wow. so we've made it to thanksgiving! only 5 weeks left of this pregnancy, and i can hardly believe it. our holiday baby will be here so very soon!
a few things i'm grateful for:
1. my wonderful husband and soon-to-be daddy. dave is the best thing that can happen to this kid. and to me. =)
2. our family and friends, for their love, support, generosity, and serious excitement for these past months. i know they're just as excited as we are to meet baby block and to see what he/she is like.
3. elevators. man, do i hate stairs these days.
4. the movement of baby block. feeling him/her is the one amazingly bright spot in this pregnancy -- and i feel her several times a day, every day. it always makes me smile.
5. that this pregnancy is almost over!! ok, so i'm not the biggest fan of being pregnant. but really, i just want to meet our baby. i'm getting more excited every day.
happy thanksgiving everyone!!!
Thursday, November 27, 2008
35 weeks -- baby block is a honeydew!
not exactly timely for thanksgiving, but fun nonetheless!
from babycenter.com:
How your baby's growing:
Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). 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.
See what your baby looks like this week.
How your life's changing:
Your uterus — which was entirely tucked away inside your pelvis when you conceived — now reaches up under your rib cage. If you could peek inside your womb, you'd see that there's more baby than amniotic fluid in there now. Your ballooning uterus is crowding your other internal organs, too, which is why you probably have to urinate more often and may be dealing with heartburn and other gastrointestinal distress. If you're not grappling with these annoyances, you're one of the lucky few.
From here on out, you'll start seeing your practitioner every week. Sometime between now and 37 weeks, she'll do a vaginal and rectal culture to check for bacteria called Group B streptococci (GBS). (Don't worry — the swab is the size of a regular cotton swab, and it won't hurt at all.) GBS is usually harmless in adults, but if you have it and pass it on to your baby during birth, it can cause serious complications, such as pneumonia, meningitis, or a blood infection. Because 10 to 30 percent of pregnant women have the bacteria and don't know it, it's vital to be screened. (The bacteria come and go on their own — that's why you weren't screened earlier in pregnancy.) If you're a GBS carrier, you'll get IV antibiotics during labor, which will greatly reduce your baby's risk of infection.
This is also a good time to create a birth plan. Using our form will help you focus on specifics — like who'll be present, what pain management techniques you want to try, and where you want your baby to stay after you deliver. It will give you a starting point to discuss your preferences with your medical team. Childbirth is unpredictable, and chances are you won't follow your plan to the letter, but thinking about your choices ahead of time — and sharing your preferences with your caregiver — should take some of the anxiety out of the process.
from babycenter.com:
How your baby's growing:
Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). 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.
See what your baby looks like this week.
How your life's changing:
Your uterus — which was entirely tucked away inside your pelvis when you conceived — now reaches up under your rib cage. If you could peek inside your womb, you'd see that there's more baby than amniotic fluid in there now. Your ballooning uterus is crowding your other internal organs, too, which is why you probably have to urinate more often and may be dealing with heartburn and other gastrointestinal distress. If you're not grappling with these annoyances, you're one of the lucky few.
From here on out, you'll start seeing your practitioner every week. Sometime between now and 37 weeks, she'll do a vaginal and rectal culture to check for bacteria called Group B streptococci (GBS). (Don't worry — the swab is the size of a regular cotton swab, and it won't hurt at all.) GBS is usually harmless in adults, but if you have it and pass it on to your baby during birth, it can cause serious complications, such as pneumonia, meningitis, or a blood infection. Because 10 to 30 percent of pregnant women have the bacteria and don't know it, it's vital to be screened. (The bacteria come and go on their own — that's why you weren't screened earlier in pregnancy.) If you're a GBS carrier, you'll get IV antibiotics during labor, which will greatly reduce your baby's risk of infection.
This is also a good time to create a birth plan. Using our form will help you focus on specifics — like who'll be present, what pain management techniques you want to try, and where you want your baby to stay after you deliver. It will give you a starting point to discuss your preferences with your medical team. Childbirth is unpredictable, and chances are you won't follow your plan to the letter, but thinking about your choices ahead of time — and sharing your preferences with your caregiver — should take some of the anxiety out of the process.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
pediatrician, bugaboo, and all other things baby
so i'm trying my damdest to get things done today, since i wasn't feeling well over the weekend or yesterday (cold). i seem to be succeeding, which is exciting!
first of all, if you guys didn't know, we had a huge issue with our bugaboo cameleon stroller that FINALLY got resolved. basically, the company it was ordered from shipped us our stroller and fabric, or so we thought... the box that was supposed to contain our stroller parts was missing the chassis and wheels. basically, the stroller part of the stroller! after over a month of going back and forth between the company that it was ordered from and bugaboo's nyc headquarters, we finally received the chassis and wheels last week. i had the opportunity to take them out today, do some minor assembly, and try it all out. it's so great to have all of it, and it's so awesome! thanks again barb!
second, i got the opportunity today to call for a pediatric consultation. we're going with dr. cao at park slope pediatrics, who comes very well recommended and is supposed to be wonderful. the consultation is friday, dec. 19th, so i'm hoping that goes well -- it's so close to the due date!
now i'm just getting my thank you notes ready to mail out, washing the baby's clothes and blankets, and trying to just get everything put away in this apartment.
just about 5 weeks now kids! scary!
first of all, if you guys didn't know, we had a huge issue with our bugaboo cameleon stroller that FINALLY got resolved. basically, the company it was ordered from shipped us our stroller and fabric, or so we thought... the box that was supposed to contain our stroller parts was missing the chassis and wheels. basically, the stroller part of the stroller! after over a month of going back and forth between the company that it was ordered from and bugaboo's nyc headquarters, we finally received the chassis and wheels last week. i had the opportunity to take them out today, do some minor assembly, and try it all out. it's so great to have all of it, and it's so awesome! thanks again barb!
second, i got the opportunity today to call for a pediatric consultation. we're going with dr. cao at park slope pediatrics, who comes very well recommended and is supposed to be wonderful. the consultation is friday, dec. 19th, so i'm hoping that goes well -- it's so close to the due date!
now i'm just getting my thank you notes ready to mail out, washing the baby's clothes and blankets, and trying to just get everything put away in this apartment.
just about 5 weeks now kids! scary!
Thursday, November 20, 2008
midwife visit today, and the handing-over of the birth plan
so i'm finally handing over a birth plan to my midwives today for review. should be interesting... i'm hoping to get their input on some things.
the hospital tour went really well. it was very informative and really helped our confidence level with the process -- the staff was great, friendly, and very willing to answer our questions in an honest but amusing way, which i really appreciated. the birthing rooms at methodist are quite nice (well, for birthing rooms). they try really hard to make them homey and welcoming, with traditional-wood-faced furniture that hides all the equipment and such. they're quite large too. not that i need all that much room, but it's nice to know that i can walk around and not feel cooped-up or claustrophobic.
the maternity nurses were great and the nursery looks sweet and welcoming. methodist is also very "pro-baby", so they're good about encouraging breast feeding, rooming-in, etc. it's nice to know i won't have to fight for any of that.
wow. only 6 weeks. panic is starting to set in...
the hospital tour went really well. it was very informative and really helped our confidence level with the process -- the staff was great, friendly, and very willing to answer our questions in an honest but amusing way, which i really appreciated. the birthing rooms at methodist are quite nice (well, for birthing rooms). they try really hard to make them homey and welcoming, with traditional-wood-faced furniture that hides all the equipment and such. they're quite large too. not that i need all that much room, but it's nice to know that i can walk around and not feel cooped-up or claustrophobic.
the maternity nurses were great and the nursery looks sweet and welcoming. methodist is also very "pro-baby", so they're good about encouraging breast feeding, rooming-in, etc. it's nice to know i won't have to fight for any of that.
wow. only 6 weeks. panic is starting to set in...
34 weeks -- baby block is a cantaloupe!
i love cantaloupe! especially with prosciutto. mmmmm....
from babycenter.com:
How your baby's growing:
Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.
See what your baby looks like this week.
How your life's changing:
By this week, fatigue has probably set in again, though maybe not with the same coma-like intensity of your first trimester. Your tiredness is perfectly understandable, given the physical strain you're under and the restless nights of frequent pee breaks and tossing and turning, while trying to get comfortable. Now's the time to slow down and save up your energy for labor day (and beyond). If you've been sitting or lying down for a long time, don't jump up too quickly. Blood can pool in your feet and legs, causing a temporary drop in your blood pressure when you get up that can make you feel dizzy.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
drumroll please... office/nursery photos, complete with crib!
yay! the crib arrived! when mom and dad purchased it for us, mom ordered assembly with the delivery -- so the gentleman arrived today and assembled it for us. it's all together and looks awesome in the room.
since dave and i have done so much work on the office/nursery space in the last couple of months, and i hadn't taken any photos yet, i just decided to take pics of the whole room together. there are a few things left to do, like getting the graphic for the wall above the crib and finishing off the closet so we can store more items in there. but other than that, we're done! and i am so happy with how it came out.
check it all out below!
a look inside the office/nursery from the living room.
when you open the door, you see my work space directly in front of you. we got a new desk to fit in the smaller space, and i scored a great chair that i'm totally in love with. the area rug is made up from floor tiles from FLOR. it worked out perfectly.
if you turn to your right, you'll see the baby's chest of drawers in front of you. the curtains are on both the windows and the closet, since there wasn't enough space to constantly open/close a door. all the curtains and the chest are from ikea.
putting together the items on top of the chest has been fun! the lamp was mine in the space already, and has a fun drawn city scene on it. the piggy bank is from aunt loren, the growth chart is from aunt carrie. the dark basket on the left is filled with books, all of which are from the syracuse girls. and the basket on the right has our froggy and duckie sock puppets in it (thank you uncle howie and aunt helene!) as well as a couple of other fun items from the shower.
YAY!!! OUR CRIB!!! i'm so excited about this. the crib is the oslo crib by berg. we got it in a cognac finish with white gates and nobs (that's a storage drawer underneath, handy for bedding and blankets).
the crib skirt and crib blanket (which is backed by a soft fleece) are custom-made by etsy seller swell-by-stephanie. the fabric is from ikea. i just love that it's gray and white, nice and neutral and looks great with all the colors in the room. thanks for the bedding aunt joan!
this shot is just to show what's left to do -- the wall above the crib really needs the graphic. as soon as we get that, we'll be set.
i'm so excited to have this room together, and it looks even better than i thought it would. yay!
since dave and i have done so much work on the office/nursery space in the last couple of months, and i hadn't taken any photos yet, i just decided to take pics of the whole room together. there are a few things left to do, like getting the graphic for the wall above the crib and finishing off the closet so we can store more items in there. but other than that, we're done! and i am so happy with how it came out.
check it all out below!
a look inside the office/nursery from the living room.
when you open the door, you see my work space directly in front of you. we got a new desk to fit in the smaller space, and i scored a great chair that i'm totally in love with. the area rug is made up from floor tiles from FLOR. it worked out perfectly.
if you turn to your right, you'll see the baby's chest of drawers in front of you. the curtains are on both the windows and the closet, since there wasn't enough space to constantly open/close a door. all the curtains and the chest are from ikea.
putting together the items on top of the chest has been fun! the lamp was mine in the space already, and has a fun drawn city scene on it. the piggy bank is from aunt loren, the growth chart is from aunt carrie. the dark basket on the left is filled with books, all of which are from the syracuse girls. and the basket on the right has our froggy and duckie sock puppets in it (thank you uncle howie and aunt helene!) as well as a couple of other fun items from the shower.
YAY!!! OUR CRIB!!! i'm so excited about this. the crib is the oslo crib by berg. we got it in a cognac finish with white gates and nobs (that's a storage drawer underneath, handy for bedding and blankets).
the crib skirt and crib blanket (which is backed by a soft fleece) are custom-made by etsy seller swell-by-stephanie. the fabric is from ikea. i just love that it's gray and white, nice and neutral and looks great with all the colors in the room. thanks for the bedding aunt joan!
this shot is just to show what's left to do -- the wall above the crib really needs the graphic. as soon as we get that, we'll be set.i'm so excited to have this room together, and it looks even better than i thought it would. yay!
NYC shower pics!
ok, the much awaited NYC shower photos are finally here! sorry for the delay -- it's been ridiculous around here in the last two weeks. but i stole some time today and i'm ready to post.
these are not ALL the photos that were taken -- and of course, a lot of them came out blurry. but it's a good smattering of images from the day to tell the story. enjoy!
carrie and loren putting together the centerpieces -- flowers in colored baby bottles. fun!
kelly and suzanne's gift -- a HUGE diaper cake with all sorts of goodies. kelly made it herself.
centerpieces.
centerpieces.
my kick-ass cake. if you can't read it, it says "welcome to the block!" hehehehe... lucy came up with that. and it was super-yummy too.
my pile o' gifts. there was a lot to get through. everyone was TOO generous.
enjoying the opening.
my shawl (a gift from carrie last summer) matches the wrapping paper! funny!
the blanket from the bedding that i had custom ordered, and aunt joan bought. the fabric is from ikea.
the piggy bank from loren. it's orange with white polka dots!
my mom had already given us a gift (she purchased the crib for us), but she decided to give us a more "adult" present at the shower. ha! i think this one was really for dave. =)
tara, rachel, and me.
loren and carrie taking the opportunity to do a snapshot with my camera. =D
danielle, jen, me, and michelle.
inna, loren, me, and carrie.
mom and i took photos together at her house after the party, in front of my bassinet (which is still at her house). i really enjoyed the series of photos...
thanks again mom. it was a great day.
there are some special gifts that are missing in these photos, such as a handmade knit turtle from michelle, a growth chart from carrie, and a scrapbook/album from aunt susan. of course, the pics of the crib from mom and dad will be taken as soon as it gets here!
these are not ALL the photos that were taken -- and of course, a lot of them came out blurry. but it's a good smattering of images from the day to tell the story. enjoy!
carrie and loren putting together the centerpieces -- flowers in colored baby bottles. fun!
kelly and suzanne's gift -- a HUGE diaper cake with all sorts of goodies. kelly made it herself.
centerpieces.
centerpieces.
my kick-ass cake. if you can't read it, it says "welcome to the block!" hehehehe... lucy came up with that. and it was super-yummy too.
my pile o' gifts. there was a lot to get through. everyone was TOO generous.
enjoying the opening.
my shawl (a gift from carrie last summer) matches the wrapping paper! funny!
the blanket from the bedding that i had custom ordered, and aunt joan bought. the fabric is from ikea.
the piggy bank from loren. it's orange with white polka dots!
my mom had already given us a gift (she purchased the crib for us), but she decided to give us a more "adult" present at the shower. ha! i think this one was really for dave. =)
tara, rachel, and me.
loren and carrie taking the opportunity to do a snapshot with my camera. =D
danielle, jen, me, and michelle.
inna, loren, me, and carrie.
mom and i took photos together at her house after the party, in front of my bassinet (which is still at her house). i really enjoyed the series of photos...
thanks again mom. it was a great day.there are some special gifts that are missing in these photos, such as a handmade knit turtle from michelle, a growth chart from carrie, and a scrapbook/album from aunt susan. of course, the pics of the crib from mom and dad will be taken as soon as it gets here!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
so much to do, so little time...
ok. i'm now 6.5 weeks away from the due date. and i definitely feel like i'm running out of time to do everything that needs to get done. besides baby-readying to do around the house, i have about 5 projects to tend to, as well as other things to get done.
dave and i did a lot of work around the house this past weekend, which i'm still rounding out. we put up some more artwork, finished patching the wall in the nursery (which i've since painted), put up the curtains in the office/nursery, etc. i'm still painting our shoe rack in the entry way so that it's colorful and bright. and tomorrow the crib arrives!!! this is why we really wanted to get some of this big stuff done and out of the way, in time for the crib arrival. when it's here and set up, i'll take pics. =)
we have our hospital tour this evening at 6. i'm pretty happy to be doing this -- we have to get it done, and i have a lot of questions that need to be answered. such as...
1. how much does a private room cost?
2. do you have an easy way to donate cord blood?
3. where do we park/enter on our arrival for easiest access?
4. can we put in an immediate request for a lactation consultant (either now or upon our arrival) so that we can have one right away as soon as the birth is over?
5. are there any forms that we can fill out ahead of time so that we don't have to do it when we arrive?
6. rules for family/friends/general visitors?
7. what kind of birthing equipment is available (birthing ball, squat bar, bath in room, etc.)
i already know that there are questions about my hospital stay that i'll ask my midwife about, such as intermittent vs. constant monitoring, eating, etc.
does anyone else have ideas of what to ask tonight?
Thursday, November 13, 2008
33 weeks -- baby block is a pineapple
ok, we like pineapple. not very seasonal, but...
from babycenter.com:
How your baby's growing: This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood. See what your baby looks like this week. How your life's changing:
As your baby fills out even more of your belly, lots of things might start to change: Whereas before you were sashaying, you may find yourself waddling. Finding an easy position to sit in — let alone sleep — is becoming more of a challenge. And bumping into chairs and counters is par for the course.
from babycenter.com:
How your baby's growing: This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood. See what your baby looks like this week. How your life's changing:
As your baby fills out even more of your belly, lots of things might start to change: Whereas before you were sashaying, you may find yourself waddling. Finding an easy position to sit in — let alone sleep — is becoming more of a challenge. And bumping into chairs and counters is par for the course.
Monday, November 10, 2008
baby shower yesterday!
i will be back later with details and photos from my NYC baby shower yesterday. but i wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who attended and made the day so special. and a BIG, HUGE thank you to my mom for throwing the shower. she is clearly a proud and excited grandmother and i'm so grateful to her for everything she has done.
thanks mom. you're the best. =D
thanks mom. you're the best. =D
Thursday, November 6, 2008
32 weeks -- baby block is a large jicama.
aw... too bad this is not a very ethnic child. LOL...
from babycenter.com:
How your baby's growing:
By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.
See what your baby looks like this week.
How your life's changing:
To accommodate you and your baby's growing needs, your blood volume has increased 40 to 50 percent since you got pregnant. With your uterus pushing up near your diaphragm and crowding your stomach, the consequences may be shortness of breath and heartburn. To help relieve your discomfort, try sleeping propped up with pillows and eating smaller meals more often.
You may have lower-back pain as your pregnancy advances. If you do, let your caregiver know right away, particularly if you haven't had back pain before, since it can be a sign of preterm labor.
Assuming it's not preterm labor that's ailing you, you can probably blame your growing uterus and hormonal changes for your aching back. Your expanding uterus shifts your center of gravity and stretches out and weakens your abdominal muscles, changing your posture and putting a strain on your back. Hormonal changes in pregnancy loosen your joints and the ligaments that attach your pelvic bones to your spine. This can make you feel less stable and cause pain when you walk, stand, sit for long periods, roll over in bed, get out of a low chair or the tub, bend, or lift things.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
i think baby block is secretly saying this today...
... in the womb. that's right. chip off the ol' block...
Sunday, November 2, 2008
only 2 months out...
yep. we're only 2 months away from welcoming baby block. i can't even express how excited and scared we are at the same time.
lately i've been doing a lot of watching of my belly. you can watch the baby move around in there, trying to get comfy. it's really very entertaining! i never ever get sick of feeling baby block move, kick, or hiccup. if i could feel her every day since the beginning, it would have made this whole roller coaster ride a lot more enjoyable. =)
i'm growing all the time now, and so begins the things pregnant women speak of all the time. i'm having trouble putting on socks for my shoes -- and most of my shoes worn now are slip-ons so that i don't have to bend over too much. ha! i'm not able to see my feet when i look straight down. there's a little one constantly sitting on my bladder, which is a pain at night. and i'm certainly getting tired more easily, and small things wear me out that never would have worn me out before.
overall, i'd say i'm still kinda small, but apparently not to everyone. the other day i went into motherhood maternity to get a couple more items for the winter, and grandma maria joined me. there were only 2 other people in the store -- another fellow preggo and her aunt. at one point, i stepped out of the dressing room with one of the tops i was trying on, and the aunt looked at me and said it wasn't good, because it accentuated the belly. i'm 8 months pregnant, of course it accentuated the belly! so i laughed that off... but THEN, she asked how far along i was. when i told her, she said, "wow, you're HUGE!" you can imagine how my face fell. the poor fellow preggo in the dressing room next to me started to yell at her aunt, and apologized to me for her. but damage was already done... i pouted my way around the store for the rest of the time. =(
here's a good lesson -- never tell a pregnant woman she's huge! i in fact know i'm not, and that i've been carrying rather small overall. but still, it hurt. stupid woman...
anyway, i'm feeling rather nervous most days now about what's coming. dave and i have a lot of studying to do, and we have a lot of questions to ask. but we're moving forward -- as if we have a choice -- and are really looking forward to meeting our little one.
2 months!
lately i've been doing a lot of watching of my belly. you can watch the baby move around in there, trying to get comfy. it's really very entertaining! i never ever get sick of feeling baby block move, kick, or hiccup. if i could feel her every day since the beginning, it would have made this whole roller coaster ride a lot more enjoyable. =)
i'm growing all the time now, and so begins the things pregnant women speak of all the time. i'm having trouble putting on socks for my shoes -- and most of my shoes worn now are slip-ons so that i don't have to bend over too much. ha! i'm not able to see my feet when i look straight down. there's a little one constantly sitting on my bladder, which is a pain at night. and i'm certainly getting tired more easily, and small things wear me out that never would have worn me out before.
overall, i'd say i'm still kinda small, but apparently not to everyone. the other day i went into motherhood maternity to get a couple more items for the winter, and grandma maria joined me. there were only 2 other people in the store -- another fellow preggo and her aunt. at one point, i stepped out of the dressing room with one of the tops i was trying on, and the aunt looked at me and said it wasn't good, because it accentuated the belly. i'm 8 months pregnant, of course it accentuated the belly! so i laughed that off... but THEN, she asked how far along i was. when i told her, she said, "wow, you're HUGE!" you can imagine how my face fell. the poor fellow preggo in the dressing room next to me started to yell at her aunt, and apologized to me for her. but damage was already done... i pouted my way around the store for the rest of the time. =(
here's a good lesson -- never tell a pregnant woman she's huge! i in fact know i'm not, and that i've been carrying rather small overall. but still, it hurt. stupid woman...
anyway, i'm feeling rather nervous most days now about what's coming. dave and i have a lot of studying to do, and we have a lot of questions to ask. but we're moving forward -- as if we have a choice -- and are really looking forward to meeting our little one.
2 months!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
31 weeks -- baby block is 4 navel oranges
ha! guess they're running out of singular items that are the same size...
from babycenter.com:
How your baby's growing:
This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.
See what your baby looks like this week.
from babycenter.com:
How your baby's growing:
This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.
See what your baby looks like this week.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
happy birthday dave!
cross-post warning! but it's dave's birthday, so i don't care...
i love this card, and i wish i had seen it in time for my wonderful husband's birthday.
happy birthday dave! i hope it's everything you want it to be. (and enjoy your last birthday before parenthood!!)
card from etsy seller letterary press.
i love this card, and i wish i had seen it in time for my wonderful husband's birthday.
happy birthday dave! i hope it's everything you want it to be. (and enjoy your last birthday before parenthood!!)
card from etsy seller letterary press.
Friday, October 24, 2008
work after mommyhood
this relates to a comment left by my friend and fellow stationer, erin mccall, on my post below. just so everyone knows what she said:
Hey Nic:
I'd love to hear what your plans are (business-wise) for when the baby comes. As a fellow indie designer, I'd love to know what you will be doing. Are you going to tell your clients you're off for a while? Work right away after he/she is born? It's not something I have to deal with now, but it's something I've often wondered about. "The logistics of being self-employed as a designer while raising a baby/child!"
Take care,
Erin
this is something that i thought an awful lot about before we even decided to try for a baby. my work is very important to me, even though i don't have a monetarily successful business right now. but i'm proud of the work i do, i want it to grow, and i have an INCREDIBLY supportive husband who is willing to continue with the sacrifices we've been making so that i can continue to move forward.
thankfully, we have families on both sides that are just so excited for the arrival of our child. and my mom, being both nearby and awfully generous, offered a long time ago to help with childcare during the week so that i could take a few days to work.
so we have a plan. i'm going to stop working in early december, since i'll be in my 9th month during holiday season (which i feel will be stressful enough without also working on top of it). i've let my clients and my collegues know this, so that i won't surprise anyone. there will also be a notice put up on my blog and on my website.
until then, i'm working with my clients to finish their jobs in time, as well as working on my own stationery for my etsy store. i want to get enough stuff in my store that could be purchased from me while i'm on "maternity leave" -- which, since i work on my own, is clearly an unpaid leave. hopefully that will help us have some extra funds in the beginning. additionally, i'm going to be launching a new "base" website in the new year to bring new and more diverse design work my way, to grow the business potential.
and yes, i'm taking a leave from work. i have enough kids in my life to know that getting back to work right after childbirth is just not in the cards! i need time to bond with our baby, get the kid on a schedule, and figure out how to function with a new little life in our home. however, i'm hoping that my leave can be ended in march, when i can get back to work in time for wedding season. and a couple of my current clients will be holdovers until the spring for some other items, so that will also help. in getting back to work, i'm not sure how long it will take to be on a 3 day schedule, but as soon as i'm ready for that my mom will be helping out by taking the baby off my hands for those days -- so i can concentrate and get my work done without baby block crying in the background.
in the end, i just want to make sure that i keep certain parts of my identity. my work and my willingness to grow as a professional is very important to me. but so is being a present mom. i'm actually hoping that having just those 3 short days a week will actually propel me forward in my career -- doing it for myself as well as to be a great role model for my kid. and at the same time, i can keep quite a flexible schedule so that i can spend a ton of time with baby block, take her to school and pick her up, etc. it's ideal if we can make it work, so dave and i are going for it.
Hey Nic:
I'd love to hear what your plans are (business-wise) for when the baby comes. As a fellow indie designer, I'd love to know what you will be doing. Are you going to tell your clients you're off for a while? Work right away after he/she is born? It's not something I have to deal with now, but it's something I've often wondered about. "The logistics of being self-employed as a designer while raising a baby/child!"
Take care,
Erin
this is something that i thought an awful lot about before we even decided to try for a baby. my work is very important to me, even though i don't have a monetarily successful business right now. but i'm proud of the work i do, i want it to grow, and i have an INCREDIBLY supportive husband who is willing to continue with the sacrifices we've been making so that i can continue to move forward.
thankfully, we have families on both sides that are just so excited for the arrival of our child. and my mom, being both nearby and awfully generous, offered a long time ago to help with childcare during the week so that i could take a few days to work.
so we have a plan. i'm going to stop working in early december, since i'll be in my 9th month during holiday season (which i feel will be stressful enough without also working on top of it). i've let my clients and my collegues know this, so that i won't surprise anyone. there will also be a notice put up on my blog and on my website.
until then, i'm working with my clients to finish their jobs in time, as well as working on my own stationery for my etsy store. i want to get enough stuff in my store that could be purchased from me while i'm on "maternity leave" -- which, since i work on my own, is clearly an unpaid leave. hopefully that will help us have some extra funds in the beginning. additionally, i'm going to be launching a new "base" website in the new year to bring new and more diverse design work my way, to grow the business potential.
and yes, i'm taking a leave from work. i have enough kids in my life to know that getting back to work right after childbirth is just not in the cards! i need time to bond with our baby, get the kid on a schedule, and figure out how to function with a new little life in our home. however, i'm hoping that my leave can be ended in march, when i can get back to work in time for wedding season. and a couple of my current clients will be holdovers until the spring for some other items, so that will also help. in getting back to work, i'm not sure how long it will take to be on a 3 day schedule, but as soon as i'm ready for that my mom will be helping out by taking the baby off my hands for those days -- so i can concentrate and get my work done without baby block crying in the background.
in the end, i just want to make sure that i keep certain parts of my identity. my work and my willingness to grow as a professional is very important to me. but so is being a present mom. i'm actually hoping that having just those 3 short days a week will actually propel me forward in my career -- doing it for myself as well as to be a great role model for my kid. and at the same time, i can keep quite a flexible schedule so that i can spend a ton of time with baby block, take her to school and pick her up, etc. it's ideal if we can make it work, so dave and i are going for it.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
30 weeks -- baby block is a head of cabbage
yep, this kid is getting big!!
from babycenter.com:
How your baby's growing:
Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)
See what your baby looks like this week.
Note: Every baby develops a little differently — even in the womb. Our information is designed to give you a general idea of your baby's development.
How your life's changing:
You may be feeling a little tired these days, especially if you're having trouble sleeping. You might also feel clumsier than normal, which is perfectly understandable. Not only are you heavier, but the concentration of weight in your pregnant belly causes a shift in your center of gravity. Plus, thanks to hormonal changes, your ligaments are more lax, so your joints are looser, which may also contribute to your balance being a bit off. Also, this relaxation of your ligaments can actually cause your feet to spread permanently, so you may have to invest in some new shoes in a bigger size.
i would like to note that i am indeed ridiculously klutzy these days. i have, in the past couple of weeks, fallen pretty badly, dropped a glass, and cut my finger pretty deep. at this rate, i don't know what i'll look like come delivery.
from babycenter.com:
How your baby's growing:
Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)
See what your baby looks like this week.
Note: Every baby develops a little differently — even in the womb. Our information is designed to give you a general idea of your baby's development.
How your life's changing:
You may be feeling a little tired these days, especially if you're having trouble sleeping. You might also feel clumsier than normal, which is perfectly understandable. Not only are you heavier, but the concentration of weight in your pregnant belly causes a shift in your center of gravity. Plus, thanks to hormonal changes, your ligaments are more lax, so your joints are looser, which may also contribute to your balance being a bit off. Also, this relaxation of your ligaments can actually cause your feet to spread permanently, so you may have to invest in some new shoes in a bigger size.
i would like to note that i am indeed ridiculously klutzy these days. i have, in the past couple of weeks, fallen pretty badly, dropped a glass, and cut my finger pretty deep. at this rate, i don't know what i'll look like come delivery.
Monday, October 20, 2008
just politics? or spreading prejudice?
ok, ok. this is our baby blog. but a lot of what i've been seeing lately from this political race is disconcerting for baby block's future world.
finally, someone said it. said what dave and i have been shouting at the television like crazy people for weeks. colin powell, after coming out with an endorsement for barack obama yesterday morning, said that he was troubled by the racist and prejudiced tones coming from the republican side.
from the AP:
Powell also said he was troubled that some Republicans — he excluded McCain — continue to say or allow others to say that Obama is a Muslim, when he is a Christian. Such rhetoric is polarizing, he said.
finally, someone said it. said what dave and i have been shouting at the television like crazy people for weeks. colin powell, after coming out with an endorsement for barack obama yesterday morning, said that he was troubled by the racist and prejudiced tones coming from the republican side.
from the AP:
Powell also said he was troubled that some Republicans — he excluded McCain — continue to say or allow others to say that Obama is a Muslim, when he is a Christian. Such rhetoric is polarizing, he said.
"He's always been a Christian. But the really right answer is, what if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer's no, that's not America," Powell said. "Is there something wrong with some 7-year-old Muslim-American kid believing that he or she could be president?"
i feel as though no one -- no media, no one from the obama campaign -- no one has said this before. at least not outloud.
yes, barack obama's color has been brought up, and how the phrase "paling around with terrorists" plays into people's fears. and of course, all of that is true. but why oh why has no one said, no, he's not a muslim, but who cares if he was? to that woman who stood up at the mccain rally and said, "he's an arab," john mccain said that he's not, and said that he is a good man. i'm glad he finally said something to these crazy people. however, the phrase "he's not an arab, he's a good man," doesn't exactly give a ringing endorsement to arabs. since when are arabs NOT good people? well, for some, arab=muslim=terrorist, and to not put that comparison down is a way of fueling that fear. be it conscious or unconscious.
obama has to worry about losing voters due to racism and prejudice. but clearly, it's not just a black thing. it's a muslim thing. it's an arab thing. and i think that it's very sad but very true. and i fear for the way our children will be taught to see things.
dave and i will make sure we give the gift of diversity to our child. it's hard to escape, since we've chosen to move into a neighborhood that is extremely diverse. kensington and ditmas park are populated by pakistani muslims, orthodox jews, black, white, asian, etc. last tuesday night our pakistani neighbors down the hall had a celebration for breaking the fast for ramadan, and the next night an orthodox jewish gentleman actually came to our door and did a succot blessing with me, leading me in a prayer and explaining the ritual. i thought, wow, i hope all of this happens again next year when baby block is here! but not everyone is so fortunate to have so much cultural diversity in their lives. and i hope those people reinforce equality with their children. because the betterment of our world depends on it.
no matter who you choose to vote for, republican or democrat, i urge you -- for my kid's sake as well as yours -- to fight this prejudice. remind everyone around you that muslim or arab does NOT equal dangerous. remind them that this country is built on the ability for everyone from every background to have a chance at something great in their life. that does not exclude muslims, arabs, middle easterners any more than it would exclude jews, catholics, asians, black, white, etc.
and thank you, colin powell.
Friday, October 17, 2008
nursery wall art
oy. my ongoing issue in our home is wall art. what to hang? should i make it myself? this is a problem everywhere in our home, and it has now extended into the office/nursery.
we only have one wall to worry about -- the wall above the crib. i definitely want to put something on there, but what? pictures in frames would be too easy to reach or fall when the baby gets bigger. a mural is too difficult for me to paint right now. so, that leaves us with wall decals.
i was going to design my own wall decal, but i'm quickly running out of time and energy. so today i did a quick hunt for wall decals and found some really great ones. maybe we'll go with one of these?
where has the week gone?
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it's actually been a tough week on my end. a bit of stress here, a bit of stress there. my back is really starting to bug me, which is bothersome -- i can't find a comfortable sitting position for any length of time. and since growing YET AGAIN, i'm having a harder and harder time moving around and doing physical things.
but, in all of this, there are a number of silver linings.
first, baby block is stronger and more active than ever. i love that. feeling him/her bounce around in there is such a great thing. so nice to have company during the day too!
second, we did continue to receive some wonderful gifts, and i put a couple of them together -- our swing-seat and sleep sheep were purchased for the baby from aunt pearl, and i put the seat together. and as formerly stated, we had received our high chair, and i put that together myself this week. it looks so great in the dining room! and it actually matches really well -- totally unplanned, mind you, but perfect.
also, we received the carpet tiles that we ordered for the office/nursery rug from flor. this was totally the best way to go! the room is about 8.2 ft wide x 12.8 ft long. so an 8x10 rug would have covered the room unevenly. plus, we couldn't find a rug that would go with our nursery color scheme without being too drab, or within our price range. so i decided to try flor carpet tiles. i received some samples first of some of their most economical tiles in the desired colors -- rust, blue, green, and charcoal grey. dave and i liked how they all looked together, and i designed the rug online to fit our room size and theme. it was so perfect for us -- we ordered a rug that will be 6.5 ft wide x 9.8 ft. long when put together, which will be large enough for the room but still leaves our hardwood floors visible underneath. perfect!
the floor tiles arrived this week and they're awesome. the basic scheme for the rug is in the image above. we'll put them in the space tomorrow and have everything in the room ready to go so that whenever the crib comes in, the room will be ready for it.
i will take photos of all our fun new stuff this weekend and post them.
now, if only i could straighten out the issues with our Bugaboo stroller, life would be great (long story, to be told at another time).
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