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.