Mama's Boy

It's official. Our son must be a mama's boy already because he just does not want to leave his mama's belly.

He is officially one week late today. Besides the frustration of multiple bouts of "false" labor (regular painful contractions that last several hours and then eventually space out and become more mild - i.e. do not produce a baby in the end)... and having our midwife call everyday to check on us (because of said "false" labors)... and the regular pregnancy stuff I was already dealing with, it has actually been really nice having this time and spending it with Ray.

He is off work now since he had to transition all of his projects to other people and now there is not much they can give him when he may not be around the next day. That has been the best ever for me because he distracts me and keeps my spirits up and we have been having a lot of fun thinking of ways to fill our days (cleaning and other boring things we should be doing don't keep my spirits up so much). We drove up to St Helena the other day (wine country - where we went after our wedding) and just went to a good lunch spot and wandered around. Then another day we drove down the coast and got fish and chips and went back to where Ray proposed (see pics). We hung out with Ray's sister Lisa and the kids one day. We walked to one of our favorite breakfast spots. We went to our favorite dinner spot. We have watched movies. Just basically enjoying these last few days we have where it is just the two of us and we can take off at a moment's notice without packing the car/stroller full of diapers and wipes and blankets and snacks and toys and changes of clothes.

We saw our midwife yesterday and the baby still looks happy as a clam in there. They will let us go until January 2 before they evict him by force, so hopefully he does it on his own before then. We do have to go in to the hospital on Sunday for a non-stress test to monitor the contractions and the baby to check on his movement and variability of heart rate. Just to make sure the placenta is still working well and he is getting enough oxygen. I think they will also check the amniotic fluid levels. I am not that concerned because he still moves like crazy and his heart rate looked great yesterday at our appointment.

I don't know how big he is, but I am pretty sure he is still growing because I just had a growth spurt since I hit 40 weeks and I am hungry all the time. He can now pinch the nerve in my right hip, push his head against my cervix, jab his foot out of my left side and stick his butt up in my ribs all at the same time. And that is just with a little wiggle. I think I might miss the entertainment of him moving all of the time once he joins us on the outside. And yes, my belly is still growing. I told Ray yesterday when we were walking that he feels so low and heavy that I really feel like he could fall out of the front, under my belly button where my giant belly is precariously hanging over my pants. Of course Ray got some pics of said huge belly (and these were taken last week!) Obviously the choice to wear an orange shirt only made it look more like I was smuggling a giant pumpkin under there.

279 days down, 1 to go... (give or take)

When I first announced on my blog that we had a baby on the way, I had 215 days to go... and now I am due tomorrow and wondering how many "bonus" days I will get of this pregnancy. Traci told me to think of it like I finished the race and now I am doing my victory lap. :)

Since this very well might be the last pregnancy update (for this one at least), I thought I would tell you guys what has been going on. Here is the news in a nutshell:

- Baby is still head down and very low - perfect position

- I am still going to the chiropractor every week, which has helped a lot with my hip and tailbone pain. I also have 2 pinched nerves (one in right hip, one in right arm) and going to the chiro keeps that pain (mostly) manageable, so I really look forward to my appointments.

- I have been having cramping, back pain and contractions for over a week. I don't love this, but I don't hate it either if it is "productive." But we don't really know for sure what is going on so I am choosing to think that all of the "preparing" for the labor will make the real deal go more smoothly.

- Everything is as ready as it is going to be. Baby's room done. Bags packed. Books read. Laundry done. House cleaned (more or less...). Presents bought, wrapped, shipped. Work done. We are just trying to enjoy every last moment of our twosome (or foursome if you count the pups) and eat out, watch movies, putz around on our projects, etc.

Basically, we are ready. And we would be happy if the baby came tomorrow (or tonight if he so chooses), but mostly I want him to be healthy and ready himself, so I am exercising what little patience I have and letting him get the party started when it suits him. Even if he decides to be born on Christmas day (I am telling you, kid, you will regret it later).

Thank you all for your support and encouragement when I needed it. I can't wait to share the good news with you all when I have some!! :)

Ramon Bob!

We have an announcement to make (and no, it is not our own...) - we have another nephew thanks to Joel & Karen!

Ramon Robert was born Sunday, December 13, 2009

Delivery was fast and furious as it happens for Karen and mom and baby are healthy and home. Little guy decided to come face first and make it a bit harder on himself (and his mama). He managed to escape the baby conehead, but instead will have some bruising for a few days. Just some cool battle scars he can brag about to his newborn friends. Connor seems beyond excited to be a big brother...



p.s. Ramon Bob because Robert is Joel's middle name and when I was young I liked to call him Joel Bob. :)

Sad Day :(

Yesterday was an especially sad day for us. Many of you know that Ray's uncle (who officiated our wedding) and his wife Patty were expecting a baby shortly after ours. They just lost the baby. She was 6 months pregnant. There are no words to describe how sad and unfair this is. And there is nothing we can do to help. I hate knowing people I love are suffering.

Baby Halo-Halo's Grandpa Visits!

It is hard to imagine us being any more spoiled as parents-to-be...we have gotten so much love and goodies in the last nine months. The most recent demonstration of ridiculous love for this unborn child is my dad driving something like 2,500 miles from Indiana to San Francisco to deliver and assemble the crib he BUILT HIMSELF for our son. He also happened to bring a bunch of junk I left at my parents' houses before I moved here 7 years ago, my old rocking chair from when I was a kid, a hope chest he made me when I was in college, and also a window seat and wine rack he made Ray and I for our wedding. After enduring several grueling days of driving, he then endured a few days of me dragging him from Ikea to Target to Home Depot to Trader Joes to Orchard Supply Hardware (etc) as I nested and made sure I had everything in the house I wanted before baby. He would tell me that is what Dads/Grandpas are for. I hope someday Baby Halo-Halo will realize how lucky he is to be so loved by so many people. Ray and I sure appreciate it. Here are some pictures of our new goods:

Ray and Dad assembling the crib:
Dad and me posing by the crib:
The blanket my Grandma Top made the baby (his great-grandma!):

The crib with sheets and dust ruffle and undercrib storage boxes:

The window seat:

The wine storage unit (stocked and ready for me to enjoy any day now...):

The hope chest (in our bedroom):

And a bonus (for my mom) from Chris' surprise party last weekend - yes I have gotten bigger:

Nursery Preview

We are still working on the nursery - everytime we clear something out, something else comes in that needs to be cleared later... :) Ray just installed and painted closet doors, our friends Ava and Sercio got us a baby gate and put it in and I have a Christmas presents/decorations pile, a goodwill pile and and a not-sure-what-to-do-with-it pile that I need to sort out. I will be clearing out that stuff this week so that the room is ready for the crib and window seat that Dad is bringing for the baby next weekend (yay!), but here is a preview of some of the cute little things Baby Halo-Halo will be living with:

Rug:

Shelf with giraffe, top and piggy bank:

Closet:

Light:Bookshelf full of books and blankets and toys:

Mobile hung from the ceiling (it's a big one!):

Elephant lamp and new curtains:

Bulletin board above his changing station (aka my desk):

Baby Halo-Halo is Already a Popular Guy!

I have to say that I feel ridiculously loved and spoiled by all of the well wishes and sweet gifts that have been showered on us and our son during this pregnancy. After baby's Chicago Fan Club threw us the shower in September, I thought we were at spoilage capacity, but apparently not! One of my clients had a lovely lunch shower for me and another client threw us a surprise dinner shower (with the help of Ray). Note genuine surprise (and happiness - I love these coworkers!):

Our friends and family here also threw another shower for Baby H-H a couple of weeks ago. We had great food and games and I loved being able to catch up with a lot of people that I don't see very often. Thank you everyone for all you have done - we appreciate it very much and I am so thankful that Baby Halo-Halo is coming into the world so loved. Here are some pictures of our SF baby shower:

Pregnancy Update

It's been awhile since I updated ya'll on the pregnancy, so here we go...

The countdown is on:
Less than 5 weeks to go, something like 32 days (if he comes right on time)

The tour of doctors:
I have been going to my midwife every other week (soon to be every week)...
I am going to a chiropractor every week (so that I can walk without crying)...
We have an appointment with our pediatrician next week...
We have a hospital tour scheduled for next week in case I need to transfer from the birth center...
I just had a dentist appointment...
I just had a physical for our life insurance application...

Note: the baby will NOT stop moving around. Movement is good, somersaults at 35+ weeks just shows that he has his father's sense of humor and likes to keep us guessing. Apparently it is normal for the baby to settle into a birthing position by 32 weeks and this flipping around so late is very unusual. At our appointment earlier this week his head was in 3 different places the 3 times they checked within a half hour span - we've got an active one! This also might mean that he is having trouble settling head down (which would be an automatic C-section, my worst-case birth scenario, boohoo). SO... this means more doctor's appointments:

I am going to start an acupuncture procedure called moxibustion, which is the best proven method of getting the baby to turn...
I also might need to see another chiropractor that specializes in a Webster technique to get the baby in a good position...
And if all else fails, I will be scheduling a version at the hospital where they try to manually turn him (from what I hear this is pretty painful and not always effective...hmmm)

Inside my head:
Physically, I am getting more uncomfortable between the lack of sleep and the joint pain and the ligament pain (my body seems confused by the fact that it has to expand to accommodate baby). I can suck it all up 95% of the time. It's just the other 5% when Ray needs to notice the meltdown coming on and pull out the foot massaging and sweet talking until I get a hold of myself.

Mentally, I am feeling like time is flying and a general brain-racing-holy-crap kind of feeling. Next week is my last week of work, which is a relief and is so stressful at the same time considering I am leaving all of my projects (the ones I have poured myself into for a year and a half) in other people's hands. It's not just some company I work for, it is my own business and I hate handing over what I have worked so hard for and not knowing what I will come back to (no, I don't have control issues...). That is not to say that I wish I was working right through, mind you.

My first week off is Thanksgiving week, so that week should be good relax and catch up on things around the house time. My Dad is coming to visit that weekend and part of the next week (and bringing our crib and other furniture - yay!) Then I am hoping to get some cooking and freezing in and tackle some of that growing list of things I wanted to get done before baby (i.e. switch my iTunes from my old desktop to my "new" (almost 2 year old...) laptop so I can get rid of said old desktop, which is currently in Baby's room). All that fun stuff that I have managed to resist doing for ages and is now biting me in the butt.

Then there is the whole trying to wrap my head around the fact that we will have a baby before we know it.... minor detail.

What I could not have lived without:
The other night when I woke up at 3am (for the third time that night and then never went back to sleep *sigh*), I found myself with lots of pondering time and started to think of the little things that I could not have lived without during this pregnancy. Just for fun, here is my list so far:
1. My rice heating pad. Oh how I love thee. It got me through many a round ligament spasm and now is used nightly on my tailbone and hips. Ray also made me a tube sock with rice that fits perfectly under my belly for the crampy days.
2. King-Size pillow. News flash: sleeping on your side when your hips/back hurt makes them hurt more. Using a large pillow between your knees helps. Any and all sleep aids are much appreciated (shout out to my eye mask and ear plugs, too!).
3. Apple Cider Vinegar. This is the best thing to tame my heartburn/acid reflux. Taking a shot does the job (but omg it burns going down!) so I prefer to mix 2 T with a half glass of water and chug. Works wonders.
4. Nightlight in the bathroom. That eerie familiar glow makes my night treks so much more pleasant.
5. Grapes, blueberries, cinnamon-raisin bread, Goat Hill soy cheese pizza with tomatoes and artichokes, Kashi granolas, Odwalla Superfood, the Karisa Oatmeal Special (oats, raisins, slivered almonds, ground flaxseeds, agave nectar/honey, rice milk), orange juice, Costco morning buns, Pregnancy Tea, Pepper Triscuits (good with tuna), vietnamese vermicelli, Kashi strawberry flax waffles, decaf coffee, cereal and rice milk (when the thought of food makes my stomach turn), Mom's taco salad... I think it is time for a snack over here...

The Pups: A Day in the Life

I waited for ages for the bus yesterday so I passed some time looking through the photos on my phone. I have all of these photos of the pups that make me smile. They are so nutty and I just love them. Indulge me... :)

What happens when you leave the dogs in the car and run errands:

Mela will find any comfy spot and make herself at home:

As I said... even the laptop case qualifies I guess:

Cuddling:

Ikaika falling off the couch (but still got his pillow):

Mela scratching her belly:

Mela helping with laundry:

The pups helping Ray work:

Must have been a rough day:

Brother-pillow:

Naptime for all:

Mela the pillow hog:Ikaika making room for himself (under my desk as I work):

Weddings!

In the last few weeks we have attended a couple of very special weddings.


Alex & Mia

Mia has been BFFs with Ray's sister Lisa since high school and I also work with Alex at one of my clients, so we were very happy to share in their special day. They hired Ray as their photographer (which is why the photos are so amazing!) Here are a few of my personal favorites - check out Ray's smugmug for more.



Chris & Maria
Chris has been Ray's BFF since the age of 9 (some of you may recall the stand-up comedy routine, er, I mean best man speech he gave at our wedding!) He and Maria are good friends of ours and it was a very special weekend for us. Since the photographer was otherwise occupied, we have no pictures from their wedding, but here is a photo of the newlyweds on their honeymoon in Italy!