head, shoulders, knees and toes

heeead, shoulders, kneeeees and toes - Baby is already singing and dancing to this preschool jingle. I look down at my belly and I see a big divide between two chubby thighs that I just can't help but squeeze. As I poke he likes to dance. He has either good or bad taste in music, since he really bounces around whenever an Ozzy Osborne song comes on - is he hoping I switch the channel or turn it up? I like my bouncey baby even though he wakes me up at night and distracts me during meetings. I want to give him more room to play even if it means stretch marks and perma outie belly buttons.

womb patty cake

It's gotta be hormonal. I have a magnetic draw from my rump to the glider chair and my fingers can't stop fussing away at his cute little clothes. In the morning I get up and can't help but wander in there. I've read his books to him while gliding in our rocker. I've rearranged and cleaned all of his little outfits. I've set up the monitor (where J can make surprisingly realistic crying noises that make me smile). Someone asked me yesterday if I set up the crib yet... uh yeah, months ago. How couldn't I help getting all that going by now?! The other question is do you feel him moving yet... uh, yeah, I have a break dancing baby that only occasionally sticks his wiggle toes into my lungs so I can't breathe. Our favorite little game is womb patty cake. I actually read about this online somewhere. It's an "opportunity to engage your child and help his development" - uh ok, that may be overstating it, but it does make me happy when I high five him and he wacks me back. We play the pip-likes-to-push game (I can't wait until he can pull too) and he responds sometimes with bigger punches than expected. I've had numerous kicks where I saw toes. Tough belly becomes a wave machine after a good dose of yogurt. It's fun to watch J play too and when I hear him say, "oh, woah, "... I can't help but light up.

pass

"You passed all your tests with flying colors, so we won't need any more of your blood before you're in the hospital..." Phew, yeah, little-veins-that-don't-appear (for frantic phlebotomist that is trying to cut off arm circulation) are happy to hear that. I don't feel like they've taken blood very often, but I guess she doesn't want to get a reputation as Dracula Doctor. Then the next thing I'm struck with is how she is referring to the hospital visit as a near future reality. I scheduled the rest of my doctors appts (they are now from every 4 to every 2 weeks and very soon they will be every week) which somehow equals less than 7 appts. She checked in with us on picking a pediatrician (we've chosen this women referred to us by friends and by her-they went to med school together at Brown), whether we'd signed up for birth/infant classes (which we needed to do a long time ago if we had a chance of getting a spot in the hospital classes, but luckily I didn't wait and we're all signed up), and let us know that at 35 weeks she's "really" going to check in. She looked over her glasses and told me she was going to take a strep culture that time, so "go ahead and read about that so you know what to expect" - uhok. Don't panic me by not going into the details - is it really that bad? Can't be, but I think she is squeamish about talking about that stuff in front of J or something...who knows. She covers my belly when she takes the heart beat so he can't see. I once had a skirt on and she got out the big drape and I told her that he's seen it all before... she said it was "protocol, what she learned about patient comfort" and wasted all the delightful paper cloth. I like having J there and he's flexible enough that he can come to every appt with me, but I wonder how she'll react if he shows up at this appt where she has already warned me that I'll have to expose. I think I'll be much more exposed than that at the hospital and I might as well break him in early ;) I'm actually surprised that they don't do more exams. So far unless you have issues, the appts are preventative measures. They test your urine, the heartbeat, and measure your belly (which seems ridiculously imprecise) and you are on your way. She throws in a good dose of daddy banter. They seem to get along pretty well and after she's gone through her checklist with me, she starts in laughing it up with J. I imagine it pays for her to have a good connection with him while I'm in delirious mode at the hospital, so I'm glad that he can be there to connect with her now.

hammerhead

Sleep is overrated. I woke up early this morning with a belly that looked like a hammerhead shark was trying to burst through. Seriously, it was the most lopsided double bulge I've seen yet. I think it was baby head and bottom leaning back against my tummy with his toes tickling my spine. It's still a bit lopsided, but the big bulge isn't going to burst. That is your update for the day... next time I might get J or the tripod at 5am to get some photos - I'm eventually going to document something like this:

just can't help myself

The nursery is a work in progress. I have a feeling by the time the poor kid gets into it, it's going to be overrun with stuffed hippos and animals. I'm trying to keep the walls mostly clear for the hippo mural my friend will be here to paint at the end of the month. So here are before phase two photos:
Dream meadow play yard perched on top of the changing table for now (so the cats won't bother it) with it's rocker removed
New John Lennon quilts with drawings he did for his son and little musical notes in the rich colors
Temporary stroller storage corner overrun with hippos
Nursery spread out into the living room
The swing pattern looks a lot cuter than toile, eh?

things we won't be able to do

It's the Labor Day weekend, and J and I were thinking about what to do. We've already been partying out here at our new place and we've had many versions of babymoon travel during this pregnancy (we'll call London the highlight). Most of the people we know headed out of town this weekend. So, what should we do that we won't be able to do once the baby arrives? It really got me thinking about how life will change after the baby, and I don't feel like I'll be missing out on anything. I realize that we'll be a little less flexible especially at first, but I'm pretty sure I won't feel "trapped" but instead wrapped up in a whole new world. Here are a few things that we may or may not do now that we won't be able to do once the baby arrives:
- Fall asleep on the couch right after work
- Crank the guitar amp whenever
- Leave coins and razors laying around
- Sharpen the kitty nails
- Swear at the sewing machine for eating the corner of my quilt
Not that we ever do any of these now ;)

belly is hangin tough

My baby is about half the size that it will most likely be when it's born. Uh ok, let's look at the situation here. I am bursting at the seams so where will all that additional baby go? Unless I have more hidden belly button skin (which does seem to appear daily), I'm going to be in trouble. My belly button is going to be so sunken in once I go back to normal (or semi-normal, no denial here) it's going to look like a crevice the cats can cuddle up into. It barely sticks out anymore because it's so stretched out it usually sits almost flat. I have started occasionally wearing my bella band again to try to "prevent stretch marks" and it does seem to help support my belly. Good thing it is cooling off so that an extra layer is comfortable again. I'm excited for a fall baby as long as he doesn't decide to emerge from my belly button! Tough belly at 29 weeks - Still hangin' tough like a really bad new kids on the block song - who knew they were talking about my pregnant belly!? Just listen:
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.
Listen up everybody if you wanna take a chance.
(rap:) Just get on the floor and do the new kids dance. (Note: I can get down, but I may not get back up again)
Don't worry bout nothing cause it won't take long. (Oh, thanks for the words of encouragement, Jordan Knight)
(rap:) We're gonna put you in a trance with a funky song, (I'll be sure to bring my new kids tracks with me to the hospital - screw an epidural, the new kids are going to put me in a trance)
Cause you gotta be hangin tough, hangin tough, hangin tough.
(rap:) We're rough.
(Other verses removed to avert my many other dumb jokes)
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, just hangin tough, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, hangin tough.
(repeat & fade)

neophobia

"Kids' food fussiness may be inherited" - hmm, I see this article pop up and I think that this may be something helpful. J and I have very distinct tastes and textures that disgust us. I love cottage cheese and yogurt which he won't touch. He loves the traditional foods that fussy people avoid, like broccoli and other strong flavors. I attempt to argue that I'm not actually that fussy, I just don't like these strong flavors that people seem to burn out their taste buds on - like coffee is absolutely beyond me. Here are tidbits from the article:
Article excerpt: "Having trouble persuading your child to eat broccoli or spinach? You may have only yourself to blame. According to a study of twins, neophobia — or the fear of new foods — is mostly in the genes. Identical twins, who share all genes, were much more likely to respond the same way to new foods than non-identical twins, who like other siblings only share about half their genes. Researchers concluded that genetics played a greater role in determining eating preferences than environment, since the twins lived in the same household. Wardle said food preferences appear to be "as inheritable a physical characteristic as height. Unlike nearly every other phobia, neophobia is a normal stage of human development. Scientists theorize that it was originally an evolutionary mechanism designed to protect children from accidentally eating dangerous things — like poisonous berries or mushrooms...Other taste-related traits — like the ability to taste bitterness — are also inherited. Scientists have already identified the gene responsible, and have found that approximately 30 percent of Caucasians lack the gene and cannot taste bitterness." Here is my proof that some people literally must not taste it the same way that I do!

diaper free infants

I feel like this pregnancy is moving along smoothly and I'm pretty used to being pregnant (there is something about it that I really like, even though I openly and actively admit that it's not always easy - and I would never be one of those women that says that they felt/feel "better than ever" while pregnant). So now that I'm settled in for the last long haul before the baby comes I've started researching what I need to know once he's here to smile back at us. I'm learning about baby signing, which I've never really heard much about but I think it makes sense. As I was bouncing around I found this article about parents who begin potty training at birth. The gist of it is that they don't use diapers and instead they think that the baby can signal to them when they need to go and they will take them to pee over the toilet or the sink (gross! esp in public) or next to a tree. I find it very curious, but I'm not sure what to think.

Here is a piece of the article: "His mother took the diaper-less tot to a tree in the yard, held him in a squatting position and made a gentle hissing sound — prompting the infant to relieve himself on cue before he rushed back to play.
Dominic is a product of a growing "diaper-free" movement founded on the belief that babies are born with an instinctive ability to signal when they have to answer nature's call. Parents who practice the so-called "elimination communication" learn to read their children's body language to help them recognize the need, and they mimic the sounds that a child associates with the bathroom... Experts at the Child Study Center at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center say children younger than 12 months have no control over bladder or bowel movements and little control for 6 months after that.
But some parents begin going diaper-free at birth, and the infants can initiate bowel movements on cue as young as 3 to 4 months...Parents attempt the early training to forge closer ties with their infants, to reduce the environmental impact associated with diapers and to avoid skin irritation caused by a wet diaper." Link:DiaperFreeBaby

maternity or misses?

I'm convinced that the fashion can't be beat for preggers women right now. The stores are full of tops that look just like maternity wear but in better fabrics with a much wider selection. Old Navy looks like a gigantic maternity shop right now with their fall preview sales. I just wish the Loft maternity would pop up in a store around here. I wanted to play a little game - is it maternity or misses?

Which is maternity wear?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E. All of the above.
F. None of the above.

Which do you pick?! Check the comments for the answer.

smart baby consumers

My Mommu and Aunt Hev (with occasional input in between john stewart commentary from J and Daddoo) really helped me up the ante in the baby nest. I was in heaven. There is something about sorting and resorting clothes and rearranging the little loveys that I just can't help. It was even more fun to have enthusiastic cheerleaders. The lesson learned from my mom and aunt was to ask about stuff at baby/toy stores (that is up too high to really get a good feel for the price) even if you think it's going to be too much money. My aunt started this trend by asking about this really expensive looking rocking play gym with sides and the cutest little toys. It is the adorable Haba Dream Meadow and I can't stop dreaming about it. We were sure we got a better deal than we should of and my mom kept telling the sales lady it can't just be that much, but she insisted that no one ever asks about it and that is it's listed price. No one ever asks about it because it's up one story on the wall and even if you notice it you wouldn't trouble with it. Except my smart aunt who ended up getting it for us (forever thanks!). Then the next trip to the baby store my mom asked about this John Lennon collection baby set (lamp, wall hanging with clips all with drawings he did for his son when he was born) and it was another smokin deal. These new welcome additions are really warming up the baby room. It's almost as if even though my favorite people had to go home they left some of their warmth behind.

toile tease

We had an easy time picking out our stroller, our high chair, and our play yard... but somehow the swing and all the insane variables that go into picking it out were overlooked up until now. I heard people saying that the swing is a lifesaver and a necessity, even though I had originally thought it would be kinda optional. My folks are here and wanted to get it for us, so we ventured out for some quality family time trying to determine whether we needed it to plug in, vibrate, recline, or play spa/classical music. It is absolutely out of control to try to compare ratings that people post online. People either love or hate them and the reviews contradict each other. Somehow we all tolerated Babies-r-us for over two hours and in a moment of insanity we walked out of the store with the perfect swing - except for one variable - it has a toile nightmare adult pattern that we agreed we would try to cover up. To taunt me even more, the same model is available online with the a cute green safari pattern. I think after all that we're going to end up returning the toile china pattern swing to get the one online ;) at least we know what we like now. My prediction is that Aiden will be a baby that screams if you put him in the swing... ah, what a tease.

good doc

After a busy week at work, I topped off the week with a birthday visit to the doctor. It was the best visit yet. Nothing really significant occurred, but I really felt like I got to know my doctor better and she acknowledged/asked about things we talked about last time that we hadn't understood each other on last time. It may have been my sugar rush from the glucose or maybe she was just on track (she wasn't running late and their weren't any emergency appts of very pregnant women waiting in the next room), but regardless of why, we laughed it up and I really got to know her better (Turns out she has three kids 9, 7, and 4 years and "too much" first hand experience with all the different quirky parts of pregnancy). I was glad for a good appt. The glucose solution was recently updated from this horrid orange syrup crap that people kept telling me about. You have to drink about double of this new stuff which tastes like strong ginger ale or vernors, which wasn't terrible. It was hard for me to get it all down in less than three minutes and I won't get into the burping (the whole reason I hate fizzy crap), but I'm really hoping that I don't have to do the extended test. My folks are visiting this week (pseudo-birthday-housewarming-shower party went off really well yesterday here thanks to all my mom and aunt's help), so we'll tour around town with an active baby...(more on snapshots blog later)

showered

Baby Shower: "A baby shower is a party in which expectant parents receive gifts for their expected or born child. By convention, a baby shower is intended to help parents get items that they need for their baby, such as baby clothes."
I'd like to add to wikipedia by saying that it is "an opportunity to celebrate the upcoming addition to the family and make the parents-to-be feel connected to their support network by bringing together family and friends that share in the expected parents enthusiasm"...
The varied guests created a nice mini reunion, both for me and for some of the guests. We had fun playing a dice get to know you game, baby item Price is Right, and one of my mom's classic quizzes. Aiden was showered with the cutest clothes (I think I will have to change his clothes three times a day to possibly get use out of all of them), a cushy hippo chair, learning books to start his collection, all sort of little loveys, and many must haves like a high chair, bobby, bumbo, etc etc. I brought back two huge suit cases filled for J to reopen the gifts when I got home and my folks are bringing more when they visit this weekend. Huge, heartfelt thanks to my mom, sister, aunts, and cousins for everything they did to help make the shower fun for everyone and everyone else for their generosity. Photo review:




Can't pick a favorite outfit, but this giraffe getup comes close
Bestest friends
Bestest cousins
The male contingency hanging out on the deck

one last pregnant flight

Tomorrow and Monday will be my last flights as a pregnant woman. I'm prepared with a doctor's note to confirm that I am cleared to fly since I'm so paranoid that they will assume I'm due this month or something. I am headed home to Ohio mainly to see my family and friends and partly to have a baby shower complete with all sorts of excitement. Here is a preview I don't think my dad was supposed to post to my parent's Kodakgallery (yes, that is a rain stick from costa rica in case you were wondering) It's a lovey diaper cake!:
I know I already can feel the thank yous flowing... big shout out to Lizo and Mommu for making me look forward to being home so much that I can deal with flying with a baby that likes to protrude out of my belly so much that it makes my boss flinch.
p.s. sorry for the sideways photo - blogger either hates me or wants to show you how my little pip would best be able to see this photo since he's been laying on his side for the last couple days.

aiden's first blankey

Spurts of creativity mixed with nights when I can't keep my eyes open after dinner - including a pretty demanding job plus having a whole new house to decorate - I have felt like all these projects that I talked about doing for my baby have been slowly developing. I think that I had all the intentions in the world to knit the kid a parachute and booties for him and all his stuffed animals. Let's not forget the embroidery machine that has been all neglected so far even though we have a name. I just don't have anything to embroider quite yet. I blame the fact that Joann's is a trek and not just right around the corner for me to wander through on Saturday mornings in Tucson. I do think that this nesting bug that apparently causes women to want to clean out closets may manifest in me as a creativity bug. I just really wish I had more time in the day. period.

One calming project is underway - It's a knobby, super soft, creamy blue/purple blankey.

aw too cute

Too cute and NOT fictional I might add... still bringing on the smiles:
A four-day old baby hippopotamus hides under its 9-year-old mother Porn at Chiang Mai night safari zoo in Chiang Mai province, northern Thailand, Sunday, Aug. 5, 2007

pregnant for 10.5 years

I like to get my news from the Yahoo most viewed photos. In this morning's collection there was a photo of a women holding her new baby with a herd of people surrounding her. When I clicked it I immediately recognized the family from some tv show about this exceptional family with a big bunch of kids. Turns out they just welcomed their 17th child with another J name. I still have the crazy thoughts that I really like being pregnant when I wake up feeling refreshed like I did this morning, but this women is taking it to the extreme: Michelle, 40, has been pregnant for 126 months — or 10.5 years — of her life! Among the "fun facts" listed on Discovery Health's Web page devoted to the Duggars: A baby has been born in every month except June; the Duggars have gone through an estimated 90,000 diapers.

hippo happy

I'm am officially addicted to hippos. Anything for a baby with hippos makes me happy. Who doesn't smile at a happy hippo?! I tried to make a policy that we shouldn't really buy any stuffed animals because other people will give Aiden stuffed animals as gifts, and there is a limit to the number of stuffed animals you can/should have. But somehow I can't help myself and I think J is catching my bug. We both scout out and immediately target happy hippos on baby outfits. My mom and sister are also fond of hippos, so I'm sure this genetic defect will cause Aiden to be surrounded by bouncey, bubbly hippos. J likes to kid that hippos are given a much better rep than they deserve -due to this accurate description: "The hippopotamus is recognizable for its barrel-shaped torso, hairless body, stubby legs and tremendous size; similar in size to the White Rhinoceros, only elephants are consistently larger. Despite its popularity in zoos and cuddly portrayal in fiction, the hippopotamus is among the most dangerous and aggressive of all mammals."

One of my bestest friends offered to come visit and paint some happy hippos in the baby nursery at the end of September. She already started doing some research and she found the most darling book with hippos that can be her inspiration. I absolutely cannot wait!

third trimester?

Some of the daily books and timelines mark 25 weeks as the start of the THIRD trimester! That is just about as hard for me to believe as the fact that it's August already! I am preeeegnant. There is no doubt in anyone's mind when they see me, my belly doesn't tuck in under my desk (and it won't fit under my new desk that I get on monday either - I checked), but I'm still walking normally as far as I can tell...no waddle just slower. I'm at the beginning of the end and it's felt pretty quick so far... we'll see if the time slows the slower I get. Aiden received his first thoughtful presents this week from his registry. The hippo play gym from the Lippert's will be a highlight - Hopefully we'll be able to bring it along on a play date in Arizona some day ;)