ze bump and ze baby

Ze bump:

Just a couple days away from 32 weeks. Can't believe we're down to the single digits in weeks remaining already! Baby stats: He's now more than 16 inches long and weighs about 3.5 pounds. He's moving quite a bit, especially when Evan gets excited about something. (Isn't that so cute?!)

We started our childbirth education class, and have already watched our share of birthing videos. Seeing a stranger writhing in agony doesn't top my list of fine cinematic entertainment. However, we did have a good laugh last week when the dad in the film said very seriously that he was ready for his baby to arrive since he'd been practicing diapering the cat. Ah-yup. I'm pretty sure George would not go for that. The people in our class are great, and 3 out of six couples have the same due date! Or at least I think they do. I still have a case of PB (pregnancy brain) but either way, all our dates are really close. ;)

As promised, pictures of ze baby in ze womb:

look at him!

We were thrilled to see our little bugger this past weekend at our 3-d ultrasound. Seeing him on a very big screen was amazing! He tried to hide from us again with his hands in front of his face but we were able to see him with some prodding and some belly bruising. ;) Enjoy the footage! I will post stills soon.

And here we are in the 3rd trimester.

We entered the 3rd trimester last week, and I can hardly believe it. Of course, almost immediately, sleep has become more challenging as the backaches and leg cramps have welcomed me into this final phase of pregnancy. We had a great first appointment with a midwife in the new group this week, and all is looking good. This baby's been really boring that way! He's still measuring right on target, heart rate in the 130s, and is already in the head-down position. I do not have gestational diabetes, which is a relief, and was able to get the H1N1 vaccine, which is fab since I'm heading to Yonkers, NY, next week to observe some middle school classes (i.e., germ-ridden places!) for work. I won't have full immunity quite yet, but I'll take what I can get.

Hmm, what else? The crib is put together and in place. Now we just need to get the mattress. And wash the sheets and then maybe the baby will sleep in it someday. ;) Next weekend, we're getting one of those 3d/4d ultrasounds at our own expense. Have you seen the u/s pics where the baby looks like an alien and kinda creepy? That's what we're getting! Why, you ask? Because we want to see our little man again...and because we're suckahs. Funny how you say you'll never do something, and then you do it. I'll be sure to post some pics as soon as I can. Thanks for reading!

p.s.) Be sure to vote for Baby Riser's arrival date in the new poll at right. Inquiring minds want to know: will he arrive a couple weeks early and give mommy and daddy a tax break? Or will he hang out as long as possible? Only time will tell!

a preview of mommy insanity?

Mentally, I feel like I've been a little bit of a wreck the past week. There are too many key decisions going down! In a panicked moment yesterday, I decided to stay within the same Harvard Vanguard medical group that I'm currently in versus switch to an entirely new practice. There were a couple of things that sent up little red flags and I decided to heed my instincts. All this means is that my appointments will be at a different Harvard Vanguard location with a new group of midwives/docs that deliver at the hospital we chose. We are still going with a midwife delivery and will probably only meet with one of the doctors. Pros: my records are accessible so I don't have to redo the torturous medical history paperwork and I know the routine, so to speak. (They'll have me pee in a cup so they can check for protein, check my bp/weight, listen to the baby's heart rate, measure my fundal height, etc.) Ah, a big sigh of relief. I hope this changing my mind stuff stops soon, though. I'm fearing many moments of, "Oh wait, i wasn't really ready for a kid yet. Can we go ahead and send him back for a few months? Thanks."

Key decision #2: the crib. It's all purchased, and that's that. The hours I put into this stupid piece of furniture that our baby might not even like...I can't even think about it. Consumer Reports rated highly the Da Vinci Emily model, so we opted for the Da Vinci Kalani model. Make sense? I didn't think so. Anyway, here's the bad boy that should be delivered next week:

Here's the dresser/changing table (note that they should match as both are espresso even though they look different here):


Physically, I'm feeling pretty good. The headaches appear to be gone, the leg cramps are minimal, and I've only had one bout with sciatica. Granted, I'm feeling much bigger almost overnight, so I'm not exactly comfortable. I guess I'll have to tell the person who thought I would have an easier labor & delivery--since my baby's so small, of course--that it might not be so easy after all. (yep, someone actually said this to me.)

Uggh, but because of these rapid body changes, I'm now having fashion issues. A couple months ago, I bought several pairs of these maternity jeans from GAP:

I loved this style until last week. Now I feel like my belly and baby are being squeezed to death. Yesterday, baby didn't move one bit because I'm sure he was too squished to flip around! And the maternity shirts? I think either quality in general has gone out the window or my arms are now different sizes, because I felt like my right armpit should've been back about 3 inches based on where the shirt creases ended up. Tugging on the fabric under my armpits all day to untwist it=fun.

So, as you can see, the fun continues! Evan gets back from Vegas (where he went for a conference, not a mid-life crisis gambling spree) late, late tomorrow night. I think he misses us because he had a pregnancy dream! He dreamed that he arrived home to give me a hug, and I had a little bundle in my arms that turned out to be our baby. Our tiny, 2.5-lb. baby. Maybe he's been talking to the person I mentioned above or something. ;) Adios!

The breakup is complete.

I officially cut the ties to our OB/gyn practice today and I have my first appointment with the Women's Health Associates midwives who deliver at Newton-Wellesley Hospital next week. Unfortunately, this won't be a fun, routine check-up to see how things are going and hear the baby's heartbeat. I'm scheduled for the 28-week glucose screening test to check for gestational diabetes, which entails drinking a syrupy, orange (aka nauseating) liquid and then having blood drawn an hour later. I'm also Rh-negative since I have a B- blood type, which only about 2% of the U.S. population has, so they'll be checking for antibodies to make sure my body's not attacking my baby's red blood cells. Nice, huh? Anyway, I'm looking forward to meeting the midwives that I've heard so many glowing things about. After all my extensive research, it feels good to have that decision made. Now we just have to hope that I don't become high-risk and that this is a good decision!

As promised, here are a few pics from our baby shower in Cincinnati. I would've liked to post pics of everyone who was there, but I had to choose just a couple so don't take it personally if your beautiful face isn't here. Thanks again to all our friends and family for lovin' us, and to my parents for hosting. Oh, and bonus hugs to all those who participated in our totally awesome "decorate-your-own party" game (no thanks to a cleaning crew that set us back because they never showed)!

happy october & product reviews

October is my absolute favorite month for a zillion reasons: the smell of wood-burning fireplaces, our annual visit to the apple orchard in Stow, Mass., changing leaves, and that refreshing cool, crispness in the air, to name just a few. For a moment there, I was thinking how great it'd be if Baby Riser was going to be an autumn baby, but we desperately need the 3+ months we have left b/c we are SO not ready!

Now for some reviews on a few products that I'm pretty excited about from Fairhaven Health. FH specializes in fertility, pregnancy, and nursing products and since it's clearly a little late for me to try any fertility products, they sent me some preggo ones to try out. :)

1. DreamBelly Cream

Pros: feels a-maz-ing, moisturizes nicely, soaks in quickly and is NOT oily. (Just my 2 cents: stay away from Burt's Bees body oil. Who has time to let the oil soak in before getting dressed?!) Another pro is that it's pretty much scent-free, which is excellent not only for my sensitive preggo nose but b/c it means it's made without those awful phthalates lurking in that ever-present ingredient "fragrance."
Cons: my first thought was that it didn't smell that great, but this quickly moved to the "pro" column, as noted above.

2. Healthy Mom, Happy Baby-Prenatal Yoga DVD, with Anna Davis and Lisa Black

Since becoming pregnant, I've been pretty good about continuing my yoga practice at least once or twice a week at the gym. But unfortunately, I feel like I've really been missing out on a lot since I can't do abs, cobra during sun salutations, or lie flat on my back. I was very excited to try this prenatal yoga dvd from home.
Pros: modifications shown in insets; broken out menu--awesome b/c if you're in a hurry, you can just choose what you need; felt great; thorough
Cons: moves really fast--not for the yoga beginner; modifications in insets are difficult to catch during poses (would have loved it if they mentioned the variations or cued to view screen at that time)

3. Tea-for-Two Pregnancy Tea

Pros: totally soothing, tastes good, made from organic ingredients that are baby-safe, it promises all kinds of benefits like it will "tone and relax the uterine muscles, strengthen the womb throughout the pregnancy, and prepare the body for labor and childbirth. It may also help prevent or reduce pregnancy complications." I'm hoping!
Cons: it's loose leaf tea, which required me to go out and buy a tea infuser, but it was totally worth it.

I love that Fairhaven seems committed to using natural products and the company's purpose is to make our lives a little easier and more comfortable. Who doesn't want that? Oh, and good news for any of my preggo or trying-to-get preggo friends out there, you can use this code for 10% off at www.fairhavenhealth.com until Dec. 31: greatdeal

Next up, Ohio shower pics! As many of you know, we decided to have a shower in Cincinnati rather early (week 25) to avoid both my having to travel in the 3rd trimester and exposure to various flus. Thanks to all who came down to see us or sent us your thoughtful wishes. It meant a lot to us. :)

24 weeks, baby

OMG, the 3rd trimester is rapidly approaching already! Only a couple weeks left in this so-called 2nd trimester honeymoon. And I thought 9 months was a looooong time. Not so much. But we won't think about all we still have to do right now... Here's what's new:
-Baby R. now weighs more than a pound and is about the size of an ear of corn. His heart rate yesterday was 142 BPM. Everything's lookin' good, though I was instructed to eat more good fats. Still holding steady at a measly 8 lb. weight gain.
-My belly seems to be growing exponentially though! It feels heavy and is now uncomfortable to sleep on my side (the required position of pregnancy). Most nights, I'm sleeping with about 3 pillows, with another 2-3 on the side of the bed.
-Leg cramps are not a rumor. I woke up this morning at 5:45 a.m. with a massive cramp in my calf muscle. My cries of agony awakened the whole family. Sorry, Evan and George!
-I am so tired of going to the bathroom. If I'm not in the process of emptying my bladder, I'm thinking about it.
-Still weepy. Today, it was an article in our AAA newsletter. So pathetic. These stories aren't supposed to be touching. But it got me...Ken Burns was reflecting back to when he was 6 and walked hand-in-hand with his dad through Shenandoah National Park. So sweet!
-I still can't concentrate and feel scatterbrained all the time.
-Really not enjoying veggies. Turned my nose up to French cut green beans this week. Evan predicts that junior and I will have some long nights of sitting at the dinner table until we finish our greens. Maybe we can make a game out of it!
-As I mentioned in the last post, our baby is a mover. He seems to especially like riding on the train when we commute to work in the morning. He also acts up in meetings when someone is talking for a long period of time. It's hard for me not to smile when this happens. I imagine him saying, "Mommy, shut him up, will ya?" ;)

Here we are on our 24-week anniversary:



Thanks all for voting for the name you liked best. We still haven't landed on anything, but when we do, we plan to keep it secret until he's born so you'll have to stay tuned! Btw, I'm looking for new poll ideas, so if anyone has a burning, bright idea, drop me a line. 'Til next time...