"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.