Breastfeeding class

Am and I went for a breastfeeding class Saturday morning. There were about 20 couples there, and a registered lactation consultant at the hospital conducted the class. I had no idea what to expect going in, but it was a great class - 2 1/2 hours went pretty fast, and we learned things we didn't anticipate. Probably the most useful tip we learned was that you can't overfeed a newborn who's breastfeeding; in fact, a lot of new mothers will withhold feeding and wait for the "2-3 hour" time period in between each feeding. The lady said we should even wake the baby up to feed for the first couple of days - this is why we're going to be so tired!

The hospital is really committed to helping new mother's learn how to breastfeed, and if Amy needs some help at anytime, she can schedule an appointment with the lactation consultant office in the same building right down from her OBGYN. I went to the doctor a couple of weeks ago to look into whether I have allergies, and it's a new office on the same floor at the hospital - so everything for Mom, Dad, and Baby Niner will be convenient, no matter what we have to go for!

We spent the weekend getting the house ready - we bought and installed some new blinds for the nursery, nice faux wood plantation-style ones that don't have a cord, you just press a button and push/pull to raise or lower them. We finally hung our wedding pictures in the dining room (now that we have furniture, 3 years later) and we got all the supplies to prime and paint the nursery. Lots of stuff gooing on!

We've settled into a pretty comfortable routine - Amy and the baby are doing really well, so we're focusing on getting any projects that we want done now so when October rolls around, we'll be relaxed and ready to take care of the little guy! Amy's ligament pull was a little scary, but she's so naturally calm, she didn't panic and just "listened to her body" - she's fully recovered now and working on doing more yoga and consistent exercise so she won't have any other issues.

We think we might have picked the baby's name! Neither of us are in a rush to decide, but we're confident enough that we're using it when we refer to the little guy. Some of you guys know, but for the rest of you, it's still Baby Niner for now. :)

Amy noticed this morning that we're 100 days away from our due date - only 100 days left! Here are some new pics of Amy and her belly:

Apt. with Dr. Little

We had our monthly appointment this morning with Dr. Little and are very thankful for another great report! The heartbeat was good at 150, she also said the measurement of my belly, blood pressure and weight are good. We asked about the weight since I know I've gained a lot and there's still 3 months to go! She said that it is on the high side but if I increase my exercise a bit it should be fine over the remaining weeks. We told them about some soreness I had over the weekend and she said it was likely from a round ligament strain. It feels a lot better already so we aren't worried. Next month is a longer appointment with some extra routine tests including diabetes screening. Until then we'll just keep daydreaming about his arrival and getting the house and ourselves ready!

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Friday, June 6th and Father-to-be Day

We had our first appointment since the ultrasound on Friday, June 6th at 10:30. The nurse took Amy's blood pressure and told her it was great, and we listened to the baby's heartbeat and it was perfect, 147 beats/minute. For whatever reason the baby's heartbeat was much easier to find than last time - he was probably more relaxed and stayed still during this appointment. The nurse gave us paperwork for the hospital and information on pre-registration, as well as classes that we can take before the delivery: breastfeeding, childbirth prep (the equivalent of lamaze), infant CPR, etc. The coolest class is a tour of the hospital, which Am and I are both really excited about. Am went right to work registering for the hospital stay and signing us up for classes - our last classes are a hospital tour on September 4 and CPR on September 18, and then we'll be ready to deliver!

I went away for 6 days for work this past week, and saying goodbye to Mommy and Baby was really hard - I can't imagine what it'll be like when the little guy is out here in the world with us. But going away for work allows us to have such a great life and will allow Amy to stay home with the baby, and that definitely makes it easier!

Sunday was Father's Day, and it was bizarre to hear people wish me Happy Father's Day at church. We went out to lunch with Dad, Cindy, and Bethany, and one of the gifts we gave Dad was a "Grandpa 2008" shirt! They got us a present, too ... clothes from Gymboree, including the little guy's first pair of khakis. Everyone's gotten him such cool stuff that he's bound to be pretty stylin' as soon as he replaces Mommy's womb for actual clothes.


When we got home, Nana had sent a package for us, so we opened it - my Father's Day gifts were a Redskins pacifier and onesie for the baby! The Redskins onesie might be my favorite article of clothing we've received - so cool. I can't wait 'til we're all watching games together, buddy! Can a newborn eat hot wings?


Nana also got us a *ton* of clothing, and all of it was fantastic - velour sweaters, nice pants, great pj's, and our favorites: a white shirt with "Daddy Loves Me" in red, and an identical version with "Mommy Loves Me".

Amy then gave me my Father's Day gifts - for Baby Niner, I got a baby blue onesie that says, "If you think I'm cute, you should see my Daddy!" And then my favorite gift of ALL TIME, a baseball shirt that says "Daddy 2008." It's fantastic, Amy must have felt I'd be insecure about it because she immediately mentioned how I could wear it around the house or out to cut the grass ... are you crazy - I'll wear it everywhere! Today I wore it out to Target and for a quick stop by church, and a lady at church noticed it and thought it was great.

Next year, our boy will be here for Father's Day - I can't wait. We love you buddy - we pray for you all the time. Be safe with Mommy and we'll see you soon.

Dad

ultrasound appointment

Hello everyone!

I just wanted to tell you a little more about our ultrasound appointment this week. The pictures (see below), while amazing, don't do it justice...

First we had to wait a loooong 10 minutes while the technician measured different parts of the baby to make sure everything was OK, they don't show you anything on the screen during this time which was scary, but our technician was really friendly, she even remembered me from previous appointments when Baby Niner was still in the works! After awhile she turned on the big screen and there was the cutest little baby, moving all around, and then I realized, that's OUR baby! It was very cool.

The baby was sitting with its legs crossed, almost Indian style, and we tried to get a look at whether it was a he or a she. The technician said she knew so if it didn't cooperate she'd just tell us. She asked us what we thought and I said that I'd felt like it was a girl but when I dreamed about the baby it was always a boy. Soon thereafter he showed us, and it was very clear, the baby is a boy! She said 'your dreams came true!'

We were so happy and spend the next several minutes just watching him move around, he wiggled his toes, put his fingers in his mouth, and the technician pointed out things to us like his heart and stomach and his spine which was lined up with mine at the time with his feet down low and his head up high. He was breach but she said at this stage they move around all the time which we saw firsthand though I'm not feeling too much...yet!

Hard to believe the next time we 'see' him it will be on the day he's born - we can't wait!

Love you baby!
Mommy

Take a first look at our son

It's been a long day, but ... what a day! This morning at 9 Amy and I had our 2nd and last ultrasound, and the tech showed us visual confirmation - we're going to have a boy. A baby boy. A son. A son! Amy and I are going to have a son.

It was easy to overlook the fact that more important news was on tap - the baby's health. We're so fortunate that the little guy is incredibly healthy and growing well. He's actually a week ahead of schedule in most of his measurements - he's supposed to weigh about 10 ounces, but he already weighs 12 - he's 3/4 of a pound! That's my boy. As we were driving back from the appointment, Amy asked what 12 ounces was, so I told her the first thing that came to mind. "That's a beer, honey - he's the Bud Light Lime I had last night!" Amy didn't seem to appreciate it on quite the level I did, but later I used the comparison with Ed and he was right there with me.

Check out the pics above and say hello to our boy! Click on them for a larger, closer view.

The Proud Papa

Amy's Belly: May 23

Update on Amy's belly - it's pretty clear if you compare the two pics that her belly is, in fact, growing! If I put my hand on her belly and push slightly, it resists - the best thing I've read in all of the books we have is that it's like a balloon is slowly inflating inside of her. Amy feels the baby every now and then, but I can't feel it yet - I can't wait for the first time it kicks hard enough for me to feel it too! Right now Amy can't tell if it's really the baby, or gas bubbles - perhaps it's gas bubbles FROM the baby. :)


On Tuesday we go to the doctor for our last ultrasound, and find out whether we're having a boy or a girl! Amy took an old wives' tale quiz on the web yesterday, and there's a 70% chance according to a collection of tests like the Drano method that we're having a girl. The most statistically significant test to date? Amy feels like she's having a girl, and we read somewhere that the mother-to-be is right 75% of the time. To combat the ever-growing sentiment for a girl, I've made it my mission to watch every NBA playoff game the last 6 weeks - I hear if a team from west of the Mississippi wins 4-2 in the Eastern Conference Finals over a team with black uniforms and at least two guys named Spud, you're definitely having a boy.


We're both ready for a boy or a girl, we just want to know! Stay healthy baby, we'll "see" you on Tuesday. :)
Love,

Dad