Week 29/30

So, yes, I have been slacking. But wait, here are my excuses!!  With work as crazy as it’s been, and with two writing classes, I really haven’t found a lot of free time to keep up. It’s my bad. At least school is almost done!  I take full responsibility. It’s just really hard to find the motivation to keep up with a personal project when so much other time is dedicated to writing projects I paid money (tuition) for.  

So first up, let’s talk about last week.  It was a great, but busy week for baby related things!  We started our Childbirth prep class. It seems like it will be a good class for the next few weeks. Nothing really major so far there though, just some good pointers about what to expect. Most we’ve heard about or read about, but there was enough other information to make it worthwhile also.  I look forward to attending this week. 

On Saturday, we attended a Newborn/infant sleep class.  This class was highly informative.  It mainly dealt with three stages for infants in sleeping related issues. First was 0-3 months.  Basically, it came down to anything goes.  Whatever it takes to get the child to sleep, whether that be constantly holding them, driving them around,  white noise, etc etc etc.  The instructor let us know that there are no bad habits at this point, and nothing that will really need to be corrected in terms of any habits that arise.  The baby for this first period really has no way to self sooth, so it’s all acceptable (as long as it’s safe!)   The second stage was 3-6 months, and they talked about starting to create good habits around the child sleeping ; Schedules, the use of some of the techniques in “The Happiest Baby on the Block” (swaddling, shushing, etc).   The most interesting thing I think this covered is that baby sleep patterns are completely different than adults.  Instead of going into a deep sleep first, and then cycling into a lighter sleep, babies run opposite.  They go light, then deep.  They also taught us how to spot the “Golden Moments” of sleepiness and when to put a child down to sleep.  There are signs that happen before the yawning starts, and sometimes by then it will be too late to get them down for good quality restful sleep.   The 3^rd grouping was from 6 months on, where it was basically stated that if you have reinforced any of the “bad habits”, you need to stop immediately, and in fact may have to do some more heavy duty sleep training to get those habits corrected.   I can go into some of it in more detail, but my wife has our notes.   The instructor, who was a lactation consultant, RN, and midwife was also very enthusiastic about swaddling (if not leaving the child alone) and things like sleep sacks and woombies.   It was a very good class.  I feel like it gave us a number of tools to approach the issue, even though it is different for every child.  And, knowing at what point we need to stop any “bad” sleeping habits to ensure the child sleeps well later on was most important.  It was nice to see that even people with children already were taking the class too. 

So this week we go back for Childbirth Prep.  Should be interesting again I hope.  Even though we’re getting closer and closer,  I’m not getting any more nervous.  I expect that will change as we get even closer, and definitely when we get to the hospital when my wife goes into labor.   It will be down to 10 weeks tomorrow, and I have a feeling that time will fly by.   The instructor at Childbirth Prep stated there was a high likelihood that since my wife is a first time mother that she’ll go past her due date.  We both have a feeling though that since we were both early, that our child will be early.  I think my wife is hoping for it anyway. Not really early, but maybe a week or two.  I think she’s kind of over the pregnancy thing.  Morning (all the time, past the first trimester) sickness, and now borderline gestational diabetes.  Luckily, that’s not too bad (although, don’t tell her that).  She has to watch carbs, but it could be worse. 

Anyway, I’ll report back next week!

27 weeks down, 13 to go.

Between work, school, and taking care of the house, I’ve found it very hard to write anything regarding the baby, or my thoughts.  And from an emotional standpoint, not much has really changed on my end.  I think until the baby is born, or if there is something very exciting going on, I’m going to scale this back (or really, due to the lack of writing, bump this up.)   Since the due date falls on a Tuesday, and I read the weekly updates for “What to Expect…” on Tuesdays, I think that today is the best day to make a weekly update of my own. I’m going to try and hold myself to this, and if I start to slip, please remind me!

The biggest thing that has been going on is that my wife has popped out more, and the baby is getting much larger.  I can actually see my wife’s stomach move as the baby kicks or moves around.  It’s very fascinating.  I can also really feel the baby kick now too. Before it felt like maybe someone was ever so lightly tapping my palm. Now it’s feeling like a full on THUMP!   Sometimes, I wonder if she’s practicing drumming. I secretly hope so.  Although, I’d be afraid she’d be flaky like a drummer than too (I still love you, all my drummer friends!).   I was talking to her yesterday through my wife’s stomach and she kicked me in my face.  I guess that means she heard me.  Hopefully it doesn’t mean she didn’t want to hear me. 

Also, we’re just about down with the baby’s room.  It’s kind of sad, but I can’t wait to finish decorating it.  I think it will all seem that much more real. 

And really, that’s it.  27 weeks down, 13 to go.  Seems like such a long time now.  I feel bad for my wife, considering how much time she spent not feeling well. And now she’s getting to be uncomfortable.  But, we’re very excited to meet her when she arrives.  Even though we have a lot to do still, June can’t come soon enough.

15 weeks to go!

I realize it's been a while. Things have been kind of busy around the old homestead. We did get the crib and dresser for the baby's room about a week ago. I'm hoping (with help) to get her room painted this coming weekend. It would be great to have that project put to bed and done. Then we just need to pull the trigger on a recliner/glider for her room also. Soon, very soon hopefully.

The thing that triggered my need to write today was this. I saw a picture a friend posted of her child, and I got really excited to meet ours. The first thought was, I wanted to get another ultrasound to see what she looks like today. Then I just wanted to meet her face to face. See who she looks like, hold her in my arms. Find out what sort of disposition she has. I really just can't wait to meet her. I'm pretty excited about it. That's really all I've got today. I could go on and on about my hopes and dreams for her, and I'm sure I will, but I don't feel that now is the time. My hopes now are that she is happy and healthy when she is born. Everything else can come after that. Sorry, this one is going to be short today, but since we're getting closer and closer, I feel that there will be more to write. And once the bedroom (nursery) is finished, I'll be sure to post up some pictures of that.

Raising a healthy, safe, well adjusted baby. Where do you make your stand?

So, yes it's been a while. Work and school have kept me super busy, and really I haven't wanted to spend any of my additional free time writing. I've been doing a lot of that for my Writing and Research class. So please forgive the lack of updates lately.

So, what's new you ask? Not a ton actually. Things are going well on the baby front. She is kicking a lot more now my wife says, but she's not big enough to feel it yet. Soon hopefully. I'm actually pretty excited to feel her kick. As the pregnancy progresses, we have been wondering more and more what she's going to be like. It's almost an intangible thought that she is actually going to be a real live person. Someone with her own thoughts, feelings, ideas, likes, dislikes, etc. I'm very excited for it, but I also get a little worried. Am I going to be a good role model? Can I suppress the qualities that I dislike about myself when I'm around her so she turns out better than me? How do I even do that?

Aside from worrying about if we'll be good parents, we did finally manage to go do our baby registry. I think I stress out about shopping for the baby more than other things though. I want to make sure we're getting quality products, that are both safe, and what's best for her. Trying to balance out making sure as many things as possible are organic, natural, BPA, PVC, and Pthalate free and so on. However, trying to then balance that with the best products otherwise, in terms of development for the baby, ease of use for us as busy parents, etc. It's not always easy to have to give in one way or the other. How and where do you draw those lines? I know that we can only do so much, but as a parent it's my job to make those decisions, and it's not easy. I realize that people in my generation grew up in houses that may have still had lead paint, we didn't have to wear helmets or pads when we rode a bike, and smoking was still prevalent. I'm sure the plastics I chewed on as a kid possibly had BPA and god knows what else in them. I look at the health issues I had growing up too. Asthma, allergies, chronic ear infections. If I can ensure that the products our child is exposed to doesn't play a part in those or other issues, than I know I'm doing my job. There are other things I'm worried about too as she gets older. Even though since I've been back in school I've relied on the occasional Taco Bell trip or a stop at Wendy's for dinner, and my wife could only eat Arby's roast beef for the first trimester, I really want to avoid fast food completely once she's born. How does that even jive with all the advertising and peer pressure to go to McDonald's that she's going to have to deal with? I mean, I had a birthday party at McDonald's when I was kid. How will I explain to my child that her father hasn't eating there in years( I did break my McDonald's ban for a Shamrock shake with my wife a few weeks back) and has no plans on ever going there.

Are there answers to these questions? How does everyone else deal with stuff like this?

It's a healthy baby...

What, you thought I'd start off with the sex of the baby first? No.  The check up was great.  Everything was there where it was supposed to be, and the doctor said our baby get's an A for it's first full look via ultrasound.

But, I'm going to have to buy a shotgun.  Because it's a GIRL!!!!!

I need to start preparing for the teenage years now...

Boy or Girl?

So, we're getting awfully close to our next ultrasound where we hopefully find out if we're having a boy or a girl.   As I've previously stated, I really don't have a preference, just as long as it is healthy.  However, finding out what we're having will be a good thing for planning accordingly for what we need, what we want, how we want to decorate, etc.

First, we can pick a name. Without giving things away, we know there are a few girls names that we like, and that we basically have one that we really like. My wife is starting to second guess it, as she found out it's been a more popular name recently.  We'll see how that goes.  On the otherhand, I really hate most boy's names that come up, usually for one of two reasons.  The first being that I know someone with the name that she suggests, and that person wasn't nice to me or my friends, or was just an idiot all around.  The second reason being that the names I don't know someone with that namesake all sound like rich frat boy dude names that 15 years ago would have worn a white hat and wanted to kick my ass for having my hair dyed.   We've slowly been making headway on that front though.  Maybe I'll get there. I don't know. 

Second, we can really hone in on colors for the nursery (of which, by calling it a nursery, I was chastised by a friend.  Even though the definition fits, he still insists it should just be called a bedroom, and that calling it a nursery makes me some sort douche. So, NURSERY).  We know the base color, and the furniture is on order, so it's really just the accents and the bedding.  I found some awesome sheets and bedding if it's a boy, and if it's a girl, there are a lot of choices also.  I've contemplated adding chair rail and molding the NURSERY, but we'll see if I get that ambitious and/or want to spend the extra money for something aesthetic that the baby could care less about. 

We've also decided that once we know the sex, we'd finally go register for baby stuff.  People have been giving us a little grief already, but we're only halfway there!  There is plenty of time people!  I have been thinking about starting to stockpile diapers though.  The unfortunate thing is that Costco doesn't seem to carry any of the organic or natural diapers in bulk. Natural wipes though, so I guess that's a start.  My sister has brought up the fact many times we should start buying a pack once a week when we make a Target run. Not a bad idea at all. 

As a final thought, I'm thinking of trying to convince my wife to just let us announce the sex of the baby on this blog next week.  Yes, it's a push at self promotion and sort of self serving, but I really envisioned this blog as being more of a focal point for our baby story, just told from my point of view.  But obviously, since I link this from my personal facebook page, many comments and such end up there. I'd really like to get more dialog going on this page, and I think this may be the way to do it. At least for a day or so.

What do you think?  Leave your comments here? 

Also, I'd like to know what you all think about the sex of the baby. Boy or girl? 

week 18.

I've been trying to write a letter to the baby today, but it's hard. I get stuck at the first paragraph, because no matter what, I start to write about some of the negative aspects of the pregnancy. And even though I'm quick to assure our future child that it's not their fault, and that it's just how things go sometimes, I really don't want them to even think it has anything to do with them.

My poor wife has gone through so much with this pregnancy, and it just doesn't seem like we can catch a break. Every time things seem to be going well, we get hit with something else that's even worse than the last thing, and totally takes the wind out of our sails that things are finally going to go smoother. I know that nature and pregnancy will do what they want, but my wife deserves a break. I've tried to be the stoic one, and the rock, but I think even I may be starting to crack. I question even writing that here, as she obviously reads this, and passes the link along to her friends and family, but I'm sure she knows I'm starting to wear down. And don't get me wrong, I don't want to disappear, or not help her out, or am changing my mind on having a child. Nothing like those things at all. But I've tried to take every day just a day at a time. It's all we can do. But it's hard to have to watch my wife go through these things, and know that there isn't anything I can do but be there for her. I know that's a lot, but for me, it's still not enough. I'd carry this baby if I could, even for just a day, to give her a break. I'm not a religious person, but I find myself asking the universe to just give her a break, and let us have another full, good week, and to stop dumping more stuff on her.

Ok, my venting is done. Thanks for listening blogger.

P.S. Universe, if you're listening, I haven't asked today, so, can you please give my wife a break? No one deserves it more.