We made it!

Little Man will be 2 months old tomorrow! Can you believe it? I certainly can't.

Now that he has arrived and we are finally getting into the swing of things, you can follow along with us over at Nick-Stirs, which has been rebooted.

Thank you for all your encouraging words throughout the pregnancy. Documenting the journey was quite a lot of fun for us. Join us as we start down the next road!

40 weeks!

Time to go Henry!

How far along? 40 weeks, 1 day. Alright kid, time to get outta here!

Total weight gain/loss: +36 pounds. Not too bad, eh?

Maternity clothes? Seriously nothing fits me. Things are way overcrowded around here.

Stretch marks? I doubt I'll be seeing any new ones - so now I just have to figure out how to get rid of them...

Sleep: We got our AC back!! I got to sleep in my own bed last night!

Best moment this week: I had another ultrasound (I know, ridiculous). But it was fun watching him squirm around. I can't wait to meet him!

Movement: He's getting quite good at sticking his little feet under my ribs. Awesome.

Food cravings: I haven't been very hungry lately. There's not enough room in my belly for an appetite.

Nursery: All it's missing is a little man!

Labor Signs: Okay - so now I know what real contractions feel like. Wow. I was just kidding myself thinking I was having them before. Ouch! They've been about 10 minutes apart for 24 hours, along with a consistent backache. I also lost my mucus plug about an hour ago, so I hope we're moving in the right direction! Listen Henry, if you come in the next 12 hours, then Daddy doesn't have to spend all day tomorrow in the clinic. So let's see what we can do about that, eh?

Belly Button in or out? In

What do we want to teach Henry about? Two of my belly buddies have had their babies now. Only one left - her C-section is next week. And Henry's the only boy! So I want to teach him how to treat girls. I hope he loves his little baby buddies!

What I miss: My hormones are going crazy - every hour or so I feel like I'm going to burst into tears. I assume it won't change for awhile after he's here, but I miss feeling more in control.

What I am looking forward to: Holding his little hands :)

Weekly Wisdom: I have learned what an actual contraction feels like. If it doesn't hurt - it isn't real. Being uncomfortable doesn't count. Who knew?

Milestones: I made it to our due date! And then some...




Daddy's Thoughts:


So we got our AC back, and just in time!  Nicki started having major contractions yesterday afternoon that progressed into the night and today.  I can't imagine how much more miserable she would have been if we'd had to spend the night in our now quite toasty basement.  The temperature got up to 102 F (312.04 K) today!  She told me this morning that she was able to fall asleep for 1-2 hours at a time, then was awoken, mid-contraction in a bunch of pain.  Well that sounds terrible.  Today has seemed a bit easier than last night, but she still got some definite contractions going on intermittently.

A Civic hatchback.  The first thing that comes up when you google "Hot Sleeper".
I chose not to look further after I realized what else that search might yield...

A little while ago, I heard a shout from the bathroom, which I assumed was painful, but didn't sound right.  She then came barreling out of the bathroom, happy as ever.  In the toilet lay the evidence:  A mucous plug.  I'm speaking about gross things right now, I know, but this is a bit of a big deal for me as I have never actually seen one.  My patient's have tried to describe them to me, but that's never really worked.  Well, now I've seen one at least.  It reminded me of blowing my nose after putting up clover bales all day.  Again gross, I know.

You look so innocent here, clover.   Who would think that 
you would give me the black lung when we bale you up?

It's strange to think that we're really less than a freakin' week away from having Henry.  No matter what.  That's crazy.  I'll never have another Thursday without being a father.  Goodbye forever Thursday!  I'm really curious to see what our day to day activities are going to look like when he's here, and exactly how much that little man is going to sleep.  We'll see soon.


Today Nicki came with me to the "Hello/Goodbye Potluck" at the residency.  This was the first time our incoming intern class meets and associates with everyone as a group.  It also serves as the last thing the outgoing third years do with us, which is a little bittersweet.  I gave out bottle of our homemade pumpkin wine to the graduated seniors with notes about our time together.  Everyone kept rubbing Nicki's belly and asking all about how she was feeling.  A little overwhelming, especially when everyone wants to know!  But appreciated, of course.

1967 thought it knew what it was doing with mustaches.
The 1970's showed them how much further there was to go.

I guess our next update will be after the little man is here.  We got our new video camera and I've been getting footage for the video I plan to make once he's with us!  Can't wait to see what you look like!

Hehe, I already know...

  - Daddy

39 weeks - Video!

Henry will be here any day! Or at least, within the next two weeks...

So I made a video montage of the pregnancy pictures we took along the way. I have loved having a way to document our progress as we wait to meet our little man.

How far along? 39 weeks, 2 days

Total weight gain/loss: +33 pounds. Although I did eat an awful lot of ice cream this week... that could definitely have changed since Monday :) I blame the heat - my air conditioning is still waiting to be replaced! Illinois summer + 9 months pregnant - air conditioning does not = a comfy baby mama. It will be replaced sometime next week with a new unit though - hopefully that coordinates well with Henry's plans!

Maternity clothes? I don't even want to wear clothes anymore. But tonight we have a fancy dinner to go to for the residents graduating from Ben's program, so I have one more excuse to wear one of my cute maternity dresses. Glad I'm getting good use out of them!

Stretch marks? They oddly seem to be lighter in color lately. I wonder why that is... and if it will continue after I go back to a more normal size and shape.

Sleep:  Last night I slept like a rock. I haven't felt this well rested in a long time. Today would be a great day to go into labor!

Best moment this week: I found out that my cervix has made a little bit of change - I'm nearly 2 cm. That doesn't sound like much, but it means I still have a great chance of going into labor spontaneously - everything is favorable. So that's great!

Movement: He has been especially strong with his kicking the last couple of days. It's downright painful! 

Food cravings: Sweets, sweets, and more sweets. It's a good thing I don't keep candy in the house!

Nursery: I just like to look in there and imagine actually using it the way it's intended to be used, but I can't quite picture it. It's all so cute though - I'm so excited!

Labor Signs: On Tuesday, I really thought it was the real deal. My contractions were starting to get closer together - about 5 minutes apart for a while even - and they didn't stop despite getting in the tub, which has stopped previous false labor for me. Around 9 or 10, I decided to go to bed, fully expecting to wake up in the middle of the night, unable to sleep through the contractions. No such luck. I did wake up, but no baby! I was pretty disappointed, but he'll come when he's good and ready! Hopefully that's soon!

Belly Button in or out? In

What do we want to teach Henry about? How fun it is to go camping! I've missed not being able to do that yet this year.

What I miss: Besides camping - cool weather! Is it okay to already be looking forward to fall?

What I am looking forward to: Watching Ben cuddle with our baby. I can tell he's really excited to meet him, and I can't wait to introduce them!

Weekly Wisdom: I have decided to ignore contractions from now on, until I really can't distract myself anymore. I don't want to get my hopes up every day. I'll just be taking it easy and waiting until it happens.

Milestones: I only have 5 days to go until I reach my due date. Can you believe it?!

38 weeks - Daddy's Thoughts

Daddy's Thoughts:


Alright Henry, it's time to get here.  Your mother is getting anxious.  What's that?  No, no, in a good way.  But you better hurry or I'm going to have to threaten you with "a paddlin" or something else dad-like.


Lord, it's been a busy week!  Big thanks to Norm and Kay for letting me borrow the truck to pick up the nursery furniture from Carrie.  I took a boxspring back home with me and darn near lost the thing around Delavan, IL.  Oddly enough, all the baby furniture didn't move an inch on the way back.  Dad took full credit for the tie-down job for that when I told him.

Apparently we're not as good at competitive truck packing as we thought.

This weekend was my 10 year high school reunion.  It was very interesting and surprisingly good to see everyone again.  It's amazing but I actually enjoyed most everyone now that I'm not battling crippling depression over being single anymore.  It's the kind of thing you look back on and see how silly it all was, but I distinctly remember not being able to convince myself of that at the time.  I also remember mom and my friends continually trying to pull me out of it, but I guess I was adamant that there was no fixing it then, either.  Weird.  Anyway, we had a marvelous time, it was good to see the McGills again, now that Monica is pregnant with their third (3rd) baby.  Makes me feel like I'm behind the times.  And we didn't "clique-up" like I was expecting us to, but rather it seemed most people talked with whoever, even people they normally didn't relate to.  

I found this on a quick image search.  Again, the internet seems to be a strange place.

I got a chance to talk to Jill Ohlau Wilson, who is a nurse practioner and just joined the group that I'm going to be working with in Du Quoin.  She says she loves it so far, so hopefully I will just add to that when I get down there.  Sounds like they're going to really need me, too, as their patient load has gotten quite a bit larger.


We had one of our quarterly "resident retreats" yesterday, which is just basically an excuse to get away and relax with the people you normally only work with.  We went out for a drink at Nicki's favorite bar, Jimmy's, thereafter, and I could tell Nicki was lamenting still being pregnant, really for more reasons than just the obvious. I think yesterday morning Henry started the slow, "tunneling into her pelvis" process that makes her hips feel like they're going to split open somewhere along the way.  Everything's got to stretch out for this!

A prestigious establishment if ever there was one.

Anyway, it was a great time seeing everyone outside of work.  I'm going to miss a lot of the third year class when they're gone.  It's just weird for me to think about them leaving, as we've worked so closely together for nearly 2 years now.  You should have heard me stumbling through telling Calvin how much we're all going to miss him.  It came out as more of a lecture than anything else.  But anyway, they all have the rest of their lives to attend to now.  And in one short year, that'll be me too.  Que sera, sera, I guess.


Hard to believe it's only going to be a matter of a couple of weeks or even days until I meet Henry for the first time.  That's going to be fairly amazing.


Until next week!
  Daddy

38 weeks - Nursery Tour!

Looking in from the doorway.

Changing table with all our cloth diaper supplies.

Crib - quilt made by the lovely Laura June.

The door-side of the room.

View from the glider.

And a peek inside the closet!

How far along? 38 weeks, 2 days. Moving right along!

Total weight gain/loss: +30 pounds according to my scale, which would be 2 pounds down from last week - but my scale cannot be trusted. I feel like a whale. :) We'll see what my doctor's scale says on Monday.

Maternity clothes? Everything is so uncomfortable - I cannot wait to wear normal clothes again.

Stretch marks? No! They all disappeared! Poof!  ...     ....     ....     just kidding.

Sleep:  It has been so hot in our house - the AC in our bedroom stopped working. The repairman has been here 3 times already, and has been unable to fix it. The landlord seems to think it will get fixed eventually, but so far, no luck... so we've been sleeping in the basement. Thank goodness we were able to put the queen-sized mattress down there last week. I don't know what we would do otherwise. Luckily, we have a window unit in the living room, so it's not bad on the first floor.

Best moment this week: The nursery furniture arrived from my nephews! We are so so lucky to get this from them. My oldest nephew chewed on the railing of the crib, but some paint makes the whole set look brand new! I almost painted it blue, but then realized that we could have a girl someday, so I went with green.

Movement: He is so squished in there - every time he moves I think he's going to burst right out of my belly. 

Food cravings: Ben made the most amazing chocolate chip pancakes for dinner last night. They were exactly what baby belly wanted. Mmmm!

Nursery: It feels so good to have his little space all ready for him to arrive. Along with painting the furniture, I crafted quite a few things in the last couple of weeks - I've been so antsy to do something. I plan on writing a separate blog about some of the things I've made lately.

Labor Signs: All week long I've been having contraction patterns that last a few hours, then go away. A couple of hours later, it starts all over again. And they are getting painful! But none of them will stick - so frustrating! I'm at the point of just ignoring it. I'll probably actually go into labor without realizing it, because I'll assume it's just another fake-out :) Ben now thinks that this will be a July baby - previously he was betting on an early delivery. We'll just have to wait and see! I'm ready whenever Henry is.

Belly Button in or out? Have you heard of push presents? Apparently, some celebrity moms get these elaborate presents for pushing out the baby. Crazy! I told Ben I require a $10,000 belly button ring. Motivation to get back into shape, right?? Something tells me this will not be happening...

What do we want to teach Henry about? How to cook - I expect him to be making us dinner by the time he can sit up in his highchair. 

What I miss: Being able to open the window over the sink without needing a step stool. My belly just won't let me reach anymore!

What I am looking forward to: If I write that I'm looking forward to having a baby this week, will it come true?

Weekly Wisdom: It turns out that painful contractions every 6-7 minutes do not constitute real labor. Bummer.

Milestones: I feel like Ben and I are both finally ready and excited. It seems like I've been pregnant forever! I found out so early - I've had plenty of time to be anxious and terrified, but now I'm just excited!

37 weeks!

How far along? 37 weeks, 1 day. We are officially term! As far as I'm concerned, this baby can come today.


Total weight gain/loss: +32 pounds. I gained an extra pound this week! It certainly had nothing to do with all the donuts. No, that can't be it...

Maternity clothes? If the above photo is any indication, I'm going for maximum comfort at all times now. :)

Stretch marks? I found new ones - on my arm! Are you kidding me?

Sleep: I can get about 3 hours, maximum, before I have to pee. It's super awesome.

Best moment this week: Our anniversary was a lot of fun. Ben took me out to eat and the restaurant was perfect. Then we went to an old-fashioned drive-in (that's been in Peoria since the late 50s, basically unchanged) for root beer floats. It was perfect!

Movement: Poor little man has been getting the hiccups so much lately! But Ben told me that means his breathing is well-developed. So I can't complain!

Food cravings: I really really really wanted scotcheroos this week. So tonight, I went ahead and made some. Only I somehow messed them up. I do not know how this happened, but they were rock-hard and weird tasting. I am so disappointed. :( And so is my sweet tooth.

Nursery: Nursery furniture is coming home this weekend! I'm really excited to get the room put together, and sit in there waiting for our munchkin to arrive.

Labor Signs: Saturday night he dropped down into my pelvis, which was confirmed at my OB appointment today when I suddenly "lost" three centimeters on my belly from last week. I did not have my cervix checked - I want to do that as little as possible. But I have been having real contractions off and on all week, so I've likely made some change. Now it's just a waiting game!

Belly Button in or out? Now that he has dropped, I am no longer worried about it sticking out :)

What do we want to teach Henry about? Modesty - which might be an uphill battle with his Daddy around. (Love you Ben!)

What I miss: Washing a sink full of dishes without watching my feet double in size.

What I am looking forward to: Saturday I am going back to Fired Up with my family while Ben goes to his 10-year high school class reunion. It's too far away for me to join him this late in our pregnancy, so I'm glad I won't be spending the whole weekend alone. Plus, I love painting pottery!

Weekly Wisdom: I feel like I've learned very little this week. Things have gone by so fast! I hope the next few go the same way.

Milestones: I feel like both reaching "term" and our two year anniversary are huge milestones! I love our life, and I am so excited to be expanding our little family. :)


Daddy's Thoughts: 


I'm post-call and rather tired again tonight.  Sorry about that.  Post call days are way more fun than working, though, especially when you get to run errands and go to OB appointments with your very pregnant wife!  We're at that stage of seeing our OB every week, which is both kind of strange and also kind of useless.  It's the standard of care, but even I question whether my OB patients need to see me that often.  I guess I have to admit, though, that none of them have ever seemed angry or frustrated that I had them come back that often.  Maybe it's just nice that with all the changes and ligament pains and babies bouncing in their tummies at 3 a.m. there's someone who cares and is going to see them through, all the way to the end.  Maybe it's just nice being reminded that this whole crazy thing does, in fact, have an end.

I've been thinking more about how labor and delivery are going to go.  I keep telling Nicki that I have no doubts that she'll do really great and will be a model labor patient.  (And I really do know that she's going to do great!)  I kind of wonder if we'll really "know" when she's in labor here at home, or if it will sneak up on us.  She's had more day-to-day discomfort than before, and we know her cervix is definitely favorable, so who knows?  I've even been thinking about the moment that Henry's little head is going to be crowning, but I swear I cannot picture one moment past that.  I guess he'll be here soon enough to find out for ourselves!

When I searched "Baby Crowning" this is honestly what came up.  The internet is strange.

I passed my Step 3 that I wrote about a few weeks ago.  It's the last academic hurdle between me and being a doctor who can go out and practice on my my own, and now it's over.  Huzzah!  Now I can moonlight and make some extra money for the fam.  I hear that it's a fairly fine line you have to walk, though, so that you don't spend too much time moonlighting and making money while you have the chance.  There's an ER down in Canton, IL where I was offered some shifts and I think I'm definitely going to take them up on it.  And apparently working Proctor First Care shifts is also a pretty good way to spend your time.  These are some serious daddy-type things to think about.  :)

Bruce Willis and Cybil Shepherd in starring roles?  I clearly need to go back and watch this show.

Lamaze was pretty good this week.  We finally learned some of the breathing techniques that I had heard so much about.  We haven't practiced too much yet, but they do seem like they'll be effective to some degree.  I know one thing that's nice for Nicki is that we keep going over how labor is supposed to go, what we should expect and basically how long it will last.  That's got to be helpful. The video we watched had three stories filmed in real time about labor and delivery.  It was on VHS and the haircuts and sweaters were all adorably from the Reagan era.

As you know we're not planning on having an epidural.  Apparently my sister Carrie didn't have one either time and said that while it was rough, it was good knowing that there was end up ahead somewhere.  Sounds exhausting, but worth it, I think.

To completely change the subject, I went up to visit my grand friend Eric on Saturday.  As always, he loaded me up with a huge stack of comics to catch myself up on.  I just finished Gotham Central vol. 2 and must point out how amazing it is.  It deals with the Major Crimes Unit (M.C.U.) at Gotham P.D. and reads just like an episode of Law and Order.  Except everyone knows that Batman is out there, somewhere, even though their official stance is that he doesn't exist.

I think this could possibly be every little boy's dream.
Either that or being Batman.  Always be Batman.

The level of detail with the detectives and officers involved is truly astounding, and that's not even to mention how much these books expand and deepen the world and city of Batman.  One awesome little detail they expand on is that the M.C.U. has a secretary named Stacy who is actually not an employee of the city but technically hired through a private support service.  Her position makes her unique as she is the only non-municipal employee in the department, and thus, the only person who is allowed to turn the Bat-Signal on.  Because she's just a citizen, not a cop.  Awesome.

I've said this before, and I'll say it again, I hope Henry likes comic books.  His old man has a lot to show him.

Until next week,

  Daddy

36 weeks!

Earlier in the month, I had the privilege of attending a friend's bridal shower, part of which was held at Fired Up, a local pottery shop. I've been there before and I love picking out pieces to paint. This time, I made Henry some letters to go in his room. I got to pick them up this week, and they're so fun! Here are some of our attempts to photograph them with my belly:

How far along? 36 weeks, 1 day. Though I'm not technically term for another 6 days, my OB said that she will no longer try to stop labor if it starts. Bring on this baby!

Total weight gain/loss: +30 lbs. This close to the end, I don't even care. I'm looking forward to getting back in shape though, after he's here. 

Maternity clothes? It has been so hot here! And humid. I did have to turn on the AC this week. But then today it only got up to 57 - I felt like I was going to freeze :) I curled up on the couch with sweatpants, slippers, and a blanket for most of the day.

Stretch marks? Wouldn't it be nice if they just magically disappeared. I realized today that stretch marks might be the least of my belly concerns after the baby is born - won't I have wrinkles too?? Boo.

Sleep: I have been totally exhausted this week. Yesterday I slept a full night, only getting up once (a new record!), but then I woke up, ate breakfast and saw Ben off to work. After that, I promptly fell asleep downstairs for three more hours. Best. Nap. Ever.

Best moment this week: I got even more delicious food put away in our freezer, I got to relax and hang out with Ben, and I finished packing my hospital bag. It's been a great week!

Movement: He has been incredibly active today. Squirming, kicking, even hiccuping. He must be having a good day too :)

Food cravings: Remember a few months ago when a bunch of donuts somehow found their way into my house? Yeah... there may or may not be a box sitting on the table right now. Mmmm.

Nursery: I think I've pretty well figured out where I'd like everything to go. Now I just hope it fits like I imagine it will.

Labor Signs: My OB checked me for the first time today, and surprisingly I am already 50% effaced, and a little less than 1 cm dilated. I could hang out this way for a couple weeks, but it was more progress than we were expecting. Definitely a pleasant surprise!

Belly Button in or out? In

What do we want to teach Henry about? I want to teach him about football. Ben wants to teach him about the value of a good night's sleep. This probably has to do with him getting called to the hospital unexpectedly around 11 last night. He didn't get back until 6am. I felt so bad. Henry, your Daddy works so hard!

What I miss: Being able to twist around. It's very strange to reach for something slightly behind you when your belly button (and all the skin attached to it) stubbornly remain facing forward.

What I am looking forward to: Introducing our little man to all his loving family members. He has so many - we are very blessed.

Weekly Wisdom: Today I learned that Henry is gaining about an ounce a day. PER DAY. No wonder I'm exhausted!

Milestones: We finally made it to point of no return - whenever labor decides to start, we'll be ready! This is both terrifying and exciting. Mostly exciting today.


Daddy's Thoughts:


When I'm in on deliveries now, I seem to have an entirely new perspective on them.  Who can say how many times I've received a baby during a c-section, got him cleaned up then just hung around playing with him a bit, waiting for his five minute apgar score so I can leave and get on to the next thing.  Now though, when I see these little people on the warmer, I'm beginning to imagine what it's going to be like when he's my little guy that I'm looking at.  I'm told I'll get attached right away.  Somehow I'm beginning to see how that's possible.


Just a head's up, you've got me at a very tired moment.  As Nicki said up there, I'm going on about 1 hour of sleep due to an OB delivery that did not go as planned.  Seriously, I get more sleeping when I actually am on call.  Sweet sleep is beckoning.


Our movie going continued this week with us watching Men In Black 3 on Monday, and it was just fine.  But better than that, we watched the Hatfields & McCoys miniseries on the History Channel this week.  

Admittedly we know next to nothing about the history of this story, but us being the brains we are,we wanted to learn all about it.  And the production value and acting was excellent overall as well.  Don't worry, if you didn't see it, I'm sure History is going to be airing it so much in the next few months that they'll interrupt shows of Hatfields & McCoys to bring you additional showings of Hatfields & McCoys.  They're clearly very proud of it.  I hope Henry is as interested in history as his parents are.


So Nicki really surprised me when she told me that she's partially effaced.  I expected her cervix to remain disinterested in getting with the program all the way until the end, but instead it seems to be the first guest at the labor party we'll be throwing in a few weeks...inside of her.  Good times.


Alright, I've got to turn in.  but I'll see you all soon, I hope.

  Exhaustedly, 
        Daddy

35 weeks!

Drawing courtesy of Daddy

How far along? 35 weeks! 2 more weeks until we're term. I'm looking forward to it!

Total weight gain/loss: I didn't weigh myself this week, but based on the number of cookies I've been eating...

Maternity clothes? I can't wait to be back in my normal summer clothes. It's hot and humid here, but I refuse to buy any more maternity clothes. Only a month to go - it doesn't seem worth it. Luckily, I'm at home full time until he gets here now, so I don't have to wear "real clothes" all day long - only when I go out.

Stretch marks? I don't even want to talk about my stretch marks anymore. It looks like tree roots are climbing up my belly. Ugh.

Sleep: Still having good nights once in awhile, so I can't complain - soon it'll be up to Henrymonster!

Best moment this week: Not going to work! Yay! I got so much done at home, it was amazing. I have about half of my freezer full of delicious meals for after the baby comes, and I've got a few more to make tomorrow or the next day. I find I have to cook in the morning though, because by noon it is way too hot downstairs. I am stubbornly refusing to turn on the AC unit in the living room, since I already have one on in the bedroom. Let's see how long I can hold out...

Movement: Things are definitely cramped in there, but he's always sure to let me know he's happy to stay put for now :)

Food cravings: I don't even want to tell you how many chocolate chip cookies I ate the other night. And then the next morning too...

Nursery: Ben and I (mostly Ben) switched the bed in the nursery for the bed in the basement. I'm so happy we will be able to keep our queen-sized guest bed usable downstairs. My twin bed is in the nursery now. I would like it to stay there, but we will have to see how all the baby furniture fits before we make that decision.

Labor Signs: Today I had four contractions in about an hour, but then they abruptly stopped, so no labor for me!

Belly Button in or out? One side is trying to poke it's way out, but the rest is still very much in. It's being stretched a lot though - the skin is getting darker. Come on innie, you can do it!
What do we want to teach Henry about? I read this hilarious and adorable post today from a mother to her three-year-old son. It was so cute and made me tear up a little. http://newhealthom.com/2012/01/31/25-things-i-want-my-son-to-know/

What I miss: Going going going without feeling like I might pass out at any moment. Definitely learning to take it easier for this last month. PS: Next week, I will be 9 months pregnant. Say what?!

What I am looking forward to: Sitting in my recliner snuggling with Henry.

Weekly Wisdom:  Ben and I have been going to Lamaze for a few weeks now, and for the most part, it has been boring and unhelpful. But this week, some of the tips we saw in a video seemed very useful, and even Ben was upbeat about how some of the techniques "make sense" in doctor-land. He was confident that they will help us get through labor, which made me feel great.

Milestones: There are 34 days until our due date. Thirty. Four. Days. Blowing my mind...


Daddy's Thoughts:  So we joined a local community supported agriculture (CSA) group called Good Earth Food Alliance a couple of months ago, and we just got our first load of goodies.  We got a big bag of salad, some arugula, parsley, green onions and green garlic, radishes, and a dozen eggs.  A pretty good haul and we've had to busy ourselves with the best way to use this stuff.  Answer:  Salads.  Nicki's just as excited about them as me (I had no idea how spicy and sharp arugula is) and it's reminding me of the story of Rapunzel.  I'm sure you remember how her mother was pregnant and started getting a massive jones for greenery, which her husband could then conveniently steal from the witch next door.  If memory serves, Bernadette Peters played the witch in Into the Woods and I've had the Act One Prologue in my head all week.


She took one look at my beautiful garden, and told your father that what she wanted, more than anything in the world, was

  Greens, greens, and nothing but greens:
  Parsley, peppers, cabbages and celery,
  Asparagus and watercress and
  Fiddleferns and lettuce--!
  He said 'all right,'
  But it wasn't, quite,
  'Cause I caught him in the autumn
  In my garden one night!
  He was robbing me,
  Raping me,
  Rooting through my rutabaga,
  Raiding my arugula and
  Ripping up the rampion
  (My champion!  My favorite!)

I definitely did not secure the rights to use this.

And on like that.  So I guess Henry is going to have extraordinarily long hair.  Like I did.  Oh!  What if he grows a rat tail from ages 5 to 13?  Poor kid.  I can only pray that Vanilla Ice doesn't come back into popularity.

Dear God No

Nicki, of course, continues to grow more every day.  She's so uncomfortable, I feel bad.  It often stymies me how I don't have much to offer to make her feel better, just my company while it passes.  We went to see two movies this week:  Dark Shadows and What to Expect When You're Expecting.  I was really looking forward to Dark Shadows, but I have to say that I was let down overall.  The concept was fun, but it was one of those movies where they already showed you the best parts in the trailer.  I was just reading an article on Cracked saying that maybe Tim Burton and Johnny Depp as a team should take a break for awhile.  I think they should.  On the other hand, What to Expect was tremendous!  It's one of those ensemble, several intertwined vignette movies that can either be really great (Love Actually) or really suck (Valentine's Day).  Nicki was loving it because one of the moms seems to be going through a lot of the discomfort and general unpleasantness of being pregnant that she's experiencing.  Meanwhile her mother-ish-in-law (who is younger than her) is pregnant with twins and is having a dream pregnancy.  Naturally she draws the ire of every pregnant woman in the audience.  Also Dennis Quaid!

So it's been a pretty good week overall.  I got myself into a funk over the past several days and I'm not sure why.  Probably something to do with not knowing what life is going to be like in a few weeks.  Today I decided to break that streak by going running again.  Worked like a charm.  And I bought Nicki flowers.  She deserves them after all.    Men, go buy your pregnant wife flowers, I have it on good authority that they like that.

That's all I've got to report for now, until next week, I remain,
Daddy

34 weeks!

How far along? 34 weeks + 1 day. I waited to post until tonight because I had an ultrasound appointment today. Unfortunately, I have no adorable pictures to show you. Henry is stubborn! He just doesn't want to reveal his cuteness until after he arrives. I did learn the following things: He is head-down, which is great! He has a bunch of hair. He has one foot up near his mouth and the other one wedged under my ribs (not that I needed an ultrasound to tell me that). And he has a chin dimple just like Mommy! :)

Total weight gain/loss: +28 1/2 pounds. I haven't gained much weight in the last couple of weeks, but my belly is still getting bigger all the time. I'm carrying quite low now - I feel like he's going to drop out!

Maternity clothes? I am really appreciating extra big tank tops and sweatpants :) I only have one more day of work left (hooray!), and then I may forgo clothing that fits altogether. I am all about being as comfortable as possible these days. I feel so sorry for my pregnant friends that are working closer to their due dates. Hang in there guys!

Stretch marks? I haven't noticed any new ones this week, but my belly has been very itchy, so new ones are surely on the way!

Sleep: It is either getting a bit better, or I am finally starting to adjust to the interrupted schedule. I haven't felt nearly as wiped out at the end of the day this week. Not going to work for the rest of the pregnancy is sure to help with this too.

Best moment this week: My parents threw us an adorable shower over the weekend. I loved how everything was decorated. Ben and I both had a really good time seeing our friends, both at the shower and later in the weekend. It made me realize how strange it will be to not be able to just pop down to a friends house for the weekend anymore - now we'll have a kid in tow!

Movement: He's still squirming and kicking around in there like a champ. Things are starting to get sore! He hasn't shown off for Daddy in awhile though - how about some better timing Mr. Henry?

Food cravings: Oatmeal! I made oatmeal for breakfast several times, I made granola, and I plan to make baked oatmeal for Saturday brunch. I just can't seem to get enough!

Nursery: After our showers and a quick trip to Babies R Us, I think we have everything we need to make our final preparations! Ben even managed to get the car seat hooked up in the car. Now I just need to pack a bag and we'll be all set to welcome Henry (sans furniture of course, but that will be soon!)

Labor Signs: I have been having contractions this week, but nothing time-able, so not truly labor of course. They're pretty uncomfortable though!

Belly Button in or out? The lower my belly drops, the safer I feel my innie becomes!

What do we want to teach Henry about? I'm looking forward to watching him learn to roll over, and sit up, and crawl, and walk. Those things will be so exciting!

What I miss: Being able to reach things in the cabinets without bumping my bump into the counter tops. I feel so clumsy these days!

What I am looking forward to: My last day of work! Then it's just baby growing for the last few weeks. :)

Weekly Wisdom: When I first think that I might need to pee soon, I might as well get a move on. That tiny bladder waits for no one!

Milestones: Today was our last ultrasound - and my doctor started to begin our discussion about labor. This is really happening - soon!

Daddy's Thoughts:

I've been putting songs aside as I make my ever expanding collection of music that I call the Volumes.  These songs that I've been putting back I plan to put on the Volume for when Henry is finally born, as they make me think about having kids.  This will probably be volume 154 or so, I would guess.  There's on by The Lovin' Spoonful that I just loved called "Younger Generation".

Why must every generation think they're folks are square?
And no matter where their heads are, they know mom's ain't there.
Cause' I swore when I was small, that I'd remember when,
I knew what's wrong with them, that I was smaller than.

Determined to remember all the cardinal rules.
Like, sunshowers are legal grounds, for cutting school.
I know I have forgotten maybe one or two.
And I hope that I recall them all before the baby's due.
And I'll know he'll have a question or two.

Like, hey pop. Can I go ride my zoom?
It goes two hundred miles an hour, suspended on balloons.
And can I put a droplet of this new stuff on my tongue?
And imagine frothing dragons, while you sit and wreck your lungs.
And I must me permissive, understanding of the younger generation.

And then I'll know that all I've learned, my kid assumes.
And all my deepest worries must be his cartoons.
And still I'll try to tell him all the things I've done,
relating to what he can do when he becomes a man.
And still he'll stick his fingers in the fan.

And hey pop, my girlfriend's only three.
She's got her own video phone,
and she's taking LSD.
And now that were best friends, she wants to give a bit to me.
But whats the matter, daddy?
How come you're turning green?
Can it be that you can't live up to your dreams?

I think about that sometimes, that I won't be able to tell him or explain to him the things that he''ll be better off avoiding.  Because then I'll just be a dumb old dad who's out of touch and doesn't get his need to find out for himself.  And then he'll just have bruised fingertips from the fan.

Other songs I've got are "Love For a Child" by Jason Mraz, "Believe In Life" by Eric Clapton, and quite a few others.  I think it will turn out to be a good Volume.

Tell you what, kid, just go for it.

Also, I don't want Henry to do nearly the volume of drugs that this song implies.

Signing off until next week,

    Daddy