"Everybody's Changing and I Don't Feel the Same..."

Well here we are; 33 weeks and 4 days. This baby is coming soon! I feel like my belly couldn't be growing faster and Baby O is quickly running out of room!

We had an ultrasound on Wednesday - an extra one because we were new to the doctor. Baby looks great! He is estimated to weigh 4 lbs 9 oz and measures in the 55th percentile. They got his gender right the first time - phew! His heart beat was 121 bpm which is kind of on the low side for how Baby O's heart beat has measured throughout the pregnancy. But, he was also napping (I believe) so I think that's what was going on - not that 121 BPM is anything to be concerned about anyway.

Our Baby Classes finished so great last weekend! We learned so much in the classes and they just helped us feel so much more capable to handle this whole thing. While there is still some anxiety, the extent of it is much more manageable. The instructor of our class is a registered doula and provided such wonderful information. One thing that was brought up throughout the course of the class is how labor and delivery can also be incredibly difficult for dads. As Ross and I discussed it more, we decided to hire a doula for our labor and delivery process. She will be able to provide relaxation and breathing techniques as well as alternative birthing positions and just overall support for us. I think this was particularly appealing to Ross; he feels like he will be able to be a better support to me throughout the process with someone there who can support him and who is experienced. I think it will help me in that there will be someone there who can help calm my fears, tell me what is normal, and help me to hopefully have a drug-free birth. We finalized everything with our doula on Thursday and are thrilled! We really like her and are excited to have her help us through the process. I'm sure she will be great!

Ross took Daddy Boot Camp on Saturday and really enjoyed the class. He got to change a diaper - although I think the Dad of the baby was being a helicopter and actually ended up taking over - but the experience was good anyway. He also had some good Dad discussion time and left with a really great book!

We got to take a tour of the hospital and their facilities and logistically things are really coming into place. Going into the Labor and Delivery Unit made me feel like I was going to school for the first day; so much unknown mixed with such excitement. I can't wait to meet this little man! I also can't believe that I have to do what I have to do in order to get him here! Oh boy...

Things are otherwise going well. We're loving the front range and being able to see friends and family. A dear friend is moving away and we are sad to see her go. We were able to spend a fun evening with her last night and she will be missed.

We are looking forward to these next few weeks; enjoying time together as just a couple before the next 30+ years of being a 2+ family. We have some exciting dates planned are also looking forward to celebrating our 4 year anniversary next month. Man how time flies!!!

Some Assembly Required

Ross here, hijacking the blog again.  When I was a kid, I always wondered why all the good toys came standard with the tagline "some assembly required".  It always concerned me, like what happens if I get that brand new bike out of the box, and my parent's can't assemble it?  Who puts a bike in a box anyways?

I'd be willing to wager that "some assembly required" has been a condition of the human experience since the beginning.  The colosseum?  Some assembly required.  Pyramids?  Some assembly required.  Need a barn to house your horses so you can plow your way to a meager existence in the hills of turn of the century Nebraska?  I'll bet you can guess where this is going.  And I'm fully aware there aren't really hills in Nebraska, nor did they even call it that at the turn of the century, but let's pretend.

It never occurred to me that this "Some Assembly Required" thing sort of goes along with being a parent.  I never realized as a kid that my dad had probably had oodles of experience putting stuff together for me long before I even thought about something as elementary as breathing.

So as a matter of fact, Heidi and I spent the weekend preparing for all those treehouses and Christmas toys in the future by assembling Baby O's crib and changing table.  This is in addition to the book shelf, the toy cube thingo, the dresser (that was absurdly hard to put together) and the cradle.  I've got blisters on these fingers!

And as a side note, I happened to observe that our child now has nicer furniture than we do, and he's still swimming in blissful ignorance that I can now get my Graduate Equivalency in infant furniture assembly.   (Full disclosure, my good friend Jason came up with that line about "nicer furniture".  I thought it was so clever I'd steal it)

So having said all that, I'm sure Heidi will be along in a day or two with a new belly picture, and information on the cutesy decor with which the crib is festooned.  In the meanwhile, here's some pictures.

8 weeks left

I'm astonished how quickly this pregnancy has gone! As of yesterday, I'm 32 weeks and have 56 days left until D Day (or supposed D Day). Baby O is growing, growing. I feel my body has returned to the exhaustion of the first trimester and getting out of bed each morning has yet again become an overwhelming chore. I have also returned to the 3+ trips to the bathroom per night making my sleep very, very unrestful. My belly feels stretched to the brim...cause it is...and it seems as though I can feel every single one of his movements. No stretch marks yet, but I'm not holding my breath. I'm sure they'll come.

We met our new doctor on June 1st. He seems like he'll be great. Our previous doctor set a very high standard and I still miss him; I wish we would have been able to go through the entire thing with him. I hope that I'm just as satisfied at the new place, but it's hard to tell after one visit. We go back next Wednesday for an ultrasound. I think they want to estimate his weight. I think it'll be fun to have another ultrasound - those are always fun - but I think he's probably big enough at this point that we won't be able to see much.

We started Baby Class last weekend and it was amazing. Up until that point I had felt so completely overwhelmed at the prospect of bringing a baby home. How was I qualified for this? What frame of reference do I have to make good decisions? How do I know what I want my birth plan to be if I've never done this before? Well, after the class, I feel so much better. It's taught by a certified doula who has been practicing at the hospital we'll deliver at for like 20 years. She also has 4 kids or something like that. There were 5 other couples in our class and everyone seemed nice. We really enjoyed learning and are excited to go back this week!

I don't have my typical black pants/black top belly picture, but I do have some fun pics. My doctor approved me going back to kickboxing (with limitations of course). I'm thrilled to be back occasionally; it was such a fun hobby for me in the past and I'm glad to be back. I also enjoy the socialization aspect. Plus, my friend who is also pregnant and due 3 or 4 days before me is also there. We have fun :)