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!

Feeling the love

For the second time in two weeks the wonderful people at work have shown how much they love me by throwing a baby shower for Cranberry! I knew this one was coming though, since they wanted to make sure that Peter and Nate would be able to attend and have all of my pregnancy cravings on hand. They did an absolutely fabulous job putting it together! Since they are forced get to hear the day by day stories of getting everything set up in the nursery, etc. they knew exactly the right colors and theme to make it fit.

Purple, pink, green and butterflies!

I even wore a "Cranberry" dress

As things usually do, we started off with a great food spread - everyone brought something and it was ALL delicious.

Nate and Peter digging in

Then we headed back to open our gifts and have some yummy cake.

Nate helping to open the stroller 

I like this one because you can see Nate (very excitedly) playing with his new Hot Wheels!

Everything we received was great. We got a bunch of cute little outfits, much needed toiletries, diapers and wipes, books, toys, stuff for the nursery, and a bunch of them pitched in and got us the stroller we had registered for! A few of the ladies (who must have some experience) even got a few things for Nate so he wouldn't feel left out.

Nate trying out his new ride!

Of course now Nate probably thinks that all I do at work is eat and party. Finance, shminance! But I really feel very lucky to have coworkers like these! 

Binky intervention!

Since potty training was kind of a no-go when we started a few weeks ago, and we can't move Nate to a big-boy bed until we can get it (Nov 10 + delivery time - yay bonus!), I've decided it's about time we got rid of binky. I think he got a little more attached to it while we were in CA because of our weird schedule and traveling. I kept giving it to him hoping he would fall asleep in the car or stroller, but usually he'd just stay awake with a pacifier in his mouth. I didn't want to do it the first weekend we were back because he was still getting back in the groove of things, so I had my mind set on starting on Friday night. And then he fell down the stairs.

He was/is totally fine! I guess he tripped over Casey somehow and pretty much went end over end 3 times until he hit the floor at the bottom. He hit his head on the floor, but luckily not the shoe bench that's right at the bottom. Peter said he was about one step behind being able to stop him all the way down the stairs. When he finally reached me an hour later (I was in a meeting) and I convinced him to call the doctor (and gave him their number) they pretty much confirmed that he was fine, but to keep an eye out for some things that might spell concussion.

Well, none of those things happened and he was acting totally normal, so I figured why not? If I wait for a perfect weekend when nothing is going on, it will never happen. So we started Friday night. If you read any parenting books, magazines, websites, etc - and I do, they all give suggestions for ways to get kids to give up their pacifiers. Things like taking them to the store to buy a train, building them into a teddy bear, sending them off on a balloon, sending them to another "baby", cutting off the tip so they don't want to suck... Well I didn't do any of those things. I figured if we did those things they'd be fine at the time, but come 8pm bedtime he'd still be asking for his binky, so what's the point? I've been telling him they're lost! He still wants the binky, but I didn't have to go to much more effort than hiding all of them in case of an emergency.

Friday was definitely the worst night to get him down to begin with. He fought it for over an hour then woke up a couple of times through the night looking for them. Saturday was a little better, but really just a little. Sunday night was the worst! He went down alright, but then kept waking up... probably 6+ times. It definitely got old, and of course HAD to be on the night we both had to be at work in the morning. One of the times Peter was up with him that night and asking what was wrong he said his head hurt and his legs. Of course, that made me feel kind of guilty because of the whole falling down the stairs thing, but then he said something else that made us realize he was probably just making it up or feeling the residual bumps and bruises, not anything major. Monday night was a little better - he only woke up 3 times! But it got much better after that. Tuesday night he didn't wake up once and last night he only woke up long enough to get me out of bed before calming himself. I didn't mind too much because I pretty much have to get up at least once every night anyway, so not too much out of the ordinary. He got his first nap since Friday this afternoon and went down without an issue. We'll keep our fingers crossed he contines to do well without them. And I'm really debating even getting Cranberry started on them. Life will probably be easier if she just never starts the habit.

Maybe I should have just shown him this!

Cranberry update

So, as of yesterday I am 33 weeks along! Seven more weeks to go! Everything is still going very smoothly. I'm measuring exactly as I should and her heartrate has ranged from 145-155. I started swelling on our trip to CA (thanks to 6+ hour flights!), but it hasn't been too bad since I got back. But Tuesday night my left ankle looked like a marshmallow, and it didn't get much better yesterday. The doctor said it was pretty normal at this stage and that since my blood pressure, tests and weight were all within the healthy range he wasn't too worried. So, that's very good. I have definitely started to waddle though!  :)

I'd also like to add a fun aside about this particular doctor (I see a different one at every appointment so I know them all by the time labor & delivery come along). He loves to wear fun prints on his pants and socks. Last time he wore some red and white striped socks and this time he was wearing pheasant print pants and socks with dogs on them... I guess he was going for a hunting theme! We'll see what he wears next time.

Cranberry has definitely been moving around a lot lately. She even had her first case of the hiccups yesterday afternoon, and then again last night. Really, hiccups are not one of the cooler things about pregnancy. I know a lot of pregnant women think they're really cool, and to some extent I guess they are, until they start waking you up at 5am! Like I don't have enough things keeping me up at night.

Halloween fun

This was the first year we've really celebrated Halloween with Nate. He's dressed up for each of them, but at 8 months he was a little young to care, and last year we were in California and he just wanted to follow the other kids around that were coming to the door at Nonna's house. This year he was pretty excited though. He got to go to the pumpkin patch and pick out his very own pumpkin and we let him go to Party City and choose his own costume! We were pretty much giving him free reign since it's kind of hard to find something that will work for a family theme with a dad, a toddler and a pregnant mom. So, he decided on Wilson from Chuggington. I had no idea who this character was and hadn't even heard of Chuggington before that! I'm not sure he had either because he always just said he was a "red engine". I was very surprised that he didn't choose Thomas, which was displayed right next to Wilson, but he really like the red train. And he got to wear it three times - at our neighborhood party, the town "faire" and, of course, for trick or treating.

Hmmm...

This one might be a little big

Perfect!

Peter and our neighbor/friend, Jason, playing "Cornhole"

I took him trick or treating while Peter stayed behind to hand out candy. We only went up and down our street, and unfortunately only 8 houses or so had their lights on. But I really think that was enough for the both of us. When we got back home I let him eat a couple pieces of candy (which impressed my mom!) and he "helped" Peter pass out to the rest of the kids who were still coming around. He definitely had a fun night.

Look at the red train's loot!

Speaking of Halloween... it was my 30th birthday. It started with a surprise birthday breakfast at work. We generally celebrate birthdays with a monthly birthday lunch, but for the big ones (those ending in 0) we do something special. Everyone brought food and we had a delicious breakfast feast. They even invited Peter and Nate to join in. Nate has really been wanting to come see me at work, so he loved it. (And they love him, of course!)

My cubicle - kind of hard to duck under with the belly...

Being silly

Me and the boys

The rest of the day was pretty much taken up by work and Nate, but Peter did have some apple cider waiting for me when we got back from trick or treating, which was very nice. I figure until Nate and Cranberry get past the trick or treating age I will pretty much just have to give up my day to them. So... only 13 or so years to go! ;)