"Should I just roll you?"

This was Tom's offer when we were getting ready to leave the house today. And though it probably isn't in his best interest to joke at the expense of a hormonal pregnant woman, I don't disagree with the sentiment. I'm getting to the stage where I'm so big and round, rolling me to our destination seems reasonable. (I'll post a picture soon)

I'm still hanging in there, but more and more often I'll whine, "I don't want to be pregnant anymore". I miss sleeping on my stomach, seeing my feet, drinking a beer...well, the list could go on and on. Currently the baby is kicking me in the ribs so hard, I'm convinced I'm going to end up with a hairline fracture. I know it will all be worth it in the end, and as soon as I see my son's face, I'll forget all about these uncomfortable last weeks. If women didn't have baby-love-induced amnesia, every child would be an only child.

Take a guess

I thought this might be fun. I set up a online game that allows you to enter your guess for the baby's birth day, time of birth, weight and length. Side betting is encourage.


To make sure we have a level playing field, here's what we know.
Ultrasounds at 20 weeks and 33 weeks show the baby is a boy.
The estimated due date base on my last menstrual period is October 17th.
I was an 8 pound baby. My mom went into labor on her due date and I was born early the next morning.
Tom was 7.5 pounds and he was two weeks early.

"Are you ready?"

This is the question I get the most. Along with "how are you feeling?" People don't want to hear my honest answer to the second one. I'm carrying around a giant baby in my abdomen, how do you think I feel?

As far as being ready is concerned, I know I'm ready to be done with the pregnancy, but I'm not sure if I'm ready to have a newborn in my life. An itty bity creature that I'm fully responsible for...well, it's a little scary. But everything is falling into place. My hospital bag is (mostly) packed, we've practiced our breathing and we have our first meeting with the doula on Wednesday.

Also, his room has the main elements set up. For the first couple months he'll be in a co-sleeper attached to our mattress, but his crib is all ready.

Check it out








Yep, that's a five foot giraffe in the corner. Thanks, Nana (Judy).


The changing table was a gift from Joe, Carrie and Maggie. The Jerry Garcia switch plate is Tom's special touch.

Surprise! (sort-of)

On Friday, Tom's co-workers threw him a surprise baby shower. I was invited, but I had to keep it a secret (which wasn't easy). Tom thought it was just a potluck; I even made cookies for him to take to keep the ruse going. I was snuck up the back stairs (three flights, not easy nine months pregnant), so Tom wouldn't see me and get suspicious. The conference room was totally decked out and everyone was very excited to surprise Tom. They watched in anticipation as he walked from an adjacent building. We all yelled surprise and Tom announced that he spotted my car in the parking lot, making it a lot less of a surprise. I felt awful and, seriously, almost cried. But the party was really fun--tons of food and a guava cake (sounds weird, tasted excellent). We were both really touched by how much energy his colleagues put towards the shower. I think Tom is the greatest guy on earth and it was wonderful to see how much other people appreciate him also.
Here's a link to a slideshow of pictures from the shower. The pics are good, but you won't recognize anyone but Tom and me.
http://picasaweb.google.com/paulpudota/TomsPics/photo#s5112772161250567042

The final stretch

I had my 36 week appointment yesterday. Everything is looking good and he'll be full term in four days. Yay!

Last night was our final childbirth class. We exchanged info with another couple that is also new to the area. They live really close and, obviously, about to have their first baby too. The class ended with a hospital tour. While we were checking out the "birthing suite", a woman in the next room was screaming/yelling/wailing her way through a natural childbirth. Everyone looked really freaked out from overhearing this, but I was strangely empowered. Like "yeah, I might scream like a crazed animal and scare a tour group, but it can be done." I also had two of my strongest (but not painful) contractions while on the tour. Maybe there was something in the air.

Here's the 36 week belly.

I thought black was suppose to be slimming.

Big, big, big

Bye, bye belly button

Finally... Baby Shower Pictures

Sorry for the delay. Old fashion film processing is truly a thing of the past. Apologies also for the quality. I had to use a cheesy disposable camera.

Here I am with Amy and Tracy. It was so great to see them and I really appreciate that they made the long drive to Seal Beach.

My cousin Sarah, the game organizing diva.

A word about the games - they were very creative and fun. We played a dice game using little plastic babies and did a fill-in-the-blank nursery rhyme game. I was very relieved we weren't tasting baby food or identifying mystery goo in diapers.

Here's Monica and Stevie rocking the baby dice game.

Nancy scores a good roll.

Opening presents


I think you get the drift. It was really a great time. A big thank you to my aunties for the party. All the food was awesome. I loved the dishes of M&Ms and Jelly Bellys, truly a pregnant woman's dream. And special thanks to Monica for making delicious cupcakes with all organic ingredients. Very thoughtful.

Like Buttah

I had a prenatal massage today and I feel goooood. I'm also extremely oily, but that's just part of the experience. Of all the body work I've had (from a medieval torture device called dynamic splints to a physical therapist who said I should talk to my wrist and tell it to let go of the trauma and stop hurting), massage is by far my favorite. When -not if, when - I'm a millionaire, I'll hire a personal masseuse, a cat litter cleaner and a gas pumper for my car.

I finally have baby shower pictures. I'll post them momentarily.

Big Daddy

A couple of nights ago, Tom and I were looking at the blog and he noted it is quite self-serving. I have to agree, but that is the nature of blogs. It's funny since I tell my creative writing students that just because it actually happened to you, doesn't mean it is interesting and other people want to read it. Harsh, I know. Anyway, soon this blog will be baby-serving, which is the whole point. During this same conversation, Tom pointed out he was underrepresented on the blog space. Well, I plan to rectify that right now with some of my favorite pics of the daddy-to-be.

Here he is visiting the Kwik-E-Mart in Mountain View, CA

Exploring Capitol Reef National Park in Utah.

In Mendocino, CA for our 1st anniversary


The post-wedding-ceremony "oh sh*t" face

What a handsome guy! Now we'll have wait and see what having a newborn does to those good looks.

My hope...

is to have this baby before I run out of prenatal vitamins. I have 33 vitamins left and 34 days until my due date. We'll just have to see if the kid will cooperate.

Getting Prepared

It has been a busy, productive few days. I was down in So. Cal for my shower on Saturday, which was a great time. It was wonderful to see everyone and I scored a great loot. Of course, I forgot my camera, but I bought a disposable one. I dropped it off to be developed today (it's been a long time since I've done that) and will post pictures soon. My mom returned with me to spend a couple of days helping me get ready for the baby. She was amazing! She cleaned out my fridge, did tons of baby laundry, helped set up the nursery (pictures soon) and put up with my annoying cat. I swear, the cat wouldn't leave her alone and seemed a little sad this afternoon after my mom left. We are much more prepared for the baby now. Plus, it was good practice to let my mom do things for me since when she comes after the baby is born, I'll need to let go and allow her wait on me, guilt-free. I was sad to see her leave today, but I realized that I will see her in a month (maybe less) and the baby will be here. Yikes!

Traveling

I'm headed to Seal Beach tomorrow to attend my baby shower on Saturday. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone and my aunties always put on a great party. I'll make sure to post some pictures soon.

Not a Flotation Device

When Tom and I were deciding if we should leave our hip urban Oakland neighborhood for life in the suburbs, there were a number of factors we had to consider. We would be moving away from friends, favorite restaurants and a charming turn-of-the century California bungalow that we loved.

But for Tom the opportunity for a freeway-free, fifteen minute commute made the sacrifice worth it. For me, the draw was a house with a pool. Typically, suburban swimming pools are tragically underused, but I'm proud to say this isn't true for us. With the benefit of solar heating, our pool is a very pleasant temperature and I go in almost every day. Any woman whose been pregnant and experienced a pool will understand. In the water I'm weightless, agile and quite buoyant. I swim laps, use a kickboard and even work out with floating dumbbells.

This habit has made me feel like less of a fat blob despite my expanding size. I've also acquired a tan that would send a dermatologist into convulsions, but gives me a nice faux pregnancy glow. The pool also does a great job of luring our urban-dwelling friends into the burbs.

I'm mean, take a look; could you resist?

Dreams

The past two nights I've had the "unprepared for school" dream. Two nights ago I had a math test that I didn't study for (I wasn't aware I was in the class) and an essay due on a book I had yet to buy. Last night I was expected to do a group presentation but I didn't know which group I was in or what I was presenting on.

Well, you don't have to be Freud to figure out that I'm feeling anxious about the arrival of the baby. Yesterday Tom pointed out that even if he arrived that minute, we would have the essentials--a car seat to get him home, a place for him to sleep and a pack of diapers. Thankfully, we do have a few more items already, but it's not about the "stuff". I'm freaking out about the reality of having this ity bity person in our lives. No matter how many different ways I visualize what it will be like, I know I have no real clue. Tom and I reassure each other on a daily basis that we will be able to handle it, and I know in my heart, we will. But that doesn't prevent me from having mini-meltdowns every now and again or dreaming about missing math class.

Happy Labor Day

I hope everyone is enjoying a day off. I'm hoping to enjoy a labor day of my own in about 45 days (give or take).