Week 32: The Fab Nursery and the Name Game

We've been busy this week, as usual, getting ready for baby. Our super fab nursery, which has been mostly finished for a while now, finally got photographed as you can see here.

We also finally got our baby registries completed (at Babies R Us and MyRegistry.com, respectively) at the behest of Chelan who's throwing the baby shower so we're doing our part to be prepared for it. Tough work but somebody's got to do it. (Ha ha.) Hopefully, we put the right stuff on there. We're such newbies at this no matter how much good advice we get. Guess we'll find out soon enough!

Now we've moved on to the naming process. As I suspected, Johann and I are pretty far apart on the spectrum of the kinds of names we like. Our lists are long (well, mine is pretty epic, actually) and interesting. It's hard to rule out names because most of them, to some degree, have merit. Still, we must at some point come up with a short list of names, however, so we'll have to get serious about this or baby will end up being "Baby J" on its birth certificate!

When we get back from the trip I'll be hunting down a good pediatrician. Apparently you have to have one chosen prior to the birth and it's a bit of a process meeting with them and making sure they have privileges at the hospital you deliver at. So, I need to get on that asap. Hopefully the search will go smoothly and we'll find one we really click with so baby will have good care.

Beyond our productiveness this week I got to spend some quality time with my girlfriends on a couple of nights this week and it made me wonder how much life will change when baby is here and I have to factor a little one into my social life. Then I realize - what social life? I do wonder if it will even exist when baby comes but I guess many first time parents worry about that. What will life look like when baby gets here and changes everything? Only time will tell.

Meanwhile, we're living it up. Our flight for NYC/Newark leaves at 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday morning. I'm so excited! I'm looking forward to having some alone time with J, of course, and seeing wonderful things together. We also have coveted restaurant reservations at Le Cirque with our friends on Friday night so that will most definitely be the foodie highlight of the trip. Mostly, though, I just appreciate the adventure this will be. It will be a long time before we do something like this again - although I believe that, at some point, we will figure out family and parenting life enough to do so again (hey, I'm an optimist!). Until then, the fun of this trip's gotta last us so I guess we'd better make it memorable!

I'm off to the doctor tomorrow afternoon to check in before we leave. Hopefully all will be fine as usual (I can hope to step on the scale and have only gained two pounds but I'm learning such things are just pregnancy pipe dreams...) She's got me set up with compression stockings for the flights and I picked up a maternity belt to help keep me from cramping when I walk a lot. I feel like I have a lot of whacky gear now - this pregnancy thing will get you wearing some crazy stuff, I tell ya - but I feel good knowing that I've got the right equipment to help me keep going on the trip and having fun even at this late stage.

Well, here's a link to more great photos of Johann's beautiful nursery design. http://www.flickr.com/photos/johanngomez/sets/72157624835654306/ I'll post a shot or two from NYC when we get back. And yes, I'll be sure to get the belly in there, too. It's really starting to look impressive!

J.

Weeks 29, 30 and now 31: It’s All Been a Blur

If you’ve tuned in for the past several weeks you’ve noticed that I’ve been MIA. It’s not my fault and yet, really, I guess it is. A lot has been going on. There’s been drama. There’s been travel. There’s been a lot of marking off items from the baby to-do list. Mostly, though, it’s all been a blur and I predict it will continue to be until I find myself in labor…in t-minus nine weeks.

Yes, only nine weeks to go. Tick-tock goes the clock. I’m excited that there’s only two months left but daunted, as always, by the long list of things I’d still like to get done to prepare for baby’s arrival. Our birthing classes are going well. We’ve learned breathing and pain management techniques that we accept will likely not be all that helpful in labor. But whatever. At least we’re feeling more prepared for a labor situation that will essentially be out of our control. False security is better than no security, right? We also took a BabySafe class so now we know all the perils baby can find its way into and how to head him/her off at the pass (or help him/her in the event of an emergency). We also learned a bit of infant CPR so I’d say we’re relatively prepared for disaster…if anyone ever can be.

Work for me got especially dramatic a couple weeks ago with my boss, who’s in ailing health, going back into the hospital for two weeks for extensive surgery and recovery. It’s been hard not to worry about him, the future of the company and the viability of my replacement doing well under such tough circumstances. The company is really struggling right now. The last few weeks have been a good lesson in letting go and accepting that the company will swim, sink or float, somehow, without me. And seeing as how “checked out” I feel lately (who can focus on work when there’s a baby to plan for?) maybe this is a good mindset for me to have so I can leave without emotional ties.

Still, it will be hard to give up 18 years of life in the working world, even if it was work I never really loved. And when I start to miss it (and miss a paycheck) I can always start writing again which I do love. This is, at least, what I tell myself and so far, it’s keeping me sane. My last day in the office is October 8th. After that, I guess I need to start re-defining myself and thinking about who I am going forward. It should be an interesting revelation of a whole new self.

My girlfriend Chelan emailed me this week about the baby shower she’s throwing for me and Johann. It, too, is a reality check but a very good one. Baby is really on its way! The shower is October 2nd and I’m so excited. I look forward to getting together with family and friends to celebrate the little bun. It reminds me of what a special – and fleeting – time this is in our lives. I hope we’ll remember to treasure it.

I received my first gift of baby clothes when I went up to Victoria to visit my Canadian friends. The gal I stayed with, Renee, who’s like a great aunt to me, gave me the softest pima cotton baby onesies from Peru. So sweet, so cute. Again, a reality check. Soon there will be a baby to fill these little outfits. I think I’m still trying to fit that into my brain!

I met with my new doctor, Dr. Kurachi, last week for the first time. I already love her. She’s cool and laid back yet smart and knowledgeable. Despite my underwhelming-looking baby belly, she assures me that I’m measuring perfectly. (That’s two doctors and an ARNP who’ve all measured me now and say the belly is just fine so people can quit is with the “You look small” comments already! :P) My blood pressure was at an ideal 110/69 so I couldn’t have asked for better numbers. (I could have on the scale, though. Heavens, I’m a whale these days!) She gave me the thumbs up to travel until mid-September, too, so everything’s good with my general health and that of the baby whose heart rate was up in the 150s and sounding perfect. Not sure which direction baby is pointing now – that seems to be the next big mystery to solve – but I get kicked a lot in various directions so my sense is that there’s still enough room to move around in there. Soon enough, though, we’ll see if baby gets into ideal head-down position and ready for take-off!

Speaking of taking off, Johann and I will be jetting out next Wednesday for our official “babymoon” to NYC. We’re staying with his best friend, Dyronne (best man at the wedding for those who remember him) and his wife Mayra in New Jersey for a week and making jaunts into the city to see some sights. Yes, I realize I’m a little nuts to take what will be my 8 months pregnant self to the Big Apple but we know to take it easy and set reasonable sight-seeing goals along with reasonable napping goals. I think it will work out well and I’m excited to get to the City before baby arrives. Going there later with a little one would be a lot more complicated and we thought we’d save our runner up “babymoon” idea of SFO/Napa Valley for that since it’s a lot more do-able with a little one.

So, I’m excited for this “last hurrah”. I have to laugh that world travelers like us always seem to bite off such big hunks of life but we’re about to change our lives entirely so it’s a good excuse, right? Then again, with what jetsetters my parents are, and that I am, baby is likely to just be a third-generation traveler him/herself. I think it’s just genetic pre-disposal. :)

That’s all that’s been going on in a nutshell. Well, that’s all that’s fit to report, anyway. My emotions have been up and down like a roller coaster dealing with lots of things (that have nothing to do with baby). It’s just been a tough month for family and friends and my workplace so I’m trying to handle it all sanely, knowing that the pregnancy hormones make everything more intense than it would normally be. But I’m hanging in there and keeping life in perspective. Johann, as usual, is the best support partner I could ask for and things like massages have been coming in regular intervals to keep me calm and help me cope with the drama. What a guy, I tell ya. Baby’s lucky to have such a great papa.

Hoping to write another blog before I leave but at least I will when I get back. I’m swinging by the doctor the day before we leave so, fear not, I’ll be leaving with her blessing and any orders she might have. Can’t wait to get traveling and enjoy being on vacation. Woohoo!

J.

Week 28: Kicking Into High Gear

I've had it in my mind all along that once Johann's birthday was over (July 29th) that everything "baby" would finally kick into high gear. This timing, coincidentally, corresponds to the beginning of the third trimester and there's nothing like knowing there's only 12 weeks left to light a fire under and get me moving on the last of my important to-do list items. Still on the agenda are finding a pediatrician, getting our dang registry done, signing up for infant CPR and, of course, figuring out some names. As the deadline approaches, though, I'm confident the mounting pressure will be motivational. I think we writers purposely work to deadlines to keep ourselves disciplined and on track!

Speaking of the Johann birthday, it was two nights of fun that we both really enjoyed. I'm so glad that both of our birthdays fell in the second/early third trimester timeline and that we got to enjoy both of them. And enjoy I did as I found out today stepping onto the scale at the doctor's office - to the tune of three pounds worth of weight gain. Holy Cow! All that cake, Spanish and Mexican food added up. I guess no one will ever be able to say I didn't gain enough weight while pregnant. Good grief!

At long last, our hotly-debated crib finally arrived today. It's now all assembled waiting for the mattress that we'll buy tomorrow. It looks great in our nearly-completed nursery and I'm stoked that we're only a couple pieces away from completion. We'll soon be able to cross that off the to-do list. Woo!

We started our birthing classes last night which was interesting. The couple we sat next to were really nice people and sort of the class clowns so that, combined with Johann's smart-aleck running commentary, I was sure was going to get us kicked out. Not that I'm all that straight-laced about birthing education or anything but you have to appreciate how P.C. Seattle is. The demographic of this room was as stiff and stereotypical as it could be (25 to 40 year old heterosexual white, married DINKS). In other words, not exactly a hotbed of diversity, or comedy, for that matter.

Still, it was an interesting class and our instructor seems very caring and knowledgeable. I know we'll learn a lot about the birth process so I'm confident that even despite our humorous thoughts and comments we'll pick up a few useful pieces of information. And heaven knows, let's hope we do because we currently "don't know nuthin' 'bout birthin' no babies". :P

I went to my doctor today for the first of my now every-two-week appointments. Everything was fine (other than gaining those 3 lbs from birthday pig-out week!). My belly measured fine and the baby's heart rate was at 148 (it seems to fall anywhere from 144 to 155) which was perfect. The one frustrating piece of information was that my doctor is leaving the women's clinic for another opportunity so this will make the third doctor change I've had since I got pregnant. Yeesh. I'm definitely glad I'm at a practice with several doctors so I've been able to transition easily between them. So, now I'm with Dr. Kurachi who's in her 30s and comes well-recommended. I suppose she'll be as good as anyone at this point especially considering I'll likely end up with whoever is on call the day I go into labor. I'm learning that this pregnancy thing goes a lot more smoothly when you're agreeable and flexible!

Physically, things are just fine with me going into this first week of the third trimester. My BP was up a smidge (122/76) but the doc says it's still in the OK range so I'm taking her word on that. Otherwise I feel fine save for the little aches and pains that seem to be normal for pregnancy. I'm sleeping okay for the most part though sometimes it's hard to fall asleep initially. My ankles seem to swell only when I'm sitting or standing too long and decrease when I put my feet up and rest so that's been totally manageable. I get waves of my heart racing and shortness of breath but the doc says that's pretty normal and they don't last more than about 20 minutes at a stretch. Just my body pumping an extra 4 lbs of blood so I guess it's going to have a labored effect for sure! Things, though, especially considering all the weight I've packed on, seem to be going along pretty normally and I'm grateful for that. I wish I had more stamina - I think that's my only complaint at this point (well that and pretty consistent heartburn that I could definitely live without!) but there's likely no real changing that. Hauling around the extra load's going to make me slow. Guess I should just accept that now. :)

Attached, as you've noticed, is a photo. It's the first acceptable one that's been taken of me so far so I decided it was blog and Facebook post-worthy. After all this time I am finally starting to look fairly pregnant (this photo seems to emphasize that from the angle it was taken). Most days I think I still just look really chubby which is whacky but I guess that's okay. Seeing how belly-full some of the women in class were last night I'm grateful a good deal of my belly still flies below the radar. I could be as big as a planet so I'm glad to still look fairly proportional most of the time. We'll see how that changes as the weeks go by though!

J.