end of year letter to the little dude

hello there little fellah,

It's the last day of 2008 and we are so excited about how this year turned out for your papa and I.
First off - it's our first year of marriage. And that alone is so exciting for us to be together but then.....drum roll please......
We got a HUGE gift in May when we found out the universe was supplying us with YOU!
Talk about icing on the cake of our lives. SHEESH. It was so surprising because I thought I might be too old to get pregnant - but looking down at my huge belly I apparently was wrong!
We've had a nice time together you and I so far. I love sharing my food with you, and being a vessel for you to grow in. What a total trip. I love feeling you move and you kick so hard now that it makes me laugh. People can see my belly moving from across the room now and no one feels nervous about asking me when I'm due - lots of strangers are curious about you.
I gave us a pregnancy massage followed by a milk bath with jets in the bath and I ate oranges and bananas and wondered what you thought about the swirling water jiggling you around in the tub? I think you probably loved it. I'll be going again next month for SURE and I'm taking you with me!!
Tonight is New years Eve and we are staying home to lay low and be mellow. Your parents aren't so into being in large crowds of drunk people. Those days are over for us. Been there - done that. You'll probably go through that as well at some point, but for now we will be pampering you with power lounging.
Your papa is working today and creating a space at work so he can leave for the 1st 6 weeks of your life. I'm so excited about that. Who knew he could get Paternity leave??
We are excited to meet you next year - and learn more about who you are and what you need.
Your papa and I love you and are so excited to show you the world. Thank God Obama is in office, we live in the very warm and sunny climate, We can offer you a cozy home and place to rest, I have the luxury right now of being home to care for you, and papa is the best human on the planet as I tend to mention from time to time so you are going to love love love being with him I'm certain. We plan to surround you with other loving humans, fun little beings your size, animals, laughter, love, light, fun, joy, music, dancing, giggling, and all the other emotions that we enjoy having. Yes - little dude you are allowed to share your feelings and emotions here.
p.s. I'm watching your grandfathers favorite movie right now " Ferris Buellers Day off " and wondering if you will be anything like the main character in this movie. Or like your grandfather who likes the wackiest movies, like Animal House, Knocked Up, and Pretty Woman.
too funny!

love you little bean, tomato, bagel, dude!

Happy new year!!

mama


Dear little dude,

We're about to start the year you will be born - 2009. I think it's a nice year to be born. If you're on time you still have a couple of months before B-Day. Take your time. No hurries. Life happens on its own schedule. As much as we try to control it, we're often just along for the ride. So for now kick back, relax and enjoy it. We all look forward to meeting you.

Love,

Your Dad

8 weeks?

um, I was just looking at a calendar and it looks like if the baby is born on March 2nd or during that week that we only have 8 weeks left.

Eight

E-I-G-H-T.

e.i.g.h.t.

**

so to distract myself I'm getting my first pregnancy massage and milk bath at Burke Williams Day Spa in Pasadena tomorrow.
All paid for by glorious friends and family. THANK YOU !!!

What a nice way to end 2008 and move into this last trimester - or as I am now calling it " Birth watch 2009 "

Will he be early? Will he be late?
Any guesses out there????

My friend Amy told me that the baby could be born as late as March 16th! Which is fine by me if he needs more time in the belly. The grandparents are starting to make requests for visits - not sure if the little dude will accomodate everyone's schedule's but we will see!

Today I bought him his first 5 years Baby Book,
what to expect the first year
the vaccines book ( which jerry will read and give me the cliff notes on )
and a book recommended by the hospital that covers all things baby.

On the 2nd of Jan we will start our search for our Pediatrician.

Looking into the 3D ultrasound - might do that in the next few weeks.

Little Dude's papa just got home from work - it's 9pm and he needs to have his dinner and have his power lounge time on the couch so I'm going to go and kiss him now.

week 31 update

ok I tried to upload a photo from baby center of how the baby looks this week but it just wouldn't do it so Here is a photo of the so called size and weight - 4 navel oranges.
Feels more like a bag of oranges in there - like say 10 of em.
All rolling around - keeping me from getting a full breath of air.

Week 31 starts today.
Today was a good day.
So sunny and hot it felt like the first day of Spring or Summer. Something about the light made me smile almost the entire day.
I headed to an old favorite place and had their granola with berries on top. Oh was it tasty.
Then - I got one of there salads to go and had that for lunch with a ( drum roll please ) turkey burger that I made here
just like the days before my pregnancy. Salad and turkey burger. That's all I ever ate for lunch. I had an aversion to veggies for the past 6.5 months and anything I ever ate before I got pregnant was not an option. Made me just feel cold inside.
So today was momentous with the food. ( other then the 2 choc. chip cookies and 1 hard boiled egg I had when I woke up ! - um wow )

Last night we went to see the movie MILK and I had a hard time breathing. The seats were stadium seats and for some reason it was just the perfect angle for me to have even LESS air then I already have. And my feet went cold and I was dizzy and lightheaded. So after an hour we had to leave. I never saw the end of the movie. Once I got up and walked around I was much better. But sitting is becoming a breathing hazard.
Luckily at home I don't experience it so much on the couch as I do in chairs. So guess where I am most of the time!



Thinking about the baby room....and which decals to get.
I'm thinking this tree is in our future....

along with some others I'll post later

hang on little tomato

I was looking around for Pink Martini's song and video of "hang on little tomato" and found this.
It got me all teary - so I figured I should post it even though I have no idea who that baby is.
But this is the band - singing the song that prompted the blog title and baby nickname and they are one of my all time favorite bands. Saw them at the Hollywood Bowl with Jerry and it was magical.

enjoy!

7 months of belly photos

Click on the image above to make it larger so you can really see the belly!


ENJOY?

I'm so glad Jerry took these photos for us.
It gives me something to look back on and remember what my body used to look like, what happened, and what it's like now!
No wonder it's hard for me to walk these days!
Sheeeeeeeeeeesh. ( p.s. I'm bigger now then the last photo there that was just taken 2 weeks ago....I've lost my chin...oh yes....it's gone. )

I'm glad I haven't really been bothered by gaining the weight this far - I figure it's a waste of time since - um - I'm growing a human inside of me. But just recently I've noticed that I'm getting a bit more sensitive about it. So if you see me...don't call me fatty or I'll slug you. Don't say " wow you're HUGE " or a fist might make it to your chin. What is WITH PEOPLE!?!?!

Well it's 5:36am and I've managed to utilize this time by creating this photo comparison, now I'm off to slice up an apple, make some tea, and watch as the sun rises. I may pull out a pregnancy book - but I've learned the hard way that reading about pregnancy and birth is over rated and just causes more stress. No thank you. My mind is enough for me thank you!

xoxox

enjoy your Sunday.

it's the last day of hanukkah

it's the last day of Hanuakkah and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even -
wait a minute
I'm STIRRING!

I'm up at 3am again.

Someone's car alarm went off at 3am and I never got back to sleep.
So here I am on the couch at 4:22am with my cat sitting next to me while I post a blog entry and try to bore myself back to sleep.

The photo was taken a few days back with my iphone. The menorah is on the coffee table where I spend a lot of time sitting on the couch and looking at the tree lit up and out those windows at the bright sunlight.

Jerry and I are really glad we started to have our own holiday at home this year. This year we stayed home because of the pregnancy. And we welcomed the opportunity to buy our first tree, light candles of the menorah each night, start a dinner tradition on the first night of Hanukkah, and on Christmas eve, and to relax and take our time.
Maybe today on the last day of Hanukkah we will come up with another tradition to end the holiday with.
Like - going to see a movie!
Do you know how long it's been since we've gone to one?
The pregnancy - mixed with the fact that it gets dark so early right now - makes it very hard for me to get out of the house after a certain time.

So today - we were thinking of seeing a matinee, then head back home to continue to work on our baby room, in between more rest and relaxing.

These quiet days are numbered and I am SO aware of that.

Today it's going to be about 68 degrees and sunny. Tomorrow 73 and Tuesday 74. I'm hoping to take a walk with Jerry later this morning when Jerry gets up. If not - then maybe Monday.

Gratitude list:
1. Jerry and I are having a baby!
2. We live in a warm comfortable and cozy home together on a quiet ( except for that car alarm this morning ) street with nice neighbors.
3. We live close to the rose bowl, the aquatic center, huntington gardens, and beautiful neighborhoods where I can take the little bagel on adventures.
4. I'm 7 months along now - tomorrow will be week 31, and all is well.
5. It's very quiet right now in my life - no stress at all.
6. my photography business is on radical sabbatical and I'm transitioning the business into something that feels better to me.
7. my cat likes to lay on my belly and purr - she's helping.
8. I joined mom's club and met some really great mamas already.
9. we have medical insurance ( miracle )
10. Jerry and I have a hoot of a time together

I'll stop there even though I know I could go on and on.

Life is good.
Wish I could sleep, but it certainly isn't the worst thing to deal with.

Happy Last Day of Hanukkah to the little bagel.
Looking forward to sharing these traditions with him. We want to start a family tradition of volunteering our time to help those in need as well. This year we may donate some food to a shelter - because I wasn't feeling well enough to go help out this year.

just a quick note as a way to remember yesterday...
we woke up and I said " It's time to open presents! "
We opened them all and a lot were gifts for baby seiner. So Cute!
We had a big breakfast feast of eggs, bacon, waffles, scones, orange juice. And yes I ate ALL of it.
Watched Napaoleon Dynamite for the thousanth time.
Drove down to Aunt Mary Jo and Uncle Daves house in La Mirada at 2pm - It poured rain. I was not pleased with that to say the least.
Welcomed by what seems to be one hundred Harbaughs!
Mary Jo, Dave
Rene and janet
Rick, Ashley,
Amanda, Crystal, Derek
Amy and Mike
Adam
Osa
April, Barb and Moose
Valerie ( Moose's daughter ), Mike and Cory ( 2 yr old )
oh god I hope I didn't miss anyone.
It was a warm home with lots of laughter and fun. No family drama. Just nice and fun.

There were toasts to be had, a big christmas meal with honey roasted ham
Opening of gifts
desserts for miles
and a lot of hands on the belly trying to get a chance to feel our little bagel move.
Every time I felt him start to move I'd go over to someone and tell them and they would put their hand on the belly and he would stop. Every single time. So I think he is learning to be sneaky already. Just like his mama!
He got a lot of attention for still being in the belly. It was fun.( and yes, everyone asked permission to touch my belly which as you already know I really appreciate a LOT ! )
Everyone is excited to meet the little guy.
I can't wait to bring him over to the big Harbaugh Gatherings and introduce him to all the people attached to those hands.

Today my parents are heading up to spend the 6th day of Hanukkah with us. We are going to work on the paint colors for the baby room, and then heading to the Americana Mall to show dad the 3 story Barnes and Noble, and take them to see a movie ( MILK ) and dinner. Looking forward to it and I hope to give dad a chance to feel the baby moving in there. Not sure if he will be feeling up for it - he sure is elusive to everyone but me right now.....

happy happy!

30th week update

Babycenter.com 30 week update:
How your baby's growing:
Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)

***

Good morning to ya,
Last night I was up from midnight until 4am - then slept until 7:45am - and now I've been up since then. had hot chocolate and bagels with cream cheese and reading about c-section in the book "What to expect when you're expecting" I must say it the only thing I've read about c-section that makes me feel at ease. Thank you Amy for this book. You gave it to me last January when i came out to meet your second child Iris and I wasn't even thinking I could get pregnant although we were trying! This book has been the only one I really read each month.

Started to get more focused on the fact that this baby is going to want to come out soon. Does it have to??? Everything is just fine the way it is right now! I can deal with the sleep deprivation right now but add a baby crying? It might take me over the edge. Although I have a feeling it will be totally different then when I hear other people's babies cry. But still hard when i'm exhausted I assume. Don't get me wrong - we can't wait to meet the little guy - but I've never been a romantic about life - always a pessimist. Good thing jerry is an optimist. Otherwise every time it started to rain I'd be convinced it was end times and be hiding under the bed. He at least keeps me grounded in the fact that it's just raining there are no frogs falling from the sky.

Anyhow - my point is - that it's never the way either of us thinks its going to be. Nor should it be. Then WE would be GOD and all you people would be praying to US.

I read last night about what I should bring to the hospital with me. And I asked Jerry to get the duffle bag out of the garage so I can pack it now and put it by the front door. Jerry's dad has an employee that had her first child 7 weeks early - so I'm gathering up my favorite things for the hospital because the little dude hasn't really sent me a memo about when he's planning on coming out. I would love to have my ugg boots, soft socks, cozy robe, sweats, ipod and speakers with earplugs, camera ( ok I'd love to have my pinhole camera set up on a tripod during the delivery. It could take a long exposure of the entire thing. But I don't know if I will be in a place to set that thing up - might as well bring it along right? ) what else? oh god I actually hate being without my trader joes lip goo. It's so good. I have to use it daily because it's been too dry here for me. I guess I won't be needing my extra strength huge bottle of tropical fruit rolaids in the hospital! I clutch on to them where ever I go,. even if it's just from the living room to the bedroom they are with me. My dear life saving friends. I may have to write a poem or an ode to the rolaids after all this is said and done. what else...extra pillows, and a blanket that is softer then butter, and pretty girl is going to be in my side pocket. Or laying on my chest while I deliver. She lays on me now and purrs on the baby - so I bet she feels half responsible. But - if she wants to be a third parents - she's buying the diapers.

Not sure whatelse I want to bring besides the list they already gave to me - ie: overnight stuff, clothes blah blah. the usual overnight stuff. Jerry is going to pack a bag too so he can sleep there the first night with me.
His boss is giving him 6 weeks paternity leave. Can you believe it? It's written here so I have proof in case he changes his mind. jerry is pretty important at his job so it's hard for the boss to give him a day off - case in point - it's holiday vacation today and where is jerry????
yep.

oh - I'm off to go sit in the baby room and stare at the left over crap that is still waiting for me to sort, clean, toss and remove it. My parents are up here Friday and I'm asking the reformed interior designer turned marriage and family counselor to take a look at the bedding we picked out with the paint samples I have so we can pick the paint color(s) and get it painted next weekend. Jerry thinks the job will be easy. But wouldn't it be even easier if we had help painting it??
I think so.

I'm tired of feeling a bit of the blues from being inside for 7 months and not really seeing other humans much so I've decided to get out more - but then it rains and I stay inside another day......ahhh the vicious cycle.

Little Bagel and I will be in the baby room listening to Jill Scott and trying to see the floor again.

A Hanukkah Song for our little bagel

Dearest Little Bagel,

Today is the first day of Hanukkah and we are starting our first year of family tradition by listening to Adam Sandler's Hanukkah Song. I always loved this song. Gives me goosebumps when i listen to it. He is so funny. I hope you agree when you are older!

Then having bagels, with cream cheese, tomato, onion, capers, and smoked salmon for lunch! I wonder if you will like this stuff. I'm going to feed it to you today by default and I'll be curious to see if you kick a lot after feeding time.

Then for dinner: an easy brisket recipe I found on the foodnetwork.com, latke's and Grandma Evelyn's kugel recipe although we are going to substitute the pineapple for raisins and cinnamon. we'll make some green beans too.

it's a feast for just your papa and me. We're thinking about this being a good week for leftovers. Tomorrow we are going to take the left over brisket and shred it and make tacos!
Maybe next year we will have a Hanukkah Party and invite your Grandparents Rich and DeeDee over to play dreidel with you. And some of our other friends who have kids or who don't mind a little drool.
I wish I lived closer to Aunt Kitty in Chicago and Uncle Bix in Seattle - Grandma Joan in Hawaii - we would invite them and all of their family members over as well! What a party that would be!!! And yes all the other relatives are invited too if they can handle our little cozy house and baby smells.

At some point I'm going to try out Great Grandma Bess's Poppy seed cookie recipe. Grandma Evelyn gave it to me a few years ago and I will always remember visiting Grandma E and having these cookies. I LOVE them. I'm glad I have the recipe!

Your papa is out back cleaning out the garage to make more room for our extra things that have been stored in your baby room the past few months. We cleaned it once already but things just piled back in. Now - TOMORROW - is the beginning of the 30th week of the pregnancy. that means just 10 weeks left more or less. So we've gotta clear out that room and start the painting. Probably next weekend you will have your own room started. I doubt you will actually use it for a while - but it will be there waiting.

So put on your yarmulke it's time to celebrate Hanukkah!

Your Jewish mama is going to feed you lots of traditional Jewish foods
and your Catholic Papa is going to sing and dance for you.
I can't WAIT to watch him with you - he makes ME laugh so much I know he is going to do the same with you!

Love you little Jewish Bagel of ours!

Next Stop.....Christmas!!

Love you,
mama

Hey Bagel!

It's very exciting to touch your mama's belly and feel you kick and twist. I can't wait to take that energy on fun adventures once you get out here. I'm certain you had the hiccups last night. Probably your first.

Love,

Papa

monthly belly photo and comparison!

Good morning to you on this Sunny 18th of December!
yep It's photo taking time on the 18th so Jerry woke up early to try to chase the sun before it lit up the entire front porch. Notice how far back I'm standing this time because of the sunshine. It's interesting to see how the sun moves all year as we take these photos at about the same time.

I love that we decided to take a photo every month on the same day and then to put them all in a row so I can see the difference in the belly. I do have more of these from earlier in the year and at some point I'll make a very long image with all the monthly shots side by side from June until the 9th month - but I don't think it will fit on the blog!!!!

Feeling good this morning. Woke up at about 5am. WOW - I just felt the little baby bean adjust himself in there. It's crazy how much more I feel him these days.

Lets see - baby update:
Not feeling as many food aversions as I did in the beginning. Now I'll eat just about anything although we tried salmon the other day and I don't think I'll be eating that again for a LONG LONG time. Oh god. Can hardly think about it.
I'm still counting the days until I can eat a cesear salad made fresh at the table. I chose to stay away from raw eggs. It's on the list of no no's but a lot of people still eat them in stuff like dressing, and mayo, but I just haven't. Extra firm scrambled please. thank you! The current things I want to eat are:

Turkey, avocado, bacon sandwich from heirloom bakery with the crust cut off.
Oh my mouth is watering now!

Ginger tea

Toast with cream cheese ( i'm eating ezeikel wheat / gluten free bread )

water

Milk ( but not as much as the first trimester. )

fruit - anything. Love all of it. never seem to have enough.

salads - although I'm usually disappointed because I can't have any of that good moldy cheese on it - no feta - no blue.

LOTS OF BEEF!

grilled cheese sandwiches. ( oh I may have to make one of those for breakfast! Sounds good. With a sliced tomato in there )

What else?
Sleeping better - less acid reflux ( knock on wood )
Probably because I'm eating earlier in the evening and figuring out what triggers more of it. I still have it - but it isn't as bad right now. I hear it is suppose to get WORSE now so I'm trying my best to alleviate it some.

Need less pillows then I did before. I start with 5 of them and then by the middle of the night I have 2.

Walking slower. Have pretty intense lower back pain and on top of it pretty intense ciatic pain on both sides. Feels like my back is super tight and can hardly work it out at this point.

Not swollen. Which I guess is not normal for pregnancy. Still waiting for the pregnancy puff to take hold.

TIred again. Have very little energy to do anything but eat and rest and blog and read, and knit once in a while with short spurts of energy to get a project done like making gluten free cupcakes!

That's IT!
I'm taking a class tomorrow to learn how to knit a baby sweater - should be fun??? NOt so sure that it will be fun. I don't really enjoy thinking while knitting and I think it may require that I pay attention - so we'll see. Also going to make a trio of knitted hats. One of Jerry, One for me, and one for the little pumpkin.

Not much more to share!
Have a great day.
xo
c + big belly

Jerry learns how to diaper a baby

Hi gang,

last night we took another class at the hospital called " Newborn and Infant Care "

It went over what to expect when the baby is born - what he may look like ( purple ), what happens in the hospital so that it's not a surprise, and what to inform the doctor about when we get to the hospital.

We also learned how to diaper a baby, as you can see - Jerry is now a PRO! That was one of the cutest things I've ever seen in my life. Jerry diapering a baby doll.

Then we learned how to swaddle the baby

And how to give a newborn a sponge bath which sounds easy but all the little details really help to hear and see the instructor show us.

We learned what things to buy for at home care for the newborn that we might not already know about, and what questions to ask a pediatrician when we start to interview them to find the one we want to take our baby to, and to find one now.

It was a jam packed class of info. We both really enjoyed it. The instructor was warm and helpful and I really liked her. Much more then the other instructors we've had so far there. There are about 12 other couples in the class most of them having boy babies in Feb. Only 2 were having girls.

Our baby was moving all around during the class. I think the sound of the instructors voice was making him happy.
Last night after the class Pretty girl was sitting on my lap and I was rubbing her chin softly and slowly while singing her "you are my sunshine" and then making up new words to the same tune until it put her to sleep. Jerry was sitting next to me and said " you are going to be such a good mama ". I didn't really realize he was paying attention to what I was doing with my cat.
I don't know if you know this - - - but I love my cat. ADORE her. I can't imagine how much more I can love a being, but I hear that when you have a baby it's like nothing you've ever felt in your life. I loved that Jerry said that. It was so touching.
I think we all know that he is going to make a great papa. I tell him often, but all who know him can see it in him pretty easily.

bedding

Saw this at a baby store and fell in love.
So I added it to our registry.

The strange beigey color on the walls and on the bedding is actually more of a green color then it shows in the photo.
It's really cute bedding. Sorry to have you all poll for your favorite one only to then change it completely.
i'm sure you don't really mind.

Last night was on of my best nights in MONTHS.
I hardly had ANY acid reflux.
I don't think I woke up once from it.
And I only slept on 2 pillows instead of 5.
It was a little holiday miracle.

Then I woke up craving toast with cream cheese, bacon, sprouts and tomato.
But - I decided to stick with toast and cream cheese.
I don't eat sprouts right now, and I don't have tomatos.
I do have bacon but we are saving it for our weekend breakfast buffet. We go hog wild here on weekends.

eggs, waffles, bacon, grapefruit juice, tea, coffee for Jerry, little cutie oranges - oh yes. It's a food party.

Going back through a very long list a friend gave me that has all the things she recommends registering for and double checking that I got everything. I chose Target and Amazon.com as my 2 main registries. I heard really good things about Amazon and I've been impressed with how many items I could find on there.

This is Jerry's Last week of work before Holiday break. We are SO excited to have 2 weeks off here in LA together.
This Sunday I'm making our first annual Hanukkah Dinner. Think Latkes, brisket or flank steak or something like that, kugal,
Then on Christmas eve we are going to have our first annual Christmas eve dinner made by yours truly. I found a recipe for 20 garlic brisket on food network and Jerry and I watched the chef make it and we thought - with our eyes bugging out of our heads - "YES". We'll see what actually gets made but we are excited to have our own Holiday here for the first time since we started dated almost 7 years ago! We are loving the tree. Every morning when I wake up I turn on the tree lights first thing.
I sit in the dark and watch the sun rise while the tree lights glow. It's lovely.
We are still planning to partake in the annual New year waffle party with the guys from our wedding. We started the tradition last year over at Sean H's house and this year Sean W. is opening his house up. Next year with baby it will most likely be at our house. We all bring waffle irons and ingredients and make waffles while watching the rose parade on tv. which is actually happening literally 3 miles from our house. But who needs crowds!? Especially when sporting this huge belly and tiny bladder?
Not me!

Today is a sunny, bright but cold day - and I mean cold like 60 degrees - which is FREEZING to us out here.
I must say I have the CUTEST maternity coat that I ever thought possible, and I would love to keep wearing it after baby comes. It's probably the coolest coat I've owned besides some of those suede ones I used to collect. Never thought I'd love maternity clothing - but in this case I do.

That's about it today. baby is happily digesting the cream cheese on toast and a glass of milk I fed us this morning. Going in for more food in a second. Need a smoothy. Something tart with fruit.

Wish my friends KT and BP lived closer. Would be fun to go through pregnancy with them since KT is a month behind us with her due date. And we both are planning on making t-shirts that read: If you tell me your birth story I'll rip your lungs out.
I think that gets the point across yes?

Oh - my mom told me last night that I was 3 weeks late when i was born and Jeremy was induced so he was probably late too.
I guess our babies due date has a lot to do with how our parents had us which is interesting.

I think Jerry is guessing that our baby is coming early. I'm already reading up on what to have in my bag next to the door in case this little guy wants to meet us earlier then March 2nd. All I can really think of are warm pajamas, sweat shirts, ugg boots, socks, nice smelling lotion, stuff I'd bring if we were going on vacation....without the bikini.

Oh - tonight was take another class at the hospital. We've already taken a parenting class which was 4 classes which go over birth, nutrition, vaccines, and car seat safety.

We took an infant CPR class

and now we are taking an Infant Care class tonight:
ie: diapers, umbilical cord care, safety, more on nutrition, sleep, etc...

29 weeks

from babycenter.com
How your baby's growing:
Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to make room for his developing brain. To meet his increasing nutritional demands, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. And because his bones are soaking up lots of calcium, be sure to drink your milk (or find another good source of calcium, such as cheese, yogurt, or enriched orange juice). This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in your baby's hardening skeleton each day.

***

Good morning.
Was up most of the night with acid reflux. 7 months of that is getting a bit rough on the throat, and sleep patterns. They say it gets worse the third trimester and I can already tell that it is. after every meal, and all night long. I feel it now after a small cup of yogurt. I'm sleeping propped up on 5 pillows.
It's a small price to pay! They say the more acid reflux you feel the more hair the baby is going to have. This photo above is how I think he might come out then! Too funny.

Today is all about staying in - staying warm - and eating more calcium rich foods for the babies growing bones.

it's pouring rain and It's a nice day to power lounge. The cat is already cozying up on the electric blanket on the couch and I'm getting ready to join her.

Baby Seiner is moving a lot today and I love that feeling.

Not much to say today. Just feeling like we are heading towards BIRTHING which is daunting. Luckily lots of other women have done it so it's not like I'm reinventing the wheel!
Heard a good 'ole HORRIBLE birth story at Jerry's Work holiday Party this weekend. We told him we weren't interested but he took us prisoner and kept on talking for a good 10 minutes or so. OY. Luckily i removed myself but it wasn't a pretty story and it is slightly haunting me. Ok people., Stop with the birth stories. I'm getting to be a professional at saying
" I'm pregnant, and Pregnant women -including myself-don't like hearing scary pregnancy or birth stories. "
Um, duh?

Anyhow - A friend of mine is pregnant and on her way over to pick up a pile of pregnancy magazines. I haven't seen her in Months -I'm looking forward to it. We are neighbors so I think we might see more of each other now that we both have a bun on the oven!

xoxo

sitting in the festivus lights

Well - yesterday was one of my all time favorite days ever.
We slept in until around 10:30am.
Love that. ( and yes I know those days are numbered )
Jerry made us breakfast: scrambled eggs, waffles, grapefruit juice, tea
lounged around until lunch time
Went to Heirloom Cafe and shared a turkey, avocado, applewood smoked bacon sandwich and a cup of cream of carrot soup.
Oh my goodness. DELICIOUS.
Then went and bought our first tree together. That was so fun. Especially for me!
Came home and put up our tree,
Bought a few items to help us with our tree - tree topper, tree skirt, tree lights ( in blue of course ).
Went to a baby store and talked with them about our stroller and which car seat works with it. This was enlightening. PLUS while we were there we found the BEDDING I WANT for the nursery. I didn't think they made this particular design into bedding - so when I saw it I flipped!
Went to dinner and shared an amazing gourmet cheeseburger at the Crocodile Cafe.
Put lights on the tree ( Jerry got to teach me how that is all done! ), added Jerry's ornaments from his childhood which was SO cool. His grandma really got into making ornaments. Listened to a mix of hanukkah and christmas and klezmer music ( unless the word jesus was in the song - if so I'd forward to the next one, luckily most were songs by harry connick jr. or frank sinatra and not very religious, just festive. ) And watched pretty girl figure out what the heck that tree thing was doing INSIDE the house. She was a bit curious. Luckily she's too old to jump on the tree or get to flipped out, however - the tree skirt has proved to be a new wind up the cat toy for her. She slides around on it and thinks something is underneath it and attacks it.
Hilarious.
Also - during our power lounging afternoon - we watched a lot of the food network. They had holiday dinner recipes all afternoon - and we were trying to figure out what our tradition is going to be for the holidays.
So far we have the festivus tree with blue lights. A blue stocking and green stocking, a menorah, an advent calender which I have never taken part in and am enjoying trying to find the numbers and feeding Jerry the chocolate, today I'm making ginger molasses cupcakes which may become an annual thing. And we saw a holiday meal that looked like a good one called 20 garlic brisket. Um, YES! So we might try that one out this year and see if it's a winner.
Our house feels festive and I love it.
Jerry is excited to have his very first tree up
and I am excited to merge our traditions into one big happy festival at our own house this year. Jerry is happy about it too. It's nice to visit family but we've never had our own traditions started so it's nice to figure out right before baby joins in on it - what we as a family want to do and how we want to have it expressed in our home. Jerry has one more week of work and then 2 weeks off. It's going to be baby prep time big time. And a lot of power lounging, tea drinking, recipe experimenting, and working on a baby sweater, a baby quilt ( jerry is helping with that ), and enjoying our time together without a schedule.
Joy to the World - we get to create whatever holiday we want!
I love that 2 people can come together and be happy about each others holiday and want each person to have whatever they want and find some way to express those things in the same home. Sounds like more world peace under one roof if you ask me.
And no we aren't converting to one religion or the other. We aren't religious. Spiritual is more like it.
our neighbor needs to know how we are going to raise our baby. ( she is very religious )
I tell her "with love".
I think that's the best religion out there.

another momversation

third trimester - ready set go!

from babycenter.com
How your baby's growing:
By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

it's 2:24am and I've been up for a few hours now. Went to sleep at 7:30pm totally wiped out. Now I'm completely wide awake.
Not much to share today. Just stunned that I'm in the third trimester now. I've not felt well in so long that I've missed out on taking pre-natal yoga classes - or taking frequent walks. I won't walk alone at this point - I'm too dizzy and will only go with Jerry until I feel better. I think I've gone on 4 walks total this entire pregnancy, swam twice, and took one yoga class.
The baby is doing a very serious dance routine right now - so at least I know he is working out even though I'm not.
My cat pretty girl is laying next to me on the couch - with an electric blanket over her and her paw covering up her eyes. She is the cutest and sweetest daughter EVER. yesterday we had her wrapped into the electric blanket and she looked a bit like she was in nirvana. I'm sure she will feel differently once the baby comes. I can't imagine how she is going to take it.

Jerry is still being the butler. I'm sure he is tired of it but you would never know it. He is so generous of his energy and time for me. Since I'm sick a lot these last weeks - he's been on cooking and cleaning duty. And last night he was up with me until about 3 or 4am while I was not feeling well. I'm tired of not feeling well, of being home all the time, and of not seeing other humans much. I also don't hear from many humans on the phone so that gets hard and feels isolated.
I have so much to be grateful for that it feels silly to get sad about anything really! But sometimes I do.

It's 3am and I'm still wide awake.
Glad I don't have anything scheduled for tomorrow except for my own personal list.
Glad I feel better then I did last night.
Glad I live here in this warm home with lots of comforts so that I can be in a nice environment while I get better.

uh oh...

here's another one to completely confuse the issue.

I like this one too because it still has the funky design but it's a softer palate.

***

On another note - yesterday we took an infant CPR class at the hospital. WOW. We learned a TON. I'm so glad they offer it. It's not a certification class. It's an orientation class. They said that everything we once learned in CPR is now obsolete. So I'm glad to know what the rules are and we got to practice on little plastic CPR babies. over and over and over.
We learned what to do if they choke on something - and if they stop breathing. Both are different techniques that can be intimidating at first. But with this class I feel much better. They said that anyone watching, babysitting or caring for our child should be updated on the new techniques - so that means you! Gotta get you enrolled in a class too.

After that we took a tour of the hospital - nursery, labor rooms, with about 5 other couples - all who are going to have their babies in Feb. It was nice to get a feel of where we will need to go, what the rooms look like and what to expect at the hospital. They showed us the 2 babies that were in the nursery. One was a boy that was 7 pounds with a full head of black hair and was so cute we were all oooing and "ahh"ing at him. Next to him was a 5 pound little girl. Adorable. Both were looking around and noticing us. The facial expressions were killing all of us.

They only have 4 delivery rooms. And they just don't get filled up. Most people go to the larger hospitals. So the care is very personal which we are both happy about. The place is decorated like a victorian house - or Jerry comments that it looks like bad midwestern decorating. Think Lavender floral wallpaper. I wondered if I could sneak in with a can of paint, but I have a feeling once I'm in labor the last thing I'm going to think about is how they should re-do the walls.

The waiting room is TINY - it has one sofa and 2 sofa chairs and a tv and that's all folks. Because of the size of the hospital that's really all they need - but they encouraged us to not call family until I'm actually further along in labor so people aren't standing in the hallway for hours. I guess since my family doesn't live near by it will take them a while to get there anyhow.

We learned about visiting hours as well. The scoop is that Jerry and I will be with the baby for the first hour after delivery alone with the baby. Jerry will come out and let family know that the baby is fine - and will go back in for another 30 minutes or so. Then we will let family and friends in.

They had lots of great suggestions for visiting hours that we will let family and friends know as we get closer to the due date.
During our break we headed down to town to grab some food and walked around the main street. Boy is it CUTE there. Lots of very cute shops along a street that reminds me of grand street in Escondido but with more modern shops and some old time shops. One shop is all about sugar free cookies, candy, icecream etc. Looks like a bunch of really good restaurants in the area.
Since our hospital is so small it doesn't really have great cafeteria hours so we might be calling for take out! Jerry found his all time favorite taco down the road from the hospital so I have a feeling I know where he will be going to get us food!

All in all it was a very nice tour and glad we had the CPR class as well.

Today we are staying in - I still feel under the weather - so I'm sipping ginger tea - making brown basmati rice - just finished an apple. Jerry is off buying a few groceries at the store a mile down the road - so we can make a few things today to deal with a wobbly tummy. It's cold outside - overcast - and says rain in the forecast. So I'm ok with staying in. I need to return the new coat I got in the mail that fits perfectly now but I know it won't in a month so I have to exchange it for one size up. My usual winter coat just doesn't button closed anymore with this belly. Plus it's so old it looks like I got it out of a garbage can. Nice eh?

It's also time for new shoes that slip on instead of lacing. I just can't deal with bending over myself to reach my feet right now.

So as soon as I'm feeling better I'll be heading to get a few staples in my wardrobe to help with the growing belly.

Glad we have cable and tivo. Movies galore today!

Friday Update

hello there.
Hope you are enjoying this fabulous Friday. It's gorgeous outside here in LA. My cat is laying on the porch soaking up the sun, I am staying in as I am still in recovery mode from 3 weeks of feeling sick. Today is better - just not yet 100%

Today's news:

Had a monthly routine check up this morning with our baby doctor.

here are the stats:

baby heartbeat is 142 ( normal and adorable )
He predicts that I will have a 7 lb baby. Guess we can review this in a few months and see if he is right.
My blood pressure is 110 over 88 ( normal )
I'm slightly anemic and suggested taking one iron pill per day.
And I've gained 5 pounds in the last month which is normal.
Since the first day I found out I was pregnant I've gained ( drum roll please ) 32 lbs.

Luckily most of that weight is showing in my belly and not in my rump!

We asked the dr. if there would be any reason that they would make Jerry step out of the room during the labor.
He said if I choose to get an Epidural I have to leave the room for when they are putting the needle in ( incase he faints )
And if I do a C-Section he has to leave when they are prepping for the surgery. ( can I leave too? )

So that's the scoop. No more ultrasounds just listening to the heartbeat to make sure he is ok in there and paying attention to his activity in the belly. RIght now he is sticking his head up near my belly button and there is a hard round spot there. Well it's either his head or his little butt, or an elbow....I'm sticking with it being his cute round head. Nicer visual.
He's also running in place and doing some jazzercise. He just drank some milk and cereal that I fed the two of us so he is a happy fella.

In other news - I am deep in baby registry creation.
It's a lot more tedious then wedding registries because I don't know about any of this stuff so it gets overwhelming pretty fast.
Right now I'm trying to decide on bedding for the crib. Why do things like this trip me up and other things don't at all? It's funny.

I'm posting some choices here to see if you have any thoughts on them? We still aren't sure about what to paint the room
but I was leaning toward a light green of some sort and doing blue wall decals. So if we stick with that idea - then the orange bedding would look terrible.

anyhow - I'm off to sit on the porch with my cat and sip tea.

Would love bedding feedback or if you know of some organic bedding for cribs that is super cute that you want me to see - I'm open to looking at it!

xo

Oh - I'm so inspired by Superherodesigns blog!

( iphone photo of a card that I bought because I love the color combo as an idea for the baby room....green and blue )

I just went over to Superherodesigns blog.
Her post today inspired me to add my comment on it.
I'm not sure why no one ever really comments on my blog here. Please do. It helps me know who is looking, and what you are thinking.

anyhow her post from Dec. 2nd called "Growing Pains" is so good. - go read it.
at the end she asks

Where do you have growing pains?

So I added a comment on her blog that read:

I have growing pains too. Literally. I'm going to begin the 7th month of my pregnancy next week. My belly is growing and I'm amazed at what I can no longer see when I look down.
The universe and I are growing a baby boy together. A Spiritual Teacher of mine once said that the womb holds unlimited potential, when you breathe, inhale all the way into it.
I didn't realize I had been holding my breath....for years.
So began my journey in learning how to breathe.
Now that space is filled up with the unlimited potential of a baby.
And here I sit.... Breathing while he grows and gets ready to take his first breath out here with all of us in a few months.
***

It still amazes me that there is a little being inside of me.
Jerry just woke up a few minutes ago and is putting together our cats breakfast buffet (as he calls it). He asked if I want to go on a walk with him. So I'm off to go hold hands with my favorite human and go see what it's like out in the world.

I'd love to hear what you've got growing in your life as well!
comment below!
xo

one of my favorite mama bloggers - has another baby!

©Soulemama

So over to the right side of my blog you see a list of my favorite blogs. I check on them daily. The list changes automatically and moves the person who most recently posted on their bog to the top of my list. Isn't that a cool feature? So this morning I noticed that Soulemama was at the top and thought I should check in and see what was happening over there.
This photo above was on her blog and I melted!
Isn't that adorable?????????!!!!!!!!!!

She just had a baby boy and papa carries him around like that and it's his favorite way to sleep!
Love that!

Just had to share.......it's so precious!

I officially have baby lust.

good thing eh?

Week 27 update

the 27 week description from babycenter.com:

How your baby's growing:
This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

***

Good morning.
Yes - I'm up again - bright and early. Yesterday i was up at 2am. This morning 4am. At least I got a few more hours of zzz's.
This morning I lit some candles and brewed some mother to be tea and wrapped myself up in blankets. I'm getting the hang of this. I'm now on Facebook and chatting with relatives in Chicago and San Francisco more regularly which I am enjoying. And Joanne and I are working on an online "project" which requires daily attention so it's fun to e-mail her when she is across the country in CT - Especially when I'm up this early!

This morning the little guy moved around more then I have ever felt before. It actually made me giggle.
What didn't make me giggle was reading about vaginal birth and c-section. Both choices make me feel nauseated, weak, dizzy, and well - completely freaked out... obviously! Now that I'm heading straight for the third trimester - these ideas are starting to become more real - That I will actually be doing one of these. People keep suggesting I read about them both and I've been avoiding it- too many opinions wrapped up in the writing.

I've loved the friends out there who just respect who I am and don't feel the need to share their birthing method as THE method for ME. Thank you! I must say I feel I have a good "picker" as far as Amy and Joanne go. I never feel cornered.
Just thinking about them makes me feel less flipped out. Hey ladies - want to come out and be here while I give birth?????
Joanne can crack jokes and Amy can throw star glitter everywhere....would that be a problem???

Ahhh dreaming.....

on another note - concerning dreaming - I've posted a really bad photo here of the blanket I've been knitting for the little one.
I was attracted to a turquoise blue and a sage green. I've been leaning towards those colors even before I got pregnant. I started to make the blanket before it was confirmed that there was a boy in there. I felt that these colors were good ones no matter what. The turquoise isn't really showing up as it looks here in person. It looks a bit flat in the photo.
But - these 2 colors will most likely be colors of the baby room.
i'm thinking of painting 3 walls the same color and the 4th wall a different color that compliments. So if 3 walls are sage green - maybe another green that is a little bit richer for that 4th wall and then wall decals in turquoise blue. Not many of them....but some. I've posted two of them here that I keep going back to. The swirly tree and the three birdies above the window.
I love the simplicity of it - and that it's not the usual nursery look. Plus we can move them - or remove them whenever we want to and it doesn't harm the wall. The idea of painting some design on the walls doesn't appeal to me.

I'm thinking of having a painting party - inviting a handful of friends so they can help ( since I'm not really allowed to paint in this state ) and ordering food to feed them for their efforts.

Other then that - I am feeling Much better - my cold is almost completely gone - I still have tightness in my throat and cough on occasion. But that is really all that is left. I feel antsy to get a bunch of things done out in the world - but cautious because that is how I ended up sick 2 weeks in a row - I started to feel better - and ran around town - and then wham-o, back in bed I go.

Speaking of Sick - I'm learning about vaccines now as well. What a nightmare....

Happy Monday!
Thanks for stopping by!