Only 9 More to go!

Today Jen went to the OBGYN for her weekly appointment (yes, we are now at the once-a-week stage).

Good news! Everything looks great: Belly circumference, Blood Pressure, Weight, Gaius's heart beat and position (still head down)-- all fine.

Also, Jen is 1 cm dilated. That's 1/10 of the way to the cervical dilation finish line!

It's hard to believe that we now have less than 4 weeks to the due date. In another 5 days, Gaius will be considered full-term and his early arrival into our world, should it occur, will pose no statistcal risk of harm to him.

Only a little bit further to go!

36 weeks...

Went to the Dr. this morning and I am already 1/10th of the way to having this baby! Already 1 cm dilated - which in all honesty, I don't think means very much. Everything looks great - heartbeat, position, my blood pressure and pee, etc. The Dr. and I had a very lively discussion about Battlestar Galactica, one of the places where we got Gaius' name from. Thats all we'll know until next week!

Babies! Babies! Babies!

What a Sunday.

At 6:00am, Jen and I woke up for our last pre-baby road trip.

Our first stop was my father's house. After visiting for an hour in Danvers, we all drove up to NH to see Susan and her new daughter, Delaney Althea Riley.

Here she is, in several pictures. I am stunned at how much she looks like my late mother.

And let's not forget Aiden who, at 18 months old, is quite the little character.







Well, that's it for now.

In a few weeks, Gaius's pictures should be gracing this blog.

To Wear or not to Wear...

Wednesday I attended a baby-wearing workshop at a local shoppe. I learned a lot about the benefits of wearing a baby using wraps, instead of the more popular baby bjorn, etc. It's really interesting that there are so many different kinds of wraps, for all different purposes. The most versatile one, the "german wrap" seems like the one that we could get the most use out of. The benefits include a hands free way to hold your baby, which allows you to actually do more than sit on the couch like a bump on a log, especially while nursing. Another benefit is the ability to nurse pretty discreetly (especially if you are a modest woman like myself!). Oh yeah, these things are good for a baby up to 35 lbs! They also are the most natural way to carry your baby and also puts it into the best position, physiologically.

So, I'm pretty sure that we will attempt this baby wearing thing. It seems that even though we swore that we were not turning into dirty valley hippies, they are slowly influencing our baby decisions!!!

In other news, we are excited to announce our new niece was born on Wednesday night (we heard just as I got back home)!!!!! Mom and baby are doing great - Delaney was born at 8 pm 6.13 lbs!!!! We are psyched to go see everyone on Sunday!

34 Weeks, 2 days

Today, we had our 34-week check-up.

According to the OBGYN, Jen is having a "very healthy pregnancy," and everything looks good. Despite the mild evening heartburn and increasing sleeplessness at night, Jen is feeling pretty good; no major complaints.

We had our final baby class last night. The topic was breast feeding. I walked into the class thinking that there was nothing to learn, really-- that it all comes naturally. Was I ever wrong. Of all the classes we have had, I think I learned the most last night. I had no idea there was so much "skill" involved with breast feeding. From getting the baby to "latch" on; knowing when the baby is actually eating vs. just getting comfort (it's all in the swallow); to how to detach the baby from the breast. So much to know. I think we feel much better about about increasing our chances of being able to successfully breast feed Gaius for as long as possible.



As I sit here and write this, we have 41 days left until the due date. I feel like a kid waiting for Christmas or Hanukkah. The anticipation is overwhelming. I know that Gaius will change our lives forever and present new challenges for us, but I am ready for him. Last night, when I was "burping" the plastic baby doll, I found myself wishing it was the real thing, a flesh-and-blood baby.

In due time, I know.

For now, we wait.

Revelations: Renovations Book 4

Despite my best intentions, I have not been able to find time or energy to post as often as I would like.

Tomorrow marks 33 weeks (or 7 weeks left until our due date).

Overall, things are going well. Despite some heartburn and ever-increasing limitations on her mobility, Jen is feeling good. At the last check-up, everything was fine, nothing to worry about.

Finally, at long last, the painting of the walls in what will be Gaius' s room is done! I am so relieved. I am never painting another room again. Here is a picture.

With the walls painted, I now need to put down some baseboard and paint the trim in the room.

Almost there!