A perfect birthday

Yesterday was my birthday, and I had such a wonderful day. For the past few years I've taken the day off work to go shopping (which I highly recommend to everyone--don't work on your birthday!) This year my girl and I went to the mall. I mainly went to walk, because it's too cold to go outside, but I ended up buying a few shirts. Sweet LJ took us out to dinner last night and surprised me with the most gorgeous ring I've ever seen (besides my engagement ring, of course.) It's amethyst--Mary Lawton's birth stone.

Going out for my birthday dinner

Thanks for a great day, Sweet LJ. Thanks for the sweet birthday wishes, everyone!

Snow day!

My friend Sara came to visit on Sunday, and we enjoyed a glorious snow day. I've never seen flakes so fat. They were like feathers floating down from the sky. Mary Lawton slept through it all, but hopefully it'll snow again when she's big enough to enjoy it.

Sara gets ready to unload a snowball on Mary Lawton.

Sara, thanks for coming to meet Mary Lawton!

Her polar bear coat is a bit big.

Interestingly, the last time it snowed (February 2008), Sara and I hung out that day, too. We went on an 8-mile run that morning, and at the end of the run it started snowing.

Go, Dad!

I got out of the shower this morning and found this.

Legs

Cuddle time

What's better than a baby sleeping on your chest?

In real time

Mary Lawton asleep in my lap right now

Lounging

Letter

Dear umbilical cord stump,

Please fall off so I can take a real bath.

Sincerely,
Mary Lawton

Actually, she doesn't mind bath time much at all. She loves having her hair washed. She loves the towel I warm up in the dryer for her. (I told her today not to get used to that.)

Outings

So far Mary Lawton has been to Target (twice!), Once upon a Child, and on three neighborhood walks. Because I'm not used to carrying my camera around with me all the time to document these milestones, I don't have any photos. She slept the whole time on all of these outings, as you can imagine. I was a little nervous about yesterday's Target trip, because I went by myself, but it turned out fine.

One week old

Today is Mary Lawton's one week birthday. She loves eating, sleeping, and entertaining us with funny faces. She has tummy time a few minutes a day, and plays (is awake) on her play mat or cat mat for awhile. The dog is in love with her and follows us from room to room. Luckily, the cat is oblivious to her. He doesn't want to be too close to her, and when she cries he can't get away fast enough.

play time

The week has been a blur. They let us leave the hospital on Tuesday evening rather than Wednesday morning, with our promise that we'd take her to our pediatrician or back to the hospital for another bilirubin test. Her level was a little high. We took her to the pediatrician the next morning (Wednesday), and her bili level was even higher, and she'd lost quite a bit of weight. A bilirubin light was delivered to our house that afternoon, and we started putting her on it an hour at a time. I also had to feed her a tiny bit of formula to supplement, since my milk hadn't come in. The next day (Thursday) her bili count was down and her weight was up 2.5 oz. No more formula! We went back to the pediatrician on Friday for one more visit. Her bili level was 10.4, and she'd gained even more. The doctor declared her an "A+ baby" and said she was very healthy. Sweet LJ has been amazing. You'd think he'd been changing diapers and soothing babies his whole life. And her diapers...I recently read something about "sweet-smelling breastmilk bowel movements." Whatever.

Visitors

Mary Lawton had a number of visitors last week.

Lilly and Alisa

Jan (Jan came by twice!)

Gail and Andrew

and of course her Biffy.

5 days old

The most beautiful girl in the world

Mary Lawton J.
Monday, February 16, 3:42 PM
7 lbs, 10 oz, 20 inches long

True love

Mary Lawton and her dad

Welcome home!

Welcome home, baby girl.

2 days old

3 days old. A trip to the doctor can really wear a girl out.

Most of you probably know the news by now, because my mom called you :) Mary Lawton is doing well. We're all a bit tired after 2 pediatrician appointments, a bili light delivered to our house, and 24 hours of feedings every two hours to get her weight up--all within 2 days. The birth story involves 26 hours of labor, but really, who's counting when I have a face like this to gaze at? She is sweet and beautiful, and we are extraordinarily blessed.

39 weeks appointment

Weight gain: None. Same as last week.
My BP: 100/60
Val's heartrate: 150s

Today I saw Dr. H. Dr. G is out this week, which was fine with me. I don't think I like her anymore. Dr. H was great, talked to us for a long time, and basically said you'll have the baby in the next 2 weeks. (They will let me go a week past my due date.) Yes, she'll probably 8.5 lbs or more, but that's no problem and the two of you will be fine. Will there be shoulder dysplasia? Who knows. Will she be a giantess? Probably not. I measured 2 weeks behind today, which might be because she's dropping. So, we wait. I feel fine, so I don't mind waiting. My next appointment is with Dr. G, and Sweet LJ is hoping there will be some kind of showdown between her and Dr. H because their attitudes are so different. We like Dr. H's better.

We're ready, Val.

So, whenever you're ready, sweet girl . . .

We won't let the cat get too close.

I know it's boring.

I know this blog is getting boring without photos. I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed lately, but I'll try to do better about taking and uploading photos.

38 weeks appointment

Weight gain: -2
My BP: 105/80
Val's heart rate: 130s

I was pretty nervous about this appointment based on the ultrasound the day before. I didn't know what Dr. G was going to recommend. Would she send me straight to L&D for an induction? We talked awhile about what could happen in the next 2 weeks. In the end, with my total consent, she stripped my membranes (or the gentler euphemism "swept" my membranes). I won't go into the details, but I will say that all the jokers who say "it's not a big deal" are completely high or delusional. Or both. What the membrane strip could do is soften my cervix, promote dilation, trigger labor, or absolutely nothing. It was worth a try. I would rather try this than take a bunch of drugs to ripen my cervix, start contractions, etc. I have a feeling it will do absolutely nothing--this based on the fact that absolutely nothing has happened.

I sat up in bed in the middle of the night and just sat there a minute, and Sweet LJ said, "are you contracting?" He was sooo ready to go to the hospital. His bag sits packed at the foot of the bed.

Another ultrasound

Yes, I inadvertently lied when I announced the final ultrasound. I had another growth ultrasound on Tuesday to see how big Val is getting. They estimated her weight at 7 lbs., 12 oz. This was at 37 weeks, 4 days. Everything looked fine. As the perinatologist said, I just "make big babies." Then she turned to Sweet LJ and said, "you, too." So, if Val gains a half a pound a week for the next 2.5 weeks--well, you do the math.

Val wouldn't give up the profile shot, but we have a few photos of her chubby cheeks and pointy chin, waving at us.

I was extraordinarily nervous about my appointment with Dr. G the next day, which will be another post.

37 weeks, 1 day appointment

I saw Dr. H on Friday (January 30), and I fall more in love with her each time. She is so kind and patient and really has a knack for putting you at ease.

Weight gain: I'm not sure. I think around another +2. I have trouble doing the math anymore.
My BP: 100/80
Val's heart rate: 130s-140s

This visit was fine. Fundally*, I'm measuring a week behind. I asked Dr. H about preeclampsia, because the nurse said, "your blood pressure is up!" with some drama after she took it. Dr. H said preeclampsia starts with a BP of 140/90, and also that my BP increase is nothing to be alarmed about. During your 3rd trimester, your BP tends to go up. I still have to go for another growth ultrasound. Everyone seems confused because I'm measuring a week behind, but according to the last ultrasound, Val is getting very big. Sweet LJ thinks she's long and compactly folded up.


*I don't think "fundally" is a word, but it's what is needed here.

Lilly hangin' with her peeps

My cousin Lilly met Dennis Rodman last week. Will my girl be so lucky?

36 weeks, 1 day appointment

I'm getting more and more delinquent on my posts. On January 23 I had an appointment with Dr. G.

Weight gain: +2
My BP: 110/70
Val's heart rate: fluctuating between 120s and 140s

The nurse seemed surprised that I didn't want an internal exam to see if there has been any progress. I told her I have a month to go, and I'm in no hurry. I'm beginning to lose faith in Dr. G. She asked about my January 12 ultrasound and thinks that maybe the baby is getting too big. She tried a few scare tactics on me. She didn't succeed in scaring me, but she succeeded in making me so frustrated that I cried on the way home. I cried when I got home. Sweet LJ was out of town, and I cried on the phone to him. I want my baby to have a chance to arrive when she's ready. I'm not convinced she's a giant. I don't want to be induced unless I really, absolutely have to be. I have to have another growth ultrasound soon. I want to enjoy these last few weeks, but I'm getting depressed by all the suggested intervention.

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.

Someone is deluding herself

Yesterday I bought a pair of jeans in my pre-pregnancy size at the Banana Republic outlet store because they were such a good deal (everything in the store was 50% off) and so cute. [sigh] I wistfully hung them in my closet last night next to the maternity clothes.

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone had a peaceful and merry Christmas, and I wish you all the best for 2009.

31 weeks, 1 day appointment

On Friday I had another doctor's appointment. I'm trying to see all of the doctors in the practice before I deliver, so I saw Dr. JH today. I really liked him. I won't be disappointed if he's on call on the big day.

My BP: 100/60
Val's heart rate: 130
Weight gain: +6. And still I gain like someone is paying me.

Dr. JH remarked that Val was "just chillin' in there." Based on our low BP's, I guess we were both very relaxed. I asked him what her position is, because some days it feels like she has woven her little feet in between my ribs. She was head down and sort of diagonal across my body. He said, "I can feel her hip bone right here," then he grabbed my hand and pressed down a few inches above my belly button. Sure enough, there was a big, hard lump. When I got home, she hadn't shifted, and Sweet LJ got to feel it, too.

Open letter to pants

Dear maternity jeans,
Could I hate you any more than I do? I submit I could not. You have a very wide, stretchy waistband. How can you not stay up? My belly is big, but aren't you designed to stay up even a little bit?

Please stop sliding down. I'm tired of having a saggy crotch and constantly having to pull you up. It's embarrassing.

Signed,
Hater

31 weeks

I don't know how I can get any bigger.

New dresser

Sweet LJ put together this large IKEA dresser for Val on Sunday. He should be in an IKEA furniture assembly contest, because I would bet that no one in the history of IKEA has ever put together a piece of IKEA furniture faster. He is a machine. I should've taken a picture of the pieces and hardware beforehand but didn't. There were about 1500 pieces, give or take. I helped by sorting the hardware, holding a few things, and making spaghetti for dinner.

It's so big that Sweet LJ probably can use half for his large wardrobe and/or we can return the crib and let Val sleep in a drawer.

A new hat

Sweet LJ couldn't resist picking this hat up for Val while he was at the SEC championship game a few weeks ago. So now Val's wardrobe consists of two hats and a chicken outfit.

Modeled by sock monkey

Baby dream

Last night I dreamed that Emily had a baby girl! Any news to share with us, Emily? :)

"Prepared Childbirth"

Apparently I was on hiatus last week. I really didn't have anything to report. I took the entire week off from running and ate approximately 6 lbs. of peanut M&Ms. I can only think that all the candy I eat will make Val sweeter. On Friday night, Sweet LJ and I went with cousins to see Santaland Diaries. Funny show! If you don't plan to travel to Atlanta to see the play, you should read it, and then read all the other David Sedaris books.

On Saturday Sweet LJ and I went to a class offered by our hospital called "Prepared Childbirth." We could've gone for like 4 Thursdays for 2 hours each night, but we opted for the day-long, one-shot that lasted from 9 AM - 4 PM. (It was supposed to last until 5 PM, but I guess you can only be so prepared.)

Nurse Tory led the class, which consisted of a few childbirth videos, a tour of the labor and delivery parts of the hospital, Nurse Tory telling us how things will really be, and massage techniques our coaches should use on us while we're in labor. Our hospital is in midtown, and I thought my classmates would be much funnier than they were, given our urban location. They were pretty normal, but there still were a few entertaining moments:

• The guy who asked how long it would take "her stomach to be flat again"
  
• The guy who asked whether the nurses "would take care of it" or was he responsible for cleaning up the lochia. I guess he was hoping Nurse Tory would go home with them after the birth.
  
• Nurse Tory telling us that stage two contractions would "give us the business"
• The guy who texted through about 50% of the class

My husband did not text during the class or ask when my stomach was going to be flat again, because he knows better. He probably wanted to know whether my snoring will stop once the baby is born, but he didn't ask that, either. I do feel more prepared; mainly because I've seen where everything will happen. I remain calm when I think about the birth process and curious as to how everything will go.

Thanks, Val!

Dear sweet baby Val,

Thank you so much for moving off my sciatic nerve. I've been pain-free for about 3 weeks, and it's been glorious! I owe you a special treat! The deal is off, however, if you pinch it again, so try to be a good girl.

Love you,
Mom

Georgians, don't forget to vote!

Go vote! The future of the Senate is in your hands!

I'm so sick of the Chambliss-Martin commercials on TV--Chambliss hates soldiers and wants them to die in battle! Martin hates children and wants them to be prostitutes!--but I'll miss the evening phone calls from our pals Hillary, Bill, Al, and Barack. Who was stumping for the candidates yesterday? Well, you betcha, Sarah Palin was all over Georgia with Chambliss, and apparently Ludacris, Young Jeezy, and T.I. were at the capitol with Martin.

I'm also ready for this runoff to be over, because then maybe the governor will decide how much money he wants to take back from higher education to cover the budget shortfall, and whether I'll get my 2% raise. (It's all about me.)

Sweet Memory Lane

Carrying it on...

Do you remember when? Here are the rules:

1. As a comment on my blog, leave a memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you know me a little or a lot, anything you remember! If we're only blogging friends or if you're a blog hopper who happens upon my blog regularly...leave me a comment. There must be reason you keep stopping by! Say something! If you don't have a blog or don't know how to sign in, sign up for an account! You won't regret it!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog (if you have one) and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty fun to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll be sure to write one about you. . . either on your blog, in my comment box, or I will email you back!