Revelations: Renovations, Book 3

We started painting this Sunday morning!

Yeller is the color we chose, yeller is the color we got. Looks a little too yeller right now if you ask me, but I am sure it will look fine once we get all of the trim up.




Now that I see it in this photo, I think it will be alright; better than that crappy contractor's beige that it used to be.

Below is a picture of me applying the yeller. God, I am grotesque. I look like a gorilla that has been trained to paint. What have I become?


Well, that's it for today. Once this first coat of yeller paint dries, we will put on a second coat and then paint another part of the room yeller. But first, it is off to Northampton (again) to see The Host, a Korean horror/comedy talkie.

What, you think we are seeing too many movies and not doing enough around the house?

To heck with you.

We only have ~ 10 more weekends until this baby is here (knock on wood), we are going to see as many movies as we can.

Finally, Some Doula Action!

Monday we officially met with Michelle, a prospective doula that we had seen at "Meet the Doula" night at the infamous Jones Library in Amherst. She was really nice and had an awesome house on the Connecticut River. The other deciding factor for me was that she had compared having a baby to climbing a mountain, an analogy that I had blogged about! Obviously, she was meant to be our Doula. She is also a midwife, and even though we are only using her as a doula, that's really cool for us. At the end of the meeting, she felt Gaius' position - still head-down!

In non-doula baby related activities, we went to our second childbirth education class last night. We practiced labor positions...

.... and watched another birth video

Next week - we get to tour the hospital!

Revelations: Renovations, Book 2

Real quick post this Saturday morning.

Jen and I just spent 3 hours priming, taping, and doing the very last bit of drywalling! Below is a picture of my hard-core, kick-ass, 29-and-a-half-week-pregnant wife up on a ladder. For the record, she went up there on her own-- I am not standing out of frame with gun pointed at her.

So, with Jenny's help and the cats locked out of the room, we made a lot of progress today. Another picture of the room is below. Soon, it will bicycle yellow and all cheery! Ready for Mr. Gaius in the fall, when we move him in there.

After all of that work, it's play time. Off to Northampton to go see a movie at Pleasant Street and eat some popcorn smothered with nutritional yeast (it's a hippy thing, yes, and I still hate hippies).

29 Weeks

This past Tuesday (4/10) we hit the 29 week mark. That means there are just 11 weeks to go until we hit the due date (6/27), and only 9 weeks until Gaius is considered full-term.

According to the OBGYN, Gaius is pointing in the right direction (head down), and everything seems to be going along normally, both Jen and the baby are doing well. Thank goodness.

Last night, Wednesday, was our first prenatal class, which is offered through the hospital. The class was pretty good, the instructor very nice. The topics of the evening were introductions, labor, and relaxation.

Although I have read a million books about birth at this point, I still learned some new things last night. For example, the placenta looks like a rotten pumpkin covered with black veins, not a "pink pancake thing," as Jen had imagined it. Also, I learned that there is no part of the birthing process that has not been put on film, and I will be forced to watch them all in preparation for our own.

The relaxation part of the evening was very nice. During the last 15 minutes of class, the instructor had us all lay down on the floor with the blankets and pillows that we were asked to bring. She then put on a CD that combined in-utero heartbeat sounds with new age music, and walked us through a series of exercises designed to relax the body.

Hippie nonsense, you say? Perhaps, but it did relax me to the point of almost falling asleep; a nice treat at the end of a long, tiring work day.

Getting Up to Speed

I can't believe it's been 7 days since my last post-- time is flying.

This will be a quick post with more pictures than narrative (writing this during my lunch break).
Generally, we are doing very well. Jen's belly is getting bigger by the day, Gaius is gestating well, and I am continuing to slave away on the nursery renovations. We should get to the painting sometime this week, Gods willing.

Okay. The first picture we have is from two Sundays ago at Jim and Greta's house in New York. We met the Blaus for breakfast and spent some more time with Master Seamus. Here he is, pictured in one of the Julieanna onesies.

After breakfast with the Blaus, Jen and I headed down to the South Seaport. This is located at the Southern tip of Manhattan, I think.

We went there to see an exhibit called "Bodies", which featured lots of dead people and their organs. There were also lots of medical students and doctors walking around with their wives and dates, talking very loudly and trying to impress their women.

We were not allowed to take pictures of anything inside, but we did get a photo of the sign outside. So exciting.

After we saw dead people, Jen and I were done with Manhattan. Time to say goodbye.

Here we are, below, posing together. Gods, I am hideous. With each passing day, my eyes get more rat-like and my brow more ape-like. Hmmm....I am just noticing that my beard matches Jen's hair. I wonder if Gaius will have red hair?

And here is a picture of the lovely Jen, in full profile. Love the coat. So cute, that belly. I disagree with Jen that it makes her look like a "pregnant troll" .

That's the last picture from The Big Apple. After leaving the city, we went to NJ for 4 days and enjoyed a very nice Passover.

We got home last Wednesday, and it was back to work for the both of us. Did I mention we have so much stuff left to do before Gaius arrives?
Babies are so much work, and this one is not even here yet.

Speaking of babies, remember when I told you that our cat, Filbert, wants to be one? Last night, he took his baby-envying-ways to a whole new level. I swear to the Gods that the picture below is not staged in any way.

This cat is out of control, I tell you. Watch out, Gaius, Filbert is not going to give up being the center of attention without a struggle.Well, I think we're up to date now.

Saturday Night Seamus

It is Sunday night.

We arrived in New Jersey a few hours ago, just got back from dinner with Jen's family. Our bellies are full of lamb (not the "of God" kind), red cabbage, and other delicious Turkish foods. Tomorrow is the first day of Passover, there is a lot to do to prepare. Barbara, Jen's Mom, is cooking. Jen's dad, Larry, is putting away the non-Passover dishes. Lots of activity-- way more than Jen and I are used to on a day-to-day basis. That's okay, though. I know there is a kick-ass matzo ball soup at the end of it all.

Yesterday was the beginning of our 5-day road trip.

The first stop: downtown Manhattan to visit our friends Jim, Great, and their 2-month-old son Seamus.

After checking into our hotel, we walked 2 or 3 blocks over to Jim and Greta's apartment. We arrived at their door around 5:00 pm. Greta, looking great, answered the door and welcomed us in.

Jen and I dropped our coats and bags and made our way to the living room to see Jim and Seamus. The moment to meet the newest Blau had arrived!

Except we would have to wait a few moments longer. Seamus was fast asleep, tucked under a blanket on his Dad's chest. They looked so peaceful, just sitting there.

I have known Jim for a very long time now and always knew he would make a great father. He is a kind, gentle man with a lot of chest hair for a young primate to cling to. To see Jim sitting there, holding his baby, filled me with joy. Joy for him, Greta, and Seamus, and joy for Jen and I. Gods willing, we will have our own baby boy to rock to sleep soon.

It didn't take long for Seamus to wake up from his evening nap. Maybe it was the sound of new voices or something else, but soon after we sat down, Seamus stirred and woke up.

Right away, Jim and Greta let me hold him. I bounced him on my knee, made funny faces, and talked to him in the high-pitched voice I usually save for cats and the homeless. Seamus responded with a big, toothless grin (that may have had more to do with gas pains than being pleased at seeing my bearded mug) and lots of blinking of his big, blue eyes.

Jen took young Seamus next. If the cooing and smiling were any indication, he loved her. Jen was so good with him; she is going to be such a great mommy. Bea Arthur aside, I would not want anyone else to be the mother of my child.

Like all things, the baby holding fun was soon over. Seamus got hungry, fussy, and wanted to be fed. So did Jim, and despite his crying, and rooting, I refused to let him drink from my breast. Instead, we ordered some Thai food from this thing called "The Seamless Web". It is a service that allows one to order an entire meal, online, without having to interact with a single human being. I'm not counting the food delivery person, of course, as they are not human beings.

Dinner was delicious. Jen had an eggplant and basil dish, I had spicy squid. It was so spicy that my ears were sweating and my scalp was tingling. But I kept eating it. Must have been the endorphins released by the chili peppers.

Instead of running, I think I am going to take up eating spicy squid three times a week. I will sweat more, and at the same time, help rid the world of cephalopods. Have you ever read Peter Benchley's Beast? It's about a giant squid that eats people. I'm telling you, it's just a matter of time before the squids rise up and begin their assault on humanity. We must all do our part to prevent this disaster: Eat Spicy Squid.

Before, during, and after dinner, Jim and Greta graciously entertained our many, many questions about the birthing and experience and what it's like to have a tiny little person to take care of. Here is a small sample:

How often does a baby eat. Too often...far too often.

Will we become sleep deprived? [Hysterical laughter].

Is it really possible for a baby too poop so much that it flows up and out the back of a pair of diapers? Dear Lord, yes.

After dinner, Jim gave Seamus a bath in the sink. It was getting to be bedtime in the Blau household. When bath time was over, Jen and I gathered our things and headed back to the hotel.

During our 5-minute walk, we talked about how good it was to see Jim and Greta with Seamus, and how much they all love each other. Call me corny and sentimental if you want, but I was touched to see these two new parents with their baby.

Well, that's about it for Saturday.

Sunday's adventures will follow soon.