It's a Guessing Game!

We are exactly one month away from Cranberry's due date! That means it is time to look into your crystal ball and tell me everything you know about her. This is a pretty serious pool (I stole from our friends Collin and Clare) that accepts guesses for everything from time and date of birth, hair and eye color and you can even put your guesses in for her name! Everything is judged a little differently for the point system, but they explain that on the main page below the survey. Again, this is just for bragging rights (I won Collin and Clare's pool!) but maybe we'll throw in an extra special picture of Cranberry or something. There's a permanent link in the bar to the right or you can find it here: http://bebepool.com/sjmorris31

Just in case you find it helpful here are some stats about Nate:
Estimated Due Date: March 7, 2009
Actual Birth Date: March 4, 2009 (39 weeks, 4 days)
Time of Birth: 1:04pm (Eastern)
Length: 20.5"
Weight: 7 lbs, 5 oz
Hair color: Blonde
Eye color: Blue

Also, our guidelines for picking a name are:
Can't be in the top 20 for the last couple of years (Nathaniel was 76 in 2009)
Has to be something we can make a nickname out of (Nathaniel ---> Nate)
Both given and nickname have to sound good with Morris alone and as her full name (???????? Diane Morris)

Good luck!

Sibling class

On Thursday we took Nate to his very first class - a preschool sibling class so he can learn all about being an awesome big brother! Of course, I don't think he needs to learn that, I'm pretty sure it's just built into his being, but still. So, first thing when we walk into the hospital he got so excited about the outdoor waterfall. Then we go into the class and they talk at first a little about how babies can look different, the umbilical cord, etc. They asked everyone if they were having a boy or a girl sibling. When it got to Nate's turn he said, "Sister, and she's just in my mommy's belly." Then they got to make their thumbprints just like the babies get their feet prints. Nate really liked that part. He also really liked practicing putting a diaper on Charlie so he can be my helper. They then watched a video and had apple juice and graham crackers.

We really think that most of it probably went over his head. He was the youngest kid there because it was geared for kids 2-5. BUT there was one part that I think will be very helpful. That was the tour of the maternity ward where mommy and the baby will be staying when we are there.  He got to see a room and check out the tub, fridge, tv...
And they let him push all the buttons to make the bed go up and down! I will hopefully not pay the price for that when I'm there. They also showed them the play room and the library they have set up just for the big brothers and sisters that come visit their new babies and the nursery where they take the babies if mom decides she needs a break. Luckily there was even a new baby there for them to see. All the kids were very excited about that!

So even though I'm not sure how much he got out of it I think at least the tour of the hospital was good and will hopefully make him more comfortable when he comes to visit. It also served as a little bit of a refresher for me so I definitely know where to go when the time comes.

Cranberry update - 35 weeks!

Well, another week, another doctor's appointment. We are now officially on the weekly appointment schedule. This is also when they tend to get a little more exciting. And I really mean A LITTLE. Because really, unless there are issues (knock on wood) they still take maybe 10 minutes instead of 5. Unless your doctor is running an hour behind like ours was today! That was very frustrating. And it didn't help that I'm stuck in an exam room with very little air flow when I already run warmer than the average person. Peter's sitting there in his leather jacket and long sleeve shirt and is perfectly comfortable, and I'm sitting there half undressed and burning up! Come on people, you know you've got pregnant ladies in here... Anyway... vent over. :)

So today they did all the regular checks - Cranberry's heart and size are healthy and right on track, as are my weight and blood pressure. Then we did a test for Group B Strep and he offered to check my cervix for signs of progression, but I declined. I think Peter was kind of upset about this but I told him it wouldn't matter because even if I was dilated I could be at that point for another 4 weeks and we still might not have a baby, so what's the point! But I did tell him if he was getting nervous he could start doing some of the things that need to be done around the house that he keeps putting off! :)

The other frustrating thing is that for some reason they never want to schedule our appointments until the one before it, so now leading into a bunch of appointments only one week apart we start to feel a time crunch. We asked if we could make an appointment for 2 weeks from now and they only had one time slot available on both Thursday and Friday - and nothing at all on our normal Wednesday appointment day. I don't know why they couldn't just schedule us now for everything leading up to week 40. Oh well...

But I'm very happy that we are both doing so well and we will see what next week brings!

In other news I would just like to mention again how much I love my job! I decided now would be a good time to sit down with my bosses and discuss everything that needs to be done leading up to my leave, during my leave and after I come back. They said they are happy to have me as long as I am comfortable staying (which right now is until I give birth) but that if I start getting less comfortable and need to work less than full time they would be fine with that too.

I also talked to my female boss about pumping when I get back (the male boss stepped out of the room at this point, not feeling quite so comfortable with the subject matter). She is a major proponent of it and did with both of her kids for more than a year! So she is very willing to work with me to do what I need to do to make it work. Of course it's kind of the law now, BUT I think she'd be willing to anyway. She's giving up her conference room since it's pretty much the only available space that can be completely closed off. Of course, if it's needed there are other places I can use in a pinch (or I can just drive the 4 minutes home) but this will be the best bet. And she's letting me work a more flexible schedule so that I can get those in without having to work too much earlier or later to get in a full eight hour day. Hey, I still need to be a mom! This is all sounding better than the dirty bathroom stall I had to pump in while standing up (and sometimes trying to eat) at BN... And will hopefully result in Cranberry and I being able to keep up with breastfeeding for longer than I was able to with Nate. I'm so happy they are so willing to work with me for what's best for both me and my baby!