Mike and Mandy's Preggers Adventures

More pics are up

2008-09-21T14:14:00.000-07:00

Hi! More pics are up

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mandyandmike/sets/72157607417908929/

There are so many things I want to post about, but I've got a little guy on my hands and no time to write about it. I wanted to do the labor from my perspective and I might still get to it, but I will say that it was one of the most intense, physically challenging and empowering things I have ever done. I think with the proper education about what to expect it is something every woman should try and do (sometimes stuff happens, I know that).

Being at home has been great, it is amazing how little Mike and I know and how fast we are learning (but how much there is to learn). Mike is being such a great dad and Will is being a very generous and forgiving son. All and all, we are having a great time!

And the winner is....

2008-09-18T21:08:00.000-07:00

The results have finally been tabulated... and we have a few winners to announce.

We had five people guess the correct day!
Brenna, Jenny, Doug, Lauren and Mandy.
But Lauren was our doula, and Mandy was the mommy, so I'm thinking there might have been a fix!!!

The winner of the time of day category was Alesha, remarkably just 5 minutes off with her guess of 7:52 AM.

The closest (and least) weight guess was Andrea, with 6 lbs, 9 oz.

The closest date+time (absolute time) guess was Jenny. And Jenny also raked in the best overall guess category with a near sweep with her guess of 10:30 AM on September 12, 7 lbs 0 oz!

Congrats to Jenny and the other winners!!!
Jenny, you can collect your prize (holding the baby) by simply visiting. Of course, this prize is available to all visitors.

Thank you for playing!

Pictures are up!

2008-09-14T20:53:00.000-07:00

Hi All,
We're finally home from the hospital... Some pics are up at our Flickr site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mandyandmike/

Here is one to let you know how cute he is...

Welcome to William James Malone Dolphin...

2008-09-12T23:17:00.000-07:00

Let's cut to the chase first, then the gory details...

William James Malone Dolphin
Born: Friday, September 12, 7:57AM
Weight: 6lbs 0oz
Length: 20.25 inches

The story...
Mandy phoned me at work on Wednesday, (the 10th), at 1pm. She was having contractions. I had some work I needed to finish before the baby arrived, and was already working hard to beat the clock... now the clock had really started ticking, and I was having trouble concentrating. Very exciting!

I was very safe driving home from work.

That night we were both excited and nervous. We were timing the length of the contractions (30-40 seconds) and how far apart they were (5-6 minutes) right away. We ate dinner and went to bed early, intending to get some much needed sleep before the real hard labor started. I was able to sleep a solid 8 hours, but mandy was up most of the night with her (relatively) light contractions. We woke up, had breakfast, and started our exciting day of labor.

By mid-day, the contractions had gotten a little stronger, and the lower back pain that Mandy originally had, had gone away (baby had probably rotated around to face the correct way). We called in the Doula.

Once the doula (Lauren) arrived, the labor slowed. We didn't really notice at first, but it had. And it really didn't pick up again. A little frustrated, and already a little tired, we sent the doula home at 6pm. By 8pm, Mandy had re-entered labor in full force. Active labor. Good strong contractions about 4-5 minutes apart, lasting about 45-60 seconds. Aparently, not having an audience was the difference we needed.

We called the doula back at 11pm. This time the contractions were strong (painful) enough that Mandy had to really focus her energy and attention to get through them. We wanted to labor as much at home as possible, as it was a much more comfortable setting... just how much so we didn't yet appreciate.

By midnight, Lauren and I were looking at each other and saying 'maybe we should go soon'. We left the house at 12:30 AM on September 12.

At the hospital, we checked in, (which included having Mandy walking to the ward while the orderlies pushed their wheel chair in front of her wondering why we were not using it). The nurse nearly immediately hooked Mandy up to the Fetal Monitor... which is basically a heart rate monitor for the baby. The bad part is, it restricts your motion in the bed, and they pretty much expect you to lie on your back the whole time (which is the worst labor position). Mandy was inclined, but after 30 minutes of it, we took it off. They had gotten enough data to know the baby was fine.

A full 2 hours after checking in, a doctor came in to see us, our second medical visitation in the hospital. By this point we had progressed much, with Mandy taking a warm shower to loosen up, and really moaning well through the contractions. The doctor, after some examination proclaimed "You're in active labor!". To which Lauren and I looked at each other and rolled our eyes... really? Active labor? no way! Still, it was good to get checked out. Mandy was now 5 cm dilated, and 100% effaced! The effacement part was particularly great, and boded well. The time was 3AM.

By 5AM, mandy was 9cm dilated. Wow... very good progress. The contractions were really strong now. Mandy starting to really have to focus through each one, and nearly passing out in between. We were trying various positions, and lots of loud moaning. The moaning was particularly great.

They moved us to a delivery room, and at 6AM, Mandy was nearly fully dilated, but not quite. The nurse gave us a "9.5". This was where it got hard. It felt like there was so little progress with so much hard work. The contractions were strong, and painful. Mandy was a champ, kneeling on the bed with her arms over the verticaly tilted head of the bed, moaning loud strong and long.

At 7AM, she was checked again, and determined to be very nearly fully dilated, (9.75cm?). The midwife, who we suddenly met for the first time, told us to take a warm shower. We did that, but what I think really worked well was getting Mandy fully vertical. She semi-stood with her arms around my neck, and I used my arms to hold her up in a pseudo bear-hug. That took our combined strength, but it made the difference... at 7:30, full dilation.

This was the best part. Finally, Mandy got to push. (I guess you can't push prior to that for fear of swelling the cervix... which would be very bad). Once Mandy pushed with the first contraction, she hardly felt the rest. Her very first push was awesome. She bore down perfectly and all of the nurses and the midwife were impressed. (At this point, we suddenly had no less than 5 nurses flitting about, plus the midwife we had met for the second time).

It was not until the second set of pushes did the water break. A satisfying sploosh, not much more. Perfect.

By the third push, we could just barely start to see the head. A wet mass of goopy hair starting to show during the push, but not visible between. I got Mandy to go vertical again. This time squatting on the bed for a while. This helped the process along by helping maintain the push work with gravity. The whole pushing process is not unlike taking a huge poo (or so says Mandy). Having few inhibitions about her bodily functions in a room full of nurses, Mandy had no problem letting go and giving it all she had. It was awesome to watch.

After a few minutes, it was clear that squating was tiring her out, so we lay Mandy on her side is a semi-reclined position. Now, the head was claerly visible at all times. It was about 7:52. I was thinking that just after 8AM we'd have him out. Mandy gave it more with each push, and each time more of the head was visible. With the midwife pouring mineral oil and massaging the area to help progress, it was getting real close. I held Mandy's leg and she pushed against me one final time. The head slid and semi-rolled forward with the face emerging quickly. Suddenly, there he was, much bigger than one would expect for such a tight journey. The rest of the little guy followed as the midwife caught and pulled him out in one swift motion. Hours and hours of labor with mere centimeters of progress ended in a flurry of a full baby length of progress in less than a second. He was born.

They lifted the umbilical chord off him, and handed him up to Mandy. The army of nurses were quick at work cleaning up all over the place, and rubbing our new baby vigorously with a towel. As per our request, they did not clamp the chord right away, and when they did, they offered me to cut it. A simple snip, a few drops of chord blood. That was it. The placenta soon followed, which was an amazing thing to behold.

The whole ordeal was long. Both of the primary participants were clearly tired. Our new little guy snorted and slept on Mandy's chest. William James. I must say, unbiasedly, he is so very cute.

After some time to bond and get to know each other, they measured him and weighed him. His weight was technically 5 lbs, 15.9 ounces, but he had already had a good merconium poo, so he must have been at least 6 lbs. Although skinny, he is long. 20 inches, head to heel. His hands are huge. I'm saying he'll be at least 6'6" in 20 years.

The irony of childbirth of course... you work and plan for the big day... and when it finally comes you think, "We did it! we have a baby!". And somehow, through all the preperation, you this this is the end of something. But in so many ways, it is the beginning. The very beginning.

This weeks visit

2008-09-10T13:48:00.001-07:00

Went to the doctor again this morning, not much had changed. I am still between 1-2cm dialated, about 60-70% effaced and he is somewhere between -1 and -2 station (see earlier post for explanation of what these mean). I have been starting to get contractions however...they have been sporadic and not too painful (about the level of a serious period cramp) for the past couple days. These early contractions are often called disfuctional labor since they don't come at regular intervals and are not that strong, but they serve a purpose. They are helping my body practice for the real thing (and may turn into the real thing). We will just have to wait and see, right now they are just keeping me from getting a good nights sleep!

Waiting game

2008-09-08T11:32:00.000-07:00

Well I wish there was more exciting things to report to you all, but so far all is quiet on the baby arrival front. I have started walking up this big hill by my house every day because walking is suppose to be one of the best ways to get into labor and walking up hills is good for getting the baby in the correct position. When I do go on these walks, I can really feel him down in my pelvis so it does seem like it is probably helping the process. Today I walked like one of those silly power walkers, shaking my hips to help wiggle him down. We are still a week before our due date, but I figure helping him descend can't hurt.

Bigger?

2008-09-08T11:28:00.001-07:00

I'm not sure I am getting much bigger any more, I seem to have reached a kind of equilibrium. Here I am last weekend.

Baby's Room

2008-09-08T11:22:00.000-07:00

Well, there is still a lot of empty space in his room, but I'm sure that will get filled with baby crap in no time. Here are some pics of what is in the room, I think it is cute!

doctors visit

2008-09-03T16:48:00.000-07:00

So this was the first visit to the doc where I got a vaginal exam where they tell you your dialation and all that stuff. So, I am a "good 1cm dialated" he is at -2 station (which means his head is 2cm above my cervix which is nice and low) and my cervix is 60% effaced (the cervix starts out long and narrow and as you get ready to give birth it gets shorter and widens, this is called effacement). I'm not having any contractions yet, but it sure does feel like his head is sitting on my pubic bone. Dr. Weiss said she didn't think I would make it to my Sep 16th appointment, but who knows (especially with 1st babies).

Also, since he has been moving less (which is fairly normal) she sent me to this other spot where they monitored his heart for 20 min and had me push this button whenever he moved which correlated to rises in his heart rate. That was good but they also checked my amniotic fluid which was a little low (the darn heat!!). So I am suppose to drink lots of fluids, take it easy and they are going to check again on Friday.

All in all, a good visit, now I am going to go and drink some water!!!

end of pregnancy fun

2008-09-01T17:15:00.000-07:00

They talk about the end of the third trimester being rather painful, and while I am pretty sure I have had it relatively easy so far, there have been some good times. For example last week, I totally smelled. I don't think I can chalk it up 100% to the heat, it was some serious BO that deoderant really just didn't make a dent in. My wonderful husband who tells me I always smell like roses even told me I smelled. And this week, my feet have been starting to swell up and they turn purple if I stand for a while. Starting a couple nights ago, it has felt like I have pulled a ligament in my pubic bone (probably just stretching for the impending adventure), when I roll over in the middle of the night, it hurts! I don't have to pee every 15 minutes yet, but I am getting up 3-4 times a night (just practice for the baby). Anyway, nothing to serious, but minor inconveniences none the less.

Ready??

2008-09-01T17:08:00.000-07:00

Well, the co-sleeper is set up, the car seat is in the car, the house is relatively unpacked, the pictures are on the walls, the first delivery of cloth diapers has arrived, I've given all of his clothes a once through the washer/dryer, our hospital bag is relatively packed, I've bought snacks for the hospital... Dare I say, we are pretty much ready for the guy to arrive??? I'm not sure I dare say it, since I'm not sure I'm mentally prepared for him to arrive, but physically (other than work) we are pretty darn close. Now the waiting begins. Did I mention I am terrible at waiting?????

It's Guessing Time!!!

2008-08-30T11:06:00.001-07:00

Alright folks. If you read this blog, we want to hear your guesses.
Go to the comments section (just click on comments for this post), enter your name, and post your guess for arrival Date and Time, and Weight of baby.

For everyone's benefit, the expected due date is September 15. An average baby weight is about 7.5 to 8 lbs (sorry, not in metric, I know!!).

We look forward to seeing all of your guesses!! Good luck!

Sleep

2008-08-28T10:37:00.000-07:00

For the last week, it has been harder to sleep. I think this is pretty common at the end of pregnancy, but my belly is just getting more uncomfortable. It is kind of funny, because the most common thing people will say to Mike and I about "parental advice" is "get sleep now, before the baby comes..." but here at the end we seem to be practicing the lack of sleep part. We've got a nice 4 day holiday coming up for Labor Day though, so hopefully we will have a great relaxing weekend and we can put our pictures up on the walls. That will make a big difference on the settled in feeling of the house.

car seat

2008-08-25T11:38:00.000-07:00

Well, we got the car seat into the car, so theoretically now if he should decide to show up, we can get him home from the hospital and deal with everything else later. I also started putting together the stuff we will be taking with us to the hospital, but that is not done yet. It is hard to know what we will want and what the little guy will need. My doula is also on vacation till September 1st and I promised Molly he wouldn't come before September 7th so hopefully all this stuff is just early prep.

doctor's visit-good news

2008-08-22T16:53:00.000-07:00

I went for my now weekly visit to the doctor today and she did an ultrasound to determine the position of the baby and he is head down just like he is supposed to be! This is great news for labor, because most doctors these days don't like doing labor if the baby is in head up or breach position. I also think he is facing the correct direction (his face towards my back) which should also help with delivery. His heart looked great (big! but I think there was some magnification on the ultrasound or I am in trouble getting this guy’s head out of me), it was pumping strong. My vitals also all looked good and I came back negative for my bacterial culture (normal at this point in pregnancy to do a bacterial culture) which means I don't need to be on antibiotics during labor (another yay). So both the little guy and I are doing great and feeling good. Dr. Weiss says at this point if I go into labor no one is going to try and stop me/slow me down, so we'll just have to see how it goes. I am shooting for September 13th!

Done

2008-08-22T08:15:00.000-07:00

So I am cutting myself off, I am done buying things for the baby until after he shows up and there is actual proof that he needs something. I've gotten a bookshelf for his room so there is a place to put his books and toys, some disposal diapers just in case we can't figure out the cloth ones and some nursing bras for me and that is it! I found myself the other night looking at mattress pads for his bed that you put over the sheets, so if he leaks you don't have to change the sheets and I realized I needed to stop. He hasn't peed in a single diaper yet and I am trying to prevent spillage. If he does turn out to be a leaker, then I will revisit the mattress pads.
On the nursing bras, nothing like buying bras that you can open up and expose your nipples to the world! I think I got some relatively cute, hopefully comfortable ones, we will see how they work!

37 Weeks

2008-08-20T12:38:00.000-07:00

Here I am last weekend at the beginning of the 37th week. The doctor said that since I am in my 9th month, he is considered full term and can come anytime...hopefully anytime near September 15th!

working hard

2008-08-18T11:08:00.000-07:00

So this past weekend Mike and I (and my mom and dad) worked hard on the house trying to get it ready for the little guy. We did a great job getting at the last boxes and starting to put things away in the baby's room, my dad painted a dresser for him and it is super cute. We also went to target and got lights for his room and the guest room, stuff like that. There is definitely more to do, the pictures are not up on the walls and we (more importantly) need to figure out the car seat situation and the baby bed. But we are getting there, slowly but surely we are getting there!

doctors visit

2008-08-15T10:28:00.000-07:00

So this week was my first of the weekly doctors visits that happen until junior decides to show up. We both got the thumbs up for health, by blood pressure and heart rate are good, I gained 4 lbs (up to 24 total) and his heart beat sounded great. I don't know when they will check to see if he is head down like he is suppose to be, maybe next week.

Moving Belly

2008-08-13T17:44:00.001-07:00

I took a video of my belly moving. It gets good at about 45 seconds in for a good 45 seconds, so fun!

He's bigger

2008-08-13T10:18:00.000-07:00

I can tell that he is starting to run out of room in my tummy because his movements have changed. He used to give me lots of kicks, but now when he moves around it is more like he is trying to push my belly out, like he is on his hands and knees and arching his back. I can almost always feel him at at least one spot on my belly and when he does push sometimes it can get uncomfortable. Mike has also felt him on both sides of my tummy at the same time which is pretty fun too. I'm glad he is getting bigger, but he has a whole nother month to stay in his house and I think it will be pretty cramped by the end!

New Car

2008-08-13T10:11:00.000-07:00

We bought a Honda Fit this week. We figured (though it was a struggle for me to admit it) that now with the baby almost here we probably needed to have two cars again. I have really liked being a one car family, but with Mike commuting it didn't seem to make sense that I would be stuck at home with no way to go anywhere. Here are some pics, isn't it cute!

Pics from Wedding

2008-08-13T10:00:00.000-07:00

Here we are at Sara and Doug's wedding.

last trip

2008-08-11T17:41:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we went up to the Bay Area for our friends Sara and Dougs wedding. A super quick trip, started driving Friday night, got their Saturday for lunch and left Sunday morning to get back for Mike's hockey game. It was really great to see all my old Stanford crew, and it was fun because most have them had not seen my pregant belly before. We also took our new camera that we got for the baby's arival (Mike's early Bbday present). It is a Nikon D200 and I think it will take some great pics of the baby. When I figure out how to download pictures off of it I will post a pic of me at the wedding. Now (for reals this time) it is time to buckle down and unpack our house!

Nesting

2008-08-08T11:46:00.000-07:00

They say that pregnant ladies get a strong nesting instinct close to the end and I have to say, I think I have been bitten by the bug. Vickie and I hung out on Wednesday and I figured out that if he comes on the early side of normal, that is only 3 weeks away. That freaked me out. So that night I did a little unpacking frenzy (still much more to do), I told my parents they needed to get on the painting of a dresser we are getting from them and I have been on a mad internet buying spree (sorry Mike!). Nothing too big, just a lot of random crap. I have bought a humidifier, sheets for his bed, laundry detergent and soap that is good for babies, almond oil to use as diaper cream, sample all-in-one diapers, scheduled the diaper service, some short shirts for when his umbilical cord is still attached, thermometer, booger aspirator....you get the picture. I have been on a rampage. We are going to a wedding this weekend, so no unpacking will get done, but hopefully next weekend we can really get settled. Meanwhile, the little guy needs to stay put!!!!!

Doula again

2008-08-08T11:43:00.000-07:00

So we met with our doula last night to talk about how we wanted our birth to go now that we have taken our class and know more about the process. She was great, I was nervous that I wouldn't like her or something since I hadn't seen her in a few months. But I am still totally happy with her; she seems fun and relaxed, but very knowledgeable about birth and assertive when the time comes for that. The perfect combo for a doula in my opinion!

35 weeks

2008-08-06T16:10:00.001-07:00

Here I am this past weekend. I am getting pretty big!! I can still bend over to pick things up, but it is getting harder all the time.

New House!

2008-08-06T16:06:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics of the new house. It is so suburban it cracks me up, I love it!

Hiccups

2008-08-05T09:47:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been noticing that Jr has been getting the hiccups quite a bit. Now I don't know if he was getting them before but he was too small to rock my tummy enough for me to notice or if this is a new developmental thing. It is pretty funny though, my belly will just start rhythmically shaking from time to time. If he was a big kid, I'd use my never fail cure for hiccups (a tablespoon of peanut butter, taken all at once) but babies aren't suppose to eat peanuts for awhile so he won't be getting that cure for awhile.

Last Class

2008-08-05T09:42:00.000-07:00

So this post is a little late, but we still don't have internet at home. Last Tuesday was our last birth class. We talked about baby care, how to bathe babies, what soaps/detergents are ok, when babies get sick and different things you can do besides antibiotics, and lots about diapers. Apparently Mike and I will change this guys diaper somewhere between 10,000-13,000 times. That is a lot of changes. We learned about disposables, cloth washable services and some new all in one diapers that you wash at home. Apparently when you are just breastfeeding, baby poo doesn't smell and is pretty easy to clean up, we will see. I think Mike and I are going to try a month of the washable service and get some all in one diapers. The idea of us sending 13,000 diapers to the landfills doesn't sit that well, but we'll see what happens when the reality of baby butts sets in.

What to do...

2008-07-29T17:03:00.000-07:00

Warning: graphic pregnancy post!
I wasn't sure I was going to post about this, but then I thought...this blog is suppose to be about all the things that happen with my pregnancy, so that includes the good the bad and the ugly.
Anyway so this weekend starting on Friday I had a case of the runs, not that big of a deal except it got worse as time went on and was what I would call fairly moderate on Sunday. I was starting to get worried and decided I should call the doctor on Monday morning, which I did, but by then I was feeling pretty much better. The advice nurse told me I should have come in on Sunday because sometimes diarrhea is a sign of pre-term labor and that if it happens again, I should just go to labor and delivery instead of waiting to talk to OBG which is closed on the weekends.
So I guess I should have gone to the hospital, though I am feeling pretty good now (stomach is still not %100, but getting there). It is so hard to know, what is a danger signal and what is just the normal course of pregnancy? When am I being rational and when am I being a basket case? Life’s great mysteries! So, we are still on the watch, but I think I am ok.

Soccer player

2008-07-29T16:59:00.000-07:00

The little tike has been kicking like crazy lately, really strong kicks! Maybe I'll try and get a video of my tummy moving because it is out of control. It seems like he is trying to kick his way out of the side of my stomach, not the most effective of methods but he is young and learning. Yesterday I was sitting and watching my belly (I get so much work done) and my stomach was literally moving inches with each kick, it is fun in an uncomfortable sort of way.

New House

2008-07-29T16:55:00.000-07:00

We moved into our new house (rented) this weekend!!! I am really excited, I think it will be a great place to start our little family. We are still in Simi Valley, just further west which means a slightly longer commute (again!), but we are closer to my parents which should be fun when the little guy shows up. I have taken some pictures of the place, but our downloading cables are packed up somewhere, so I will have to post them later. Now we just have to settle in and have everyone over for a good suburban BBQ sometime this August.

Some Shower Pics

2008-07-23T20:17:00.001-07:00

I didn't get to many pics from the shower, so if you did get some good ones I'd love to see them, but here are a few I did get.

32 weeks

2008-07-23T20:14:00.001-07:00

This is me a week and a half ago...I am even bigger now of course!

Class week 9

2008-07-23T11:41:00.003-07:00

This week we finished up learning about breastfeeding and then talked about some postpartum care of me. Teaching people about breast feeding before they have a baby is kind of like teaching someone how to ride a bike without a bike, but hopefully we soaked up some information and I know Kaiser has lactation consultants around to help get us started as well. Apparently in the beginning (when I am feeding him 12 times a day) I should not expect to do anything except feed him, change him and catch whatever sleep I can get. We learned a bit about colic (which I think Mike had as a baby) and just general recovery tips for me after the birth. We also talked a bit about C-sections and different things you can request to help aid recovery and hanging out with our baby sooner (hopefully we won't need that info). Just one more class to go, and then we will know everything a new parent could possibly want to know (ha ha).

2008-07-23T11:41:00.001-07:00

Doctors Visit

2008-07-23T11:33:00.000-07:00

Went to the doctor yesterday and everything looked great. My bloodwork was good, no anemia or diabetes (both are common with pregnancy). I had gained 10lbs (!!) in the past 5 weeks so no worries about me not gaining enough weight anymore. I am most definitely a pregnant lady.
It was kind of frustrating because when we talked to our doctor about some of our wishes for our birth, she seemed to roll her eyes a bit (those damn hippies with their natural births). I guess she is in the business of medicating people, but it would be nice if they were a little more open minded about everyone wanting their birth experience to be in line with what is important to them. We understand that sometimes medical interventions are necessary for the baby's safety, we just want to use them as a last resort. Anyway...it seems like it will be an up hill battle, but I think we will be able to stick to our guns (that is why we hired a doula!).

Count down

2008-07-21T11:20:00.001-07:00

We are under 2 months left till the little guy arrives and let me tell you, that is not feeling like a lot of time. We just started our 33rd week, which means even if he was on the early side but still full term (38wks) he could be here in 6 weeks (eeeeeeek!). That is not a lot of time, let me tell you. Especially since we are still very much in the process of moving (though hopefully the move will get done this weekend, then there will just be the settling in). It is funny, it really does feel like I have been pregnant for a really long time at this point, but I am not at the stage where I just want him out of me. As far as I am concerned, he can stay in side as long as he wants.

visit to Bay Area

2008-07-21T11:14:00.000-07:00

So this past weekend we had a really nice visit up to the Bay Area, we got to see my sis Carrie and her family plus Mike's cousins and we had a great little picnic on Sunday in the park where everyone got to run around and play. The Bensens brought Botchy (sp?) Ball which was a big hit and there was badminton and soccer and Frisbee as well and everyone chipped in some food (Thanks Carol, Carrie, Sherry, Laurie and Olivia!!). It was really great to see everyone. We didn't take any pics the whole weekend (we are the worst, we better be better when this kid shows up!) and the pics from my shower last weekend are still on my camera, but they will get posted, I promise!

Baby Shower

2008-07-14T15:43:00.000-07:00

Vickie and my mom threw me a fabulous shower this weekend, it was totally special. The back yard looked beautiful (special thanks to Carrie and my Aunt Jeanie for flying in and making everything look amazing and to Carol and Lacey for also flying in for the event), the food was delicious and the people were great and I think everyone had a good time (I certainly did). We played some baby games, we had to guess the names of the babies for each associated animal (like what is a baby hawk called, exc). I was terrible at that game! People also had to guess the circumference of my tummy which was fun, it got down to the wire, but my mom's friend Shirley ended up taking the honors on that one. Everyone was so generous, I got all kinds of useful baby stuff (car seat, stroller, sling, baby carrier, baby monitor, breast feeding pillow...), some great baby toys (thanks Robin!), some super cute clothes (including some hand knit hats from Lacey and Carol) and blankets...I was overwhelmed with everyone's kindness.
I'm still not ready for the little guy to show up, but when he does he will have cute stuff to wear and I will be able to get him home from the hospital! When I get some pics off my camera I will post them (and send me pics if you got any good ones).

Class weeks 6&7

2008-07-10T14:42:00.000-07:00

So since we were in Vancouver last week, we had two classes this week (3 couples missed week 6, so our instructor did a make up class). These two classes were all about choosing your pediatrician, the medical tests/interventions they do right after birth, and immunizations. It was interesting to learn all of the "standard" procedures, what they are for and why we might want to not do them or put them off. For example, it is standard practice to give the Hepatitis B vaccine right at birth, but unless you are sexually active or using dirty needles, it is almost impossible to get Heb B. So why give the vaccine to your newborn, why not wait a few years? It was pretty overwhelming actually, because I have been focusing on getting this little guy out into the world and that is really very much just the beginning of this whole adventure. There are so many choices about parenting (how long to breast feed, how should you deal with getting the baby to sleep, where should the baby sleep, should you carry your baby as much as possible, when to start solid foods, when to get vaccinated, when to go to the doctor and get antibiotics...) it is enough to make my head swim and to be very happy for these last two months before the game starts for real.

Trip to Vancouver

2008-07-08T13:21:00.000-07:00

I know we didn't post anything last week, but that is because we were on a fabulous trip to Vancouver. I can't believe how much we fit into last week, traveling all around the city, 4 ferry rides up the coast and to Vancouver Island and great visits with some of our favorite people. Here is a small sample of pictures from the trip.

Good News

2008-07-07T22:16:00.000-07:00

Today, we had some good news. We hadn't heard back from the hospital since we had our most recent ultrasound, so today, Mandy called our doctor to find out what's up.
Apparently, hospitals are quick to call you when you have a 1 in 1500 chance of something going wrong, but neglect to call you when the news is actually good.

Turns out that the placenta has moved. This means no more placenta previa! (see "End of second trimester" post for brief explanation). This means that we currently have no medical reason to have a c-section. This is fantastic news for us! Nobody wants a c-section, and although it isn't the end of the world if it happens (there are sometimes other very real medical reasons for a c-section), we are glad that we won't be forced to have one.

Secondly, there was no indication of anything that may suggest our kid has trisomy-18. Apparently, the radiologist didn't say anything about the cyst to the doctor, and that there was no abnormalities to comment about. He's still the perfect size for a September 15 delivery. So all is good on that front too!

Of course, as new parents, there are lots of things to worry about. But of course, so many of the problems are rare. We are taking good care of ourselves and keeping our fingers crossed. But today was good to get some good positive news!

class week 5

2008-06-25T11:41:00.000-07:00

In class this week, our instructor invited one of her previous couples to come in and share their birth story. They brought their 3 month old daughter which was very popular with the crowd of parents to be and just talked about the whole process of their birth. It was interesting to hear about, because it didn't go perfectly but I think they were really happy with it and felt like they knew what they were doing.
We also talked about fetal monitors (which are used to monitor the baby's heart rate and the mothers contractions, but prevent you from moving around and changing positions in labor) and episiotomies (I'm not going to tell you what an episiotomy is, it will just gross you out) and what they are good for (or not). We also did some more practice contractions with ice, which I am not sure hurts me enough to be a good test of a contraction, but what are you going to do. Our homework for this week is to think about and write down our fears about labor and then think of pro-active things we can do to help keep those fears from coming true. Also to do some more practice contractions, and as always, I'm to do my pelvic tilts and kegle exercises!

End of Second Trimester!

2008-06-20T19:35:00.000-07:00

We went to the doctor today and did a bunch of stuff. They measured my weight again (I had gained 4 lbs, perfect!) and measured the size of my uterus which was also right on track. Listened to his heart beat (140 beats/minute, same as last time).

Then I went down to the lab and pounded an orange soda for a pregancy diabetes test (you drink the soda and then an hour later they draw your blood and measure your bodies ability to process the sugar). After I drank the soda, we ran off to get an ultrasound to see if my placenta had moved off my cervix. (For those of you who don't know, this happened before we started blogging, but we discovered my placenta was on top of my cervix which, if it stays that way, requires us to get a C-section though 98% of the time it moves). I'm not sure if it had moved enough, the tech wouldn't say but I am hopefull because she did say "looks good" kind of under her breath.

He was growing great, by ultrasound his due date this time was September 14th (it has been either the 14th or the 15th every time they look, so he is growing very consistently). I then went back to the lab and got my blood drawn (never my favorite thing to do). And that was it!

So we will have to wait and see about the placenta, and the gestational diabetes till the tests get back, but all and all I think it was a good visit.

Class week 4

2008-06-18T17:25:00.000-07:00

Class was interesting as usual this week. We talked about laboring on the birth ball (one of those exercise balls people sit on) and different positions to take in labor if you are having back pains during your contractions (which means the baby is pointed face front instead of face back like he is suppose to. We also did these exercises where we I held an ice cube in my hand for a minute to simulate labor and our instructor told all the women to do something wrong (breath shallowly, not relax our legs) and see if the dads could figure out what we were doing and get us back on track. Mike was one for two (he didn't figure out my leg was tight) but he did a great job of making sure the rest of me was relaxed. I think he is going to be a great birth partner.

Not really our baby...

2008-06-17T22:53:00.001-07:00

Ok, this is pretty much totally unrelated to Mandy's growing belly. But I wanted to share something fun. We put ourselves down on the waiting list for a cool new car. It's called an Aptera... check it:

Very cool I think.
We are number 3200 on the waiting list, so the 'gestation' period for this 'baby' might be a few years... but it sure would be fun to have!
You can find out more about this exciting new car at www.aptera.com

Continued expantion

2008-06-17T09:49:00.000-07:00

Here are two more pics of my ever growing belly, the first is from a couple weeks ago and the second is from this past weekend.

oops!

2008-06-17T09:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was in the bathroom at my work washing my hands and I looked at myself in the mirror and saw I had my very first milk mark leaking through on one boob, just a tiny spot, but clear none the less. I tried to dry it off, but it actually is a stain and even water wouldn't get rid of it completely, very classy. So after work I headed over to a maternity bra store and bought myself some breast pads, I'll probably wear them for a few weeks without a single leak and then forget one day and it will happen again, oh well. Just another thing to get used to!

House

2008-06-15T14:50:00.001-07:00

So we think we got a house to rent! The owners agreed to rent it to us today. It is a 3 bedroom 2 bath in West Simi and it is totaly suburbia heaven, it cracks me up. We've got a yard with a lemon tree, a garage, a mirror with gold flecks across one wall of the master bedroom, another full wall mirrow in the living room and sparkles in the ceiling. What more could a new family want?? I am totally stoked. We looked at about 9 houses and this was our favorite and we got it!

class this week

2008-06-12T10:28:00.000-07:00

Class this week was about learning more about the different stages of labor, how to time contractions, when to go to the hospital. Our instructor likes her couples to go to the hospital when contractions have been 4 minutes or less lasting over one minute for over an hour. I guess at this point you are usually about 6cm dialated and prevents you from being at the hospital too long. We also did exercises where Mike leaned on my leg muscle so it hurt for 30sec, 60sec and 70sec while I did deep breathing to get a sense of the length of a contraction. It was funny, when Mike started leaning on my leg, I wanted to hit him and say, that hurts! But then I realized that is the point. I think a key to labor will be to take one contraction at a time, knowing each will end in the not so distant future. We also watched another birth video, I'm not going to lie, it still gives me the heebee geebies to see a baby's head come out of a vagina, but the birth was very calm, not at all like the screaming in movies.

Crazy Moms

2008-06-09T15:05:00.000-07:00

So, I think I am beginning to understand why all moms are a little crazy (sorry moms). This understanding comes from that I think I am going a little crazy. That I am forming a person inside me and some random thing I do might have lifetime adverse effects on him is enough to drive any sane woman a little batty. For example, usually the little guy is pretty squirmy in there. But every once and a while, he takes a couple days off and barely kicks at all. Just long enough for me to start getting worried that there is something wrong with him, and then he goes back to kicking. I wish I had a window into my belly so I could peek in at him and see how he was doing, he could give me a thumbs up and then I'd leave him alone. But anyway, I think that this is just the start of my long desent into crazy motherhood. Just wait till he is a teenager and wants to drive or something like that...aaahh!

Blog comments

2008-06-01T17:23:00.000-07:00

We finally figured out how to change the settings so that anyone can comment. Pretty easy actually...

In any case, to add a comment, click on "xx comments" at the end of the post. You can change the Identity to Name/URL. Enter a name (preferably yours!), then type in your comment in the box above.

We hope to get a few comments... especially when we post some pictures!

Play Time

2008-06-01T11:33:00.000-07:00

So this morning Mike shook my belly and the little guy kicked back. Mike laughed and shook my belly again and the little guy kicked again. This went on for about 10 iterations and I think that I am going to call it our baby's first play date with daddy! I think they both had a good time.

Last night was also the first night that Grandma Sue got to feel him kick, he is starting to be less shy with his performances.

doctor's visit

2008-05-30T13:36:00.000-07:00

So we went to the doctor on Wednesday. It is funny, they really don't do much at these doctors appointments. I pee in a cup to check to make sure my urine is balanced, they weigh me and take my blood preasure and then they measure my belly and listen to the baby's heart beat. That's it. Everything looked good, baby's heart sounded great, except she told me I haven't gained enough weight so far. I am "supose" to gain 25-35lbs over the 40 weeks and I have gained 7 over 25wks though I think I was about 8lbs over my healthy weight when I started this adventure. She said for women who don't gain weight, she recomended drinking an extra Carnation meal substitute drink a day which Mike thought was total crap. I have been eating a lot so it is kind of crazy to me that my weight doesn't show it, but I will try and eat more (without going for the chemical drinks) and trust my body is doing the right thing.

Bradley Class

2008-05-30T13:31:00.001-07:00

We went to our first birthing class on Tuesday night. There were about 9 couples giving birth from mid July to the end of September (but we were pretty close to the last of the bunch). Our instructor seemed good, she talked a lot about making informed medical choices and staying healthy so we would have the most options available to us. She also talked about how birth in the US has gotten to the point where it is all horror stories and fear and she was going to try and dispell that fear for us. At the end of class, she showed a birth under water (just the end of it) that was very peaceful, not at all like the movies portray it. It was a good class, for homework I am supose to do 80 Kegle exercises a day and keep track of my diet this week.

First Stranger

2008-05-24T11:15:00.000-07:00

So yesterday in the grocery store the guy checking me out asked me when I was due. My very first stranger who could tell I was pregnant! Very fun, though I am sure as I get bigger I will long for the days when my belly was small.
I definitely think I have turned a corner in belly growth, it seems to be happening much more rapidly these days. Just looking at those pictures two weeks apart from Mike's post was pretty good proof of that and I am still eating like a horse.

Baby CPR

2008-05-24T11:05:00.000-07:00

So we went to our baby CPR class last week. I think I was the smallest belly there. Most of the ladies were in their 3rd trimester (including one who was due in 3 weeks) and I have to say looking at all those large bellies was kind of scary. It had me thinking am I really going to get THAT big....!! But the infant CPR was good, very interesting. The hope is that you never have to use it ovbiously and if you do, that you don't panic so much that you can't remember anything you learned, but hopefully some of it sunk in.

I am attaching a pic of Mike and I in Vegas (for one of our pre-baby get aways) because there have been a bunch of pics of me and junior on this blog, but none of the dady-to-be. Vegas was fun, we may have been the only couple there that didn't drink or gamble the whole weekend (and "O" was awesome!!!).

Growin' belly

2008-05-20T20:31:00.000-07:00

It's official.
Mandy's belly is growing. There's no doubt about it. Strangers are starting to notice. (although not quite as much as she would like! We went out for dinner the other night, and soon after we were seated, a lady came in clearly pregnant. The waitress asked if she was expecting, and the lady responded that she expecting twin boys in September. Well, we're not expecting twins!).

Still the belly is growing. The evidence is in the pictures... check it ... (the first image is from May 3, the second from May 18, just two weeks later!):

Baby Stuff

2008-05-11T15:33:00.000-07:00

So, I find the "stuff" aspect of babies very overwelming. But I figured it was time to start figuring this stuff out, so I sent an email to all the new mothers I know, asking them their favorite stuff and I bought the book "Baby Bargains" which reviews all different types of baby products and one day last week, I sat down and just starting going through everything. Man, I know how some women do this full time till the baby comes, there is way too much information out there. My friends have been great with the tips (thanks gals!) and the book is good, but it is still really overwelming. Like, for example, to pick the best stroller (which I haven't done yet) you have to decide what kind of "lifestyle" you lead and then pick the stoller which will complement that lifestyle. And then one of my baby books tells me not even to get a stoller, just carry him in a sling (which sounds great, but I'm not sure about the NO stroller thing). And then I picked a breast pump and I was talking to my sister Carrie on the phone and she was very adamant that I get a different one. I told Mike that night (close to tears) "I just don't think I am going to pick the right stuff...," to which he replied, "we probably won't and it is fine." Easy for him to say! (but probably correct). Maybe next weekend I'll have the heart to tackle strollers, car seats and diaper bags...

Doula II

2008-05-11T15:28:00.000-07:00

So we hired a doula! We met her last week and she seemed really great. Very calm and confident about birth and she also seemed like she would be a good advocate for us. From my small experience with doulas, they are super in to the mothers (me!) which is kind of fun. She will meet us at our house when I go into labor and stay with us there until it is time to go to the hospital (apparently, going to the hospital too early is one of the reasons that all the medical interventions often happen) and then she will be with us the whole time until junior makes his apperance. I think having a doula and taking the Bradley classes will complement each other nicely.

Birth Class

2008-05-11T15:20:00.000-07:00

So, we changed what birth class we were signed up for. Originally, I signed us up to take Lamaze classes at the Kaiser Hospital in Woodland Hills. But, after reading more about giving birth, I found out that there are more than one kind of birth class (kind of a 'duh' if you think about it, but I am a total newbie to this stuff). So there are two major types of birth classes, Lamaze and Bradley. Lamaze teaches techniques to distract you from the pain, while the Bradley method teaches you ways to be with the pain. Most hospitals prefer and teach Lamaze classes because those couples tend to be more "docile" (the book I am reading is pro-Bradley), while the Bradley method couples tend to be more assertive with wanting (and getting) a natural birth (no medical interventions). Bradley classes also tend to be 10-12 weeks while Lamaze classes are usually 6 weeks. So anyway, I found a Bradley class that meets in Pasadena on weeknights (really close to where we used to live, actually) and Mike and I are signed up. I figure the more training I can get for a natural birth the better and then we'll just see how it goes!

Sorry about comments

2008-05-05T17:00:00.000-07:00

So when I picked this blog site, I really didn't know anything about it, it just came free with my gmail account. But it seems like you can't comment on this site unless you have a gmail account. So, sorry about that. A few of you have told me you have tried to comment and gotten discuraged and in the future when we blog I will try and find a site that is easy to comment on. But since I have already started this one and since I am attached to the name "mandysbelly" I am going to stick this one out. If you want to comment, you should just pick up the phone and call us, we would love to hear from all of you!!

Eating for Two

2008-05-05T16:56:00.001-07:00

So, I know some of you might find this very hard to believe, but I have been eating more than Mike recently. I know, that sounds like a lot, but... Mike hasn't been eating quite as much recently, so it isn't the ginormous amount of food it would be for those of you who know how much Mike used to eat. The last time I went to the doctor (at about 20 weeks, a couple weeks ago) I had only gained 5 pounds, but she told me I would gain about a pound a week for the rest of the pregnancy for a grand total of around 25 pounds (which is a normal healthy amount). I have to say, with my new found hunger, I think the weight gain time has begun.

Bumpin around

2008-05-02T11:29:00.000-07:00

Mike had never really felt the little guy move, he has tried before, but I think what he thought might be movements really just was my heart beat. So last night Mike put his head on my stomache and we were telling Jr to "kick dad in the face!" For a while there was nothing, but then he obliged a couple times. Both times I felt it and told Mike it was a kick and he verified that he had felt it. Afterwards, he said it felt kind of like I was passing gas. So there you go. Mike has now felt the baby move, and has likened it to farts. I am sure later on they will get more dramatic.

Wanna get away?

2008-05-02T11:23:00.000-07:00

So when we were at the doctor last time, she told us "Take vacations now, because you won't be able to later!" Now that is the kind of advice I like from my doctor (other than the "you won't be able to later" part). So Mike and I listened to our doctor and we have a trip to Vegas booked next weekend, a trip to Catalina Island booked in June and we are going to Vancouver for a week at the beginning of July (my first Canada Day in Canada!). I am excited, all of the trips should be fun for different reasons and then we can hunker down and get ready for this little guy to show up. We have decided we want to rent a house before he gets here insted of living in our tiny place, so we will also be moving this summer. That should be fun, I will just get to direct traffic. I told Mike he better make some good friends with his new hockey team fast so they will help us with the move, I'm not sure Molly, Marin and Vickie will be willing to move our TV again.

Belly at the Beach

2008-04-30T19:56:00.000-07:00

Last week we visited some friends at Playa Del Rey, a section of Los Angeles on the beach, and damn near under the airport. The weather was beautiful and warm, the airplanes loud, but fun to watch take off for all parts of the world. But the water was still really cold.

Still, we were able to hang out in our bathing suits for a bit. Mandy's belly is really starting to 'pop'. Pretty soon I expect strangers to start rubbing it uninvited!

Checkup

2008-04-25T15:38:00.000-07:00

We went for our monthly check up today and the nurse practitioner said everything looked good. The little guy's heart sounded great, I had gained a good amount of weight, all and all she gave us a thumbs up.

I saw it!

2008-04-25T15:36:00.001-07:00

So I was taking a bath last night and the little guy was moving around in my tummy and I thought to myself, "I wonder if I could actually see him kick" So I stuck my tummy out of the bath and sure enough a couple seconds later I saw my belly poke out, just like a little alien was trying to get out. Now I just have to get Mike to witness it!

Half way there!

2008-04-22T11:46:00.001-07:00

Yes, it is crazy to think about but we are actually in our 20th week of this whole adventure. On one hand it seems to be taking forever and on the other hand this time is going by way to quickly. When I start to think that I only have 4 months left to get ready for this little guy, it seems like not a lot of time, but I also feel like I am just waiting around for him to come. He is quite a squiggle monster inside me, I bet he will be very wiggly when he gets out into the world as well.

Doula

2008-04-22T11:40:00.000-07:00

So we met with a doula last night, what's a doula you ask? Good question. A doula is a labor coach who meets with you in the third trimester and talks to you about how you want your labor to go and then she is with you the whole time you are in labor and will even come to your house for the early stages of labor. She is suppose to be a guide through the process. The reason I got interested in doulas is there are a bunch of statistics that if you have a doula, you are way less likely to have a C-section, use other medical interventions (like epidurals), and your average hospital stay goes down and success at breast feeding goes up (sounds all good to me). Anyway, we met with one last night and she was very nice and seemed like she would be a soothing addition to the labor room. I'm not sure how many I want to meet before I pick one, but she would deffinitly work.

A bit of a scare.

2008-04-20T21:33:00.000-07:00

Well, what can I say. Babyhood is filled with the unexpected, and sometimes it comes as a surprise.

After our ultrasound, THE ultrasound (see earlier posts), the doctors took a good look at the images. They saw something that warrented a phone call. What they told Mandy on the phone sounded pretty scary at first, but now that we understand it, I think we'll be just fine.

What they found was a small cyst in the baby's brain area, specifically a "Choroid Plexus Cyst". It occurs in one area of the brain where there is some fluid, and is apparently found in 1 to 2% of all pregnancies at or around the 18th week (when the big ultrasound is typically done). Ok, so a cyst isn't necessarily bad. In fact Mandy has one of her own in the uterus with the baby right now! Heck, I bet most of us have cysts we don't even know about. The doctor even told us that some experts believe that every baby gets these cysts, some just disappear faster than others. The scary part is that this particular cyst can be an indicator of trisomy 18.

What is trisomy 18? Well, "trisomy" means 3 (tri) chromosomes (somy), and the 18 refers to the 18th chromosome (of the 23 pairs that we normally have). There are three trisomy occurances that one can have a baby born with, trisomy 13, trisomy 18 and trisomy 21. Trisomy 21 is commonly known as Down Syndrome. Three copies of any other chromosome is not at all viable, and these pregnancies don't last past the first trimester. Unlike trisomy 21 (Down Syndrome), trisomy 18 is fatal. Depending upon the severity, the baby may die prior to birth, or very soon after. A very small percentage live past 1 years of age. It is associated with a wide variety of physical deformities and ailments ranging from a cleft lip, or missing thumb, to severe conditions like the stomach not being connected to the esophagous. Needless to say, when the doctor says there is some 'indication' of trisomy 18, we were worried.

Upon further review, there are other indicators. For example, we had a genetic test done which typically screens for 40 to 60% of genetic disorders (like trisomy 18). That test came out negative for us (meaning that there were no signs of any genetic disorder). Comforting, but not conclusive. More significant though, trisomy 18 is often associated with some kind of visible physical problem, like a missing kidney or something. On our ultrasound, they found every single organ where it was supposed to be, and all of the proportions were correct. It's kinda cool, they even estimate the due date of the baby based upon his cranium and femur size. Their estimate from this?... September 15. He is perfectly on schedule.

So, putting all of this information together... the chance of our child having trisomy 18 has been raised from 1 in 3000 (standard chance for all pregnancies) to 1 in 1400. In fact, not a big increase at all. If we wanted, we could get a diagnostic test done (an amniocentesis), which draws genetic material from the womb and looks directly at the chromosomes. The problem is that there is a roughly 1 in 200 chance that simply doing the test will cause a miscarriage. Considering that our baby is more than likely fine, the risk of doing the test is not worth it.

So there you have it. We are not at this time 100% sure that the baby does not have ttrisomy 18, but we are about 99.93% sure, which is pretty dang sure. If you are still worried for us, I recommend you go and build a 1400 sided die, pick a number, and give it a roll... just one roll. Did your number come up? Not bloody likely.

It is said that the cysts typically disappear by the 28th week, and we will look for that. For now, our little guy is looking good, on track for a perfect textbook arrival in September (just like his dad!), and maybe... but we not sure... maybe... starting to kick!

boys

2008-04-15T13:50:00.001-07:00

Its funny, now that I know we are having a boy, boy children of all ages have suddenly become way more interesting. I am checking them out...what they are doing, what they are saying... I never had any brothers, so little boys are a bit of a mystery to me. Not quite as much as they could be since I have 2 nephews, but pretty close. So if any guys out there read this blog and they have favorite books they read as a kid, I'd love to know them. Somehow I don't think Jr is going to be in to Little House on the Prarie and the Secret Garden, but I guess you never know.

baby's finger

2008-04-11T18:15:00.000-07:00

We got a great shot of the baby during our ultrasound adventure today (see post below).

At first glance, I thought the little one was flipping us the bird! But upon further review, we decided that the finger that is clearly visible is the index finger. Whew! Wouldn't want a rude baby.

It's a ...?

2008-04-11T17:51:00.000-07:00

Today, Mandy and I went to get an ultrasound done to check on the baby. THE ultrasound. The one where (if we want) we can find out the sex of the baby. We're at the end of the 17th week now, and at this point, much of the little one's organs are developed.

The ultrasound tech asked us if we wanted to know if it was a boy or girl, and we told him yes, we did. Mandy lay back and the tech squeezed some clear goo on her belly and brought out the ultrasound. [For those who have never seen an ultrasound, it's pretty amazing technology. Bones and dense material show up a bright/white, and liquids are dark/black. The device produces an image that is a vertical slice. So sometimes it's obvious, but other times it can look fairly strange. Either way, it is a very cool way to see what is going on inside mandy's belly!].

While Mandy lay there, the tech surveyed around, getting images of the baby's head, heart, liver, stomach, femur, sacrum, pelvis, spine, ribcage, feet ... it was pretty cool to see. Then, without a lot of fan fare or warning, he turned the monitor toward Mandy and told her to look. The baby was cooperating quite well I would say, the view was clear. There, in the middle of the frame, were two bright little dots with a third little extension in the middle. Mandy gave a little yelp and declared "Oh! It's a boy!". The tech said, "yup, that's pretty clear I think". Sadly, he didn't get a picture, but believe me, there was no doubt about it.

So there you have it. We are now expecting a baby boy in September!

First wiggles?

2008-04-10T10:59:00.001-07:00

I might have felt the baby's first movements this week! Once on Tuesday and once last night. It is hard to say though because they were over so quickly. It kind of felt like someone running their finger across my stomache, but from the inside. I don't know, it might be some new kind of indigestion. Maybe if it keeps happening I will be able to figure it out, but now when I try and feel movement all I get is my heart beat in my tummy, not nearly as exciting.

Starting to Blog!

2008-04-09T09:31:00.000-07:00

Mike thought it was a good idea (and I agree) since we have friends and family all over the place if we kept a little diary of how our pregnancy is going for you all to follow along with us. I will have to post some old pictures of sonograms and my belly. Which, by the way, is almost reached the obviously pregnant point, but not quite, if I wear not fitting clothing you still can't tell. I think the people who work in my building just think I became a really sloppy dresser since Christmas.
We have a sonogram on Friday where we should be able to tell the sex of the baby. You can comment back and tell me which one you think it is going to be. I am not sure, at first Mike was convinced it was a girl, but now he thinks it is a boy. I will be glad to know so I can start refering to them as he or she insted of "it" or "the baby."
Anyway, this should be fun!