What will YOU be doing 2 weeks from today?

Whoa. 13 days and counting. Everyone keeps asking:

"any day now, huh?" or

"is your bag packed?" and

"getting excited?" or

"are you nervous?"

My answers are:

"Maybe, but probably not. My body doesn't "feel" ready yet."

"Yes, mostly."

"Yes, I'm really looking forward to meeting him" and

"Eh, not really. He's gotta come out one way or another!"

My Mom was kind enough to bring my Grandmas and Aunt Cynthia to visit on Saturday afternoon. It was a good excuse to clean the house and get the nursery in order after the great baby stuff washing marathon of 2007. My grandmas oohed and aahed their way around the house and shared stories of their pregnancies, childbirth experiences and first homes. We ventured over to west Lansing for Red Robin hamburgers (delish!) and bottomless steak fries. It was very fun having them there, but when it was time for them to leave I wanted my Mom to stay! I forget that my Mom has introverted tendencies like my sister, Melanie, so she was quiet through a lot of the visit. I know we'll have time together after BBC arrives, but talking to my Mom always makes me feel better. More relaxed. And a little more prepared for all of this.

Me and my grandmas. :) My Mom also managed to stay out of the few pictures we took!

The car seat is installed, and David had installed it correctly! Way to go, Cute!

I feel good, but man am I PREGNANT. Rolling over in bed is quite a chore. I put a stepstool next to our super-fluffy mattress so it's easier for me to get in and out of bed at night. It really helps with my achy pelvis. I know things are spreading out and loosening and all of that jazz, but it still surprises me just how much my hips hurt these days. Pregnancy is a neverending journey of surprises, that's for sure.

I'm down to about 4 pairs of pants/shorts that are comfortable and I'm living in my black flip flops. On the few cooler days we've had, my brown sandals fit, too.

The "end of the road" fatigue has set in. I'm a pretty consistent napper after work every day. It's nice having David home. He drops me off at work (close to the door!), makes sure I have lunch and snacks (and iced tea!), encourages me to lay down after work for an hour, cooks dinner and rubs my back at night to help me get back to sleep after my achy runs to pee.

I'm a lucky, lucky gal. I know a lot of women handle pregnancy alone or with asshole husbands. It's nice to have a true partner in this journey. Hell, I know if David could trade places with me, he would. Not that I want to, but he would. He's that amazing.

The $1.59 bottles of Lipton iced tea were adding up, so we bought an iced tea maker for $19.99 at Meijer this weekend. I think it's already paid for itself. Mmmmm, iced tea.

Other than the fatigue and achiness, the surprising thing is that I'm not hungry. I have to remind myself to eat. I'm thirsty all the time and want to drink EVERYTHING. Yesterday, I brought a 32 oz. waterbottle full of iced tea, a travel mug of milk, a quart of apple cider and a bottle of Frappucino in with me to work. There's still some apple cider left in the fridge, but the rest was gone by 1 and I was already on my second 32 ounces of delicious Culligan water from the office cooler. I know! It's nuts! If I get a craving of any kind it's for something sweet.

Adding to my lack of appetite is the delightful addition of a rubberband to my orthodontic regimen. The whole right side of my face ACHES now. Right, because I need another part of my body aching right now. David assures me that like everything else, the pain will subside in a few days. For right now, it stinks. And "Dear Mr. Tylenol: Your product blows. Ibuprofen is a far superior product, thanks for subpar pain relief that is safe for my fetus."

I'm definitely more emotional and, I'll say it, a tad unpredictable in my moods. One moment I wish everyone and their brother would call me to see how I am and tell me about their lives and the next minute I don't want to talk to anyone. I finally caught up with my sister Meredith this week and that felt marvelous. But I'm already not a very good phone person, so these "eh" moods I've been in aren't improving that skill.

We finished up our childbirth class without incident. Our instructor was kind of a wet blanket and we didn't learn anything earth-shattering, but I am still glad we took the class. This final week we talked about postpartum recovery, newborn characteristics (they want us to be prepared for a cone-headed, puffy-faced, pock-marked, vernix-covered little old man baby, not the plump, perfect babies they show in the movies) and feeding. I took a whole breastfeeding class a couple of weeks ago, too. Now, it's time to "learn by doing" I guess.

The pack 'n play is set up in the spare room. No, it's not a Kolocraft, so it's not one of the recalled ones. This is daytime napping and changing central in my head. I had to take a doll to my breastfeeding class, so my two favorites are holding BBC's spot for him. I just can't stand to take them back downstairs and put them in the big yellow trash bags in the shelving unit...

My Mom leaves for Connecticut tomorrow to help my sister Melanie move into her new and non-University apartment! She's gone until Tuesday, so as much as my secretary keeps teasing me about going into labor BBC needs to stay put until at least next Wednesday. I think my Mom needs a respite day after travel. That and I have stories about switchgrass, the UP experiment station and manure slurry seeding to write before I say "Hasta" to work for a while. That reminds me, I need to get back to work.

Here are my 38 week updates! The updates now come with a link to change your "due date" to a "birth date" so they can start sending me baby information. Yeah. Whoa. And all those cute "developmental" pictures they used to send? Now, they just look like a crowded baby all stuffed into some poor woman's abdomen. BBC is as active as ever. More squirmy than kicky, but definitely making my belly move in some interesting patterns. It could be all of the iced tea, or he could be as excited as I am to meet face-to-face.

BabyCenter: Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs between 6 and 7 1/2 pounds (boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls), and she's nearly 20 inches long. She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)

BabyGaga: As you know, you've arrived at the final leg of your pregnancy journey, and if you're still carrying your little love around, they've just about reached their birth weight (somewhere between 6 to 8 pounds is average depending on whether they're a boy or girl). There really isn't a lot to report on baby this week, so lets do a quick recount of where we're at: all internal organ systems are pretty much ready for the outside world, they've got their meconium stockpile building up (their first black baby poo), lots of healthy baby fat, a rapidly developing brain (that'll keep growing with them for years to come), and they've more or less reached official baby status-- all they need to do is "head out" and say hello to the rest of the world and especially their ready-to-pop momma.

News from the homefront.

David is done with his work at the testing center for a while, so he is chief cook and bottlewasher at home. He just called to report that he installed the car seat this morning. He is taking it to be inspected by the car seat experts at the hospital today. The national statistics are that 8 of 10 car seats are installed improperly. Fascinating, huh?

BBC had a super active night yesterday. He must love Prison Break's Michael Skofield (Wentworth Miller) as much as I do. And he must know that his Daddy's favorite show, Heroes, had its season premiere last night. There was some major baby booty squirming going on in my abdomen. And when I needed to just CRY and get some of this mommy-to-be anxiety off my chest before going to sleep last night, BBC was as active as ever. I'm his Mommy. Dave is his Daddy. We're going to be fine.

I feel much better today. Our last childbirth class is tonight. My to-do list at work is shrinking slowly, yet steadily. I find myself easily distracted by thoughts of sitting in my glider rocker with a baby on my lap singing him lullabies. I can practice by going here.

So much more to say, but not a lot of time for blogging today.

Changes in latitude, changes in attitude.

Baby Cute needs to head south. That's pretty much what we walked away with this morning at our appointment. He's still up above my belly button and almost appears to be sideways. None of the other docs have seemed to be concerned that I haven't dropped, but Dr. Kelley was. We'll know more next week, unless I go into labor between now and then.

I gained a half of a pound, BBC's heart rate was 140, my blood pressure is high, but not spiking toward pre-eclampsia levels. My feet are swollen and my right hand is pretty consistently prickly, which is normal, but annoying. It's getting harder for me to sleep at night.

I had a great weekend, but more about that later. We go back next Wednesday for our growth ultrasound and check-in with Dr. Tucker. Perhaps she will wear her pink alligator shoes, that would make me happy.

I'm tired. I choose to believe that my body was made to push this baby out, no matter his size or position. I'm prepared for the possibility that that won't happen, but for now, let's think positive.

Boring is good...

My appointment yesterday was lickity split. No weight gain, blood pressure "a little high" but lower than last time I was in, no protein in my pee and baby's heartrate strong in the 140's. BBC and I celebrated our successful 37-week appointment with two cheeseburgers with extra pickles from Burger King and a KING size iced tea. Yes, the iced tea addiction continues. Frappucino and iced tea. I can't get enough.

I hate admitting that I need to slow down, but I need to slow down. It's becoming almost necessary for me to lay down for a while after work. I remember the fatigue of first trimester feeling so oppressive, but this is different. My bones are so achy and I feel extra puffy by mid-afternoon and I am SO ready to go home at 5pm. At our childbirth class, a woman asked if she should plan on taking any time off before her due date. The woman sitting next to me replied that she is going on leave 2 weeks before her due date. Huh? I'd much rather have time with BBC than time waiting for BBC. That's just me, but the doctor assured the woman who asked that many people work up until they deliver. That's my plan, too.

I did figure out how to get my holiday pay. The Family Medical Leave Act is so confusing, but luckily the helpful folks here in human resources have dealt with many preggo ladies who don't want to lose holidays that they've earned. For Thanksgiving, I forgot to add my sick and vacation accruals for September and November to my estimates, so I should be safely still on paid leave until Thanksgiving, which means I qualify for my pay. For Christmas and New Year's, basically, I need to work on my birthday, Friday, December 21. If I work that day and come back before 10 additional unpaid days pass, I'll get Christmas and New Year's pay. Hooray! Four days is a lot of time, dudes! And my birthday is pretty easy to miss anyway with it being so close to Christmas, so we'll just celebrate outside of the 8am-5pm timeframe.

My Mom is planning to bring my Grandmas to come and visit on Saturday. Just thinking about seeing them makes me smile. Dave and I both work tonight (my last weeknight at the baby store!) and Dave works tomorrow and Saturday at the bar. So I'll be glad to be distracted by my fabulous Grandmas and Mom for a while on Saturday. :)

My to-do list is staring at me, but I am past a couple of projects that were really holding me up. Now, as I tick things off the list, additional things aren't being added. It's so weird.

Here are my 37-week updates. Pretty freakin' exciting.

BabyCenter: Congratulations — your baby is full term! This means that if your baby arrives now, his lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, even though your due date is still three weeks away.Your baby weighs a little over 6 pounds and measures between 19 and 20 inches, head to heel. Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

BabyGaga: It’s the calm before the storm. Changes in your baby's weight have leveled off with only a few ounces of fat added this week. At this point your baby should weigh in at around 7 lbs and 20 inches (with boys somewhat heavier and longer than girls). Happily, as far as internal organs go, they are now developed enough to function in the outside world although the oh-so-important immune system is still developing and will continue to do so after birth. With a large boost of antibodies provided by breast milk when nursing begins. Fighting infection and staying healthy should be well within their physical capacity when your little fighter is born.

Happy, too.

So as emotional as I am, let's not forget that I am happy most of the time. Hell, we're having a baby! :)



So here are some photos to combat my teary morning post. Including your one and only chance to see my bare belly on the INTAR-WEB. I was telling Dave last night that I don't even remember what my belly used to look like. And I certainly don't have any photos of my bare belly of yesteryear. Anyway, my stomach is this hybrid fat/pregnant/stretched out thing that is absolutely amazing to me. Perhaps the oddest thing is how hard it is. The uterus is an amzing muscle. BBC is about where my thumbs meet, and my belly button hasn't popped out yet, so I'm not officially "done" like a Thanksgiving turkey.

And see? I told you I was having a good morning today! Happy as a clam (and still on time at this point)!

And here are my laundry pictures from last week. BBC's coming home outfit is washed and packed in his diaper bag. It was still weird to wash it.

Auntie Melanie bought BBC this gown very early in my pregnancy. It says "BabySaurus" on the front and has little dinos all over it. It's my favorite and he will wear it the first night he is home from the hospital. Now, it's clean and folded neatly on the top of the "footless gown" pile in his dresser.

I don't have any room in his bottom "bedding" drawer for anything but blankets. Enough said.
I do love blankets...

My side profile last week... Grow big BBC! Oh, and let me also mention that if I could live in those khaki/pink shorts, I would.

Almost time to leave for my appointment. Updates and the customary 37-week update to come! A quick preview... the baby is officially "full term," his job is getting chubby.

Embracing the Emotions.

It is getting so much easier to cry these days. Warning! I am about to whine, so prepare yourself or don't read. I make no apologies for the hormonal nature of this post.

Yesterday at my PRSA luncheon the topic was the Pure Michigan campaign. I love those ads, they make me proud to live in Michigan. Well, I had myself all teared up listening to them. Silly preggo.

This morning was going well. I was driving Dave to work, teasing him mercilessly because: 1. He didn't realize that kids probably don't get suckers at the pediatrician's office anymore, what with our obesity "epidemic" and all. Dave's world was rocked, and he is seriously considering buying his own stock of dum-dum lollipops so he and Baby Cute can enjoy a sucker after getting shots. I found this hilarious. And, 2. Dave forgot his 64 oz. monstrosity of a cup at work yesterday in his hurry to get us to childbirth class on time. When he realized this in the Speedway parking lot today, you would have thought someone had died. He was SO upset. The lesson? Don't mess with my sensitive sweetie and his soda.

Anyway, we come to a stoplight, Dave points out this motorcycle cop who has been sitting at this intersection every day this week and I literally think NOTHING of it when he pulls behind me into the left turn lane. I'm shocked when we turn left and he pulls me over. Well, the 25mph school zone speed limit sign was flashing and I was going the REGULAR speed limit, 40mph. Yeah, BS. So as I watch him write me a ticket I burst into tears again. Dave wants to confront the officer and give him a piece of his mind, which only makes me more upset. This makes Dave get cranky and angry with me, again, NOT HELPING MY EMOTIONAL STATE. I may decide to fight the ticket, but right now, I'm just upset about it and the prospect of spending more money that we should be saving.

As we pull away, I realize this has put me just enough behind in schedule that I will surely have to park in the parking ramp at work, a pretty hefty walk to my building. And I have an OB appointment this morning, so I will have to do the walk potentially 4 times today. *sigh*

I just keep crying.

Then I get email from my Mom that explains to my siblings that they no longer have to avoid telling me about my Mom's trip to Connecticut next week to help Melanie and Rob move. My Mom and I talked about it last night, but seeing it in email today made me (shocker) cry. It's my middle child syndrome, but I hate being left out of things. The combination of not being able to help Melanie move myself and the fact that everyone thought I would flip out about my Mom being out of state close to my due date is keeping my tears flowing this morning.

And my co-workers are having a meeting at noon today about a group trip to Traverse City next week that I obviously can not attend. We are hosting a national conference there next June and the group is going to scope out the tour routes and facilities and make plans for the conference program. Again, I HATE being left out of things. So that's making my tears flow too.

And I have to leave for my OB appointment in a half hour or so and I am all charged up and even talking out loud makes me cry. So how am I supposed to compose myself enough to listen to BBC's heartbeat and have my blood pressure taken?

I'm feeling sort of spinny and out of control today. Not a whole lot I can do about it, just how I'm feeling.

No need to call the dentist.

I had the most graphic dream last night about my teeth falling out. When they came out of my mouth, though, they were these humongous, oversized teeth, not my own. I placed them in a large white porcelain cup on the sink. I remember gazing in the mirror and seeing so many missing teeth and being overcome with anxiety.

What did we do before the internet? Luckily, my weird and freaky dream is common.

From DreamSleep.net:
Dreaming of teeth falling out may represent insecurity. These dreams often occur at a time of transition between one phase of life and another. When we lost our milk teeth, we also gradually lost our childhood innocence. Loosing your teeth therefore show that today you have similar feelings of uncertainty and self-consciousness as you did in childhood.

Insecurity during a time of transition? Me? Well, DUH.

Grandmas' Houses

I've said it before, and I'll say it again... It is so much fun to be responsible for making our parents into grandparents. The more daydreaming and visualizing I do about the future, the happier I feel about bringing a child into the world. Sure, there are bad people and evil out there in the world. I've even known a couple of people who list the state of our world among their reasons for not wanting children. But in my humble opinion, the crazy amount of love and hope and anticipation that each of our parents has for Baby Cute makes all of that negativity seem very insignificant.

When I talked to my parents last weekend, my Mom told me about their adventures in the attic, finding the family crib, high chair and bassinet carefully stowed away amidst the Christmas decorations and old toys. Thank goodness my Dad is an engineer; I don't know that he would have been able to figure out how to put together the crib again without his mad skills! My Mom has been collecting various sizes of diapers and thinking about how to set up their house for our future visits. It makes me feel so special, and so excited to bring Baby Cute to the home where I grew up.

Carolyn emailed David and I this morning to tell us that her friends threw her a surprise "Grandma Shower" last night! She has a fun (and just slightly unruly) group of ladies that call themselves "The Hens" that get together monthly for a meal and chat and some kind of activity. They've painted wine glasses and crocheted and tasted wine and traveled to Chicago. It's a cool group. Well, Carolyn might have mentioned once or twice that she is going to be a grandma (although I can't imagine her EVER talking about it...), so they showered her. Here's a blip from her email....
Last night the Hens surprised me with a "Grandma Shower". I was so tickled! They are all Grandmas so they got essential stuff that sometimes gets forgotten or you run out of. Various sizes of diapers, bibs, all kinds of bath and lotions, 8 or 9 books, toys, receiving blankets, baby tylenol, thermometer, sippy cups, booster chair/high chair, a whole box of scrapbook stuff for a boy, AND a pack & play (which I think is the exact one you have). What good friends. I can't wait to get it all organized & most of all used on that sweet little one.

So it sounds like there is some BBC nesting going on in Grandmas' world too.

I made David take pictures of me washing and folding all of Baby Cute's blankets last night. It was a sight to see! But then I forgot the memory card reader. Doh! So I'll post those later. But the good news is that blankies, socks, onesies, sleepers are all clean and put away and ready to go. Just his bedding and bibs and hanging clothes to go!

BBC is pretty squirmy and busy today. His baby booty is about 5 inches above my belly button and PROTRUDING out of my stomach this afternoon. He really liked the meeting I attended this morning to update the bigwigs on my communication plan... BBC wouldn't just be STILL, but insisted on wiggling around and hitting me in the hip bone. Maybe he was getting some of my adrenaline... I got kinda nervous sitting there with the heavy hitters. I feel really good and have come to really enjoy having my little guy with me all the time. I imagine it will feel odd to be truly "alone" again in another month or so...

I find myself mindlessly patting his baby booty pretty often these days. Part of my motivation is for him to get MY sense of rhythm, not his Daddy's lack thereof. And I figure if he's doing his BBC job by settling in head down and moving around enough to make doing my daily "kick counts" simple as pie, he should get patted on his booty so he knows what a good baby he is.

And although David was already walking on air about attending the MSU game tomorrow, my Dad called last night with two tickets to the Detroit Lions home opener on Sunday. My darling hubby about pulled out his hair last weekend trying to get Fox to come in on our rabbit ears... so needless to say, he's THRILLED about seeing this weekend's game in person.

And me? I'm looking forward to getting the hospital bag packed, playing with my friends at the baby store on Sunday and finding time to NAP if possible.

Sawing logs.

My throat is SO swollen this morning! Dave kindly informed me that I snored like a trucker all night long, but he didn't want to wake me up because I wake myself up enough during the night with my need to pee and change positions. I feel like I can barely swallow, ugh. I'm not the quietest sleeper, but I'm sure that the growing weight of BBC on my abdomen had something to do with my newfound ability to wake the dead.

Poor Dave...

I felt pretty odd yesterday afternoon. Off, really. I was light-headed and having a lot of trouble breathing on and off. All normal symptoms and nothing to be concerned about, but I've been spoiled by feeling excellent. My secretary Barb got all worried about me, standing in my office with my arms raised above my head, breathing deeply, but really I'm fine. I did call in to the baby store and officially changed my availability to just Sundays. 15-hour days were hard enough before I was pregnant; it's time to say enough is enough. So I napped instead of assisting people with their baby purchases last night.

I also did my first load of baby laundry. All of his onesies, his 'take me home' outfit, socks and hats have all been through our sexy washing machine. It was WEIRD... taking things out of packages and watching my huge washer toss around his little onesies. Dave finally had to call downstairs to see what I was doing and really, I was just staring through the window of the washer. Like I said, it was WEIRD. I know eventually we will be doing so much baby laundry that I'll look back and laugh at this post, but just like having a crib in my house felt odd, having baby clothes in my washer is disconcerting.

This weekend should be fun. Dave's co-worker (who he secretly worships because he is a master tailgater and holds season tickets for all of Dave's favorite teams) has two extra tickets to the MSU football game, so we are going to take Baby Cute to his first football game in utero. It seems appropriate because he will likely be too little and it will be too cold to take him to any other games this season. Might as well take him when he is constantly safe and warm and I don't have to worry about breastfeeding in a stadium.

Otherwise, we are laying low until BBC makes his official appearance. No travel plans, just spending as much time together as possible. Anticipating. Daydreaming. Staring at the washing machine. Whatever.

BIG Baby Cute.

Baby Cute is 7 pounds, 2 ounces. That's the 90th percentile for size, and the estimate can be off by as much as a pound either way.

What does this mean? Really, nothing yet. Assuming that he gains a half pound a week, we're looking at a 9 pound baby. If he grows faster, or if the measurements are off by a pound on the BIG side, we could be looking at a 10 pound baby. What does THAT mean? Well, we may choose to do a c-section at 39 weeks if he is measuring really large. Or not. It's a wait and see at this point, really. We have another ultrasound scheduled at 39 weeks, and heck, he could arrive closer to his original due date of 10/4 and this could be a non-issue. We'll see!

Initially, I was pretty upset. The thought of just having a C-section and not experiencing labor and delivery really bothers me. But, the more I think about it, Dave was a 9 pound baby, I was 8 pounds, 9 ounces. My Mom had big babies, Dave's a big guy. It would have been weird to have a 6 pound peanut baby... Instead, we are having a monster baby, a.k.a. BBC (big baby cute). Dr. Tucker assured us that if she really feels we need to intervene, she'll let us know. Otherwise, just keep doing what we're doing. Okie dokie.

Everything else is smooth like butta'. I didn't gain any weight this week, my blood pressure was a "little high" (shocker) and other than puffy ankles and feeling a bit awkward, I am doing great. It was so fun to have another ultrasound! It's amazing how much he's grown since our last one! His little face no longer looks skeleton-like, and seeing his little hands and feet moving around in my womb was crazy... they look like "real" baby parts now, instead of miniatures. The other good news is that he is head down and turned the right way for delivery. What a good boy!

We had our first Expectant Parent class as well. Dave and I agreed that we're happy we're not paying for it. It was a lot of stuff we already know and wasn't presented in a way that kept us on the edge of our seats. We did watch videos of the various stages of labor, that was interesting, as was sitting in a room full of preggos and their partners. It wasn't a total waste of our time, but again, I may be bitter if our insurance wasn't picking up the tab.

36 weeks today. Wowee.

Baby Center: Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. He now weighs almost 6 pounds and is a little under 19 inches long. He's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered his body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected his skin during his nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of his first bowel movement. At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely he's in a head-down position. But if he isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating him from the outside of your belly.

Baby Gaga: The countdown continues… and in fetal developments: most of the bones (soft skull aside) in their little body are now completely hardened, providing a solid structure from which they can now make their grand debut into the world. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we are structurally ready for a secure launch. In physical fitness news: their muscle tone has also improved over these past few weeks, and you’ll definitely be impressed by their steel-like Ulnar grasp (a newborn reflex that occurs if you lay your finger in their palm). And in genital development: if you’re having a girl, her labia are now fully developed. Finally, in the fluids/excretion department: the amniotic fluid-to-baby ratio has fallen over these past weeks, although they’re still swallowing fluid (building up even more meconium for that historic first poop), and some vernix caseosa. They will be more than ready to swallow and digest milk after birth. Just in case you didn’t get it quite yet: you’ve got yourself an adorable and hungry 6.5 lbs 20 inch baby—are you ready?

We were too busy having fun to take pictures...

Saturday was my "friends" shower. It was overwhelming and wonderful and joyous and exhausting all at the same time. I compare it to how I felt at our wedding... everywhere I looked there was someone that I love and care for. But it feels so disconcerting because my brain isn't used to my PR friends being in the same room as my college friends who are in the same room as Dave's friends who are sitting next to my Mom.

The shower started perfectly because Dave, Mary and Julie sent everyone upstairs where I was showing Cat's Mom the nursery. Collecting everyone upstairs meant only ONE trip upstairs for me, thank goodness!

We had delicious sandwiches and salads followed by a couple of games followed by gifts followed by delicious strawberry shortcake and carrot cake followed by more gifts followed by the afterglow.

Mary and Julie put on a most amazing party, an event I won't soon forget.

We were too busy to take pictures, apparently, because Mary and I are both kicking ourselves for not being better shutterbugs. Oh well... Here is a slideshow of what we do have!

Thanks again, everyone. I am so lucky to have such wonderful, caring and generous people in my life.

Create a Free Slideshow

Painted Frog Toes and "the Boov"

What an awesome weekend! Trying to fit everything into one post would kill me AND you, so I'll divide the recounting.

The Mary Frog Toes weekend of fun kicked off with a visit to our friend Dar Williams at The Ark in Ann Arbor on Thursday night. The hour-long drive was a great chance to start our catching up and although we FELT hopelessly late, we arrived just as the lights were being turned up after the opening act. It was the second performance in a weeknight series, so it wasn't tough to get two seats together. And, there really isn't a bad seat in The Ark. I still felt like Dar was singing to me personally (which she was, of course).

She played a variety of music that I haven't heard her perform live before (one TOTALLY new song), and she sang a calm, soothing set overall. It was a nice counter-experience to the last performance I attended where she rocked out with her band and played almost all new stuff. She gave into the screaming young banshees in front of us and sang Iowa in her finale', even though us seasoned (and OLD) Dar fans know that she'd like to move away from that tradition. It was still comforting to sing "Ten miles above the limit and with no seatbelt... and I'd do it again" sitting next to my best friend and feeling my baby boy kick and move in response to his louder-than-usual surroundings.

I'm really lucky to have Mary as my best friend. We can do the comfortable silence or nonstop talking thing without any problem, and considering how bad I am at calling and her lackluster emailing behaviors, we are always able to pick up where we left off. The best example of this is her CD mix that just happened to include three of my newest favorite songs. She found them on iTunes and Pandora introduced me to them on my "Tracy Chapman" channel, but even five years after we lived together we fell into our familiar singing-along-to-the-radio together routine. It felt so good.

Although our trips to salons and spas together have been somewhat limited, Mary has an unfortunate (yet hilarious) ability to get assigned to the weird "service provider" where ever we go. In Vegas, we got massages at the Flamingo spa. Mine was the most amazing deep tissue massage I've EVER had. Mary signed up for the Swedish massage, but was unaware that her massage would be given by a large Swedish woman named something stereotypical like Helga or Olga who was experiencing some SERIOUS gastrointestinal issues the day of Mary's treatment and would be farting loudly and leaving the room periodically to relieve herself. Poor Mary!

So we had pedicure appointments at the local Aveda teaching salon on Friday morning. My toes are a lovely shade called "KangaRuby" and my swollen preggo feet were perfectly massaged, trimmed and painted by Keia. I took her card, she was SO good. Mary's toes are also lovely, but her experience was FAR more entertaining than mine. Mary's pedicurist was Candi. Yes, Candi with an I. Candi has a 4-pound Pomeranian named Mr. Couscous Beauvoir who she affectionately referred to as "The Boov." She was fascinated by my knowledge of pollinators "If a bee was, like, right here, how far could he fly? Like, could he make it to Grand Rapids?" and Mary's work with a nun who lives in an Indianapolis convent, "Like, what if they need new clothes?" She had the attention of the entire spa when she told her own story of using "The Boov" to get out of speeding ticket, "Officer, his trachea is collapsed and the vet said if I don't get there in 10 minutes he won't make it. Well, the Boov kept jumping around in the backseat and the officer said 'he looks fine to me, ma'am.' But he ended up letting me go."

We got LOTS of mileage out of Candi's stories throughout the weekend. We finished our Friday by having lunch at Cosi, grocery shopping, laying on my couch feeling Baby Cute move, checking our email on my free wireless network, eating dinner at Red Robin and doing some last-minute cleaning and sprucing for the shower. Talk about quality time!

I feel good today. I feel large, and larger every day. I'm anxiously awaiting our Alliance OB marathon experience tomorrow. Am I growing a 10-pound Baby Cute? We have an ultrasound, then our 36-week check and then our first expectant parent seminar. Three hours at the OB office, oh my! It's getting harder and harder to sleep at night, but Dave continues to earn his MVP husband status by rubbing my back and helping me move my pillows around in the middle of the night so I am as comfortable as possible. What a guy! His middle of the night skills will also come in handy after Baby Cute arrives. We're a good team after almost 8 years together.

Today is Uncle Nate's birthday. I told Baby Cute all about his Uncle Nate this morning before everyone else arrived at the office. "He's going to be a lot of fun to play with. Maybe he'll show you how to play the guitar and take apart a computer and play disc golf. Don't believe him when he tells you about me stabbing him with a pencil, all lies." Baby Cute's kicking and moving responses were certainly not about the Mocha Frappuccino, but clearly his only way to say "Happy 25th Birthday Uncle Nate!"

Thank You California Nectarine Growers, Thank You.

Baby Cute and I are having a love affair with peaches, nectarines and iced tea lately. I've been craving regular pop like crazy, but I'm reluctant to give into that craving. Can you say "empty calories?" So I randomly decided on iced tea for dinner on Monday night and it set off this new, passionate LOVE for iced tea. At the same time, apparently some angelic creatures have found their way into California's orchards and made the nectarines and peaches at Horrock's Farm Market taste like overwhelmingly delicious and delightful candy. I've had 4 in the last 16 hours!

My OB appointment went wonderfully yesterday. It was my first appointment without Dave, who couldn't get away from work. Highlights:

• Baby Cute's heartrate was 150. He must have been a little excited from his game of cat and mouse with the nurse--he kept moving away from the doppler, making it hard to record his heartbeat. Hey, he's got personality! It was my least favorite nurse, so I think he was being fickle for my amusement.
• I gained 2 pounds.
• My blood pressure was high on the first reading, but was totally fine when they checked it a second time.
• I'm measuring "big" so the doc ordered another ultrasound to try and estimate Baby Cute's size. My Mom had 4 "normal-size" babies, but David was 9 pounds 4 weeks early, so we need to make sure I'm not growing a 12-pound Giant Baby Cute.
• We picked an amazing practice of doctors. All of my worries about my "birth plan" were totally unfounded. Most of the things that are really important to me are standard practice with the Alliance docs, who have all been intelligent, informed and progressive without crossing the "crazy" line. The doc also gave me a good sense of what the nurses will say and do and encouraged me to just politely say "No, thank you" if I'm not down with something.
• The doc helped relieve my worries about delivering early. Between the baby store and MSU, lots of people have been scaring the crap out of me, making me feel like I should have everything READY. In my mind, I still have a month! And the doc agrees. So there.
• I go to the doc every week at this point. We have an ultrasound next Tuesday, followed by our 36-week check, followed by our first Expectant Parent Seminar class "Preparing for Labor and Delivery."

The ladies at work told me yesterday that I've really popped out recently and that I look more voluptuous (a.k.a.--your boobs look bigger). My secretary, Barb, also had a dream that my water broke in the office. Barb knew the first day she saw me that I was pregnant, and guessed Baby Cute's gender right away. I may bring in a waterproof pad to sit on after October 4...

Let me whine for just a paragraph... At MSU, there is no paid maternity leave. So although I've worked here for 2 years and never taken more than 2 days off in a row, I have about 30 days worth of sick, vacation and personal time accrued--so 6 weeks. We also get BARE minimum holidays. Whatever, that's fine, our benefits rock. Well, I found out recently that as soon as I am on unpaid leave, I no longer accrue vacation time and am not eligible for holiday pay. It's a lovely time of year to be on maternity leave, you know, because of the HOLIDAYS. Six days, ladies and gentlemen. Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Friday, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day. All days that won't count against my FMLA time, but also days I won't be paid for. UGH.

Now, let me be excited for just a paragraph... My best friend Mary Frog Toes is coming TONIGHT! We are seeing our best friend Dar Williams in concert TONIGHT! I have the day off tomorrow! I get to see my friends and my Moms on Saturday! I feel GREAT again. Sitting on my tush at work is apparently a mood and health booster!

Oh, and just in case you were waiting, riveted, for news about the great mobile crisis of 2007, our problems are solved and Dave's blood pressure has returned to normal. We found both a rug and a mobile at the baby store that look great in the nursery. It's also a great week for Michael's to have 50% off baskets, because the cheap willow baskets are even cheaper. I bought four big baskets for books and toys at $2 each and little baskets that fit in Baby Cute's dresser drawers to hold his socks, teethers and hats for $1 each. I love good deals. And Baby Cute's room is looking more and more like a fun place for a baby to call home.

Here are my 35 week updates. They are pretty unexciting... Baby Cute is getting fat and running out of room in my womb. Heck, I could have told you that!

BabyCenter: Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 pounds plus. Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

BabyGaga: Congratulations! You’re now carrying nearly 6 lbs of baby not counting their amniotic fluid, the umbilical cord, or the placenta itself. We’re impressed because that’s a LOT of work non-stop. Are you feeling proud of yourself yet? Well, get to it—you’ve done an amazing job! At this point, your little grower is almost busting out of the womb size-wise, which make their restricted attempts to move much challenging. Of course, your stubborn little sucker is still trying to move around as if they weren’t in a cramped space. And the accumulating baby fat deposits are starting to level off so your little butter ball will be padded and warm when they head out of their super snug little home.

Pushing It.

David and I have different "work around the house" styles. Mine is go, go, go, go, go, go--collapse. Dave's is go, break, go, go, break, have a soda, go, watch TV, go, whine, collapse. I made a very optimistic list and while we got quite a bit done, we spent a lot of time frustrating each other. I pushed Dave too far ("Why don't you just put together the mobile, then we'll be done?!"), and when he finally got Baby Cute's mobile put together and it wouldn't rotate I thought he might come unglued. Despite how much I wanted to laugh (the mobile has this evil sun-face that seemed to be taunting him) I took him out to dinner instead. I also resisted the urge to take pictures, I hope you all understand.

The mobile is still sitting in the crib, staring at us, but Baby Cute's clothes are organized by size, we put felt pads on the bottom of his furniture, I bought baskets for his toys and books and we organized his bath stuff into a cute caddy from Wal-Mart. All of this in addition to doing a thorough cleaning of the house, taming the storage area in the basement and finally unpacking the last few items in the spare room/office.

Needless to say, I'm exhausted today. I don't know if it's the 3-day weekend, being 35 weeks pregnant or a delightful combination of both. I'm also not sleeping well at night anymore and it seems like I have a new ache or pain popping up all the time. The pains don't stay, but my body keeps surprising me with a new "ouch, that hurts." Like I told David yesterday, I think this is part of God's plan to make women not fear childbirth. I'm less comfortable all the time, so I imagine I will be MORE than ready to push Baby Cute OUT in another month. At this point, it's going to happen, and when it does, I get my body back--altered, yes, but it will be ALL MINE again. Huzzah!

One of the funniest parts of the entire weekend was coming home late on Saturday night after dropping Dave off in Mt. Pleasant. I walked onto our front porch and SCREAMED. It was dark, and there was a large mass wrapped in plastic laying in front of my door. It only took a second for me to realize it was the rug for Baby Cute's room (and not a body...), and then it was hysterical, but it DEFINITELY got my heart racing. :)

The rug wasn't the right shade of yellow, so we returned it on Monday and ordered this one in blue:

I hope it comes in time for the shower on Saturday!

The best part of the weekend was getting to see our friends. Given how much time I have taken off from the baby store and how many requests for time off they had for this weekend, I sat out of golfing and headed to Mt. Pleasant for the post-golf festivities after 5 hours at the baby store. There was lots of belly-touching, laughter, catching up and some delicious lemonade before we headed home for the night. I'm looking forward to having several of Dave's (and my!) friends over for the shower next weekend... It is feeling more and more like we have lived in our house for years, but really we are just now nearing the one-year mark from when we started LOOKING for our first house. There has never been a time where I have regretted our choice.

Busy week ahead. Several things to finish up at work, OB appointment and working at the baby store tomorrow, my best friends Frog Toes and Dar Williams on Thursday, FT bonding on Friday, shower on Saturday. Thank goodness I took Sunday off!

I know I have more to say, but I'm drawing a blank...