Week 33

Dear Lovely Readers,

I have failed you. Alas, between scrambling to get all packed for our trip, running last minute errands, cooking and eating dinner, and going to our child birth class yesterday, we managed to let Tuesday-Picture Day slip by without documenting it.

I would say that I'd try to take a picture today, but it's not likely. Lane is picking me up straight from work and from there, we are driving the 5 hours or so to the Outer Banks where we'll have plenty of time to relax and take all the pictures we want.

Baby continues to move around like crazy. We met with a potential doula on Sunday and I had a doctor appointment yesterday. Everything seems to be progressing well, except that we still need to select a pediatrician.

Baby Clothes Galore!

I woke up early to wash all our baby clothes so I could sort and put them away in our new dresser. They weren't all the way dry when I took them out so I set them out to dry a little bit extra. Lane got out of bed and wandered sleepily into the living room. He was quite shocked to see that baby clothes had completely taken over our apartment!

Where, oh Where to Birth

So we checked out the hospital the other week, and were pleased with what we saw. But as we get closer to actually having the baby, we are reading about hospital births and all the interventions they are so eager to push on you (pitocin, epidurals, etc.) and routine procedures that can impair mobility during birth (constant fetal monitoring, IVs, etc). I just started questioning whether I even wanted to give birth in a hospital at all.

Birth Center births are so much more flexible. The midwives and attendants view birth as a totally natural process, not some medical procedure. They are focused on helping you be confident and having a beautiful birth experience, whereas doctors are trained to find things that are wrong, and sometimes do even when there isn't. Birth centers are also usually affiliated with or close to hospitals, in case complications occur and you do need a doctor's care during delivery.

I called a birth center in Alexandria and was so disappointed, yet not really surprised, that they are booked until November. There is only one other birth center in our area and it's in DC. I was convinced I'd switch over to them. I scheduled my first doctor appointment, got the fax number to have my records switched over and everything. Then I took a step back and thought I better at least take a look at the place before ditching my doctor and hospital.

My mom drove with me to the DC Birth Center on Friday. The birth center is not metro accessible and we had to drive through tons of terrible traffic (and the ghetto) just to get there. It wasn't that easy to find either. We got there and the people were very nice. They gave us a tour of the facility. I tried picturing myself giving birth there and, after all my excitement, I just couldn't. It didn't feel right at all. So after all that, I canceled my appointment and decided to stick with the hospital birth, same doctor, and just get a doula to help support us in having the kind of birth that we hope for.

My class is really helping me to find what I want in this birth experience, the right questions to ask, and to be an active participant, instead of just letting this happen to me. Even though I'm still going to the same place, I feel better having researched other options and deciding where I'll be instead of just being told where to go by the doctor.

Wish us luck as we get closer.

Week 32

Baby Grover should be about 4 pounds or so by now. She is supposed to gain one third to one half of her total birth weight in the next seven weeks. I continue to gain 1 pound per week (or so), and about half of that should go directly to the baby’s weight. Maybe that’s why I’m so hungry all the time again! Just the other day I woke up before 6 am and starving!! They say by now some babies have a full head of hair, while others only have peach fuzz. I’m guessing our little girl has lots of hair.

I don’t have much energy these days, but I try to keep up by taking afternoon naps here and there. It’s so hard because the littlest things make me tired! I get all short of breath just walking to the metro.

Last night we got home from our childbirth class after 10 pm and I was ready to fall over. Lane insisted that we not let our readers down and stick to our Tuesday Picture Day schedule. I had other thoughts. Standing AND smiling were two thing I didn't want to do last night, but I did it for YOU!!

Baby Shower Madness

Sisters - I had just finished crying right before we took this picture.

So the shower was on Saturday, and if I might say so myself, it was a great success. This was not my doing, but that of my wonderful family who worked so hard to make it all come together.

First, my sister-in-law Kryztie made and sent out all the invitations.
David was in charge of the appetizers and boy, did he take this responsibility seriously. He decided his theme should be BACON. What else? So he made bacon wrapped dates, and then marinated some shrimp in a garlic-chili sauce, and wrapped shrimp and a mango slice in, you guessed it, bacon! We also had delicious fresh fruit, assorted cheeses, and crab stuffed mushrooms.

He and Lane bbq’d the tri-tip and chicken that was marinating in a bbq sauce made by Cynthia. My mom took care of the pasta salad, the green salad, and the roasted mixed veggies, while Theresa conquered the dessert arena. She concocted a tiramisu, a chocolate mint crazy cake, and an insanely delectable coconut mango cheesecake. When people told me how delicious the food was, I had to step back a minute and then I realized it – I could not claim fame to any of these masterpieces! All I made was the vinaigrette for the salad.

Cynthia and Phil lugged load after load after load of stuff downstairs to the party room. And Phil and Lane came up with a solution for music. Cynthia made sure everyone wrote us a message in our guest book and recorded all the gifts for the thank you notes I’ll be writing soon. Theresa and my brother Matthew made these darling bookmarks to pass out as favors, and my mom organized a cute little game. (By the way, in case anyone is wondering, my waist is NOT 66 inches across!!) Everyone helped clean up and get all our supplies and the lovely presents back to the apartment.

I really enjoyed having so many of our friends, and surprisingly, so many of our family there to share the special day with us. There was lots of good company, laughs, and delicious food.

I am amazed by how many crafty and talented people already love this little baby. My mom crocheted us a blanket and so did my sister, Theresa. Meliss quilted a blanket, and Adrienne learned to knit and made me another blanket. Andrew (soon-to-be-Athlete-of-the-Year-in-Hawaii)’s mom made a lovely blanket by hand, and Ida-Jean, a woman who I knew at my old Red Cross chapter, made a baby blanket as well (and a baby bunting and a hat and booties). I also have a baby blanket my nana gave me for Christmas in 2002. So now, I have a baby blanket for every day of the week. They are all so special and totally different – different styles, different colors, different weights. We have one lucky little girl.

A humungous thank you to everyone who worked so hard to create a special day for Lane and Baby Grover and me. We love you and appreciate everything you did to make this happen!! Muah!

(pictures coming soon)

Thank Goodness For My Mom

I cannot tell you how much I appreciated having my mom visit for almost a week. It was great to visit with her and spend time chit-chatting and talking all things baby. Not only that, she took fabulous care of me! I’d come home from work to find dinner on the table, she’d massage my back, and do all sorts of things to help around the house. She was so cute, and said it was good practice for her to learn where everything belongs so she can be extra helpful when she comes back in July. I know I am going to need her extra support and mom knowledge after Baby Grover arrives. I’m so lucky that she’s coming back in just two short months.

Week 31

Only NINE weeks left!! Baby Grover is gaining weight faster than she is lengthening. She is going to run out of wiggle room in there pretty soon! It seems like she is constantly moving around. Baby Grover's iris color is developing now, although her true eye color won't be apparent until she is six or nine months old.

I have been getting so tired lately and it's getting more and more difficult to get around. It's kind of hard to get comfortable - whether it's sitting at my cubicle all day or trying to sleep at night. I'm a trooper though.

Tonight my mom gets into town AND we have our childbirth class.

Happy Mother's Day to Me!

On Saturday morning, Lane and I made a delicious breakfast together, as we normally do on the weekends. But when it was time to eat he told me I'd better hurry because I needed to go soon. I stopped for a minute confused, thinking I hadn't scheduled anything for us. Little did I know, that my clever and sweetheart of a husband made me an appointment for a pregnancy massage in honor of my first mother's day :) I came back feeling glorious!

I got my first mother's day card from Katie and an e-card from the SB Grovers, and lots of sweet wishes from other friends and family.

Happy Belated Mother's Day to all you mamacitas out there.

Less Than 10 Weeks Left!

Apparently the arrival of week 30 came with an added super bonus. Uncomfy nights that involve waking multiple times and trying (mostly unsuccessfully) to get comfortable and back to sleep.

My feet still look a little swollen, but probably only to me. They just aren't all boney looking anymore, so they basically look like a normal person's feet.

Baby Grover has been hiccuping lately. She is also hosting daily dance parties, because my stomach moves around like crazy!! And when people ask me when I'm due and I tell them I have a little more than 2 months to go, they are really surprised. I think they assume I'm due any day. I don't blame them. I don't really understand how I can continue to grow for that much longer.

I've been having tidbits of baby dreams - rocking a baby, and cleaning up spit up. ;)

Week 30

In the last six weeks, Baby Grover has nearly doubled in height to about 16 or 17 inches. She should only gain a few more inches before her grand entrance. Her eyebrows and eyelashes are fully formed, and any hair she has on her head (I'm guessing there's quite a bit) is white because it doesn't have any pigment to it yet.

I'm getting bigger and bigger every day. I'm starting to get a little achy right under my ribs.

Our class started last night officially. I think we have a nice group of people. When class first started I think I was actually a little nervous. I don't know if it was because I was in a room full of people I didn't know or if it was because the immediacy of this whole parenting thing became real. There's a doula/massage therapist in our class that I have my eyes on. The further along we get, the more interested we are in the possibility of hiring a doula.

We saw the coolest video at our class. A brand newborn baby was placed on its momma's stomach right after birth. We watched the baby scoot up the momma's tummy, find her breast (all on its own), and start to nurse. It was unbelievable and totally precious.

Maternity Tour

We made it to the hospital in time for the tour on Sunday. It was a close one though - Saturday night Sean reminded us that because of road closures for a cycling race, we'd be unable to drive our car out of the parking garage. So we found out how to take the metro and the bus and made it there with perfect timing.

We were pleased with the delivery area, although the recovery rooms seem kind of tiny. I can see why people are so anxious to get home. Here's a link to the area so you can see for yourself: http://sibley.org/services/s_noc.tmpl

The best part wasn't even an official part of the tour. We ran into a Labor & Delivery nurse who was available to answer lots of our questions. It was very reassuring to hear how she would handle things.

It was also kind of surreal to actually be in the hospital with these new moms and dads and itty bitty infants, thinking that will be us in 10 weeks!!! WOW!

We pre-registered at the hospital while we were there so it should be much easier when we arrive for the real deal.

Thank you, Nana & Papa!

My mom and dad got us this lovely dresser for Baby Grover. Lane did a good job putting it all together on Saturday afternoon. We love it and can't wait to fill it all up with cutsie outfits for our little girl!