sure that Monday was growing enough despite all that -- and the good news is he is!

We went in for another ultrasound today (not a week goes by, it seems without an appointment or a test!) and everything looks great. Monday is still in the middle of the road for growth (for which I am pleased!). They even said that he looked to be a tall and lean little man. Apparently, his legs and arms are long and his body is slightly smaller. His head (and this isn't the great part for labor) is a little large. We chuckled as we drove home from the appointment calling him our lollipop or microphone.

All in all, he's in the 44% for growth. A little bit smaller than average, but they don't worry until a fetus is under 10%. So with just over 6 weeks to go, it looks like all is well!

I generally find that tests are exhausting. I get myself completely worked up and nervous about the results. We've been blessed so far with nothing but good news, but I always need a good nap after these things! That, and its a rainy Friday... can I take a nap now??

Snow on Mt. Hamilton

For those of you not in California, nor familiar with the bay area landscape, feel free to skip to the next post!

There is snow on Mt. Hamilton!! (Or did you already get that from the headline.) It's been raining here straight since Sunday and promises to continue throughout the weekend. We're supposed to get hammered again tonight with high winds and more rains. Additionally, it's been so cold (last 2 days, no highs anywhere in the bay area over about 45 degrees... which is cold for us!) that we're actually seeing snow up on the peaks around here including Mt Diablo and the Santa Cruz mountains and of course the aforementioned.

I just hope the sierra is getting as wet as we are. It was sure a dry year up in soda springs this past summer.

Whoa is me... sigh...

Issue: Upper back pain.
Solution: Tim has constructed a sock filled with rice that we put in the microwave for 3 minutes and then apply as a heat pack. Last night this worked great, though we may need to find a solution for the damp wool / moist rice scent that the sock emits.

Issue: My feet hurt!
Solution: well, I don't think there is one. I am mostly wearing flats, but the fact of my life right now is that even standing in slippers makes my feet hurt -- and you know you're in a bad place when your slippers hurt. That said, I do have arch inserts in my slippers (that I rotate throughout my shoes) that actually do help a bit.

Issue: I can't reach my feet to tie my shoes.
Solution: avoid shoes with laces or figure out how to knot them and then slip them on afterwards. This is getting increasingly difficult.

Issue: still can't sleep.
Solution: none to be had. Any Mom I have spoken to says it only gets worse. Thanks moms! I am feeling incredibly encouraged.


grumble, grumble, grumble... it might be the rain for the last several days, but I am feeling cranky! That is until Tim gets home at night and we get to hang out with Monday - those moments just fill me with joy!!

How much do I suck?

Enough to make my 60 year old mother and husband dig in the garden while I munched on apples and contributed such fine ideas as "I think the orange one should move a little more to the left."

Mom was out here for the weekend, and was determined to get us down the pipeline of starting to organize our garden and shop for curtains. I don't think I have ever spoken so much about "cocoa bean mulch" and "sheers" as I have in the last 72 hours. The great news, is that the garden is looking wonderful, and we are more than educated on curtains. We have a couple of more curtain items to track down before we can buy anything, but we're closer than I imagined we would be.

We had a great visit with her. It was really nice to have someone be a Mom to me, though I opted out of randomly kicking her while she slept ... I think she probably appreciated that. We ate some great meals at home and out, hung around the house, potted around the community, and went to a great church service on Sunday. She and dad are coming back out in February and I am looking forward to their trip. Maybe at that point, we'll start to attack the nursery!

33 Week Update from Baby Center

How your baby's growing:This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

Kicking below the belt

Monday is beating the cr@p out of me these days - and he doesn't seem to be playing fair. Do I need to worry about the integrity of my unborn child?

Ground rules for the argument:

1. I don't wear belts these days, so I don't have any belts. As such, there is no such place on my figure that is either above or below the belt.
   
2. The band of my maternity pants is up and over my belly button (which is rapidly trying to escape 31 years of darkness and emerge into the light).
3. Therefore, for the sake of the argument, the band of my maternity pants can hereby represent "the belt".
4. Monday is kicking me below the belt all the time these days.
   

Take for example last night. I was happily sleeping (which any pregnant woman 33 weeks along will tell you is a total lie -- there is no sleeping, let alone "happily") along side Tim. Out of no where, Monday kicked me so hard, I think he awoke all the nerves down the right hand side of my body. He ended up "testing my reflexes" like the doctor with the hammer to your knee as I donkey-kicked the quilt on top of me. If that didn't wake me up... he did it twice more. Enough being enough, I "quickly" rolled over to my other side and tried to coax him away from whatever he had found that was so pleasing to pummel.

Now is that fair play? If I could have given the kid a time-out at the time, I would have.

In all seriousness, I (mostly) love the reminders that I have a wonderful little person growing inside of me. As long as he keeps kicking, everything is great, I just have to learn to live with a little more discomfort. One thing is for certain: I am sure it is not the last...

"The clock tour"

... another Bethism, my Mommy Mentor.

So the last 3 nights I have been taking the clock tour. I see the clock at 11, 12, 1, 2, .... and so forth. This has been highly inefficient at charging my batteries, but I have been getting a lot of reading done! So far in the new year, I have read 2 1/2 books... and not just Good Night Moon even though that is one of Owen and Pito's favorites.

I am finding, as predicted, that my 3rd trimester is leaving me hugely wanting on the sleep thing. The weekends are great as I get to take a nap during the day, but work is getting increasingly difficult. I (still!!!) haven't figured out my final maternity leave, And it's not for lack of trying -- its just that the whole daisy chaining of various leave types (FMLA, CAPDL, CAPFLB...), all of which have various rules and regs, is incredibly complicated.

I keep asking HR and I guess the party line is "this is the base case, but everyone is different". My question keeps being - different how? How best to maximize this opportunity with me and Monday?!?!

Apparently the state of CA offers some paid leave before the due date. Every working mother I know in CA recommends I take the full 4 weeks... I am getting tempted.

Baby Registry

I have been asked a couple of times where we are registered, and at the risk on being smarmy, I figured I would post it here and the right hand navigation for ease of use. Our primary registry is through Babies R Us. Please don't hesitate to holler if you have any questions!

32 Week Update from Baby Center

How your baby's growing: By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, he'll gain a third to half of his birth weight during the next 7 weeks as he fattens up for survival outside the womb. He now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). His skin is becoming soft and smooth as he plumps up in preparation for birth.

"Don't put that there!"

...seems to be my battle cry these days. I am not sure if it is prepping the house for my mother's first visit, taking pride in home ownership, or nesting, but man, I am turning into a cleaning fool! I think I spent the better part of yesterday on my feet and frantically cleaning.

• - We did more loads of laundry than I think the whole of last year combined (small washer/dryer and lots of new towels!).
• - I swept and mopped most of the downstairs floors (more to do tonight!).
• - We raked and swept the front yard, our portion of the sidewalk and street, and the back yard. I went so far as to start to weed... at least I think that was a weed...
• - We measured Monday's room for window dressings that I liked (windows are too big)
• - We scrubbed the kitchen.
• - I cooked a batch of "Lentil and Quinoa Tabbouleh" (my recipe) so I don't have to cook much this week.
• - I had to redo the kitchen floors after a Quinoa incident.

And for all that... the house is looking great. Though I am still nagged by the list of things to do at all hours of the night.

Officially T-minus 2 months... more or less anyway

It is reasonable to expect that Monday won't be born on his due date. But if he were... that would be exactly 2 months from today. Wow, reality check. That seems both interminably far away (see yesterday's post) and frighteningly close. Here is just a list of a few things we need to do before then:

• Choose a name for our little man
  
• Plan my maternity leave / finish work
• Set up the nursery
  
• Get all the gear
• Baby classes - 3 kinds
• Hospital tour
• Countless more doctor appointments (actually closer to 6 or 7 planned)
• ...and that's just the begging...

Life is really great - aside from the hysterics. We took a couple of photos this morning. While it's not my favorite thing to do, it will be nice to have a record of it. Here's one for good measure, there are a couple more on Flickr.

Last night was hysterical!

... but not in the "wow, that was the funniest thing I have seen in ages" way, more like the "one flew over the cookoos nest" kind of way.

I have been sleeping really poorly lately, and it caught up to me last night. Tim had to work late so I was on my own for dinner. When I got home, faced with some dishes to do and few leftovers, I just opted for a dinner that consisted of wheat thins, better cheddar crackers, and cheese. I was about to dig into my "dessert", a dry bowl of coco-krispies, when Tim called me on his way home from the office. Over the course of the phone call, I admitted to my nutritionally lacking meal and he tried to coach me to eat better.

When he got home at 8, I did change from dry sugar cereal and had 2 clementines. I thought the conversation was over.

After he got off some more work related phone calls with the far east (near west for us?), he decided to make himself dinner and push some more food on me with a higher nutritional value. I pushed, and I pushed, and I pushed back -- freakishly hysterically laughing the whole time. He asked me why I was laughing, and the truth is, who knows? The only explanation I could come up with is that it was either laugh or cry.

I ultimately backed down and had some re-heated pork that probably helped me get through the night without waking up starving (yes, Tim was right). But I still didn't have the most restful night of sleep ever. Monday performed the first act of Swan Lake starting at about 6:30 this morning - which I challenge anyone to try to sleep through. Today, I am feeling just as on-edge as my fit last night. I am cranky and tired. It actually bothers me that I am feeling this way, which doesn't really help the whole thing either.

That said, the only thing I am taking solace in right now is that work will be over soon, and Tim doesn't have to work too late tonight. I am truly looking forward to some time on the couch with just the three of us hanging out. Maybe we'll rent a movie or watch some Deadwood reruns. Doesn't that just sound like heaven? (or is that just cranky-Lina's daydream....)

What would Clint Eastwood do?

This weekend we had some friends over to the house for some good eats and games. Beth and Dave showed up with little Brennan (their 9mo old?? boy) and Fran and Dirk brought Gabby - their Boston Terrier. Conversation over dinner was great; outdone only by Lina's cooking - Pull Pork, roasted root vegetables and mashed potatoes; so tasty they could make a cactus cry (how's that for imagery).

Beth, Dave and Brennan had to leave early (not so early - 11PM) but not before Dave, Dirk and I had a conversation which has imprinted itself in the rough and tumble part of my psyche. While the ladies were conversing over....we'll I don't know what, because the men were in our corner in a deep discussion about "the delivery". See...both Dirk and Dave have "been there, done that". I was the only one without that merit badge. I just sat with my head perched on my fists - bobbing left to right and back again; somewhere between a head shake of "No" and one of "I want to answer yes, but the answer is still no". "You have to Tim!"; both insisting that I cut the umbilical cord. "Its like a piece of really tough calamari." Dave explains (now how's THAT for imagery). As if I would be swayed to yes by that description.

Still not convinced that its something I HAVE to or even want to do, my rough and tumble side asks itself..."What would Clint Eastwood do?" Can't I just wrestle a calf to the ground?

Monday's Room

So my Mommy Mentor (Beth Baptist Boggess) took me by the hand this weekend and brought me to Babies R Us to begin our baby registry. She walked me through aisles with the little gun and gave me advice like which bottles to buy, which breast pump I should register for, how they thought about purchasing a stroller etc. This was one of our better conversations...

• B: "Now you'll have to decide which bottles to use."
• L: "How do I decide that?"
• B: "Some people research it a lot."
• L: "What did you do?"
• B: "I had a friend that brought me here and said 'this is the type I use.' So I said, 'great, this is the type I use.'"
• I leaned in to gun the Avent bottles.
• L: "Great, so this is the type I use, too!"

After freaking out that I am so not organized, Beth calmed me off my ledge and told me that I am not and I really shouldn't worry about it. After thinking about it, the great news is that I am planning for a long period of time and the stores will always be there. If I forget something, I can go get it. If Monday doesn't take to one brand of bottles as opposed to another - I can go take another out for a test drive. All that said, I need to get on it....

So Beth gave me homework tonight... research bedding alternatives online. Before Tim got home, I went to a number of sites and did some research. When he got home, we had a conversation about what we were trying to solve for: Gender neutral, Bright and fun... and we've now successfully registered for our bedroom set that we love!!!


We won't fully deck out the room in quite such an overpowering manor, but we love the sleepy moon, the colors to match the rug and the walls, and just generally feel great about our choice.... and I have always had a thing for blue and yellow!

Thanks for the homework, Beth!!!

31 Week Update from Baby Center

How your baby's growing: This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

Batten Down the Hatches

We are in the midst of one of the biggest storms to hit California in more than 3 years. The sierra is preparing for about 8 - 10 feet of snow, 100 mph winds, and are calling for EXTREME avalanche warnings. Southern California is expecting upwards of 15 inches in rain on some slopes effect by wild fires and are predicting mud slides. At least 1 bay area bridge is closed with tractor trailers blown over that they won't upright until the wind calms... much later. And we are all snugly at home.

We were dressing to get ready to go this morning when the power went out. I still managed to put on my make up at a window to get the light, but quickly realized that our cars are in the driveway behind the electrical gate... Electrical gate... No power... Hmmm.

So we both called in a work from home day and decided to venture out into the wild for some coffee to get the morning going. After donning my new oil cloth cowboy hat (works perfectly by the way) we set out into the torrent to get soaked. And soaked we got. But Starbucks wasn't open, it seems they were out of power as well. So we went to our local breakfast place down the block that did have some power. It lost power after we had gotten our food, but it came back on eventually. As we ate, the wind picked up more as well as the rain. So we pulled up our bootstraps (tied our sneakers) and walked home... quickly. By the time we got here - (6 minutes?) we were totally soaked through again and our power was still out. After a warm shower and dry clothes, the power came back on and we are working again.

As we sit here listening to the amount of water hitting the house and to the huge gusts of wind passing us by, its hard not to be grateful to be warm, dry, inside, and in a great shelter. The storm is supposed to last throughout the weekend. Provided we can maintain power at least some amount of time, it promises to be a cozy, quiet weekend.

Just for giggles...

30 Week Update from Baby Center

How your baby's growing: Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and he weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds him, but that volume will decrease as he gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. His eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after he's born, he'll keep his eyes closed for a good part of the day. When he does open them, he'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)

Monday Update from our doctor: we went to the doctor today, and everything still looks fine. My blood pressure is great and Monday's heart is chugging along right as its supposed to. My uterus didn't seem to grow too much but since we had an ultrasound 2 weeks ago and Monday was 54% percentile, the doctor wasn't at all worried about it. We see them again in 2 more weeks for another one of these check in, check measurements, make sure everything is on track kind of appointments... ahh the joys of going to the doctor every 336 hours!

Ottoman Twain

Last night Monday visited both of us in our dreams. We both woke up giddy and shared with one another what he was like. In both, he grew up too fast.

In my dream, labor came super quickly and was easy. We weren't prepared at all at home, so Tim sent me on ahead while he dealt with the paperwork. (Really, it made sense in my dream.) Monday came home with Tim and we spent the day just hanging out with him. He was an incredibly happy little man -- remnants of "Miss Grinner and Squeaker" (which was my nickname as an infant). I finally turned to Tim after calling him Monday and said to him "wait a second, they wouldn't let you out of the hospital without a name. What did you call him?" He replied "Ottoman Twain, I figured we could call him Otto or Twain." What?!?! The dream went on and on with little Monday growing up quickly and having a long visit with my Grandpa who made a special appearance.

This morning when I was talking to Tim, I said "I just couldn't figure out how you came up with the name Ottoman Twain" and he looked at me straight faced and said "But the funny part is -- you actually came up with it! It's not my brain that's crazy, it's yours."

I guess we both just can't wait for him to get here.

New Years Resolutions...

#1. Blog more. After a pre-holiday and holiday lull, we are getting back into the swing and have been aware that we have not been up to date with the blog. Life is amazing and changing every day and its worthwhile to capture the moments and the milestones in our lives.

#2. Appreciate the now - be present in the moment. So much is happening so quickly, and its hard to not focus too much on the past (what happened at the office last week) or what dwell on what will happen in the future (t- 10 weeks from due date). But the present is where you live and we are living in some pretty amazing moments that deserve presence... see #1. Having said that, I do believe that you need to sometimes reflect on the past to appreciate the present. As such, here is a quick recap of our lives over the last couple of years.

• - Last year we were newlyweds, living in an apartment, working at Friendster and Intuit. We hadn't started talking about kids yet.
• - 2 years ago we were planning a wedding, working at Yahoo and Intuit -- both not too happy with our work.
  
• - 3 years ago, we had just moved in together, we weren't engaged yet but Tim was already working on the ring, we working at Yahoo and Intuit.
• - 4 years ago, we'd just met and were really excited and optimistic about the new person in our lives. We were working at Neoforma and Intuit.
• ...we've come a long way baby!
  

#3. Be a better communicator. There are myriads of people from my life that I think about on a daily/weekly/monthly basis - but who never actually get a phone call from me. I really want to honor the people in my heart with a solid commitment to connecting with them. I also want to continue to build relationships, not just rely on the memories of the past. Life is about the people you meet and keep along the way... and I need to work harder at the keeping part.

#4. Better fitness. I am giving myself a by until after Monday (the unborn, not the day of the week) before I am determined to get my tucas into great shape. I am actually looking forward to maternity leave and if I can pull myself out of the sleepless fog I understand is coming, I am determined to get outside and walk / run with our little man to get myself back into shape. For now, we take our walks downtown a couple of times a week, but I am hoping to turn up the heat once I am back on my feet.

All in all, life is wonderful. And to reflect on the present, we are truly in an exciting place right now. Monday is as active as ever, Tim and I have never been happier with one another, we live in a fabulous home in a wonderful community, work pays the bills. I think that I am in a blissful place right now before I start getting scared about the delivery... but that is something I won't dwell on until it becomes the present itself. ;)