Momma Tips from Claire & Natalie (ages 7 and 4)

As we were eating dinner tonight with Claire and Natalie, Natalie pointed out that I was a momma, and I would *definitely* be a momma when the baby comes out. So I took this opportunity to ask two little girls for good tips on how to be a good mommy. Here's what they told me.

* Put them in time out if they be bad
* Let them watch TV when they want (Claire says when you say they can) and Natalie added but not if it's too late
* Say "just a second" if you have to change
* Take them to nice places if they're good
* If your daughter is scared at the movies or on a ride, you can maybe hold onto her
* If they want lunch, give them lunch
* When she's a baby, rock her.
* Take them to school
* If they touch the fire, give them a paper towel with an ice pack
* If they're sneaking out the door, close it.

I'm so glad I wrote these down so I could share them on the blog!!

ATTN DC METRO RESIDENTS: There is something in the water!

There are two ladies at work that are also due the same week as me.

There are two other guys at Lane's work that are expecting babies.

Lane's supervisor just announced that she's having a baby and is due in September.

Our 12th floor neighbors just found out they are also having a baby!!!

Holy Babies!! I don't know if we are just more aware of these things now that we are pregnant, or if there's some strange phenomenon going on here! In either case, we're really excited for everyone!

A Daddy Picture!!

Lane has been grossly under-represented in this Baby Blog. He cooperated with me when I asked him to take a picture with this super cutsie duckie towel that Malia gave us for Baby Grover.

Thanks, Malia! We can't wait to bundle Baby Grover up in this adorable towel!

Week 24

Baby Grover weighs just under 1.5 pounds, and she's supposed to gain more than six ounces just this week! Also this week, her nostrils will begin to open and blood vessels will develop in her teeny lungs. Baby Grover's little feet are just under 2 inches long right now.

I'm just starting to feel the extra weight I've been carrying around (all 18 lbs of it!). I think I'm starting to move a little slower than normal and my lower back is starting to bothering me a little. Lane is a sweetheart and has been rubbing my back for me like a good husband :)

I wonder what the heck I'll look like when the baby is 7 or 8 pounds, if I'm this big when she's not even 2! Watch out for my tummy, Washington DC!

Showing some Love

At 5:45 this morning, Lane kissed me goodbye as he headed off to work. Then he told the baby he loved her and kissed my belly. Immediately after that, she gave a little kick – her first of the day. Coincidence? Perhaps. Precious? Definitely!

Week 23

It seems like I was just 17 weeks pregnant, and now there are only 17 weeks left to go. This week, Baby Grover is just over 11 inches long and her unique little hand and footprints are forming.

After recently signing up for prenatal yoga classes, I’ve also signed Lane and myself up for a Baby Care Basics class and an Infant and Child CPR class.

In other Baby Grover news, we decided that once we choose a name for our little girl, we will keep it a surprise until she's born. But at the rate of progress we are making, we probably won’t know her name until after she’s born either!

I have been getting numerous suggestions at work, some just silly and others for real. So I decided to make a Baby Grover Name Suggestion Box. It is right by our goodies table at work, so people are regularly submitting their entries. I have also received suggestions from family members. My mom suggested Maria Elena (her name) and reminded me that she named her daughter after her mom. David thinks I should get ahead of the curve and name our daughter Davida, before everyone else catches onto the name. And my brother, Timothy Alexander suggested the name Alexandria.

I must now look super pregnant, without a doubt. Because as I stepped onto the metro yesterday THREE people simultaneously offered me their seats on the metro. I felt a little guilty because really, I'm not feeling the weight, I'm not tired, and I feel completely okay standing up or walking places. My once pregnant sister gave me two words of advice. MILK IT. Not sure if I'll follow that. Maybe later on when I'm super hot, out of breath, and wondering when the heck our baby will be born already. I'm just not quite there yet.

My metro ride home today

This evening I hopped on the metro, and this wonderfully sweet lady got up from her seat so I could sit down. I protested a little, but either she was very insistent, or didn't understand my protests.

She started up a conversation with me, and I realized she was just learning English. About half way through our conversation, this lovely Ethiopian woman told me that she was also pregnant (2 months)!! Of course, then I felt extra bad that she'd given up her seat for me. She was the sweetest lady, very kind, and anxious to practice her English. We talked about her job, her family back in Ethiopia, how she got married last year, and about her wedding.

She told me she'd see me next time, and I wished her good luck with her first baby. If it weren't for my big ol' belly, I never would have had the pleasure of speaking with this woman.

Exercise???? Huh??

So yeah, I've been totally slacking in the exercise department. According to everything I read, pregnant ladies are supposed to exercise for 30 minutes each day. I've never been one for the whole exercise/working out thing. And when I read about those 30 minutes I should be exercising every day, I can't help but wonder if walking to the metro counts?? (pretty please???)

In the fall I completed a whole series of twelve 1.5 hr yoga classes. They were totally awesome. But I didn't sign up for the next level of classes because I thought I wouldn't be able to fully participate in all the poses. Of course, last week some of my friends who also go to the same yoga studio said they have pregnant ladies in their classes all the time!! I wish I'd talked to them sooner.

I even bought prenatal yoga videos to do at home, but who was I kidding??? I've done the workout like three times.

Anyway, the good news after all this is that I just found out that George Washington Hospital has prenatal yoga classes! I signed up for the April classes, and if I enjoy it as much as I think I will, I'm going to sign up for May and June. It couldn't be any more convenient. The hospital is RIGHT next to the metro stop I get off at to go to work - it's no extra metro or walking, and exactly what I've been looking for. I only wish I'd discovered it sooner.

Wish me luck, as I try to venture into the world of exercise.

Week 22

Baby Grover's eyes have developed, but her irises don't have any pigment yet. She looks like a miniature newborn right now. Her skin is really wrinkly, but that will change as she gains weight. Right now Baby Grover is about 1 pound. Over the next four weeks she is supposed to weigh twice that amount!

She's moving around all the time now, and my belly button is half way popped out. Here's an interesting tidbit I was surprised to learn: blood flows through the umbilical cord at a rate of four miles an hour!!

Brief Baby Update

One of my new found pastimes is staring at my belly. Lane has joined in the fun, and we can regularly see my stomach pop up on one one side and twitch in another. It's fascinating to think that there's a little person in there making all those movements, and more so that she's our daughter!!!

Adrienne told us our niece, Claire stayed up late the other night brainstorming names for her first girl cousin. How precious is that?!?! She's coming in a couple weeks, so I'm hoping to get my hands on that list.

Movin' and a Groovin'

Today I actually SAW my tummy bounce around when Baby Grover kicked. Wow, she sure is getting strong!

And so the madness begins

About six weeks ago, I promised myself I wouldn't buy any (more) baby clothes until after we found out the gender of our baby. I was so proud of myself for not buying a single article of clothing that whole time. We'll see how much I can hold back now that we know we're having a baby girl. So far, I haven't been doing so hot. The morning after finding out Baby Grover is a little girl, I made an order online for dresses and cutsie girly clothes. But give me some credit, they were all on super sale. And who could pass up these darling outfits at Costco??? I never knew they had such cute (and affordable) baby clothes. Watch out, Costco. I'll be back!

More Baby Grover Pics

Here is her little foot. She decided to say hello to her Mommy & Daddy. Her mouth is open in this one.
Here you can see her little nose, nostrils, and her mouth...along with her arm and tummy.

Week 21

Baby Grover has been drinking the amniotic fluid for hydration and nutrition, and even urinates in the fluid. Good thing it is replaced completely every three hours! It’s no wonder I am supposed to drink so many fluids. While her eyes have not yet opened, they are very active. Baby Grover has also started to develop some fat, which helps to keep her nice and cozy warm. Ever since Lane felt her moving for the first time last Wednesday, we’ve noticed her become more active (and stronger) every day!

Yesterday we also had our regular prenatal appointment. At the ultrasound appointment, the doctor said the distance between the placenta and cervix should be 2 cm. When they measured mine, it was 1.8 or so. My obstetrician said that is fairly typical at this stage, and that we’ll do another ultrasound later on to monitor the location of the placenta. She said that it will usually move further away. However, if it doesn’t, a C-Section may be necessary because the placenta could detach early in labor causing too much bleeding. The doctor seemed fairly confident that this is normal, and there isn’t much to worry about. We’ll just wait and see how the next ultrasound looks.

Our spinal bifida screening came out fine, and the doctor gave us a list of pediatricians so we could pick one.

Baby Grover is ....

a Girl!!!

Today we had our big ultrasound. Everything looked just right - all the organs are developing correctly , and we got to see our baby GIRL moving all around. She is one active child! The technician first told us Baby Grover was lying in the breech position. Before we knew it, she had moved so that her head was on the right side, and then all around to the left side. I think she was trying to give us the grand tour of her living quarters. The technician measured the nose, leg bones, and circumference of the head to determine the gestational age, which they decided was 21 weeks exactly. Tomorrow I'm supposed to be 21 weeks, so it's right on schedule. We could see her moving around, crossing and uncrossing her legs, opening and closing her mouth, it was so precious! Baby Grover weighs about 14 ounces, and Lane says she already has a Grover chin.

We are so excited!! And so are our families! Our niece, Claire called to be the first in her family to find out. When we told her and her sister Natalie they were going to have a girl cousin, Natalie exclaimed, "We never had one of *those* before!!". Too cute.

We can't wait to meet our baby girl.