We left the hospital on Wednesday, but it took until almost 1pm to get discharged. The hospital shifted to a fully computerized system while we were in, so things were moving a little slow on those last 2 days.
Nothing too much to report. Callum didn't freak out when we put him in his car seat and he fell right asleep once the car started moving.
More Photos:
http://picasaweb.google.com/craigsdickson/GoingHome?authkey=UrjTSRl6DE4
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
The Name
So we procrastinated for a long time on the name. He went almost 2 days as just "baby" before we finally took the plunge.
He is officially Callum George Stirling Dickson.
The name Callum, is just one we liked and was on our top 5 list. A couple of the others on top 5 list appeared on the top 100 names list from last year in the US so we decided to rule them out so the kid didn't become another "Jennifer" (Jen's words not mine).
George was my Dad's first name.
Stirling is my middle name, as well as my dad's and my Grandad's.
He is officially Callum George Stirling Dickson.
The name Callum, is just one we liked and was on our top 5 list. A couple of the others on top 5 list appeared on the top 100 names list from last year in the US so we decided to rule them out so the kid didn't become another "Jennifer" (Jen's words not mine).
George was my Dad's first name.
Stirling is my middle name, as well as my dad's and my Grandad's.
Recovery Room Recap
About 2 hours after the kid was born, they moved us upstairs to the recovery room. Jen went instantly to sleep and I followed the kid to the nursery for his first check up. The doctor gave him a couple of vaccination injections, put some ointment in his eyes and gave him a bath. He handled most of that pretty well without a huge screaming scene.
The kid and Jen pretty much slept all day after that.
Basically Tuesday we had a revolving door on our room as every doctor, nurse, financial counselor, birth certificate expert, baby photo taker and "lactation consultant" visited during the day. It was truly comical at certain points, we literally had a line forming outside our room. So much for getting some rest.
We did have some feeding issues on Tuesday and so the angelic baby from Monday gave way to the screaming bundle of angst on Tuesday. We had a breakthrough late on Tuesday and the kid immediately calmed down.
Wednesday was time to checkout.
Here are some photos:
http://picasaweb.google.com/craigsdickson/RecoveryRoom?authkey=2DZ6rlYGCQI
The kid and Jen pretty much slept all day after that.
Basically Tuesday we had a revolving door on our room as every doctor, nurse, financial counselor, birth certificate expert, baby photo taker and "lactation consultant" visited during the day. It was truly comical at certain points, we literally had a line forming outside our room. So much for getting some rest.
We did have some feeding issues on Tuesday and so the angelic baby from Monday gave way to the screaming bundle of angst on Tuesday. We had a breakthrough late on Tuesday and the kid immediately calmed down.
Wednesday was time to checkout.
Here are some photos:
http://picasaweb.google.com/craigsdickson/RecoveryRoom?authkey=2DZ6rlYGCQI
Delivery Recap
OK, I had intended to post this a week or more ago, but better late than never (which seems particularly appropriate).
We checked into the hospital at midnight on Saturday night and Jen was put on an IV drip of Pitocin about 1am. We then attempted to sleep for a few hours, however the typical hospital parade of nurses came through every few minutes, so that was somewhat pointless.
Around 8am Jen finally began to feel contractions enough to actually ask for some pain killing drugs. Then around 11am the pain become consistent enough that between Jen and the midwife, they decided to ask for an epidural to be administered. Which did kill the pain, but meant Jen could no longer get out of bed and needed help to move around in the bed.
The rest of Sunday dragged on endlessly. We watched 3 full games of football, which we could very well have been doing if we were at home, but being hospital kind of sucked the fun out of it.
Late on Sunday the pain level got a point where Jen had to get a "top up" on the epidural. Apparently epidurals are not fool proof and do not always kill all the pain - they don't mention that in the brochures!
Starting at around 11pm the midwife began checking Jen every 2 hours and unfortunately she was making pretty slow progress. So we had a couple rounds of 2 hours of waiting and extra pain killers for Jen. The pain killers would only last about 90 minutes so Jen had to work through some pretty serious contractions for the last 30 minutes a couple of times.
It was touch and go for a while there early on Monday morning. The midwife was definitely showing signs of concern in terms of whether the baby was making enough progress to continue on or if we would have to stop and go with a Cesarean instead. Luckily at the 5:30am check the midwife was finally happy that Jen was ready to try pushing, which was a great relief for Jen as she was very much done with dealing with the pain.
It took until about 6:10am for the midwife and nurses to get the room ready and get Jen into position before she made her first push. Jen pushed like a champ and barely flinched at all. The baby was officially born on 6:52am, just 42 minutes after she started pushing.
So it took almost 31 hours from the time we checked in until the time the kid was born. We are told that while this was a long induction process, we were by far no where near the longest.
To recap the official stats:
Born
6:52am on Monday November 26th, 2007 (Los Angeles time)
1:22am on Tuesday November 27th, 2007 (Adelaide time)
Weight
9lb 8oz or 4.082kg
Length
20.5 inches or 52.07 cm
Because the birth certificate says November 26th, we are going to recognize that as the official birthday, but if any Australians want to acknowledge the 27th instead, that is cool with us! :)
Anyway, just wanted to say that even when the pain was really bad in those last few hours, Jen powered through like a real trooper and was nice to me at all times!
We checked into the hospital at midnight on Saturday night and Jen was put on an IV drip of Pitocin about 1am. We then attempted to sleep for a few hours, however the typical hospital parade of nurses came through every few minutes, so that was somewhat pointless.
Around 8am Jen finally began to feel contractions enough to actually ask for some pain killing drugs. Then around 11am the pain become consistent enough that between Jen and the midwife, they decided to ask for an epidural to be administered. Which did kill the pain, but meant Jen could no longer get out of bed and needed help to move around in the bed.
The rest of Sunday dragged on endlessly. We watched 3 full games of football, which we could very well have been doing if we were at home, but being hospital kind of sucked the fun out of it.
Late on Sunday the pain level got a point where Jen had to get a "top up" on the epidural. Apparently epidurals are not fool proof and do not always kill all the pain - they don't mention that in the brochures!
Starting at around 11pm the midwife began checking Jen every 2 hours and unfortunately she was making pretty slow progress. So we had a couple rounds of 2 hours of waiting and extra pain killers for Jen. The pain killers would only last about 90 minutes so Jen had to work through some pretty serious contractions for the last 30 minutes a couple of times.
It was touch and go for a while there early on Monday morning. The midwife was definitely showing signs of concern in terms of whether the baby was making enough progress to continue on or if we would have to stop and go with a Cesarean instead. Luckily at the 5:30am check the midwife was finally happy that Jen was ready to try pushing, which was a great relief for Jen as she was very much done with dealing with the pain.
It took until about 6:10am for the midwife and nurses to get the room ready and get Jen into position before she made her first push. Jen pushed like a champ and barely flinched at all. The baby was officially born on 6:52am, just 42 minutes after she started pushing.
So it took almost 31 hours from the time we checked in until the time the kid was born. We are told that while this was a long induction process, we were by far no where near the longest.
To recap the official stats:
Born
6:52am on Monday November 26th, 2007 (Los Angeles time)
1:22am on Tuesday November 27th, 2007 (Adelaide time)
Weight
9lb 8oz or 4.082kg
Length
20.5 inches or 52.07 cm
Because the birth certificate says November 26th, we are going to recognize that as the official birthday, but if any Australians want to acknowledge the 27th instead, that is cool with us! :)
Anyway, just wanted to say that even when the pain was really bad in those last few hours, Jen powered through like a real trooper and was nice to me at all times!
Monday, November 26, 2007
And then there were 3 ...
OK, so a lot has happened since the update I posted previously. One of us will write it up at some point, but suffice it to say that we have a healthy baby boy and mother and baby are both in excellent (but extremely tired) condition.
The official stats were 6:52am on November 26th, 9lb 8oz, 20.5 inches. I will convert this to "real" numbers in the next post.
And here is what you have actually been waiting for, some photos!
Cheers
http://picasaweb.google.com/craigsdickson/FirstBabyPhotos?authkey=p0bDeO8Aom8
The official stats were 6:52am on November 26th, 9lb 8oz, 20.5 inches. I will convert this to "real" numbers in the next post.
And here is what you have actually been waiting for, some photos!
Cheers
http://picasaweb.google.com/craigsdickson/FirstBabyPhotos?authkey=p0bDeO8Aom8
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Status Update
It is now 11:30am Sunday, California time (6:30am Monday, Adelaide time). We checked in at midnight last night and went straight to the delivery room. Jen was hooked up to the Pitocin drip at 12:55am (7:25pm). Basically from then on until about 5am (11:30pm) it was an uncomfortable night of tossing and turning and not much action apart from contractions beginning to happen at regular 2-3 minute intervals.
Jen finally gave in at about 5am and asked for some pain medication. They gave her some through her IV. That knocked her out and she slept better until about 10am (5:30am Monday).
Around 10am the IV drugs began to wear off and the mid-wife and anesthesiologist (bet you didn't think I could spell that!) and Jen decided to get the epidural set up. That took until about 10:45am. So Jen is sleeping again now and has tubes everywhere. I have escaped for a few minutes to grab some breakfast/lunch.
Will post again when there is more to tell.
Jen finally gave in at about 5am and asked for some pain medication. They gave her some through her IV. That knocked her out and she slept better until about 10am (5:30am Monday).
Around 10am the IV drugs began to wear off and the mid-wife and anesthesiologist (bet you didn't think I could spell that!) and Jen decided to get the epidural set up. That took until about 10:45am. So Jen is sleeping again now and has tubes everywhere. I have escaped for a few minutes to grab some breakfast/lunch.
Will post again when there is more to tell.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Week 41 Baby Bump
Here is the last baby bump photo. We are off to the hospital in a couple of hours.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Non-Stress Testing
We went in to the hospital this morning for a "Non-Stress Test" - basically they strap a couple of censors around Jen's belly and monitor the baby's heart beat and also they can detect contractions. That all took about 30 minutes - it apparently could have gone a lot longer, but we were (as usual) perfectly normal.
We then moved to another room where the nurse did an ultrasound to look for the level of fluids around the baby - apparently there is a risk of the amniotic fluid levels dropping in the womb once you go past the due date as the placenta basically begins to die. Once again no concern there we had way more than enough fluid as well.
Finally we had a mid-wife come in and do another exam. She felt that we had made progress since our Monday appointment with our regular doctor, to the point that she did offer us the option of beginning the process of inducing labor today. Jen and I decided to wait until Sunday to see if anything happens naturally before inducing though. Jen has been having more significant and regular contractions since Wednesday - but so far they have subsided - so there is a chance we could avoid being induced.
If nothing happens, we will be heading for the hospital early Sunday morning and they tell us that the induction process can take as long as 24 hours. So there is a good chance before the weekend is over we will be 3 instead of 2.
We then moved to another room where the nurse did an ultrasound to look for the level of fluids around the baby - apparently there is a risk of the amniotic fluid levels dropping in the womb once you go past the due date as the placenta basically begins to die. Once again no concern there we had way more than enough fluid as well.
Finally we had a mid-wife come in and do another exam. She felt that we had made progress since our Monday appointment with our regular doctor, to the point that she did offer us the option of beginning the process of inducing labor today. Jen and I decided to wait until Sunday to see if anything happens naturally before inducing though. Jen has been having more significant and regular contractions since Wednesday - but so far they have subsided - so there is a chance we could avoid being induced.
If nothing happens, we will be heading for the hospital early Sunday morning and they tell us that the induction process can take as long as 24 hours. So there is a good chance before the weekend is over we will be 3 instead of 2.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Date Change
Not sure if we mentioned it early on in the blog, but we had 2 ultrasounds done originally, one to confirm the pregnancy and one to get a more accurate date. At the first one, the doctor gave us the November 21st date. At the 2nd ultrasound we were told November 18th, but since the dates were so close they would stick with the 21st.
Well it appears that in this last week or so the doctor has switched it up on us and is now working with the November 18th date. So here today on the 19th, instead of being 2 days away from being full-term, we are now (according to the doctor this morning) 1 day overdue!
As a result I have reset the countdown clock on the top right of the blog.
We have Thanksgiving coming up this week, but we are booked into the hospital on Friday morning for non-stress testing, which is basically some more closer monitoring of the baby and any contractions that might be happening to make sure everything is still going well.
If we make it as far as next Monday, the 26th, there is a chance they will begin the process of inducing labor.
Well it appears that in this last week or so the doctor has switched it up on us and is now working with the November 18th date. So here today on the 19th, instead of being 2 days away from being full-term, we are now (according to the doctor this morning) 1 day overdue!
As a result I have reset the countdown clock on the top right of the blog.
We have Thanksgiving coming up this week, but we are booked into the hospital on Friday morning for non-stress testing, which is basically some more closer monitoring of the baby and any contractions that might be happening to make sure everything is still going well.
If we make it as far as next Monday, the 26th, there is a chance they will begin the process of inducing labor.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
no news is... well... no news
over the last week i've gotten many phone calls and emails asking if there has been any 'progress' with wiggly. i've also been told that the blog is being checked regularly for baby news, photos, or updates. currently the lack of news being reported is due to the lack of news to report. wiggly is exactly where wiggly has been for the last 9 months or so. i do assure you, once anything happens we will (or more accurately, Craig will) pass along the news.
attempting to get wiggly born we've been listening to all sorts of medical, and other recommendations as to how to get labor moving along. i'm walking a lot, taking the stairs, and eating spicy foods in an attempt to encourage wiggly out into the external world. we do have some progress - the baby is head down, and settling low, but nothing has encouraged wiggly to take the final step. i've contemplated a trampoline, but my doctor insists that while the trampoline would be amusing, it won't really do anything to help things along.
so, since i have no cute wiggly photos to share with you, enjoy some of the finer things the web has to offer.
attempting to get wiggly born we've been listening to all sorts of medical, and other recommendations as to how to get labor moving along. i'm walking a lot, taking the stairs, and eating spicy foods in an attempt to encourage wiggly out into the external world. we do have some progress - the baby is head down, and settling low, but nothing has encouraged wiggly to take the final step. i've contemplated a trampoline, but my doctor insists that while the trampoline would be amusing, it won't really do anything to help things along.
so, since i have no cute wiggly photos to share with you, enjoy some of the finer things the web has to offer.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Is this an omen?
For those who don't know, my current job is with one of the largest paint manufacturers in the United States. One of my employees forwarded the image below to me ...
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
playing catchup...
It’s been quite some time since our last update. Let’s do a little catch up – shall we?
Late September brought a trip up north to our northern California shower. We took a leisurely drive up the coast, stopping in Ventura (overnight), Monterey, and San Francisco.
While in Monterey we visited the aquarium – which took us all day to go through – and yet I somehow thought it would be larger. My favorite part of the aquarium could have been the jelly fish exhibit. While they are not cuddly looking – like the otters – the exhibit was beautiful. I wouldn’t like to meet any of the jellies out in the wild, but behind glass they were quite the sight to see. I finally got to see the box jellyfish that I’ve heard so much about in all my trips to Australia. For those not familiar, it’s a little tiny jellyfish that has so much poison that just a little touch from it can put a person in excruciating pain. The box jellies were tiny, and it’s hard to believe something that small and fragile looking can cause so much trouble – however, since most everything in Australia can be deadly I will not ever test my theory. Craig didn’t even approach the glass to take a look at the jellies. The years of education and warning to stay away from them at all possible costs apparently even applied to the ones behind glass.
In San Francisco we stayed at the Sir Frances Drake. It is best known (to me at least) as the hotel with the doormen who dress up in Beefeater costumes. It also has the starlight lounge on the roof (which we didn’t get to this time around – being pregnant and in a lounge can be depressing.). The main reason for stopping in San Francisco was that the Australian rules grand final (the super bowl of Aussie rules football) was going on and one of the local Australian clubs was hosting a party. The place was packed, and the beer flowing, but we managed to find a couple of chairs to watch the game from. As I may have mentioned earlier – the game was a slaughter. However, since neither Craig nor I had a preferred team we didn’t take it personally.
The shower went over very well – from my perspective. I got to see a lot of family and friends I don’t see all too often due to living in southern California. The baby got lots of wonderful things and has already managed to be spoiled, even before being born.
Fast forward a little bit to October. All of our doctor’s appointments went well – and the doctor mentioned on more than one occasion that I was ‘perfect’. I made sure to note each and every time she said this and pointed it out to Craig each time – just in case he didn’t hear her. I taught the last of my classes in October, and got my desk and work space all packed up for my months away. October was the last month I’d be working in the office. As I was not terribly comfortable in the desk chairs in the office and I have a good boss, my ‘office’ was now at home.
October also brought our southern California baby shower. We hosted the event at the club house at our apartment. Quite a lot of people showed up, and everyone seemed to have a good time. As with any party that an Australian was hosting, the beer was flowing. I had my sodas and enjoyed my non-alcoholic wine. (I pretended it was the real stuff, which somehow makes it taste better.) The baby once again got spoiled by the generosity of our friends. The prize of who came the furthest to join us goes to Alicia – who lives in New Mexico – but came to the party via Chicago. In addition to her travel, she helped with food shopping, food pickup, balloon wrangling, keeping the pregnant woman sane and entertained, and designed the much complimented labels on the favors handed out.
Once the parties were all taken care of Craig and I started to focus on the remaining baby necessities we had left to take care of. We wrangled the two car seat bases into each of our respective cars. The ‘key’ we were told by the installation manuals (that we read, cover to cover) and an instructive DVD was to make sure the seat could not be wiggled more than an inch in any direction. We followed this direction to the letter, and I am proud to say that neither car seat can be wiggled in any measurable way in any direction.
The remainder of our ‘necessities’ have been gathered, and the hospital bag’s contents are being assembled in one very large suitcase. I suspect when we finally show up at the hospital the staff will have a giggle at our expense and our HUGE bag.
So now the plan is to wait for wiggly to decide it’s time to show up. At 38 weeks he/she is fully cooked and ready to go – if only he/she would be ready to go! I’m not as worried about labor as I was previously – which both encourages – and confuses me. I suspect it’s some hormone that is designed to calm me down – which I am perfectly happy to accept. My body has managed to figure out this pregnancy thing without my mind getting in and confusing matters – so I figure it knows what it is doing.
Keep your fingers crossed for us, think baby being born thoughts, and if anything interesting happens we’ll let you know.
Late September brought a trip up north to our northern California shower. We took a leisurely drive up the coast, stopping in Ventura (overnight), Monterey, and San Francisco.
While in Monterey we visited the aquarium – which took us all day to go through – and yet I somehow thought it would be larger. My favorite part of the aquarium could have been the jelly fish exhibit. While they are not cuddly looking – like the otters – the exhibit was beautiful. I wouldn’t like to meet any of the jellies out in the wild, but behind glass they were quite the sight to see. I finally got to see the box jellyfish that I’ve heard so much about in all my trips to Australia. For those not familiar, it’s a little tiny jellyfish that has so much poison that just a little touch from it can put a person in excruciating pain. The box jellies were tiny, and it’s hard to believe something that small and fragile looking can cause so much trouble – however, since most everything in Australia can be deadly I will not ever test my theory. Craig didn’t even approach the glass to take a look at the jellies. The years of education and warning to stay away from them at all possible costs apparently even applied to the ones behind glass.
In San Francisco we stayed at the Sir Frances Drake. It is best known (to me at least) as the hotel with the doormen who dress up in Beefeater costumes. It also has the starlight lounge on the roof (which we didn’t get to this time around – being pregnant and in a lounge can be depressing.). The main reason for stopping in San Francisco was that the Australian rules grand final (the super bowl of Aussie rules football) was going on and one of the local Australian clubs was hosting a party. The place was packed, and the beer flowing, but we managed to find a couple of chairs to watch the game from. As I may have mentioned earlier – the game was a slaughter. However, since neither Craig nor I had a preferred team we didn’t take it personally.
The shower went over very well – from my perspective. I got to see a lot of family and friends I don’t see all too often due to living in southern California. The baby got lots of wonderful things and has already managed to be spoiled, even before being born.
Fast forward a little bit to October. All of our doctor’s appointments went well – and the doctor mentioned on more than one occasion that I was ‘perfect’. I made sure to note each and every time she said this and pointed it out to Craig each time – just in case he didn’t hear her. I taught the last of my classes in October, and got my desk and work space all packed up for my months away. October was the last month I’d be working in the office. As I was not terribly comfortable in the desk chairs in the office and I have a good boss, my ‘office’ was now at home.
October also brought our southern California baby shower. We hosted the event at the club house at our apartment. Quite a lot of people showed up, and everyone seemed to have a good time. As with any party that an Australian was hosting, the beer was flowing. I had my sodas and enjoyed my non-alcoholic wine. (I pretended it was the real stuff, which somehow makes it taste better.) The baby once again got spoiled by the generosity of our friends. The prize of who came the furthest to join us goes to Alicia – who lives in New Mexico – but came to the party via Chicago. In addition to her travel, she helped with food shopping, food pickup, balloon wrangling, keeping the pregnant woman sane and entertained, and designed the much complimented labels on the favors handed out.
Once the parties were all taken care of Craig and I started to focus on the remaining baby necessities we had left to take care of. We wrangled the two car seat bases into each of our respective cars. The ‘key’ we were told by the installation manuals (that we read, cover to cover) and an instructive DVD was to make sure the seat could not be wiggled more than an inch in any direction. We followed this direction to the letter, and I am proud to say that neither car seat can be wiggled in any measurable way in any direction.
The remainder of our ‘necessities’ have been gathered, and the hospital bag’s contents are being assembled in one very large suitcase. I suspect when we finally show up at the hospital the staff will have a giggle at our expense and our HUGE bag.
So now the plan is to wait for wiggly to decide it’s time to show up. At 38 weeks he/she is fully cooked and ready to go – if only he/she would be ready to go! I’m not as worried about labor as I was previously – which both encourages – and confuses me. I suspect it’s some hormone that is designed to calm me down – which I am perfectly happy to accept. My body has managed to figure out this pregnancy thing without my mind getting in and confusing matters – so I figure it knows what it is doing.
Keep your fingers crossed for us, think baby being born thoughts, and if anything interesting happens we’ll let you know.
Friday, November 2, 2007
More Photos
To help us remember this time we went to a photo studio and got some professional photos taken.
Professional Photos
Professional Photos
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Southern California Shower
Saturday night we threw our Southern California party. Food and drink were consumed. Games were played. Fun was had.
Southern California Shower
Southern California Shower
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Monday, October 15, 2007
Karl Fest
Saturday October 6th, Craig, myself, and friends Rick and Jen went down to San Diego for Karl Fest, a microbrew beer festival. I, in a weak moment a month earlier, volunteered to be the designated driver for the three party animals. The day turned out to be beautiful and I was quite glad i volunteered. We listened to some local bands, the beer was reportedly very good, and the company excellent. I was quite popular having 5 beer tickets on my wristband, and no intention of using them. I was also quite interesting to stare at for the rest of the Karl Fest attendants. Apparently, pregnant women aren't the most common attendants of beer festivals.
Enjoy the photos.
Karl Fest
Enjoy the photos.
Karl Fest
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Friday, October 5, 2007
The "Shush" guy
So for the second time now a person who I am (currently) willing to trust that they know what they are talking about has told us to get hold of the book/DVD called "The Happiest Baby on the Block". Basically this guy Harvey Karp has come up with a system for gettig crying and fussy babies to calm down and pretty much just chill out instantly. Almost sounds too good to be true.
Jen and I will probably buy it, but man some of it looks like a cross between hypnotizing a chicken and the jedi mind trick that Crocodile Dundee pulls on the water buffalo in the first movie.
http://www.thehappiestbaby.com/
Jen and I will probably buy it, but man some of it looks like a cross between hypnotizing a chicken and the jedi mind trick that Crocodile Dundee pulls on the water buffalo in the first movie.
http://www.thehappiestbaby.com/
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Colonel Mustard with the Revolver in the Library
We interviewed a potential Pediatrician this afternoon. I think it went very well and Jen and I probably won't look too much further.
And as a bonus, her name is Dr Plum, which makes it feel like we are in a game of Cluedo (that's "Clue" for you Americans). It was Dr Plum, with the loaded diaper, in the exam room!
And as a bonus, her name is Dr Plum, which makes it feel like we are in a game of Cluedo (that's "Clue" for you Americans). It was Dr Plum, with the loaded diaper, in the exam room!
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Wiggly goes wild for DMB
Jen and i went to see the Dave Matthews Band tonight. This has become a sort of annual pilgrimage over the last few summers for us. It would appear that even at this early age, Wiggly is very much a DMB fan as Jen was getting pulverized from the inside during many of the songs. Wiggly especially enjoys the deep saxophone and bass guitar sounds apparently.
The opening act was Steven Marley (one of Bob's kids) and as you would expect he plays reggae, but luckily for his career he is not apposed to playing a healthy dose of his dad's songs to keep the crowd interested. One thing I realized tonight is that the songs by Bob Marley that are popular are popular because they actually sound quite different to other reggae songs. All the other reggae songs are essentially the exact same song, over and over, just in different keys.
After the concert we left on our little trip up to northern California. We decided to drive up to the far side of Los Angeles immediately following the concert to avoid having to tackle the morning rush hour traffic. It would have taken the best part of 3 hours to do the drive in the morning, and we managed to do it in less than 90 minutes. On the way up the 405 freeway we caught up with the fancy DMB tour buses and Jen was actually able to see through the windows and saw the boys all watching Sportcenter!
The opening act was Steven Marley (one of Bob's kids) and as you would expect he plays reggae, but luckily for his career he is not apposed to playing a healthy dose of his dad's songs to keep the crowd interested. One thing I realized tonight is that the songs by Bob Marley that are popular are popular because they actually sound quite different to other reggae songs. All the other reggae songs are essentially the exact same song, over and over, just in different keys.
After the concert we left on our little trip up to northern California. We decided to drive up to the far side of Los Angeles immediately following the concert to avoid having to tackle the morning rush hour traffic. It would have taken the best part of 3 hours to do the drive in the morning, and we managed to do it in less than 90 minutes. On the way up the 405 freeway we caught up with the fancy DMB tour buses and Jen was actually able to see through the windows and saw the boys all watching Sportcenter!
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Monday, September 17, 2007
progress...
slowly but surely we are making progress with our apartment.
the 2nd room in our apartment was once an office. then, it was a half office, half guest room. then, it was a storage facility for everythng that didn't have a home. recently, it was transformed back into an office, and as of last night it is currently resembling a bedroom - bed included.
what all this means is that we are making progress making room for wiggly in the apartment, as well as carving out a small place to stay for any relatives who travel long distances to be with us.
it may be a small success, but it is a success none the less. consider me proud.
the 2nd room in our apartment was once an office. then, it was a half office, half guest room. then, it was a storage facility for everythng that didn't have a home. recently, it was transformed back into an office, and as of last night it is currently resembling a bedroom - bed included.
what all this means is that we are making progress making room for wiggly in the apartment, as well as carving out a small place to stay for any relatives who travel long distances to be with us.
it may be a small success, but it is a success none the less. consider me proud.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
better late than never...
i admit it - i've been slacking on my blogging duties. time seems to be just flying by us lately, but here's a quick update of the last few weeks..
Baby Classes
Craig and I have been attending every baby class that is offered by Kaiser in an attempt to get all possible information. while we know we'll learn by experience, it's nice to get as much information we can before hand.
We've attended a 'getting started' class - with an instructor who had an interesting communication style. (uncomfortably long eye contact, and an overzealous use of the word 'awesome')
we've attended a 'baby care basics' class where we learned some baby care basics, such as diapering and swaddling. one of the requirements for the class was to bring in a doll that was the size of a newborn. since neither craig or i had a baby doll sitting around, we brought in the next best thing, a teddy bear who we named Harry T. Behr.
we've also started our lamaze classes. there is a lot of good information in this class, but the birth videos are disarming to say the least. while i know labor and delivery is inevitable, i'm not sure that watching a parade of other women in pain is helping to ease my apprehension at all. i have also learned that comfortable clothes are a must when in a class where you're crawling around on the floor for at least part of it.
Spoiled Rotten
wiggly is going to be a spoiled baby, and i'm not doing too bad at getting spoiled either.
i got some hilarious postpartum post cards from Alicia (provider of the hilarious onesies).
Wiggly also got a beautiful knit blanket from Tara - knitter extraordinare. in addition to being a beautiful blanket, it also doubles as a belly cozy.
finally - while at another baby related event - we won a raffle! we won a newborn care kit of mustela items. the kit has soap, shampoo, lotion, and other fun things. since winning raffles doesn't happen to me often, i was quite excited.
Wiggly News
and the news that you're all actually interested in - wiggly!
if activity is any indication, wiggly is quite healthy. we've taken to referring to wiggly as 'alien baby' when he/she is moving around so much that you can see the movement from the outside. the thumps and thuds that used to be wiggly's preferred movements have been replaced by more squirming, and a lot of pushing. i can see, and feel, some bony body parts poking out.
we're 30 weeks along, 10 to go.
Baby Classes
Craig and I have been attending every baby class that is offered by Kaiser in an attempt to get all possible information. while we know we'll learn by experience, it's nice to get as much information we can before hand.
We've attended a 'getting started' class - with an instructor who had an interesting communication style. (uncomfortably long eye contact, and an overzealous use of the word 'awesome')
we've attended a 'baby care basics' class where we learned some baby care basics, such as diapering and swaddling. one of the requirements for the class was to bring in a doll that was the size of a newborn. since neither craig or i had a baby doll sitting around, we brought in the next best thing, a teddy bear who we named Harry T. Behr.
we've also started our lamaze classes. there is a lot of good information in this class, but the birth videos are disarming to say the least. while i know labor and delivery is inevitable, i'm not sure that watching a parade of other women in pain is helping to ease my apprehension at all. i have also learned that comfortable clothes are a must when in a class where you're crawling around on the floor for at least part of it.
Spoiled Rotten
wiggly is going to be a spoiled baby, and i'm not doing too bad at getting spoiled either.
i got some hilarious postpartum post cards from Alicia (provider of the hilarious onesies).
Wiggly also got a beautiful knit blanket from Tara - knitter extraordinare. in addition to being a beautiful blanket, it also doubles as a belly cozy.
finally - while at another baby related event - we won a raffle! we won a newborn care kit of mustela items. the kit has soap, shampoo, lotion, and other fun things. since winning raffles doesn't happen to me often, i was quite excited.
Wiggly News
and the news that you're all actually interested in - wiggly!
if activity is any indication, wiggly is quite healthy. we've taken to referring to wiggly as 'alien baby' when he/she is moving around so much that you can see the movement from the outside. the thumps and thuds that used to be wiggly's preferred movements have been replaced by more squirming, and a lot of pushing. i can see, and feel, some bony body parts poking out.
we're 30 weeks along, 10 to go.
Friday, September 7, 2007
an open letter to my feet...
dear feet -
how are you? i am fine.
i have to admit, i miss you. i miss seeing you around. i miss knowing that whenever i looked for you, you'd be there. do you miss me too?
people who have seen you tell me that you are doing well, that you've gotten some color. it's nice to hear that you're not letting yourself go.
i hope life is treating you well, and i can't wait to see you soon.
your friend - jen
how are you? i am fine.
i have to admit, i miss you. i miss seeing you around. i miss knowing that whenever i looked for you, you'd be there. do you miss me too?
people who have seen you tell me that you are doing well, that you've gotten some color. it's nice to hear that you're not letting yourself go.
i hope life is treating you well, and i can't wait to see you soon.
your friend - jen
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Double Presents???
If wiggly is born roughly on schedule near the end of November, at that time of year Adelaide wil be on daylight savings time, and Los Angeles will be off of daylight savings time. This means Adelaide will be 18.5 hours ahead of Los Angeles.
So if wiggly is born between midnight and 5:29am Los Angeles time then it will be the same date in Adelaide as Los Angeles and everything will be nice and clean.
However, if wiggly is born between 5:30am and midnight Los Angeles time, it will actually be the next day in Adelaide. So if the kid gets smart when it's a little older it may realize that there is a potential loophole where it actually has 2 birthday days.
Hopefully the parents will still be smart enough at that time to not let the kid convince them that that means two sets of presents are necessary.
So if wiggly is born between midnight and 5:29am Los Angeles time then it will be the same date in Adelaide as Los Angeles and everything will be nice and clean.
However, if wiggly is born between 5:30am and midnight Los Angeles time, it will actually be the next day in Adelaide. So if the kid gets smart when it's a little older it may realize that there is a potential loophole where it actually has 2 birthday days.
Hopefully the parents will still be smart enough at that time to not let the kid convince them that that means two sets of presents are necessary.
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Present from Australia
We received a present in the mail today from Mum, Shari and Leon.
Here is a photo of the wrapped present atop the sacred belly:
It's a koala hoodie - with bonus koala ears!
Thanks guys!
Here is a photo of the wrapped present atop the sacred belly:
It's a koala hoodie - with bonus koala ears!
Thanks guys!
Friday, August 31, 2007
doctor pepper...
another doctor visit, another good check-up.
a few weeks earlier i had blood drawn for a routine check. they were testing to see if i had gestational diabetes, or was enemic. both tests were as we'd hoped, i am not diabetic, nor enemic. the rest of my statistics checked out well and the doctor was quite happy with how i am progressing.
next up - wiggly's turn. wiggly's heart beat was in the good and healthy range, growth rate in the good and healthy range, and kicks DEFINITELY in the healthy range.
we got some of our questions answered that had been floating around for a while. turns out, i can do crunches to keep my ab muscles strong - just not over do it. i can also sleep on my back without fear of suffocating wiggly (as we were told by an overzealous instructor in our first baby class). the look on the doctor's face was priceless after we told her what was said about sleeping or laying on your back.
the big excitement was of course that we have made it to 28 weeks, and are now officially in our 3rd trimester. only a few short months, and the baby will be here!
the preparations in the house are continuing along. the room that was the office, then the 'extra stuff' room, has been turned back into an office. once that transformation is complete we'll start removing a lot of the office things and turn the room into a guest/baby room. it's astonishing how many baby things we have already accumulated. wiggly already has clothes - a pretty good accomplishment for someone who hasn't even been born yet.
only 80 or so days left!
a few weeks earlier i had blood drawn for a routine check. they were testing to see if i had gestational diabetes, or was enemic. both tests were as we'd hoped, i am not diabetic, nor enemic. the rest of my statistics checked out well and the doctor was quite happy with how i am progressing.
next up - wiggly's turn. wiggly's heart beat was in the good and healthy range, growth rate in the good and healthy range, and kicks DEFINITELY in the healthy range.
we got some of our questions answered that had been floating around for a while. turns out, i can do crunches to keep my ab muscles strong - just not over do it. i can also sleep on my back without fear of suffocating wiggly (as we were told by an overzealous instructor in our first baby class). the look on the doctor's face was priceless after we told her what was said about sleeping or laying on your back.
the big excitement was of course that we have made it to 28 weeks, and are now officially in our 3rd trimester. only a few short months, and the baby will be here!
the preparations in the house are continuing along. the room that was the office, then the 'extra stuff' room, has been turned back into an office. once that transformation is complete we'll start removing a lot of the office things and turn the room into a guest/baby room. it's astonishing how many baby things we have already accumulated. wiggly already has clothes - a pretty good accomplishment for someone who hasn't even been born yet.
only 80 or so days left!
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Monday, August 13, 2007
kicky mc kickpants
i have a very active and growing baby...
how do i know this?
it could be from the ultrasounds we've had taken, the doctors visits where i'm told that i am doing very well - exactly as hoped, it could be the general ease of this pregnancy... OR it could be the fact that my insides are getting pummelled regularly.
wiggly aka kicky mc kickpants - is making him/herself known, and seems to have a rather regular routine.
i'll get my first few thuds around 5 - 6 am. i take this as my 'good morning' from the baby, and depending on the level of exhaustion i'm feeling i can either get out of bed and get ready for the gym - or go back to sleep. (i've learned how to sleep through most of the thuds, all except the really big kicks.) i'll get a light breakfast before the gym, and then eat something more after i've worked out - usually fruit or a granola type bar. this spike in blood sugar usually wakes kickypants up and i get my 9 - 10 am dance festival. i like to think of this as the 'thanks for the food, and i hope you have a good day at work' message. the next major movement is usually around noon. if i haven't eaten early enough i get a thud or two (usually placed on my grumbling stomach) to remind me that it's time to eat. after lunch, and the spike in blood sugar, i get another dance performance - so while i am ready for my post lunch nap, wiggly is quite happy and goes for the post lunch dance. the hours between 3 - 7 have some intermittent movement. a kick here and there, but no activity for an extended period of time. we cook dinner, clean up, get things ready for work the next day - and finally settle in bed. this is when the dancing picks up again. most entertaining to me is that whenever kickypants hears craig's voice for an extended period of time, there is a lot of activity. if we're having a conversation i've come to expect that 10 - 15 minutes in i'll start getting thudded. wiggly seems to move towards whatever side it can hear craig on, so the kicks will rotate from right to left, depending on craig's proximity and location.
another trick wiggly has learned is that when he/she kicks in one spot a few times in a row, i'll put my hand there. if i put light pressure, i tend to get more kicks in that spot than when i don't. i haven't figured out if this is a case of the baby learning, or simply training me. (i suspect more of the 2nd than the first.)
...
in other news, this past weekend we went to our local babies r us and attended one of their free seminars - this one on breastfeeding. i won't get into all that was covered, except the name of one of the possible positions for feeding - the football hold. this entertained craig and i every time it was mentioned in the class, and we (of course) made a few off color jokes about how the football hold is reserved for sunday, and monday nights... and that we must remember not to spike, or punt the baby. it didn't take us long to go from the 'football hold' to the 'heisman trophy hold' in our conversation. luckily there was just craig, myself, and another woman expecting in november so our side conversation wasn't distracting to anyone but the instructor - who i suspect was wondering what all the laughter was about.
we wandered around the clothing section picking out possible outfits for our little boy or girl. the little teeny shoes always solicited a 'awwww, so tiny' from me, and craig seemed to enjoy the itty bitty hats. i picked out a 'going home' outfit - but i suspect it will be vetoed by craig... a lobster costume. what could be more unisex than a crustacean?
it's hard to believe we're already this far along, and that in just a couple months there will be 3 to our little chaotic family. while i am well aware of what is happening to me, it still feels surreal to think it's really happening to me. maybe things will seem more real once wiggly makes his/her appearance. (i suspect the crying will help with that.)
how do i know this?
it could be from the ultrasounds we've had taken, the doctors visits where i'm told that i am doing very well - exactly as hoped, it could be the general ease of this pregnancy... OR it could be the fact that my insides are getting pummelled regularly.
wiggly aka kicky mc kickpants - is making him/herself known, and seems to have a rather regular routine.
i'll get my first few thuds around 5 - 6 am. i take this as my 'good morning' from the baby, and depending on the level of exhaustion i'm feeling i can either get out of bed and get ready for the gym - or go back to sleep. (i've learned how to sleep through most of the thuds, all except the really big kicks.) i'll get a light breakfast before the gym, and then eat something more after i've worked out - usually fruit or a granola type bar. this spike in blood sugar usually wakes kickypants up and i get my 9 - 10 am dance festival. i like to think of this as the 'thanks for the food, and i hope you have a good day at work' message. the next major movement is usually around noon. if i haven't eaten early enough i get a thud or two (usually placed on my grumbling stomach) to remind me that it's time to eat. after lunch, and the spike in blood sugar, i get another dance performance - so while i am ready for my post lunch nap, wiggly is quite happy and goes for the post lunch dance. the hours between 3 - 7 have some intermittent movement. a kick here and there, but no activity for an extended period of time. we cook dinner, clean up, get things ready for work the next day - and finally settle in bed. this is when the dancing picks up again. most entertaining to me is that whenever kickypants hears craig's voice for an extended period of time, there is a lot of activity. if we're having a conversation i've come to expect that 10 - 15 minutes in i'll start getting thudded. wiggly seems to move towards whatever side it can hear craig on, so the kicks will rotate from right to left, depending on craig's proximity and location.
another trick wiggly has learned is that when he/she kicks in one spot a few times in a row, i'll put my hand there. if i put light pressure, i tend to get more kicks in that spot than when i don't. i haven't figured out if this is a case of the baby learning, or simply training me. (i suspect more of the 2nd than the first.)
...
in other news, this past weekend we went to our local babies r us and attended one of their free seminars - this one on breastfeeding. i won't get into all that was covered, except the name of one of the possible positions for feeding - the football hold. this entertained craig and i every time it was mentioned in the class, and we (of course) made a few off color jokes about how the football hold is reserved for sunday, and monday nights... and that we must remember not to spike, or punt the baby. it didn't take us long to go from the 'football hold' to the 'heisman trophy hold' in our conversation. luckily there was just craig, myself, and another woman expecting in november so our side conversation wasn't distracting to anyone but the instructor - who i suspect was wondering what all the laughter was about.
we wandered around the clothing section picking out possible outfits for our little boy or girl. the little teeny shoes always solicited a 'awwww, so tiny' from me, and craig seemed to enjoy the itty bitty hats. i picked out a 'going home' outfit - but i suspect it will be vetoed by craig... a lobster costume. what could be more unisex than a crustacean?
it's hard to believe we're already this far along, and that in just a couple months there will be 3 to our little chaotic family. while i am well aware of what is happening to me, it still feels surreal to think it's really happening to me. maybe things will seem more real once wiggly makes his/her appearance. (i suspect the crying will help with that.)
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Monday, July 30, 2007
craving a little attention...
we had another of our routine appointments today, and has been our pattern so far, everything is going along quite well.
wiggly is growing at the expected rate, my belly is the expected size, my weight gain is right on target, wiggly's heart rate is right in the middle of 'normal' still (140). our doctor seems quite pleased with the way everything is progressing, which makes me feel much more assured. the only thing that is out of the ordinary is the fact that craig has been able to feel some of wiggly's movements. apparently, it's more normal to be able to feel the movements (externally) at 28 weeks - however craig could start feeling a kick or two as early as 22 weeks. the doctor wasn't alarmed at this fact at all. she was instead excited that craig got to feel the baby's movements earlier rather than later.
i've been able to identify a definite craving i've been having (aside from fruit) - non-fat frozen yogurt! for those who haven't been here, our apartment is across from a cinema, various restaurants, and shops - one of which is a frozen yogurt shop. prior to 2 weeks ago, our visits had been sporadic. once every 2 or 3 months at the most. recently however, i've been showing up quite a bit more often. often enough that i have started to recognize people behind the counter. i figured that since i wanted frozen yogurt rather than ice cream, i would be content in that, and not feel too guilty about my indulgences. this weekend however craig looked up the calories online - and we were pleasantly surprised that the yogurt really isn't bad for you. (the toppings that are available however, are another story.) i am attempting to keep my trips to the yogurt shop down to once a week, preferably on the weekend, but my self control is not the best.
24 weeks down, only 16 to go!
wiggly is growing at the expected rate, my belly is the expected size, my weight gain is right on target, wiggly's heart rate is right in the middle of 'normal' still (140). our doctor seems quite pleased with the way everything is progressing, which makes me feel much more assured. the only thing that is out of the ordinary is the fact that craig has been able to feel some of wiggly's movements. apparently, it's more normal to be able to feel the movements (externally) at 28 weeks - however craig could start feeling a kick or two as early as 22 weeks. the doctor wasn't alarmed at this fact at all. she was instead excited that craig got to feel the baby's movements earlier rather than later.
i've been able to identify a definite craving i've been having (aside from fruit) - non-fat frozen yogurt! for those who haven't been here, our apartment is across from a cinema, various restaurants, and shops - one of which is a frozen yogurt shop. prior to 2 weeks ago, our visits had been sporadic. once every 2 or 3 months at the most. recently however, i've been showing up quite a bit more often. often enough that i have started to recognize people behind the counter. i figured that since i wanted frozen yogurt rather than ice cream, i would be content in that, and not feel too guilty about my indulgences. this weekend however craig looked up the calories online - and we were pleasantly surprised that the yogurt really isn't bad for you. (the toppings that are available however, are another story.) i am attempting to keep my trips to the yogurt shop down to once a week, preferably on the weekend, but my self control is not the best.
24 weeks down, only 16 to go!
Friday, July 27, 2007
hiccups...
i suspect - given what i've read (in numerous baby books, magazines, websites, articles, etc.) and what i am currently feeling - that our little wiggly has the hiccups. a regular, bumping, hiccup-ish sort of feeling.
and i am thoroughly amused and entertained.
and i am thoroughly amused and entertained.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
addendum...
"wiggly" may soon be known by other names - including, but not limited to -
"kicky"
"dancey pants"
"hey, stop kicking me"
and
"3 am is not the time to party"
"kicky"
"dancey pants"
"hey, stop kicking me"
and
"3 am is not the time to party"
Monday, July 23, 2007
things that go bump in the night...
life has been continuing along for craig and i, in the way that life seems to continue along. we've been working during the days, and in our non-work hours we've been attempting to prepare our lives and home for baby. all this busyness seems to have helped time speed by even faster than it had been before. we have officially now passed the halfway mark. this is both exciting, as well as frightening. baby is coming soon!
wiggly seems to be doing well, and growing growing growing. if there was any question left in peoples minds if i was pregnant or simply gaining weight - it has been answered. another of wiggly's new tricks is to (what i suspect) dance around like a wild baby. before, the movements i felt were quite light, little flutters. now, what i am feeling is much more forceful. nothing painful mind you, but i can tell little wiggly is getting stronger, and bigger. i am beginning to suspect our little one has inherited craig's height, as i seem to be getting bumped and poked from all around. i'm enjoying all the dancing, some times more than others however. it seems as though baby is a night owl. for the past two weeks i've been getting woken up by some fierce dancing... usually around 2 or 3 am. this is an improvement over the nights where the dancing occurrs around once an hour, usually happening right as i was starting to fall back to sleep from the last dance fest. while i do love to sleep (and i do REALLY love to sleep) i would rather feel the wiggles than not feel anything. we have had a few discussions about an appropriate bed time and dance hours, but my authority doesn't seem to carry much weight with wiggly. i suppose i should get used to this feeling.
recently we went to the orange county fair. we walked around to most of the exhibits, saw the livestock, and all the lights of the midway. there were quite a few pigmy goats in the livestock area which i really enjoyed, and asked a few times if we could adopt one to our house (the answer was no).
this past weekend we stayed up late and got the latest harry potter book at the midnight release. i am the harry potter fan of the household, but craig is a good sport and went to the book release with me. it was a completely crazy event and i regret not taking my camera for photographic proof of the chaos. we got the book at around 12:30, and once we got home i planned to read one chapter. at 3 am i finally gave into the desire to sleep and put the book down. 2.5 days later and the book, and the series, has been completed for me. i had a sinking suspicion that the longer the book was out, the more chance that the ending would be given away to me. i could either read the ending and spoil the book for myself, or, i could read the book at my own pace and avoid all mention of harry potter. i chose the second - although it was't too hard to get through the book since i enjoy the story.
that's about all for now. wiggly and i are going to attempt to get to sleep soon, as we're feeling a little worn out from last nights dance marathon. take care.
wiggly seems to be doing well, and growing growing growing. if there was any question left in peoples minds if i was pregnant or simply gaining weight - it has been answered. another of wiggly's new tricks is to (what i suspect) dance around like a wild baby. before, the movements i felt were quite light, little flutters. now, what i am feeling is much more forceful. nothing painful mind you, but i can tell little wiggly is getting stronger, and bigger. i am beginning to suspect our little one has inherited craig's height, as i seem to be getting bumped and poked from all around. i'm enjoying all the dancing, some times more than others however. it seems as though baby is a night owl. for the past two weeks i've been getting woken up by some fierce dancing... usually around 2 or 3 am. this is an improvement over the nights where the dancing occurrs around once an hour, usually happening right as i was starting to fall back to sleep from the last dance fest. while i do love to sleep (and i do REALLY love to sleep) i would rather feel the wiggles than not feel anything. we have had a few discussions about an appropriate bed time and dance hours, but my authority doesn't seem to carry much weight with wiggly. i suppose i should get used to this feeling.
recently we went to the orange county fair. we walked around to most of the exhibits, saw the livestock, and all the lights of the midway. there were quite a few pigmy goats in the livestock area which i really enjoyed, and asked a few times if we could adopt one to our house (the answer was no).
this past weekend we stayed up late and got the latest harry potter book at the midnight release. i am the harry potter fan of the household, but craig is a good sport and went to the book release with me. it was a completely crazy event and i regret not taking my camera for photographic proof of the chaos. we got the book at around 12:30, and once we got home i planned to read one chapter. at 3 am i finally gave into the desire to sleep and put the book down. 2.5 days later and the book, and the series, has been completed for me. i had a sinking suspicion that the longer the book was out, the more chance that the ending would be given away to me. i could either read the ending and spoil the book for myself, or, i could read the book at my own pace and avoid all mention of harry potter. i chose the second - although it was't too hard to get through the book since i enjoy the story.
that's about all for now. wiggly and i are going to attempt to get to sleep soon, as we're feeling a little worn out from last nights dance marathon. take care.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Registry Updated
We've updated our registry. We were unable to find everything we wanted at babies r us, so we've added a wishlist for the remainder.
with a little help from my friends...
here's just one reason i love my friends... they appreciate my unique sense of humor and provide me with hand crafted presents!
Thank you Alicia!
Thank you Alicia!
Friday, July 6, 2007
catching up...
let's get all caught up, shall we?
it was late june that we got our 18 week ultrasound. wiggly is still living up to his/her name. every time the ultrasound 'thingy' got a good picture and position, wiggly would squirm in an annoyed manner. as with our last ultrasound, watching the baby squirm around made me quite pleased, and i encouraged the technitian to continue. we got to confirm through the picture that wiggly has two well formed and strong arms, legs, little fingers and toes, and quite the spine (as you can see in the body picture). his/her little heart was pumping quite adequately as we looked at the screen. the cutest part of the whole experience for me is when the craig and i first got to see the ultrasound. wiggly was curled up with its little arms up by its head. the position was very much like i fall asleep, and i thought that quite nice. although my logical brain knows that i am pregnant, it amazes me every time we see the baby moving around, and how much it grows from visit to visit. seeing wiggly in there makes things all the more real.
exactly one week after the ultrasound we had our doctor's visit. it was a usual checkup, as well as an opportunity to get the results of an earlier blood test, and the offical results of the ultrasound. we asked not to be informed of the baby's sex since we're still determined to be surprised. as we had hoped, all the test results came back excellently. the doctor informed us that good "normal" results for the tests for the genetic testing were a 1 in 100 chance the baby could have a problem. our results came back 1 in 10,000 which was very reassuring. the doctor informed us that we could take those odds to vegas and make millions. the ultrasound showed that wiggly is growing at a healthy and expected rate, and everything looks great. i was also given the green light to travel overseas (if we can ever get a trip scheduled). that was another weight off of our shoulders as we were putting things on hold until we found out, in addition, part of my job is travel. finally we got to hear wiggly's heart beat. it was a strong 145, and the good range is 120 - 160, so wiggly once again was in the perfect range.
my belly seems to be expanding rather quickly. it is still odd to think that a month ago i could fit into my pre-pregnant clothes. they were a bit uncomfortable, but i could button everything and walk around without giving anyone a clue we were expecting. now, i don't even try to button up my jeans. they fit everywhere but the baby belly, so i've still been getting good use out of my clothes by wearing long shirts over the rubber banded waist bands. i am efficient, but certainly not high fashion. i have enjoyed a few more shopping trips, and craig has come along to one or two. he always has positive things to say to me when i ask the inevitable 'do i look fat in this?' i have been looking for dresses more than anything else as they are comfortable, look nice for work, and i won't grow out of them anytime soon. and, as learned from my mother, i always look to the sales racks first. at this point, i can't bring myself to pay so much money for a shirt i won't wear for more than a few months. (however, i reserve the right to change that opinion at any time, especially the bigger i get.)
we are slowly figuring out the baby registry. the frustrating part of the registry is once we figure out a color pattern we like, we soon realize that the furniture and accessories in that pattern are limited. at this point we'd rather not have things look like a rainbow threw up all over the house, so we keep going back to the drawing board to find a new pattern that fits our style, as well as looks wiggly friendly. (i'm aware this is a lofty goal, however as an idealistic pregnant woman, i ask that you humor me.) we did manage to pick out the stroller/pram and car seat combination that we both like, and that drives well. we had quite a good time in the store taking the strollers off the display shelf and driving them up and down the aisles, closing them, opening them, putting the car seat in and out... all the while the poor sales people just stood back watching and asking 'do you need any help?'. our next goal is to find a crib that we both like, and that isn't insanely expensive. wish us luck.
past all that, the pregnancy has been going well for me. while i still sleep as often as possible, i am no longer as exhausted as i have previously felt. my morning sickness is gone, and i am getting accustomed to the new belly i am carrying aorund. we've gone back to the gym and i've really been enjoying the exercise, although i get shocked at how quickly i tire out. i have felt some definite baby movements in the last few weeks, but unfortunately they aren't noticible from the outside yet. (the doctor says craig will have to wait for those until around 28 weeks.) i am still a fan of fruit, so much so, that the majority of our shopping trip this past week consisted of fruit. my recent favorite is cherries, the more sour, the better.
we've been enjoying all the comments people have been leaving, as well as your emails. if i haven't gotten back to you yet, don't be insulted. things have just gotten a bit away from me as of late. i'll get back to you soon though! thank you for all your positivity and support. only 5 months to go!
it was late june that we got our 18 week ultrasound. wiggly is still living up to his/her name. every time the ultrasound 'thingy' got a good picture and position, wiggly would squirm in an annoyed manner. as with our last ultrasound, watching the baby squirm around made me quite pleased, and i encouraged the technitian to continue. we got to confirm through the picture that wiggly has two well formed and strong arms, legs, little fingers and toes, and quite the spine (as you can see in the body picture). his/her little heart was pumping quite adequately as we looked at the screen. the cutest part of the whole experience for me is when the craig and i first got to see the ultrasound. wiggly was curled up with its little arms up by its head. the position was very much like i fall asleep, and i thought that quite nice. although my logical brain knows that i am pregnant, it amazes me every time we see the baby moving around, and how much it grows from visit to visit. seeing wiggly in there makes things all the more real.
exactly one week after the ultrasound we had our doctor's visit. it was a usual checkup, as well as an opportunity to get the results of an earlier blood test, and the offical results of the ultrasound. we asked not to be informed of the baby's sex since we're still determined to be surprised. as we had hoped, all the test results came back excellently. the doctor informed us that good "normal" results for the tests for the genetic testing were a 1 in 100 chance the baby could have a problem. our results came back 1 in 10,000 which was very reassuring. the doctor informed us that we could take those odds to vegas and make millions. the ultrasound showed that wiggly is growing at a healthy and expected rate, and everything looks great. i was also given the green light to travel overseas (if we can ever get a trip scheduled). that was another weight off of our shoulders as we were putting things on hold until we found out, in addition, part of my job is travel. finally we got to hear wiggly's heart beat. it was a strong 145, and the good range is 120 - 160, so wiggly once again was in the perfect range.
my belly seems to be expanding rather quickly. it is still odd to think that a month ago i could fit into my pre-pregnant clothes. they were a bit uncomfortable, but i could button everything and walk around without giving anyone a clue we were expecting. now, i don't even try to button up my jeans. they fit everywhere but the baby belly, so i've still been getting good use out of my clothes by wearing long shirts over the rubber banded waist bands. i am efficient, but certainly not high fashion. i have enjoyed a few more shopping trips, and craig has come along to one or two. he always has positive things to say to me when i ask the inevitable 'do i look fat in this?' i have been looking for dresses more than anything else as they are comfortable, look nice for work, and i won't grow out of them anytime soon. and, as learned from my mother, i always look to the sales racks first. at this point, i can't bring myself to pay so much money for a shirt i won't wear for more than a few months. (however, i reserve the right to change that opinion at any time, especially the bigger i get.)
we are slowly figuring out the baby registry. the frustrating part of the registry is once we figure out a color pattern we like, we soon realize that the furniture and accessories in that pattern are limited. at this point we'd rather not have things look like a rainbow threw up all over the house, so we keep going back to the drawing board to find a new pattern that fits our style, as well as looks wiggly friendly. (i'm aware this is a lofty goal, however as an idealistic pregnant woman, i ask that you humor me.) we did manage to pick out the stroller/pram and car seat combination that we both like, and that drives well. we had quite a good time in the store taking the strollers off the display shelf and driving them up and down the aisles, closing them, opening them, putting the car seat in and out... all the while the poor sales people just stood back watching and asking 'do you need any help?'. our next goal is to find a crib that we both like, and that isn't insanely expensive. wish us luck.
past all that, the pregnancy has been going well for me. while i still sleep as often as possible, i am no longer as exhausted as i have previously felt. my morning sickness is gone, and i am getting accustomed to the new belly i am carrying aorund. we've gone back to the gym and i've really been enjoying the exercise, although i get shocked at how quickly i tire out. i have felt some definite baby movements in the last few weeks, but unfortunately they aren't noticible from the outside yet. (the doctor says craig will have to wait for those until around 28 weeks.) i am still a fan of fruit, so much so, that the majority of our shopping trip this past week consisted of fruit. my recent favorite is cherries, the more sour, the better.
we've been enjoying all the comments people have been leaving, as well as your emails. if i haven't gotten back to you yet, don't be insulted. things have just gotten a bit away from me as of late. i'll get back to you soon though! thank you for all your positivity and support. only 5 months to go!
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Week 18 Ultrasound
Had another ultrasound on Monday. Definitely a little person in there now with very obvious hands, feet, face and spine.
Here is probably the best image:
Here is a link to all of the images from Monday.
Here is probably the best image:
Here is a link to all of the images from Monday.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
have baby, will travel...
this is going to be one well traveled baby even before it's born!
in the past few months we've traveled to memphis tennessee, sacramento, san francisco, san diego, philadelphia pennsylvania, atlantic city new jersey, red bank new jersey, and this past week, chicago illinois. we're hopeful for a trip to australia soon too. the best part of traveling with baby at this point, no worries about crying, diaper changes, or the price of another plane ticket.
things have been going along very well lately. the morning sickness i had experienced has passed for the most part. i'm still craving fresh fruit, but have branched out to other things as well... pizza, steak, and popsicles. i am also rather sure that i've felt the baby move. the doctor says that it will feel very light and 'butterfly-ish' - and after a few weeks of *thinking* that i may feel something, this last week those butterfly feelings have gotten a lot more distinct. i reported my news to craig, and he suggested that i report here as well to share the news with everyone. we go for our mid-pregnancy ultrasound this coming monday and i'm very excited. i am looking forward at getting another good look at wiggly since he's been growing this whole time. we're not finding out if wiggly is a he, or a she - we still want to be surprised. this fact seems to annoy some of my coworkers who want to buy cute girl, or boy, clothes now. for them, i suggest to wait till wiggly makes his, or her, appearance... or just buy what they want to and hope for the best.
as a side note - i was the photographer of the week 18 baby bump. i was aiming for a general view for reference, not to show off my assets as some may have assumed. *cough*vonda*cough* :)
in the past few months we've traveled to memphis tennessee, sacramento, san francisco, san diego, philadelphia pennsylvania, atlantic city new jersey, red bank new jersey, and this past week, chicago illinois. we're hopeful for a trip to australia soon too. the best part of traveling with baby at this point, no worries about crying, diaper changes, or the price of another plane ticket.
things have been going along very well lately. the morning sickness i had experienced has passed for the most part. i'm still craving fresh fruit, but have branched out to other things as well... pizza, steak, and popsicles. i am also rather sure that i've felt the baby move. the doctor says that it will feel very light and 'butterfly-ish' - and after a few weeks of *thinking* that i may feel something, this last week those butterfly feelings have gotten a lot more distinct. i reported my news to craig, and he suggested that i report here as well to share the news with everyone. we go for our mid-pregnancy ultrasound this coming monday and i'm very excited. i am looking forward at getting another good look at wiggly since he's been growing this whole time. we're not finding out if wiggly is a he, or a she - we still want to be surprised. this fact seems to annoy some of my coworkers who want to buy cute girl, or boy, clothes now. for them, i suggest to wait till wiggly makes his, or her, appearance... or just buy what they want to and hope for the best.
as a side note - i was the photographer of the week 18 baby bump. i was aiming for a general view for reference, not to show off my assets as some may have assumed. *cough*vonda*cough* :)
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Monday, June 18, 2007
Rock music for infants
Those who know Jen and I well will be aware that we both listen to a lot of music. Our CD collection has now expanded to 2 racks and our iTunes folder is straining under the weight of more than 50 gigbytes of MP3s.
So whether this kid likes music or not, they are going to be exposed to a lot of it!
But the question becomes of course, how can we expose the kid to some of our favorite songs that would be considered not particularly kid friendly.
I believe I have found the answer. Here is a company that takes popular music and makes lullaby versions for kids. Here's the URL: http://www.babyrockrecords.com/
Here's a sample of some of the better ones:
And here's a couple of particularly innapropriate ones:
So whether this kid likes music or not, they are going to be exposed to a lot of it!
But the question becomes of course, how can we expose the kid to some of our favorite songs that would be considered not particularly kid friendly.
I believe I have found the answer. Here is a company that takes popular music and makes lullaby versions for kids. Here's the URL: http://www.babyrockrecords.com/
Here's a sample of some of the better ones:
- The Scientist, Coldplay
- Wish You Were Here, Pink Floyd
- Hotel California, Eagles
- One, U2
- Blitzkrieg Bop, Ramones
- Don't Speak, No Doubt
- No Woman No Cry, Bob Marley
- Yellow Submarine, Beatles
- When I Come Around, Green Day
And here's a couple of particularly innapropriate ones:
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Monday, June 4, 2007
doctor appointment #3...
we visited the doctor today for the third time.
my previous pattern had been to be prepared with lots of good questions, but once i heard or saw any bit of baby i lost my mind in day dreams and glow. today, anticipating the baby inspired amnesia, i wrote down all my questions. i am so glad i did, because as i had done previously once we heard wiggly's heart beat my mind went blank as i listened to the little thump thump. wiggly had a heart beat of 140, and the doctor informed us that 120 - 160 is considered 'normal' and is what they want to see. as we were right in the middle of that range everyone was pleased.
our questions were answered. exercise is still good for me, just don't over do it, get too hot, or get my heartbeat up too high. i am allowed to lay on my back, and stomach as long as either position is comfortable. i don't need to worry about smushing wiggly, or wiggly smushing me. we also got a good perspective on our decision not to find out the sex of the baby. at this point we're still settled on having it be a surprise.
so far, so good...
my previous pattern had been to be prepared with lots of good questions, but once i heard or saw any bit of baby i lost my mind in day dreams and glow. today, anticipating the baby inspired amnesia, i wrote down all my questions. i am so glad i did, because as i had done previously once we heard wiggly's heart beat my mind went blank as i listened to the little thump thump. wiggly had a heart beat of 140, and the doctor informed us that 120 - 160 is considered 'normal' and is what they want to see. as we were right in the middle of that range everyone was pleased.
our questions were answered. exercise is still good for me, just don't over do it, get too hot, or get my heartbeat up too high. i am allowed to lay on my back, and stomach as long as either position is comfortable. i don't need to worry about smushing wiggly, or wiggly smushing me. we also got a good perspective on our decision not to find out the sex of the baby. at this point we're still settled on having it be a surprise.
so far, so good...
Sunday, June 3, 2007
2nd visit to the baby store
We decided to tackle the Babies-R-Us store again today. The size and number of things in the store really are quite overwhelming.
Anyway, we signed up for a gift registry, mostly to help us start to get a better idea of what we need to buy before November. This of course means we got to go crazy in the store with the barcode scanner. We scanned over 100 items by the end of it, but the print out they gave us said that we had still not registered for any items in some of the "Must Have" categories. We will have to take a second shot at this in a week or so.
Here is the link: http://www.babiesrus.com/ControllerServlet?registryNumber=47891016&target=search
As of today the list is pretty out of control, so please refrain from buying stuff just yet (I know this will be difficult for a few of you)! We will post here again when it is safe to go crazy.
Anyway, we signed up for a gift registry, mostly to help us start to get a better idea of what we need to buy before November. This of course means we got to go crazy in the store with the barcode scanner. We scanned over 100 items by the end of it, but the print out they gave us said that we had still not registered for any items in some of the "Must Have" categories. We will have to take a second shot at this in a week or so.
Here is the link: http://www.babiesrus.com/ControllerServlet?registryNumber=47891016&target=search
As of today the list is pretty out of control, so please refrain from buying stuff just yet (I know this will be difficult for a few of you)! We will post here again when it is safe to go crazy.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
shopping...
today i bought my first official maternity clothing. two pairs of capri pants (with a 'real waist') and one dress. i'm getting too big for my 'normal' clothes, but am too small for a lot of the maternity clothing available. i'm enjoying this.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
what's going on...
a baby update:
morning sickness seems to have mostly gone away. i have had a few instances of feeling sick, but i haven't been woken up or felt ill for extended amounts of time for a few weeks. i still love fruit in an extraordinary way, but i'm able to eat more of a variety of food now.
i've gotten some energy back lately. i've been able to stay awake past 9 pm, but i still do love to sleep. i'm not sure if it is the baby that is making me tired, or simply the fact that i enjoy sleeping.
i've also noticed my clothes have been fitting differently. they fit me normally everywhere... but the belly. so far i've been able to fake it with my clothes. my plan is to stretch my current wardrobe for as long as possible, but we'll see how long that plan lasts.
morning sickness seems to have mostly gone away. i have had a few instances of feeling sick, but i haven't been woken up or felt ill for extended amounts of time for a few weeks. i still love fruit in an extraordinary way, but i'm able to eat more of a variety of food now.
i've gotten some energy back lately. i've been able to stay awake past 9 pm, but i still do love to sleep. i'm not sure if it is the baby that is making me tired, or simply the fact that i enjoy sleeping.
i've also noticed my clothes have been fitting differently. they fit me normally everywhere... but the belly. so far i've been able to fake it with my clothes. my plan is to stretch my current wardrobe for as long as possible, but we'll see how long that plan lasts.
Monday, May 14, 2007
mother's day...
for mother's day craig got me a card, and i got to pick out an item or two for myself. i was not expecting anything and so i was happily surprised, and *may* have cried a few happy tears. the gifts i picked out were the new tony bennett duets cd, and the 20th anniversary dvd of dirty dancing. (nobody puts baby in the corner)
we also made our way to babies r us and wandered around a bit. there is SO MUCH TO GET...
we also made our way to babies r us and wandered around a bit. there is SO MUCH TO GET...
Sunday, May 13, 2007
First Mother's Day
Today is technically Jen's first Mother's Day.
I was surprised to find that there is a quite a selection of cards for Mother's Day for mothers-to-be.
We had a casual lunch and decided to brave the Babies-R-Us store for the first time. Clearly there are plenty of things for us to spend money on. We will have to take a second trip later on and set up a registry there so we can keep track of what we need to buy before November.
I was surprised to find that there is a quite a selection of cards for Mother's Day for mothers-to-be.
We had a casual lunch and decided to brave the Babies-R-Us store for the first time. Clearly there are plenty of things for us to spend money on. We will have to take a second trip later on and set up a registry there so we can keep track of what we need to buy before November.
Monday, May 7, 2007
now everyone knows...
i told my boss and co-workers today. they were all very positive and excited for craig and i.
i had my speech all worked out for what would tell my boss. i was going to assure her that i would be hard working, and was planning to come back to work after the baby. of course, as usually happens, i didn't give the speech i intended. i was taken off guard by janet's (my boss) enthusiasm and excitement. my planed speech turned into a fun conversation about babies and due dates. she also assured me that i didn't look at all pregnant, which was comforting since i've been feeling more and more puffy as of late.
on another note, this weekend was a lot of fun. after the family gathering, craig and i went to san francisco for a baseball game, the giant's, and just a nice trip away. after telling everyone we noticed that the baby was poking out more than we'd noticed before. i also noticed that my ab muscles seemed tired, as though i'd been subconsciously holding in my belly.
happy anniversary to craig - who is in san francisco this week for work.
i had my speech all worked out for what would tell my boss. i was going to assure her that i would be hard working, and was planning to come back to work after the baby. of course, as usually happens, i didn't give the speech i intended. i was taken off guard by janet's (my boss) enthusiasm and excitement. my planed speech turned into a fun conversation about babies and due dates. she also assured me that i didn't look at all pregnant, which was comforting since i've been feeling more and more puffy as of late.
on another note, this weekend was a lot of fun. after the family gathering, craig and i went to san francisco for a baseball game, the giant's, and just a nice trip away. after telling everyone we noticed that the baby was poking out more than we'd noticed before. i also noticed that my ab muscles seemed tired, as though i'd been subconsciously holding in my belly.
happy anniversary to craig - who is in san francisco this week for work.
Sunday, May 6, 2007
the word is out...
we woke up early friday morning and made our first call to australia and told craig's mum our exciting news. i suspect she was suspicious since we were calling late at night, and stated that we were both on the phone. she was excited for our news and gave us many congratulations.
stage two, was telling my parents up in northern california. as my grandma was having a birthday party this weekend, we figured we'd use the trip to tell my parents. we told them friday night, and they too were excited for our news and gave us lots of hugs and congratulations.
stage three, was telling the rest of the family. craig spent much of friday evening calling australia and telling his sister shari, and both nanas. we got to wait until the next day to tell my family as many of them would be at my grandma's party. everyone was quite excited, especially auntie glennie who burst into tears when she heard the news.
somehow it feels much more real now...
stage two, was telling my parents up in northern california. as my grandma was having a birthday party this weekend, we figured we'd use the trip to tell my parents. we told them friday night, and they too were excited for our news and gave us lots of hugs and congratulations.
stage three, was telling the rest of the family. craig spent much of friday evening calling australia and telling his sister shari, and both nanas. we got to wait until the next day to tell my family as many of them would be at my grandma's party. everyone was quite excited, especially auntie glennie who burst into tears when she heard the news.
somehow it feels much more real now...
Monday, April 30, 2007
doctor doctor...
we met with our new doctor today. i felt comfortable with her immediately, and am very happy that she'll be with us for the remainder of the pregnancy.
the big fun of the day was our 2nd ultrasound. i was really surprised with how much the baby has already grown. when we last saw it, it was only a (brilliant) peanut with a heartbeat. today it actually looked like a baby. we could easily discern its head, arms and legs on the screen. the most amusing part was when the doctor ran the ultrasound 'thingy' over the baby it wiggled around flailing its arms and legs. it seemed to me a very intentional action, as though it were annoyed at being so rudely disturbed. this intentional action has only confirmed my previous thought that my baby is brilliant. 12 weeks old and it already has 'annoyed' down. since 'it' is an impersonal name, and my brilliant baby wiggles so well, i've taken to calling it 'wiggly'.
in addition our due date was set at november 21st. craig is quite pleased with this date, as it is well before christmas and he is determined to provide the child with the opportunity for both a birthday, and a christmas. having myself been born in march, i never had to worry about the two events being combined - but as craig was born on january 5th he is aware of the possibility.
the big fun of the day was our 2nd ultrasound. i was really surprised with how much the baby has already grown. when we last saw it, it was only a (brilliant) peanut with a heartbeat. today it actually looked like a baby. we could easily discern its head, arms and legs on the screen. the most amusing part was when the doctor ran the ultrasound 'thingy' over the baby it wiggled around flailing its arms and legs. it seemed to me a very intentional action, as though it were annoyed at being so rudely disturbed. this intentional action has only confirmed my previous thought that my baby is brilliant. 12 weeks old and it already has 'annoyed' down. since 'it' is an impersonal name, and my brilliant baby wiggles so well, i've taken to calling it 'wiggly'.
in addition our due date was set at november 21st. craig is quite pleased with this date, as it is well before christmas and he is determined to provide the child with the opportunity for both a birthday, and a christmas. having myself been born in march, i never had to worry about the two events being combined - but as craig was born on january 5th he is aware of the possibility.
2nd Official Doctor Visit
Saw the doctor again today and everything is still cooking along nicely (no pun intended).
We did get another ultrasound done and the baby has definitely grown since the "peanut" scan about a month ago. We could clearly make out a head, arms and legs today. The most interesting part of the scan was when the doctor pushed on Jen's stomach the baby would wiggle wildly, almost in protest to being pushed around. This of course has prompted Jen to start referring to it as "Wiggly" - hopefully it does something else interesting before it is born, or it could end up with that name permanently.
Here is a link to the snapshots from the scan today:
http://picasaweb.google.com/craigsdickson/BabyUltrasoundsElevenWeeks?authkey=F_wd5iQGzis
The (slightly) big news from the visit was that the official expected date is now November 21st.
We did get another ultrasound done and the baby has definitely grown since the "peanut" scan about a month ago. We could clearly make out a head, arms and legs today. The most interesting part of the scan was when the doctor pushed on Jen's stomach the baby would wiggle wildly, almost in protest to being pushed around. This of course has prompted Jen to start referring to it as "Wiggly" - hopefully it does something else interesting before it is born, or it could end up with that name permanently.
Here is a link to the snapshots from the scan today:
http://picasaweb.google.com/craigsdickson/BabyUltrasoundsElevenWeeks?authkey=F_wd5iQGzis
The (slightly) big news from the visit was that the official expected date is now November 21st.
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
i see green...
morning sickness... check.
it's not too bad if i move slowly, drink a lot of water, and avoid all raw, and strong smelling foods. running at the gym also doesn't seem to be too pleasant, but i'm learning as i go along.
cravings... check.
fresh fruit... all i want right now is fresh fruit. when i walk through the produce section at the supermarket i get all starry eyed as i look at the fruits waiting for me. my current favorites, strawberries, grapes, anything citrus, and watermelon. (i made a specific request to craig on his way home from work for a watermelon, and proceeded to eat it the moment it arrived home.)
exhaustion... check.
i normally enjoy sleeping. i consider it a hobby of mine. that said, i've been sleeping so much that even i find it a bit excessive. if i make it to 9 pm i feel rather proud of my accomplishment. all the books tell me that i'll have energy once the 2nd trimester begins, let's hope the books are correct.
it's not too bad if i move slowly, drink a lot of water, and avoid all raw, and strong smelling foods. running at the gym also doesn't seem to be too pleasant, but i'm learning as i go along.
cravings... check.
fresh fruit... all i want right now is fresh fruit. when i walk through the produce section at the supermarket i get all starry eyed as i look at the fruits waiting for me. my current favorites, strawberries, grapes, anything citrus, and watermelon. (i made a specific request to craig on his way home from work for a watermelon, and proceeded to eat it the moment it arrived home.)
exhaustion... check.
i normally enjoy sleeping. i consider it a hobby of mine. that said, i've been sleeping so much that even i find it a bit excessive. if i make it to 9 pm i feel rather proud of my accomplishment. all the books tell me that i'll have energy once the 2nd trimester begins, let's hope the books are correct.
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
The beans get spilled for the first time
We are itching to share our news with everyone but we are trying really hard to wait until after the 12th week as custom dictates.
We are due to go up to northern California to Jen’s grandma’s birthday party right around that date so that will probably be the time to start telling everyone. It would be nice to tell my Mum in person, but that probably will not be possible, so we will just have to call her over that weekend at about the same time we tell Jen’s parents.
We did spill the beans today though. But only to Jen’s trainer so that he will take it a little easy on her, although the doctor says that there are very few exercises that are off limits for her.
We are due to go up to northern California to Jen’s grandma’s birthday party right around that date so that will probably be the time to start telling everyone. It would be nice to tell my Mum in person, but that probably will not be possible, so we will just have to call her over that weekend at about the same time we tell Jen’s parents.
We did spill the beans today though. But only to Jen’s trainer so that he will take it a little easy on her, although the doctor says that there are very few exercises that are off limits for her.
Monday, April 2, 2007
my baby is brilliant!
6 weeks old, and it already has a heartbeat... it's official... my baby is brilliant!
today, we went to the doctor for our first official appointment. as i had no idea what the appointment would entail, i told craig he didn't have to come if he didn't want to. he responded 'you don't get to have all the baby fun, i'm coming!'. we filled out paperwork, got weighed, measured, and gave plenty of blood for countless tests. i expected that we would show up and they'd test me to assure i was pregant before going through all the baby paperwork and conversations, but it was quite the opposite. the doctor was quite comfortable with the results of the home tests, especially when we told her that we took 3... just in case. near the end of our visit the doctor brought in the ultrasound machine and we got to see the first images of the baby.
i had no idea of what to expect. i suppose i imagined that there would be a grainy black and white photo of a little dot, and i would smile and nod as the doctor told me that the little dot was a baby. i was instead surprised to see a grainy black and white photo of a peanut shaped dot... with a very definite heartbeat.
my baby has a heartbeat and is only 6 weeks old! my baby is brilliant!
today was an exciting day as we found out officially that we are pregnant, and that we have a brilliant baby with a heartbeat.
craig has come up with a name for the baby as we were feeling guilty referring to it as 'it' all the time. cojac is now what we're referring to the baby as, which stands for Child Of Jen And Craig. i am amused with the name, and find it quite witty, although i've accidently said 'cujo' a few times.
today, we went to the doctor for our first official appointment. as i had no idea what the appointment would entail, i told craig he didn't have to come if he didn't want to. he responded 'you don't get to have all the baby fun, i'm coming!'. we filled out paperwork, got weighed, measured, and gave plenty of blood for countless tests. i expected that we would show up and they'd test me to assure i was pregant before going through all the baby paperwork and conversations, but it was quite the opposite. the doctor was quite comfortable with the results of the home tests, especially when we told her that we took 3... just in case. near the end of our visit the doctor brought in the ultrasound machine and we got to see the first images of the baby.
i had no idea of what to expect. i suppose i imagined that there would be a grainy black and white photo of a little dot, and i would smile and nod as the doctor told me that the little dot was a baby. i was instead surprised to see a grainy black and white photo of a peanut shaped dot... with a very definite heartbeat.
my baby has a heartbeat and is only 6 weeks old! my baby is brilliant!
today was an exciting day as we found out officially that we are pregnant, and that we have a brilliant baby with a heartbeat.
craig has come up with a name for the baby as we were feeling guilty referring to it as 'it' all the time. cojac is now what we're referring to the baby as, which stands for Child Of Jen And Craig. i am amused with the name, and find it quite witty, although i've accidently said 'cujo' a few times.
Official Confirmation
We finally went to the doctor today ... and it is official.
As the doctor so eloquently put it while looking at the ultrasound screen “and there’s your peanut”. Surprisingly the peanut already has a heartbeat - pretty impressive for something only 4.7mm across.
Here are the 2 still pictures taken today:
http://picasaweb.google.com/craigsdickson/BabyUltrasoundsSixWeeks?authkey=LFnuo4vAtlc
Anyway, there is some contention as to how far along we are since “someone” wasn’t keeping track of important dates. Today’s ultrasound puts us at 6 weeks and 1 day. But apparently this ultrasound is not “official” and we need to go back to get an official date figured out. If this scan stands up to further scrutiny, then the due date is November 18th.
One other good thing we worked out today is that Jen is allowed to continue to get her hair colored. So that is a big relief!
As the doctor so eloquently put it while looking at the ultrasound screen “and there’s your peanut”. Surprisingly the peanut already has a heartbeat - pretty impressive for something only 4.7mm across.
Here are the 2 still pictures taken today:
http://picasaweb.google.com/craigsdickson/BabyUltrasoundsSixWeeks?authkey=LFnuo4vAtlc
Anyway, there is some contention as to how far along we are since “someone” wasn’t keeping track of important dates. Today’s ultrasound puts us at 6 weeks and 1 day. But apparently this ultrasound is not “official” and we need to go back to get an official date figured out. If this scan stands up to further scrutiny, then the due date is November 18th.
One other good thing we worked out today is that Jen is allowed to continue to get her hair colored. So that is a big relief!
Saturday, March 24, 2007
yup... still positive
just to be sure i asked to stop by the shops so we could pick up another test... a different brand of test... just in case the first two didn't know what they were talking about...
still positive.
still positive.
Still Positive
We purchased a 2nd home test kit today, just to be extra sure. It was still positive.
So unless Jen’s body is doing something very odd, it seems pretty definite. We have a doctor’s appointment on the 4th to be double super extra sure.
So unless Jen’s body is doing something very odd, it seems pretty definite. We have a doctor’s appointment on the 4th to be double super extra sure.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Day Zero
Today was THE day.
Jen pee’d on 2 of the home pregnancy tests tonight when she got home from work and they both came up positive.
She of course didn’t bother to tell me what was going on, so I was casually watching TV when she came downstairs looking somewhat white.
After the initial shock wore off, I think we both settled into a nice mix of happiness and sheer panic.
We had been preparing for the last few months of 2006 to start trying to get pregnant at the start of 2007. So, we appear to be very good a sticking to plans so far! :)
Jen pee’d on 2 of the home pregnancy tests tonight when she got home from work and they both came up positive.
She of course didn’t bother to tell me what was going on, so I was casually watching TV when she came downstairs looking somewhat white.
After the initial shock wore off, I think we both settled into a nice mix of happiness and sheer panic.
We had been preparing for the last few months of 2006 to start trying to get pregnant at the start of 2007. So, we appear to be very good a sticking to plans so far! :)
oh baby...
6 months to 1 year. every book i read warned me that it would likely take 6 months to one year to concieve our first baby.
obviously, the books were not talking about craig and i.
assuming we had at least 6 months i didn't find it necessary to worry about keeping track of dates, cycles, or the like. since i wasn't keeping track of dates, it wasn't really obvious that i may be pregnant. since it wasn't really obvious that i may be pregnant (and the books said i had SIX MONTHS) i didn't expect the pregnancy test to show positive. and, since i didn't expect the pregnancy test to show positive i didn't figure i'd bother craig with what i assumed was just a mixture of curosity and my own special brand of paranoia.
i took the test, and went about my usual evening chores. i eventually wandered back to the test to see the negative result that would be waiting for me... but it wasn't negative. i checked, and re checked the instructions and the pictures just to be *sure* it was positive, and indeed, it was.
things are a bit of a blurr from this point on.
i wandered downstairs and told craig, although i can't remember what i said. (i'm sure it wasn't the poetic, romantic, just-the-right-thing that i'd planned in my daydreams.) he said something positive and encouraging, although i can't remember what he said. then, i sat and stared at the television for a while, without actually knowing what i was watching at all. a couple of hours later i used the 2nd test upstairs just to be sure. still positive.
oh goodness, i believe we're having a baby.
obviously, the books were not talking about craig and i.
assuming we had at least 6 months i didn't find it necessary to worry about keeping track of dates, cycles, or the like. since i wasn't keeping track of dates, it wasn't really obvious that i may be pregnant. since it wasn't really obvious that i may be pregnant (and the books said i had SIX MONTHS) i didn't expect the pregnancy test to show positive. and, since i didn't expect the pregnancy test to show positive i didn't figure i'd bother craig with what i assumed was just a mixture of curosity and my own special brand of paranoia.
i took the test, and went about my usual evening chores. i eventually wandered back to the test to see the negative result that would be waiting for me... but it wasn't negative. i checked, and re checked the instructions and the pictures just to be *sure* it was positive, and indeed, it was.
things are a bit of a blurr from this point on.
i wandered downstairs and told craig, although i can't remember what i said. (i'm sure it wasn't the poetic, romantic, just-the-right-thing that i'd planned in my daydreams.) he said something positive and encouraging, although i can't remember what he said. then, i sat and stared at the television for a while, without actually knowing what i was watching at all. a couple of hours later i used the 2nd test upstairs just to be sure. still positive.
oh goodness, i believe we're having a baby.
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