3/15/2004
* 4th baby shower
* DMIL visiting
* contractions and false labor
* stretch marks
* glider
* DMIL visiting
* contractions and false labor
* stretch marks
* glider
39wk
Well Gang, I have 4 days until baby's due date! I'm definitely getting excited about baby's impending arrival! (I'm so excited, that I'm up again at my usual 3:30am wake up call...)
First, I'll have to post a few things that have happened since my last post:
I have to share something funny that happened at my 3rd baby shower on 2/29/04 (leap day!). After opening gifts and such, DH whispered over to me and said, "Honey, you're bleeding. Maybe this is your bloody show?". He'd noticed some staining on my rear. Obviously, this was quite an embarrasing and potentially dangerous situation! So, I went to the ladies room to check things out. I didn't feel anything and I wasn't having any contractions, but I was starting to get nervous. Unbeknownst to me, two of my mom friends also noticed the staining and followed me to the bathroom. As I got in there, they asked if I was OK. We had to laugh, because the stains actually came from me sitting on a plate that had chocolate icing on it!!!!!! Whew!!! A quick washing of the "spots" in the bathroom, and the "staining" was gone! Whew!!!! Talk about a scare!!!
On that same day, one of my childbirth classmates had her baby!!! My classmate's baby came 4 weeks early and she brought baby to class the next Wednesday (3/3/04). It was actually perfect, because it was the last class and it was about caring for a fussy newborn. Instead of a dummy, we had a live prop!!! Baby Anne was very cooperative as our instructor proceeded to show us the Karp method of soothing a fussy baby. It was amazing, by utilizing "The 5 S's", the instructor was able to calm baby down, even though she was not the baby's mother and had never handled her before. Then we watched a video of Dr. Harvey Karp, a noted pediatrician who taught the 5 S's: Swaddling, Side-Lying, Shaking (gently), Shushing and Sucking. It was amazing to see him transform fussy babies into relaxed cutie pies. In the video, nervous parents who had a tough time with their babies, watched in utter amazement as Karp soothed their babies and stopped their crying. I got so excited, I couldn't wait to try this "method" on Little O, once he enters the world! I know it won't necessarily be the "magic pill", but I feel more confident about caring for baby with a gameplan now.
The rest of us initiated classmates wanted to know how our classmate's birth went. She killed me, because she said, "Well, I started having contractions at about 2 in the morning. Then, after church..." I'm thinking, "Wow, she went to church when she was in labor???!!!" I was amazed!! Her labor stopped and started throughout the day and she finally had that baby at about 7pm, after being in the hospital for 4 hours. Not bad!!!! And she was getting around with baby pretty good in class!!! I wouldn't mind a labor like that!!!
Well, it's still early. There's still so much to write about, but I'll have to take it up later. Gotta rest while I still can....
Well Gang, I have 4 days until baby's due date! I'm definitely getting excited about baby's impending arrival! (I'm so excited, that I'm up again at my usual 3:30am wake up call...)
First, I'll have to post a few things that have happened since my last post:
I have to share something funny that happened at my 3rd baby shower on 2/29/04 (leap day!). After opening gifts and such, DH whispered over to me and said, "Honey, you're bleeding. Maybe this is your bloody show?". He'd noticed some staining on my rear. Obviously, this was quite an embarrasing and potentially dangerous situation! So, I went to the ladies room to check things out. I didn't feel anything and I wasn't having any contractions, but I was starting to get nervous. Unbeknownst to me, two of my mom friends also noticed the staining and followed me to the bathroom. As I got in there, they asked if I was OK. We had to laugh, because the stains actually came from me sitting on a plate that had chocolate icing on it!!!!!! Whew!!! A quick washing of the "spots" in the bathroom, and the "staining" was gone! Whew!!!! Talk about a scare!!!
On that same day, one of my childbirth classmates had her baby!!! My classmate's baby came 4 weeks early and she brought baby to class the next Wednesday (3/3/04). It was actually perfect, because it was the last class and it was about caring for a fussy newborn. Instead of a dummy, we had a live prop!!! Baby Anne was very cooperative as our instructor proceeded to show us the Karp method of soothing a fussy baby. It was amazing, by utilizing "The 5 S's", the instructor was able to calm baby down, even though she was not the baby's mother and had never handled her before. Then we watched a video of Dr. Harvey Karp, a noted pediatrician who taught the 5 S's: Swaddling, Side-Lying, Shaking (gently), Shushing and Sucking. It was amazing to see him transform fussy babies into relaxed cutie pies. In the video, nervous parents who had a tough time with their babies, watched in utter amazement as Karp soothed their babies and stopped their crying. I got so excited, I couldn't wait to try this "method" on Little O, once he enters the world! I know it won't necessarily be the "magic pill", but I feel more confident about caring for baby with a gameplan now.
The rest of us initiated classmates wanted to know how our classmate's birth went. She killed me, because she said, "Well, I started having contractions at about 2 in the morning. Then, after church..." I'm thinking, "Wow, she went to church when she was in labor???!!!" I was amazed!! Her labor stopped and started throughout the day and she finally had that baby at about 7pm, after being in the hospital for 4 hours. Not bad!!!! And she was getting around with baby pretty good in class!!! I wouldn't mind a labor like that!!!
Well, it's still early. There's still so much to write about, but I'll have to take it up later. Gotta rest while I still can....
3/06/2004
38 wks
I guess I'm making up for lost posts... so here I write again! Baby has been doing the wave for quite some time now, and it is amusing to see my belly rumble around. Sometimes, he'll poke out, but I haven't been able to distinguish whether it's a hand or a foot. I think usually, it's his butt!
2 weeks ago, at one of my midwife appointments, I was having Braxton-Hicks contractions! I didn't feel them, which was the cool part, but my belly was as hard as a rock! The midwife palpated on my left side for a bit and said, "Yup, that's a contraction alright". Then, I could see the left side relax and the right side started to tighten. It was really amazing! The midwife confirmed it, "Oh, yeah, here comes another one. Your uterus is getting ready!". It was so wild. I could feel a little bit of pressure, but it was not painful at all! Maybe that will be a good sign for labor! Never hurts to dream a little....
I'm also excited to say that I finally accomplished a dream since I've been home. I entertained a few friends with a fondue party on Friday 2/27!!! It was a great motivator to clean up around the house and to spend time with some of my stay-at-home mom friends. I used a "fake it, don't make it" recipe for the cheese fondue and it was soo easy! I also had a reverse fondue, which was simply heated salsa for dunking cubes of cheese and chicken. Then, the piece du resistance, the chocolate fondue!!! An easy WW recipe and I was on my way! The funny thing is that I turned on the wrong burner to make tea and the chocolate fondue was boiling in the pot.... I still couldn't mess it up. When it cooled down, it had an even thicker, richer consistency than before. We gorged ourselves!!! Also, the neat thing is that some of my friends did not know each other, but we all got along famously. Everyone really connected and it was nice to see. There were moms at different stages of mothering, (I of course being the only mother in-utero!) and we had a blast. I even took out my fine china and had places set. It was informal, I just used the best dinnerware for fun.
I'm certainly no professional hostess, but if you are looking for a low-maintenance party, fondue is the way to go. Everyone is bound to like something, it's fun and a good ice-breaker to share a common bowl together. And face it, if my friends are raving about my food, there must be something to it!!!! LOL
I guess I'm making up for lost posts... so here I write again! Baby has been doing the wave for quite some time now, and it is amusing to see my belly rumble around. Sometimes, he'll poke out, but I haven't been able to distinguish whether it's a hand or a foot. I think usually, it's his butt!
2 weeks ago, at one of my midwife appointments, I was having Braxton-Hicks contractions! I didn't feel them, which was the cool part, but my belly was as hard as a rock! The midwife palpated on my left side for a bit and said, "Yup, that's a contraction alright". Then, I could see the left side relax and the right side started to tighten. It was really amazing! The midwife confirmed it, "Oh, yeah, here comes another one. Your uterus is getting ready!". It was so wild. I could feel a little bit of pressure, but it was not painful at all! Maybe that will be a good sign for labor! Never hurts to dream a little....
I'm also excited to say that I finally accomplished a dream since I've been home. I entertained a few friends with a fondue party on Friday 2/27!!! It was a great motivator to clean up around the house and to spend time with some of my stay-at-home mom friends. I used a "fake it, don't make it" recipe for the cheese fondue and it was soo easy! I also had a reverse fondue, which was simply heated salsa for dunking cubes of cheese and chicken. Then, the piece du resistance, the chocolate fondue!!! An easy WW recipe and I was on my way! The funny thing is that I turned on the wrong burner to make tea and the chocolate fondue was boiling in the pot.... I still couldn't mess it up. When it cooled down, it had an even thicker, richer consistency than before. We gorged ourselves!!! Also, the neat thing is that some of my friends did not know each other, but we all got along famously. Everyone really connected and it was nice to see. There were moms at different stages of mothering, (I of course being the only mother in-utero!) and we had a blast. I even took out my fine china and had places set. It was informal, I just used the best dinnerware for fun.
I'm certainly no professional hostess, but if you are looking for a low-maintenance party, fondue is the way to go. Everyone is bound to like something, it's fun and a good ice-breaker to share a common bowl together. And face it, if my friends are raving about my food, there must be something to it!!!! LOL
38 wks
So far, baby is still enjoying the womb. Smart boy! I must admit I'm getting a little nervous as we approach the big day, but I'm trying not to think about it. I'm trying to take more naps and rest up a bit and just assume that baby will not come too soon.
We have really been blessed by the outpouring of love for our baby! DH had a baby shower at work and got the most thoughtful gifts from his colleagues. I also heard from some of my former co-workers and they are planning a little get together with me also. My church family also threw a baby shower for us and that was really nice! We've had a total of 3 baby showers thus far! I am humbled by the generousity and love shown to us by others.
I keep forgetting to mention Valentine's Day, so I'll finally post here about it. DH got me the most romantic card. It read, "For a Special Mom". I choked up when I got it. What a sweetie pie!! What can I say, I have an awesome hubby who is already a great Daddy!
Spring is here and I am loving it!!! I'm already mentally ready for it. Today, I walked to my favorite gelato place and enjoyed the 50 degree weather. Baby and I chilled out while I read a book and watched the pace of "downtown" in my neighborhood (don't blink or you'll miss it). It was cool to see families together, bike riders out and about and people just enjoying the day. I'm already set for when baby comes around. We will be tooling around the neighborhood with my almost new, top of the line, second hand stroller!! Hey, for $16.50 at the Salvation Army, it was a steal!!! Don't get me wrong, I would not have minded a new stroller. But, the latest models all feature the detachable infant car seat, which we really don't need since we have a convertible car seat. I also wanted something light and nimble, but sturdy enough to carry a good amount of stuff. When I saw the blue Graco, with the handle that goes backward and forward at the Salvation Army, I knew I found my ride. It's perfect. The stroller has a large basket on the bottom, allows me to switch the handle bar so that baby is facing me or facing out. It fits an infant or a toddler and is not encumbered with a lot of frilly extras. This is exactly what I was looking for. A little Febreeze on the outside and a good machine washing for the removable cloth parts and we are in business!! Oh, and did I mention, the thing folds easily with a push on the lever with your foot and it stands on it's own when folded. The newer strollers couldn't do any of this stuff! They are clunky, drop on the floor when you fold them and can't stand on their own. And the only way to have baby facing you is to get the infant car seat!!! Ha!
Next post, I'll have to write about my contractions.....
So far, baby is still enjoying the womb. Smart boy! I must admit I'm getting a little nervous as we approach the big day, but I'm trying not to think about it. I'm trying to take more naps and rest up a bit and just assume that baby will not come too soon.
We have really been blessed by the outpouring of love for our baby! DH had a baby shower at work and got the most thoughtful gifts from his colleagues. I also heard from some of my former co-workers and they are planning a little get together with me also. My church family also threw a baby shower for us and that was really nice! We've had a total of 3 baby showers thus far! I am humbled by the generousity and love shown to us by others.
I keep forgetting to mention Valentine's Day, so I'll finally post here about it. DH got me the most romantic card. It read, "For a Special Mom". I choked up when I got it. What a sweetie pie!! What can I say, I have an awesome hubby who is already a great Daddy!
Spring is here and I am loving it!!! I'm already mentally ready for it. Today, I walked to my favorite gelato place and enjoyed the 50 degree weather. Baby and I chilled out while I read a book and watched the pace of "downtown" in my neighborhood (don't blink or you'll miss it). It was cool to see families together, bike riders out and about and people just enjoying the day. I'm already set for when baby comes around. We will be tooling around the neighborhood with my almost new, top of the line, second hand stroller!! Hey, for $16.50 at the Salvation Army, it was a steal!!! Don't get me wrong, I would not have minded a new stroller. But, the latest models all feature the detachable infant car seat, which we really don't need since we have a convertible car seat. I also wanted something light and nimble, but sturdy enough to carry a good amount of stuff. When I saw the blue Graco, with the handle that goes backward and forward at the Salvation Army, I knew I found my ride. It's perfect. The stroller has a large basket on the bottom, allows me to switch the handle bar so that baby is facing me or facing out. It fits an infant or a toddler and is not encumbered with a lot of frilly extras. This is exactly what I was looking for. A little Febreeze on the outside and a good machine washing for the removable cloth parts and we are in business!! Oh, and did I mention, the thing folds easily with a push on the lever with your foot and it stands on it's own when folded. The newer strollers couldn't do any of this stuff! They are clunky, drop on the floor when you fold them and can't stand on their own. And the only way to have baby facing you is to get the infant car seat!!! Ha!
Next post, I'll have to write about my contractions.....
