Have any of you heard of or worked with this site?
It's an online, children's clothing swap community. It looks pretty interesting and am just wondering if any of you guys have had luck with this or a similar service.
My guy goes through clothes pretty fast and I love the idea of not buying stuff that he'll end up wearing just a handful of times.
Oh, here's a neat thing. Kodak is offering 20 free birth announcements. You have to choose from specific layouts, but the cool thing is that you can upload pictures and make your own thank you notes or greeting cards or whatever. They end up costing less than $3 with shipping.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Religion
So I’ve been thinking about how religion is going to play a part in my son’s life. I don’t go to church and haven’t been in a church in over 10 years. However, I grew up attending a non-denomination Protestant church and I think it had a positive impact overall. I never really felt all that connected to the idea of god or anything, but I think the basic tenets are good. Be good to others, forgive, love, etc.
Originally, my plan was to home-church. I had this basic idea in my head that there would be specific time set aside each week where we would talk about religion. I had in mind that I would cherry-pick the best parts of all religions and try to introduce these as principles to live by.
I still think the idea of home-churchin’ is a good one, the piece that I struggle with the most is the isolation factor. It’s just me and him. I don’t have full-time family out here in California, I’m not sure if my only sister will end up having kids of her own, I can’t even wrap my head around the idea of dating someone anytime soon – it might just be the two of us for a while. I think I need to expose this little guy to more community.
So I’ve been doing some research and came across the United Church of Christ. I’m impressed! The one in my town is incredibly gay-friendly – they have a gay flag hanging in their sanctuary!! They represent themselves as being progressive. They don’t have a set of doctrines that they insist members adhere to or believe in, but insist that they all learn from each other. I’m really intrigued by them. I’m going to check out a service this Sunday.
I’d love to hear what the rest of you are doing in terms of church-going.
Here's the latest picture of my little guy:
Originally, my plan was to home-church. I had this basic idea in my head that there would be specific time set aside each week where we would talk about religion. I had in mind that I would cherry-pick the best parts of all religions and try to introduce these as principles to live by.
I still think the idea of home-churchin’ is a good one, the piece that I struggle with the most is the isolation factor. It’s just me and him. I don’t have full-time family out here in California, I’m not sure if my only sister will end up having kids of her own, I can’t even wrap my head around the idea of dating someone anytime soon – it might just be the two of us for a while. I think I need to expose this little guy to more community.
So I’ve been doing some research and came across the United Church of Christ. I’m impressed! The one in my town is incredibly gay-friendly – they have a gay flag hanging in their sanctuary!! They represent themselves as being progressive. They don’t have a set of doctrines that they insist members adhere to or believe in, but insist that they all learn from each other. I’m really intrigued by them. I’m going to check out a service this Sunday.
I’d love to hear what the rest of you are doing in terms of church-going.
Here's the latest picture of my little guy:
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
Crib Training 2.0
My son has never been a great sleeper and his most recent cold/fever has definitely set us back a bit. I think most babies, when they aren’t feeling well, just want to be held. My son is no exception to this rule. On Wednesday and Thursday night, I slept with him on the couch because it was the only way either one of us were going to get any shut-eye. He just would not stay down in his crib. I would rock and rock and rock him in the glider until he was fast asleep and as soon as his head hit the crib mattress, he would pop right back up and reach his arms out to be picked up. (Maybe I’m just a sucker, but I couldn’t resist!)
His fever is gone and his cold is on the way out (mostly), but a good portion of my weekend was spent trying to get him to sleep in his crib again. I guess 96 straight hours of being held can certainly make a crib feel like cruel and unusual punishment.
Last night, after an hour and a half of rocking and a few false starts, he finally stayed in his crib and slept the night through. The world is truly a glorious place after getting 7 uninterrupted hours of sleep.
His fever is gone and his cold is on the way out (mostly), but a good portion of my weekend was spent trying to get him to sleep in his crib again. I guess 96 straight hours of being held can certainly make a crib feel like cruel and unusual punishment.
Last night, after an hour and a half of rocking and a few false starts, he finally stayed in his crib and slept the night through. The world is truly a glorious place after getting 7 uninterrupted hours of sleep.
Friday, April 16, 2010
First Fever
Well, it happened.
I arrived home from on Wednesday work to find my son with a 103 degree fever. Several months ago, right after C split, one of the scenarios that kept running over and over in my head was his first fever. I pictured it happening and being alone and scared and not knowing what to do. In my mind, that scenario was with a 3 month old baby and not a 10 month old, so in that sense, I think it was a bit easier, but it was still pretty brutal.
I gave him some Tylenol which he promptly threw up. Looking back on it, I think it was just spit up because he it only happened once, and it didn’t seem to cause him much discomfort. He didn’t sleep at all that night – he just wanted to be held and rocked in his glider. He was pretty cheerful and playful considering, but just couldn’t sleep. Around 3:00 am after a luke-warm bath, I moved us to the couch, which is where we slept together for the first 4 months of his life, and we had a little luck there. I was able to doze for a couple of 20-minute stints while he lay in my arms.
My babysitter arrived that morning so I handed him to her and crawled into bed to try and get a few hours sleep before going in late to work. He was so tired and so uncomfortable, he just cried and cried, so I couldn’t fall asleep. I know this is the understatement of the century, but there is just nothing worse than the no-sleep. All of my fear and worry about him is already there, all of my self-doubt about being able to do this on my own is right under the surface – and when I don’t sleep, they just multiply. It is so hard and takes so much energy to talk myself out of that fear and to soothe myself.
I took him to the doctor last night to rule out a bacterial infection since the fever stuck around for 24 hours and was happy to hear that it was only viral. We got home and his fever broke pretty fast. I managed to get him to sleep in his crib for about 30 minutes and we spent the rest of the night on the couch together. We were able to get some 90 minutes stretches in there – but not too many. At least it was better than the night before.
Anyone else have any traumatic first fever stories?
I arrived home from on Wednesday work to find my son with a 103 degree fever. Several months ago, right after C split, one of the scenarios that kept running over and over in my head was his first fever. I pictured it happening and being alone and scared and not knowing what to do. In my mind, that scenario was with a 3 month old baby and not a 10 month old, so in that sense, I think it was a bit easier, but it was still pretty brutal.
I gave him some Tylenol which he promptly threw up. Looking back on it, I think it was just spit up because he it only happened once, and it didn’t seem to cause him much discomfort. He didn’t sleep at all that night – he just wanted to be held and rocked in his glider. He was pretty cheerful and playful considering, but just couldn’t sleep. Around 3:00 am after a luke-warm bath, I moved us to the couch, which is where we slept together for the first 4 months of his life, and we had a little luck there. I was able to doze for a couple of 20-minute stints while he lay in my arms.
My babysitter arrived that morning so I handed him to her and crawled into bed to try and get a few hours sleep before going in late to work. He was so tired and so uncomfortable, he just cried and cried, so I couldn’t fall asleep. I know this is the understatement of the century, but there is just nothing worse than the no-sleep. All of my fear and worry about him is already there, all of my self-doubt about being able to do this on my own is right under the surface – and when I don’t sleep, they just multiply. It is so hard and takes so much energy to talk myself out of that fear and to soothe myself.
I took him to the doctor last night to rule out a bacterial infection since the fever stuck around for 24 hours and was happy to hear that it was only viral. We got home and his fever broke pretty fast. I managed to get him to sleep in his crib for about 30 minutes and we spent the rest of the night on the couch together. We were able to get some 90 minutes stretches in there – but not too many. At least it was better than the night before.
Anyone else have any traumatic first fever stories?
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Hi Again
What a wonderful, terrible, beautiful 12 months.
I’m back after a long break and am so thrilled to see so many pregnancies and babies from all the bloggers out there!
I’m over the hump of trying to navigate single-motherhood, return to work, house-sale, move, divorce, name-changes, etc. Now I’m trying to settle into my life as it is each day rather than gearing up for the next big moving-on-milestone.
My son is almost 10 months old and gets better every day. I won’t go into too much detail about what transpired between 10 weeks and 10 months, but here are some highlights:
• He started as a terrible sleeper. For his first 4 months, he would only sleep latched on to me. I spent those nights ‘sleeping’ sitting up on a couch. At about the 4 month mark, when he could roll himself over on his stomach – it was a whole new world. Then came 5 and 6 hour stretches IN HIS CRIB at a time and now we are probably 50/50 with a full sleep through the night. The other 50% he usually wakes up once and needs to be rocked back to sleep – this is pretty manageable.
• Eating has been relatively easy compared to sleeping. He hasn’t really met a vegetable he doesn’t like. Fruit is OK as long as it’s heavily diluted in oatmeal or plain yogurt. We’ve moved on to some finger foods, which he kind of refuses to feed himself. In fact, he usually picks them or his sippy cup up and hands them to me so that I can feed him myself. Pretty funny.
• Still breastfeeding. This has been easy all along the way, the only bummer is how quickly the supply shrinks. He’s still getting about 10-12 ounces of breastmilk per day (1 nursing session and the rest in bottles) and about 12 ounces of formula.
• Day care – since my split, my mom has been coming out to San Diego for two weeks each month to help me take care of my guy. She and I have a great relationship and I know how lucky I am to have the help. Because of this, I am able to afford a babysitter the other two weeks of the month. I love my babysitter – I found her on a website called care dot com.
• He’s got two bottom teeth and his first top one just broke through.
• When he’s not crawling - he’s pulling himself up on anything he can.
• He is starting to play games with me like laughing and crawling away really fast so I’ll chase him.
I love being a mom. I knew I’d love it, I didn’t know how much. I know everyone says this and it sounds trite – but he is the greatest thing I’ve ever done.
I’m glad to be back.
Here's my guy:
I’m back after a long break and am so thrilled to see so many pregnancies and babies from all the bloggers out there!
I’m over the hump of trying to navigate single-motherhood, return to work, house-sale, move, divorce, name-changes, etc. Now I’m trying to settle into my life as it is each day rather than gearing up for the next big moving-on-milestone.
My son is almost 10 months old and gets better every day. I won’t go into too much detail about what transpired between 10 weeks and 10 months, but here are some highlights:
• He started as a terrible sleeper. For his first 4 months, he would only sleep latched on to me. I spent those nights ‘sleeping’ sitting up on a couch. At about the 4 month mark, when he could roll himself over on his stomach – it was a whole new world. Then came 5 and 6 hour stretches IN HIS CRIB at a time and now we are probably 50/50 with a full sleep through the night. The other 50% he usually wakes up once and needs to be rocked back to sleep – this is pretty manageable.
• Eating has been relatively easy compared to sleeping. He hasn’t really met a vegetable he doesn’t like. Fruit is OK as long as it’s heavily diluted in oatmeal or plain yogurt. We’ve moved on to some finger foods, which he kind of refuses to feed himself. In fact, he usually picks them or his sippy cup up and hands them to me so that I can feed him myself. Pretty funny.
• Still breastfeeding. This has been easy all along the way, the only bummer is how quickly the supply shrinks. He’s still getting about 10-12 ounces of breastmilk per day (1 nursing session and the rest in bottles) and about 12 ounces of formula.
• Day care – since my split, my mom has been coming out to San Diego for two weeks each month to help me take care of my guy. She and I have a great relationship and I know how lucky I am to have the help. Because of this, I am able to afford a babysitter the other two weeks of the month. I love my babysitter – I found her on a website called care dot com.
• He’s got two bottom teeth and his first top one just broke through.
• When he’s not crawling - he’s pulling himself up on anything he can.
• He is starting to play games with me like laughing and crawling away really fast so I’ll chase him.
I love being a mom. I knew I’d love it, I didn’t know how much. I know everyone says this and it sounds trite – but he is the greatest thing I’ve ever done.
I’m glad to be back.
Here's my guy:
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Didn't see this one coming
My wife decided on Sunday that she doesn't want to be in this relationship anymore.
Our son is 10 weeks old.
Our son is 10 weeks old.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Anyone still out there?
Sorry for going MIA. Between work and the 3rd trimester insanity, I couldn't find enough time to keep this blog up. I was reading blogs as often as I could, but just didn't have it in me to update.
In the off chance that anyone is still out there, I'm thrilled to announce the arrival of our son. He was born via c-section on June 23 weighing 7 lbs 2 ounces and measuring 19.75 inches. He is beautiful and we are falling more in love with him each day. The picture is our boy at two weeks.
The c-section was not in the birth plan, but had to be done because, apparently, I've got a platapoid pelvis. This made it difficult for him to enter the birth canal. It was a really difficult turn of events as I was really hoping for a natural birth. Our OB was really wonderful though the whole thing. He was just as into the natural birth as we were. When it became apparent that surgery was imminent, he gave us time to mourn the loss of the birth we wanted and was really gentle through the whole procedure. I was most terrified of getting the spinal. I've heard horror stories and I was really freaked out that something would go wrong or that I'd have terrible lasting effects, but it turned out to be very manageable. The hospital staff was top-notch.
The recovery from the c-section has been a piece of cake. I realize how lucky I am for this. I took vicadin and ibuprofin while I was in the hospital (4 days) and then stopped all meds about 3 days after discharge.
Breastfeeding is going really well too. We're finally at the point where I can start pumping, which is great because C can help out with the feeding.
On the down side, our little boy is a little sleep resistant and doesn't seem to like any of the beds we have for him. He doesn't sleep unless he's on my chest and this makes for a horrible night's sleep for me. It's amazing to me how quickly one can get used to 4-5 hours of sleep per night and getting 3 uninterrupted hours is like winning the lottery. Anyone have any tips on how to get a baby in a crib?
Thursday, February 19, 2009
24 Weeks (almost)
Almost at 24 weeks – things are going well. Here’s a new interesting little symptom. When I sit for long periods of time, I get a burning pain just below my bra line on the right side. I started noticing it about 2 weeks ago. According to the goog.le, it’s pretty normal and most seem to chalk it up to round ligament pain. It’s weird and can be a bit distracting.
We’ve found a lawyer for the second parent adoption. I’m trying not to get too sideways about the absurdity of having to spend thousands of dollars so that my wife can adopt her own child, but that’s just the way it goes. The lawyer has estimated that the whole thing will cost about $3K, which is great since I was thinking it would be closer to $5K. We meet with him next week to get the paperwork started. I’m due to give birth in June and we are planning a vacation with friends in August. I really don’t want to leave the state, let alone step foot into a red state, without paperwork in hand. He thinks we should be able to be wrapped up by then.
Here’s something interesting. We’ve been doing research on cribs. Consum.er Re.ports ranks 2 cribs as having the highest rating for safety – one of them is an Ike.a crib and only costs $150! Now, it’s not going to win any design awards – it’s pretty plain and understated, but did I mention that it’s $150 AND that it converts to a toddler bed?! Sold.
Lately, I’ve found myself facebooking all sorts of people who I haven’t talked to in years. College friends who I haven’t thought about in 10 years – friends that I made after college who I’ve lost touch with. It’s weird, all of the sudden I’ve just had this burr up my butt out reaching out to people who I’ve grown apart from. I don’t know if the pregnancy is to blame or what. Anyone else out there finding themselves digging through the past?
We start birthing classes in about a week and a half. Right now we’re signed up with a Bradley method class – our OB is recommending Hypnobirthing. Any opinions?
We’ve found a lawyer for the second parent adoption. I’m trying not to get too sideways about the absurdity of having to spend thousands of dollars so that my wife can adopt her own child, but that’s just the way it goes. The lawyer has estimated that the whole thing will cost about $3K, which is great since I was thinking it would be closer to $5K. We meet with him next week to get the paperwork started. I’m due to give birth in June and we are planning a vacation with friends in August. I really don’t want to leave the state, let alone step foot into a red state, without paperwork in hand. He thinks we should be able to be wrapped up by then.
Here’s something interesting. We’ve been doing research on cribs. Consum.er Re.ports ranks 2 cribs as having the highest rating for safety – one of them is an Ike.a crib and only costs $150! Now, it’s not going to win any design awards – it’s pretty plain and understated, but did I mention that it’s $150 AND that it converts to a toddler bed?! Sold.
Lately, I’ve found myself facebooking all sorts of people who I haven’t talked to in years. College friends who I haven’t thought about in 10 years – friends that I made after college who I’ve lost touch with. It’s weird, all of the sudden I’ve just had this burr up my butt out reaching out to people who I’ve grown apart from. I don’t know if the pregnancy is to blame or what. Anyone else out there finding themselves digging through the past?
We start birthing classes in about a week and a half. Right now we’re signed up with a Bradley method class – our OB is recommending Hypnobirthing. Any opinions?
Monday, February 2, 2009
21 Weeks
I’m a bad blogger.
Sorry Team.
Things here are good. We had a bit of a scare a few weeks ago, but we’re feeling really good now. During the first trimester, we never ended up getting a nucal scan. Instead, our OB measured the space in between the baby’s head and neck and said that everything looked fine and that there was no reason for the scan. At about week 18, I went in for the AFP blood test. It came back positive for Down’s. The AFP is not a diagnosis but is considered an indicator of probability. Our next step was to meet with a genetic counselor and perinatologist who would conduct an ultrasound and look for ‘soft markers’ which would either reduce or increase the risk. The ultrasound went fine and our risk was reduced. Not enough to render the AFP blood test negative for Down’s, but enough to make us feel a lot better. A definitive diagnosis could happen through an amnio – which neither one of us was all that into. We’ve heard that there is anywhere between a 1 and 200 to 1 in 1600 chance of miscarriage after an amnio – this just seemed like too big of a risk to us. The biggest factor is that if we did get confirmation that the baby has Down’s, we wouldn’t terminate. That just isn’t the decision we’d make right now.
Maybe this is naïve, but I really feel like everything is fine with this baby. I’ve read that upwards of 80% of the positive Down’s AFP tests turn out to be false positive. I just don’t think that this baby has Down’s. If he does, we’ll deal with it, but it just doesn’t feel like that’s what’s happening.
We had another OB appointment on Friday, and got even more assurance that he doesn’t have Down’s. Apparently, babies with Down’s are born with a single wrinkle across their palms, because while in the womb, they don’t move their fingers independently. According to our OB, Down’s babies will use their hands similar to a primate, with all fingers perpendicular to the palm, thus causing the line. During our ultrasound, our little guy was displaying quite a bit of digital mastery as he not only picked his nose for us, but spent a good amount of time playing with his penis. Who knew it started so early for the brothers?!
My naseau subsided around week 17 and has been replaced by crazy heartburn. Other than that, my back tends to hurt a bit more and I’m a little more prone to tearing up. It all feels pretty manageable. As of today, we’re at week 21. I’m too shy to post belly pics, but tonight I’ll post a video from the ultrasound.
Thanks for sticking with me. I promise to be better about posts and comments.
Sorry Team.
Things here are good. We had a bit of a scare a few weeks ago, but we’re feeling really good now. During the first trimester, we never ended up getting a nucal scan. Instead, our OB measured the space in between the baby’s head and neck and said that everything looked fine and that there was no reason for the scan. At about week 18, I went in for the AFP blood test. It came back positive for Down’s. The AFP is not a diagnosis but is considered an indicator of probability. Our next step was to meet with a genetic counselor and perinatologist who would conduct an ultrasound and look for ‘soft markers’ which would either reduce or increase the risk. The ultrasound went fine and our risk was reduced. Not enough to render the AFP blood test negative for Down’s, but enough to make us feel a lot better. A definitive diagnosis could happen through an amnio – which neither one of us was all that into. We’ve heard that there is anywhere between a 1 and 200 to 1 in 1600 chance of miscarriage after an amnio – this just seemed like too big of a risk to us. The biggest factor is that if we did get confirmation that the baby has Down’s, we wouldn’t terminate. That just isn’t the decision we’d make right now.
Maybe this is naïve, but I really feel like everything is fine with this baby. I’ve read that upwards of 80% of the positive Down’s AFP tests turn out to be false positive. I just don’t think that this baby has Down’s. If he does, we’ll deal with it, but it just doesn’t feel like that’s what’s happening.
We had another OB appointment on Friday, and got even more assurance that he doesn’t have Down’s. Apparently, babies with Down’s are born with a single wrinkle across their palms, because while in the womb, they don’t move their fingers independently. According to our OB, Down’s babies will use their hands similar to a primate, with all fingers perpendicular to the palm, thus causing the line. During our ultrasound, our little guy was displaying quite a bit of digital mastery as he not only picked his nose for us, but spent a good amount of time playing with his penis. Who knew it started so early for the brothers?!
My naseau subsided around week 17 and has been replaced by crazy heartburn. Other than that, my back tends to hurt a bit more and I’m a little more prone to tearing up. It all feels pretty manageable. As of today, we’re at week 21. I’m too shy to post belly pics, but tonight I’ll post a video from the ultrasound.
Thanks for sticking with me. I promise to be better about posts and comments.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
70% Sure
Our Doc gave us a 70% chance of having a son! The boy was sitting cross legged, so it was hard to get a clear shot of the junk. We've got our 20 week appointment in a few weeks so maybe we'll get a better view then.
C is especially thrilled. Last week, we saw the movie 'Towelhead'. As the film progressed and as the 13 year old lead character delved deeper and deeper into sexual awakening, C started compiling a wish list which included, a boy, a gun and an alarm system.
I'm really happy, but I find myself a little sad that we're not having a girl. If we found out that she was a girl, I'd be feeling a little sad about the loss of a boy. I don't really understand it, but as happy as I am, it is bittersweet.
C is especially thrilled. Last week, we saw the movie 'Towelhead'. As the film progressed and as the 13 year old lead character delved deeper and deeper into sexual awakening, C started compiling a wish list which included, a boy, a gun and an alarm system.
I'm really happy, but I find myself a little sad that we're not having a girl. If we found out that she was a girl, I'd be feeling a little sad about the loss of a boy. I don't really understand it, but as happy as I am, it is bittersweet.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
17 Weeks
I'm sorry for the lack of posts and especially for the lack of comments. Between the holidays and my lingering first-trimesteritis - I haven't been up to too much posting.
Tomorrow we'll be at exactly 17 weeks. While I think I might be in the second trimester in terms of symptoms - I'm having kind of a first trimester day complete with naseau and fatigue. As a result of the nice long weekend, I've taken to sleeping a little bit later than usual. This morning I slept until almost 9:00 which is pretty much unheard of. After getting out of bed and putting on my socks, I had run down the stairs to get myself to some food. I was gagging and dry-heaving as I was pouring myself some cereal - 9:00 am is just way too late to wait for food. I think I'll be happy to return to my early schedule tomorrow.
The holidays were nice for the most part. My parents and sister came out from Chicago. My mom and sister went bat-shit crazy with baby presents. I have asked them to take it easy when it comes to purchases, but they are completely ignoring me and buying just about everything that Bab.y Ei.nstein makes. I wish they weren't doing it, but this will be the first baby on my side of the family, so I shouldn't take the experience away from them. I'd list out all of the things that they bought, but the list is truly obscene.
The piles and piles of stuff that my family bought made us realize how much room this baby is going to take up and how pack-ratty we've become. The New Year's weekend has been spent doing deep spring cleaning and serious thinning out of all of our crap that we've held on to since buying this house. It felt really good to get rid of so much stuff and it's nice to know that we actually DO have storage! We were able to do the entire upstairs. Later this month, my mom is coming out again and we'll tackle the kitchen and the garage - the two biggest shit-stacks in this house.
I've decided that I'm going to take C's last name. We were thinking about hypenating, but after mulling it over for the past few months, I decided that I think things might just be easier for us if we've all got the same simple last name. I think there's a chance that we'll struggle in some way with the idea of 'traditional family' and having the same simple last name might make it just a little bit easier. We were at a wedding earlier this year and the bride's sister gave a toast during which she said that it didn't hit her that she was loosing her sister until she realized that they wouldn't have the same last name anymore. I never really thought about it up until that point. Last week, I went to the county clerk's office and picked up a copy of our marriage license, which thankfully we're still able to get, took it over to the Social Security Administration office and filled out some paperwork. I should have a new SS card in about a week and then I can change everything else. This was so much easier than I thought it would be.
Tuesday is our next OB appointment and we're hoping to find out whether we're having a boy or a girl. Yay!
Happy New Year to everyone!
Tomorrow we'll be at exactly 17 weeks. While I think I might be in the second trimester in terms of symptoms - I'm having kind of a first trimester day complete with naseau and fatigue. As a result of the nice long weekend, I've taken to sleeping a little bit later than usual. This morning I slept until almost 9:00 which is pretty much unheard of. After getting out of bed and putting on my socks, I had run down the stairs to get myself to some food. I was gagging and dry-heaving as I was pouring myself some cereal - 9:00 am is just way too late to wait for food. I think I'll be happy to return to my early schedule tomorrow.
The holidays were nice for the most part. My parents and sister came out from Chicago. My mom and sister went bat-shit crazy with baby presents. I have asked them to take it easy when it comes to purchases, but they are completely ignoring me and buying just about everything that Bab.y Ei.nstein makes. I wish they weren't doing it, but this will be the first baby on my side of the family, so I shouldn't take the experience away from them. I'd list out all of the things that they bought, but the list is truly obscene.
The piles and piles of stuff that my family bought made us realize how much room this baby is going to take up and how pack-ratty we've become. The New Year's weekend has been spent doing deep spring cleaning and serious thinning out of all of our crap that we've held on to since buying this house. It felt really good to get rid of so much stuff and it's nice to know that we actually DO have storage! We were able to do the entire upstairs. Later this month, my mom is coming out again and we'll tackle the kitchen and the garage - the two biggest shit-stacks in this house.
I've decided that I'm going to take C's last name. We were thinking about hypenating, but after mulling it over for the past few months, I decided that I think things might just be easier for us if we've all got the same simple last name. I think there's a chance that we'll struggle in some way with the idea of 'traditional family' and having the same simple last name might make it just a little bit easier. We were at a wedding earlier this year and the bride's sister gave a toast during which she said that it didn't hit her that she was loosing her sister until she realized that they wouldn't have the same last name anymore. I never really thought about it up until that point. Last week, I went to the county clerk's office and picked up a copy of our marriage license, which thankfully we're still able to get, took it over to the Social Security Administration office and filled out some paperwork. I should have a new SS card in about a week and then I can change everything else. This was so much easier than I thought it would be.
Tuesday is our next OB appointment and we're hoping to find out whether we're having a boy or a girl. Yay!
Happy New Year to everyone!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
33.3% There
Technically, our first trimester is over. It's hard to believe it since my naseau has been at a raging pitch for the past 3 weeks and isn't showing any signs of weakening. I wake up gagging and stay naseated all day long. Don't get me wrong - I'm thrilled to be feeling so horrible, because it means the pregnancy is progressing. I'm really thankful to be in this position, regardless of how horrible I feel physically.
We had an u/s yesterday. It was awesome. Mr. Shanahan was really active - swinging his arms above his head and squirming all around - it was really amazing. Everything is looking so great we've decided to go public with our news at work. So far, the response has been really positive.
I wish I had the energy to write more - it's a miracle I'm up this late as it is.
We had an u/s yesterday. It was awesome. Mr. Shanahan was really active - swinging his arms above his head and squirming all around - it was really amazing. Everything is looking so great we've decided to go public with our news at work. So far, the response has been really positive.
I wish I had the energy to write more - it's a miracle I'm up this late as it is.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
My New Best Friend
Sunflower Seeds!
Wow what a life saver! They are the first thing I've come across that is keeping the naseau away. I have really been dying the last few days and I popped a few in my mouth and oh, what sweet relief!! I'll need to make sure I'm drinking some extra water because these are so salty. If anyone out there wants to try them - I strongly endorse the Jumbo Brand Sunflower Seeds in their shell.
I also need to give some props. Yesterday, after my post about bad dreams and Arrested Development, Sarah over at dreamsandfalsealarms tried to post the comment:
"Perhaps you should consult an analrapist about those bad dreams..."
It seems like google wouldn't allow the post - but this kind of genius needs to be known.
Hilarious - I'm still giggling over it.
Wow what a life saver! They are the first thing I've come across that is keeping the naseau away. I have really been dying the last few days and I popped a few in my mouth and oh, what sweet relief!! I'll need to make sure I'm drinking some extra water because these are so salty. If anyone out there wants to try them - I strongly endorse the Jumbo Brand Sunflower Seeds in their shell.
I also need to give some props. Yesterday, after my post about bad dreams and Arrested Development, Sarah over at dreamsandfalsealarms tried to post the comment:
"Perhaps you should consult an analrapist about those bad dreams..."
It seems like google wouldn't allow the post - but this kind of genius needs to be known.
Hilarious - I'm still giggling over it.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Can't think of a title
I think I mentioned this a few weeks ago, at our first OB/GYN appointment, our doctor said that if we started to feel nervous that we could come in for an u/s to see the heartbeat for reassurance. We’ve managed to not let ourselves get too freaked out that something has gone wrong. One of the things that has helped is that my morning sickness seems to have kicked in to full gear. It feels like a sign that things are progressing well down there. For the last few weeks, I’ve sort of had one symptom at a time. I’d be woozy in the morning, which was replaced by heartburn after lunch and then my naseau would make itself known on the ride home from work.
Now, I am feeling everything at the same time, all day long. I feel conspicuous complaining about it since we have paid tens of thousands of dollars for this very feeling. I also feel guilty complaining about it since I’m sure there are women out there who have been through worse and even more women would be happily take on my symptoms times ten. Despite all of this, it’s unpleasant.
C and I have both been having bad dreams lately. C’s dreams tend to focus around something horrible happening to me in childbirth and mine tend to be about the world being destroyed. Last night, I dreamt that the planet Mercury somehow got off course and was going to collide with the Earth in 8 hours. There wasn’t enough time to send up a rescue mission like Morgan Freeman did in Deep Impact, so C and I were left to decide what we were going to do, take matters into our own hands, etc. I woke up in a bit of a panic and didn’t really fall back asleep after that. The weird thing is that the nightmares are so vivid, it takes an unusually long time to figure out that they are only dreams.
I’ll end this post on some good news – a GREAT thing happened today. I had completely forgotten that I loaned my 3 seasons of Arrested Development to a friend at work. She’s probably had them for a year – and she brought them back today! I definitely foresee an AD marathon sometime during my 4-day weekend. I am STOKED!
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!
Now, I am feeling everything at the same time, all day long. I feel conspicuous complaining about it since we have paid tens of thousands of dollars for this very feeling. I also feel guilty complaining about it since I’m sure there are women out there who have been through worse and even more women would be happily take on my symptoms times ten. Despite all of this, it’s unpleasant.
C and I have both been having bad dreams lately. C’s dreams tend to focus around something horrible happening to me in childbirth and mine tend to be about the world being destroyed. Last night, I dreamt that the planet Mercury somehow got off course and was going to collide with the Earth in 8 hours. There wasn’t enough time to send up a rescue mission like Morgan Freeman did in Deep Impact, so C and I were left to decide what we were going to do, take matters into our own hands, etc. I woke up in a bit of a panic and didn’t really fall back asleep after that. The weird thing is that the nightmares are so vivid, it takes an unusually long time to figure out that they are only dreams.
I’ll end this post on some good news – a GREAT thing happened today. I had completely forgotten that I loaned my 3 seasons of Arrested Development to a friend at work. She’s probably had them for a year – and she brought them back today! I definitely foresee an AD marathon sometime during my 4-day weekend. I am STOKED!
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!
Friday, November 21, 2008
Meet the baby
We've been struggling at our house with how we refer to the baby. We're only in our 11th week - so it's too early to know the gender, although we both have a 'feeling' that it's going to be a boy.
We've settled on Mr. Shanahan. The baby, just like the coach, holds all of our hopes and dreams.
Go baby and go Broncos!!
We've settled on Mr. Shanahan. The baby, just like the coach, holds all of our hopes and dreams.
Go baby and go Broncos!!
Monday, November 17, 2008
Week 10
The weeks are really crawling. I’m really trying to focus on the here-and-now and just enjoy being pregnant, but I can’t help but get ahead of myself. I can’t wait to smell this child’s head – I can’t wait to see my mom’s face the first time she holds him/her – I can’t wait to give him/her a bath in the sink! I know that by that time comes, I’m going to wish I had relished earlier moments a bit more – but I just can’t help but fast forward our life.
My morning sickness has gotten a little bit worse, but it’s still manageable and probably minor compared to what others have experienced. I have no appetite at all. The only things I can manage to get myself to eat are peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, juice and toast. The thought of everything else makes me want to run to the bathroom. I haven’t been vomiting, just really queasy and woozy. My weekends are spent on the couch doing nothing.
I’m feeling pretty bad about the fact that I’m not eating any fruits and vegetables. I started this pregnancy off with a balanced diet – and can’t manage that right now. I was talking to a friend of mine at work who is pregnant and she told me about these fruit and vegetable pill supplements. She says that her whole family swears by them and all of their babies come out healthy and shiny and loving vegetables. I’ll try it and let you all know how it goes.
I’ve been having a tough time figuring out what kind of Paid Family Leave benefits C will have once the baby is born. At this point, I’m not sure if our marriage will still be valid, so worst-case-scenario, we’d register as Domestic Partners. I was under the impression that Domestic Partners would have the same eligibility as a married couple here in California – but I’m getting a different story from our HR person. I don’t think she’s necessarily trying to be shitty – I think she’s just stupid and as a result I’m probably going to have to end up doing most of the legwork on this. Irritating. But, maybe this will make it easier for the next lesbo couple having a kid.
My morning sickness has gotten a little bit worse, but it’s still manageable and probably minor compared to what others have experienced. I have no appetite at all. The only things I can manage to get myself to eat are peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, juice and toast. The thought of everything else makes me want to run to the bathroom. I haven’t been vomiting, just really queasy and woozy. My weekends are spent on the couch doing nothing.
I’m feeling pretty bad about the fact that I’m not eating any fruits and vegetables. I started this pregnancy off with a balanced diet – and can’t manage that right now. I was talking to a friend of mine at work who is pregnant and she told me about these fruit and vegetable pill supplements. She says that her whole family swears by them and all of their babies come out healthy and shiny and loving vegetables. I’ll try it and let you all know how it goes.
I’ve been having a tough time figuring out what kind of Paid Family Leave benefits C will have once the baby is born. At this point, I’m not sure if our marriage will still be valid, so worst-case-scenario, we’d register as Domestic Partners. I was under the impression that Domestic Partners would have the same eligibility as a married couple here in California – but I’m getting a different story from our HR person. I don’t think she’s necessarily trying to be shitty – I think she’s just stupid and as a result I’m probably going to have to end up doing most of the legwork on this. Irritating. But, maybe this will make it easier for the next lesbo couple having a kid.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
The Real Dr. Love
Sorry for the lack of posts lately. Work has been crazy in the week that I've been back from vacation. I've been saying for a while that taking time off is the corporate equivalent of cutting. Doing it makes you feel alive but coming back is more painful than you can imagine and will make you vow that you'll never do it again.
I'm not sure if I have anything new or interesting to say about the election, specifically Prop 8. I've been angrier than I expected and that anger has lasted longer than I anticipated. There were a number of times when I was in my car, listening to the latest on the protests on the lawsuits and I'd feel myself bubbling with rage. Almost always, the Prop 8 stories were followed by reports from what's going on in the Congo right now. Children as young as 9 and 10 being killed village to village so they won't be recruited as soldiers. My rage was almost always turned into a weak attempt to be thankful for being born in this country despite it's flaws and that things could be so much worse. That would last for a few minutes, until I'd remember that just because California isn't the Congo doesn't mean that what's happened isn't unjust and bullsh.it and then my rage would flare up again. It's tough being a Libra.
We had our first appointment with our regular OB today.
I. LOVE. THIS. MAN.
He is exactly what we needed. He has the best bedside manner I have ever experienced. He's really open - talked alot about himself what led him to practice medicine (the death of his father at an early age) and the kind of environment he wants to create with his patients. He was so respectful of our relationship and went out of his way to make us feel not just comfortable but that WE were the type of patients he wanted. He had pictures of lesbian couples and their babies all over the office. All of his paperwork was written to be inclusive of our community. He was also really touchy. He gave us both two hugs during the appointment. After all of the science and statistics we dealt with in trying to get pregnant - I'm definately ready for some touchy-feely.
He said that the baby looks perfect. Our next appointment is in a month, but he said that if we start to feel nervous before then and just want to hear the heartbeat - to call them up and they'll fit us in. Dreamy.
One thing that he mentioned that I'm looking forward to learning more about, he said that he strongly suggests that we store the cord blood after giving birth. He said that it's an investment but one that he thinks is worth it for couples working with donor sperm. He said that he's confident that the Obama administration will pave the way for more research in this area and that the storage could prove invaluable for certain illnesses that may arise. Not only will the cord blood work with this baby, but it can also work with siblings. Is anyone else out there considering this?
We're in our 10th week and feeling really good.
I'm not sure if I have anything new or interesting to say about the election, specifically Prop 8. I've been angrier than I expected and that anger has lasted longer than I anticipated. There were a number of times when I was in my car, listening to the latest on the protests on the lawsuits and I'd feel myself bubbling with rage. Almost always, the Prop 8 stories were followed by reports from what's going on in the Congo right now. Children as young as 9 and 10 being killed village to village so they won't be recruited as soldiers. My rage was almost always turned into a weak attempt to be thankful for being born in this country despite it's flaws and that things could be so much worse. That would last for a few minutes, until I'd remember that just because California isn't the Congo doesn't mean that what's happened isn't unjust and bullsh.it and then my rage would flare up again. It's tough being a Libra.
We had our first appointment with our regular OB today.
I. LOVE. THIS. MAN.
He is exactly what we needed. He has the best bedside manner I have ever experienced. He's really open - talked alot about himself what led him to practice medicine (the death of his father at an early age) and the kind of environment he wants to create with his patients. He was so respectful of our relationship and went out of his way to make us feel not just comfortable but that WE were the type of patients he wanted. He had pictures of lesbian couples and their babies all over the office. All of his paperwork was written to be inclusive of our community. He was also really touchy. He gave us both two hugs during the appointment. After all of the science and statistics we dealt with in trying to get pregnant - I'm definately ready for some touchy-feely.
He said that the baby looks perfect. Our next appointment is in a month, but he said that if we start to feel nervous before then and just want to hear the heartbeat - to call them up and they'll fit us in. Dreamy.
One thing that he mentioned that I'm looking forward to learning more about, he said that he strongly suggests that we store the cord blood after giving birth. He said that it's an investment but one that he thinks is worth it for couples working with donor sperm. He said that he's confident that the Obama administration will pave the way for more research in this area and that the storage could prove invaluable for certain illnesses that may arise. Not only will the cord blood work with this baby, but it can also work with siblings. Is anyone else out there considering this?
We're in our 10th week and feeling really good.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
33.3% There...
I'm a third of the way done with what could shape up to be a perfect day.
Earlier today, we graduated from our RE and will move on to a regular OB/GYN. Our little bean is about an inch long and has a great heartbeat that we got to hear for the first time today. It was definately bittersweet to graduate - we love this clinic.
My symptoms have definately been kicking in alot more - but they are still manageable. In fact, I'm really kind of enjoying them. I've had alot more naseau - not every day, it seems like I'll have 2 days with and 1 day without. Today is a day without (hopefully tonight's election results won't do anything to change that). Instead of peeing once in the middle of the night, I'm now peeing twice. My heartburn has intensified in severity and frequency and my boobs are distractingly huge. I love it all.
Now I just need Obama to win and Prop 8 to fail and I'll have my trifecta.
Earlier today, we graduated from our RE and will move on to a regular OB/GYN. Our little bean is about an inch long and has a great heartbeat that we got to hear for the first time today. It was definately bittersweet to graduate - we love this clinic.
My symptoms have definately been kicking in alot more - but they are still manageable. In fact, I'm really kind of enjoying them. I've had alot more naseau - not every day, it seems like I'll have 2 days with and 1 day without. Today is a day without (hopefully tonight's election results won't do anything to change that). Instead of peeing once in the middle of the night, I'm now peeing twice. My heartburn has intensified in severity and frequency and my boobs are distractingly huge. I love it all.
Now I just need Obama to win and Prop 8 to fail and I'll have my trifecta.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Heartbeat!
We are on vacation right now, but I really wanted to find a computer so that I could post this update. A few hours before we got on the plane, we had an u/s and we saw a heartbeat! In our previous u/s, the doctor said we should see one next time, but I didn't want to get my hopes up and then be disappointed. I figured that one of the worst things I could do to myself is get myself all worked up about a heartbeat and then NOT see one and then get on a plane and go on vacation for a week and a half. We went into the appointment with the mindset that if we see one, we see one and if we don't, we don't. No big deal.
But it was there and it was beautiful and we burst into tears upon seeing it on the screen. I still get a little choked up thinking about it. It definately makes this pregancy feel more real and I've found myself really enjoying being pregnant right now rather than worrying about what will or will not happen next.
My symptoms have been pretty manageable so far. Aside from the sore bbs, frequent peeing and 2 naps a day - the heartburn is starting to kick in big time. I haven't had much naseau or anything - a few isolated incidents, but nothing debilitating. No major food aversions - except for today. We took a day trip to Provincetown and for lunch, C had a seafood bouillibasse and every once in a while a little squid would find it's way to the surface and I'd feel the walls start to cave in on me.
The computer connection we have is slower than dial-up so I'm sorry that I haven't been able to comment lately. Please know that I'm thinking about you all and hoping for the best.
But it was there and it was beautiful and we burst into tears upon seeing it on the screen. I still get a little choked up thinking about it. It definately makes this pregancy feel more real and I've found myself really enjoying being pregnant right now rather than worrying about what will or will not happen next.
My symptoms have been pretty manageable so far. Aside from the sore bbs, frequent peeing and 2 naps a day - the heartburn is starting to kick in big time. I haven't had much naseau or anything - a few isolated incidents, but nothing debilitating. No major food aversions - except for today. We took a day trip to Provincetown and for lunch, C had a seafood bouillibasse and every once in a while a little squid would find it's way to the surface and I'd feel the walls start to cave in on me.
The computer connection we have is slower than dial-up so I'm sorry that I haven't been able to comment lately. Please know that I'm thinking about you all and hoping for the best.
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