The last post of 2009!

What a wonderful year 2009 has been for our family! I spent more than half of the year waiting for Jared to arrive, and now Steve and I have our hands full taking care of him! We laughed tonight thinking about how, in the past, we would be getting ready for a New Year's party. This year, I'm going to try to see the ball drop, but no guarantees.

Jared got a great picture with Santa this year! Although some odd things occurred. The picture lady told me my job wasn't to get Jared to smile, but to make sure his hands stayed out of his mouth. Okay, that is pretty impossible - luckily, Santa stepped up to help out with that. Then she kept calling him Patrick, I have no idea how she got that out of Jared. Once we got that settled, she couldn't get him to smile for the picture, so she took a couple with him staring off into space and declared that was the best we were going to get. I got mad, since Jared smiles all of the time! So I decided that it was my job to make him smile, and I got a great smile for his picture with Santa! :) (Take that, picture lady!)

We had a nice Christmas visit with both sets of Grandparents. Jared also tried bananas the day after Christmas. He didn't seem to mind eating them, but it caused a reflux flare-up. Poor kid - at least it passed quickly (with the help of some Mylanta.) I think we'll wait a while until we try solids again, and maybe not bananas.

Jared also went out to his first fancy restaurant for Grandpa's birthday, and behaved very well. He liked looking at the fire in the fireplace and people watching. He got a little fussy at the end, but it was almost 9:00, so that wasn't surprising. He fell asleep as soon as we got into the car.

Jared is such a tremendous addition to our lives. He likes making lots of noises and jumping up and down (with some assistance.) I was trying to think back on the year - I turned 30, the Hubble launch and subsequent mission, but all of that seems distant compared to the joy that is my son. He has also brought us closer to our parents - I think that we are starting to appreciate all of the effort that it takes to raise a child.

I guess all of this is to say that 2009 is a tough act to follow, but I can't wait to see what 2010 has in store for us! Jared will continue to amaze us as he grows, and I'm sure we'll have lots of new adventures!
New pictures are posted in the 3-6 month folder - enjoy! We think they are hilarious! :)
Happy New Year and wishes of good health and happiness to everyone!

Sucks on his toes!

Yes, it's all my fault. I showed Jared that he could suck on his toes, and now that's all that he does. I guess we won't get to see the Happy Baby pose anymore. I guess I have to be more vigilant about keeping his feet clean and his toenails trimmed.

We ended up getting almost 2 feet of snow. What was even more amazing is that Maryland actually seemed somewhat prepared for the snow removal this time - that was definitely a first! Luckily, I went grocery shopping before the big rush on Friday, and we had a big pot of chili while it snowed - yum!

New pics are posted. (We finally moved the computer into a different room than Jared's crib, so we're able to be on it now while he's sleeping - thus the increase in postings. That and the fact that a lot has been going on lately, and we haven't even gotten to Christmas yet!)

Let it snow. let it snow, let it snow!

We've probably gotten almost a foot of snow! We took Jared outside to check it out. New pics are posted.

5 months old!

Jared was fantastic at my work lunch party yesterday - he was cute and friendly to everybody!

He also started blowing raspberries yesterday, as a mother, I couldn't be more proud! :)

What a handful!

Okay, so my "post blog soon" didn't exactly happen.

We had a nice time visiting with all of the Grandparents over Thanksgiving. Jared had a good time, since there was lots of football on. Diane had a good time, since she actually got out shopping a little. Steve had a good time, because he got to eat a lot. :) Jared liked visiting, although it was quite a switch from just hanging out with just me all day. We also got to hang out with Sexy Mike, and that was fun.

Jared is becoming a bad eater. He just finds eating boring, and anything else more interesting. He starts fighting and arching his back after only a little while. He seems to be eating enough, but every time feeding him, bottle or breast, is a challenge.

Jared loves to kiss himself in the mirror, which is cute, but the mirror gets a lot of slobber on it. He does what I call open-mouth guppy kisses. If you are the lucky recipient of one, you will have a nice wet spot on your chin, knee, etc.

He is growing some hair back. It is straight, and the color of Steve's hair.

He is getting heavy. I'll be curious to see how much he weighs at our next Dr.'s visit in a month.

He's starting to suck his thumb. I was hoping this could help get rid of the pacifier for sleeping, but he refuses to suck on his thumb in bed.

When you read him books, he is good at looking from left to right as you read. He also follows finger pointing to objects in books. He looks up periodically to see who is reading to him. He likes to smack at books, since his favorite book has crinkly paper in the cover and makes noise.

Steve got him an exersaucer for Christmas. We've been adding one toy a day, like the 12 days of Christmas (except that we only have 10).

Tomorrow we're going to my NASA Holiday party. They haven't seen Jared for a while, so that will be fun.

New pictures are up from Thanksgiving

new blog entry coming soon...

New pictures are posted under the 3-6 month link

Constantly changing...

Jared LOVES holding on to his toes with both hands. In yoga, it is called the Happy Baby pose, and I guess happy babies really do it! :)

He loves looking at the super-cute baby in the mirror!

He has also started enjoying tug-of-war and peek-a-boo, which is really cute.

This past weekend, we had a visit from Mike, Amy, and Max Zuckett. Max just turned two, and I wasn't sure what we were going to do with him in our apartment. We ended up going to two different playgrounds and "crafternoon" at the library (which turned out to be somewhat disappointing.) Jared was wonderful during the visit - happy and eating/sleeping well. We also got some loaner clothes from Max for Jared - thanks! :) Max was the special guest in Jared's weekly picture - I'll try to post those soon.

I can't believe that it's been (almost) 4 months already!

Time is passing oddly...
It seems like Jared has been a part of our lives for a long time, but he is developing so fast, that time seems to pass quickly. I already have trouble remembering him when he was a newborn - so little! I love flipping through the "old" pictures to see how much he's grown in just 4 months! Steve and I think that he's just the best and a wonderful addition to our lives.

Jared weighs in at 14 pounds, 1 ounce; and he is 25.5 inches long!

Some things that I forgot to mention in the last post...
*Jared won't bring his arms out to you to be picked up, but will open arms out to the side, so you can grab his torso easier.

*He is giving difficult diaper changes. This could involve anything from alternating very straight legs to very bent legs, constantly removing the cloth diaper that we use as a pee shield, or doing a bucking bronco with his pelvis and legs! Oh what fun! :)

*Sometimes he pushes the boob out of his mouth with his hand, so he can suck on his hand! I guess I have to come to the conclusion that this kid will never be a great eater. But he is happy and healthy (good weights), so whatever he is eating must be enough. His reflux medicine seems to be helping him eat, now it's just other distractions.

New developments

Steve, Jared, and I all had the same cold - it seems to be getting better now. Luckily, it was pretty mild - just congestion, with no fever. Jared's little baby coughs and sneezes seemed cute until he sneezed all over me one day, then they weren't so cute. :)

It seems like Jared is trying something new or getting better at something every day.
*He still really likes to stand with help, but he is getting a lot more stable now.
*He is becoming very vocal. Unfortunately for us, he likes trying out his higher pitch vocal range, which is hard on adult ears. And he is definitely louder too.
*He is getting a lot better at sitting. He can even sit unaided for a few seconds without tipping over if you balance him right.
*He is showing no interest in rolling over. Steve and I figure that he will just surprise us with it one day.
*He is showing an incredible interest in the world around him. This is often to the detriment of eating. For some reason, the chandelier in our dining room really distracts him from eating (even when it's turned off.)
*He smiles and laughs when you clap and say "Yeah, Jared!"
*He is getting much better at playing with his rattles and the monkey toy that Daddy bought for him.
*No teeth so far.

We have our 4 month Dr. visit soon, so I'll give you a stat update then.
New pics are up in the 3-6 month link.

New picures are up

A few from Halloween (although we forgot to take any at the pumpkin carving), and just a few around the house - enjoy! They're under the 3-6 month folder.

Happy Halloween (with lots of Halloween outfits)

I didn't realize that Jared would get so many Halloween outfits. I think he has 5 or 6 of them! I guess he will probably get many outfits for each holiday. They are really cute!

We have been super-busy, which is why the blog has been so quiet. Jared had some eating problems (refusing to eat), so that wasn't fun. The Dr. thinks that it's reflux, and prescribed medicine for him. He's gotten better, not completely back to normal yet, but I guess the medicine is working. Thanks to Debby Schymanski, one of my "other mothers," for all of her lactation consultant help!

In the middle of all of this reflux business, we traveled up to Pittsburgh for Kristy and Chris's wedding. Jared did okay on the way up, about a 4 1/2 hour trip. We got to the hotel, and met up with my parents, who were also invited to the wedding. They took care of Jared while Steve and I went to the rehearsal (I was a bridesmaid) and the rehearsal dinner. Unfortunately, Jared freaked out while we were gone (screamed for about an hour straight), and Steve had to leave the dinner early to attend to Jared. I felt really bad for my parents to have to go through that. The next day, I got to go to the salon to get my hair looking nice for the wedding, while Steve, Jared, and my parents met up with some of my Pittsburgh relatives. I heard that he wasn't too happy during that visit either, but I guess he gave them a couple of smiles, so that's good. Jared was very good during the wedding, and Steve only took him into the church cry room during the vows, so he didn't disturb anyone. Steve says that he really liked the string quartet music. Unfortunately, Jared also had a bad time of it at the reception - it was loud and crowded. Poor little guy - he was way too over stimulated. The next day, we took him to Kristy's parents' house for a brunch, where he was in a good mood, and smiled and laughed with people, so that was a plus. The car ride home, I spent about half of the trip in the back seat with him, since he was a little fussy. The next day, he ate at 6 AM, and I had to wake him up for his 9AM and noon feedings - he was wiped out from the long weekend!

Other things going on...
He really likes to eat his hand, but only the right one.

He really likes to grab his toes, but only with the left hand.

He loves to stand! (with a little help)

**Check out the new pictures under the "3 to 6 month pictures" link

Wow - it's the middle of October already!

Yes, it's been a while since I posted. Steve and I started looking for a house, and that seems to be taking up all of our free time (not that we really had any anyway. :)
We also went to the U2 concert, which was cool. Muse opened for U2, and Muse was fantastic! My mom came down to watch Jared during the concert and while we were looking at houses.
Steve's Aunt Amy from North Carolina stopped by with Steve's parents, so that she could meet Jared.

I took Jared to a Baby and Me yoga class. Jared loved checking out all of the other babies! It was basically how to do exercises (for the moms) using your baby as extra weight (i.e. crunches with the baby on your belly). There was also some baby massage. I think we both had fun.

Jared also went to Steve's Friday night soccer game. There were a lot of babies there too! Jared liked watching the game and checking out the older girls (4 month olds! :) in the stands.

Jared is getting so big! Steve and I have both said that he is noticeably heavier. He is also getting to be pretty vocal. He talks a lot when he is happy, and when he is really not happy! He is getting more expressive, and he is smiling and laughing more. This is such a fun time!

New pictures are posted - enjoy! Anyone want to come visit?

New pictures are up!

...yes, I know...finally...

Jared slept through the night!

Last Saturday, Jared slept through the night. Unfortunately, I did not. I woke up at 1:30 AM, when Jared usually does, only to find him asleep (but making his sleeping grunts.) I kept checking on him, but he didn't wake up all until 5 AM. He hasn't done it since, but I thought it was promising.

Also new with Jared:
*he likes to watch TV, specifically football. Steve and I aren't thrilled about him watching TV, but at least he likes football - although he does seem to prefer west coast teams, so that's too bad.

*He has the longest, thickest, and most eyelashes of anyone I've ever met - they're beautiful! How come nice eyelashes get wasted on guys, and girls have to buy mascara? :)

*He's getting pudgy. We call the fat rolls on his arms his extra biceps. :) We think that the fat rolls on his elbows and behinds his knees are really cute.

*He wipes his own mouth with his bib.

*He's realizing that he has hands. He started routinely sucking on his hands, fingers, and thumbs.

*He's good when we go out and interact with other people. When I took him to my work this week, the only person that he spit up on was me. :)

I promise I'll get the new pics up soon (I hope).

2 months old and BUSY!

Jared is 2 months old today, but unfortunately, he spent the morning in the Doctor's office getting shots. :(
Jared is so big now! He weighed in at 11 pounds, 9 ounces today, and he was 23 1/2 inches long!
Jared is really smiling, cooing, and laughing now, once he warms up to you. He just doesn't do it for anybody! He still hates being swaddled before sleeping, and now he's a lot more vocal about it.

Last week, we visited my office. Everyone was so excited to finally meet Jared. We'll be going back on Sept. 22nd, so he'll get to meet more people!

We took a trip up to Steve's parents' house in Philly last weekend to see how traveling with Jared would go. We took so much stuff, just for him! The Deeney Family also stopped by to visit and meet Jared. Liam really took to Steve's Dad, and gave him the nickname Mr. Beanstalk. :) Liam and Mr. Beanstalk walked around the block together, dug in the dirt, and grilled dinner. I think Steve's Dad is really looking forward to the day when he can play in the dirt with Jared. :)

New pictures will be posted soon.

So much to share!

Jared is becoming more interactive with people, which is so much fun! He does a lot of cooing, smiling, and laughing now. And I swear that I've heard him say "Hi!" and "Ma!" (usually when I'm doing something that he doesn't like, like dressing him.) I missed it, but I guess he even picked his nose. Which Steve "yelled" at him for, and he started crying, but was still cute. Everything he does is so cute!

And he's getting to be a better helper with his hands now. He helps hold the bottle when people feed him, and he holds his pacifier in his mouth (and sometimes even puts it back in when it falls out!)

This Labor Day weekend was busy, with visits from Grammy and Pappy Day, and Jean and Rolla Lehman. Because they like pirates so much, we even had Jared model his pirate Halloween costume for them early. And thanks to the Lehmans for all of the Wegman's chocolate confections - yum!

We played lots of Wii Sports Resort this weekend, and Jared (with Dad's help) even got the record for Frisbee Dog. Even Jared's Mii is cute!

Now that it's cooler, we been walking a lot more in the evenings. One day last week, we passed someone walking their Chihuahua in an umbrella stroller! I couldn't believe it. But Steve says that the dog was on a leash, so technically it wasn't breaking Maryland law. Too bad I don't think very fast - I should have told the lady "Your baby looks just like you!" :)

New pictures are up. Also check out even more Jared pictures from Grammy and Pappy Day from the "More Jared Pics!" link on the right.

We've got a 10 pounder here!

What a week it's been...
Sunday - Jared got his first tub bath, which he liked a lot better than his sponge baths. Also, Kamili and Rachel stopped by for a visit.

Monday - Jared went to the Doctor for his regular visits, and we come to find out that he now weighs 10 lbs., 0 oz.! He's also grown 2 inches since birth.

Tuesday - Jared and I went out on our first restaurant trip. We ate lunch with a gal from my prenatal yoga class, and her son, who is about 3 weeks older than Jared. It was funny, since we had the exact same infant carriers! :) Jared behaved himself very well at the restaurant.

Wednesday - Just before I went to my 6 week OB doctor's visit, Jared gave me the trifecta bad diaper change. Poop, pee, and spit up all over! So then I raced off to my doctor's visit, which went fine. But they sent my prescription to the wrong pharmacy, and we waited 2 hours until they figured out the problem. That was frustrating. At the end, Jared was getting fussy, since he was hungry and had a dirty diaper. So we get home, only to find out that the A/C broke, and the apartment was 85 degrees! So I hurried up and changed and fed him, then we hung out in the Leasing Office until the A/C was fixed. But it wasn't really. They just said that the circuit breaker tripped. If you reset it, the A/C works until the circuit trips again. Which brings us to...

Thursday - waiting for the maintenance guys to come over and fix the A/C. It will work as long as I reset the breaker when it trips, so we're staying cool, but something is obviously wrong with the unit. It only tripped twice since last night, so that's not too bad, but it's still annoying to wake up to a warm apartment.

*On the plus side, we finally took some video of Jared. He likes to bat at the hanging toys coming down from the arch over his vibrating chair. We'll try to get some of that video posted.
Also, he really likes his swing now. It's good for him to hang out in while we're eating. And he always seems to fall asleep to the calypso music, which I think is weird, but whatever...
Everyday we get more smiles and laughs, which is amazing.
Oh, and last Friday, Steve started giving Jared a nightly bottle, which he took to with no problem whatsoever. That made me relieved that I can now be away for more than 2 1/2 hours if I need to be.
New pics are up.

Mommy transformation

Yesterday, Jared was on his 4th outfit of the day by 9:45 AM. He had peed, pooped, and spit up on his outfits - thank goodness we ran out of orifices! :) Somehow, I didn't even really mind getting pooped on - I must really be a mother now. We finally moved him up to Size 1 diapers, since he had a blowout of his newborns. But the Size 1's are huge - we need size 0.5's or something. Oh well, the Size 1's are big, but seem to hold everything in.

The "It's a Boy" mylar balloon that my parents bought us at the hospital for Jared's birth is still floating around the apartment - I didn't realize that was possible! I figured that it would fall within a couple of days.

He's starting to smile more, and even sometimes laugh. It's really awesome.

1 month old today!

Jared is one month old today, and what a month that it's been! I've learned so much about Jared, Steve, and myself. Steve is such a wonderful father, and I'm definitely learning what it means to be a Mommy (which is way more than I bargained for! :) )
Jared and I are venturing out of the apartment. Yesterday we went to the mall, and today we went to a baby store to get a Moby wrap. Hopefully, this one won't hurt my neck. We even have a tentative play-date scheduled for later this week with the lady and her son from my prenatal yoga class.
My life has changed so much in this past month, and I am looking forward to next month's adventures.
Look how big Jared is now! New pics posted in the album...

Diane and Jared alone - Day 1

Well, I survived my first day of just me and Jared. Steve had worked half days in the past, but this was his first full day back at work when I had no helpers. This was supposed to occur on Monday, but I woke up with a pinched nerve in my neck. I think that this was due to wearing the baby carrier for too long the night before.
This was really bad, since I couldn't move my neck or pick up Jared. So on my first day by myself, I activated the "Mom Network." Diane Perry rushed over to watch Jared while I went to the chiropractor to get adjusted. And she had her kids go over to a neighbor's house, so the cascade effect also came into play. Steve came home from work on Monday afternoon, and Steve's mom Beth, came down Monday night to help me out while I recovered. I got a massage on Tuesday, and I almost feel back to normal. Jared and Beth pictures have been added to the online album.
Luckily, the lady that sells the baby carrier will take it back. Even if that wasn't really the cause of my neck/back pain, I would be afraid to use it anymore. We'll have to look for a more supportive model.
Jared was really good for me today, and even took a couple of naps! Hopefully, this good behavior will continue. :)

Mr. Crabbypants

**New photos posted** (this link is now permanently under Favorite Links as "Jared Pictures!!")

Jared has been getting into the crabby stage lately, which I guess is typical for 2+ weeks of age. His GI tract is still maturing, and I think sometimes that bothers him. He also gets the normal evening fussiness that I hear is pretty common. Too bad that he always seems to be fussy when Steve gets home from work.

My mom stayed with us this past week when Steve started back to work full-time, which was super nice for me to have the company and the help. I think Jared and I are ready to go it alone this week (I hope).

When he isn't fussy, he is acting super-cute as always. He really likes to cradle his head with his hands. He seems to enjoy our walks, and he even made his first trip to the grocery store.

This morning, we had our first poop explosion during a diaper change. It was quite surprising how far it went. Luckily, Steve was there to help clean up the whole area.

Whoa baby!

Jared had his first bath on July 26th, and as you can see from our online pictures, he wasn't too big of a fan.
His umbilical cord stump fell off on July 31st, when Diane Perry was over burping him. He didn't really seem to notice that it was gone. But it does make diaper changing easier.
We took him on his first walk around the block on Aug. 1st. Of course he slept through the whole thing. He would open an eye to give us a look when we hit a bump though. :)

At the doctor's yesterday, Jared had his heel pricked for his 2 week blood test, and didn't scream at all - it was awesome!
He's now an inch longer than he was at birth, and he weighed in at 8 lbs., 2 oz.! This is amazing, since he weighed only 7 lbs., 2 oz. at our last doctor's appointment on July 24th. The doctor says that I must be feeding him cream! :)

My mom is here this week while Steve goes back to work full-time. She's a huge help with Jared, which lets me get a little bit of sleep.

Sorry this part took so long, click here to see Jared's official hospital pictures.

New pictures are up!

Click here. I'll embed it on the site later when I have more time.

Jared's Life of Firsts

Everything is new to us and to Jared. He has enjoyed visits from Grandparents and friends. He has gone to the pediatrician twice: once he pooped all over the exam table, and the next time he peed all over it. We'll see if they let us come back. :)
He got his first bath and his 1 week Elmo picture. (Jared next to an Elmo doll- we'll see how he gets bigger than Elmo in the coming weeks.) He also listened to Daddy play Guitar Hero for the first time today, and didn't seem to mind. If anything, I think he was singing along. :)
I promise new pictures soon - we certainly have a lot on our camera. Thanks to everyone for their well wishes and support.

Jared's online album

Sorry this took so long - this Mom thing is way harder than I ever imagined. Steve and my parents are so helpful, which allows Jared and I to do our thing. I even got a shower today! :) Steve got pictures together - go check them out at
http://picasaweb.google.com/dtd118/Jared02?authkey=Gv1sRgCK_c-57Hv7uJoQE#

It's a boy!

Jared Michael Briczinski was born July 18 2009 at 6:45 pm. He weighed in at 7 lbs 4.6 oz and measured 19 and 1/4 inches. We'll put pictures up soon but rest assured he's super cute with quite a bit of hair.

At the hospital

At 3:30 this morning my water broke and we finished packing up and got here at 5:45. I have been having "nice looking contractions". All of our parents arrived at the same time so our phone calls must have been timed well. I walked a couple of laps around the halls which helped with the contractions but after 4 cm they got worse so I got an epidural. 12 hours so far, 6 cm.

The day is finally here...and nothing so far

Well, I knew the kid was going to be late, but I am feeling kinda disappointed today just the same. The ticker on my blog has officially maxed out.
Personally, I don't believe that the kid is protesting coming out. I really believe that at this point, the kid doesn't even know that it HAS to come out yet. It's just hanging out in a temperature controlled environment, eating 24 hours a day - that sounds like a pretty good deal to me!

Steve's parents came down Tuesday-Wednesday, since his Dad had a conference at the University of MD. It just didn't time out right for them to stay after the conference for the delivery.

Tonight we're seeing "Harry Potter," tomorrow we're seeing "Away We Go," and we have a picnic to go to on Sunday - we're trying to squeeze in as many non-baby-related things as we can.

The more I talk to people, it seems that a lot of people have nicknames for their unborn kid. Our kid's is "Bumpy." First, the baby made my belly a big bump, and now I get small bumps (body parts) moving around in the big bump. Steve's mom says his was "Cinder," since he felt like a cinder block. :)

39 1/2 weeks

Consistency is the word of the week. I'm about the same for weight and belly length. And the baby's heartbeat is about the same.
Just waiting...if I don't have the baby by July 23rd, they're going to induce me, so let's hope that it doesn't come to that.

If one more person at work utters the phrase "oh, you're still here!" I think I'll go postal. I realize that it's all with the best of intentions, but it's getting annoying when I have to deal with it 25 times a day.

On the plus side, I got a pedicure on Saturday, and we had dinner with Maggie and Berg at Ruth's Chris on Sunday night, just because we could. (plus, we wanted to hear about Norway) And the massage and chiropractor always makes me feel better.

The house is just about ready - I have to find space for some stuff that used to be in my bookshelf that is now on top the kid's dresser to make room for the changing pad. But that's about it.

Feelin' Good

Since it seems to be a popular question lately, I'll say that I've been feeling really good this week (although it is only Tuesday, I guess.) It has been a mild summer so far (just mid-80s this week instead of mid-90s), and I have been keeping up with my massage and chiropractic appointments. This week, I seem to have more energy, and my forearms don't hurt anymore since I've been wearing my carpal tunnel braces while sleeping. Thanks for all of the well wishes, and I'll keep you posted! :)

38 1/2 weeks

I've switched my OB appointments to Mondays, and my pregnancy week starts on Thursdays, so we'll hit the half weeks from now on.

We had a very nice visit with my parents over the 4th of July weekend. They took some stuff home with them to make room for the baby's dresser. They were also smiling a lot when they helped Steve assemble said dresser (stupid Ikea instructions!) The dining room was also rearranged to make space for the glider and footstool - we seem to have a lot more room in there, now that we rotated the table.

My mom swears that the baby has dropped slightly, although I'm not sure if I agree or not.

Steve and I think the baby is coming late, but we're also being realistic and getting ready, since it might be any day now. The bag is beginning to get packed for the hospital, but mostly it is still in list form. It's surprising how much stuff I'll be bringing, considering that I won't be in the hospital for very long!

Congrats to my coworker Ray, wife Kerry, son Michael, and new son Ryan! Ryan arrived on July 2nd, and is one of the cutest newborns that I've ever seen! Thanks for the pictures Ray!

Week 38.5 Stats:
Weight gain: 24 lbs. (down 2 lbs. from last week. This had them concerned until we realized that it was a morning vs. afternoon weighing difference.)

Heartbeat: still in the 150s bpm - going strong

My belly (up & down) has been consistently measuring 38 cm for the past few weeks (they seem happy with that number, not like I would know the difference.)

Cm dilated: 0 (the ultimate goal of 10 cm is only about 4 inches! Check it out on a ruler - it doesn't seem like enough room for the baby to come out!)

% effaced: 50 (Think of a normal uterus as an upside-down beer bottle. The % effaced is the thinning of the neck of the bottle to look more like a mayonnaise jar.)

Station (how far the baby's head is in my pelvis): -3 (not a whole lot)

My midwife estimates that the baby's current weight is around 5.5 lbs. That's interesting, but since this was done just by feeling my belly, I'm not sure how much I believe it. The baby's head is down in the launch position though! :)

I'm up next! ~gulp!~

There were two ladies in my pre-natal yoga class that were due before me, and they both had their babies this week. I guess now I'm the next to go! (barring any unforeseen circumstances with my other classmates)

My forearm pain got worse, so Steve and I drove all around and finally found some carpal tunnel night braces to wear while I sleep. It makes sleeping even more difficult, but at least my forearms don't hurt anymore. Thankfully, it doesn't bother me during the day.

The OB (a different one from last week) said "Wow! Your belly is all baby!" I knew this, since I get really uncomfortable, but realize that it's not Braxton-Hicks. It's just hard baby parts pushing into me! The baby seems pretty tough now - I bet that will change after it's born! :)
The OB didn't even bother checking my cervix, since I still haven't dropped yet.

Week 37.5 Stats: (I've changed my OB visit days to Mondays, and my pregnancy week starts on Thursday)
Weight Gain: 26 lbs.
Baby's Heartbeat: 150s bpm

Week 38 was not a very photogenic week for me. Here's the best picture out of a dozen taken.

Week 37 and counting...

It seems like we're getting really close now! And we're crossing some major items off my long list, so I feel a little more ready for the baby to arrive.
The car seat has been purchased and installed. I wished I had my camera when Steve was sitting on the car seat base to get it cinched down properly! :)
We also bought a dresser/changing table, and we'll have that put together pretty soon.
We also met with 3 pediatricians. Two we liked, and one we really didn't. In fact, we think that the last lady would have the personality to think that kids were gross. We'll go with one of the first two people, and we'll be fine.

Week 37 stats/factoids:

• Weight gain: 24 pounds
• Baby's heartbeat: 150s bpm
• 0 cm dilated, 0% effaced (not surprising since the baby hasn't dropped yet, but I had him check anyway)
• Can I just put it out there that it's really hard to give a urine sample when you can't see where you're peeing? :)
• Hands and forearms tight/tingling/a little painful: yeah for pregnancy carpal-tunnel! :P I just hope it goes away after the pregnancy.
  

Baby Shower and Father's Day

On June 20th, I had another baby shower in Mechanicsburg, PA (outside Harrisburg). We had a nice time having a tea party, chatting, taking pictures, and opening the gifts (along with plenty of comments and advice from the audience. :) ) I'll post some more pictures soon, (here's me with the grandmothers-to-be) but you can check out pictures from Jean Lehman if you're on Facebook. And thanks to Meghan for being my photographer! :)

Steve was getting into the spirit of Father's Day by assembling the Pack 'n Play (which we later disassembled), our new stroller, and the crib. Steve also bought our car seat the other day, so we technically now have everything we NEED (except a diaper genie, which we'll be getting soon.)

We also took a tour of the hospital where I'll be giving birth. Getting a lay of the land helped me feel better. There were also a couple of babies to look at in the nursery - they were so cute and little! This hospital offers the option to have the baby in the nursery as well as stay in the room with us.

We start interviewing pediatricians tonight, so hopefully we'll find one that we like.

Here's the informal baby pool taken at the baby shower. I find it fascinating! I have the latest delivery date (my mom says this is wishful thinking on my part, since there is still so much left to do) and my mom has the earliest date (which I think is wishful thinking on her part.) Kamili has my actual due date, but everyone else doubles up on the days, which I thought was interesting. Also, we had 8 girl votes and 7 boy votes, so I guess the 50/50 odds are holding up.

DATE		GENDER		WEIGHT		PARTICIPANT
July 12th		girl		7 lbs.		Mary Day
July 14th		boy		7 lbs. 12 oz.		Amy Zuckett
July 14th		girl		7 lbs. 10 oz.		Beth Briczinski
July 15th		boy		7 lbs. 8 oz.		Susan Christy
July 15th		boy		6 lbs. 14 oz.		Peg Frank
July 16th		girl		6 lbs. 9 oz.		Kamili Jackson
July 18th		girl		7 lbs. 8 oz.		Tanya Thomas
July 18th		girl		7 lbs. 2 oz.		Caitlin Kambic
July 19th		boy		7 lbs. 12 oz.		Meghan Scanlon
July 19th		boy		7 lbs. 9 oz.		Carolyn Christy
July 20th		boy		7 lbs. 10 oz.		Jean Lehman
July 20th		girl		7 lbs. 6 oz.		Pam Steele
July 21st		boy		8 lbs. 1 oz.		Cathy Kambic
July 21st		girl		7 lbs. 8 oz.		Diane Perry
July 22nd		girl		7 lbs. 3 oz.		Diane Briczinski

36 weeks - wow!

Today I am officially 36 weeks along. At the end of this week, the baby will be considered full term. (37-42 weeks) I can't believe that I'm getting so close to the end!

I forgot to mention in the last posting the funniest quote that I've seen, courtesy of the guys who double bagged my card at my work baby shower. Not surprisingly, the quote was written anonymously... "Watching a baby being born is like watching a wet St. Bernard coming in through the cat door. Enjoy." :) It cracks me up every time I read it! Talk about some disturbing imagery!

Last night, I took a breast feeding class at the hospital. the teacher was excellent, and I took a lot of good notes. We'll see how much I remember though when the kid is screaming, and I can't get a good latch.

I had my OB visit yesterday also - they're every week from here on out. The baby's heartbeat is in the 130's, and I've gained 23 pounds so far. I guess the baby and I are both putting on the pounds! On babycenter.com, they say that the baby is probably about 18" long now and weighs about 6 pounds - crazy how that all fits in my belly where my guts used to be. :)
I saw a different Dr. in my practice than I normally do, and she didn't like the fact that the baby will have little movement for a few days, then go crazy active for a few days (even though this has been consistent throughout the entire pregnancy.) Anyway, they hooked me up to a fetal monitor like they have at the hospital to monitor movement. At first - nothing. Then the baby woke up, and everything was fine. The kid just goes on spurts of activity, and I can't do anything about it. We'll see if the baby still acts like that after it comes out.

Work baby shower

Last Thursday, I had a really nice work baby shower. It turned out exactly like I hoped (probably because I told the party coordinators what I wanted) - it wasn't very girly at all. (There were a lot of guys that made it to the shower, since I said it wouldn't be girly. ;) It was most of an afternoon where people could stop by between meetings to chat and eat some cake. And the cake was fantastic! It was white cake with lemon filling and whipped cream icing - very light and fluffy. More people have pictures from the shower, and I'll post those when I get them. The other picture is with a bunch of guys that I work with that decided to double bag and label my card as being clean, just like I do with all of their hardware - it was hilarious!

Also, here's my weirdest baby gender prediction...my coworker felt my shoulder, and determined that it was bony. Apparently, that means that I'm having a girl. He insisted that he has been right about this 20 out of 21 tries. Like I said, very weird...

Random thoughts, feelings, gripes, etc.

Lest you all think that I've become one of those sunshiny people, where everything goes perfectly (you should all know me better than that), here's some other things going on that hasn't made the blog.

My joints are really loosening up. So hips, pelvis, knees, tailbone, back, etc. are very sore. Tylenol doesn't really help either. I'm going to the chiropractor weekly now, so he can put me back together.

The baby is moving like crazy- I'm talking jumping jacks! Steve's found that if I spoon up behind him in bed, he gets a nice lower back massage. Steve thinks this is really cool - I do not. :)

Even with the frequent nighttime trips to the bathroom, I still find myself awake between 3-4 AM. It's very weird - the baby isn't awake and moving around, but I find myself wide awake. It's completely bizarre, and doesn't make a good nights sleep for me or Steve.

Everything is swollen. Especially my hands (no more rings) and my feet & legs (cankles, yuck!) I really look forward to my massages.

On the plus side...one of my coworkers completely got us set up with baby gear yesterday. His youngest is 4 years old, and he was looking to offload a TON of baby stuff, and Steve and I were the lucky recipients! Yippee! So the registry got reduced to account for all of the stuff that we got yesterday. The funny part is that Steve and I had just sent Steve's parents home with a bunch of our big stuff to make room for baby stuff, and we had those spaces filled again only a few hours later. It's a lot easier to believe a baby is coming soon, now that we have a bunch of gear around the house.

Week 34 and PUPPP (not puppy)

Well, the itchiness that I've been complaining about for about a month was finally diagnosed as PUPPP. (which is what I figured all along) The doctor gave me some prescription strength hydrocortisone cream, and even after one application, the itchiness and redness were subsiding. PUPPP is not serious, just really annoying. Click here if you'd like to learn more.
Here's my 34 week belly. It seems like the kid is taking up every square inch - my belly sure doesn't seem to want to give any extra room.
There's also a picture that someone suggested that I take during the mission, but I forgot: me talking to the baby on our console headsets. :) I ended up taking the picture at my Goddard desk, so you can also see how much work I have to do to clean that up before I leave.

The Itchy and Scratchy Show

I have had a pretty easy pregnancy, but this itching thing is out of control! I itch all over, but mostly on my torso. I have tried cocoa butter lotion, and I actually broke out my shea butter foot cream this morning (it is really thick) to put onto my belly. That seems to work better than the cocoa butter lotion. Any other ideas? I'm getting desperate...

Back at home (for good this time)

Well, the launch was fantastic, and working the mission in Houston was exciting, but I'm happy to be home. Working 14 hour days on night shift for the mission was not fun, but I was surprised how quickly my body got used to it. The stress levels leading up to the launch and during the mission were fairly high, so it's quite a relief that Hubble is completed. Thanks to Kamili, who kept me laughing during the mission! The shuttle is supposed to try landing in Florida, again, tomorrow.

Above is a picture of me in the old-school Apollo Mission Control Room (sitting in the Flight Director seat, of course.) Also, when you're in Texas, everything has to remind you of that fact. Including, apparently, the waffles at my hotel. :)

Taking some time off from work and being with Steve has made me a lot happier and relaxed. The baby has been very active, and I think my coworkers at Goddard will be surprised how much my belly has popped out since the last time I saw them in mid-April.

Week 32 stats:
Weight gain: 15 lbs. Baby heartbeat: in the 140s bpm

in Houston, ready to go

The past few days have been great! On Friday, Kristy and I got our pictures taken with the Hubble hardware in the shuttle before the doors were closed.

The rest of the time was filled by some well-deserved parties and beach time.

On Monday morning, we met with with a bunch of people, and drove onto Kennedy Space Center to watch the launch. It was really hot and sunny, so it was good that they had big tents set up to shade us. The launch was awesome - it was so bright! From our position, we heard the crackling of the solid rocket boosters, but it wasn't too loud. It was over in 90 seconds though - way too short!

On Tuesday, I left Florida for Houston, where I'm now waiting for my first console shift to start. This is so exciting - after so many years of working on this project (~8 years), I can't believe we're actually doing it now!

You can't say that we never took you anywhere...

The baby got to visit the launch pad last night and this morning. We even got our pictures taken with the Hubble hardware before the shuttle doors were closed - how exciting!
My belly doesn't like the beach so much - too much sun and heat. I'm working on getting rid of the heat rash.

The launch is scheduled for 2:01 PM on Monday. Then we'll be flying off to Houston to work the mission.

back to Florida (hopefully for the final time)

The OB visit went well this morning. I've now met with all four of the Doctors in my practice, so now it's just luck of the draw about who will be there when I deliver.
Week 29 stats: I've gained 12 pounds total (no shoes on during weigh in this time :) ) and the baby's heartbeat is still around 150-155 bpm.

The 2nd day of the birthing class was very informative - they had a pediatrician come in to talk to us.

I had some of the baby anatomy backwards - I haven't been getting kicked in the ribs, I've been getting mooned! The head is low, the butt is high on the right side, and the hands and feet are just to the left of my belly button, which is where I feel (and see) the aggressive movements. Steve couldn't believe the amount and severity of the movements! His hand kept getting pushed up, and I saw my belly bulge, then go back down.

Back in MD for birthing class

I flew back to MD on Friday night. Steve and I have birthing class Saturday and Sunday, I have 3 Doctor's appointments on Monday, and I fly back to Florida on Monday night - whew!
The first day of the birth class went okay - it ended early, which seemed weird, when I think there are so many unknowns, but I couldn't think of any more questions to ask. Steve and I both seemed to get something from it though, so that's good.

The Hubble launch is now scheduled for May 11th, and it looks like Steve and my parents will be able to come down to see it. Considering that I've been working on Hubble for about 7 years now, it seems weird to be drawing to a close. But the ending - the launch and mission - will be spectacular! Then I'll be able to concentrate fully on the end of my pregnancy.

Here's the week 29 belly picture. The baby seems to get active in the afternoons, sometimes surprising me at the forcefulness of it's kicks and punches.

and the hits keep on coming

The kid has found a favorite place to kick, put pressure on, etc. Unfortunately for me, this has turned out to be the bottom right side of my ribs. It made for a difficult flight to Florida, trying to push the kid away from my ribs, while not elbowing the lady in the seat next to me. Luckily, the flight was only 2 hours long.

My innie belly button is also getting close to becoming flat with my belly. I don't think it's going to last much longer as an innie. I guess it just goes to show how much my belly is actually growing.

We have our birthing class next weekend. It seems weird to be 2 1/2 months out, going to a birthing class, but it was the only time that worked with my work schedule. Oh well, hopefully I'll remember all of the important stuff when I need it.

Heading to Florida (again)

On Friday, I'm heading down to work on Hubble at Kennedy Space Center again. Hopefully, this time it will actually lift off of the ground. Launch is looking pretty good for May 12th, so here's hoping. I will be glad when the launch and mission are complete. I will be home for a quick visit the first weekend in May for my birthing class and Dr.'s appointments, then back to Florida for the launch, then Houston for the mission.

In baby news, I had my gestational diabetes test, which involves drinking a very sugary tang-like drink, then getting your blood drawn after an hour. This tests how your body handles the sugar. I was very jittery, but the baby slept right through it. The OB says that usually the baby starts going crazy with the sugar. I have had a sweet tooth lately (and the new cavity to prove it), so maybe the baby is used to the sweets.
End of Week 26 stats:
My weight gain: 11 lbs. total
Baby's heartbeat: 150 bpm