The Happiest Baby on the Block

I believe it was Kathy, Rob's sister, who gave us this book. We got through most of it in Hawaii but never started reading it again once we got back. We both really liked the book and thought the Dr.'s baby calming tricks made sense.

Since Bob is due any day now, we decided to go to the library and rent the movie (our friends Paul and Amy recommended the movie as well). To anyone who has a fussy baby or is pregnant, I'd recommend checking it out. The movie had the basic concepts that were in the book it served as a good refresher course for us. The bonus is we can have the movie for 3 weeks so we're going to hold on to it after Bob gets here in case we need to watch it again.

I wanted to practice swaddling on something other than a baby (and Buddy), so we paused the movie and swaddled Bob's bear. I figured the bear would be more patient with me than Bob will be. Doesn't the bear look happy?

Update

We had our 39 week dr.'s appointment today and I'm still not dilated at all. We are on the calendar to be induced on Wednesday 12/30 at 10:30 am.

I have a feeling our little guy will be born on 12/31. I called my friend Dorothy who specifically requested (months ago) not to share her 12/31 birthday with the baby and I broke the news that she may have to share the day. She told me as long as he is cute, it's ok (you have to be super cute to have a birtday on 12/31). I will let the baby know not to steal Dorothy's thunder and let her have her day. :)

Here is a picture from Sunday, 38 weeks 6 days.



And more items taken care of:

15.) Assemble pack n play
25.) Get highlights (?) - not sure if I'll need to but not sure when I'll every get back to the salon

We also packed our diaper bags. It wasn't on the list but it had to be done. His and hers diaper bags:

Dear H1N1,

You are kind of annoying. Because of you, our hospital (and many others) are changing their visitor policies so you don't harm the newborn babies. Not only does my hospital now require visitors to be 15 years old or older, we can only have 1 visitor after Baby Wagner is born at a time (we can have 2, but Rob is considered a visitor - basically its 2 people in addition to mom and baby).

Love,
A frustrated mom to be

P.s. If anyone wants to wait to visit us until we get home, our feelings won't be hurt, but you are more than welcome to come visit in the hospital.

Making Progress on the List

5.) Pack Alyssa's bag for hospital (I decided against packing a baby bag - I think his stuff will fit in my bag)
6.) Pack Rob's bag for hospital
8.) Get all the wall decor up in the baby's room (can't start until #2 and #3 are done)
10.) Have carseat inspected by fire department or police department to make sure its installed properly (had it inspected by friend’s husband who is a police officer)
11.) Get a good supply of wipes from costco and detergent (from Target)
19.) Make or buy wall letters (I want to put up letters that spell out his name, I think I might try to make them)
24.) Go to Christmas in the Park with friends
28.) At least 1 more date night with Jen and Brad
35.) Get toilet fixed


Pictures from #24 - Christmas in the Park with Maryanne and Brian and Jesslie (Jess and Les). Dorothy and Keith couldn't go because Keith's company's Christmas party was that night. The party was right by Christmas in the Park (the Fairmont) and we were thinking of crashing the party but we luckily didn't have to embarass them and ran into them at the hotel.










*Thanks for the pics, Maryanne!

Nursery is Done! (Pretty Much)

The nursery is pretty much done. I made wall letters to hang above the crib but since the name is a secret, we can't hang them up until he is here. Rob "allowed" me to show you 1 letter. I chose A because believe it or not, the top five boy names we liked all had an A in them, so I feel like I'm not giving anything away here. I figured they cost me about $7 a letter, but I bought way too much ribbon and paint which I'll return, so my guess right now is the cost is about $5 a letter. My inspiration from etsy was by someone who charged $20 a letter - I got vetoed.

My letter:



I'm going to glue the button to a push pin and somehow attach the light blue ribbon to it.

Etsy's letter (my inspiration):



Mine aren't totally professional, but I think they turned out pretty cute. I'll have to post a pic when they are all together.

Here is the Before nursery picture:



And the completed nursery:

Pregnancy Quiz

How far along? 38 weeks, 1 day

Total weight gain/loss: +41 lbs. Yes, I surpassed my 40 lb gain goal but apparently it's normal to lose weight towards the very end. It aint over 'til it's over! I do realize if history repeats itself, I'll be going in the upwards direction.

Maternity clothes? Yes.

Stretch marks? Not yet.

Sleep: Not great.

Best moment this week: Seeing Buddy and Rob play together. They do this often but Rob has been a bit stressed since last Friday with house drama (soft water/pipe drama, mold/leaky water drama, neighbor's fence falling over drama, blowing circuits drama) and now he is in all day training classes this week. Buddy is a big stress reliever so it was nice to see him de-stress with Buddy.

Movement: Yes.

Food cravings: Not really.

Gender: Boy

Labor Signs: Nope

Belly Button in or out? It's on its way to an outie I think. It's about 33% there.

What I miss: Wearing my wedding rings.

What I am looking forward to: Dinner with friends on Friday.

Other Updates: At my dr.'s appointment today they told me I am still not dilated but my cervix is softer than it was last week. She also told me my pelvis is small and I won't be a "2 pusher" - I'm going to have to work at getting this guy out. :( I also asked her if she could guess how big he is now without doing an ultrasound. She felt around my stomach and said she thinks he is in the high 7 lb range. He'll gain .50 lbs each week so that would put him around the high 8 lb range when he is born. She said hopefully he will be born by my due date. I know her estimate can be off, but something tells me he is going to be a big boy.

Bob is now as long as a leek, weighs nearly 7 pounds. (Length: more than 19 1/2 inches, head to heel.)

Cream of Cauliflower Soup

Tonight I made a new weight watcher recipe and it was really good - especially on this on again off again rainy day.

It was easy to make and doesn't take too long unless your cauliflower has mold on it and you ran out of onion so you have to run to the store - and you come back home from the store and realize the recipe calls for 3 cups chicken broth, but the can you have only has 2 cups thus results in you running out to the store again. Then when you are at the store for the second time, everyone in the town you live in decides to go grocery shopping resulting in long lines. And when the guy in front of you is about to leave, you realize your soup is gone off the conveyer belt because the cashier charged it and bagged it for the guy in front of you. Anywho, if you have everything on hand at home, and its mold free, it shouldn't take you too long to make it.

Cream of Cauliflower Soup
Weight Watchers Annual Recipe for Success 2002

1 T. light butter
1.5 cups chopped onion
2 lbs (about 4 cups) of trimmed nad coursely chopped cauliflower
3 cups fat free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
2 thyme sprigs
2 cup fat free half and half
2 T flour
6 T reduced fat shredded sharp chedder cheese

1.) Melt butter in a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat; add onion, and cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until tender. Add cauliflower and next 4 ingredients. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until cauliflower is very tender.

2.) Combine half and half nad flour, stirring wiht a whisk; add to cauliflower mixture. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, simmer 2 minutes, stirring often. Remove and discard thyme. Cool 15 minutes.

3.) Place half of cauliflower mixture in a food processer or blender; process until smooth. Pour pureed mixture into large bowl; repeat procedure with remaining cauliflower mixture. Ladle into bowls; sprinkle each with cheese.

Yield: 6 servings
Calories: 108
Fat: 2.7 grams
Fiber: 3.6 grams
Points: 2

My Butt is Strep Free

Today I am 37 weeks, 1 day. As of Monday, the baby is full term.

We had our weekly dr.'s appointment today and she said that the cotton swab she touched my bum with last week came back negative, meaning no strep. So that's a good thing!

She checked my cervix again and its still closed. Maybe we'll have some progress at the next appointment.

We've been busy crossing things off our list. I'll admit, Rob probably has done at least 80% of the items that are crossed off, but in my defense, I did do some things not on the list like address and sign Christmas cards. I swear there is more stuff I did that was not on the list but pregnancy brain has got me again.

Here are the other items that have been completed:

2.) Pick up Dresser when it comes in
3.) Pick up Changing Table when it comes in
4.) Wash clothes, blankets, washcloths, all bedding and put away
7.) Interview and decide on a Pediatrician (have some good leads, just need to make appointments with them)
9.) Install car seat
12.) Buy crib mattress (at a specialty store, not babies r us)
16.) Assemble swing
18.) Assemble glider - Rob started but realized it was broken. We need to wait 7-14 business days for it to come in, then assemble.
26.) Complete Christmas shopping
31.) Get a massage (I belong to massage envy and I have about 4 massages that I've already paid for and I want to use them before he comes, then probably cancel my memberhsip)
32.) Buy nursing tank tops
33.) Buy nursing bras
34.) Buy "grandma underwear"
38.) Buy pads (tmi)

Bob weighs 6 1/3 pounds and is a bit over 19 inches long like a stalk of Swiss chard.

36 weeks, 4 days

Pregnancy Quiz

How far along? 36 weeks, 1 day

Total weight gain/loss: Jury is out on this one. My scale says I've gained 1.5 lbs since last week, Dr.'s scale said I gained FOUR lbs. I write down my weight every morning. I'll just go with the dr.'s scale and say I'm +39 lbs but I'm not totally convinced thats true.

Maternity clothes? Yes.

Stretch marks? Not yet.

Sleep: Some nights are better than others.

Best moment this week: Getting the house and front of the house decorated for Christmas. Rob put up two deer outside, our "lame" outdoor Christmas tree (its cute, Rob thinks it looks a little pathetic), and the lights around the palm trees. I think our lawn is the most festive one on the block. Oh and Rob almost slipped on Bob's real name at Thanksgiving. I don't think anyone noticed but I did. :) I'm still shocked I haven't slipped yet.

Movement: Yes.

Food cravings: Chocolate cake because I made some the other day. And no, it has nothing to do with my "4 lb weight gain."

Gender: Boy

Labor Signs: Nope

Belly Button in or out? In/flat

What I miss: Walking without pain. The balls of my feet and heels hurt.

What I am looking forward to: Massage on Thursday, going with my mom.

Other Updates: I had my first internal at my Dr.'s today. She said she could feel his head through the cervix. Rob and I thought she was able to touch his head but she laughed and said, no, cervix is closed. Sounds like labor is not in my very near future. She said she doesn't like people to go past 1 week of their due date - they try not to induce if they don't have to because the chance of having a c-section goes significantly up for people who are induced. Rob and I are convinced Bob will be born on Christmas.

Bob weighs about 6 lbs (same weight as a crenshaw melon - whatever the heck that is) and he is over 18.5 inches long.

Crib

I'm officially on maternity leave and we are checking things off our list. The following items are completed:

1.) Assemble Crib
20.) Buy baby clothes (if needed)
21.) Decorate for Christmas
22.) Figure out which insurance plan to get on and enroll through open enrollment
40.) Put together arms reach co sleeper

My dad finished the nursery a few days before he and my mom went down to Long Beach for Thanksgiving. He painted the cream walls blue, installed the wainscotting and molding. We really like how it turned out - very nautical!





On Thanksgiving Day, Rob decided to put the crib together. Buddy was ready to help but first, he wanted someone to know if someone could "please throw this toy!!"



Rob lugged the crib pieces upstairs and started to get down to business. He found a bag in the main box, hoping the instructions were inside. He found this:



If you can't read it, it says "Do not use near cribs." Hmmm...

Then he stumbled across this:



only to find this inside:



So Rob went online to see if he could find the instructions when someone online had said the instructions were in the metal spring platform box instead. And they were!



Rob was finally able to get down to business.



The end result:



So pretty!

Our To-Do List

I kept thinking of things we need to do before Bob arrives and decided to write it down. So far, we hae 39 things to do. Good thing I'm officially on maternity leave. Here is our list:

1.) Assemble Crib
2.) Pick up Dresser when it comes in
3.) Pick up Changing Table when it comes in
4.) Wash clothes, blankets, washcloths, all bedding and put away
5.) Pack Alyssa's bag for hospital (I decided against packing a baby bag - I think his stuff will fit in my bag)
6.) Pack Rob's bag for hospital
7.) Interview and decide on a Pediatrician (have some good leads, just need to make appointments with them)
8.) Get all the wall decor up in the baby's room (can't start until #2 and #3 are done)
9.) Install car seat
10.) Have carseat inspected by fire department or police department to make sure its installed properly
11.) Get a good supply of wipes from costco and detergent (from Target)
12.) Buy crib mattress (at a specialty store, not babies r us)
13.) Buy outstanding items on registry
14.) Pack Buddy's bag and put near crate
15.) Assemble pack n play
16.) Assemble swing
17.) Clean guest bedroom
18.) Assemble glider - Rob started but realized it was broken. We need to wait 7-14 business days for it to come in, then assemble.
19.) Make or buy wall letters (I want to put up letters that spell out his name, I think I might try to make them)
20.) Buy baby clothes (if needed)
21.) Decorate for Christmas
22.) Figure out which insurance plan to get on and enroll through open enrollment
23.) Day trip to Monterey
24.) Go to Christmas in the Park with friends
25.) Get highlights (?) - not sure if I'll need to but not sure when I'll every get back to the salon
26.) Complete Christmas shopping
27.) Do some Christas baking
28.) At least 1 more date night with Jen and Brad
29.) Go in our hot tub (less than 98 degrees)
30.) Get a pedicure
31.) Get a massage (I belong to massage envy and I have about 4 massages that I've already paid for and I want to use them before he comes, then probably cancel my memberhsip)
32.) Buy nursing tank tops
33.) Buy nursing bras
34.) Buy "grandma underwear"
35.) Get toilet fixed
36.) Figure out our will/trust
37.) Put battery in watch
38.) Buy pads (tmi)
39.) Figure out if we are keeping the chord blood
40.) Put together arms reach co sleeper

Pregnancy Quiz

How far along? 35 weeks, 2 days

Total weight gain/loss: +35lbs. I think I can still achieve my goal of a "no more than a 40 lb weight gain" that I gave myself. My dr. on the other hand would be happy if it stays at 35lbs. She said as long as I don't gain anymore I'll be right on point. I told her I'd take up smoking if I needed to. Luckily she knew I was kidding. I wasn't sure if SHE was kidding about not gaining any more weight so I asked Rob when she left the room. He said he's pretty sure she was serious. I don't understand how I shouldn't gain anymore weight if he only weighs 5.25 lbs and when eggnog lattes are in full swing at Starbucks.

Maternity clothes? Yes.

Stretch marks? Not yet.

Sleep: If you asked me about sleep 2 nights ago I would have said its gotten really bad. My sciatic really hurts at night and I'm up at least every 1-2 hours to go to the restroom. Last night, God decided to give me a break and let me sleep FIVE solid hours without getting up to go to the restroom (and when I did wakeup, my hips and sciatic weren't killing me). Also, Buddy and Rob were both snore free. It was great. Then I got two more hours of sleep, went to the restroom, then slept another 3.5 hours before work. It was the best nights sleep I've had in a few weeks.

Best moment this week: Besides last nights sleep, I'd say my other best moment is that today was my last day at work. I love my job and my coworkers but it will be nice to get ready for "Bob." Another great moment this week is that my dad finished painting, installing the molding and wainscotting in the nursery. We can now get started on getting the room together - it looks really cute.

Movement: Yes. He is still moving around quite a bit.

Food cravings: I was going through a phase of craving Chinese food. I've had it twice in the last four weeks and I think I'm having some on Saturday for Jen's birthday.

Gender: Boy

Labor Signs: Nope

Belly Button in or out? It's flat. I don't know if it will pop out but its completely flat.

What I miss: Being able to buy shoes. I went to DSW to get new shoes because the shoes I have aren't very comfortable and I couldn't fit in any because my feet were swollen. :(

What I am looking forward to: We start our "internal exams" next week at the dr.'s office. I'm looking forward to see if there is any progress (dilation mainly and his position).

Other Updates: At my appointment yesterday she said he is still in the normal range (not too big, not too small). I also appear to be producing Colostrum. This might be too much information for some people, so if you really want to know what I'm talking about, you can google it. We also "graduated" from our Childbirth Prep class last night. We have 1 more time to get together (next week) but its the hospital tour. I'm actually really looking forward to that.

Bob weighs about 5.25 lbs (same weight as a honeydew melon) and he is over 18 inches long.

35/35

35 weeks complete, 35 days to go!

Maternity Leave

My maternity leave is approaching and I'm very excited about that. Rob said to me once, "I think you wanted to get pregnant because of the maternity leave." I told him "of course not, but it's definately a perk!"

When I think of maternity leave, I think of...

Lazy mornings watching Oprah on my DVR...



with a yummy latte in hand...



My perfect baby sitting quietly in his swing, he's a good baby and rarely cries...



Baby and I meet up for lunch with friends - in my dreams, all of my friends are stay at home moms...



Friend Baby and I, go shopping at Santana Row...



Come home, Rob is in the kitchen preparing dinner...



I get baby dressed in his cute pjs, feed him and put him down to sleep and get ready to do it again the next day.




Doesn't that sound lovely? For any moms out there, I'm sure you think I have no idea what I'm in for. You're right. I know that, but this is my fantasy world, mmkay?

So I know it's not really going to be like that - but I still think it will be pretty great.

34 weeks, 1 day

Oops, wrong pic. Here you go:

Happy 3rd Birthday Buddy!

We love you!!