Saturday, May 26, 2007

Alton Update

Week Thirty-Eight
If he is the "average baby," he weights 6.8 pounds (3083gm)and is 19.6 inches (49.8cm) long.
Have you noticed she hiccups a lot? Because there is no air around her, those breathing exercises cause amniotic fluid to get into her windpipe. The result? Hiccups!
Your child's intestines are accumulating lots of meconium. Meconium takes on the role of being your baby's first bowel movement -- removing the waste that has accumulated.
He may have a full head of hair now -- an inch or more long! Don't be surprised if it's an unexpected color. Some blond couples have dark haired babies; some dark haired couples have red-haired babies; some couples have babies with only peach fuzz! It may just persuade you to take a closer look at your family tree!
Circumference of head and abdomen are about the same size for your baby. No wonder it's so hard to get a t-shirt over a newborn's head!

Poor Alton, he has no chance to have a small head. Both mommy and daddy are melon heads. Travis and I can wear the same sized fitted baseball cap.

Travis and I taking advantage of the fact that this might be our last child free weekend. We are going to the movies and we are going shopping. Should be a good time!

Friday, May 25, 2007

Alas...

I had my OB check-up today. My blood pressure is low, my baby is high, and my cervix is still closed up tight like a drum. Hence, no baby for me this weekend. I will be 38 weeks on Sunday and Travis was two weeks early, so I was hoping this weekend might be the weekend I get to meet my son.

Next Thursday I will have another OB appointment and next Friday is a full moon, so maybe next weekend will be my weekend!!!

Travis hopes he will stay in until at least the 6th. Friends of ours from home group are going to be out of town until the 5th, and we asked the husband to come to the hospital to lay hands on me in prayer to help me cope with labor better. If Dave isn't back yet when I go into labor, I will be disappointed, but there are other people we can call.

Have a good weekend. If you are reading this, drop a comment please. They brighten my day. :)

Monday, May 21, 2007

Interview - Jen

Andrea Rooks has interviewed me. She was my college roommate, and the only person besides Travis that I lived with for more than a year that I did not end up disliking.

1. How are you most like your parents?


Aren't we all trying to avoid becoming like our parents?


It has always been said that I look exactly like my dad, only with longer, prettier hair. Besides the obvious physical similarities, I notice I have very similar body language to my dad. I catch my self holding my posture a certain way and I am struck with "whoa, Dad does that too!" I think I have his sense of humor too, and though he rarely smiles, I have seen him do it and I have his dimples.


My mother has always lamented the fact that I am nothing like her. "You don't seem to have an ounce of Goodson (her maiden name) blood in you!" I would get this accusation on a fairly regular basis from her when I was growing up. I am a lot more outgoing than my dad though, so I am guessing this comes from my mom.


Even though you did not ask, my sister is practically a carbon copy of my mom down to her personality.



2. What do you think will change the most in your life once Alton is born (besides sleep)?


This thought has been on my mind a lot lately. I really wanted to be a mother. But beyond giving birth and breast feeding him for the first year, I didn't think it through a whole lot. I realize even now, my priorities have shifted. I am trying harder to save money, and I have no interest in buying things for me any more. It has all become about the little guy.


The most petty, but big change was something we realized recently. Travis and I love to travel. We especially love to go places at the drop of a hat for a weekend, or during the "off season" so things aren't as crowded. Now that we are going to have a little boy, Travis pointed out, "we are going to have to go on vacation when everyone else does!!!" Once Alton starts school we won't be able to go anywhere mid-week or during the fall, which is an excellent time to go on vacation.


One last thing, I have always figured I would go back to school at one point. I realized a few months ago, (I actually had a dream about it) that I won't be able to do that for quite a while, at least until Alton and the player to be named later (a younger sibling) start first grade.



3. What is your biggest pet peeve?


Oh this one is hard. I am a VERY judgmental person and I form opinions like nobody's business. I think though it would have to be horrible customer service. I worked for Starbucks for three years and I know how to give GOOD customer service. So it really bothers me when sales associates or servers aren't very helpful and make it obvious that they would rather be anywhere but where they are.


Second and it had to be mentioned because it is that annoying to me, is when you call a customer service line for your credit card company or your cell phone company and the CSR is in India. They mean well, but they are so hard to understand and I NEVER get satisfaction when I call and have to try to have a problem solved be them. I have been yelled at a couple of times, and hung up on more than once. I guess that falls under the bad customer service umbrella
though.



4. What do you consider to be your biggest accomplishment in life?


Well I haven't given birth yet, and I haven't finished school. So I think I would have to say becoming Christian and marrying such a Godly man. After my rough upbringing and family drama growing up, I never thought I would want to get married and have a family.


That is one reason I am so thankful for my brief time at Cal Poly. I was able to see people like Andrea who came from a Christian family that wasn't perfect, but were able to get along and have healthy relationships with each other. It made me realize that I wanted my future spouse to be a man who grew up in a Christian home.


It still boggles my mind that God decided that I was worthy of Travis. He is a wonderful husband, he will a tremendous daddy, and he is a Godly man. He has incredible faith in the Lord and I pray that Alton gets that from him.


The other thing would be that I finally learned how to manage money and I am no longer in debt. :)



5. If you could pick up one hobby and were guaranteed success, what would you do?

I have always said that if I could change one thing about myself, it wouldn't be to lose 100 pounds (although that would be nice too) it would be to have a nice singing voice. Not a make my living from my singing voice, voice. But one that was pleasant and people liked hearing. Travis always teases me that he married his dad. Lowell would often sing very loudly and very off key. I have to remind my husband (who has forbidden me to sing to anyone except our child, and that is only until he knows better) that God said to make a joyful noise, not make an in
tune and on key noise.


When I was at Cal Poly, I always went to Worship practice for large group, but I never got to be one of the singers up front. I always wanted to be one of the singers up front!!!



Now that you’ve read my interview, you call play along. Here’s what you do:


1. Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.” (If I don’t have your email address already, either leave it in the comment or email me at Jen2678 @ msn.com

2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.

3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.

4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.

5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Sunday, May 20, 2007

Alton Update & Other Stuff

Week Thirty-Seven
This week, the average size is about 6.3 pounds (2859gm) now and 19.1 inches (48.6cm) length.
She is official full term now but can still benefit from extra days in the womb.
Your baby continues to practice breathing movements. Isn't it amazing how she can breathe "under water?"
Grasp is firm now. It won't be long until you'll feel that strong little fist confidently grasping your finger (or tightly clenching your hair)!
A few weeks ago, your baby would move her eyes toward light. Now she turns towards light outside the uterus.
" As the uterine wall stretches and thins allowing more light to permeate, he develops definite daily activity cycles. You will want to be sure to establish good patterns yourself at this time, thus encouraging them in your child. Ever heard of a baby getting his days/nights mixed up? Now's the time to try to avoid that!

Now if they would just tell me how to do that I would be all set!

Travis is sick this morning. He woke up yesterday with a funny thoat, and he woke up this morning about two AM crashing and banging around the bathroom looking for cold medicine and Afrin to clear his nose. I feel so badly for him, he rarely gets sick, but when he does it lays him out!

Yesterday Lynn fron our home group and I went to Burke Williams and got fabulous pregnancy massages. She is due 10 weeks after I am and is having a little girl. Lynn suggested that we should just plan their arranged marriage now. We then tried to go get pedicures, but my nail place closed at 6 and we got there at 7:15. :( We did call our husbands and had them meet us at Lucille's for dinner. YUM! I broke down and had the fried chicken. It was sooooo good! Jason and Lynn are a fun couple and we had a good time at what might have been our last un-childed hurrah.

I need to clean the office today and pack my suitcase for the hospital. There is a full moon on June 1st and next weekend we are going to try to do things to induce labor. I will be 38 weeks next Sunday, so I think that will have been adequate time to Alton to incubate. I will keep you all posted.

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Alton Update

Week Thirty-Six
Your baby is almost ready and most likely, so are you! The only organ still to mature is the lungs. While certainly you are both growing anxious to meet, remember that each day (up to 42 weeks), that your little one stays within your womb will multiply his chances to breathe on his own.
If he hasn't already, this week your baby may drop into the birth canal. While breathing for mom becomes easier, walking may be the exact opposite! If he's not your first baby, this "lightening" may not occur until right before labor.
Fat is dimpling your baby's elbows and knees, and forming creases in the neck and wrists.
His skin is growing smooth and, shall we say it, "baby" soft.
His gums are very rigid. It won't be many months before you'll see his teeth.
She has a fully developed pair of kidneys and her liver has begun processing some waste products.
Your child's average size is now 18.66 inches (47.4cm) and 5.78 pounds (2622 g). Between now and birth she will gain about an ounce a day!

We changed the hospital we are going to deliver at. We found out that Little Company of Mary has a spa tub for laboring mommies! They also have multiple full time lactation consultants, and they are much more natural delivery friendly than Torrance Memorial is. I went and pre-registered there today, so we are good to go for baby launch!

Small problem though, I tested positive for Strep B cultures, so I have to go to the hospital as soon as I am in labor, which means no lengthy laboring time at home like we'd planned. :( Strep B is a bacteria we all have on our skin, and mine just happens to have gotten into the birth canal which can cause Alton to become VERY sick when he is born if I do not receive IV anti-biotics while I am in labor. If you know me well, you know I am not a fan of IVs or needles. :( At least our little boy will be safe.

One of the other neat things about LCOM is that they keep the baby in the room with you pretty much at all times. They even do the newborn tests and his first bath right there in your delivery room, so I can witness his first bath. The only time he will have to go to the nursery is when Dr. Lynch circumcises him. Or as Travis is affectionately calling the procedure, the weiner wacking.

I am starting to feel like poop. I am tired and feel plain icky. :( It will all be over soon and then my sleep deprivation can start!