Pacing

Still in the waiting phase for baby. Now the doctor thinks he may be on time, give or take a day. Or something, who knows...

Wife went to the doctor yesterday and upon exam was able to touch the boy's head (?), meaning her cervix may be dilated about 1 centimeter, I don't know. I feel like I'm quoting my wife but if she was dilated, wouldn't that mean labor would be upon us soon? Anyway, that's what I thought I heard, but in my defense my wife was on the Bluetooth and there's an incredible noise in my office due to reconstruction on the other side of my office wall (literally).

Wife told me last night maybe I should start driving into work starting ASAP, but we agreed on Monday (I take the train). So I bought some parking passes and I'm ready to bolt at a moment's notice. However, my cell phone doesn't get a signal where I work and I'm not always in my office. I've told my unit's clerk to perhaps expect a call from my wife if she has trouble getting in touch with me. I am Bluetooth equipped and have my phone on a nerdy belt clip so I can keep the phone on my person at all times (which I still forget to do sometimes). Now I'm expecting at least one false alarm, and I'm pretty surprised there hasn't been one yet.

I finally got MY hospital bag packed with essentials like jammies and reading materials (no, no more baby books, gag). Also last week I put a few things in my Diaper Dude, the father diaper bag I got from my brother- and sister-in-law. I have the requisite diapers, wipes, blanket and burp cloth. I'll need a change of clothes, too, and I'm sure there are other things I can put in there. The bag isn't as snazzy as the wife's "designer" bag, but does the job and allows me to avoid having to carry hers around.

We will be having music in the labor room, but we're still deciding whether to do video during the birthing. Not the full-on close-up of the crowning and all, but maybe just taking video from a more respectful angle. Our friends have gone over the virtues of filming it, but I still can't figure out if it's for us or not. I liked their idea of filming when we leave the hospital and take him into the house for the first time, so we'll see.

Everyday I get asked if I think my wife's belly is dropping. Seriously I can't tell either way. Her belly is quite large anyway, so there seems to be a natural gravitational pull downward already. Also, can someone assure me that the snoring will go away after baby is born? Please?

Are You Ready

If the baby were to come today, we'd be ready in the figurative sense (after the shock and awe subsided). On Monday we got the car seats installed by the CHP, who were very helpful and gave a bunch of information. Unfortunately they did not have Erik Estrada's glowing white teeth, but still... We took both cars in and the process went smoothly, even though we had a new style of base they had not yet seen. The CHP figured it out and I feel relatively safe about their installation jobs.

Now we can say we're done with the preparations. The wife's hospital bag is packed, we have diapers and wipes, we did about a dozen loads of laundry to clean all the boy's new and/or hand-me-down clothes, and now can bring him home safely. A newsletter I subscribe to actually helped remind the wife that she needed to bring an outfit to come home in, since I guess the hospital gown wouldn't look smashing in the photos. Admittedly, I still have to pack a bag since our hospital has private rooms and I can stay overnight. In my head I keep saying "I'll do it tonight" so hopefully this is the night the mantra sticks. The other thing I want to do is organize a few of the plugged in items in the nursery, either with a power strip or on outlet expander, then use our new outlet protectors to cover the unused ones.

Speaking of home safety, we attended a lame "class" on the subject the other night. The "teacher" just read off of her PowerPoint slides as we read along to ourselves, adding very little anecdotal or additional tidbits of information. From our readings and other classes it became dull very quickly since we were already pretty versed on the topic. When the teacher gave us a break with 45 minutes to go we grabbed our coats and made like a tree and blew outta there. We know we will have to pick up a lot of stuff around the house in preparation for when the boy starts being mobile, like candle holders, photo frames, our hanging wine glasses on the wine rack, etc. Setting up those chic bumpers for edges doesn't seem fun or attractive but I guess it has to be done (does it?). He's a boy, wouldn't he love just wearing a helmet around the house?

Also, to prepare for time constraints and lack of patience, the wife has begun to make food and put it in the freezer, with more on the way (she started her leave on Monday). Yesterday was split pea soup and lasagna with spinach, mushrooms and ground turkey. We sampled it and I look forward to sleepily re-heating the home-cooked goodies. She also has become quite proficient with a slow cooker, which will allow us to toss a whole bunch of ingredients into the pot and come home to a ready-to-eat meal, with leftovers. Makes me long for more freezer space!

Before I forget or miss the chance to do it more timely, I/we want to give a VERY heartfelt thanks to all the friends and family who have given us incredible support the past several months. We've received entirely too many gifts from you, many we never saw coming, and we cannot thank you enough. The support and advice I've gotten since embarking on this journey has made me more excited and anxious (in a good way) than I would have ever thought possible. I can't say I'm "ready" for the onslaught of (eventually rewarding) work that will hit us the moment our son is born, but I am quite confident that our friends and family will be there to help carry us through it all with love, care and guidance (cookies help, too).

P.S. Feel free to contact me with any "birthing gift" ideas either via the comments section or here. I have some thoughts but would like to know if it's cheesey or not... Thanks!

Going Poor to Become Richer

Here's an interesting/heartbreaking/happy-ending tale of a family who made themselves "poor" to help their disabled daughter get the proper care that the parents' combined incomes and insurance couldn't or wouldn't provide. Something seems to be wrong with the system...

http://open.salon.com/content.php?cid=77047

The Final Countdown (cue keyboards)

We're in the "final throes, if you will," as not-soon-enough-to-be-former Vice President Richard "Dick" Cheney once (in)famously said, and entering the last weeks of pregnancy. It's now 35.5 weeks and my wife's belly looks like it's read to burst. She looks great as she's all belly, though the little guy inside is making normal things even more difficult for her in these final few weeks. It's to be expected, of course, but the reality is always more difficult than what the stories may foretell.

Yesterday, the wife and sis-in-law went to the OB/GYN to get an ultrasound of the boy since last week the doctor had concerns that he may be getting too big and labor would possibly have to be induced. It seems some fears were allayed as the ultrasound showed him to be about SIX pounds (though the margin of error is an amazing +/- one lb.). So he could be seven or five pounds, but gauging by even my poor eyesight, I'd have to err on the + side!

All his parts seem to be intact, and no cleft palate was seen (which I didn't know could be determined in utero). He is definitely a boy, since the wife got a glimpse of his Balzac (inside joke), which she thought looked rather large. I can't claim responsibility for that, really, it's supposed to be common in babies. The ultrasound photos she got showed him looking right at the camera and you could see his little open mouth. He really looked a lot more "normal" than in other ultrasounds, though I was still looking mainly at his skull. We now know how he's situated inside so when we feel him thrust or parry we know what parts he's moving. It's all pretty cool stuff...!

I'm definitely getting antsy to start this journey. I think about the whole thing all the time and find myself daydreaming about scenarios with my son (though when I picture him in my head I see the kid version of me, for some reason. Any Freuds care to take on that?). We seem to be as prepared as we're going to get, except for the obvious onslaughts that come which we have no/little experience with, such as sleep deprivation and changing our entire lifestyle. I have grand illusions of trying to do things "differently" though I'm sure the boy will have a monkey wrench or two to toss into those plans. The idea of letting a baby sleep in a car seat, for example, goes against most of what I've read, but I know it's been successful and you have to go with what works, so I'm told. I also know kids love to run around in their Halloween costumes in April, say, though I abhor the idea. So while I'd love to re-write the "book" I will probably ending caving or being the "pushover" my wife thinks I will be (to her bad cop, haha).

So the nerves, anxiety, excitement and worrying has started to kick it up a notch. It's all for the good, though, and I welcome it. Bring it on?!

Ho Ho Etc

Daddy and Mommy in Waiting would like to wish all our readers, near and far, a very Merry Christmas. For our friends trying to travel in the air, we hope you get your flights soon and arrive safely (and with your bags).

Having a child has given me a little more "Christmas Spirit" than usual. Not sure if I would call it "jolly" but for some reason I can stomach it all a bit more than recent years. The more kids I see around and the more of our friends' kids I spend time with, the more "Real" it all gets, which I see as a good thing. Makes me wish next Christmas was already here and we can watch our little guy drooling or trying to rip open his gifts under the tree.

The other night we went to see some friends who had a baby girl about a week ago. Holding her at that size and feeling the weight helped me get a feel for our guy (though at his current size in the belly, he will probably not be as small as this little girl was, haha). But watching her move around and make little faces, then wake up crying because of likely hunger, was the closest I've felt to "this is how it will be." That includes the red eyes the father had from lack of sleep, so I'm not delusional!

Last weekend we had an 7.5-hour Birthing Seminar. We could have taken the class split up into more sections but it would have been during the week, making it tougher to attend easily. As much as I've thirsted for knowledge, the class was sort of a let down. From all our reading we knew most of the information (not to brag). The breast-feeding class the week before was more informative, though I was definitely apprehensive going to it (I thought I would be the only guy there; I was not). I guess it's good we went to them, but I think we felt there would be more eye-opening news about what's to come. Maybe we will take some post-birth classes, like baby massage, feeding, bathing, etc.

So, again, thank you for reading my blog so far. I've received great and encouraging comments and can't wait to read more. Have a happy and healthy holiday!

Not So Bright

Another "human" who lofted his ignorance onto his poor child, naming his son Adolf Hitler Campbell. In this story he acts incredulous, not sure why people would react negatively to his amazing decision making skills.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hNXg5FqcqZg1KUgf6PNrmnRRk-4wD95490680

Long Time No Blog

Wow, I didn't realize it had been so long since my last post. For the first time in a while, I've been busy at work because my office and computer lab was being consolidated and moved, so my usual ability to blog from work was being used up (imagine that). I/we hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and are feeling healthy and happy during this holiday season.

Our baby boy is doing well, as is momma. She thinks she's the largest pregnant woman ever though I think she looks great and is wearing the pregnancy well. She's definitely not any bigger than a normal pregnant woman should be at this stage, but it's just something she's obviously not used to seeing. It's getting a little hard for her to get around comfortably, and her back bothers her often. Also heartburn has been a bother, as has hip pain from sleeping on her side(s) all the time. But all in all, she's happy and healthy, albeit a bit worried about being able to deliver a baby she perceives as being huge!

I've been continuing my reading and preparing for the big day. I read a baby "Owner's Manual" that a friend gave me at my Boy's BBQ last month. Though the book was written sort of tongue-in-cheek and like a computer manual, it contained a ton of useful information on caring for a new baby, and should come in handy for reference material. I finished reading the book on colic but still pray our baby doesn't get affected by it. Even with all the tips and tricks I learned on relieving colic, it doesn't sound like a fun ride. On a recommendation, I'm now reading Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby by Dr. Marc Weissbluth. This book explains how children sleep and gives instructions on recognizing sleep signs and how lack of sleep negatively effects children. I now feel some of the fussiness and crankiness I see in many children may be just due to lack of sleep. Parents like to believe that sleep from a skipped nap or from being kept up later can be made up at night. According to the book that might work once in a while because of a special occasion, but continuing the habits of skipping sleep will only produce an unhappy, overtired child.

I mentioned to my wife one tip from the book that Dr. Weissbluth gave to a client regarding putting the baby to sleep at least an hour before the usual sleep time (around 6:00PM). The child ended up sleeping several hours and was very alert and happy during the day, as well as taking normal naps. While we both agree on the importance of sleep and having a happy, healthy child, we also would be disappointed if we could not spend much quality time with our little guy after work. By the time we both got home from work it would be time to start the sleep routine of feed, bath, massage, then crib, at best. So we will have to see how things work out with him and his sleep habits.

This past weekend began the slate of baby classes we're signed up to attend. I attended the Dad's Birth Support class a couple weeks ago, and on Saturday we both went to a two-hour infant CPR class. The last time I took CPR was at least 20 years ago while in the Boy Scouts. Only a couple details of the process had changed, and I even got "certified." We both agreed that it would be tough to have to perform CPR on our own child. At least now we know the steps to take if a child is choking or has gone unconscious, as difficult as it might be.

Our next classes are regarding breast feeding (which I have to attend, for some reason; I hope I'm not the only guy there) and the big class on the whole birthing process. In a book I was reading last night before bed it was mentioned that many of these classes aren't being completely open about how much pain is involved during birth. I don't know if that's due to our society's reliance on pain drugs, or they just don't want to scare women, which often makes it more difficult to deliver. I know the wife is worried about her pain threshold, but is very open-minded when it comes to the pain drugs. She told her doctor the other day that she would surely listen to recommendations, even if it meant delivering via C-Section (especially in the interest of the baby, of course).

So I guess we're in the home stretch, the 31st week. The nursery is pretty much done and even decorated. We have clothes, diapers, a very large box of wipes, bottles, bibs, onesies and a Manchester United knit hat. We are even 99% sure on a first name (no, we aren't going to tell you, hehe). Mentally I'm prepared, I'm well read, I'm excited. Should I worry? ; )