Shower!

My aunt and uncle, Jan and Bruce, hosted a fabulous family brunch for Val on January 17, and she was really showered with gifts! This is one very lucky girl already. She received her infant and older girl carseats, plush hooded towels, gorgeous clothes, a monitor which we'll probably use until she moves out of the house, a Boppy, a fully-stocked diaper bag, and so much more amazing stuff that I wondered whether we'd find space for it all. We did.

Our hosts were so gracious that they went ahead with the party even though a pipe froze and burst in their breakfast room ceiling and the ceiling drywall collapsed the night before the shower. I was impressed.

Thank you so much to our fab family! Thanks for traveling to see us and celebrating with us. Someone took a few photos. If I track them down, I'll post them.

Baby dream

One night last week I dreamed that I delivered Val by myself at home while Sweet LJ was at the movies. It went very smoothly and quickly, but I wasn't sure how to cut the cord.

"You don't look pregnant from the back."

I've heard this several times in the past week. I'm dying to know what someone looks like when she looks pregnant from the back. My usual response is, "that's good, right? I shouldn't look pregnant from the back." The person talking to me usually tries to explain what they mean, but then they realize they can't.

And anyway, I think I probably do look like I'm pregnant from the back...like I'm carrying another baby in my ginormous butt.

Happy Inauguration Day!

I have a few things to report from the weekend, but I don't know whether I'll write about them anytime soon. There might not be too much to read this week.

But, I want to wish everyone a happy inauguration day. I'm excited.

35 weeks appointment and a little drama

On Thursday I had a regular appointment, this time with Dr. A. Liked her, too!

My BP: 100/70
My weight: -2.5 lbs. I really can't explain this.
Val's heart rate: This is where the drama unfolds.

Dr. A found Val's heart beat with the doppler just fine, but she monitored it for much longer than usual. She asked whether I was having a girl or a boy. I told her a girl. (Boys' heart rates typically are lower than girls'.) She said she wasn't happy with Val's heart rate. It was fluctuating from 110 to the 120s, but not really any higher. She decided to call down to Labor & Delivery and get me in so they could monitor her heart rate for an extended period.

So, Dr. A called L&D and talked to the doctor on call, who happened to be Dr. G, my regular OB. I went downstairs, filled out some forms (because technically they were admitting me), and about 15 minutes later they gave me a room. I put on a gown, they strapped the external monitor to me, and then they monitored Val's little heart for about 30 minutes. A resident came in and checked the paper trail and said everything looked fine, and then Dr. G came in and concurred. The baseline, they said, is 120, and Val's heart rate was staying right around there with an occasional jump into the 140s and dip into the 110s. They let me go home.

I was a little panicky. All I could think about was what if they admit me for a C-section, and I'm feeling totally unprepared. There are a million little things I feel like I need to do, and I thought I had about 5 weeks to do them. This weekend I did some of the little things, and I do feel more prepared. I think my baby is just a cool, laid-back little dude like her dad, but I still told her please no more drama.

35/35

So today is the 35/35 milestone: 35 weeks, and 35 days to go. Kerri asked for an updated photo of me and Val, so here you go:
I can't take my eyes off my big, puffy face. If you want a comparison, here's me in the same shirt at 23 weeks.

Does anyone know why ghostly white dots sometimes show up on my photos? Is the flash too bright? Do we have ghosts? I need to learn more about how to use my camera, but instead I just take a dozen photos until one looks ok.

Parties!

Over the weekend Val was feted with 2 parties. The first was hosted by my lovely friend Julia and was attended by a bunch of library folk. We had a great time, the food was divine, Julia did not make us play any games, and Val received many wonderful gifts (but very few books, which was surprising). Here are a few photos I took, and I think Sara might be giving me some more.

Caption for all: Ladies pretending they are not getting their photos taken.

On Sunday our friends Carol and Frazier hosted an intimate gathering. Again, we had a great time, received overly generous gifts, and Carol, as usual, provided enough food to feed the city--but there were only 7 of us. Carol did make us play a game, Baby Shower, which involves shooting tiny babies at a target. In the end, the real competition consisted of finding the tiny babies after shooting them. Cal won the grand prize: a beautiful lava lamp night light. I think she was the only person to actually hit the target.

Sweet LJ readies his weapon.

The ladies

Tucker invited Coqui to the party.

Carol leans in for the shot.

Cal has to load the baby shooter for Carol.

Carol's shot is high.

The glowing parents-to-be

One last ultrasound

Yesterday we went in for our final ultrasound to check Val's kidneys. At the first ultrasound they detected pyelectasis, a dilation of the kidneys. At the second ultrasound, one kidney was ok and the other was still a little dilated. Yesterday, both kidneys were a little dilated but were in the good range for her gestational age. Yay! The perinatologist was very pleased and didn't schedule another ultrasound.

They estimated her weight at 6 lbs, 1 oz (80th percentile). I'm growing a big one! I'm very happy to know that if she were born today, she'd be a decent size (but please stay in there a little longer, Val.) She was head down with her hands up by her face. She wouldn't turn her head, so we didn't get any good profile photos--just the face-on, alien-looking ones. In one she looks like a little monkey and in one like a jack-o-lantern. Sweet LJ swore he could see teeth. He also made the prediction that she will be born on Valentine's Day, or I will go into labor on Valentine's Day and she'll be born on February 15. (Maybe "Val" will be for Valentine instead of Valdosta.)

I'm so excited but a little sad. I love having her all to myself and knowing where she is all the time. I love that she's with me all day, every day, hanging out with me. I love being at work and feeling her roll around, twirling and flipping, reminding me that there are more important things going on than running statistical reports and outlining a class on how to use PmWiki. I can't wait to meet you, baby girl, but I sure will miss you.

Thanks, Jan.

A few days ago my aunt told me that no matter how much I feel like I will and no matter how much I look like I will, I absolutely will not explode. It's physcially impossible. So, thanks for the reassurance as I wonder every day just how much bigger I can get before I surely explode.

No rest for the weary

I use public transportation. Last night the train was packed, and let me tell you that being 8-ish months pregnant does not get you a seat on the train. Really, I was feeling fine and didn't *need* to sit down, but an interesting sociological observation. No one gave the crazy/drunk man a seat, either, and he really needed to sit down because he'd left his balance at the bottom of a bottle of brown liquor.

Val's room

Val's room is nearly finished. The green window shades I ordered came in yesterday, so we need to hang those. We need to get some necessities (diapers, etc.) Oh, and we need a baby. It's a very calming room, I think, and I like to sit in there and rock and read sometimes. We hope Val will like it until she's at least 4 and demands a pink princess room.

The shelves under the windows. Perfect for climbing and escaping!

The dresser now has a mirror over it.

Are the chair and ottoman ivory? Yes. Are we insane? Yes.

The birds are my favorite part of the room. Sock monkey is sitting in my childhood rocker.

We keep the door closed most of the time because of the naughty cat. He's thrilled when the door is open and he can go in and jump on everything.

Don't worry, baby safety police. We'll move everything that's a choking, strangulation, pull-on-top-of-her, etc., hazard when the time is right.

Braxton Hicks contractions

I just realized today that what I've been feeling occasionally are Braxton Hicks contractions. I kept thinking it was Val flipping around until I finally focused--Val is still, but my whole, big belly is tightening up. I hope they do their job and help "ripen my cervix."

33 weeks, 1 day appointment

On Friday I went in for an appointment with my regular OB, Dr. G. Everything was fine. I measured at 32 weeks. Dr. G said they don't stop labor after 34 weeks, so if I go into labor after Thursday, they'll let it continue. (I spoke to Val and told her that was not an invitation to arrive early.) Sweet LJ asked how involved he could be in the delivery. Dr. G was excited by his interest, but she said it really depended on who's on call that day. She said she'd talk to her colleagues and let them know a patient's husband wants to be in on actually helping deliver the baby.

This conversation with Dr. G came about after a discussion I had with Sweet LJ after our childbirth class. I asked him whether he would be interested in, for example, catching the baby as she came out. (I watch too much TLC and Discovery Health.) He was not. A few days later he told me he was, how cool would it be, etc. We'll see what really happens.

My BP: 124/64
Val's heart rate: 140s
Weight gain: +4, I think. I was flattered, because the nurse started the large weight slider at 100 lbs, then started moving the small slider. I told her she needed to start the large one at 150, but thanks.